"Field mission: Demon extermination in Clearwater Commandery! First-tier Demon Beast, Golden Scarlet Tiger. Qi Refinement disciples only. Reward: twenty sect contribution points."
"Field mission: Hunt down a criminal in Clear Mountain Commandery! A villainous late Qi Refining rogue cultivator. Qi Refinement disciples only. Reward: twenty sect contribution points."
"Patrol mission: Stand watch in the menial disciples' district... Duration: three days. Qi Refinement disciples only. Reward: two sect contribution points."
"Hundred Arts mission: Irrigate the spirit fields... Twice daily. Qi Refinement disciples only. Reward: one sect contribution point."
"Field mission..."
"..."
In the General Affairs Hall, numerous missions were engraved in detail on a wooden mission board.
It was where missions and miscellaneous duties for the entire outer sect were posted.
Many disciples came and went here.
Voices boiled over as everyone discussed and accepted missions. It was a bustling scene.
Lu Li was among them at that moment.
Several days had passed since he entered the outer sect.
Over those days, aside from absorbing azure gold spirit liquid to cultivate, he came to stake out the General Affairs Hall whenever he had time.
He wanted to see whether there were any relatively safe missions.
He had also visited the Artifact Hall during that time, hoping to try learning artifact refining.
The result...
"Attending a lesson on Introduction to Artifact Refining costs five contribution points."
"And you have to bring your own forging furnace just to get in..."
"A forging furnace Law Artifact costs at least a dozen or so Spirit Stones, never mind that I don't even have a single contribution point..."
At the back of the crowd, Lu Li shook his head helplessly as he squeezed forward.
The Azure Pool Sect's outer sect was much safer, but its ability to "flay your skin and suck your blood" was downright chilling.
Charging contribution points for lessons and Spirit Stones for transactions was fine.
The problem was that an expert had definitely calculated these fixed prices!
The contribution points earned and spent, and the buying and selling prices in Spirit Stones, were grossly unequal.
A disciple could sell a ten-year-old stalk of blood coagulation grass to the sect for only two contribution points.
But to exchange points for pills at the Pill Hall, even the most ordinary Qi Recovery Pill cost five contribution points.
Artifact-refining materials were even more outrageous.
"A piece of refined iron ore is worth only two contribution points when sold to the sect."
"Yet the most basic first-tier magic sword is actually priced at twenty contribution points in the Artifact Hall!"
"That price difference..."
Lu Li silently clicked his tongue. The sect is using its disciples as beasts of burden.
After carefully working out the figures, he discovered that the purchase prices of all raw materials were suppressed to extremely low levels.
Yet once they were made into Law Artifacts or pills, their selling prices multiplied dozens of times.
And if disciples wanted to learn the hundred arts of cultivation, they first had to pay hefty contribution fees for lessons and provide their own expensive tools.
"No wonder there are thousands of outer sect disciples, yet barely any can establish themselves through the hundred arts of cultivation."
"What a clever scheme..."
"Using their capital and exclusive techniques to make disciples constantly take missions and create value to earn contribution points."
"Then using exorbitant expenses to keep disciples from ever saving any contribution points."
"In the end... they can only risk their lives for the sect, over and over."
A chill crept down Lu Li's back. Seen this way, wasn't the Azure Pool Sect's outer sect also devouring people without even spitting out their bones?
Amid his alarm, he finally pushed through the crowd.
He reached the disciple on duty.
He was just about to ask for those missions that offered few contribution points but were relatively safe.
But a burly Qi Refinement disciple suddenly squeezed out of the crowd.
"Junior Brother! Sign me up for all those patrol and Hundred Arts missions!"
A deep, bear-like voice rang out beside Lu Li's ear.
Before he could react.
He watched this late Qi Refining brute-nearly two meters tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a face full of stubble and an immensely powerful presence-take every highly safe mission...
"Wait... isn't..."
Lu Li was dumbfounded. This fellow looked like the sort who murdered people for their possessions.
Why were all the missions he took...
"Hehe, sorry, Junior Brother. Your senior brother beat you to it."
"Just wait a little longer."
"Hehe..."
The two-meter-tall brute seemed to notice Lu Li's gaze.
He turned around, revealing a mouthful of large white teeth and a slightly apologetic smile.
Without waiting for Lu Li to reply, he clutched his now-recorded identity Jade Slip, pushed through the crowd, and squeezed out.
"What... are there really this many followers of the Dao of Playing It Safe?"
"No... you..."
Lu Li was dazed. Over the past half month, he had noticed that safer missions were in high demand.
But usually, it was disciples with lower cultivation competing for them.
This was his first time seeing a late Qi Refining disciple take such missions.
The disciple on duty before him was kind enough to offer an explanation.
"Junior Brother, I imagine you've only just entered the outer sect."
"That was Senior Brother Xu Xiong. He has excellent aptitude, but he's lazy and unwilling to leave the sect, so he's always taking these little missions."
"You'd better look at some other ones, Junior Brother."
"So that's how it is..."
Shaking his head, Lu Li helplessly withdrew his gaze.
He continued staking out the hall.
Safe missions generally offered few contribution points.
Yet plenty of people fought over them.
Lu Li simply watched the mission blackboard being erased and rewritten, rewritten and erased.
Whenever a slightly better mission appeared, a swarm of disciples rushed over, holding up their identity jade pendants.
The competition was fierce.
Until...
"Artifact Hall: Furnace slag cleanup. Qi Refinement disciples only. Five times per month. Reward per assignment: two sect contribution points. In addition... one opportunity each month to observe artifact refining."
The moment this mission appeared on the mission blackboard.
The crowd erupted.
Numerous disciples squeezed toward it as though possessed.
Although this mission offered few contribution points, the chance to observe artifact refining was truly precious.
And since it was safe as well, every disciple coveted it.
"Senior Brother! Senior Brother, look over here!"
Within the crowd, Lu Li went all out too.
Observing artifact refining! Wasn't that one of the hundred arts of cultivation he had always wanted to learn?
This was far harder to come by than attending Introduction to Artifact Refining.
And he could earn contribution points too.
He immediately took out a Spirit Stone and held it between his fingers, instantly catching the attention of the disciple on duty.
"Senior Brother! Over here, over here!"
"Don't rush, Junior Brother! Quickly toss me your identity Jade Slip!"
It had to be said that this trick really worked.
The eyes of the disciple on duty instantly lit up.
His gaze locked firmly onto Lu Li amid the crowd, and he hurriedly called for him to toss over his Jade Slip.
Whoosh!
The Jade Slip flew over the crowd.
And landed in his grasp.
The next second, amid a flicker of spiritual light.
Lu Li's name was recorded as the mission's assignee.
"Junior Brother, take your Jade Slip. This mission is yours."
"This is a long-term mission, five times a month. As long as the employer doesn't cancel it, you can keep doing it."
"If you do it for a little over half a year, you'll fulfill this year's required number of missions."
Having pocketed the Spirit Stone, the disciple on duty handed the Jade Slip back to Lu Li with a beaming smile.
His words made Lu Li feel that this Spirit Stone had been exceptionally well spent.
Ignoring the indignant crowd and their furious curses, he hurriedly put away his Jade Slip and squeezed out of the General Affairs Hall.
"Great. I can meet my mission quota in the short term, and it's safe..."
"Most importantly... I can even observe artifact refining!"
"Several gains in one stroke. Wonderful, simply wonderful!"
Voicing his great satisfaction, Lu Li strode away, completely failing to notice the corner of the General Affairs Hall.
A gaze was fixed on him in astonishment.
"That boy... actually entered the outer sect!"
"Elder Jian... do you think we might have misjudged him...?"