’Once the Steward explains how cruel this place is, I won’t even have to say a word. The young man will do everything he can to avoid Yu Sheng’s notice and come offer his allegiance.’
"Then I won’t ramble on."
Steward Luo cleared his throat and took out a thin booklet and a Golden Disc. His cloudy gaze swept over the disciples in the inn, his expression suddenly stern. "While I explain the rules of this place on behalf of the Mountain God, you are not to interrupt."
’Jade Liquid Foundation Establishment, at least the eighth level!’
Feeling that terrifying aura, the many disciples who had been joking around moments before all wore solemn expressions.
They came from respectable families, and many were even of noble birth, so they were no strangers to the world.
Yet here at Yongzhou Pass, some random, unassuming old man was overwhelmingly powerful.
’Someone this powerful wasn’t taken away by an Immortal Descendant, but was instead left behind in the Border Region to handle miscellaneous chores?’
"This is the Demon Slaying Book, issued by the Demon-slaying Bureau. Esteemed Immortals, please accept it. I will elaborate shortly."
Steward Luo placed the booklet on the table and began to explain, "Since you’ve all come to Yongzhou Pass for your trial, you must be hoping to earn plenty of merit. If you don’t have assets like mines or Spirit Fields, then the only path left for you in Shihu is to help garrison the pass."
"Outside the city are dozens of Signal Towers, each capable of holding more than ten people. You have been assigned nine of them. As long as you dispatch your disciples there, they will earn five merit points for each night they stand guard. If they can kill foreign enemies, a Qi Cultivation Realm cultivator is worth five points, while a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator is worth one hundred points at minimum."
"Shifts rotate after seven nights."
After he finished speaking, Steward Luo turned back to look at Yu Sheng and said perfunctorily, "There are also unclaimed Signal Towers. If they are interested, they can have their disciple come find me."
The only reason he even said this much was out of respect for the Immortal Sect.
Yu Sheng’s solitary disciple wasn’t even enough to protect them, let alone garrison a Signal Tower.
Steward Luo withdrew his gaze and distributed the stack of Golden Discs among the thirty-or-so Cultivators. "This item is called a Life Plate. When you kill Immortal Disciples from enemy nations, you can collect their Life Blood and exchange it for merit."
With conflicted expressions, the disciples accepted the Golden Discs, their eyes filled with bewilderment.
’The Qi Cultivation Realm, worth five merit points?’
’A life was only worth as much as one night of guard duty.’
They all came from the clans of Yongzhou; they had never witnessed such a crude weighing of human life.
Steward Luo, as if long accustomed to this, said indifferently, "One hundred merit points can be exchanged for a bottle of Crimson Heart Pills, equivalent to twenty years of cultivation for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. There are also various Magical Artifacts, all clearly priced. If you all can survive until your five-year term is complete, when you leave, you will surely have reached Jade Liquid Foundation Establishment Perfection and will even be able to take a few defensive Magical Artifacts with you."
Sure enough, the disciples who had been bewildered just a moment before now had nothing but excitement in their eyes after hearing this.
"Furthermore, if you save up five thousand merit points, you can be granted the Yu Family’s Cyan Simurgh Jade Token. Carrying this token marks you as a true World Traveler Disciple. Every word and deed of yours will represent the Yu Family. Whether here in the Border Region or in the Nine Prefectures of Yongzhou, even Court Officials will have to show you some respect."
"Amass ten thousand points, and you will even have the chance to be promoted to a Mountain Master Disciple!"
Steward Luo slowly added two more statements.
Instantly, only the sound of heavy breathing remained in the inn.
There was no shortage of Foundation Establishment Cultivators in this group of disciples, yet at this moment their faces were flushed, their Dao Hearts clearly in disarray.
Lin Shu listened quietly, silently calculating in his mind.
’Guarding for seven nights earns thirty-five merit points. Then there’s the rotation, so at most, I can stand guard twice a month. That’s seventy points.’
’That’s only eight hundred and forty points a year. After the five-year term is up, it’s just four thousand two hundred points.’
’In other words, even if I never miss a single shift and work diligently for five full years, I can forget about ever getting that Cyan Simurgh Jade Token.’
’What’s more, if the Yu Family is offering incentives like this, the enemy’s Immortal Disciples probably have something similar.’
’Trying to survive for five full years in a place like this... Heh.’
"Don’t think it’s so unattainable."
Steward Luo spoke again, "If you encounter an enemy disciple who is also carrying an Immortal Jade Token from another Immortal Family, regardless of the method you use to kill them, the one who lands the killing blow gets one thousand points, and assists are worth three hundred."
"Now, about this Demon Slaying Book."
He pointed to the booklet on the table. "It’s not just people trying to break into the Border Region; there are also ’things’ trying to get out. This book records the names of many from Yongzhou, from Demon Kings down to Demon Generals. If you can obtain any relevant clues, a single one is worth a thousand points."
"Even for a Scattered Demon not named in the book, as long as it has a Foundation Establishment Cultivation, you will receive one thousand points whether you capture or kill it—the same price as one of those disciples carrying a Jade Token."
The disciples let out a collective, sharp breath.
’Compared to dealing with those Jade Disciples, who are hardened by constant fighting, catching a Scattered Demon is obviously less difficult.’
"No need to be impatient. If a Little Demon of this kind crosses the border, as long as the Demon-slaying Bureau has a trace of its aura, the information will be distributed to you all. You’ll be able to sense it within a radius of ten zhang."
"For every thousand merit points your disciples accumulate, you two Immortals can exchange them for one strand of Inheritance Spiritual Light."
Having finished his explanation, Steward Luo gave a polite, cupped-fist salute to Yu Qing and made to leave.
"You get it now, don’t you?"
Yu Qing flicked the hem of his robe, crossed one leg over the other, and looked coolly at Lin Shu, who was sitting opposite him.
’Enemy Cultivators ahead, Demons crossing the border behind.’
’In a place like this, a small, run-down inn isn’t enough to keep you alive.’
’If you can’t band together to gather enough merit for Elixirs and Magical Artifacts, just staying alive will be a struggle.’
’He must already know in his heart who the better master is.’
At that very moment, a group of people rushing toward the inn happened to overhear his words.
The one in the lead was also a young Immortal Descendant.
However, she wasn’t wearing the Yu Family’s signature Cyan Feather robes, but rather a long, pure black dress. Her hair was coiled up, and from the back of her head, several spider-leg-like ornaments protruded.

Comments

Loading...