Chapter 100: Chapter 99: Task
The mountain held a mine, an Iron Evil Ore mine.
The Evil Qi was dense.
Crude stone huts were scattered throughout the mountain forest. Outer Sect Disciples could choose any unoccupied hut to live in.
There were no Immortal Palaces floating in the clouds, no otherworldly Immortal Families who abstained from worldly grains. All that existed was...
Desolation!
Decay!
Suffocation!
"An Immortal Sect..."
Watching the busy miners at the foot of the mountain and the vicious, dangerous land teeming with Evil Qi before her, a complex expression appeared on Ning Ruxue’s pretty face.
It was the bitterness of having the beautiful illusion in her heart shattered.
"This is it?"
"Ruxue." After spending a few days together, Mu Tian felt they had grown close and had already started addressing her by her first name.
He grimaced, rubbing the whip marks on his body as he spoke.
"I told you not to have too many fantasies about Immortal Sects. Immortal Sects aren’t much different from the gangs of the Martial World. That said, the environment here at the Bright Void Sect really is a bit poor."
"This is only temporary. As long as we can reach the Innate realm, we’ll become true Outer Sect Disciples. Then we can leave this place."
"Look at Old Yan. He’s a perfect example."
Ning Ruxue shook her head gently.
Yan Bohu had been taken away and was allowed to choose a slightly better stone hut at the foot of the mountain, but that was all.
The conditions had improved, but not by much.
It was a far cry from the magnificent scenes of immortal life she had imagined.
"Hmph!"
Ding Hu snorted coldly.
"Outer Sect Disciples? We’re no different from the miners here. They just dig the ore, and we refine it."
"Exactly," Ding Peng said, narrowing his eyes.
"Five Iron Evil Stones a month. Even if we use Spirit Crystals to cover three of them, we still have to condense two ourselves."
"All our time will be spent on Refining Ore. How are we supposed to practice Cultivation?"
"How are we supposed to reach the Innate realm?"
"It’s come to this. We’ll just have to take it one step at a time," Zhu Ju said, looking around and comforting himself.
"The Bright Void Sect is a Righteous Immortal Sect, after all. They wouldn’t exploit us this badly. Perhaps there’s still a chance for things to change."
"I hope so," Ning Ruxue sighed.
"Let’s find a place to live first."
"Right." Ding Peng’s eyes lit up.
"Ruxue, where are you planning to live? How about we live next door? That way, we can look out for each other if anything happens."
*
*
*
As an Outer Sect Disciple, Zhu Ju received a set of clothes, an identity Token, and chose a long saber for backup.
He was also given a few days’ worth of food and a black jar for storing Evil Qi.
As for his lodging,
he chose a spot that was neither too close to nor too far from Ning Ruxue and the others.
The Evil Qi on this mountain was dense, and tangible wisps of it even drifted out from cracks in some of the rocks. Cultivating with it would be twice as effective with half the effort.
If it weren’t for the task of condensing Iron Evil Stones, this mountain would truly be a treasure ground for practicing the Earth Evil Mysterious Skill.
Unfortunately,
there were no "if’s."
’Evil Qi is ferocious. A moment of carelessness could damage my foundation, especially in a place with such dense Evil Qi.’
Sitting cross-legged on a rock, Zhu Ju stopped circulating his Method and became lost in thought.
’I’m only at the Entry Level of the Earth Evil Mysterious Skill. I’d better not rush my Cultivation. I should master the techniques of Attracting Evil, Condensing Evil, and Refining Evil first, so I don’t have to worry about injuring myself.’
’Hmm...’
’In that case, having the disciples refine ore to familiarize themselves with the Cultivation Technique could be seen as the Bright Void Sect genuinely looking out for them.’
’Looking out for them, my ass!’
If they were really looking out for the disciples, they wouldn’t have assigned such a heavy task. It was impossible for anyone to complete.
Even if they used Spirit Crystals to offset part of it, there was hardly any time left for Cultivation.
It was pure exploitation!
What Zhu Ju didn’t know was...
...in the past, although the Bright Void Sect had its Outer Sect Disciples refine ore, there was never a mandatory quota.
Furthermore, the Sect would buy back the refined ore at market price, providing a means for disciples to earn extra income.
Now, something had clearly changed.
Forget buying it back at market price; they even had to spend their own Spirit Crystals to make up the difference.
’I wonder if Brother Shen You is aware of this, or if the Core Disciples have tacitly allowed it to happen?’
Shen You had been on the front lines the whole time, so he probably didn’t know much about what was happening back here.
As for Cao Lei...
he definitely knew!
Thinking back on their journey, Cao Lei had always worn a gentle smile and spoken softly. At the time, Zhu Ju had thought he was a kind person, but now the memory just made him feel sick to his stomach.
Shaking his head, Zhu Ju cleared his mind of distracting thoughts and silently activated the Evil-Attracting Technique of the Earth Evil Mysterious Skill.
"Attract!"
With a flick of a Spell,
the Five Elements Evil Qi connected with the Evil Qi inside the mountain. A wisp of black energy surged from a crack in the rock and entered his black jar.
The Evil-Attracting Technique!
