Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Guarding the Earth Fire Hall
"I’m very sure."
Zhang Chi had expected this and immediately nodded in earnest.
This female disciple in red, like most young Female Cultivators, was very beautiful and possessed a cool, aloof aura.
But at this moment, she had a dumbfounded expression, which was quite amusing in contrast to her usual demeanor.
But Zhang Chi didn’t stare or laugh.
After all, she was a Senior Sister at the Qi Cultivation Late Stage, and to hold a position here, she certainly had some connections.
"Have you considered the pros and cons of this mission? And you’re a new disciple, right?
"Newcomers in the Outer Sect don’t have to do any missions for the first three years. If you don’t lack Spirit Stones, you can just focus on your Cultivation. Don’t you know that?" Senior Sister Hongyi quickly came to her senses and said indifferently.
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister. I’m aware of all that, but I’ve already made my decision."
"Since the Sect has this mission, someone has to do it. I was fortunate enough to be accepted by the Sect, so naturally, I want to give something back."
Zhang Chi remained firm, speaking with deliberate passion to dispel her doubts.
"Alright then."
Senior Sister Hongyi was taken aback. Not only did she not believe him, but she also suspected Zhang Chi was a fool.
But she didn’t say any more, instead taking out a special Magical Artifact Scroll and unrolling it for Zhang Chi to make his selection.
The Scroll showed a miniature map of the Sect, marked with nine dots. All of them were Earth Fire Halls, and most were within the Sect’s grounds.
Tapping on these Earth Fire Hall markers would bring up some descriptive text.
Currently, every Earth Fire Hall was guarded, but mostly on short-term assignments of one or two months.
These people were basically Outer Disciples who had made minor mistakes and were sent there as a mandatory assignment from the Sect.
Therefore, if someone went to take their place, they would be more than happy to leave.
So Zhang Chi could choose any one he liked.
"I’ll take this one, Number Three."
Zhang Chi’s heart filled with joy. He quickly examined the options and soon made his choice.
This Number Three Earth Fire Hall was larger, had more abundant Spiritual Qi, and was relatively close to the edge of the Sect’s territory, ensuring both safety and a degree of quiet.
"You can. This Earth Fire Hall guard mission can only be taken by Outer Disciples. Originally, the Cultivation requirement was Qi Cultivation Late Stage or higher."
"But because no one is willing to do it, and there’s usually no danger, the disciple on duty only needs to monitor the Array."
"So even though you’ve just joined and probably haven’t even had time to start your new Cultivation, you’re still qualified for the job."
"But you need to be aware that once you’ve chosen, you can’t go back on your word. Otherwise, you’ll definitely be severely punished. By the way, how long do you plan to be on duty?"
Senior Sister Hongyi nodded, explained the details, and then continued with her questions.
’He must have been tempted by the mission reward and doesn’t believe the Sect’s mission description. That’s why he’s being so stubborn and wants to try it for himself.’
In fact, disciples like him appeared every now and then.
Especially among new disciples, many harbored wishful thinking, hoping to get lucky.
"I’ll choose ten years."
Zhang Chi had already calculated that with the six-fold boost from his Cultivation Technique, Spirit Root, Elixirs, Body Refining, Divine Soul, and the Spiritual Vein, it would take him more than ten years to reach the Qi Cultivation Peak, barring any special circumstances.
Therefore, he directly chose the longest possible mission duration.
This way, he would have a stable place to cultivate for ten years and wouldn’t need to accept any other missions.
During this period, even if the Xie Family wanted to cause trouble for him, they would have no opportunity to do so.
Furthermore, the longer the mission duration, the higher the reward. Ten years would undoubtedly bring in a much larger income.
According to the mission description, for these ten years, he only had to be at the Earth Fire Hall at night; his presence during the day was optional.
If he needed to go out, he could find someone to cover for him or even spend Spirit Stones to request leave.
So he wouldn’t be completely trapped there.
"That long?"
Senior Sister Hongyi was taken aback once again.
But soon, she became even more dismissive. ’He must be absolutely crazy for Spirit Stones.’
"You’re Zhang Chi, the one who took first place in this year’s Heart assessment?"
