Newcomer Assignments

Song Wen walked out of his cave abode and saw Du Qiu standing at the entrance, impatience written across his face.

Behind him stood the other five who had entered the sect at the same time.

Wu Sheng stood beside his iron corpse, looking smug as he fixed Song Wen with a provocative stare.

A month ago, taking advantage of Song Wen's recent arrival at the Corpse Demon Sect and ignorance of its rules, he had forcibly occupied Song Wen's cave abode. With the dense spiritual qi and corpse baleful qi within, his Corpse Baleful Art had broken through from the middle stage of the third level of Qi Refinement to the late stage in just one month, leaving him immensely pleased with himself.

He now dearly wanted to know just how stifled and furious Song Wen would be after learning that the sect forbade private fighting.

Yet the result disappointed him. Song Wen merely gave him an indifferent glance and paid him no further attention, as though the matter of his cave abode being seized had never happened at all.

Zhang Xiaofan and the other three had also brought the Corpse Baleful Art to the entry level, though they had only just begun. The corpse qi on their bodies was so faint it was nearly imperceptible.

Du Qiu glanced at Song Wen. Seeing that Song Wen had successfully cultivated the Corpse King Blood Refinement Art, he paid him no further attention.

As long as these six successfully began cultivating the technique within one month, his task would be complete.

Du Qiu said, "The one-month period is up. You need to go to the External Affairs Hall to receive sect assignments. Once I bring you there, my task of instructing newcomers will be complete as well. Follow me."

With that, Du Qiu took the lead, heading down the rugged mountain path toward the mountainside.

The six followed at once.

Along the way, Wu Sheng still occasionally cast provocative looks at Song Wen. Yet Song Wen acted as though he saw nothing and ignored him completely, causing Wu Sheng's provocations to fall into empty air.

This man must be a fool! Who knew where he got the nerve to be so fearless in a strange place he had just arrived in? Wasn't he afraid someone would crack him over the head with a club one day?

Zhang Xiaofan, who had briefly interacted with Song Wen before, instead gave Song Wen a friendly look.

Song Wen returned it with a kind smile. Even in a demonic sect, necessary social ties still had to be maintained, especially with those who had entered at the same time. There was a natural sense of closeness between them.

It was always good to have fellow disciples one could befriend, even if they were only friends on the surface.

After walking for less than an hour, the group arrived at the External Affairs Hall halfway up the western side of the mountain.

Du Qiu said, "This is the External Affairs Hall. Before we part, let me give you one final reminder: be cautious when choosing a newcomer assignment. It directly concerns your life over the next five years and may even have a major impact on your entire cultivation journey."

"That is all I have to say. Until we meet again."

With those words, Du Qiu departed in a carefree manner.

Once Du Qiu had gone far away, Wu Sheng raised his eyes and swept his gaze over the other five, an inexplicable sense of superiority in his eyes.

Before joining the sect, he had already chosen his sect assignment. He felt far superior to these five clueless newcomers.

He was the first to step into the External Affairs Hall and said to an old man inside, "Greetings, Elder. My name is Wu Sheng. I am a disciple who entered the sect a month ago, and I have come to receive a newcomer assignment."

The old man lifted his clouded eyes and looked at Wu Sheng without the slightest emotion. Then, seeing the five behind him, he urged, "Why are the five brats in the back still dawdling? This old man has no desire to waste time introducing the newcomer assignments to you newcomers twice."

The other five hurriedly quickened their steps.

Once the five drew close, the old man continued, "The places currently in need of newcomers are as follows: Spirit Plant Hall needs six spirit plant tenders, Blood Refining Hall needs two corpse dissectors, Soul Refining Hall needs three soul collectors, and the corpse pit needs two corpse bearers..."

The old man introduced each hall that was urgently in need of fresh blood.

"These are the places currently needing manpower. You may choose any one of them. Once chosen, it cannot be changed for five years."

Wu Sheng, who had long since made up his mind, was the first to speak. "Elder, I wish to join Yin Fiend Hall as a corpse catcher."

Demonic cultivators of the Corpse Demon Sect required large quantities of the blood essence and corpses of righteous cultivators and mortals for cultivation. So-called corpse catchers were demonic cultivators who specialized in capturing and slaughtering righteous cultivators and mortals for the Corpse Demon Sect.

Of course, the mortal blood essence and corpses required by Corpse Demon Sect cultivators were not those of ordinary mortals. They generally had specific requirements, such as people with yin destinies born in yin years, yin months, and yin hours, or dried corpses buried in corpse-nurturing grounds for a century without decaying.

When slaughtering righteous cultivators, the Corpse Demon Sect generally did not target disciples of major righteous sects. They usually targeted Rogue Cultivators who practiced righteous techniques, as well as small sects and minor factions. After all, one picked the soft persimmons to squeeze.

The old man's expression darkened as he rebuked him harshly, "You are a newcomer who has just entered the sect. What gives you the right to become a corpse catcher of Yin Fiend Hall?"

The old man was angry because becoming a corpse catcher had not been among the options in his earlier introduction.

Corpse catchers of Yin Fiend Hall required at least mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivation to join, and that was merely the minimum requirement. Since corpse catchers frequently had to fight Rogue Cultivators to the death, the danger was immense. As a result, most elite corpse catchers were late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators.

Naturally, corpse catching carried enormous risks, but the accompanying rewards were equally great.

The Corpse Demon Sect not only provided corpse catchers with abundant cultivation resources every month, but their benefits were also among the best in the entire sect. Moreover, after killing rogue cultivators, they could often obtain considerable resources from the bodies.

Facing the old man's rebuke, Wu Sheng was unafraid. He cupped his hands, bent at the waist, and said respectfully, "Please calm your anger, Elder. My late father was once a corpse catcher. From childhood, he taught me the Corpse Baleful Art. I am now at the peak of the third level of Qi Refinement, only a single step away from the middle stage of Qi Refinement. I also possess an iron corpse comparable to a sixth-level Qi Refinement cultivator. Could Elder make an exception, for the sake of my father's past contributions to the sect?"

As he spoke, Wu Sheng took a cloth pouch from his robes. Inside were fifty spirit stones, which his father had prepared for him before his death.

He directly stuffed the pouch into the old man's hand.

The old man squeezed the pouch and broke into a grin. Though there were not many spirit stones, he was quite satisfied.

The old man nodded. "For your father's sake, this old man will make an exception and allow you to join Yin Fiend Hall as a corpse catcher."

The old man touched the storage pouch at his waist, and a triangular black token appeared in his hand. The words "Corpse Catcher" were inscribed upon it.

He tossed the token to Wu Sheng.

Wu Sheng caught the token, looking greatly delighted. He respectfully bowed and said, "Thank you, Elder."

The reason Wu Sheng wished to become a corpse catcher despite the extreme danger was mainly because he possessed only a fourth-grade spiritual root. Though it was still a mid-grade spiritual root and gave him a chance at Foundation Establishment, he needed vast resources to support his cultivation. The inheritance left behind by his father, who had only reached the eighth level of Qi Refinement, was clearly insufficient to support him until Foundation Establishment.

He did not want, decades later, to end up like his father—failing to achieve Foundation Establishment, leaving the sect in despondency, and being able only to place his hopes for immortality upon his descendants.