At dawn, the lake's surface shimmered like glass, veiled in a soft, milky mist that curled lazily above the water. A few white lotuses swayed gently, dewdrops forming on their petals before slipping quietly into the lake below.
It had been three days since Gu An arrived at White Mirror Lake. Thanks to the Blackrock City Lord's relentless labor and liberal use of manpower, a small courtyard of green stone had already been built upon the lake's central island. Today, Gu An could finally move in.
Stepping out from his grass hut by the shore, he dismissed all the mortal workers once he confirmed the construction was complete, keeping only two young maids behind. Before the city lord departed, Gu An gave strict orders: no one was to disturb him without reason.
Watching the group leave, Gu An nodded with mild satisfaction.
"Thousands move for one man's need… so this is what it means to be a cultivator. Truly intoxicating."
Then, with a wry smile, he murmured:
"The bird may live in the vast forest but rests upon one branch; the shrew drinks from the river but only fills its belly.""To reach ultimate stillness—there lies the Dao. When all things move in harmony, one attains immortality.""Yet watching my spiritual power grow, drop by drop… is even more addictive."
Chuckling to himself, he tapped his foot lightly on the water's surface. Each step left behind a faint ripple of pale blue spiritual energy, forming momentary stepping stones as he walked across the lake.
A soft clap of his hands stirred the waters. From below, a dark shadow surged upward—a Black Spirit Fish, its long dorsal fin cutting through the mist. The fish's scales glistened with deep brown patterns as it surfaced, opening its mouth wide in silent expectation.
"Ugh, another one dead?" Gu An frowned, counting the fish. He sighed. The Spirit Source Feedback notifications had been popping up nonstop these past few days—he'd muted them entirely just to think straight.
A sudden splash hit him square in the face.
Several fish, impatient for food, slapped their tails against the water, splattering him with cold droplets.
Gu An wiped his face and glared at the blank, glassy fish eyes staring up at him. "Alright, alright, don't look at me like that." He reached into his storage pouch, scooped out a handful of spirit grain, and scattered it into the water.
"Eat up. A year from now I'll sell the lot of you—and who knows whose dinner table you'll end up on. Then you'll realize how good you had it with me."
He smirked.
"Whichever one of you fattens up the best gets to stay as breeding stock. You'll lay eggs… and then I'll eat you myself."
He spread his hands dramatically.
"Your bloodline continues, your life ends in comfort, no wandering, no suffering—beautiful, isn't it?"
"So remember to be grateful to your benevolent Dao master!"
The fish blinked vacantly, unimpressed.
Gu An sighed. "No sense of humor, any of you." With that, he turned and made his way toward the small courtyard on the island.
The morning mist hadn't yet lifted. The courtyard sat in the center of the lake like a piece of damp jade. Its newly built walls were a soft gray-blue, not high enough to block the view of the surrounding water.
The redwood door was shut halfway, and the eaves dripped slowly as dew rolled down the green tiles. A willow tree stood to the south, its long branches brushing the window. To the north were two small rooms—one for grain storage, one for the two maids.
The western section held the main building: a front hall for receiving guests (though Gu An had no use for it), a bedroom with a simple bed and desk, and an inner chamber for cultivation—a single futon and a low wooden table.
The entire courtyard exuded an air of clean austerity. The Blackrock City Lord had tried to send elaborate furnishings, but Gu An had refused. Mortal decorations were unnecessary distractions.
Turning to the two young women, he said,"Bai Zhi, Qing Liu, from now on you'll live in the outer room. Keep the courtyard clean, and tend to the front hall daily. Do not enter the inner chamber—and don't feed the fish without my permission."
The girls bowed immediately.
Bai Zhi—the one in soft green—had a delicate oval face, almond eyes, and a slim waist wrapped in a pale jade belt. Her jade hairpin shimmered faintly under the misty light. Qing Liu, dressed in pure white, had a calm expression and neatly tied black hair.
"We understand, young master. We won't disobey," they replied in unison.
Gu An nodded. "No need to kneel every time. What are your family backgrounds?"
