Chapter 101: 101 The Way is Blocked
And regarding such changes,
the low-level cultivators within the sect and the Loose Cultivators from the Outer Domains generally held a positive and proactive attitude.
A batch of high-and-mighty Purple Mansion Superiors had fallen, the Second-Generation Cultivators who used to strut around arrogantly had been executed on the Sins Execution Platform, everyone in the Outer Sect Main Hall had been purged, and the disciples of the Punishment Hall and Guard Hall were no longer acting so brazenly…
The most important thing was that many old, outdated customs had been abolished, granting everyone some solid benefits.
Although not many,
it was only through comparison that one felt happiness.
Everyone worked with more vigor!
Naturally, the entire sect began to thrive and flourish.
And the prestige of the Sect Leader, Ji Guantao, reached an unprecedented peak as a result.
He was praised and revered by all.
There were even some foolish men and women who secretly offered up a Longevity Tablet for Ji Guantao in their homes!
However, there were also a few mean-spirited individuals who secretly slandered Ji Guantao, accusing him of scheming and setting traps to eliminate dissent and eradicate the influence of the previous Sect Leader, fattening himself on the slaughter, and so on.
Such slanderous words were not believed by many.
Anyone who heard them wanted to kill the rumor-mongering culprits!
For a while, both inside and outside the Cloud Sun Sect, there was a shared animosity towards Guiyuan Gate, the masterminds behind the human hunting case.
Calls for battle grew louder every day.
But clearly, the upper echelons had no intention of initiating a sect war at this time.
So this trend rose quickly and dissipated just as fast.
By the height of summer, the Spiritual Plant Farmers in the Outer Sect were busily toiling away in the Spirit Fields, looking forward to a bountiful harvest come late summer.
Everyone’s lives had completely returned to tranquility, now with added hope.
This morning, Wang Chen arrived at the Jia Five Defense Area.
The Jia Five Defense Area was over a hundred miles away from Wang Chen’s home, much farther than Cloud Mountain City.
He had taken a horse-drawn carriage here, paying fifty Fragmented Spirit Stones for the ride.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of a house, and Wang Chen got off, holding gifts in his hands.
He went up to the gate and knocked.
“Who is it?”
After a moment, a stocky youth opened the door, inspecting Wang Chen with curious eyes: “Who are you looking for?”
Wang Chen politely inquired, “Is Tu Erye at home?”
The stocky youth turned and yelled loudly, “Grandpa, someone’s looking for you!”
“Let him in.”
A robust voice sounded from inside.
So the stocky youth carelessly flung open the door wide, “Come on in.”
When Wang Chen, holding his bags, entered the main room, he saw an old man with a sturdy back and muscular arms sitting in a Taishi Chair, using a sharp dagger to slice ham while drinking.
His hair and beard were all white, but he exuded a strong and robust aura, clearly having been a formidable warrior in his youth!
Wang Chen greeted the man, “Junior Wang Chen pays respect to Tu Erye!”
“Wang Chen?”
Tu Erye put down his dagger and scratched his head in confusion, “I don’t think I’ve met you before.”
Wang Chen explained, “Junior hails from Yi Ten Defense Area, and I have taken the liberty of visiting today. Please forgive any impropriety, Erye.”
“Ahem!”
Tu Erye waved his hand dismissively, “A visitor is a guest; sit down and talk. There’s no need for such formality, it gives me a headache.”
Wang Chen chuckled, placing the two jars of Spiritual Wine and two bags of candy pastries he had brought on the table.
Then he sat down in the guest seat.
Tu Erye eyed Wang Chen’s gifts and with a blink said, “Young Wang, I am a straightforward man; just say what you’ve come for.”
Wang Chen got right to the point, “Erye, I would like to request you to take me under your wing.”
This Tu Erye was a butcher in the Jia Five Defense Area, well-known far and wide for his exceptional skill in slaughtering Monster Beasts.
