Senior Brother Wang Feng

Just then, three figures—two men and a woman—arrived together and headed straight for the second floor.

As they went upstairs, many people turned to look at them.

"Who are those three? They dared to eat on the second floor on their very first day?"

"Probably children of some great family. I heard a single meal upstairs costs at least half a spirit crystal."

"Judging by their bearing, they probably do not care about a few spirit crystals. Damn it! Won't their cultivation speed far surpass ours because of that?"

Many people discussed it among themselves. Those speaking were all somewhat knowledgeable, aware that eating Fierce Beast Meat at every meal was enormously beneficial to cultivation.

"Who told them to be born in the right place?"

Someone spoke with a sour tone, their words dripping with envy.

"Wait, those people seem to be genuine martial artists!"

"What? Genuine martial artists? You mean their strength has already surpassed a thousand kilograms?"

The moment those words were spoken, the people nearby immediately fell silent.

Most of them still hovered around six or seven hundred kilograms of strength, a considerable distance away from the Qi Martial Realm.

"Face reality and cultivate diligently. The ones smiling at the end may not necessarily be them."

The topic ended there, and the three figures vanished up the stairs.

Yang Chen and Zhu Xi exchanged a glance, seeing the same sigh in each other's eyes.

The disparity in family background was rigidly stratified. Their families were major clans in Fulong County, but compared to those truly great families, the gap was anything but small.

At this moment, that difference was displayed with utter clarity.

The two said no more, merely hardening their resolve inwardly. They would cultivate diligently and strive to make up for the initial gap.

After eating, they headed out of the dining hall. Not long after they emerged, someone suddenly stepped out from the side and smiled at them. "Sorry to disturb you, Junior Brothers. I am Wang Feng, and I joined the sect three years ago."

"Three years ago?"

Looking at the newcomer, Yang Chen's heart skipped a beat. Having entered the sect three years earlier, this ordinary-looking young man's strength must have been terrifying.

Zhu Xi cautiously said, "Greetings, Senior Brother. May I ask why you suddenly approached us? What guidance do you have for us?"

Wang Feng waved his hand and smiled. "Ah, guidance would be too much. I merely saw that you two Junior Brothers walk like dragons and tigers, and speak with uncommon poise. I would like to make a deal with you."

Yang Chen watched Wang Feng warily, pondering his true purpose.

Zhu Xi was much the same. Though only sixteen, he knew that pies did not fall from the sky, and there was no reason good fortune would come knocking.

Wang Feng paid no heed to their guardedness and smiled. "Do not be nervous, Junior Brothers. How about we move somewhere else to discuss this in detail?"

Zhu Xi wanted to refuse, but considering that doing so might offend an older disciple, he and Yang Chen steeled themselves and followed Wang Feng beneath a large tree by the roadside.

"Senior Brother, please speak plainly."

Yang Chen spoke with a hint of caution.

"Very well, then I will make it brief." Wang Feng nodded and smiled. "It is like this: you two Junior Brothers have only just arrived, so you may not know much about Labor Peak yet. My purpose is simple. With my help, I hope you can avoid taking a few detours."

"What kind of help does Senior Brother mean, and what is the price?"

"Excellent question!" Wang Feng's eyes held approval as he held up two fingers. "Two matters. First, I have been in the sect for several years and possess a little standing on Labor Peak. I am quite familiar with several supervisors in our Area 8. You two should understand that wherever one goes, one cannot escape worldly connections. If you build good relations with the supervisors above, your days in Area 8 can be spent with your head on a high pillow."

"Second, Labor Disciple assignments. The waters in these assignments run very deep. On the surface, everyone is a Labor Disciple and must complete assignments, but there are distinctions between them. Some are very easy, such as guarding herb gardens, standing watch over spirit fields, or helping in the dining hall."

"Others are extremely arduous, and may even severely cut into your cultivation time, such as mining in the mountains, chopping timber in the hills, or feeding spirit beasts."

"You two Junior Brothers agree with that, do you not?"

Yang Chen nodded thoughtfully, while Zhu Xi asked, "Senior Brother means that you can get us better assignments?"

"Correct!" A trace of confidence appeared on Wang Feng's face. "Everything has its price. Who gets the easy assignments and who gets the arduous ones can all be arranged."

