Four Main Professions

After meditating and refining the last two Qi Ling Pills, Lu Bei took a deep breath and slowly rose. He paced around for a while to loosen his stiff body, then casually added some firewood.

A quilt had been spread before the altar table. Seeing no sign of Bai Jin, Lu Bei quite consciously slipped under the covers.

There was nothing to be embarrassed about. Given his senior sister's cultivation and strength, she had surely long since cast off such lowly pleasures as sleeping under blankets. He, on the other hand, was weak, helpless, and pitiful. Without the protection of a quilt, it would be hard to guarantee he would not catch a cold tomorrow.

"Eh, it smells so good!"

Early the next morning, Lu Bei was awakened by a clamor. Rising, he saw more than twenty sturdy men in the front courtyard. Startled, he hurriedly rolled up his bedding, grabbed the small box carrying Mo Buxiu, and ran to the backyard.

Bai Jin was in the backyard, a layer of white veil covering her face. A middle-aged man dressed like a merchant stood behind her. Whenever Bai Jin pointed something out, the middle-aged man would take out an account book and make a mark.

"Senior Sister, what happened?"

"Junior Disciple Brother Lu, you came at just the right time. Let me introduce you. This is Sect Leader Ding of the Emei Sect at Four Scenery Peaks..."

"Sect Leader Ding?"

"This humble Daoist is Ding Lei. Greetings, Sect Leader Lu."

"???"

Four Scenery Peaks and Sanqing Peak both belonged to the Nine Bamboo Mountain branch. The Emei Sect's residence could be considered the Feather Transformation Sect's next-door neighbor.

This Emei was not that Emei. Its name sounded impressive, but its strength was just as insignificant as the Feather Transformation Sect's—small fry not even worth mentioning. One look at Ding Lei's secular attire made it clear that the old drunkard's intention lay not in the wine. He cultivated immortality to get himself a healthy body, and only with a healthy body could he make money better.

Last night, Bai Jin had paid a nighttime visit to the Emei Sect, held a friendly meeting with Sect Leader Ding, and signed an order concerning the Feather Transformation Sect's renovations and furnishings.

Logically speaking, after being sound asleep in the middle of the night, having their mountain gate broken into by an uninvited female demon, and being forced to sign a humiliating labor contract, no man in the Emei Sect could possibly endure it, but...

She paid.

The agreement had indeed been signed under duress, but the gold and silver were real too. Ding Lei knew perfectly well that even if this matter reached the Huangji Sect's Dasheng Pass outpost, the authorities might not bother with it. In the end, the two sides would simply settle it privately.

For the sake of Bai Jin's prompt payment—and even swifter sword-drawing—Ding Lei pinched his nose and swallowed this grievance. At first light the next day, he rushed to Sanqing Peak.

He had brought half his remaining disciples along for courage, while the others had gone to Langyu County to hire workers.

When he met Lu Bei, Ding Lei was extremely polite, though his words carried a hint of sourness. Clearly, he had taken Lu Bei for a Pretty Boy living off soft rice.

He despised him, but envied him too. There was no contradiction in that.

Ding Lei's sour gaze made Lu Bei feel uncomfortable all over. After sorting out the general situation, he tugged Bai Jin by the sleeve and led her beneath an old tree. "Senior Sister Bai, why so suddenly?"

"It is not sudden. For cultivators, wealth, companions, techniques, and land are all indispensable. Since Uncle-Master Mo entrusted you to me, I will certainly take responsibility to the end."

Bai Jin frowned and said, "Junior Disciple Brother Lu, last night I toured several nearby peaks. Sanqing Peak, where the Feather Transformation Sect is located, is the poorest of them all. It is not a good site for a Dao Field."

Last night, Bai Jin had wandered through all nine peaks of Nine Bamboo Mountain and discovered that Sanqing Peak truly lived up to its name. No people, no money, no spiritual energy. Even the Spirit Bamboo that Nine Bamboo Mountain was famed for producing could not be found there—not a single stalk.

Its poverty was plain to see. Sanqing Peak had earned its reputation.

No people and no money were easy enough to solve. No spiritual energy was not much of a problem either. There were better places next door; everyone just had to sit down and talk, discuss the Dao through martial means, and before long reach a result satisfactory to both sides.

Hearing the implication in Bai Jin's words, Lu Bei's eye twitched. As expected of a cultivator from the sword sect—concise and not the least bit tactful.

I like it!

However...

"Senior Sister, harmony is precious. I've only just taken over as sect leader, and I'm already going to offend the neighbors? How will I carry forward the Feather Transformation Sect afterward? How will I fulfill Master's last wishes?"

Lu Bei earnestly persuaded her, "Besides, Master was immensely capable. Since he chose Sanqing Peak, he must have had his reasons. As his disciple, how could I go against his wishes?"

