Gateway of Immortality

After Sun De had left, Qin Sang looked at Zhuang Yan with suspicion and asked, "Senior Brother Zhuang, what exactly are the notoriously troublesome tasks that Senior Brother Sun mentioned?"

Zhuang Yan sighed lightly and shook his head. "Junior Brother Qin, the menial tasks within our sect are indeed varied—some are tedious while others are relatively light, but they are generally fair. Heavier tasks come with higher monthly stipends, and some might even offer unexpected opportunities. However, they do take up time that could be spent on cultivation, which is why many senior brothers and sisters prefer not to choose them. But these tasks need to be done, and as a senior brother, I have been struggling with this issue. I’ve had to assign them to newly admitted junior brothers and sisters, which has led to quite a bit of criticism. Since we get along well, I’ll give you a list. You can choose whichever task you want. Once you pick one, there’s no backing out—you’ll need to fulfill it for five years, unless you advance to Foundation Building. How does that sound?"

Qin Sang knew that Zhuang Yan’s willingness to accommodate him to this extent was already a sign of consideration. Persisting would be ungrateful, so he gratefully responded, "Thank you, Senior Brother Zhuang."

As they walked and talked, Qin Sang learned that the sect's duties extended beyond the sect itself, reaching far into other areas.

For example, the several major markets around the mountain gate had Shaohua Mountain's cultivators stationed there to keep the unruly wandering cultivators in check. These duties were highly lucrative, and Zhuang Yan made it clear to Qin Sang that such positions were unlikely to be available to him unless he could gain favor with a senior uncle.

There were also numerous mortal kingdoms under Shaohua Mountain's jurisdiction, some governed by immortal cultivation families allied with Shaohua Mountain, while others required Shaohua Mountain to send representatives to oversee them.

The primary goal was to prevent wandering cultivators from causing chaos and to stop demons and evil cultivators from wreaking havoc. Interference in the mortal realm was strictly prohibited, and any manifestation in the human world would be harshly punished.

After careful consideration, Qin Sang decided to opt for a task outside the mountain gate.

While searching for the Song Family in the major markets, he also kept an eye out for any signs of malevolent yin qi and noted several remote locations that he hadn’t yet had the chance to investigate.

With a Soul Pill, his cultivation speed would not lag behind others, and being outside might even be more convenient. The spiritual qi might not be as rich as Shaohua Mountain’s, but the impact would be minimal.

Returning to the wooden hall, Zhuang Yan handed Qin Sang a jade slip. As Qin Sang examined it with his spiritual consciousness, he immediately understood why many of the tasks were avoided.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The first one was to be an apprentice alchemist at Nine-Cauldron Peak. The jade slip described it in glowing terms, listing numerous senior brothers and sisters who had been taken in as disciples and had become grandmasters of alchemy. However, it briefly mentioned the drawbacks—one would need to guard the alchemical furnace and its ground fire for at least six hours a day.

Qin Sang skimmed over the sect duties and turned to the latter part of the list, where he found a position for guarding the Sunken Cave.

The description stated that the Sunken Cave was bottomless and filled with malevolent yin qi. Shaohua Mountain had set up a barrier to contain it, and disciples were required to constantly guard it. Any changes had to be reported immediately to prevent the leakage of malevolent yin qi, which could lead to calamity for living beings.

Qin Sang was somewhat surprised. For Shaohua Mountain to be so cautious, does the malevolent yin qi in the Sunken Cave surpass that of the Yin Malevolent Abyss? He retracted his spiritual consciousness and asked Zhuang Yan, "Senior Brother Zhuang, are there any vacancies for the duty of guarding the Sunken Cave?"

Zhuang Yan looked at him with a peculiar expression. "You chose this?"

When Qin Sang nodded, Zhuang Yan clapped his hands in delight and said, "Excellent! The Sunken Cave will be under your care from now on. I’ll get your waist token changed immediately."

As Qin Sang handed over his waist token, he asked with a frown, "Senior Brother Zhuang, can you tell me the truth now? Is the Sunken Cave one of those notoriously troublesome tasks?"

