Since winning first place in the Alchemy Competition, Xiao Fei's status within the sect underwent a seismic shift.
In the days that followed, his once-neglected small courtyard became a hub of daily visits from disciples.
His humble abode transformed into a scene of vibrant activity; the overgrown, narrow path leading to its entrance was now a well-trodden thoroughfare, worn down by the constant stream of cultivators.
The gifts he received had piled up to fill two rooms, many of them rare and precious items.
The visitors were a motley crew.
Some were disciples who hailed from rogue cultivator backgrounds, seeking to build goodwill, while others were from established families, attempting to recruit him.
Furthermore, at least thirty beautiful female disciples had, either overtly or subtly, confessed to falling in love with Xiao Fei at first sight, believing they shared a destined connection.
Every day, Xiao Fei found himself showered with attention, treated like a star by the disciples.
Everyone he saw greeted him with beaming, enthusiastic smiles.
Every sound he heard was a chorus of flattering praise.
Everyone around him seemed to be a good person, radiating friendliness.
The feeling was utterly intoxicating.
Anyone in such a situation would inevitably inflate their own ego, becoming conceited and believing themselves to be truly exceptional, capable of anything.
It was no wonder that many wise emperors throughout history ultimately met ignominious ends; extremes often lead to reversals.
Confucius once said: "A poor man standing at a crossroads, wielding ten steel hooks, cannot grasp the flesh and bone of his kin; a rich man in the deepest mountains, wielding swords and spears, cannot scatter his unrighteous companions."
This saying proved to be undeniably true.
While Xiao Fei was surrounded by guests daily, Sun Dazhi, who usually sought him out every few days to boast, had not appeared recently.
Huang Feifei, who typically visited once every ten days, was also absent.
Fortunately, Xiao Fei was not swayed by this superficial splendor. He maintained a clear understanding of his own capabilities and limitations.
He had initially assumed that these visits would be a fleeting trend, and that peace would soon return.
However, he was mistaken. Some people were simply too idle, and had already visited for the third time, their enthusiasm undiminished.
Everyone saw him as an underdog, a potential asset, and was investing in a good relationship with him early on.
The single Foundation Establishment Pill he received was something many people dreamed of.
A Foundation Establishment Pill offered him the chance to become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, to ascend to a higher plane of existence.
He also possessed superb alchemy skills, which guaranteed him favor from the sect in the future.
Yet, Xiao Fei found himself troubled by this situation. He knew his own abilities best.
He was an ordinary person, lacking exceptional aptitude or talent, even considered a cultivation prodigy by some.
All his current achievements relied on his spatial artifact and his own diligent efforts behind the scenes.
Without either the spatial artifact or his hard work, none of this would be possible.
If he continued down this path, spending his days socializing with these disciples and reveling in the adoration, he would be wasting his prime years.
Even with his spatial artifact, he wouldn't be able to save himself, ultimately fading into mediocrity, only to regret his squandered time in old age.
However, if he were to simply dismiss these people, he would offend many.
Those who fawn over success often possessed questionable moral character.
The friendship of a noble person is based on righteousness; the friendship of a base person is based on profit. Failure to gain their favor would breed resentment.
This approach could easily lead to them turning against him, forcing him to constantly guard against sneak attacks and hidden dangers.
One day, after bidding farewell to a female cultivator who was reluctant to leave, Xiao Fei also stepped out.
He produced a black feather, about ten feet long, stepped onto it, and activated his spiritual power. The feather smoothly ascended, flying towards the main peak.
This flying artifact, obtained from the Falling Dragon Abyss, functioned just as well after being modified to black, offering stable and swift flight.
It was indeed an excellent means of transportation.
The sect was remarkably generous to its outstanding disciples. Besides rewarding him with a Foundation Establishment Pill,
they also granted him ten thousand contribution points at once, and he would receive three thousand contribution points monthly thereafter.
Over three years, this would amount to nearly one hundred and twenty thousand contribution points.
This would be more than enough to exchange for the "Primordial Five Elements Cultivation Manual."
Furthermore, becoming an inner disciple allowed him to personally choose a cave dwelling on Thousand Bird Peak.
Thousand Bird Peak possessed slightly denser spiritual energy than other peaks and was exclusively reserved for inner disciples.
Xiao Fei, with his poor aptitude, couldn't absorb much spiritual energy through meditation and was indifferent to the concentration of spiritual energy, hence he had never moved there.
Now, he intended to relocate. Besides the richer spiritual energy, there was a checkpoint at the front of the peak, requiring outsiders to present an invitation issued by an inner disciple to enter.
This would help him ward off many troublesome matters, allowing him to focus on quiet cultivation.
Thousand Bird Peak was adjacent to Verdant Condensing Peak. With Xiao Fei treading on the black feather, he traversed several valleys and soon arrived at the foot of Thousand Bird Peak.
"You are Xiao Fei, the one who achieved first place in the Alchemy Ranking?"
A one-armed Foundation Establishment deacon took Xiao Fei's waist token, examined it, and asked with a sidelong glance.
"It is this disciple!"
"You are here to choose a cave dwelling, aren't you? Here is the map!"
The one-armed Foundation Establishment cultivator tossed him a jade slip map. Xiao Fei probed it with his divine sense.
"There are a total of one thousand cave dwellings on Thousand Bird Peak, with over six hundred already occupied.
The red dots indicate occupied dwellings, while the green light spots denote vacant ones.
You can choose any of the empty dwellings, or you can carve out a new one yourself.
However, the locations with better positions have long been occupied by those who came before."
Xiao Fei took a look. Carving out a cave dwelling was too troublesome, so he directly selected a relatively secluded one.
"This is the cave dwelling restriction token. You can go yourself!"
The one-armed man tossed Xiao Fei a black token.
"Remember, Thousand Bird Peak is filled with sect elites and numerous geniuses. Do not disturb others' cultivation lightly."
"Thank you for your guidance."
Xiao Fei, holding the token, found the location of his dwelling. It was indeed quite secluded.
Within a radius of several miles, there was no sign of human habitation. At the entrance, there was a waterfall, a pool of water, a lawn, and a bamboo grove, creating a serene environment.
The cave dwelling itself was spacious, featuring dedicated rooms for alchemy, artifact refining, cultivation, and spirit beasts, as well as an acre of spiritual field.
Xiao Fei spent a day moving his belongings from his original small courtyard.
He sold a patch of lantern fruit in the spiritual field outside the cave dwelling to an outer disciple.
Only the spirit peach tree in the spiritual field was moved by him.
Additionally, he planted two spirit peach saplings in his spatial artifact. They were now over a person tall and would bear fruit in a few years.
After moving into his new cave dwelling, he sent a few invitations allowing entry to Thousand Bird Peak to Huang Feifei, and then announced his intention to enter secluded cultivation.
Finally free from all the distractions, he could focus on his cultivation.
He had temporarily put aside other aspects of his training to compete in the Alchemy Competition. Now, he needed to catch up.
Especially with the "Body Tempering Art," which he hadn't practiced for half a year. Not only had his cultivation not progressed, but it had even slightly regressed.
Xiao Fei picked up a mid-grade Qi Gathering Pill and swallowed it. A dense wave of spiritual energy spread through his abdomen, at least three times that of ordinary pills.
He then picked up a sandbag and began to strike his body with it, blow after blow.