The sky was clear without a single cloud, and the summer sun was particularly dazzling.
The vast fields of Dan Peak’s ripened wheat swayed in golden waves, waiting to be harvested. The empty paddies shimmered with rippling light, ready for sowing.
The other plots, divided for planting various spirit herbs, awaited watering, pest control, and weeding.
Disciples urgently needing Contribution Points but having missed out on tasks from other sects trudged dejectedly to Dan Peak, approaching a sturdy man with dark skin, a simple face, and bull-like horns on his head.
“Alright then.”
“Senior Brother Niu, I’m here to harvest wheat. Please give me the tag to enter the Middle-Grade Wheat Field.”
“Old Niu here,” the man said with a nod, “that’s right, I’ve taken on the task of watering the Yangshen Flowers with Hundred Flower Dew. This time it’s a full hundred acres. Ah, I hope we can finish before nightfall.”
“Old Niu, I’ve taken the task to sow Moonlight Rice. I’ll need the seeds…”
“Haha, don’t worry. I have them all, all of them. Everyone, please don’t…”
With a hearty laugh, Niu Rao waved his hand, and a pile of cloth bags like a small mountain appeared on the ground.
A female cultivator who had accepted the sowing task staggered back in shock. “Don’t tell me this is all the Moonlight Rice I have to plant today?”
Niu Rao shook his head honestly. “No, this is just half. The other half’s still in the warehouse. I’ll bring it over later.”
The woman sighed in despair, “Is it still not too late for me to give up this task?”
The originally kind and honest man’s expression turned stern. “Giving up a task will deduct Contribution Points. Are you sure?”
The woman immediately packed up the rice seeds and flew off. “I’ll get to work right away!”
As they collected their supplies, their eyes caught sight of a familiar young girl sitting on the nearby field ridge—not far from Niu Rao.
Someone recognized her as Yun Miao, the remarkable Yun Senior Sister who had made a big splash just yesterday, and they wanted to approach her to chat.
But when they noticed the whip in Yun Miao’s hand, they immediately stopped in their tracks.
Upon hearing from Niu Rao that Yun Senior Sister was one of today’s supervisors, they quickly retreated and ran as far away as possible.
***
After a short incense stick’s time, Niu Rao, having finished distributing tasks, sat down beside Yun Miao and asked with a hint of awkward concern, “Yun Senior Sister, are you thirsty? Have some water. Don’t worry, this is a water gourd I just made this morning from bamboo, never used before.”
Yun Miao took the bamboo water gourd and sipped. A sweet taste mixed with fresh bamboo fragrance filled her mouth.
“Sweet?”
Niu Rao nodded. “I figured kids like sweet stuff, so I added some Spirit Honey to the water.”
“Thank you, Senior Brother Niu.” Yun Miao handed him a flower she had just picked from the ridge.
Niu Rao was pleasantly surprised and accepted it, popping it into his mouth to chew. “Thanks, Yun Senior Sister. I’ll savor it well.”
Yun Miao was taken aback, then recalled that Tian Laokou had told her that Niu Rao was once an old yellow ox he had raised to plow the fields who had somehow gained sentience.
Curious, she asked, “How does it taste?”
Niu Rao smiled simply. “Sweet.”
Yun Miao plucked a flower too and popped it in her mouth—then spat it out. “Ptooey, it’s definitely bitter.”
Niu Rao hurriedly handed her water to rinse her mouth, explaining that as a bull demon, he grew up eating this stuff, so naturally, it tasted good to him.
Yun Miao was human, so it was normal for her to find it unpleasant.
She gulped down several mouthfuls of the honey water. “Are Contribution Points really that important?”
“Don’t you know?”
Niu Rao first looked confused, then caught on. “Yun Senior Sister just officially joined yesterday, so it’s understandable you don’t know.”
“Normally, new disciples get taught by others who have already taken on Enlightenment Hall tasks, but since you can’t go there yet, I’ll explain it briefly.”
Yun Miao listened carefully and understood: the Xuantian Sect treated disciples well, providing food, lodging, and monthly Ling Stone allowances.
Naturally, disciples were expected to contribute to the sect, which was where Contribution Points came from.
Outer disciples had to pay 500 Contribution Points annually to the Steward Hall, essentially encouraging them to produce value for the sect every year.
Inner disciples, who received better training and more resources, had greater responsibilities and had to contribute 1,000 points yearly.
Since cultivators often needed to seclude themselves, and higher-ranked ones secluded longer, Contribution Points could be prepaid in bulk or made up after a retreat.
The sect was quite considerate in this regard.
But if someone caused trouble—staying in the sect, not retreating, and refusing to work for the sect, making zero contributions for a whole year—the Steward Hall would issue a warning.
If that person persisted in slacking off, showing no sense of collective honor, three warnings would lead to expulsion.
“But Yun Senior Sister, don’t worry. New disciples just need to attend Enlightenment Hall classes regularly, and they’ll earn enough Contribution Points to get through their first year.”
Niu Rao scratched his horns awkwardly and amended, “The peak stewards also favor new disciples, assigning easier, more suitable tasks.”
“They don’t purposely make things difficult, so earning Contribution Points isn’t that hard.”
Yun Miao curiously asked, “Then who is the steward of the main peak?”
Niu Rao was taken aback, awkwardly touching both his horns. “Well… the main peak doesn’t handle training many disciples. Besides the Senior Brother, only Yun Senior Sister lives up there.”
