Recruiting Menial Laborers

The sun was high in the sky. Qin Jishi had been in the city for quite some time, and the novelties he saw brought a smile to his face.

He seemed tired.

Or perhaps weary.

Qin Jishi found a tea house and went up to the second floor. A waiter quickly brought him a pot of fragrant tea.

Sipping the tea and scanning the passersby, Qin Jishi murmured to himself.

"Black and White Academy, how do I get there? Should I just reveal my identity? That's too risky. Liang Simeng is involved with that Qin Tian fellow now. Revealing myself would expose me, wouldn't it?"

"My wings are too thin right now. I can't go head-to-head with the Qin family."

"Should I send a message to that old man Liu Wuxie? Forget it. The last time I contacted him, he insisted I teach him the God Slaying Needle Technique. If he knows I'm going to the Black and White Academy, will he be any help?"

"Don't go?"

"No, I can't. I've been stuck in the World-Saving Pavilion for so many years. Freedom is within reach, how can I give it up?"

"How can I find a suitable reason to join the Black and White Academy?"

"..."

The reason the Qin family spared Qin Jishi's life back then, besides believing he was already a cripple, was also because of his old master.

Now, three years after his old master's departure, if the Qin family found out he could cultivate, would they let him go?

The Black and White Academy was different from other forces. Behind them stood the Liang family of the Saint Domain.

If Liang Simeng knew Qin Jishi's true strength, wouldn't Qin Tian find out too?

Just as Qin Jishi was lost in thought, considering how to get to the Black and White Academy.

"Hey, I heard the Black and White Academy is recruiting menial laborers in the south of the city. Should we try our luck?"

"Us? I think we should forget it. Even as menial laborers for the Black and White Academy, it's beyond our reach. Will they let go of this opportunity for those who failed the assessment?"

"..."

The conversation between the two men caught Qin Jishi's attention.

Menial laborers?

Qin Jishi's eyes lit up. He seemed to have an idea.

He immediately got up and walked over to the two men. "Friends, were you just saying that the Black and White Academy is recruiting menial laborers?"

The two men, who were chatting animatedly, were clearly displeased at being interrupted.

"Are you talking to us?"

"Yes, please tell me." Without realizing it, Qin Jishi placed ten gold coins in their hands.

Oh?

The two men exchanged glances. They had never met someone so considerate before. They immediately smiled and said, "It's fate that we met. Come, come, let's have some tea together."

After Qin Jishi sat down, the two men poured him a cup of fragrant tea.

"My friend, you might not know this."

The two men looked at Qin Jishi with much more favor. "Besides recruiting disciples every year, the Black and White Academy also recruits some menial laborers."

"Although they're called menial laborers, it's more like giving an opportunity to those martial artists who were eliminated."

"You must know that the Black and White Academy is the supreme academy on the Azure Wave Continent. Being able to become a disciple is an acknowledgment of one's strength."

"Similarly, even for menial laborers, the competition is fierce."

As they spoke, the two men smiled, and a look of longing appeared in their eyes. Even becoming a menial laborer at the Black and White Academy would be an unparalleled honor.

"Mm!" Qin Jishi casually asked, "Based on your experience, how many people usually participate?"

"Generally, around ten thousand."

"Ten thousand?" Qin Jishi's forehead creased. When did menial laborers become so popular?

"Of course, it's not just the eliminated martial artists who participate; elders from some forces are also among them."

The two men shook their heads slightly as they spoke, sighing softly. "If we could enter the Black and White Academy and become menial laborers in this lifetime, we would have no regrets."

Qin Jishi thought so too. No matter what, the Black and White Academy's standing was undeniable. Even menial laborers there were not to be trifled with.

"Do you know how many people they recruit?"

"Three hundred!"

"Three hundred?"

Qin Jishi scratched his forehead.

Three out of ten thousand?

Amazing!

After understanding the general situation, Qin Jishi smiled and said, "Thank you, gentlemen. I won't bother you any longer."

Leaving the tea house, Qin Jishi mused, "Menial laborers? Excellent."

"This way, I won't attract Liang Simeng's attention, I can complete the old man's task, and I can also cultivate and improve my own power. It's killing three birds with one stone."

"It's settled then!"

"..."

Passersby looked at the young man muttering to himself, and gossips pointed and whispered about him.

South of the city, the paradise for martial artists in the Azure Wave Imperial Capital.

The street for pleasure and dalliance!

Gambling dens and beast-fighting arenas!

Assassins and mercenaries!

Black market trading!

Whatever you can imagine, it's all here.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn!

Qin Jishi noticed that the mortals around him were becoming fewer and fewer, until finally, only martial artists remained, not a single mortal in sight.

It was as if the southern part of the city was a forbidden ground for mortals, not allowing them to step foot in it.

When Qin Jishi stepped into the southern district, it was like entering two different worlds.

The former was filled with mortals and was peaceful.

The latter was filled with martial artists, and even the air was permeated with a sense of boiling blood.

Walking out of a desolate street, Qin Jishi entered a main road.

Huh!

The scene before him made him blink.

"Come on, keep going! Ten thousand Profound Stones, do you have anything else to bet with me?"

"I... I... I'll bet my life with you."

"..."

"You... yes, it's you... don't run, someone has offered a thousand Profound Stones for your arm."

"Stop!"

"..."

"Uncle, come on, we have new arrivals, very fresh."

"..."

The endless avenue, filled with constant noise, made Qin Jishi's forehead twitch. No wonder this place was a mortal forbidden zone. If you didn't have some backing, what good would come of entering here?

As the old saying goes, the more prosperous a place is, the greater the darkness hidden within.

It couldn't be more true!

Gambling dens!

Brothels!

Countless!

Qin Jishi walked and observed, sometimes stopping for a moment when something caught his interest, completely unfazed by the noisy sounds.

Soon, Qin Jishi reached the end of the main road, where the chaotic sounds grew even stronger.

A vast square, capable of holding a hundred thousand people, came into view. Dense crowds occasionally erupted in cheers.

"Elder Chen, now that you've become a Menial Laborer at the Black and White Academy, don't forget about us in the future."

"Hahaha... I won't... I won't..."

"..."

"Sigh, just a little more. If I had held on for another breath, I might have passed."

"..."

From the conversations of these people, it wasn't hard to guess that the Black and White Academy's recruitment for Menial Laborers was likely happening here.

Using his peculiar movement technique, Qin Jishi weaved through the crowded masses and quickly reached the front.

It was a huge circular platform. Besides a transparent light ring, there was a middle-aged man with a bulging belly standing on it. There was nothing else.

At this moment, someone inside the light ring was struggling to endure. From his pained and contorted face, one could tell the immense pressure he was under.

Plop~

After three breaths, the man knelt on the ground, completely ejected from the light ring.

"Failed to last ten breaths, eliminated."

"Next!"

The obese man was likely an examiner from the Black and White Academy. As his voice fell, the candidate trembled all over and dejectedly walked off the platform.

At the same time, just as Qin Jishi was observing the circular platform, someone in the distance looked over, their gaze suddenly stopping on him, and a fierce glint flashed in their eyes