"Mm. We'll sell them at the market later," Yun Shu said. "I've got a few other things, too."
Lin Yang nodded. With something so valuable in his possession, he might not even be able to sleep. If he lost it, Yun Shu had risked his life to obtain it, and Lin Yang wouldn't know how to explain himself to him.
He'd already handed over all the other things to the sect in exchange for rewards. Only a few living creatures remained; these were extras.
For example, three Golden Python Tiger cubs.
He'd turned one in, but there were still two left.
If their cultivation hadn't been sealed with Talisman Seals, and their limbs loosely bound, Lin Yang's room might not have been enough to contain them.
"I'll go turn in the mission first," Yun Shu said.
"Fine. I'll go get the two little cubs," Lin Yang replied with a nod.
It was still Fat Steward. Even with people coming and going around him, he kept dozing with his head bowed. Look closely, and you could even make out his soft snores.
Was he asleep?
Yun Shu couldn't help feeling speechless.
He'd always come to take missions at night, so it was one thing for the man to be asleep then. But it was broad daylight, and disciples kept coming to take missions and look them over. Did he not care at all?
But soon, a disciple called out, "Ding Fourteen."
Fat Steward hurried to his feet. He didn't even wipe the drool from the corner of his mouth before saying, "Give me your Jade Token."
Yun Shu: "..."
What was the point? He wasn't even slacking off properly.
Fat Steward quickly noticed Yun Shu. It would've been hard not to: Yun Shu was leading three Demon Wolves whose terrifying auras made the crowd give them a wide berth.
People detoured around them, occasionally tossing out a comment as they went.
"Are those Three-Eyed Demonic Wolves? I saw them in the Sect Scripture. I can't believe someone actually managed to subdue them. Who's that Black-clad Man?"
Yun Shu was wearing a black robe. It wasn't a cloak that covered his face, but it was still neat and practical.
"I think I've seen him before. A little over half a month ago, he'd just entered the Inner Sect. Someone escorted him there, and he became an Inner Sect Disciple. He must've caught the eye of some elder."
"I remember now! His name is Yun Shu. He's Senior Brother Yun Shu! He excels at Body Tempering and has incredible talent as a Body Cultivator. I heard he caused quite a stir even in the Inner Sect. It's just a pity his Immortal Path talent isn't very good."
"Where did you hear that?"
"My senior brother's uncle is an Inner Sect Disciple at Spirit Sword Peak. He told me. Apparently, even the Transmission Elder was startled when Senior Brother Yun Shu practiced Body Tempering."
"Fine, but since Senior Brother Yun Shu is already in the Inner Sect, why has he come back to take Outer Sect missions?"
"You don't get it. Some missions overlap between the Outer Sect and Inner Sect. Inner Sect Disciples rarely come to the Outer Sect to take them, but there are talented people among the Outer Sect Disciples who can take Inner Sect missions!"
"I understand all that, but those are Three-Eyed Demonic Wolves! Demonic Beasts at the Demonic Transformation level, and they move in packs. He caught three of them, and judging by their condition, they've taken quite a beating. You call that weak Immortal Path talent?"
"That, I don't know. Anyway, Senior Brother Yun Shu has a Triple Spiritual Root, and people say his Body Tempering skill and talent might already surpass Chen Hong's from back in the day."
"But the Myriad Sword Pavilion is a Sword Path sect, after all..."
"Just watch. Gold shines wherever you bury it. At least now he's already much stronger than us. An Inner Sect Disciple—that's the dream of my entire life!"
In an instant, the Outer Sect Disciples looked at him with admiration.
Whatever else might be said, rising above the Outer Sect and becoming an Inner Sect Disciple was something every Outer Sect Disciple could take pride in.
They weren't very strong themselves, and they knew how difficult it was.
If they had to take the Inner Sect examination, they wouldn't stand a chance.
And someone like this, personally noticed and escorted into the Inner Sect by an elder, was practically a god among men. He was sure to become a pillar of the sect in the future.
Inner Sect Disciples were like towering peaks, inspiring awe from afar. Every one of them was a prodigy, a dragon among men—there was hardly any disputing it.
Even the weakest Inner Sect Disciple was on par with the strongest batch of Outer Sect Disciples.
They rarely saw ordinary Inner Sect Disciples. The Nine Peaks were an unreachable holy land to mortals, and to them, too, they were a place beyond their reach.
Yun Shu had heard their discussion and rubbed his chin. It seemed his reputation among the Outer Sect Disciples wasn't bad.
As for the regretful remarks from those in the Inner Sect, he didn't take them too much to heart.
He had strength, status, and standing. What more could he ask for?