The Evil Qi was like a mist. It seemed illusory, but it was actually very heavy.
If this head-sized black jar were filled, it would weigh dozens of kilograms and provide enough Evil Qi for several days of Zhu Ju’s Cultivation.
On his way back, he happened to run into Ning Ruxue.
"Junior Brother Zhu."
Ning Ruxue had just washed her long hair, and it wasn’t completely dry yet. The shoulders of her clothes were damp, revealing a hint of fair, tender skin. A fresh fragrance wafted from her as he got closer.
She glanced at the black jar in Zhu Ju’s hand and smiled.
"Attracting Evil again?"
"Yes," Zhu Ju nodded.
"Are you going down the mountain, Senior Sister?"
Now that they had entered an Immortal Sect, it was natural to change how they addressed each other. She was a few years older, so "Senior Sister" was the proper term.
"Mhm." Ning Ruxue gently flicked her sleeve, and a black ribbon shot out. On closer inspection, it wasn’t a ribbon at all, but condensed Evil Qi.
"I did some asking around. Ten wisps of Profound Iron Demon can be exchanged for one Spirit Crystal. That’s a much better deal than the Iron Evil Ore."
"One Spirit Crystal covers three Iron Evil Stones. If I refine another five wisps of Profound Iron Demon, it should be enough to meet the quota."
’Profound Iron Demon?’
Zhu Ju was lost in thought.
Profound Iron Demon was condensed Evil Qi. It could be used directly to practice the Earth Evil Mysterious Skill, or it could be sold. However, selling it would inevitably delay one’s own Cultivation.
He cupped his hands in a salute.
"You’re working hard, Senior Sister."
"Hee hee..." Ning Ruxue’s beautiful eyes twinkled.
"Junior Brother, you practice Cultivation every day without pause. It seems you haven’t been condensing Iron Evil Stones or refining Evil Qi. How will you turn in your task at the end of the month?"
"Do you need your Senior Sister to help?"
As she spoke, she let out a series of charming laughs, a flash of flirtatiousness appearing amidst her pure demeanor.
"I plan to use Spirit Crystals and Elixirs to cover it," Zhu Ju said, his expression unchanging.
"One Spirit Crystal and three Cultivation-aiding Elixirs should be just enough to cover the monthly task."
"Hah..."
"I suppose this is Senior Brother Cao’s goal—to make us cultivate without external aids. That way, we can solidify our foundations and temper our minds. Our Senior Brother has truly gone to great lengths for our sake."
It was quite a coincidence.
The items given to Outer Sect Disciples each month were almost exactly enough to cover the task of five Iron Evil Stones.
Perhaps,
this was exactly what Cao Xiong had planned.
"That..." Ning Ruxue’s brow furrowed slightly.
"Junior Brother, I’m afraid that’s not a good idea."
"The Cultivation-aiding Condensing Essence Pills are priceless in the Martial World. Taking them for Cultivation is far more effective than painstaking solo practice. Using them to cover your task is a terrible trade."
"It’s fine," Zhu Ju shook his head.
"I haven’t used many Elixirs in my Cultivation so far. If Pill Poison were to enter my body, I’d have to spend time expelling it."
"This way is just fine!"
Ever since he developed Inner Qi, he really hadn’t taken many Elixirs, but he had eaten plenty of Demon Beast Flesh.
Compared to the Elixirs provided by the Bright Void Sect, the effects of Demon Beast Flesh were just as good, if not better. There was no need for those three extra pills.
Of course, Ning Ruxue didn’t know this and looked at him with surprise.
"By the way,"
Zhu Ju changed the subject.
"I haven’t seen Brother Mu these past two days. Why is that?"
"Oh, him!" Ning Ruxue pursed her lips and chuckled lightly.
"He went to a nearby Marketplace. It’s a two or three-day round trip. By my count, he should be back soon."
"Marketplace?" Zhu Ju paused in his tracks.
"A Marketplace where Cultivators gather? I heard the roads aren’t safe."
The Ten Thousand Mountains were full of dangerous places, and Tribulation Cultivators and Evil Guests roamed about, specifically targeting Cultivators traveling to and from Marketplaces. Even disciples of Major Immortal Sects weren’t safe.
If he just wanted to trade for a few things, the Bright Void Sect’s own shop at the foot of the mountain would have sufficed.
"That’s right," Ning Ruxue nodded.
"That’s why Mu Tian went with a few other Outer Sect Disciples."
"You know as well as I do that his father is a disciple of the Bright Void Sect. He has connections in the Sect that we don’t know about."
Zhu Ju understood.
「Midnight.」
Mu Tian did indeed return from the Marketplace. He was beaming with delight and looked incredibly pleased with himself; his trip had clearly been very fruitful.
The first thing he did upon his return was visit Ning Ruxue’s stone hut.
It was unclear what the two of them talked about, but laughter rang out from the stone hut from time to time, audible even from a great distance. It was a long while before Mu Tian took his leave.
「The next day.」
Ning Ruxue stopped refining Evil Qi and instead took an Elixir and went into seclusion to cultivate. It seemed she had already taken care of her task for the end of the month.
