Born with immortal seed

Chapter 68 Sect Mission
Outside the market, cultivators and ordinary people lived together at the alley entrances, casually building a few houses out of bamboo and thatch, which served as restaurants, general stores, and so on.

Qingfeng Sect's management of the market area is limited to the four streets within the main formation; it basically leaves the area outside the market area unattended.

However, there is one rule: no matter how one sets up a stall to sell goods, one is not allowed to set up a formal shop. Otherwise, the market steward will lead people to demolish it the next day and expel the offending cultivator from the market area.

Therefore, in such a secondary location as the street vendor square, no one dares to build houses or shops; they simply set up simple stalls.

Only further out can independent practitioners manage to set up a few rooms that are half residential and half commercial, and do some simple business.

Several Qingfeng Sect servants sat in a restaurant, ordered a few dishes and a pot of spiritual tea, and whispered among themselves.

The surrounding cultivators cast envious glances at the group. The Qingfeng Sect's standard Daoist robes were adorned with maple leaves at the hem, and no other cultivation family or independent cultivator in the entire Black Mountain dared to make a similar robe.

"Look at the disciples of Qingfeng Sect, they all have storage bags. No wonder they are a prestigious sect."

"Tch, just a menial disciple... We'll sign up next time, we'll definitely pass!"

Two young men at the first level of Qi Refining huddled together, daydreaming about the glory of becoming disciples of a sect.

"But I've heard that the standards for recruiting disciples at the Azure Maple Sect are getting higher every year. By the time it's our turn..."

"We'll work hard when we get home, and we can definitely do it!"

"Junior Brother Lu, why hasn't that important figure from the inner sect you mentioned arrived yet? We've pooled our money to bribe the steward for this mission, and Junior Brother Xun even stole some magical artifacts from his home. We can't afford to lose them!"

To the surprise of others, the seemingly successful and smug disciple of the Qingfeng Sect was actually quite anxious and appeared to be in great trouble.

The bald, burly man leading the group had a fierce look on his face. He came from humble origins and had gathered several menial disciples around him as soon as he entered the sect.

However, among the menial disciples, there are only two types of people who truly have prestige and can speak with authority.

Firstly, those with profound cultivation have the opportunity to be promoted to outer disciple.

The second type has a powerful background, with elders and relatives holding important positions within the sect.

The bald, burly man had neither advantages, and after suffering two losses, he became honest and low-key.

This small group is currently only trying to avoid being bullied by the elders of the sect and to be able to receive some normal sect missions.

Otherwise, if one is repeatedly assigned time-consuming and laborious tasks such as mining veins and visiting mortal towns, the work of a menial disciple will not be much different from that of a wandering cultivator.

In recent years, those who are skilled in miscellaneous tasks have become increasingly sought after among the apprentices.

Disciples like them, who possess great cultivation but are not proficient in any of the arts of immortal cultivation, are finding their lives increasingly difficult.

"Don't worry, Senior Brother Cai. Senior Brother Bai from the inner sect is a man of his word. Since he promised to help me, he will definitely keep his word."

Lu Song spoke solemnly and emphatically.

"Who doesn't know whether what you say is reliable or not? That old man Tong begged us to join, but the manager of the Spirit Plant Hall took a liking to his farming skills, provided him with spirit fields and rewarded him with pills, and immediately looked down on our team and found an excuse to quit!"

A disciple with triangular eyes standing next to Senior Brother Cai said indignantly, his tone full of resentment.

"Is this some kind of flag you grabbed just to avoid being kicked out of the team by Boss Cai?"

Senior Brother Cai couldn't help but show a hint of doubt. It seemed absurd that a mere menial disciple could have connections with the inner sect and even persuade them to condescend to help.

I was so anxious at the time. I had finally accepted a sect mission with a generous reward, and I was only thinking about finding a master to help me. I didn't think about whether it was reasonable.

Lu Song blushed; in truth, it was Old Man Tong who had acted unfairly.

The two were outnumbered and powerless within the sect, making it extremely difficult for them to earn any contribution points.

Old Man Tong found an opportunity to strike up a conversation with Junior Brother Xun, who had triangular eyes, and expressed his intention to align himself with Boss Cai's group.

Once this sect mission is completed, each person will receive at least thirty contribution points. Old Man Tong is only at the third level of Qi Refining. If it weren't for the strong recommendations of Lu Song and Junior Brother Xun, Boss Cai wouldn't have wanted to add another person to share the spoils.

Given Old Man Tong's age and cultivation level, he couldn't contribute much to the mission at all.

Unexpectedly, the spirit fields under Old Man Tong's supervision had a bumper harvest last month, with the amount of spirit rice handed over increasing by a full 40% compared to last year, much to the delight of the Spirit Plant Hall manager in charge of the matter.

Not only did they allocate another hundred acres of spiritual fields and two fire-working Taoist priests to Old Man Tong, they also bestowed upon him a Small Barrier-Breaking Pill.

The old man, Tong, withdrew from the group and refused to participate in the sect's mission, citing the need to go into seclusion to take elixirs.

"Senior Brother Tong really wanted to come, but at his age, if he didn't advance to the mid-stage of Qi Refining, he probably wouldn't have the chance in his lifetime, so he couldn't wait to take the pill."

Lu Song was not good with words, and feeling guilty, he spoke haltingly.

"Before he went into seclusion, he told me that he would definitely hold a banquet when he returned to apologize to all his fellow disciples."

"Hmph, I won't associate with him anymore. Let him be a good spirit farmer... You'd better be telling the truth. We brothers have staked everything on this mission. If I find out you're lying and deceiving me, you'll be sorry!"

Senior Brother Cai snorted coldly and turned his head away, not wanting to say anything more.

About half an hour later, just as the disciples were getting impatient and their patience was wearing thin, the wooden door of the restaurant opened and a young cultivator walked in.

"Senior Brother Bai, over here!"

Lu Song's eyes lit up, and he stood up to greet them happily.

Boss Cai and the others straightened their robes and stood up to greet him, while curiously looking him over.

"He is indeed very young, probably around the same age as Junior Brother Xun... His appearance is not exactly handsome, but he gives people a feeling of warmth and gentleness, and the description of him as gentle and refined is just right... I hope that, as I have heard, this Senior Brother Bai is a low-key person, but in fact, his cultivation is among the best in the inner sect."

Several thoughts raced through Cai Laoda's mind before he and the other two handyman disciples bowed in respect.

"Please sit down, there's no need to be so formal."

Bai Zichen naturally took the seat in the center. The difference in status between inner disciples and menial disciples was like heaven and earth, so there was no need to be modest in such a small matter.

With a wave of his hand, a soundproofing spell was set up around the table to prevent others from overhearing the conversation.

"Junior Brother Lu said that you have taken on a mission from the sect, but you are not up to the task and would like me to lend a hand?"

For the past year, Bai Zichen has been focusing on his cultivation, and no one in the inner sect has bothered him, which has left him somewhat disappointed.

When he reached the late stage of Qi Refining, the Qi-replenishing pills became ineffective, and the only thing that could help his cultivation was the Purple Ginseng Pills.

Compared to Qi-tonifying pills, purple ginseng pills have a much stronger medicinal effect, and naturally take more time to refine and absorb.

It took a year to use up one bottle and cultivate Qi Refining to its peak at the seventh level.

Just then, Lu Song came to ask for help, saying that he needed assistance with a sect mission.

Bai Zichen had been holed up in his cave for almost a year and was looking forward to going out and getting some exercise. In addition, Lu Song was also his collaborator, and the opportunity to open that secret realm was also on his side. After a little thought, he agreed.

(End of this chapter)