Jia Five Defense Area is the place in the Outer Sect region where the most monster beasts are raised!
In the art of Immortal Cultivation, animal husbandry and butchery are also included.
Of the hundred thousand Outer Sect disciples of the Cloud Sun Sect, many are cultivators engaged in professions such as farming, weaving, fishing, and herding, and these professions are divided by region.
For example, in Yi Ten Defense Area where Wang Chen is located, the majority are Spiritual Plant Farmers who cultivate White Jade Rice.
Jia Five Defense Area also has Spiritual Plant Farmers.
What they plant is all fodder and forage, supplying the local herding families.
Jia Five Defense Area also has a large-scale slaughterhouse, which is one of the sources of monster beast meat sold in Cloud Mountain City!
Although the meat of domestically raised monster beasts can’t compare with that of wild ones in terms of the contained spiritual power and Qi-Blood,
it excels in its plumpness and excellent taste, not to mention its relatively cheap price.
It is also very popular among cultivators.
Wang Chen didn’t come here lusting after meat or intending to become a butcher.
He was trying to figure out if he could quickly earn a large number of Human Virtue points this way!
His eighteenth birthday had already passed some time ago.
Lv Defang hadn’t appeared again.
It was as if the grave threat he once posed to Wang Chen was merely the latter’s illusion.
However, Wang Chen didn’t let his guard down because of this and still tirelessly worked hard to enhance his strength.
Besides diligently practicing his Cultivation Technique during this time, he had also been continually upgrading the levels of his spells.
Several spells had been advanced by Wang Chen to the Grandmaster level!
But a new problem had arisen.
His Human Virtue points were almost exhausted!
In fact, what Wang Chen most wanted to upgrade was the Geng Metal Finger.
This spell, in combination with the Ruyi Golden Needle, has the strongest lethality and is most suitable for sneak attacks and ambushing others.
But Geng Metal Finger had already been upgraded twice before, and the third time it was estimated to need 100 Human Virtue points.
Currently, it’s stuck at the peak of the Great Achievement level, unable to break through.
In this situation, Wang Chen thought of taking a shortcut.
He had visited Jia Five Defense Area once before, and after inquiring about every aspect of the situation, he came to visit the famously reputed old butcher before him.
Speaking of which, Wang Chen had actually entertained the thought of becoming an Executioner before.
It was for the sake of earning Heavenly Merit points.
But after inquiring,
he found he didn’t meet the requirements at all.
Becoming an Executioner of the Punishment Hall wasn’t something one could just decide to be.
First, one had to be a cultivator of the Punishment Hall, at least 30 years old, with a wife and children, and a clear family background with a preference for those who entered the Tao through martial arts.
Wang Chen didn’t match any of the criteria and naturally dropped the idea.
Compared with that, sneaking into the slaughterhouse to butcher monster beasts and earn Human Virtue points was much more feasible.
The prerequisite was that Wang Chen had to deal with the old master before him!
Tu Erye was the top man in Jia Five Defense Area’s slaughterhouse, and it was said that his ancestors had lived by this trade and even changed their last name, truly a family with a profound heritage in the craft.
Besides, Wang Chen also wanted to learn some skills and experience in dealing with monster beasts.
Perhaps they would come in handy in the future!
“You want to become a butcher?”
Hearing Wang Chen’s request, Tu Erye’s eyebrows instantly knitted into a ‘川’, uttering with difficulty, “Sorry, our Tu family’s craft has always been passed down from father to son, not to daughters.”
“Unless you become a son-in-law of our family!”
Saying this, he seriously sized up Wang Chen with a professional eye, “Hmm, my youngest sister matches quite well with you.”
“Wow!”
As soon as Tu Erye’s words were out, the tiger-headed youth playing nearby immediately cried out in surprise, “Is little aunt finally going to get married? That’s great!”
Wang Chen immediately stood up, clasped his fist in salute and said, “Junior has other affairs to attend to, I shall take my leave!”
———-
The first update is presented.