Zhu Xi asked again, "What is the price for arranging assignments? And what is the price for building good relations with the supervisors?"

Seeing that the two were clearly tempted, Wang Feng nodded slightly. "Arranging assignment connections costs five spirit crystals at a fixed price. I guarantee that for at least one year, you will be assigned only easy tasks."

"As for building good relations with the supervisors, the starting price is thirty spirit crystals!"

Yang Chen revealed a shocked expression. Five spirit crystals were already outrageous, while thirty spirit crystals were downright frightening.

The tempted look on Zhu Xi's face also froze slightly. Clearly, the price had badly startled him.

They only received three spirit crystals per month. Whether it was worth paying five spirit crystals in exchange for better assignments was something that required careful consideration.

Wang Feng was not surprised. Shaking his head, he said, "You two Junior Brothers think the price is high, but that is not so. The easy assignments I mentioned can save you at least two hours every day. Two hours a day means several hundred hours over a year."

"Cultivating several hundred more hours than others—surely you two Junior Brothers know what that gap means."

Yang Chen's heart stirred. Several hundred hours were enough to open up an enormous gap between himself and others. On the road of cultivation, one fast step led to fast steps thereafter. If five spirit crystals could bring such gains, then it was absolutely not a loss.

Wang Feng was not speaking without cause either, because assignment difficulty truly varied.

And he could afford those five spirit crystals. When he had passed the preliminary examination in Fulong County, his cheap mother had given him a full fourteen spirit crystals.

"How can Senior Brother guarantee your credibility?"

Yang Chen asked the crucial question.

Wang Feng smiled faintly. "Among the three supervisors who distributed supplies to you today, the burly one was my elder brother, Wang Kui. I can take you over now so that you can become familiar faces."

At his words, Yang Chen and Zhu Xi exchanged a glance. They did not stand on ceremony and directly requested to meet the supervisor.

The so-called supervisors were disciples personally selected by the Area 8 steward to oversee the workers. These disciples were often Labor Disciples who had entered the sect long ago and possessed profound cultivation.

Every single one of them was at least at the Blood Martial Seventh Level.

Wang Feng agreed at once and led Yang Chen and Zhu Xi to a house in another residential area.

"Big Brother, it is me. Open the door."

Wang Feng knocked. Before long, a burly young man opened the door. Upon seeing Wang Feng, he frowned and barked, "You bastard! How many times have I told you not to use my name for this sort of rotten business?"

Wang Feng gave an awkward smile at those words. "Just this once, just this once! Whoever gets the easy assignments gets them anyway, so why not use them to earn some spirit crystals?"

"Hmph! If there is a next time, see how I deal with you!" Wang Kui spoke impatiently. After his gaze lingered briefly on Yang Chen and Zhu Xi, he shut the door with a cold expression.

Wang Feng did not appear embarrassed at all. Turning back to the two, he smiled. "Well? Have I ever deceived you two Junior Brothers?"

"Senior Brother jests."

Yang Chen and Zhu Xi hurriedly smiled in reply. Wang Kui truly was one of the three men responsible for distributing supplies today. With him involved, they had nothing to worry about.

Though Wang Kui's attitude had been poor just now, that was understandable.

"Then do you two Junior Brothers have this intention? If you do, you should decide early."

Wang Feng pointed at Wang Kui's room and lowered his voice. "To be honest, quite a few Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters made their decision right after receiving their supplies."

Upon hearing that, Yang Chen and Zhu Xi felt their hearts tighten. Good assignments were sure to be a case of too many monks and too little porridge. As long as they could save cultivation time, spending five spirit crystals would not be a loss.

Thinking this, Yang Chen gritted his teeth, pulled a pouch from his robes, counted out five spirit crystals, and handed them to Wang Feng.

The latter accepted the spirit crystals and immediately beamed. "Junior Brother, you are forthright. Quickly give me your name so I can record it."

Yang Chen cupped his fists. "This Junior Brother is Yang Chen. I will trouble Senior Brother."

Wang Feng took out a notebook and wrote down Yang Chen's name. Seeing this, Zhu Xi no longer hesitated and finally got his name onto Wang Feng's notebook as well.

"Rest assured, Junior Brothers. Leave this matter to me."