"Those without the qualifications to enter the inner sect do not even deserve a grave; they are simply cast off the cliff." a clear-faced handyman sighed.
After learning the details of the mission, Gu Junshi did not linger to lament with the others.
"Then let's go."
The others were surprised by her reaction. Seeing her prepare to start work with a steady expression, they asked in astonishment, "Aren't you... aren't you afraid?"
They had heard she was new from the mortal realm, and they had all been worried she would refuse this mission. Although carrying corpses and washing away blood sounds rather gruesome, this kind of task was the simplest and least dangerous.
Moreover, the sect's contribution points were calculated per person without any entry barriers. The more effort one put in, the more they reaped; it all depended on individual diligence. If it weren't for Xiao Yuan's inside information tipping them off to snatch this opportunity early, they probably wouldn't have even gotten to pick up corpses.
If she refused due to fear or aversion to bad luck, and couldn't pick up any other outer sect tasks, her survival for the month would likely be in question.
After all, none of them had achieved辟谷 (bì gǔ - abstinence from grains, a stage in cultivation where one doesn't need to eat ordinary food), and they still relied on sect contribution points to exchange for "worldly sustenance" to survive.
"Afraid?" Gu Junshi pondered the unfamiliar word, then shook her head. "The dead are but rotting flesh, at the mercy of all. What is there to fear?"
They all looked at her in stunned silence.
While these words were spoken, who could truly achieve perfect clarity and transcend the mundane? Even those accustomed to such tasks, perhaps due to sorrow in their hearts making them empathetic to suffering, would sometimes feel a shiver crawl up their spines when witnessing the incomplete, bloody, and nauseating scenes of their own kind after death, leading to feelings of despondency and aimlessness for the future.
They always felt... Junshi was very different from them.
She was open-minded, indifferent, neither arrogant nor impatient, possessing a noble and precious aura refined from families of esteemed lineage and scholarly backgrounds.
Someone like her should not be living this way; she shouldn't have to live so humbly and desperately at the bottom tier like them.
Why did she have to be born with waste spirit roots?
It was truly a shame.
They all silently lamented for her in their hearts.
—
Xiao Yuan had joined the Dayan Sect from a young age and had been there for ten years. Due to her mixed spirit roots, she didn't aspire to enter the inner sect. She was currently at the eighth level of Qi Condensation. She was warm and righteous, and her cultivation held some authority among the outer disciples.
She led the handyman team to the teleportation array, took out a low-grade spirit stone as fuel for activation, and prepared to teleport the seven of them to the competition grounds on the upper peak.
As they entered the teleportation array, Xiao Yuan pulled Gu Junshi aside and earnestly cautioned her, "Junshi, this place is not like the mortal realm. You must not provoke the inner disciples of the upper peak. They have no qualms about laying hands on handymen. Just do your own thing."
As if not entirely reassured, she added, "Your name tag has my communication mark recorded. If anything happens, use your name tag to call me. Although I don't have much ability, I have a few well-off book friends in the inner sect. I can ask them to help in an emergency. You must not try to endure it yourself."
Gu Junshi looked at her intently, unable to understand why she was being so considerate, as if treating her as her responsibility, when they had only exchanged a few words.
However, she was not ungrateful.
"I understand."
Xiao Yuan grinned, her slightly chubby face shining like a little sun as she waved goodbye. "Yes, yes, you go ahead."
Gu Junshi nodded, turned and entered the array. After the seven of them stood firm within the array, Xiao Yuan crushed the spirit stone. Instantly, the light within the array enveloped them...
—
In just a moment, Gu Junshi and the other handymen were teleported to the peak hovering a hundred feet above. As the light of the teleportation array gradually faded, they felt a sudden shift in surroundings. Unaccustomed to the change, a gust of mountain wind swirled around them. Their steps faltered, and with gasps, they stumbled back, nearly falling over.
Having steadied themselves by leaning on each other, they couldn't help but shiver. The temperature on the upper peak was significantly lower than on the ground.
"Are you all alright?"
"We're fine, we're fine. It's all because we haven't been protected by spiritual energy. We always feel a bit uncomfortable when we come up here."
"It's good that we don't come to the upper peak often. I remember last time I was so embarrassed. While dizzy, I tripped and fell flat on my back, it was so mortifying."
"Oh, right, where's Junshi?"
They quickly stopped and looked around for her, only to see—
Good heavens!
She stood rooted to the spot, as stable as a nail. Facing the biting wind, her expression was unchanged, serene as a maiden.
They gazed at her with admiration.
They were all handymen, so why was she so exceptional?
At that moment, a male disciple who had come to receive them arrived. He was only fourteen or fifteen years old, his features still retaining a childlike innocence. He glanced at them without much emotion and said, "Follow me."
"Thank you, senior brother."
As handymen, they unconsciously wore humble and pleasing smiles.
Although the male disciple was young, his cultivation was not low; he was already at the tenth level of Qi Condensation. While he didn't pay much attention to this group of outer disciples, he wasn't a malicious person. Midway, he seemed to remember something, turned, and frowned as he warned them, "The assessment for outer disciples this time is set by Uncle-Master Danya. You all should... stay far away from the competition grounds."
Upon hearing the name "Uncle-Master Danya," the handymen's faces all turned pale. They clearly knew about him and quickly replied, "We... we will be careful. Thank you, senior brother, for the reminder."
Gu Junshi couldn't quite understand why they were so fearful of the name "Danya." If she remembered correctly, someone had mentioned Danya during the entrance test, saying he had earth spirit roots.
The male disciple, naturally disdainful of their meaningless gratitude, cast a fleeting glance at Gu Junshi a few times. Finally, unable to contain his youthful impulsiveness, he was about to speak when he noticed they had reached the competition grounds from the corner of his eye, and the words he intended to say were swallowed back.
"You all wait over there. This match will likely take a while longer to finish."
With that, he left without lingering.
Gu Junshi then looked towards the martial arts competition grounds. She was also quite curious about the outer sect advancement matches, as she remembered that the small Dayan Sect had produced several figures who had made waves in the cultivation world. One of them, a legendary killer god, was said to have emerged from these outer sect advancement matches.
She saw a long chain of arched stone bridges connecting several fighting platforms, forming a closed circle of ten rings. In the center was a four-story vermilion pagoda, shaped like a slender, straight spring bamboo shoot, supported by a base of floating debris tens of feet high. On the upturned eaves of the pagoda's wings, a person stood.
Even without rain, flowers fell; without wind, catkins flew. As his robes fluttered, ink seemed to spread, like a bird spreading its wings.