5: Hunting Moment, Level Up Two in a Row

Half a month had passed in a flash during Jiang Yan's life as a Menial Servant on Spirit Beast Peak.

Every day before dawn, he was already awake and heading toward Spirit Beast Peak.

Over the past few days, he had also gained a general understanding of the entire Qingyun Sect.

The Qingyun Sect had nine mountain Peaks, and the Disciples of each branch differed in everything from their Cultivation to their duties.

Tongtian Peak was the main Peak of the nine branches, housing the Hall of Rewards and Punishments, the Hall of Skill Transmission, and more.

Spirit Beast Peak was the last of the nine Peaks; it was isolated due to the noise of the wild beasts.

As for Little Bamboo Peak, where Liu Ruyan was located, it was home to the Outer Sect Deacon Hall, the Mission Hall, the Scripture Pavilion, and so on.

Of course, Utility Disciples could also Cultivate; after all, the immortal Sect held hope for every single Disciple.

As for Spirit Stones and other resources, Utility Disciples received none; only after being promoted to Outer Sect Disciples would they be eligible to receive three Spirit Stones every month.

And these Spirit Stones weren't given for free; they required completing Sect missions, such as nurturing spiritual plants, taming Spirit Beasts, or Alchemy.

Two hours later, Jiang Yan endured the stench as he carried his shoulder pole out of the Vicious Beast territory.

"I didn't expect you to actually have a knack for this, kid." From a distance, Steward Qian of Spirit Beast Peak had a strange expression. "The Inner Sect Disciples are going to tame Spirit Beasts tomorrow, so you don't need to come."

Jiang Yan didn't respond; he put down his burden and bowed to Steward Qian to show he understood.

He understood perfectly well that in this immortal Cultivation Sect, no matter how well a Menial Servant did their job, they could never shed their Menial Servant robes, nor could they change their status of living at the mercy of others.

To put it bluntly, no matter how well he managed things, he was just paving the way for Steward Qian; after all, even though they were both Menial Servants, the other man was the one in charge.

"Hey, you, the one surnamed Jiang."

Just as Jiang Yan was returning from delivering the manure, two fellow Utility Disciples called out to him.

"Is something wrong?" Jiang Yan turned his head to ask.

Jiang Yan knew the two; one was named Zhao Qing and the other Ma Yu. Like him, both were responsible for feeding Spirit Beasts, but their work was much easier and not life-threatening, as they were in charge of the Spirit Beasts in the lower district.

"Come over here," Ma Yu beckoned. "I have something to discuss with you."

"Go ahead," Jiang Yan said as he approached them.

"Did Old Qian tell you to rest tomorrow?" Zhao Qing asked.

Jiang Yan nodded but didn't respond.

"Just as I thought. That Old Qian really is a piece of work—he takes all the credit for himself and leaves the crap for us to deal with." Ma Yu grumbled indignantly but instantly switched to a smile. "Brother Jiang, how about you take my place tomorrow? I'll give you my turn to go to the Scripture Pavilion."

The Scripture Pavilion was open to Utility Disciples on the first and fifteenth of every month; they couldn't enter at any other time.

Of course, entering the Scripture Pavilion also required a token; Utility Disciples could enter once a month with it.

Each visit to the Scripture Pavilion could not exceed two hours, and loud noises, copying, or rubbings were forbidden inside.

"Alright, no problem," Jiang Yan agreed immediately.

"Brother Jiang really is a good friend." Ma Yu smiled as he handed over the token.

After taking the token, Jiang Yan was delighted, but his face remained exceptionally calm. He bowed to the two and turned to leave.

To be honest, over the past half month, he hadn't gained a damn thing besides feeding the Spirit Beasts in the middle district.

It wasn't that he didn't want to make a move on those Spirit Beasts, but he couldn't risk exposure. He hadn't been to the Scripture Pavilion yet; if he suddenly had the Cultivation to deal with those Spirit Beasts, he would be close to being exposed.

After all, the Spirit Beasts in the middle district of Spirit Beast Peak were medium-sized Vicious Beasts. Fighting them with only physical strength and skill would be equivalent to feeding himself to the Spirit Beasts.

As for going to the Scripture Pavilion to read books, he currently had no qualification at all.

Since he had just joined the Sect, he would only have a chance to get a Scripture Pavilion Token next month.

His desire for power was persistent; as long as he had power, he could break free from this lowly status.

Just as he walked out of the feeding room, two Disciples wearing Outer Sect robes came toward him.

"Greetings, Senior Brothers," Jiang Yan saluted respectfully.

The two Outer Sect Disciples nodded slightly, their eyes sweeping over him with disdain.

He had long since grown accustomed to such looks; after all, Utility Disciples had the lowest status.

The next morning, as the first light of dawn appeared, Jiang Yan's figure appeared in the lower district of Spirit Beast Peak, holding a short blade.

[Killed Spirit Feather Chicken. Gained EXP: 50. Gained lifespan: 1 year. lifespan: 4 years]

[Current EXP: 11.01%]

[Short Blade Weapons LV1 (50/800)]

At this moment, Jiang Yan was exceptionally excited; this long-awaited feeling had finally arrived.