He was a true scion of the Myriad Sword Pavilion, the personal disciple of the Spirit Sword Peak Sect Master's junior brother. Just that title was enough to let him swagger through the Inner Sect.
Though his master couldn't reveal his identity, the Sect Master and the other top figures surely knew.
Steward Kong had naturally heard what they were saying as well. He glanced at Yun Shu, rather surprised.
Others might not understand what it took to defeat Demon Wolves, but he did.
These three Demon Wolves were at least comparable to cultivators at the Qi Condensation Stage.
A whole pack of Three-Eyed Demonic Wolves would give even someone in the Foundation Establishment Realm pause. If the wolves got close, they could tear their target to shreds in an instant, leaving no time to cast a Spell Technique.
Unless that person was a Body Cultivator!
He then studied Yun Shu carefully, sensing his aura.
It was like a blazing sun, with a force that made others want to submit. It was exactly like the pressure the old man had given him back when he hadn't yet reined in his edge.
After a long silence, he uttered a single word: "Strong!"
"You've really gotten the old man's cultivation method down. It hasn't been long, yet I can already feel the powerful Body Cultivator strength in you," Fat Steward said. "Even that person back then didn't improve at a pace this astonishing."
Yun Shu smiled. Though he didn't say much, he was inwardly shaken.
He'd been doing his best to conceal his aura. He hadn't expected this man to see through it. That went to show how deeply hidden the man's strength was!
It was no exaggeration to say that even an ordinary cultivator at Peak Stage of Qi Condensation might not be able to see through his current Body Tempering cultivation.
Didn't that mean this man had at least the strength of someone in the Foundation Establishment Realm?
Then why was he only working as a Deacon here?
He was more than qualified to be an elder in the Inner Sect.
Though perhaps Fat Steward was only guessing. Who knew?
"Alright, leave the Three-Eyed Demonic Wolves here. I'll add the Contribution Points to your account," Fat Steward said with a sigh.
When Yun Shu got his Jade Token back, his Contribution Points had risen to thirty-six.
"There's a Spirit Fox here, too."
At last, Yun Shu placed the white Spirit Fox that had followed him onto the counter.
It had hidden in a corner under the terrifying presence of the three Demon Wolves and only dared to show itself now.
Fat Steward waved dismissively. "Just leave it here. The elder who issued the mission will come pick it up shortly."
"Do you also buy Demonic Beast hides, meat, and bones?" Yun Shu was about to leave, but seemed to remember something and stopped.
"We do, but we pay a little less than the market outside. You can go take a look there," Fat Steward said with a nod. At the mention of this, he seemed to perk up.
He could still skim a little off the top from this.
It wasn't much, but every little bit helped. Who didn't like having a little more money?
Yun Shu shook his head slightly. "I'll sell the better stuff outside. There are some things left over; just bundle them up and estimate a price for me. They're taking up space."
"That works. How much do you have?" Fat Steward asked.
Yun Shu then took out his Storage Bag. "Quite a lot, probably."
The Storage Bag his master had given him wasn't the lowest-grade kind that could only hold a few Demonic Beast corpses. Even after he'd stored all his gains from this period, useful or not, there was still plenty of empty space.
Fat Steward wasn't surprised that Yun Shu had a Storage Bag, but paused to consider before saying, "Come with me."
He then led Yun Shu to a storeroom.
There were Demonic Beast corpses and various Demonic Beast parts inside, which disciples had been assigned to sort.
"This is where the sect stores Demonic Beast corpses. Their remains are valuable and serve all kinds of purposes. The sect mostly collects them for Alchemy and Artifact Refining. For example, Demonic Beast blood can be made into Talismans, and some of their special parts can be put to good use at the market."
Yun Shu nodded slightly.
The sect issued missions, but it also took in Demonic Beast corpses.
Just the fact that Demonic Beast blood could be used to draw Talismans meant the sect needed large quantities of them in storage.
Of course, their most important uses were Alchemy and Artifact Refining.
Demonic Beasts, especially those that had undergone Demonic Transformation, were treasures from head to toe. This was only a simple storeroom; the actual processing didn't happen here. Anything the sect didn't need would be taken to the Market Below the Mountain for further processing.
Some parts could even be used as decorations.
Fat Steward found an empty patch of floor. "Put them here."
Yun Shu tipped out the Storage Bag in his hand.
One Demonic Wolf corpse after another, along with assorted ferocious beasts, poured out of the Storage Bag in an instant, each radiating a terrifying presence.
All told, there were seventeen Demonic Beasts that had already undergone Demonic Transformation. There were even more that hadn't—dozens of them, all picked up along the way.
Every so often, a few low-grade medicinal herbs appeared among them. Yun Shu hadn't expected to get a good price for those, either, but he'd collected them all the same.
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