Then, Senior Sister Hongyi calmed down again and began to process the paperwork for Zhang Chi’s guard duty at the Earth Fire Hall.
But while registering him, she couldn’t help but lose her composure again, stealing a few more glances at Zhang Chi.
Apparently, she had also heard about Zhang Chi’s exploits.
’Before, I felt a little sympathy for Zhang Chi, but now I’m starting to suspect that the Steward from the Xie Family was the innocent one after all.’
’After all, judging by his behavior, it’s obvious he isn’t very bright and is extremely stubborn.’
"Yes, that’s me."
Hearing this, Zhang Chi felt a bit awkward but could only brace himself and nod.
"Alright, just report for duty within three days."
The woman in red, calm once more, quickly finished the registration and tossed Zhang Chi’s Identity Token back to him.
"Wait. If you regret this later, remember to come find me. I’ll do my best to plead your case. Maybe I can get your fine reduced a little."
But just as Zhang Chi caught the Token and was about to leave, she suddenly called out to him and added that last part.
"Okay, thank you, Senior Sister."
Zhang Chi was stunned for a moment, then immediately thanked her.
’This Senior Sister seems cold, but she’s actually quite kind-hearted.’
But Senior Sister Hongyi didn’t respond, having already turned to help the next disciple with their mission.
’Excellent, it’s finally settled!’
Zhang Chi didn’t mind. He was in an excellent mood because the problem of finding a cultivation spot was finally solved.
With the help of the Earth Fire Hall’s Spiritual Vein, the effect would be even better than cultivating at the peak of an Outer Sect Peak.
After all, while the Spiritual Vein at the top of the Outer Sect Peaks was excellent, there were far too many disciples.
Additionally, for guarding the hall for ten years, the Sect would give him thirty Contribution Points every month.
Contribution Points were only given for completing missions, and each point was equivalent to one Low Grade Spirit Stone.
In the Cangwu Sect, Contribution Points were often even more useful than Spirit Stones.
Thirty Contribution Points, plus the monthly stipend of ten spirit stones, was equivalent to forty spirit stones a month.
At the Cyan Cloud Sect, an Outer Disciple at the Qi Cultivation Early Stage received a monthly stipend of ten spirits, twenty at the Middle Stage, and thirty at the Late Stage.
Forty Spirit Stones was comparable to the income of a Qi Cultivation Peak Cultivator.
Of course, if an ordinary Cultivator went to the Earth Fire Hall, although their income would be high, they would have to spend a considerable amount of Spirit Stones to buy Ice Spirit Pills to clear out the fire toxin.
After factoring in that cost, their monthly income would be next to nothing, and they would also waste a great deal of cultivation time.
But Zhang Chi didn’t need to dispel any fire toxin.
Therefore, guarding the Earth Fire Hall was not only beneficial for his Cultivation, but it would also provide him with a stable income.
—
With the mission settled, Zhang Chi didn’t head back. Instead, he went to the Inheritance Hall once more.
He planned to choose a Middle Grade Fire Element Cultivation Technique and also look for any Magic that might be better than the Qi Concealment Technique.
As it turned out, the Cangwu Sect had a rule: unless an Outer Disciple was already practicing a Middle Grade Cultivation Technique, they had to start over and cultivate the Middle Grade Cultivation Technique provided for free by the Sect.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t receive better benefits and couldn’t pass the annual disciple assessment.
Although Zhang Chi possessed a Top Grade Demon Technique, he still wanted to receive more Sect benefits, so naturally, he had to put on a show.
This time, Zhang Chi encountered no trouble.
After all, so many people were there to receive a Middle Grade Cultivation Technique that it wouldn’t attract the attention of a Foundation Establishment Steward, and no one was paying him any special notice.
’Three-Turns Fierce Sun Technique? It can be re-cultivated three times to bring the quality of one’s Spiritual Power infinitely close to that of an Upper Grade Cultivation Technique, and it can even increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment to a certain extent?’
’Nice, this is the one!’
Soon, in a room filled with books, Zhang Chi found a Middle Grade Fire Element Cultivation Technique.