There were plenty of these lowest-tier Spirit Beasts in the lower district of Spirit Beast Peak. Because there were so many of them, the consumption on Spirit Beast Peak was increasing daily, and sometimes Outer Sect Disciples were even sent to clean up these low-tier Spirit Beasts personally.

Jiang Yan's eyes were bloodshot, and a morbid smile hung on his lips as he held his dagger.

He was now desperate to hunt and plunder, wishing he could turn into an executioner right now.

"It's hunting time!"

Charging into the flock of Spirit Feather Chickens, Jiang Yan swung his short blade rapidly.

With every swing of the short blade, his weapon skill proficiency increased by a bit.

As his weapon skill proficiency increased, the speed at which he executed the Swallow Flow Sword Technique became more proficient, making him even more excited.

Before long, over a dozen Spirit Feather Chickens had died under his butcher's knife.

'As expected, the immortal Sect is my blessed land!'

'I've only been killing for a short while, and it's already worth several months of farming labor from before.'

After a long while, just as he raised his knife and brought it down, a crisp mechanical sound rang out.

[Killed Spirit Feather Chicken. Gained EXP: 50. Gained lifespan: 1 year. lifespan: 3 years]

[Current EXP: 100%]

[Level Up Successful]

[Current EXP: 0%]

[Short Blade Weapons LV2 (350/1000)]

'Open character panel.'

With a thought from Jiang Yan, a glow suddenly appeared in front of him.

[Host: Jiang Yan]

[Talent: Heaven Rewards the Diligent, Life Span Plunder]

[Rank: 6]

[EXP: 0%]

[lifespan: 20/206 years]

[lifespan: 678 years (Available lifespan can be used to strengthen proficiency in Cultivation Techniques, Spells, and Martial Skills)]

[Essence: 11.3 (Strength, endurance, speed, etc., abilities related to the physical body; average for an adult male is 5)]

[Spirit: 3 (All energy generated by the brain and soul)]

(The Divine Soul of an ordinary person is hidden within the body, while a Cultivator's Divine Soul can be projected outward, belonging to the Realm of immortal Cultivators.)

[Realm: 0 (Has not yet entered the Qi Refining Realm)]

[Dao: 0 (Generally refers to the ability of the Divine Soul to see the execution trajectories or orbits of all things and use these rules to strengthen oneself)]

[Cultivation Technique: Qi Refining Technique Introductory Chapter (Not yet started)]

[Spell: Spring Breeze Turns to Rain Initial Stage (Not yet started)]

[Martial Skill: Swallow Flow Sword Technique (Mastered)]

[Skill Proficiency:]

...'Essence has increased by 1 point, and Spirit has also increased by 1 point. Not bad!'

As for lifespan and lifespan, to him, they would just be numbers in the future. Even if he did nothing now, those Disciples at the first or second level of Qi Refining wouldn't outlive him.

Scanning his surroundings and admiring his chicken-slaughtering masterpiece, he could barely suppress the smile on his face.

After filling the fodder cart with Spirit Feather Chicken carcasses and pushing them into the feeding room, Jiang Yan ended up pushing two full carts back and forth.

'I guess I'm giving the middle district Spirit Beasts an extra meal.'

There were many types of fodder fed to the middle district of Spirit Beast Peak, with Spirit Feather Chickens and Spirit Fur Rabbits being the most common, so even if the feeding room was filled, no one would be suspicious.

'It's still early, and opportunities like this don't come often. Keep grinding!'

As the sun set in the west, Jiang Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips.

Looking at the nearly full feeding room, the sense of accomplishment made him feel physically and mentally pleased.

'I didn't expect that after a day of hard grinding, I'd actually level up two and a half times. My lifespan is even comparable to a Disciple at the Peak of Qi Refining.'

Not long after he left Spirit Beast Peak, Zhao Qing and Ma Yu returned to the feeding room.

When they saw the Spirit Feather Chicken feeding room almost piled high, both were completely bewildered.

"Did an Outer Sect Senior Brother come to clean up the Spirit Feather Chickens today?" Ma Yu asked, turning his head.

"Probably," Zhao Qing replied doubtfully, then thought for a moment and continued, "After all, no one wants to do this kind of thankless work. It's likely a mission released by the Mission Hall."

"True. Half a month ago, those Outer Sect Disciples patrolling the mountain all had looks of disgust on their faces." Ma Yu said as he closed the door.

"Alright, now that we've checked, let's head back," Zhao Qing said dismissively.

Ma Yu closed the door and gave a mischievous grin. "Why don't you give your Scripture Pavilion Token to Jiang Yan too?"

"What, do you want to go to the Market City again?" Zhao Qing asked with a strange expression.

Ma Yu took out two Spirit Stones and asked in return, "Don't you?"

Zhao Qing chuckled and took one of the Spirit Stones. "Of course I do. It's better than feeding Spirit Beasts anyway, and we can even earn Spirit Stones."

Ma Yu said, "Then it's settled. Give him your token as well. That way, we can earn at least two Spirit Stones every month."

"Alright, I'll listen to you!" Zhao Qing agreed.