New Steward

That afternoon, Yang Chen heard news in the mess hall that the new steward, Chen Jinhai, had arrived at Area 8 and had already debriefed with Lin Chuan.

Many people were discussing the new steward privately, mostly speculating about his personality.

While Lin Chuan was in charge, the disciples of Area 8 were relatively harmonious, and there were even occasional unexpected rewards in terms of resources. However, this was not the atmosphere of the entire Labor Peak. In fact, it was quite the opposite; except for two or three areas managed by strong stewards, the disciples in other areas were not so carefree.

The hope for Area 8 to remain as stable as it was under Lin Chuan was not high. Most stewards would skim off the top during their tenure; this was an unspoken understanding.

"I just hope he's not too excessive."

Yang Chen took a bite of the braised black-eyed rabbit leg, also hoping the new steward wouldn't be too greedy.

His threshold for risk tolerance was high. As long as Chen Jinhai didn't target him, he didn't care whether the sect's monthly resource allocation was a little more or less.

While he was eating, his Sound Transmission Bamboo vibrated slightly.

Yang Chen took out the Sound Transmission Bamboo, and Wang Feng's voice came through.

"Junior Brother Yang, I'll come find you a bit later."

Yang Chen replied with a "good" and didn't think much of it. After finishing his meal beautifully, he returned to his residence.

He had just sat down when Wang Feng arrived in a hurry, his face grim. Yang Chen poured him a cup of water, which the latter drank in one gulp.

Yang Chen immediately realized that something bad had likely happened.

As expected, after putting down the cup, Wang Feng said in a deep voice, "Martial Uncle Lin has left the sect."

Yang Chen's expression remained unchanged; this news was within his expectations. He glanced at Wang Feng and hesitated, "Senior Brother, your expression doesn't look good. What happened?"

Wang Feng sighed, "The new steward summoned all the supervisors and demanded Spirit Crystals under fabricated pretenses. Each supervisor had to produce 30 Spirit Crystals. I refused, and my supervisor identity was revoked. From now on, I am no longer the supervisor of the spirit field area."

Yang Chen's brows furrowed. This new steward was too direct in his intentions, not even bothering to pretend and directly demanding Spirit Crystals. It was clear he was here to extort resources from Area 8.

This was not good news.

As Wang Feng spoke, he sighed again, "There's another thing. Junior Brother, you'll need to buy supplies in town yourself from now on."

Yang Chen was startled, "Why is that?"

"Heh, someone's got their eye on you." Wang Feng gave a cold laugh, anger brewing in his eyes. "In short, Junior Brother, you must be careful from now on. Once Chen Jinhai officially takes office, he will undoubtedly try every means to extort Spirit Crystals."

"I asked my little sister to inquire. Chen Jinhai paid a hefty price to become the steward of Area 8. You should understand what I mean."

"Oh, right. The resources you need can be bought at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion in town. There are many people there, so be mindful and don't reveal your wealth, lest you attract unwanted attention."

Yang Chen nodded slightly. Since things had come to this, he could only take things as they came.

"What are your plans from now on, Senior Brother?"

Wang Feng shook his head, "I just hope Chen Jinhai doesn't trouble me. What plans could I have? I'll take it one step at a time. I also need to prepare for my push to join the Outer Sect."

"I won't talk anymore. I have a few more places to go."

Wang Feng got up and left. After seeing him off, Yang Chen fell silent for a moment before temporarily putting the matter aside.

Two days passed in a flash.

Finally, there was movement from the mountainside. That afternoon, Chen Jinhai led the supervisors of Area 8 to the square next to the mess hall.

Yang Chen and the others had already received the news and were waiting in the square.

As the group arrived, all the disciples curiously observed the man at the forefront.

The newcomer was dressed in white, with a well-proportioned build. Judging by his appearance, he was around thirty-four or thirty-five years old. His features were rather ordinary, and he wore a gentle smile, giving off a feeling of warmth.

Yang Chen thought to himself, "He's a smiling tiger."

If what Wang Feng said was true, then Chen Jinhai was the difficult type to deal with.