Zhuang Yan seemed to shed a huge burden, his demeanor relaxed as he smiled. "The Sunken Cave is indeed one of them. The cave is full of changes, and its true nature cannot be seen from outside the barrier. The cave dwelling is in the Sunken Cave, perpetually shrouded in darkness and cold. Those with unsettled hearts cannot endure it. But if you can tolerate the solitude, it is indeed one of the best tasks."

Qin Sang nodded slightly. In his heart, he thought, among immortal cultivators, the ability to endure solitude was not lacking. Zhuang Yan’s words certainly contained some exaggeration.

Nevertheless, he was in need of malevolent yin qi, and as long as it didn’t pose a threat to his life, he could endure it.

The two of them quickly settled on the duties, and Zhuang Yan then took Qin Sang to the Dharma Hall, where the senior uncle who was giving the lecture had already arrived. Since Qin Sang was new and exempt from spirit stone fees for the first month, he was allowed to join in and listen.

Qin Sang was captivated from the moment he started listening. The senior uncle’s reputation was well-deserved; his mastery of spells, especially the five-elemental spell, was exceptional. Each sentence was profoundly enlightening to Qin Sang, far surpassing Yue Wu.

Previously, Qin Sang had many doubts, but after an hour of listening, he gained significant insights and silently marveled. Just this alone made it clear that there was no comparison between rogue cultivators and sect disciples.

He now understood why others were reluctant to go to the Sunken Cave.

The Sunken Cave was located in a remote area and required constant guarding, which meant missing out on numerous opportunities to hear teachings from senior uncles.

After the lecture, the disciples stood to respectfully see off the senior uncle. With a month left before his departure from Shaohua Mountain and currently being stuck at the ninth stage's bottleneck, Qin Sang decided not to rush to the Sunken Cave and to stay a bit longer to listen more, hoping to avoid detours in the future.

"Which duty did Junior Brother Qin choose?"

As people began to disperse in small groups, Qin Sang heard Sun De’s voice behind him. Turning around, he said, "Greetings, Senior Brother Sun. Senior Brother Zhuang assigned me to guard the Sunken Cave."

Sun De said to Zhuang Yan, "You’ve managed to fool another one."

Zhuang Yan, looking pleased, replied, "You can’t blame me. Junior Brother Qin chose it himself."

Sun De looked at Qin Sang in surprise. "Going to the Sunken Cave isn’t too bad. It’s just five years of hard work. When do you plan to set out? We can travel together."

Zhuang Yan turned to Qin Sang and explained, "Senior Brother Sun oversees the herb garden on Peak Cloud Mountain, which is not far from the Sunken Cave. If you run into trouble outside, you can ask him for help. Senior Brother Sun is known for his timely assistance here at Shaohua Mountain."

Qin Sang showed his gratitude. "I’ll rely on Senior Brother Sun’s care in the future. However, I have some matters to attend to and plan to stay at the sect for another month. I’ll travel with Senior Brother Sun next time."

…

The next day, Qin Sang flew alone to Treasure Tower Peak.

As a newcomer, Qin Sang’s status did not help him at Treasure Tower Peak. He paid the spirit stones honestly and entered the first level of Treasure Tower Peak, which housed spiritual herbs and fruits.

An hour later, Qin Sang emerged from Treasure Tower Peak with a look of disappointment. Although he had been prepared for it, he could not help but feel let down.

The first stage of Treasure Tower Peak was meant for Qi Refining Realm cultivators, displaying only common herbs and fruits. Qin Sang had already studied some of these at Yuanzhao Sect, so he patiently reviewed them but found nothing like the mysterious orchid he was hoping for.

However, the trip was not entirely wasted. At least now he could recognize various herbs and spiritual fruits when he encountered them in the future.

As for the second stage of Treasure Tower Peak, entry required a Foundation Building cultivator’s waist token, and Qin Sang only knew Senior Uncle Wen, with whom he had little acquaintance. So, he had to leave that for another time.

Afterwards, Qin Sang stayed at Shaohua Mountain but left abruptly before the month was up.