"Monthly Salary" Starting at Thirty Thousand

"Damn, so many people?"

The moment Su Bai entered the great square of the Hundred Sects Assembly, the bustling sight before him gave him a fright. The crowd was a sea of black, nearly filling the entire square.

Were people in this world really this fanatical about cultivating immortality?

After counting carefully, he could see roughly one hundred and seven signs, meaning over a hundred sect forces were recruiting disciples here.

Each sign was grander and more luxurious than the last, especially the one in the very center, which was exceptionally imposing.

The plaque bore the three gilded words "Lingxiao Sect," with several large lines of text beneath them.

Immortal Alliance Top Five Hundred!

Monthly base silver: thirty taels

Cloudwater City openings today: fifty

At that moment, the area around the Lingxiao Sect's station was already packed with people, all of them trying to secure a spot.

Su Bai looked at that luxurious gilded sign, then at the broken wooden board in his hand, and could not help sighing inwardly.

"As expected of the Top Five Hundred. They're swimming in money—starting at thirty taels of silver a month!"

In this world, ordinary people mainly used copper coins and silver as currency. One tael of silver equaled one thousand copper coins. (A quick note: gold and silver were used in the early stages, while Spirit Stones became the main currency later on.)

From what he had observed over the past few days, one copper coin in this world was roughly equivalent to one yuan.

In other words, thirty taels of silver meant a "monthly salary" starting at thirty thousand!

Those two words, "starting at," left endless room for imagination!

No wonder so many people were fighting to get in!

Su Bai looked around. The "monthly salaries" marked on the other sects' signs ranged from three taels to thirty taels of silver.

He reached into his pocket and touched the only twenty copper coins he had left, unable to stop his doubts from rising.

"They can't even afford to pay their disciples, so what the hell are they doing?"

A moment later, he gritted his teeth and wrote several lines on his wooden board as well.

Heavenly Dao Sect

The future number one sect in the world!

Monthly base silver: thirty taels

Openings: one

"I'm a man with a system. How could I bend my back for three taels of silver?"

"Anyway, monthly salaries are only paid after a full month. I'll recruit a disciple and upgrade the sect first—after a month, would I still have to worry about silver?"

With that in mind, Su Bai found a spot, propped the wooden board up in front of him, then sat down and waited for disciples to come for an "interview."

There were simply too many people at the Myriad Sects Assembly. Even though everyone wanted to enter the Lingxiao Sect, many were limited by their "abilities" and could not even get in line, leaving them no choice but to check out other sects.

Thus, every sign had plenty of people gathered before it.

"Come take a look, everyone! The future number one sect under heaven—don't miss it as you pass by!"

Su Bai sat there calling out, a smile on his face. Facing everyone with a smile was the basic etiquette of an "interviewer."

"What? The future number one sect under heaven?"

Everyone froze, stopping in their tracks and looking curiously toward the source of the voice.

When they hurried over and got close enough to see that so-called sign clearly, their eyes instantly widened like bronze bells, their mouths gaping wide enough to fit an egg.

Then a burst of uproarious laughter rang out.

"This is supposed to be a sign? Are you kidding me?" someone laughed aloud, pointing at the dilapidated wooden board before Su Bai.

The board's edges were even uneven, as though a dog had gnawed on them.

"No need to look any further. This is definitely another scam sect trying to deceive people desperate to cultivate immortality!" another person analyzed solemnly, his face full of contempt.

"With scammers like this around, I need to keep my child far away from them, lest he be led astray!" A middle-aged woman tightly grabbed the hand of the child beside her and hurried away.

"Sigh, that child looks quite handsome too. Why didn't he learn to behave himself? Why did he turn to this sort of swindling?" An old man shook his head and sighed, his face filled with regret.

"Holy shit, look at what that scammer wrote on his sign—the monthly base silver is thirty taels!"

"It really is thirty taels. I thought it was three taels just now—I missed a zero!"

"Am I crazy, or has this world gone mad? The Lingxiao Sect is in the Immortal Alliance Top Five Hundred, and they only offer thirty taels of silver!"

"He's gone crazy dreaming about money!"

"I thought he was a scammer, but he turns out to be an idiot!"

A group of people laughed mockingly, drawing more and more eyes in his direction.

When they saw a youth recruiting disciples with nothing more than a battered wooden board, and opening with an offer of thirty taels of silver, everyone found it hilarious.

Never mind whether you were a scammer—even if you were genuine, did you even understand the situation?

