The Duty Board Is Posted

That made sense!

Xu Changshou nodded inwardly. Jiang Xiaochuan was right. A Foundation Establishment Pill was also a Barrier-Breaking Pill, just one of a higher grade.

A Foundation Establishment Pill could increase the chances of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment.

There was a gulf as vast as heaven and earth between Qi Refining cultivators and mighty Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Once someone reached Foundation Establishment, their identity, status, strength, and even their lineage would undergo tremendous changes.

Not only that, their lifespan would increase from a hundred and fifty years to three hundred.

Naturally, the value of Foundation Establishment Pills rose with the tide.

Jiang Xiaochuan said, "Compared to Foundation Establishment Pills, Barrier-Breaking Pills are like minor witches facing a great sorcerer. Foundation Establishment Pills count as second-grade pills. A bottle of the cheapest second-grade pills costs roughly one to ten spirit stones.

"But a single Foundation Establishment Pill costs over a thousand spirit stones, and you can't buy one even if you have the money.

"Many small lineages can't afford a single Foundation Establishment Pill even if they pool all their resources."

"Of course Foundation Establishment Pills aren't easy to get! Ah!"

"Senior Brother Xu, it's too early to talk about Foundation Establishment. Let's reach the seventh level of Qi Refining first. Hehe, then I'll be your senior brother."

"Oh, get out of here. Is that all you aspire to?"

As the two chatted, they suddenly heard a commotion outside.

"Hurry, hurry! Head to the Lecture Hall! The Duty Board has been posted!"

"Really? Great! Let's go look!"

"Come on, to the Lecture Hall!"

The Duty Board had been posted?

Xu Changshou and Jiang Xiaochuan exchanged a glance, then hurried downstairs and ran toward the Lecture Hall.

By then, almost all the servant disciples were running toward the Lecture Hall.

Before they left Reserve Beauty Peak, the sect would post a Duty Board for the servant disciples, showing where they would be sent and what duties they would perform.

It concerned every servant disciple's future, so naturally everyone paid close attention.

Soon, the two reached the Duty Board. Ye Shanhua and the others were already there.

There were seven Duty Boards in total.

They corresponded to the seven peaks: Great Unity Peak, Cinnabar Clouds Peak, Scarlet Fire Peak, Heavenly Pivot Peak, Eight Trigrams Peak, Fengdu Peak, and Green Ink Peak.

Everyone immediately gathered beneath the first list, which was densely packed with over a hundred names.

Xu Changshou spotted Jiang Xiaochuan's name on it: Jiang Xiaochuan, Great Unity Peak, herb garden attendant.

An herb garden attendant's duty was to guard a spiritual herb garden. It was a good assignment, with plenty of time to cultivate, and the spiritual energy in the gardens was much denser than elsewhere.

Before securing his spot, Jiang Xiaochuan had spent plenty greasing palms up and down the ranks.

Xu Changshou had thought Jiang Xiaochuan was pulling strings at Cinnabar Clouds Peak. He hadn't expected it to be Great Unity Peak.

Han Zong said enviously, "Not bad, not bad! Junior Brother Jiang actually got a spot at Great Unity Peak."

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Jiang."

Xu Changshou asked curiously, "Junior Brother Jiang, I thought you would go to Cinnabar Clouds Peak. I never expected Great Unity Peak."

Jiang Xiaochuan smiled. "I planned to go to Great Unity Peak all along. The competition at Cinnabar Clouds Peak is too fierce. Besides, I don't have water, fire, and wood spiritual roots."

"You certainly know how to calculate your odds, Junior Brother!"

Xu Changshou nodded inwardly.

If Jiang Xiaochuan had spent his money pulling strings at Cinnabar Clouds Peak, it would most likely have gone down the drain.

"Great Unity Peak is good. Its conditions are no worse than Cinnabar Clouds Peak's."

"Absolutely. Guarding a spiritual herb garden is a fat posting. With all those spiritual herbs, getting your hands on even one would net you a mountain of money."

"Look! Senior Brother Li is at Great Unity Peak too!"

Xu Changshou took a closer look and indeed found Li Linhao's name: Li Linhao, Great Unity Peak, immortal crane keeper.

Raising immortal cranes was an obscure assignment. Xu Changshou had never heard of it.

