Essentials of Skinning

"Rise!"

Guo Chunxiao chanted a spell, brought out a talisman, and infused spiritual energy into the beast hide. At the same time, a Soul Banner appeared in his hand.

He waved the Soul Banner, and the soul of a giant bird with vacant eyes was infused into the hide.

The lifeless hide suddenly trembled. Its mouth opened, and it quickly began to swell.

A few breaths later, the hide looked just like a real beast made of flesh and blood.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Guo Chunxiao smiled. "This hide was made from a Five-Thunder Roc, a ninth-layer Qi Refining Stage beast. Junior brothers, follow me onto it, and we'll return to Skinning Peak to report in!"

As he spoke, he deliberately raised his voice, drawing the attention of the newly admitted disciples.

Guo Chunxiao secretly congratulated himself. Using such a treasure to escort Outer Sect disciples was enough to show how much Skinning Peak valued its new disciples. Once word got around, perhaps more disciples would come here next year, drawn by its reputation.

But the new disciples of their peak were rather uncooperative. They all stared at one another, each waiting for someone else to be the first to climb aboard.

What a useless bunch of deadweight!

Guo Chunxiao cursed inwardly and was about to lose his temper when Fang Huai suddenly leaped up and landed steadily on the Five-Thunder Roc's back.

"Not bad!" Guo Chunxiao praised him, feeling a little more warmly toward this junior brother with no Spirit Root.

Though Fang Huai's aptitude was poor, he had a fair amount of courage. People like him were best suited to Skinning Peak.

Skinning Peak had to deal with all kinds of strange beasts and baleful monsters every day. If everyone cowered and refused to go near them, they might as well stop working altogether.

Fang Huai and the other newcomers were assigned to Skinning Room Ding-1-7.

This Skinning Room had originally been a Class-B Skinning Room, bustling with people and home to many expert skinners.

But when they were skinning a beast at Qi Refining Perfection Realm that had feigned death, it actually advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm and slaughtered all the disciples there.

From then on, the place was considered ill-omened and downgraded to a Class-D Skinning Room.

"Here at Skinning Peak, we've always believed in fairness and impartiality. As long as you're willing to work, you can earn Contribution Points!"

The steward in charge here was named Wu Liu. At the seventh layer of Qi Refining, she had survived the incident that wiped out the room and was now its steward.

At that moment, she held her nose high as she explained their duties to the new Outer Sect disciples:

"Qi Refining Stage beasts range from the first layer to perfection. The Contribution Points you earn depend on the cultivation level of the beast carcass you process.

"Our Class-D Skinning Room handles early-stage Qi Refining beasts. A first-layer beast is worth ten Contribution Points, a second-layer beast twenty, and a third-layer beast thirty...

"As for mid-stage Qi Refining beasts and above—hmph, wait until you've worked your way up to Class C before you ask about those!"

Fang Huai patiently listened. Wu Liu's attitude was unpleasant, but she was his superior, and what she shared was all useful information.

At last, the lecture ended. The newcomers collected their Storage Bags and found places to sit.

Unlike the Storage Bags held by menial servants, the ones issued by Skinning Peak were genuine spiritual treasures. Each contained five cubic feet of space and was small and lightweight. A gentle tap was all it took to retrieve stored items by thought.

Inside the Storage Bag were the Outer Sect Manual, Essentials of Skinning, skinning tools, a change of clothes, and an empty Soul Banner.

There was nothing else.

Before officially beginning to skin beasts, Fang Huai first flipped through the Outer Sect Manual, and his brow furrowed.

Although Skinning Peak provided its disciples with lodgings, it charged a hundred Contribution Points in rent each month.

Besides that, regardless of how many beasts they skinned, they had to hand over an additional hundred Contribution Points as a monthly tribute.

In other words, if they didn't want to spend the night wandering the streets, they had to complete at least two hundred Contribution Points' worth of work every month.

After reading Essentials of Skinning, his face darkened even further—

If they damaged a beast carcass while skinning it, they had to pay compensation in Contribution Points.

For example, damaging the hide of a first-layer Qi Refining beast cost thirty Contribution Points.

Moreover, the skinning tools had to be driven by spiritual energy. But Fang Huai couldn't achieve Spirit Absorption, so once his spiritual energy ran out, he could only replenish it with spirit herbs or Spirit Stones. This put even more pressure on him.

