Raising Piebald Horses

"Yeah! The place we live is so rich in spiritual energy. Is there anything special about advancing our cultivation?"

Li Yunjing nodded and said indifferently.

"True!"

Ma Xingyuan nodded in sudden realization.

At this moment, he simply assumed that Li Yunjing had been stuck at the first level of the Qi Refining Realm for a long time.

This time, he had used the treasure-like grounds of the Menial Hall to break through to the second level in one go.

Ma Xingyuan would never have guessed that Li Yunjing had taken only four days to go from entering the sect to advancing to the second level of the Qi Refining Realm.

If word of this got out, it would surely cause a huge sensation.

There were probably very few people in the entire Divine Firmament Dao Sect who cultivated this quickly.

The two of them walked and talked along the mountain path. On the way, they also encountered many menial disciples and Outer Disciples in the mountains.

These disciples were also traveling between the various peaks and halls, completing sect missions.

It was rare, however, to see disciples of the Inner Disciple rank or higher.

Clearly, the status of Inner Disciples in the Divine Firmament Dao Sect had already undergone a qualitative leap.

Both of them were cultivators, and they moved quickly. They crossed eight mountain peaks in just three hours.

A thousand-zhang-tall peak appeared before them. It stood alone in a vast, empty stretch of land.

There were no medicinal gardens, exotic flowers, or rare plants nearby, much less any grand buildings.

"Is this Qiongze Peak? It really is as poor as its name suggests!"

Ma Xingyuan muttered in disappointment.

"Heh! Just think about it. What kind of nice place would they keep for raising Piebald Horses?"

Li Yunjing chuckled. He wasn't disappointed.

In his previous life, he had seen livestock farms. The smell there—tut, tut...

It was no wonder Qiongze Peak stood apart from the surrounding mountains like this.

The two of them didn't know that once they crossed this peak, they would be outside the Divine Firmament Mountain Range.

This was the westernmost part of the Divine Firmament Dao Sect.

The Divine Firmament Dao Sect was divided into five mountain ranges: east, west, south, north, and central.

The center was naturally the core region, where the major figures and important sect institutions were based.

Of the other directions, the east was the most prestigious and had the richest spiritual energy. Most True Disciples lived there.

The south and north came next, each with its own strengths.

The western peaks, by comparison, had the weakest spiritual energy.

Although the sect had established branches of its various institutions in the west, the strength of the personnel sent there generally didn't exceed the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Almost all the menial disciples and Outer Disciples lived in the west, except for those dispatched to other peaks to carry out missions.

There were seventy-two peaks in the entire western region, and Qiongze Peak was among the dozen or so worst.

"Alas! I never thought I, Ma Xingyuan, would end up doing this kind of work!"

Ma Xingyuan let out a mournful sigh.

He had roamed among Rogue Cultivators. Though he had never made a name for himself, he had relied on his status as a cultivator to thrive in the mortal world.

He had truly consorted only with the elite. Wherever he went, officials, wealthy merchants, and members of Aristocratic Clans welcomed him as an honored guest.

And now he was going to feed horses. How could Ma Xingyuan not feel melancholy?

"Let's go!"

Li Yunjing laughed helplessly. Wasn't he in the same boat?

As a wandering hero, he had roamed the Great Ming Dynasty, living a carefree life like an immortal.

Even in his dreams, Li Yunjing would never have imagined this.

The two of them began climbing the mountain path. A faint, peculiar odor lingered in the air along the way.

It certainly confirmed Li Yunjing's suspicions.

"Who goes there?"

When they reached halfway up the mountain, two gray-robed Daoists blocked their path and called out to them.

"Senior Brothers, we're new disciples of the Menial Hall. We've been assigned here to raise Piebald Horses."

Knowing they were patrolmen, Li Yunjing smiled as he handed over his Identity Token.

"Mm!"

The gray-robed disciple had guessed why they had come from their clothing, but still checked their identities as a matter of routine.

After confirming everything was in order, he smiled and said, "Junior Brother Li, Junior Brother Ma, come with me."

"Yes!"

Li Yunjing and Ma Xingyuan replied, then followed the two men up the mountain.

Before long, all four reached the summit and saw a palace.

Disciples were constantly going in and out of its entrance. Most wore the gray robes of menial disciples, while blue-robed Outer Disciples appeared only occasionally.

The three characters "Qiongze Peak" were written on the plaque above the palace entrance.

This peak's main purpose was to raise low-level spirit beasts for the Divine Firmament Dao Sect.

Piebald Horses were among them.

The two disciples of Qiongze Peak led Li Yunjing and Ma Xingyuan inside the hall.

A burly, middle-aged man sat in a high-backed chair at the head of the hall, looking down at Li Yunjing and Ma Xingyuan.

His presence was intensely oppressive, and his muscles stretched his blue Daoist robe taut.

His gaze was sharp, and his air was imposing. He swept his eyes over the two of them.

The middle-aged man's brows furrowed slightly, as though he was dissatisfied with Li Yunjing and Ma Xingyuan.

These two newcomers were far too weak. One was at the second level of the Qi Refining Realm, the other at the third, but it was obvious neither had undergone any systematic cultivation. They didn't even show the signs of having mastered any spells.

At a glance, the middle-aged man could tell that these two newcomers were the worst of the worst.

"With cultivation like that, all they can do is raise Piebald Horses. Looks like I can't exploit the two of them and make them work any harder."

Hou Boyan looked displeased.

After thinking it over, Hou Boyan said coldly, "I'm Hou Boyan, the steward of Qiongze Peak. The rules are all in the Divine Firmament Jade Records; there's no need for me to say more. The two of you will be responsible for raising the Piebald Horses. Here are your tokens!"

As he spoke, Hou Boyan flicked his hand, and a streak of gray light flew toward Ma Xingyuan.

Ma Xingyuan caught the token. It was engraved with winding runes and seemed to have the power to control formations and restrictions.

The steward had been rude, but Li Yunjing and Ma Xingyuan could do nothing about it.

They weren't particularly worried, either. They followed the two men from before and left the hall.

After all, the Divine Firmament Dao Sect's rules were extremely strict, especially regarding Contribution Points. As long as they did their work properly, they didn't have to worry about Hou Boyan withholding their points.

That was the sect's bottom line.

Of course, once the Contribution Points were issued, if they failed to hold on to them, that was no longer the sect's problem.

The two soon arrived at their new "territory."

They took over from the previous caretakers, checked the supplies, and counted the Piebald Horses, checking for deaths, injuries, and disease.

Once everything matched the records, the two had officially settled in.

The place where the Piebald Horses were raised was halfway up the mountain, on its shaded side.

It was a huge, three-li-wide terrace. A ring of animal pens had been built across the entire platform, and runes covered their walls, crackling with flashes of lightning.