After reading the first list, they moved on to the second:

Ye Shanhua, Cinnabar Clouds Peak, Pill Boy.

Zhang Feixian, Cinnabar Clouds Peak, Pill Boy.

Lin Xian'er, Cinnabar Clouds Peak, Pill Boy.

After reading the Cinnabar Clouds Sect's list, Xu Changshou felt somewhat disappointed. His name wasn't there.

Three people from their Gengzi Courtyard had made the list.

Someone else looked particularly grim: Qian Yuanbao. He had also spent money pulling strings at Cinnabar Clouds Peak, but unfortunately, he hadn't made the list.

"Congratulations! Congratulations, Senior Sister Ye!"

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Zhang! Congratulations, Junior Sister Lin!"

"What wonderful opportunities you three fellow Daoists have received!"

"We're green with envy."

Everyone cast envious looks at the three.

Servant disciples who entered Cinnabar Clouds Peak generally became Pill Boys. At first, they assisted alchemists, then gradually began learning to refine pills themselves.

A large proportion of the sect's low-level alchemists had risen from the ranks of servant disciples.

Servant disciples had no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment in their lifetimes. Once they learned pill refining, they could keep supplying the sect with pills until they laid down their duties and returned to secular life after a hundred years.

Most alchemists were wealthy. After retiring to secular life following a hundred years of service, they could bring back a substantial fortune in spirit stones and contribute to their lineages.

This was the lifelong ambition of many servant disciples.

Seeing that neither list contained his name, Xu Changshou felt bitter. Both Great Unity Peak and Cinnabar Clouds Peak occupied the main spiritual vein and had abundant spiritual energy. The other peaks couldn't compare.

His spiritual root was poor to begin with, so of course he wanted somewhere with richer spiritual energy. Unfortunately...

Xu Changshou hurried to check the other peaks.

The third list: Su Mo, Scarlet Fire Peak, Bellows Boy.

His name wasn't there.

The fourth list: Qian Yuanbao, Heavenly Pivot Peak, mining attendant.

His name wasn't there.

The fifth list: Shi Wantong, Eight Trigrams Peak, formation attendant.

His name wasn't there.

After reading five lists, Xu Changshou's heart sank to rock bottom.

Now only the last two remained unread: Fengdu Peak's list and Green Ink Peak's list.

Fengdu Peak practiced Corpse Refining, which meant digging up graves and opening tombs.

Green Ink Peak drew talismans, a duty that demanded continuous output.

Neither peak seemed like a good place to go.

In a daze, Xu Changshou looked at the sixth list.

He found Han Zong's name on it: Han Zong, Fengdu Peak, tomb-raiding attendant.

"What?!!!"

Han Zong's face darkened. Damn it, I paid to pull strings! How did I still end up at Fengdu Peak?

The first thing a tomb-raiding attendant had to learn was how to dig up graves and open tombs.

The very thought was terrifying.

Thank goodness I'm not on it. I won't have to dig up graves.

Xu Changshou silently counted himself lucky, then turned his gaze to the final list. On that enormous sheet, there was only one name:

Xu Changshou, Green Ink Peak, talisman attendant.

Xu Changshou's face darkened too. Sure enough, I really do have to draw talismans.

At the thought of drawing talismans day and night, constantly pouring spiritual energy into them, Xu Changshou felt utterly powerless. Damn it! There are hundreds of disciples on Reserve Beauty Peak. Why am I the only one going to Green Ink Peak? Was I really the only one who didn't grease any palms?

"Look! There's only one person at Green Ink Peak. Xu Changshou-which unlucky bastard is that?"

"He really is unlucky. I heard Green Ink Peak has the worst conditions, bar none."

"My condolences, Senior Brother Xu. Actually, Green Ink Peak isn't so bad. The work may be hard, but at least it's safe. There's no real danger to your life."

"Junior Brother Han and Senior Brother Xu are both pretty unlucky. One has to dig up graves, and the other has to draw talismans."

As a rule, two months after the lists were posted, they could report to their assigned peaks.

At the same time, the next intake of new disciples would move into Reserve Beauty Peak.

The next day.

Jiang Xiaochuan rushed into Xu Changshou's room. "Senior Brother Xu, I'm going into secluded cultivation! When I come out, you'll have to call me senior brother! Hahaha!"