The Sage Never Strives for Greatness, Thus Achieves Greatness

Chen Fan stared at the scene before him, his breath catching, eyes filled with astonishment. The moment the copper pipes activated— Countless "stalactites" embedded in the ceiling of the Spirit Accumulation Pavilion emitted a faint, spectral blue glow, cascading cold blue light downward like an inverted galaxy. The light did not disperse. Like something physical, it fell straight toward the floor. Just like... Dry ice. He found an apt comparison in his mind: like countless wisps of blue dry ice tumbling from the ceiling. Nor were these stalactites arranged at random; the descending, icy cyan light formed an intricate formation upon the black jade stone floor—one he could not decipher, yet could tell at a glance was exceptionally advanced. At a single glance, the entire interior of the Spirit Accumulation Pavilion resembled an immortal realm. "Whew..." Chen Fan took a deep breath as he took in the sight. He looked back toward his campsite; this Spirit Accumulation Pavilion seemed entirely out of place alongside it, not at all like a structure that belonged to him. This building had to be kept strictly confidential. He had no doubt: The moment word leaked out, countless factions would covet this Spirit Accumulation Pavilion. Even a Training Chamber was something many factions never possessed, yet here he had an even higher-grade Spirit Accumulation Pavilion. He looked toward the status panel of the Spirit Accumulation Pavilion. Though it looked extraordinary, its actual efficacy would depend on the panel. [Building Name]: Spirit Accumulation Pavilion. [Building Grade]: White. [Building Level]: Level 4. [Building Effects]: 1: Cultivation speed is increased, dependent on the number of ghost stones consumed, up to a maximum of tenfold. 2: Martial technique comprehension speed is increased, dependent on the number of ghost stones consumed, up to a maximum of tenfold. 3: Contains the essence of the Mountain Embryo, granting a low probability of sudden enlightenment. Note: Upgrading to Level 5 requires 5,000 ghost stones and Sea Embryo x1. "Tenfold..." After muttering the number to himself, Chen Fan strode into the Spirit Accumulation Pavilion. He found a spot, sat down cross-legged, and looked at the cold blue light falling over him from the ceiling—it felt surprisingly warm. It gave him a sensation akin to sitting in a sauna at a bathhouse in his past life. Slowly closing his eyes, he silently circulated the cultivation method Zhou Mo had passed on to him. He had tried cultivating before. Spending several good hours every day practicing, with the method Zhou Mo gave him, it would take at least six months to absorb fifty ghost stones and advance to a Level 2 cultivator. That speed was far too slow, so he had never invested much heart into it. Two hours later. He slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air. He had run the Spirit Accumulation Pavilion at full blast, cultivating at tenfold speed for two hours. Truly worthy of the Spirit Accumulation Pavilion—he felt... felt absolutely no progress whatsoever. Even at tenfold speed, that was only equivalent to twenty hours of cultivation. His physical constitution had not increased—or perhaps it had, but he could not detect it at all. On the other hand, seven ghost stones had been consumed, which was quite tangible. The consumption of ghost stones depended on how many people were inside the Spirit Accumulation Pavilion. Since he was the only one cultivating right now, the ghost stones consumed were not that many. Using this building to rapidly cultivate a batch of powerful cultivators was actually not cost-effective. The time required was a bit too long for him, and the return on investment for the ghost stones consumed was not high either. However, quickly raising everyone to Level 2 or Level 3 cultivators so they had stronger physiques and could do physical work more easily would be no trouble at all. The cost would be low, and it would also allow Zhou Mo to comprehend the Water-Severing Saber Technique faster, keeping him safer on outside duties. Cultivators of the same level stood no chance against ghost creatures, let alone city-defense structures like arrow towers, but they could beat people. That was also the primary purpose of cultivators: Beating people. After all, when roaming outside, how could there not be conflicts? Fists and kicks were clearly far better at communicating than words. This Spirit Accumulation Pavilion belonged to the category of foundation-building structures. "Impressive." Chen Fan walked out of the Spirit Accumulation Pavilion and looked at Zhou Mo, who was staring eagerly outside the door. "You can go in and play around later. Come with me to do some work first." He then turned to the others who had gathered to inspect the new structure. "The rest of you, follow along too. We're heading up the mountain to dig for treasure." This Spirit Accumulation Pavilion was too high-end. He was currently in his modest beginnings. He wanted something vulgar. Weiwei's parents' dung pit held far more appeal for him. Vulgar was good. Up on Nameless Mountain. God-Slaying Spear in hand, Chen Fan paced the clearing near the den of Weiwei's parents. With every