"Manager Zhao, this is my duty for the day, please inspect it!"
At the Wood Storage Yard of Hundred Pine Peak, just after noon, Ye Zhen had already run back and forth six or seven times, delivering fifty Iron Branch Pines as thick as the mouth of a bowl right before the eyes of servant disciple Manager Zhao.
"Hmm, so swift? Ye Zhen?" Manager Zhao, who was squinting his eyes and dozing off, was abruptly startled awake. Once he saw clearly that the person was Ye Zhen, he couldn't help but rub his eyes.
Typically, the disciples who came to submit their duties at the Wood Storage Yard earlier were those with stronger Cultivation and were more promising.
Usually, Ye Zhen would arrive to submit his duty when the sun started to set. But today, he only used less than two hours to come and submit his duty.
This speed was even an hour faster than Ma Yuanwu, the seed candidate of Hundred Pine Peak, prompting servant disciple Manager Zhao to be amazed beyond words.
Despite his surprise, Manager Zhao still inspected Ye Zhen's duty and recorded it in the ledger.
After completing his duty, a very delighted Ye Zhen didn't return to his residence at Hundred Pine Peak to rest. Instead, with today's unexpected gains, he headed straight to the place where he had buried the silver his parents had sent a few days ago under Manager Zhao's astonished gaze.
Speaking of today's gains, even up to this moment, Ye Zhen was still overwhelmed with joy.
After knocking out Wuy Jian, Ye Zhen tried searching his bosom and unexpectedly found a silver note worth five hundred Silver taels.
Of course, Ye Zhen unceremoniously pocketed this discovery. Wuy Jian and Ma Yuanwu had joined forces to rob their fellow disciples of the wealth their relatives sent, and it was not a trifling amount.
Had Ye Zhen not stayed vigilant, the hard-earned Silver his cousin Ye Tiancheng sent that day might have also been plundered by Wuy Jian and Ma Yuanwu.
However, the five hundred taels from the silver note was not all that Ye Zhen gained today.
After casually looking around, Ye Zhen found more than twenty Iron Branch Pines that Wuy Jian had previously cut not too far away.
Wuy Jian had previously strong-armed over a hundred Iron Branch Pines from Ye Zhen; thus, Ye Zhen gleefully accepted these twenty-plus trees without any remorse.
Altogether, Ye Zhen was able to complete his duty for the day much earlier.
The place where Ye Zhen had buried his Silver was quite secretive, and aside from the servant disciples, there were few footprints on Hundred Pine Peak. After successfully retrieving the two hundred Silver, Ye Zhen, carrying a total of seven hundred Silver, headed straight to the Qiyun Sect Main Hall.
The Qiyun Sect Main Hall is responsible for disciple registration, advancement, Sect Contribution Points exchange, various aspects of disciples' daily living needs, and the handling of Sect tasks.
Ye Zhen went to the Sect Main Hall today because he had a considerable sum of seven hundred Silver taels and planned to exchange them for pills that could increase his Cultivation.
The pills and weapons provided by the Sect Main Hall of Qiyun Sect cannot be purchased directly with Silver; they can only be exchanged for Sect Contribution Points.
Sect Contribution Points are generally acquired by completing tasks issued by the Sect Main Hall. However, servant disciples are not qualified to complete Sect tasks and earn Sect Contribution Points.
But at Qiyun Sect, Contribution Points can be obtained by donating Silver, which is the only way for servant disciples to acquire Sect Contribution Points.
Donating ten Silver taels will earn one Sect Contribution Point, a ratio of ten to one.
For example, the Blood Essence Pill, specially provided for Outer Disciples of the Sect, costs twenty Sect Contribution Points each, which means two hundred Silver taels for one pill.
This price is considered cheap. If Qiyun Sect's Blood Essence Pills were sold on the market, they could easily fetch more than two hundred Silver taels each.
Ye Zhen can be called lucky since Hundred Pine Peak, where he resided, was not too far from the Sect Main Hall of Qiyun Sect. Covering fifty or sixty miles of mountain roads, Ye Zhen, with his dramatically increased Cultivation, sprinted there in a matter of an hour.
As Ye Zhen gradually neared the Sect Main Hall of Qiyun Sect, he would occasionally see silhouettes dashing swiftly through the sky, filling him with excitement.
Ye Zhen knew that Martial Arts Cultivation reached the Fifth Stage of Blood Training and the Essence Origin Fifth Stage in its pinnacle. Upon breakthrough, it transitions to Spirit Transformation.
Ye Zhen himself was barely at the Second Stage of Blood Training; the cultivators of the Spirit Transformation Realm, who could traverse the skies, were unfathomably far ahead of him.
However, Ye Zhen was not discouraged at all. If others could do it, so could he, without a doubt.
For now, Ye Zhen's first goal was to become an Outer Disciple of the Qiyun Sect.
Only by becoming an Outer Disciple of the Qiyun Sect could one gain access to more Cultivation Resources, better Cultivation Techniques, and more time for Cultivation.
One step at a time, dreams will eventually come true!
The Sect Main Hall of Qiyun Sect was vast, but there were not too many disciples coming and going. Only a few Elder Stewards past their prime, with no hope of further breakthroughs in their Cultivation, were on duty.
Although the number of disciples coming and going was small, Ye Zhen, wearing gray attire as a servant disciple, stood out conspicuously.
Looking around, the disciples walking through the Sect Main Hall were either dressed in black as Outer Disciples or white as Inner Disciples. Ye Zhen, in his gray servant disciple's clothing, was the only one there today.