He doubted the city lord would dare pull tricks, but still—caution was a cultivator's survival instinct.
"I'm from the Zhang family, my father is the City Lord," Bai Zhi said softly, her tone careful.
"I'm from the Zhen family, my family runs grain businesses in the city," Qing Liu added quickly.
"Mm. Whatever your status, you're here to work. Do it well." Gu An said mildly, though his gaze was steady. "That's all. You may go."
Once they left, he stepped into his meditation chamber, sat cross-legged on the futon, and began reviewing his possessions.
"Two spirit stones left—not enough for steady cultivation, better to save them for emergencies.""A low-grade Yin-type artifact, the Shadow Needle. Could be powerful if used well.""One half-spirit beast—Little Black, my horse. Good for travel. I'll let it graze near the lakeside pasture."
After a moment of silent calculation, Gu An sighed with mixed feelings.
Two spirit stones were all that remained. He'd have no income until next year, when he collected his stipend in Cloud City and sold off his Black Spirit Fish. Still, the new artifact brightened his mood—it was only a first-grade low artifact, but his first, and it suited him perfectly.
Shaking his head, Gu An smiled faintly, thinking of the fish in the lake.
Three spiritual roots. No family backing. Mediocre aptitude. Ordinary birth.
In this cold, ruthless world, only the spirit beasts showed him gratitude.
With that thought, he steadied his breath and began his meditation.
Even with the Spirit Source Feedback assisting him, Gu An never slacked off. Years of habit had forged his discipline—and besides, the fish wouldn't mature for another year anyway.
Before that stage, all the spirit beasts were still in their growth period—eager to absorb spiritual energy. Naturally, one couldn't commit such a foolish act as killing the chicken to get the egg. During these idle hours, it would be a waste to do nothing, so Gu An devoted himself to cultivation, hoping to reach Qi Refinement Perfection soon and prepare for Foundation Establishment.
As spiritual energy flowed into his body, Gu An immediately sensed the difference. The aura around White Mirror Lakecame from a first-grade mid-tier spiritual vein, which—though purer than the outside world—was still far weaker than the Lesser Thousand Peaks. No one competed for the ambient qi here, but the thinness of it meant that the amount he could draw in each moment was limited, making his cultivation efficiency drop sharply.
No wonder outside tasks always came with better rewards but were never as sought after as the missions near the Qingyuan Nine Peaks—the difference in spiritual environment alone explained everything.If only I could raise spirit beasts somewhere closer to the sect, he thought.
Unfortunately, the only reason he'd been assigned to this post at all was thanks to Steward Zhang's pull. As for those lucrative, spiritually rich tasks—those were never within his reach.
Shaking off his distractions, Gu An calmed his mind and focused on absorbing the water-attribute spiritual energydrifting through the air. Tiny blue motes of light sank into his skin one by one, vanishing without a trace.
The days that followed slipped by in a steady rhythm.At Mao hour (before sunrise), Gu An cultivated, facing the incoming purple dawn energy.
For the next two hours, he practiced his spells.
After lunch, he went to feed the spirit fish, occasionally riding Little Black, his mount, around the lakeshore for a bit of fun.
In the afternoon, he spent another hour honing his magical tools. Though artifacts and spells did not lead to immortality themselves, they were essential means of protection—never to be neglected.
After dinner, he made a round of White Mirror Lake, inspecting and recording the condition of the spirit fish.
At night, under the glow of the moonlight, he cultivated for another four hours. Both moon essence and purple qi were considered the refined essence of heaven and earth, and during these times the surrounding spiritual energy temporarily grew denser.
A Qingyuan Sect elder had once said:
"When a spiritual vein bathes in purple qi and moon essence, it will gradually draw in the world's spiritual power. In time, its rank may rise. When that happens, the overflowing aura becomes an opportunity that our disciples must seize through diligent cultivation."
Gu An deeply agreed with this teaching.
And so, as the days and nights turned, Gu An's life flowed steadily—fulfilled, yet unhurried.