Sect Main Hall

"Steward Zhao, this is my duty for today. Please inspect it!"

At the Timber Yard of Hundred Pine Peak, shortly past noon, Ye Zhen had made six or seven consecutive trips, delivering fifty Iron Branch Pines as thick as bowls before the menial Steward Zhao.

"Hmm, so early? Ye Zhen?" Steward Zhao, who had been dozing with narrowed eyes, was jolted awake. When he saw that it was Ye Zhen, he even rubbed his eyes.

Usually, the earlier a disciple came to the Timber Yard to turn in their assigned duty, the stronger their cultivation was and the brighter their prospects.

In the past, Ye Zhen often could not turn in his duty until the sun had tilted westward. Yet today, he had come to submit it in less than two hours.

This was over an hour faster than Ma Yuanwu, Hundred Pine Peak's seed candidate, leaving the menial Steward Zhao utterly astonished.

Astonished though he was, Steward Zhao still inspected Ye Zhen's assigned duty and entered it into the records.

After turning in his duty, Ye Zhen was in exceptionally high spirits. Yet instead of returning to the Hundred Pine Peak residence to rest, he tucked away today's unexpected gains and, under Steward Zhao's astonished gaze, headed straight for the place where he had buried the silver his parents had sent him several days ago.

Speaking of today's gains, Ye Zhen could barely contain his delight even now.

After knocking Wu Jian unconscious, Ye Zhen had searched his robes on a whim. To his surprise, he found a five-hundred-tael Silver Note.

Naturally, Ye Zhen pocketed this find without the slightest courtesy. Wu Jian and Ma Yuanwu had colluded like wolves and jackals, and the wealth they had robbed from fellow disciples that their families had sent them was no small amount.

When Ye Tiancheng had brought Ye Zhen that hard-earned silver, had Ye Zhen not kept an extra eye out, Wu Jian and Ma Yuanwu would likely have snatched it away as well.

However, the five-hundred-tael Silver Note was not all Ye Zhen had gained today.

After a casual search, Ye Zhen found over twenty Iron Branch Pines some distance away that Wu Jian had previously felled.

Wu Jian had forcibly taken no fewer than a hundred Iron Branch Pines from Ye Zhen before. Ye Zhen accepted these twenty-odd Iron Branch Pines with equal lack of ceremony.

Putting it all together, Ye Zhen's duty for the day was completed early.

The place where Ye Zhen had buried his silver was quite secluded. Apart from menial disciples, few people ventured onto Hundred Pine Peak. After smoothly retrieving those two hundred taels of silver, Ye Zhen tucked the seven hundred taels away and headed straight for the Qi Yun Sect Main Hall.

The Qi Yun Sect Main Hall oversaw disciples' registration, advancement, Sect Contribution Point exchanges, exchanges for all manner of daily necessities related to disciples' food, clothing, lodging, and travel, as well as the handover of Sect Missions and many other miscellaneous affairs.

Ye Zhen had come to the Sect Main Hall today because he had the enormous sum of seven hundred taels on him and intended to exchange it for pills that would increase his cultivation.

Pills, weapons, and the like issued by the Qi Yun Sect Main Hall could not be purchased directly with silver. They could only be exchanged for Sect Contribution Points.

Sect Contribution Points could generally only be obtained by completing Sect Missions issued by the Sect Main Hall. However, menial disciples were not qualified to complete Sect Missions to earn Sect Contribution Points.

Yet Qi Yun Sect's Contribution Points could be obtained by donating silver, and this was also the sole way for Qi Yun Sect's menial disciples to acquire Sect Contribution Points.

Donating ten taels of silver earned one Sect Contribution Point, at a ratio of ten to one.

A Blood Origin Pill specifically supplied by Qi Yun Sect for Outer Disciples cost twenty Sect Contribution Points per pill. In other words, one pill cost two hundred taels of silver.

This price was already considered cheap. If a Qi Yun Sect Blood Origin Pill were sold on the market, it could easily fetch more than two hundred taels per pill.

Ye Zhen was rather fortunate. Hundred Pine Peak, where he lived, was not too far from the Qi Yun Sect Main Hall. With five or six dozen li of mountain paths, Ye Zhen, whose cultivation had surged greatly, ran at full speed for an hour.

As Ye Zhen gradually approached the Qi Yun Sect Main Hall, figures occasionally streaked swiftly through the sky, filling him with excitement.

As Ye Zhen knew, martial cultivation had the Blood Refining Fifth Level and the Essence Fifth Level. Once martial cultivation reached its peak and broke through, one entered Spirit Transformation.

Ye Zhen's current cultivation had only just reached the Blood Refining First Level. He was separated by an immeasurable distance from the Spirit Transformation Realm cultivators said to soar and dance freely through the skies.

Still, Ye Zhen was not discouraged in the least. If others could do it, then he could certainly do it too.

For now, Ye Zhen's first goal was to become an Outer Disciple of the Qi Yun Sect.

Only by becoming an Outer Disciple of the Qi Yun Sect could he obtain more cultivation resources, better cultivation techniques, and more time to cultivate.

One step at a time—his dream would eventually come true!

The Qi Yun Sect Main Hall occupied a vast area, but there were not many disciples coming and going. Only a few elderly Sect Deacons, whose cultivation had no hope of further breakthroughs, were on duty.

Although there were few disciples passing through, Ye Zhen, a menial disciple dressed in gray, was still exceptionally conspicuous standing there.

Looking around, the disciples walking through the Sect Main Hall were either Outer Disciples clad in black or Inner Disciples clad in white. Ye Zhen, a gray-robed menial disciple, was the only one here today.