What right did you have to offer thirty taels?

Were you in the Immortal Alliance Top Five Hundred?

Or did you have a million disciples and countless experts like the Lingxiao Sect?

Listening to the discussions around him, Su Bai furrowed his brows slightly.

Why did this feel more and more wrong?

My sect has good benefits and treatment, yet I'm getting laughed at?

What, did Heavenly Dao Sect disciples' "monthly salaries" have to be lower than those of the Lingxiao Sect?

One hour, two hours, three hours...

Su Bai had already been sitting there for four hours. Some sects had filled their quotas and left, while new sects arrived.

Pedestrians came and went in an endless stream, and quite a few stopped by his place.

Yet every person who stopped before him would first stare blankly upon seeing the sign, then burst into loud, mocking laughter.

Especially when they heard or saw the thirty taels of silver, every one of them looked at him as though he were a fool.

Not a single exception!

Su Bai was not angered. He simply sat there quietly and waited.

Zhuge Feng walked stiffly down the mountain like a walking corpse, unknowingly arriving at the Hundred Sects Assembly where disciples were being recruited.

"Only ten spots left!"

"Hurry up! Move faster!"

Several Lingxiao Sect stewards in charge of recruitment shouted loudly. The crowd immediately boiled over, rushing forward in fear of failing to snatch a spot.

"Immortal sir, I have some local specialties here. Would you care to take a look?" A middle-aged man squeezed forward, respectfully handing over an opaque burlap sack as he pulled his son over as well.

"Immortal sir, what do you think of my son?"

One steward accepted the bag. He first weighed it in his hand, then reached inside and felt around. A smile immediately appeared on his face. "Haha, this boy isn't bad. He looks like cultivation material. You'll do!"

The middle-aged man and his son were instantly overjoyed, dropping to their knees with tears of gratitude.

"Thank you, Immortal sir! Thank you, Immortal sir!"

It was merely the status of a menial servant, yet they were already this happy.

Those so-called local specialties in the sack were worth at least twenty taels of silver!

This had long been an unspoken rule for becoming a recruited menial servant. Without silver, without greasing some palms, did you still expect to get a spot?

There were so many people who wanted to become menial servants anyway. Those stewards could give the spots to whomever they pleased. Without some benefit, why should they give one to you?

The middle-aged man before him still had patches on his clothes, so his household circumstances were surely ordinary. That silver had most likely been saved through years of scrimping and saving.

Zhuge Feng watched silently from the side, yet it was as though he were seeing himself from half a year ago.

Half a year ago, he had sold his only house and scraped together money from all sides before finally gathering two hundred taels of silver.

Of that, twenty taels had gone toward securing a menial servant spot, while one hundred and eighty taels had paid for half a year of menial servant fees.

Most outrageous of all, menial servants were not even provided food or lodging!

He had no choice. Penniless, he could only help other senior brothers and sisters after finishing his own daily tasks, barely earning enough copper coins to subsidize his food and clothing.

He had worked himself to the bone for half a year, only for this to be the result!

The sect's rules stated that to enter the sect, become an official disciple, and cultivate Immortal Arts, one first had to serve as a menial servant for half a year!

Menial disciples had all kinds of tasks every day—sweeping steps, carrying water, planting spirit herbs, and so on—with no rest for half a year.

Moreover, menial disciples had to hand over thirty taels of silver to the sect every month to remain there. Otherwise, they could only get lost.

If you had no money but still occupied a spot, how were the people behind you supposed to get in?

"Sigh!"

With another sigh, Zhuge Feng had no idea where the road ahead lay.

His home was gone, he had failed the assessment, and he had no silver to continue being a menial servant for another half year. He was penniless...

If he could not become an immortal, how could he avenge his parents?

Perhaps... he would never be able to take revenge in this lifetime?

Just as he was preparing to leave, he caught sight of a sign from the corner of his eye.

Heavenly Dao Sect

Food and lodging included!

Learn Immortal Arts upon joining the sect!

Monthly base silver: 30 taels

Openings: one

Learn Immortal Arts upon joining the sect?

Zhuge Feng could not help stopping, his gaze no longer able to move away.

If... he could cultivate immortality as soon as he joined the sect...

The moment that thought emerged, it grew wildly like weeds, sweeping through Zhuge Feng's mind in an instant and becoming impossible to suppress!

After a long while, Zhuge Feng took a deep breath and forced down the turmoil in his heart before walking toward that sign.