No one paid attention to Ye Zhen. The disciples of Qiyun Sect, who were greeting each other politely, would ignore Ye Zhen upon seeing his gray attire, the better ones choosing to turn a blind eye and leave.
Others showed disgust in their eyes as they avoided Ye Zhen.
Some even saw Ye Zhen, a gray-attired disciple, and instead of avoiding collision, they sped up and headed straight for him, causing Ye Zhen to hastily dodge to the side.
If a servant disciple is killed by an Outer Disciple, it is basically a death in vain.
Even if there's some punishment for the Outer Disciples, it would only be a slap on the wrist like facing the wall. Fortunately, these Outer Disciples always considered themselves superior and to quarrel with a servant disciple would be beneath them, wouldn't it?
However, when those Black-Robed Outer Disciples faced Ye Zhen, their nostrils flared higher than the sky. But when facing those White-Robed Inner Sect Disciples, their demeanor immediately became respectful.
Wherever the White-Robed Inner Sect Disciples went, the Black-Robed Disciples all made way.
Suddenly, the sound of a gust of wind tearing through the air violently erupted, causing all the Inner and Outer Sect disciples walking in the Sect Main Hall to look towards the sky, enlivening the Sect Main Hall instantly.
"Caiyi, look, it's Sister Caiyi coming."
As the commotion rose, a rainbow light at an extremely high speed swooped from the sky towards the Sect Main Hall. Only when the light slowed did Ye Zhen finally see clearly that it was a woman in colorful clothes whose speed was so fast that it caused a transfiguration.
When Ye Zhen saw the face of the woman in colorful clothes, he was momentarily stunned.
Otherworldly!
Although the woman in colorful clothes wore only a light make-up, with gently brushed eyebrows, her whole being, along with her flowing hair and fluttering colorful clothes, exuded an otherworldly and fairy-like aura.
At a glance, Ye Zhen felt a sense of inferiority.
The arrival of the woman in colorful clothes instantly invigorated the Sect Stewards, who had been lounging in the Sect Main Hall.
Several Sect Stewards straightened their clothes and went together to greet her at the entrance of the hall.
"Who do I owe the pleasure of visiting us today, if not Fairy Caiyi herself? What guidance does Fairy Caiyi have for visiting the Sect Main Hall?" Several Sect Stewards stepped forward to greet her, their expressions becoming extremely respectful.
Even the previously haughty White-Robed Inner Sect Disciples now stood in a well-behaved row, welcoming her in chorus.
"Is Elder Wu here? The Elder Wu who is skillful in treating beast illnesses, is he here?" Fairy Caiyi ignored the greetings from the Inner Sect Disciples and grabbed Elder Steward Hee, who was in charge of managing pill affairs, and asked anxiously.
It was at this point that Ye Zhen finally saw clearly that Fairy Caiyi was holding a black and white Hua Li in her arms.
This black and white Hua Li looked extremely cute, but oddly, it seemed somewhat restless and anxious, with the fur on its back bristling. If not for Fairy Caiyi's earnest efforts to calm it, it probably would have lashed out to hurt people already.
The inquired Elder Steward Hee's expression darkened, "Fairy Caiyi, Elder Wu passed away last year due to the exhaustion of his life span."
"Ah...."
Fairy Caiyi's face filled with disappointment, her expression growing increasingly frantic amid the increasingly urgent cries of the Hua Li in her arms.
"Dare I ask, Fairy Caiyi, are you seeking the beast-disease-savvy Elder Wu for the sake of the Hua Li in your arms?" Elder Steward Hee's expression shifted as he asked.
"Indeed!" Fairy Caiyi continued to soothe the Hua Li with her slender jade hands while speaking, "Three days ago, for some unknown reason, Su'er became extremely irritable, getting worse by the day. Today, it even refuses to eat fruits, almost biting me as well.
I'm at a loss and came to seek Elder Wu for treatment, only to find out...."
Elder Steward Hee frowned, "Fairy Caiyi, for beasts, the spiritual power you cultivate is the elixir that treats their every illness; a mere touch should...."
"I've tried, but it was useless. Elder Steward Hee, with your broad knowledge and experience, do you have any method of treatment? Su'er has been with me for over a decade and is very important to me!" As she spoke, Fairy Caiyi was on the verge of tears.
"This.... I don't know what could be the cause either. However, the Sect has Beast Spirit Pills for treating and strengthening the Sect's Mountain Guardian Spirit Beasts. Fairy Caiyi, you could try those. But I can't guarantee their effectiveness," suggested Elder Steward Hee.
"Quick, bring them to me!"
After receiving several Beast Spirit Pills, Fairy Caiyi, cradling the Hua Li, soared into the sky and disappeared into the horizon.
Watching the departing Fairy Caiyi, Ye Zhen shook his head; he was certain that those Beast Spirit Pills would have no effect on the Hua Li and that no elixir would work on it.
Ye Zhen had discerned something from the calls of the Hua Li just now.
After Fairy Caiyi left, the Sect Main Hall, which had been exceptionally quiet for a moment, became noisy once again.
The White-Robed Inner Sect Disciples who had been respectful now returned to their arrogance.
And the previously spirited Old Stewards each returned to their seats, leisurely and aloofly attending to their tasks.
"What a strict hierarchy!"
With a soft sigh, Ye Zhen entered the Sect Main Hall, found an Old Steward, and brought out a silver note, saying, "Elder Steward, I would like to exchange this for Sect Contribution Points."
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