Sect contribution points

Without a load to carry this time, the descent was naturally no trouble for He Pingsheng's stamina.

In about two hours, he made his way down Bamboo Peak.

The gates of the Great Void Sect stood at the foot of these mountains.

Although there were no spiritual veins outside and the spiritual qi in the air was extremely thin, the terrain was quite open. A great river wound around the mountains at their feet, carving out an immense river-valley plain to the south.

Across the river was a human settlement that had grown into a small town over several hundred years.

This town was where the Great Void Sect's outer sect was located.

In the outer sect, fish mingled with dragons, and people of every stripe could be found.

It was said that several hundred years ago, this place had merely been a temporary shelter for low-level cultivators. Later, countless Outer Disciples became Dao Companions and settled here, raising families whose descendants grew ever more numerous.

Most of these descendants of the immortal sect's Outer Disciples were simply ordinary mortals without spiritual roots.

Thus, over time, a human town had formed here.

But whether they were mortals or low-level disciples at the first, second, or third level of the qi refining stage, they all fell under the unified administration of the Great Void Sect's outer sect.

He Pingsheng was naturally no exception.

His parents had both been low-level Outer Disciples. Although they had died early, and the low-level cultivators in town had plundered everything they left behind, his home was still there.

It was a modest courtyard house.

There were trees and flower beds in the courtyard!

Though small, it was quite lovely.

He Pingsheng took out his key, unlocked the rusted iron lock, and stepped into his little courtyard.

He had been away for over half a year, and grass had overgrown the courtyard.

Crossing the courtyard, He Pingsheng reached the door of the eastern wing, unlocked it, and pushed his way inside!

This was the house where he had grown up.

From now on, I'll have to rely on myself!

After putting away the clothes he had brought and the Treasure-Gathering Basin, He Pingsheng closed the door and headed for the Outer Sect Hall in town.

The Outer Sect Hall administered everything outside the sect.

There were steward elders in the hall, along with numerous disciples.

Although He Pingsheng had left Bamboo Peak, he still had to survive in the outer sect. Food, drink, bodily needs, and all manner of expenses were unavoidable, so he still could not do without the Great Void Sect.

He entered the Outer Sect Hall!

It was very spacious inside.

Dozens of luminous pearls hung from the vaulted ceiling, so the hall was far from dim. Instead, it was brightly lit.

People came and went inside, making it quite busy.

An array covered the wall on the right, its light flickering as lines of text scrolled across it.

"Firecloud Peak Teleportation Array guard. Fifty contribution points per month. Requires cultivation at the third level of the qi refining stage!"

"Cloudwatch Peak urgently needs six disciples to tend spiritual fields. Two hundred contribution points per month. Requires disciples at the fourth level of the qi refining stage or above, with a primary wood spiritual root and knowledge of wood-element spells!"

"The Scripture Pavilion on Heaven-Reaching Peak urgently needs two guard disciples. One hundred contribution points per month. Requires disciples at the fourth level of the qi refining stage or above. Easy work!"

"The Great Void Sect trading hall needs two Outer Disciples at the fifth level of the qi refining stage or above. Female cultivators only. Two hundred contribution points per month!"

He Pingsheng glanced at them.

These jobs were specifically intended for Outer Disciples with cultivation.

The rewards were generous!

Sect contribution points could not only be exchanged for firewood, rice, oil, and salt, but were also extremely valuable.

Put it this way: a mere ten points could buy a cultivator's entire annual supply of rice at the Outer Sect Hall.

Any remaining contribution points could be exchanged for cultivation resources, such as pills, cultivation methods, and so on!

Unfortunately, these jobs were not meant for He Pingsheng.

He was not even an Outer Disciple, after all, merely an ordinary servant.

The servants' jobs were listed on the left wall.

The left wall looked much like the right, with scrolling text appearing on a membrane of light formed by an array.

The content, however, was worlds apart.

"Servant work: chopping firewood. Complete the monthly quota as required to earn four contribution points!"

"Carrying water. Complete the work as required to earn eight contribution points per month."

"Plowing fields. Complete the work as required to earn one hundred and twenty contribution points per year!"

Clearly, these were the tasks suited to He Pingsheng!

Do I really have to become a Servant Disciple again?

He Pingsheng looked at the tasks on both sides, then shook his head and walked straight to the front counter.

"What do you want?" A disciple wearing the distinctive Daoist robes of an Outer Disciple looked at He Pingsheng with an arrogant air.

He Pingsheng ignored his attitude and pulled a red card from his pocket. "Please check how many contribution points I still have on this."

He had not worked on Bamboo Peak for long, so he certainly had not earned many contribution points.

But that was all right. His parents had left him some while they were still alive.

He had never touched those contribution points and naturally did not know how many there were.

The disciple examined He Pingsheng's card, his brows lifting slightly in surprise. "What's your name?"

"He Pingsheng!" he replied.

"Where did you get this card? You're so young. How can you have so many contribution points on it?"

"My parents were both Outer Disciples!" He Pingsheng said.

At those words, the outer sect cultivator's attitude made an abrupt about-face. Smiling warmly, he said, "So that's how it is... Little brother, you have a total of one thousand six hundred and eighty-six contribution points on this card!"

He Pingsheng was slightly startled!

That many?

If he used these contribution points only for living expenses, they would cover his food and drink for the rest of his life.

After all, a mortal would spend at most twenty points a year on food and drink alone.

Sixteen hundred points will last me decades!

He Pingsheng spent a few contribution points on daily necessities in the hall, then returned to his little courtyard.

No one paid him any attention.

He put everything away!

That afternoon, He Pingsheng took a few things to the nearby mountain. After paying his respects to Hao Yun, he dug up the items buried near Hao Yun's grave, one by one.

Two axes!

Two porcelain bottles!

Two books!

One advantage of the outer sect was that no one stopped him for inspection, wherever he went.

Back home, He Pingsheng still felt uneasy, so he buried the two jade bottles underground again.

As for the two axes and the cultivation methods, he kept them with him.

Even if those things were discovered during an inspection, they would not cost him his life.

After all, my parents were both Outer Disciples. It's perfectly reasonable for me to have copies of the Basic Breathing and Qi-Guiding Method and Thirty-Six Alchemy Formulas, isn't it?

For some time afterward, He Pingsheng stayed home and seldom went out, practicing the Basic Breathing and Qi-Guiding Method every day.

He hoped to achieve qi drawing into the body and complete a full circulation as soon as possible, thereby breaking through to the first level of the qi refining stage.

Of course, the spiritual qi in the outer sect was extremely thin.

But that did not greatly affect his cultivation.

After all, he had not yet reached the stage of absorbing spiritual qi. He was merely trying to complete a full circulation.