32: Fang Huaizhen is a man of great loyalty and righteousness.

Upon returning to the Sect, Fang Huai immediately rushed to the Outer Sect Hall.

The Zheng Clan had been exterminated and the mission had failed, but according to the rules, he still had to report back.

After communicating with the Guardian Disciple, Fang Huai learned that Liu Xiange had already reported the mission's events to the Sect—

The Zheng Clan had been destroyed by an Eighth Layer of Qi Refining Yao Beast, and Lin Qian and Wu Sanli had died in battle together while protecting the Zheng Clan.

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The fabricated story was full of holes, so the peaks where Lin and Wu were located naturally refused to let the matter drop.

For some reason, a Foundation Establishment Elder from Curse and Gu Peak personally mediated. After returning the Corpse Fiend Bird and the Storage Pouch, and paying some Spirit Stones in compensation, the two peaks finally let it go.

What was even more surprising was that the Foundation Establishment Elder personally went to the Outer Sect Hall to plead for leniency, exempting Liu Xiange and Fang Huai from the punishment for mission failure.

“Curse and Gu Peak really goes to great lengths to protect its own Disciples,” the Guardian Disciple lamented.

Fang Huai nodded in agreement, not exposing the underlying reasons.

Thinking about it now, the tragic deaths of the Zheng Clan Members were most likely the masterpiece of the three peaks plus the Outer Sect Hall.

The Zheng Clan was already teetering in the wind, unable to even pay their annual tribute in full.

Under these circumstances, using a Yao Beast attack as an excuse to devour the Zheng Clan completely was in line with the Corpse Fiend Sect's style of maximizing interests.

What's more, there were the water spirit pearl and the Yao Beast's eyes as unexpected harvests.

“Senior Brother, could you help me check exactly how much annual tribute we were supposed to collect from the Zheng Clan for this mission?”

“Oh, no need to look. The annual tribute for a small Family like the Zheng Clan is fixed.

One thousand Spirit Stones every year, and five Qi Refining Disciples every three years. Paying more Spirit Stones can reduce the number of Disciples, and providing more Disciples can reduce the Spirit Stones.”

One thousand Spirit Stones and five Qi Refining Disciples?

What Lin Qian said was two thousand Spirit Stones and ten Qi Refining Disciples!

No wonder the Zheng Clan was desperate enough to risk killing them; they were being driven into a corner.

After bidding farewell to the Guardian Disciple, Fang Huai returned to Skinning Room Ding-27.

Wu Liu was currently raising her whip to lash a Disciple who had made a mistake. Seeing someone push open the door, she said crossly:

“The sun is already high in the sky, and you've only just come to work. With such laziness, what kind of immortal cultivation are you doing!”

Fang Huai smiled and said, “Senior Sister Wu, it's my fault. I apologize to you!”

“Junior Brother Fang!” Wu Liu looked at Fang Huai in disbelief.

She rubbed her eyes several times before saying in surprise, “I heard you encountered an Eighth Layer of Qi Refining Yao Beast attack and two people fell. I thought you were among them. I didn't expect you to actually come back alive.”

Suddenly, her eyes widened. She stepped quickly toward Fang Huai, reached her hand into his robes, and felt around his abdomen twice:

“You've made a Breakthrough to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer?”

“By a stroke of luck!” Fang Huai smiled calmly.

The voices of the two were not loud, but in the Skinning Room, they were like a clap of thunder.

The veterans of the Skinning Room all knew that Fang Huai was a Cultivator without a Spiritual Root.

In the past, when processing Yao Beasts, he could only operate with a Spirit Stone in one hand and a skinning knife in the other.

For someone with such inferior Aptitude to actually Breakthrough to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer was truly inconceivable.

“Senior Sister Wu, I've come this time to trouble you to help introduce me to a C-rank Skinning Room,” Fang Huai said with cupped hands.

Wu Liu's Face instantly turned cold.

A Middle Stage Qi Refining Cultivator was indeed qualified to go to a better Skinning Room, but Fang Huai was her cash cow after all. Moreover, he had promised to give her an extra thousand contribution points every year.

Now that the other party wanted to leave, she indeed couldn't stop him, but her displeasure naturally showed on her Face.

“Since Junior Brother's cultivation has grown and you want to find a better place, Senior Sister naturally won't stop you.”

Wu Liu took out a piece of white letter paper and made a motion to start writing.

Fang Huai saw the strange look in her eyes and hurriedly handed over his identity token: “Please deduct two thousand contribution points, Senior Sister.”