While everyone was guessing, a thin supervisor beside Chen Jinhai stepped forward after seeking permission. Yang Chen recognized him; he was the supervisor of the lumberyard, named Huang An. He was from the same cohort as Wang Feng and had taken over the position after the original lumberyard supervisor left the sect.

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"Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, the person beside me is our Area 8 Steward Chen Jinhai. From now on, all matters, big or small, will be handled by Steward Chen. Next, Steward Chen will address you all. Please give him a round of applause."

Clap, clap, clap~

The applause was thunderous; this much courtesy was expected.

Huang An retreated to the side, and Chen Jinhai stepped forward, raising his hands to signal for quiet. The scene immediately fell silent. He smiled and said, "Martial Uncle Lin has been promoted, and I will be taking over his position to continue protecting all of you. To be honest, I'm completely clueless about the duties of a steward. If I make any mistakes in the future, I ask all Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters to correct me."

For a dignified Outer Sect disciple and steward to be so polite to them, many Labor Disciples were moved and developed a slight good impression of Chen Jinhai.

"The real show is yet to come."

Yang Chen guessed that the serious matters would be discussed next.

As expected, Chen Jinhai changed the subject, "To better manage Area 8 and protect the rights of all disciples, I have decided to adjust some of the existing rules."

The disciples below began to speculate in their hearts.

Chen Jinhai continued, "Firstly, regarding the supervisors at each task point, when Martial Uncle Lin was here, Area 8 had fifteen supervisors. After carefully reviewing the duties of each supervisor, I found some overlap. Therefore, from now on, Area 8 will only retain ten supervisor positions, filled through competition, with the capable taking the lead."

Many looked at the supervisors behind Chen Jinhai. None of them showed any surprise, as they had clearly been informed of this beforehand.

"Secondly, we will re-draw lots for your existing tasks to ensure fairness, impartiality, and transparency, giving everyone an opportunity to obtain easier tasks."

As soon as these words were spoken, many disciples' eyes lit up with joy. Especially those doing tasks in heavily demanding areas like the mining district, who wished they could clap their hands in approval.

Zhu Xi, Meng Shijun, and others, however, saw their faces change drastically. While they were all tasks, the ease of completion was incomparable.

The disciples working in the mining district generally had lower cultivation levels, not just because of a lack of resources, but also greatly due to the daily tasks they had to perform.

Yang Chen watched from the sidelines. With Wang Feng's earlier words as a foundation, he had already anticipated something like this.

Chen Jinhai's words sounded good, as if he were giving everyone a fair chance. In reality, he was fully utilizing the power in his hands, treating the tasks like a sickle to harvest the disciples.

He wasn't the only one who saw through it. Huang Tianyu and Xu Qingqing stood together, also watching with cold eyes.

After giving everyone a moment to process, Chen Jinhai smiled and said, "The redrawing of lots will be held three days from now in the afternoon, right here. Everyone must attend."

"If you have any questions, you can consult your respective supervisors."

"That's all I have to say. You may all feel free to..."

Before Chen Jinhai could finish speaking, Huang An suddenly stepped forward and whispered in his ear.

Chen Jinhai's brow furrowed deeply, and he said angrily, "What did you say? Why didn't you tell me sooner!"

"My lord, please calm your anger. I, I just remembered."

Huang An's face was filled with fear, his voice trembling slightly.

This scene left the disciples below utterly confused. Yang Chen looked at the two, feeling like the situation was somehow familiar.

He thought of a word: a double act.

He didn't believe Huang An would forget anything. To be a supervisor, one had to be at least at the Blood Martial Seventh Level, with an extraordinary memory that wouldn't miss a single detail.

He also didn't believe Chen Jinhai would miss any crucial information. The two of them putting on this act likely had only one purpose: the upcoming news might cause many disciples to resist.

This was them laying the groundwork!

As he guessed, Chen Jinhai sternly reprimanded Huang An, who looked embarrassed and ashamed, lowering his head as he retreated to the side.

Chen Jinhai looked at everyone and sighed heavily.

"Just now, I received some bad news."

"Starting next month, the resources for all disciples at the Qi Martial Realm in Area 8 will be reduced from 3 Spirit Crystals to 2, and for those at the Blood Martial Realm, from 6 to 4."

The entire place erupted.