[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-treasure-immortal-basin":3,"chapter-the-treasure-immortal-basin-the-treasure-immortal-basin-chapter-1":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Treasure Immortal Basin",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":18,"prevChapterSlug":19,"totalChapters":20,"novelImage":21},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":12,"translator":16,"content_hash":17},2355184,4608,"Chapter 1: Picking Up a Broken Basin","the-treasure-immortal-basin-chapter-1",1,"\u003Cp>“You’re He Pingsheng? How old are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a dark hall resembling a ruined temple, a bare-chested man stared at the boy before him, no taller than five feet, and asked gruffly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy replied respectfully and with utmost caution: “Sir Zhang, I am fourteen years old.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of spiritual root?” Zhang Laoda asked casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng said: “It’s a Five Elements spiritual root.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing it was a Five Elements spiritual root, Zhang Laoda’s face broke into a satisfied grin, then he sneered: “So you’re a money pit, hahaha…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around him, a group of men reeking of sweat burst into laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their laughter merged into one, shaking dust loose from the rafters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Laoda’s smile vanished; the laughter around him ceased instantly, as if pulled by strings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thump…” Zhang Laoda’s black, greasy hand slapped He Pingsheng’s thin shoulder. “Your Jiang uncle and I have some ties—he begged me, so I agreed to take you in!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re fourteen now, not a child. Starting today, you’re in charge of hauling water up Xiuzhu Peak!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But remember this: the masters and ladies on Xiuzhu Peak are immortals who fly through skies and vanish through earth—each one exalted beyond measure. You must bow deeply when you see them. If you anger them, your life won’t last!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng’s heart tightened; he quickly replied: “Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Laoda continued: “On Xiuzhu Peak, there are two places needing water: one is the caves of the various masters!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The other is our own kitchen for the laborers!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The water demand is huge. You must rise before dawn to start hauling water and only stop at night—no rest in between!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Otherwise, you won’t finish the task!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood?” Zhang Laoda barked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng nodded: “Understood!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lao San, take him around to get familiar. Don’t delay tomorrow’s work—if the masters punish us, none of us can bear it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tall, thin middle-aged man stood up and led He Pingsheng out of the dark hall, heading outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fourteen years old!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Born in the Outer Sect of Grand Void Gate, his parents had once been Outer Sect disciples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, when He Pingsheng was eight, his father He Sanjie died while seeking fortune, killed by a beast. Less than a month later, his mother died mysteriously; then a group of Grand Void Gate cultivators stormed their home and looted all the spiritual resources left behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since then, He Pingsheng had lived with his father’s old friend Jiang Jian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At nine, He Pingsheng’s spiritual root awakened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the Grand Void Gate’s Awakening Ceremony, he revealed a Five Elements spiritual root—complete in Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had a spiritual root, yes—but this kind was the hardest to cultivate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In cultivation terms, it was called a “money pit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It required countless resources to build up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it plainly: the resources needed to nurture one Five Elements cultivator could sustain ten, even dozens, of single-element cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of the Grand Void Gate’s Elders or disciples wanted to take him as a disciple; in the end, He Pingsheng couldn’t even qualify for the Outer Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recently, Jiang Jian, seeing no hope for his own Dao path and nearing old age, decided to abandon cultivation, return home, marry, and sire children to continue his ancestral line—he could no longer care for his old friend’s son, so he recommended He Pingsheng to the laborer squad of Xiuzhu Peak’s Inner Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A laborer disciple, as the name implies, was someone who did chores.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cultivation world wasn’t all immortals—even immortals needed to eat, drink, and relieve themselves. Especially Qi Refining disciples, who couldn’t yet practice Grain Grain Bigu, required daily attendants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every major peak of Grand Void Gate had a laborer squad, handling sanitation, meals, errands, and more—over a dozen specialized roles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of all these tasks, hauling water was the heaviest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the entire peak consumed vast amounts of water daily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And hauling water meant trekking to the spring at the back mountain—though only two li round-trip, the path was uneven, rocky, and treacherous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng chose to endure this suffering because he still clung to a sliver of hope for the Dao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though a laborer disciple, he was closer to immortals on Xiuzhu Peak—proximity meant opportunity; with enough fortune, he might even acquire one or two cultivation methods, and finally step onto the immortal path—wouldn’t that be glorious?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was this dream that led him to ask Jiang Jian to recommend him to Xiuzhu Peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for hardship?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t born with a golden spoon in his mouth—was there any life in this world without suffering?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Han led He Pingsheng around Xiuzhu Peak, showing him two enormous water vats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His daily task was to fill these vats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To fill both vats required at least twenty trips to the back mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a fourteen-year-old boy, this was an immense challenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is your room!” Lao Han finally brought He Pingsheng to a courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The courtyard held six or seven rooms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each laborer disciple had a private room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng took the key and iron chain, opened the door—the room was empty. Not a single household item, not even a basic blanket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, it was summer; he wouldn’t freeze without a blanket at night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was one iron bowl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The front room is the kitchen!” Lao Han said. “Go eat on time—miss it, and there’s nothing left…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With those final words, Lao Han hurried away as if he had urgent business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng looked around the room again—found nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He locked the door, picked up two water buckets, and headed for the back mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Technically, he could wait until tomorrow to haul water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But forewarned is forearmed—if he waited until tomorrow and something went wrong, he’d have no room to recover. So He Pingsheng went early: to familiarize himself with the path, and to see how long it took to fill both vats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A clear stream cascaded down from the peak’s summit, forming a waterfall that crashed onto a massive rock, spraying white spray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The waterfall was narrow—only a foot wide—but flowed ceaselessly, enough to supply the entire peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below the rock, the waterfall pooled into a clear, shallow pond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water was so clear he could see the pebbles at the bottom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng filled his two large buckets with water, slung them over his shoulders, and headed back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two buckets were heavy—nearly crushing his breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two-li mountain path took a full quarter-hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this pace, he could make two or three round trips per hour; twenty trips would take at least seven or eight hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To ease tomorrow’s labor, after his first trip, He Pingsheng returned to the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He decided to haul water five times today—so tomorrow wouldn’t be so grueling!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twice!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three times!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night grew deeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When He Pingsheng reached the water for the fifth time, he suddenly noticed a faint glow shimmering beneath the surface!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is this…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng took a deep breath and stepped closer—there, in the clear water below, lay an old, cracked clay basin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The basin was black, catching a sliver of moonlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh…” He Pingsheng wiped sweat from his brow. “I thought it was some treasure—turns out it’s just a broken basin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, this broken basin has some use—I’ll take it back. Good for washing clothes and face.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1220,"2026-06-21T04:08:57.694Z","Qwen3-Next 80B","709e30d549e0d6e9cd12617656eef275af3d5bbe67b7daeed7b30b14c42420e1","the-treasure-immortal-basin-chapter-2",null,1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-treasure-immortal-basin-cover.jpg"]