“Junior Brother, this is?” Wu Liu was puzzled.

Seeing Wu Liu's confusion, Fang Huai said, “One thousand is what I promised Senior Sister for this year. Although it's not the end of the year yet, what should be given must be given.

The remaining thousand, though not much, is a small token of my appreciation for Senior Sister's years of care.”

Wu Liu was somewhat moved.

Even if Fang Huai was already proficient in skinning, earning two thousand contribution points would still take a considerable amount of time.

Besides, skinning was a job for the young. Long-term contact with Yao Beasts inevitably led to being tainted by poisonous fiendish energy, resentment, and curses.

When one got older, it was very easy to suffer a backlash and end up in a miserable state.

“Junior Brother Fang, I'll only take one thousand.” As she spoke, she took out a piece of yellow letter paper, intending to write.

“Although Senior Sister Wu is a manager of Skinning Peak, you have treated me like your own brother. It's only right for a younger brother to show some heart to his older sister.

If Senior Sister refuses to accept it, then I will no longer acknowledge you as my sister.”

His gaze met Wu Liu's, full of sincerity, and there was even a glimmer of tears.

Wu Liu was moved, her arm trembling slightly.

After struggling for decades in the Corpse Fiend Sect, no one had ever remembered her kindness like Fang Huai did.

She put away the yellow paper, took out a piece of red letter paper, and began to write:

“Former Skinning Room Ding-27 Disciple Fang Huai is diligent in his cultivation, dedicated to his duties, and possesses exquisite skinning skills. He is now recommended as a Disciple for Skinning Room Bing-03. Please treat him well.”

“Senior Sister!” The tears in Fang Huai's eyes grew even more pronounced. What he wanted was qualification for one of the top ten Skinning Rooms.

Having hung around Skinning Peak for many years, he already knew that the lower the number of the Skinning Room, the higher the quality of the Yao Beasts he could encounter.

“Go on, don't come back. You're suited for a wider world.”

Wu Liu personally saw him off. Looking at Fang Huai's back, her eyes actually became a bit moist.

“Fang Huai is truly a man of deep sentiment. It's a pity. If he even had a four-element Spiritual Root, I would have exhausted everything to nurture him...”

Fang Huai naturally couldn't hear Wu Liu's words. At this moment, he was stopped outside the door of Skinning Room Bing-03.

“From Junior Sister Wu's side?”

The manager looked Fang Huai up and down, seeing nothing unique about him. “You didn't get in through Junior Sister Wu's back door, did you?”

【Lin Yan】

【Ninth Level of Qi Refining】

【Malevolent Qi entering the body (White)】【Skinning Major Achievement (White)】

Fang Huai looked at the 【Skinning Major Achievement】 on Lin Yan and murmured, “So he's a man of action too?”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. I said I worked my way up through solid effort.”

Lin Yan led Fang Huai inside and introduced, “D-rank Skinning Rooms only handle Middle Stage Qi Refining Yao Beasts. Processing Yao Beasts from the fourth to sixth layers of Qi Refining can earn you fifty, sixty, and seventy contribution points respectively.

Of course, you also need to pay a monthly tribute here, one thousand contribution points per month.”

He paused and continued, “Since you were introduced by Junior Sister Wu, I naturally won't refuse her Face.

But here, we have high requirements for skinning techniques. If you think your technique is decent, I'll give you a Yao Beast to try;

if you think your technique isn't up to par, head to the Skinning Rooms beyond number fifteen as soon as possible.”

“Of course I can!”

Fang Huai had plenty of confidence. If his technique wasn't good enough, he would just borrow the other's labels.

Before him lay a Yao Beast named the 【Cloud Stone Python】. This beast's hide and flesh were tough, making it difficult to cut.

Even though Fang Huai had switched to Lin Yan's 【Skinning Major Achievement】, processing it was still exceptionally taxing.

From the time he took over the Yao Beast until the sky grew dark, he had only completed one-fifth of the progress.

“Stop.” Lin Yan shook his head. “Your foundation is good, but your technique is too poor. You're not suited for this place.”

“Please give me some guidance, Senior Brother Lin, on how to improve my technique!”

Fang Huai was puzzled. He had clearly swapped for Lin Yan's 【Skinning Major Achievement】, so why could he still not handle a Qi Refining Fourth Layer Yao Beast?

Lin Yan was silent for a moment, then sighed, “For Junior Sister Wu's sake, I'll point you toward a clear path.”