step, he drove the spear deep into the ground, pulled the tip out, sniffed it carefully for any odor, and repeated the motion over and over. Though it was only a White-grade exotic treasure, it was plenty sharp. The soil here was not as hard as the bottom of the sinkhole, making it quite handy as a Luoyang shovel. Nearby, Wang Mazi, Sick Monkey, and the others followed suit, conducting a carpet search. Weiwei was also continually clawing at the dirt, attempting to locate the dung pit left behind by its parents. Only... After bustling about for two full hours, they had not found a single hair. "Young Master." Sick Monkey jogged over out of breath, panting slightly. "We've searched everywhere around here and haven't seen a single dung pit. Could it be that when that senior left a hundred and eighty years ago, he dug up all the dung pits and took them away?" "Impossible!" Chen Fan shook his head firmly, dismissing the possibility. "That was a senior, an important figure whose name even a ghost king wouldn't dare utter, a powerhouse capable of smashing a crater into an entire mountain with a single hammer. Tens of thousands of ghost stones might be treasures in our eyes, but to a senior like that, they're probably no better than toilet paper." "When you own hundreds of thousands of ghost stones, if you saw a single ghost stone discarded on the side of the road, would you pick it up?" "I'd definitely pick it up," Sick Monkey said with conviction. "Smooth." Chen Fan went quiet for a moment, his confidence wavering. "Fair enough, I'd definitely pick it up too. But... if it were in a dung pit, you definitely wouldn't pick it up, right?" "I'd still pick it up." "True... I'd probably still pick it up too..." "Still," he frowned slightly, "even if he really did take them, there should at least be an open dung pit left behind showing signs of excavation. We haven't even seen an open pit." "The dung pit is definitely nearby. Keep looking." "A great figure like that wouldn't likely haul away the ghost stones from a dung pit before leaving." "If he were that stingy, why didn't he take the Snow Lotus and Mountain Embryo?" Just then— Hundreds of meters from the cave entrance, the crocodile on the ground in the distance suddenly raised its head and roared, its voice tinged with excitement and a bid for credit. "Found it!" Chen Fan's eyes lit up. Brandishing the God-Slaying Spear, he sprinted over to find the crocodile sprawled in a patch of open ground, having already scraped out a hole with its claws. "Good job, Weiwei! Dig it bigger!" "When we head back tonight, I'll roast you some heads to eat!" Half an hour later. Chen Fan stood expressionless beside the excavated dung pit, lifting a rock with the tip of his God-Slaying Spear to inspect it. The pit had aged for a very long time, and there was not the slightest foul stench; through years of decomposition, the droppings had turned into fossil-like stones. They had already shattered many rocks. Not a single ghost stone had been found. It made him feel like he was gambling on raw jade. For now, two things were certain. First: Weiwei's parents indeed had dung pits, but they were rather particular, placing the pits far from the entrance to their den. Second: That so-called great figure was a penny-pincher. There wasn't a single ghost stone in this dung pit; the guy had taken every last one when he left. "Heh." Chen Fan could not help a helpless chuckle. He really could not imagine a prominent figure who could smash down a mountain with a single hammer going out of his way to dig ghost stones out of a dung pit before leaving. The man certainly knew how to pinch pennies. "Truly worthy of a senior." Standing at the edge of the pit, Zhou Mo pressed his palms together in reverent solemnity. "In the past, I always wondered what cultivation level one must attain to smash through a mountain with a single hammer, and how many ghost stones that would consume." "Now I understand." "It was precisely this mindset of never wasting a single ghost stone that sustained the senior to reach such exalted heights." "As the saying goes:" "'Difficult tasks throughout the world inevitably begin with what is easy; great affairs throughout the world inevitably begin with what is minute.'" "'Seeing today how the senior cherished and treated with utmost care even something so lowly, only now do I truly understand what is meant by: The sage never strives for greatness, thus achieves greatness.'" "In the past, I actually deluded myself into thinking I could succeed in a single bound. How truly foolish." "Senior, I have achieved enlightenment." "Enlightenment, my ass." Chen Fan shot Zhou Mo an exasperated look. "Here you are getting all philosophical. Everyone, search other spots! Since we found the first dung pit, there are bound to be a second and a third." "That great figure couldn't possibly have taken all the ghost stones from every dung pit." "Smash all the rocks in this pit too." "There might be some leftovers at the bottom." Another half an hour passed. Chen Fan stood expressionless before yet another dung pit with Sick Monkey and the others, silent for a long time. Ever since uncovering the first dung pit, they had caught on to the pattern. Weiwei's parents did not like placing