“The Steward Hall, Disciplinary Hall, and Book Repository up there operate independently, managed by the elders.”
“They don’t really need stewards to handle internal affairs—or rather, Elder Ge of the Steward Hall is the sect’s top steward, but she doesn’t deal with minor matters like assigning tasks…”
“But it doesn’t matter. Yun Senior Sister, since you’re here on Dan Peak, I’m the steward here. I can assign your tasks!”
“Since you’re new and still weak, I can pick some light but Contribution Point-rich tasks for you.”
The more he thought about it, the better the idea sounded, and his voice grew louder, rumbling like thunder. The disciples working hard in the fields nearby immediately glared toward him with sharp eyes.
“Old Niu, who would’ve thought you with your thick eyebrows and big eyes would be up to these tricks! But speaking of which… are there really easy tasks on Dan Peak that give lots of Contribution Points?”
Yun Miao pondered a question herself. “The Disciplinary Hall punished me with three months of menial work on Dan Peak. If I accept the tasks you assign during this time, can I really earn Contribution Points?”
Niu Rao fell silent. He lowered his head, hunched his back, and slumped onto the ridge. His two calloused hands rubbed furiously at his horns, sparks flying from the friction.
The sparks fell onto his thick black hair, which suddenly burst into flames…
Yun Miao immediately forgot about Contribution Points and sat there dumbfounded, staring at Niu Rao as if nothing was wrong. “Senior Brother Niu, don’t you feel the burn?”
Niu Rao, troubled, continued rubbing his horns. “Hmm, I’m slow-witted. So every time I think hard, my brain heats up. Didn’t expect Yun Senior Sister to notice this.”
Yun Miao: “Who would notice something like that? I’m talking about your hair—it’s on fire! Your entire head is blazing!”
She finally snapped out of it and jumped up to use Water Controlling Art. At that moment, Niu Rao realized he had embarrassed himself in front of Yun Senior Sister again.
He stood up and raised his hand to slap out the flames, but just then, a huge water dragon as thick as a bucket roared through the air, charging straight at Niu Rao’s face!
*Crash!*
Niu Rao was knocked off the ridge by the powerful water dragon and fell onto the ground, soaked like a drowned rat.
Wiping water off his face, he turned in surprise to Yun Miao, “I didn’t expect your Water Controlling Art to be so skillful already.”
Yun Miao blinked in confusion, “My ‘Little Earthworm’ has nothing to do with that rude water dragon.”
“Old Niu, have you gotten so old you can’t even remember who saved you?”
A blunt taunt came from the nearby woods.
“And you there, even though you’re at Qi Refining Seventh Layer, the water you produced isn’t even up to the level of my three-year-old self.”
“How pathetic. But then again, you’re just a weak human, so I guess it’s understandable.”
Yun Miao turned her head and saw a tall young man emerging from the woods. He had a high nose, thin lips, and a commanding presence.
Dressed in black fitted clothes with a black scale armor over them, he was handsome but radiated supreme arrogance.
But what caught her attention most was the prompt box slowly appearing above his head three seconds later: 【Realm: Jindan Stage Third Layer, Health Bar: 200,000 points】
Yun Miao had discovered her own divine sense yesterday, which strengthened her perception.
As a mortal, she could previously only see through Qi Refining cultivators; now, as a Qi Refining cultivator herself, she could see through Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Though her realm was still Qi Refining, her divine sense was as strong as that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, allowing her to discern the cultivation and health bars of NPCs two realms above her.
She had seen several seniors with Jindan prompts yesterday, so this man’s realm didn’t surprise her—only his extremely long health bar did.
He was only a Jindan Third Layer, so why was his health comparable to Jindan Ninth Layer cultivators she’d seen?
Yun Miao sized the man up several times, then suspiciously asked Niu Rao, “Senior Brother Niu, who is this arrogant little soldier?”
The armored man immediately lowered his brow and glared fiercely, “Who are you calling a little soldier? With my looks and bearing, I should be a triumphant general leading an army!”
“Mo Aotian, Yun Senior Sister is still recovering. If you shout like that, what if you scare her?”
Niu Rao immediately stood, frowning, then turned to Yun Miao with a simple smile. “Don’t be afraid, Yun Senior Sister.”
“His name’s Mo Aotian, a Black Jiao. He lives under the main peak in Li Lake. His duty is to guard the mountain gate and protect the Xinxin Kuang in the lake.”
Yun Miao suddenly understood. “So you’re that Black Jiao. No wonder your voice sounded familiar.”
“Is that why your health bar is so long, because you’re a Black Jiao?”
Mo Aotian snorted coldly. “Old Niu, stop worrying. This guy’s got a big mouth and won’t be easily scared.”
Niu Rao looked around in confusion. “Have you two already met each other?”
Mo Aotian stepped onto the ridge and looked down at Yun Miao. “Yeah, we’re extremely familiar. If I had to describe it… she’s like a worm in my belly.”
Niu Rao: ???
Yun Miao crossed her arms and sneered coldly, “Has that worm ever given you stomach perforation? You really are fragile and pathetic.”
Mo Aotian choked, stammering after a long pause, “Sharp tongue… I’m not talking to you anymore, move aside—I need to discuss something with Old Niu.”
“Isn’t it ‘sharp tongue’?” Yun Miao threatened, putting her hand on her waist’s Dizi Ling.
“Senior Sister Ning said she’d punish you. How do you still have time to wander around? You’d better give me a good explanation or I’ll report you to the Disciplinary Hall.”