Bai Jin's brows creased slightly. Just as she was about to say something, Lu Bei cut in, "I know that with Senior Sister looking after me, it would not matter if I offended all the neighbors of Nine Bamboo Mountain. But you cannot take care of me for a lifetime. Sooner or later, you will return to the Lingxiao Sword Sect, right?"

Bai Jin nodded, tacitly accepting Lu Bei's reasoning, and did not bring up changing peaks again.

"By the way, Senior Sister Bai, next time something like this happens..."

Lu Bei pointed at Ding Lei, who was measuring dimensions, and whispered, "Could you discuss it with me first?"

"Is there something inappropriate about this?"

"I'm still young. I still want to work hard for a while."

"What?"

"Nothing. I was talking nonsense again."

At noon, the disciples sent to hire workers arrived, bringing several dozen people up the mountain.

Bai Jin did not mention the cost of rebuilding the Feather Transformation Sect, and Lu Bei did not ask. Asking or not asking made no difference—he could sell himself and still not come up with the money.

Watching the mountain gate gradually grow busy, Lu Bei secretly delighted in the pointing and whispering around him, feeling that he had the potential to be a Pretty Boy, while also feeling ashamed of that delight.

His senior sister treated him so well. He ought to respect her.

Thus, he decided to respect Bai Jin from the bottom of his heart. As for the rumors about him being a Pretty Boy, they went in one ear and out the other. He had no intention of explaining anything.

Explaining would be too deliberate. He disdained such superficial respect.

Bai Jin had also heard some idle gossip. Calm as still water, she remained unmoved. She brought Lu Bei to the deep pool on the back mountain and guided him through the first step of cultivation.

Reading books.

Three sets comprising twelve Daoist Canon Classics were placed before Lu Bei. His task was to read them repeatedly until the spiritual energy inside his body reacted, completing the initial stage of "Opening Apertures."

The bad news was that the twelve classics stacked together stood about half a meter high, an intimidating sight. The good news was that they were not just the table of contents—everything was here.

So this was how NPCs "opened their apertures." It really was different from players!

Opening Apertures was the same as a player choosing a Main Profession. An account could only make the choice once, and once chosen, it could not be changed. Players who regretted entering the wrong line of work could only delete their accounts and start over.

Kyushu World had four Main Professions: Dao Cultivator, Demonic Cultivator, Demon Cultivator, and Buddhist Cultivator. Each had its own focus in the early stages and distinct characteristics later on. Every profession possessed an irreplaceable charm.

In Kyushu World, Dao Cultivators, Demon Cultivators, and Buddhist Cultivators were orthodox cultivation paths officially recognized by all nations. Demonic Cultivators took the unconventional sword path. Because most Demonic Cultivators had terrible reputations and occupied ninety percent of the wanted lists across the nations, they were not recognized as mainstream.

That was how things looked on the surface. Privately...

Put it this way: whether Dao Cultivator or Demon Cultivator, different paths lead to the same destination on the road of cultivation. Drawing on the strengths of every school was the true path. If you did not know a couple of Demonic Cultivator techniques, you would not even have the nerve to say you cultivated immortality.

By the same logic, as a Demonic Cultivator, it was perfectly reasonable and logical for me to carry a few Sarira for protection.

Among the four Main Professions, Dao Cultivators had the greatest compatibility. Their guiding principle was that the sea embraced all rivers because of its capacity, and they had the greatest freedom in choosing cultivation techniques.

Demonic Cultivators were creatures of utmost emotion and temperament. They emphasized breaking before establishing, advancing without retreat. Thus, fools and ruthless people clustered among them, producing every sort of eccentric.

Demon Cultivators faced the greatest restrictions. Only the Demon Race and humans with Demon Race bloodlines could cultivate it. Its essence was refining one's bloodline, tracing the acquired back to the innate. It was like Caterpie evolving into Rayquaza—awakening the power hidden in one's bloodline. Demon Cultivators with powerful bloodlines could even awaken Innate Divine Abilities and crush those of the same realm with ease.

Compared to those three gaudy creatures, Buddhist Cultivators were far more traditional, modestly holding fast to themselves and refusing to dabble in flashy tricks.

In the early stages, Buddhist Cultivators had the lowest combat power. But in the later stages, a powerful Buddhist Cultivator could handle every aspect: competing with Dao Cultivators in spells, butting heads with Demonic Cultivators in stubbornness, and arm-wrestling Demon Cultivators in close combat.

Of course, all of that was before players logged in. Once the Fourth Calamity descended, those fearless lunatics began stirring up all sorts of antics, leaving the native NPC cultivators crying that they had lived long enough to see it all. So immortality could be cultivated like this too.