No one paid Ye Zhen any heed. The Qi Yun Sect disciples who courteously greeted one another as they passed would, upon seeing Ye Zhen's gray robes, leave with the better ones pretending not to see him.

Those somewhat worse would reveal disgust in their eyes and steer clear of Ye Zhen.

And worse still, upon seeing Ye Zhen, a gray-robed disciple, not only did they not avoid or yield to him, they even accelerated and charged straight into him, startling Ye Zhen into hastily dodging aside.

If a menial disciple was beaten to death by an Outer Disciple, they had essentially died for nothing.

Even if the Outer Disciple received some punishment, it would only be an inconsequential penalty like facing a wall. Fortunately, these Outer Disciples had always thought highly of themselves. Arguing with a menial disciple—would that not be beneath them?

However, those black-robed Outer Disciples held their noses higher than the heavens when facing Ye Zhen. Yet when faced with those white-robed Inner Disciples, their demeanor immediately turned respectful.

Wherever white-robed Inner Disciples went, black-robed disciples all made way.

Suddenly, the sound of a fierce wind tearing through the air rang out. The Inner and Outer Disciples walking through the Sect Main Hall all looked toward the sky, and the Sect Main Hall instantly became lively.

"Caiyi, look! Senior Sister Caiyi is here."

As the clamor rose, a streak of multicolored light plunged from the sky toward the Sect Main Hall at astonishing speed. Only when it slowed did Ye Zhen see clearly that the streak of light had been created by a Colorful-clad Woman moving too fast.

When Ye Zhen saw the Colorful-clad Woman's face clearly, he froze.

Unworldly!

Though the Colorful-clad Woman wore only light makeup and lightly brushed her delicate brows, her flowing hair danced in the wind, her colorful robes fluttering around her, and she possessed an unworldly air, as though she were a fairy.

At a single glance, Ye Zhen felt even more ashamed of his own inadequacy.

The arrival of the Colorful-clad Woman instantly roused the Sect Deacons, who had been sitting leisurely inside the Sect Main Hall.

The several Sect Deacons straightened their robes and headed together toward the hall entrance to greet her.

"I wondered which true disciple had arrived. So it is Fairy Caiyi. Might we ask what brings Fairy Caiyi to the Sect Main Hall?" The Sect Deacons stepped forward to greet her, their expressions incomparably respectful.

Even the white-robed Inner Disciples who had been so arrogantly overbearing before now obediently lined up and greeted her in unison.

"Is Elder Steward Wu here? Is Elder Steward Wu, who excels in treating beast ailments, here?" Fairy Caiyi could not even be bothered to acknowledge the Inner Disciples' greetings. She grabbed Elder Steward He, who oversaw medicinal pills, and urgently asked.

Only then did Ye Zhen see clearly that Fairy Caiyi was holding a white-and-gray Flower Civet in her arms.

This white-and-gray Flower Civet looked exceedingly adorable. Strangely, it seemed somewhat restless and irritable at the moment, every hair along its back standing on end. If Fairy Caiyi were not soothing it with all her might, it would likely have already lashed out and injured someone.

Elder Steward He's face darkened when he heard the question. "Fairy Caiyi, Elder Steward Wu passed away last year after his lifespan was exhausted."

"Ah..."

Upon receiving this answer, Fairy Caiyi's face filled with disappointment. As the Flower Civet in her arms cried out more and more urgently, her expression grew increasingly anxious.

"May I ask, Fairy Caiyi, did you seek Elder Steward Wu, who was skilled in treating beast ailments, because of the Flower Civet in your arms?" Elder Steward He's expression shifted as he asked.

"Exactly!" Fairy Caiyi kept stroking the Flower Civet with her slender jade-like hand as she spoke. "Three days ago, Su'er suddenly became exceptionally irritable for no reason, worsening with each passing day. Today, she would not even eat fruit, and she nearly bit me as well.

"I do not know the cause, so I came specifically to ask Elder Steward Wu for treatment. I never expected..."

Elder Steward He frowned. "Fairy Caiyi, to beasts, the spiritual power you cultivate is a miraculous medicine capable of curing all their ailments. If you channel in a trace, it should..."

"I tried, but it was useless. Elder Steward He, you are all knowledgeable and experienced. Is there any method of treatment? Su'er has accompanied me for more than ten years. She is extremely important to me!" As she spoke, Fairy Caiyi looked ready to burst into tears.

"This... I do not know the cause either. However, Fairy Caiyi may try the Spirit Beast Pills the sect gives its mountain-guarding Spirit Beasts to ward off illness and strengthen their bodies. But whether they will work, I cannot guarantee." Elder Steward He said.

"Bring them quickly!"

After taking several Spirit Beast Pills, Fairy Caiyi rose into the air with the Flower Civet in her arms and vanished beyond the horizon.

Watching Fairy Caiyi depart, Ye Zhen shook his head. He was certain that those Spirit Beast Pills would have no effect whatsoever on the Flower Civet—and that no miraculous pill or elixir would have any effect on it either.

From the Flower Civet's cries just now, Ye Zhen had already discerned some clues.

After Fairy Caiyi left, the Sect Main Hall, which had only just become exceptionally quiet, grew noisy once more.

The white-robed Inner Disciples withdrew their respectful expressions and became haughty again.

The elderly Sect Deacons, who had been full of energy moments earlier, each returned to their seats, resuming their leisurely manner as they handled their duties halfheartedly.

"The hierarchy is truly strict."

With a soft sigh, Ye Zhen walked into the Sect Main Hall, found an elderly Sect Deacon, and pulled out his Silver Note. "Lord Deacon, I wish to exchange it for Sect Contribution Points."