Ten Thousand Laws Society

Immortal cultivation was a road of no return, a path of forging ahead without hesitation, of cleaving through illusions with an unwavering Dao heart in pursuit of one's true self.

It was not a carefree road of taking things easy, refining one's magic power, and slowly letting the years pass.

From the moment Li Yunjing entered the immortal sect, his journey toward immortality had begun.

And with it, countless tribulations had begun to descend upon him.

The tribulations of man, the Demon Calamity, the tribulations of the heart... one trial after another awaited him.

Only by overcoming them could he hope to attain immortality.

Yang Chun was the first trial he faced after entering the immortal sect.

As for the Divine Firmament Dao Sect, when Menial Disciples and Outer Disciples fought among themselves, the sect generally turned a blind eye to minor disputes, so long as they did not involve anyone's life.

This was also a way to temper the disciples. If they were useless and couldn't endure it, they would be eliminated.

The exceptional ones, meanwhile, would be tempered in such an environment. Once they entered the inner sect, they would naturally have a chance to travel farther along the immortal path.

Disciples like that would have a great advantage when competing with other sects, Lineages, and Rogue Cultivators beyond the sect.

Otherwise, they would become hothouse flowers—nothing more than a flock of lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

That was not the Divine Firmament Dao Sect's intention.

The Divine Firmament Dao Sect's disciples were renowned throughout the world for their formidable spell battles. This method of training was one of the reasons they produced such outstanding talents.

Li Yunjing remained composed as he asked, "Senior Brother Yang, what is this Ten Thousand Laws Society all about? Have we just joined?"

Li Yunjing wasn't in a hurry to fall out with him. He wanted to sound him out and learn what kind of organization the Ten Thousand Laws Society was.

Knowing nothing at all, Li Yunjing wasn't about to act like a honey badger and take on heaven, earth, north, and south.

"Heh! You're not being honest, kid! Trying to get me to spill the beans?"

Yang Chun sneered and said in a low voice, "Let me tell you, the Ten Thousand Laws Society was founded by powerful figures among the sect's True Disciples. It has members everywhere—in the inner sect, the outer sect, and among the menial disciples."

Those words truly startled both Li Yunjing and Ma Xingyuan.

They hadn't expected that this little gang collecting protection money at their door would actually have ties to the True Disciples.

Which True Disciple was behind this? Had he no shame?

Even these poor, struggling disciples were being squeezed dry?

Li Yunjing and Ma Xingyuan's expressions darkened.

True Disciples were absolutely beyond the reach of two greenhorns like them!

And anyone bold enough to establish a faction surely wasn't some young master from a great Lineage like Fu Chao, who'd skipped ahead thanks to his talent.

A True Disciple like that was probably already at the Foundation Establishment stage.

At the thought, Li Yunjing gritted his teeth in fury.

This was so damn frustrating!

A True Disciple at the Foundation Establishment stage still wanted to exploit menial disciples like them!

How infuriating!

"Heh! Don't look so miserable!"

"Let me tell you, joining the Ten Thousand Laws Society is your good fortune!"

"There are as many as thirty thousand menial disciples, and six or seven hundred of them have joined the Ten Thousand Laws Society. Ask around yourselves later and see if I'm telling the truth!"

"Once you join the Ten Thousand Laws Society, you'll have a lot fewer people bullying you from now on!"

Yang Chun made no effort to hide anything. He simply told Li Yunjing and Ma Xingyuan a few things about the Ten Thousand Laws Society.

The more Li Yunjing and Ma Xingyuan heard, the worse their expressions became.

How could they fight a force this large?

Did they really have to pay protection money?

Who would willingly hand over the fruits of their hard work to someone else?

"Um, Senior Brother Yang, how many contribution points can new disciples like us earn in a month?"

Ma Xingyuan was a little afraid, and asked quietly.

"Heh! If you take it easy, you'll earn about four or five contribution points a month. If you work yourself to the bone, earning a dozen or so in a month won't be a problem."

Yang Chun's voice was full of mockery.

His ugly, sharp-eared, monkey-faced mug grew more and more detestable.

"Senior Brother Yang, isn't that more than half of our income?"

Ma Xingyuan said with a bitter expression.

He hadn't expected that even after joining an immortal sect, he'd still have to deal with this kind of trouble.

"Senior Brother Yang, could we talk it over and pay a little less?"

The fat man pressed on.

"Heh! Of course you can!"

Yang Chun gave a cold laugh.

"What? We can? Then would one contribution point a month be enough?"

The fat man had only been playing up his misery, hoping to bargain. He hadn't expected it to work, and his eyes immediately lit up.

His chubby face broke into a broad smile.

"Of course. Little fatty, as long as you've got a sturdy body, you can take a beating once a day. I guarantee you a special rate: one contribution point."

Yang Chun lowered his voice and sneered.

"Uh..."

Ma Xingyuan's bright smile froze at once. Then his face fell, and he lowered his head.

How could a Rogue Cultivator like him possibly stand up to an entire group?

He was stuck taking the loss.

"All right, Senior Brother Yang. The two of us will join the Ten Thousand Laws Society and hand over our contribution points."

Li Yunjing agreed with a beaming smile.

Not the slightest displeasure showed on his face.

But Li Yunjing secretly sneered to himself. Who knew what things would look like a month from now?

He'd take it one step at a time.

If he found outside help or stumbled upon some opportunity over the next month, he naturally wouldn't need to keep pretending to get along with Yang Chun.

"Mm! So you're Li Yunjing? You know what's good for you. Keep up the good work! You might have a chance to advance to the outer sect one day."

The two newcomers had submitted. Yang Chun smiled faintly, clasped his hands behind his back, and led a few underlings toward the other newcomers.

In the Menial Hall, anyone without powerful backing was there to be bled dry by them.

Watching Yang Chun and the others walk away, a cold glint flashed in Li Yunjing's eyes.

"Brother Ma, let's call it a day. We should each go back and cultivate. After this rotten business, I'm not in the mood to talk anymore."

After a long while, Li Yunjing spoke in a calm voice.

"Call it a day, then. We've got our task assignments the day after tomorrow. I hope we end up working together."

Ma Xingyuan drooped his head and replied listlessly.

After going through all that, Li Yunjing and Ma Xingyuan had lost all interest. They agreed to help each other out in the future, then returned to their own quarters.

Back in his quarters, Li Yunjing gave Yang Chun's little episode no further thought.

Thinking about it now would do him no good. He might as well make the most of the remaining day and a half and cultivate hard.

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Li Yunjing gradually emptied his mind until he entered a state of perfect clarity.

He used the Qi Refining technique from the Divine Firmament Jade Records to guide his breathing. Streams of primordial energy entered through his mouth and nose, passed down his throat, and finally reached his lungs.

The primordial energy of heaven and earth surged in and out of his lungs. Pure energy flowed from there into every part of his body, reaching his various organs and churning ceaselessly.

As for the impurities, after his lungs had processed them, he breathed them out in a single mouthful of foul air.