Wu Liu could exchange for Spirit Stones, but the rate was eye-watering: one low-grade Spirit Stone cost a hundred Contribution Points.

Even so, Fang Huai gritted his teeth and exchanged for one.

When Wu Liu saw him spend a hundred Contribution Points all at once, her eyes lit up. She assumed he was a disciple from some Rogue Cultivator family.

But when her gaze swept over Fang Huai's tattered clothes, her lips curled, and she lost interest.

Fang Huai didn't care about Wu Liu's changing expression. He was here to earn Contribution Points, not to watch someone's face.

But when he returned to his original spot with the Spirit Stone in hand, he found an older disciple had already taken it.

"Get lost. This is my spot!" The older disciple glanced up at him, his tone full of provocation.

The man clearly had a place of his own, yet he'd come over to take Fang Huai's. He was obviously bullying him for being a newcomer.

Though Fang Huai knew the man was looking for trouble, he didn't get angry. He quietly moved away and found a spot in the corner.

[Zhang Yuan]

[Second Layer of Qi Refining]

[Sha Qi Infusion (Gray)] [Skinning Proficiency (White)]

[Skinning Proficiency (White): Years of hard work have improved his technique to some degree]

At Skinning Peak, newcomers without connections who had nothing to offer the veterans as tribute were often given a hard time.

They could bully other people if they wanted, but by picking on Fang Huai, Zhang Yuan had kicked an iron plate.

With some effort, Fang Huai hoisted a first-layer Qi Refining beast—the Sharp-Toothed Porcupine—onto the Skinning Table. His thoughts shifted, and he took Zhang Yuan's Skinning Proficiency.

Zhang Yuan was concentrating on processing a second-layer Qi Refining beast. But the next second, his eyes suddenly went blank. The skinning technique he had practiced for years had grown utterly indistinct in an instant.

Fear gripped him, and his hand trembled. His knife veered aside, damaging the hide.

"Zhang Yuan damaged a beast hide! Sixty Contribution Points deducted!" Wu Liu announced at once, her sharp eyes catching everything.

"Damn it, I've wasted days of work!" Zhang Yuan cursed, slapping himself in frustration at making a mistake at the worst possible moment.

Unlike Zhang Yuan, Fang Huai remained calm. He held the porcupine steady with his left hand and carefully cut open its hide with his right.

Essentials of Skinning described the techniques for skinning many common beasts, including the Sharp-Toothed Porcupine.

Though this beast was large, its hide was relatively soft, making it the first choice for beginners to practice on.

With Skinning Proficiency boosting him, Fang Huai worked with ease. At the same time, a line of information appeared in his sea of consciousness:

[Skinning Technique Beginner: 1/100]

Three hours later, Fang Huai wiped away his sweat and looked with satisfaction at the Sharp-Toothed Porcupine, now fully processed on the Skinning Table.

The progress of his Skinning Technique had also reached 17.

The front row planted trees, and those behind enjoyed the shade.

My good senior brother, thanks to all your years of hard work, I've mastered the basics in no time.

Fang Huai glanced at Zhang Yuan, who looked rather miserable by now.

After damaging another beast carcass, Zhang Yuan broke down and shouted hysterically. Wu Liu grabbed him and tossed him out.

As evening fell, Wu Liu knocked on the wall and called out, "Anyone who needs lodging, come register with me. Anyone who doesn't, pack up and get out!"

At the mention of lodging, Fang Huai's heart clenched.

Sleep on the streets?

He never wanted to end up on the streets again!

Thinking of his experience at the Human Puppet Hall, he still felt lingering fear.

If he slept outside, some senior brother or senior sister might see him alone and sell him off for a reward.

If it came to that, there wouldn't even be anywhere to cry.

Thinking this, Fang Huai went to Wu Liu and respectfully handed her his Identity Token. "Senior Sister Wu, sorry for the trouble. Could you arrange a place for me to stay?"

[Fang Huai]

[Identity: Outer Sect]

[Residence: Bing 14-0817]

[Contribution Points: 17]

Another hundred Contribution Points had been deducted. This time, it wasn't just Wu Liu—all the other disciples' eyes had turned toward him too.