their dung pits close to the entrance of their den; they were all situated further away. One after another, they had dug up a third, a fourth, a fifth, and in all, a total of six dung pits. One could say the harvest was considerable. Except not a single ghost stone had been reaped; instead, they had collected a mountain of fossils formed from dung. "Young Master," standing nearby, Sick Monkey looked tentatively at the fossils in the pit and asked, "should we haul all these dung fossils back too? Weiwei's parents seemed quite strong. After a century of decomposition in the soil, maybe these things are some kind of treasure too. We might be able to use them in the future." "Makes sense." Chen Fan let out a quiet sigh. Though somewhat disappointed, he readily accepted the idea and nodded. "Put in a bit of hard work, everyone. Pack all these dung fossils into chests and take them back. They might come in handy later." Sick Monkey's words had indeed reminded him. Ghost creatures—especially those lacking intelligence—were exceptionally sensitive to such scents. If these dung fossils were placed together, ordinary ghost creatures wouldn't dare approach, making them the equivalent of a natural ghost fire that didn't emit light. That counted as some kind of harvest. As the saying went, a thief never returns empty-handed. Their group had been digging here for so long; they couldn't possibly return with nothing, could they? What kind of look would that be? "Back to work." Chen Fan clapped his hands, looked at the crowd, and smiled once more. "These are all good treasures. Take them all back—don't leave a single piece behind." "Stationmaster." Zhou Mo edged closer from the side and thoughtfully proposed a possibility. "We might have fallen into a misconception all along. We learned from the ghost king's mouth that one hundred and eighty years ago, an important figure referred to as 'that person' departed from here." "And the canyon we reside in is also a hammer crater left behind by that prominent figure." "It is established that this great figure was very likely a cultivator of extremely high level." "Probably not an architect or the like, since no architectural ruins were left around here. But since he was an important figure, he likely had a host of followers trailing him. The dung pits here were probably not dug by that great figure's own hands, but by his followers under his orders. In that case, taking away every ghost stone from the dung pits wouldn't be strange at all, would it?" "And so?" Chen Fan tilted his head toward Zhou Mo, not quite grasping what point Zhou Mo was trying to make. "What I mean is, if that's the case, then this senior wasn't truly as I imagined—not particularly worthy of admiration." "Stop trying to comprehend the Dao and hurry up and get to work." After waving Zhou Mo away, Chen Fan continued looking around, refusing to give up as he kept searching. As he walked, he repeatedly stabbed Sick Monkey's God-Slaying Spear into the ground. He felt very much like a petty grave robber wielding a Luoyang shovel. Except others robbed graves, while he robbed dung. Another half an hour went by. During this time, everyone packed the droppings into chests, and the crocodile made several trips running up and down the mountain, essentially transporting everything back to base camp. Chen Fan looked up at the sky and finally threw in the towel. He had been prodding the ground for ages without finding a new dung pit. It seemed there truly were only these few pits, none of which had left behind any ghost stones. "Let's go. Time to head home." Chen Fan casually plunged the God-Slaying Spear into the ground beneath his feet one last time, pulled it out, and prepared to head toward the crocodile sprawled on the ground to return home, as dusk was falling. Right at that moment, however, he suddenly noticed that the tip of the spear pulled from the ground was coated in a faint milky-white liquid. "What's this?" Chen Fan started slightly, only realizing after a moment—he was all too familiar with this. It was the milky-white fluid released when a ghost stone shattered. The spear he had just thrust into the ground had pierced and shattered a ghost stone buried beneath the surface. "Hey!" Chen Fan grew instantly excited. Looking at the crocodile lying nearby ready to carry them home, he yelled, "Stop lying around! Come over here and dig this spot up—let's see what's underneath!" "Could there be a dung pit that wasn't dug up?" Zhou Mo, Sick Monkey, and the others grew instantly thrilled as well, dashing over in a flash. With eager eyes, they watched the digging crocodile, the hope that had previously been extinguished rekindling once more. Soon, the pit was hollowed out. It was indeed a deep pit. The previous dung pits all bore traces of excavation; after that great figure dug out the ghost stones from those pits, he had even refilled them—remarkably tidy of him. Yet this deep pit showed no traces of excavation whatsoever, nor was there any fossil formed from dung. At the bottom of the deep pit, there were no fossils, only ghost stones mixed in with the soil. At a glance, amidst a vast sea of white ghost stones, quite a few eerie green ghost stones were interspersed, shining with dazzling brilliance.