Who Let Him Cultivate？

Chapter 39: Junior Brother, Do You Know That the Dao Seeking Sect Is a Reputable and Righteous Sect?

“Naturally, not just any random errand qualifies as a sect mission,” Meng Jingzhou explained. “All three of those categories share a single, non-negotiable prerequisite: they must uphold the righteous path.”

“As luck would have it, Brother Man Gu stumbled upon the perfect job. It’s a bit too much for one person to handle, which is exactly why he roped us in.”

Man Gu offered a shallow nod. He didn’t add a single word, radiating the quiet, modest grace of a true gentleman scholar—despite his towering, muscular frame.

“When do we leave?” Lu Yang asked.

“First light tomorrow?” Meng Jingzhou suggested.

That worked perfectly for Lu Yang. He needed to make a trip to the Mission Hall before they departed. The unspent Contribution Points burning a hole in his pocket were making him physically itchy.

…

*[Iced Gourd]*: Rapidly chills any water stored within, providing an intensely refreshing sensation. The undisputed champion for ice-water enthusiasts. *Cost: 3 Contribution Points.*

*[Multi-Function Folding Knife]*: Includes an ear pick, nail clippers, marker pen, compass, and various other tools. An absolute necessity for wilderness survival. *Cost: 10 Contribution Points.*

*[Floating Pagoda Dragon Blood Blade]*: Formerly the Dharma Treasure of a notorious demonic cultivator. Its bloodlust was awakened by true dragon blood, then forcibly suppressed by the Floating Pagoda’s Buddhist chants. Cleaving flesh and shattering bone is as effortless as reaching into a bag. The demonic aura has been entirely purged and its ferocity thoroughly sealed—though its sharpness has suffered a slight downgrade as a result. *Cost: 300 Contribution Points.*

*[Fragment of the Maha Heart Method]*: A remnant manual recovered from the ashes of a self-immolated ascetic monk. Suspected to be an original creation, though the complete version is lost to history. This fragment can instantly subdue the restless mind and force the user into deep meditation. *Cost: 1,500 Contribution Points.*

Lu Yang scrolled past several listings, none of them quite hitting the mark. He decided to consult the Senior Brother manning the counter.

“Senior Brother,” Lu Yang began politely. “I’m heading out for a training mission tomorrow and need some self-defense gear. Any recommendations?”

The Senior Brother behind the counter was a towering mountain of muscle. His face was a scarred landscape of aggressive, meaty features guaranteed to make a toddler stop crying out of sheer terror. He looked exactly like the sort of bandit boss a wandering hero would decapitate in the first chapter of a legend.

The hulking man squinted at Lu Yang. Not recognizing the face, it slowly dawned on him that this must be one of the new recruits. A Junior Brother.

The realization that someone was finally calling *him* ‘Senior Brother’ visibly softened his terrifying scowl.

*Gods, how many years has it been?* He was finally no longer at the absolute bottom of the sect’s hierarchy.

“What’s your budget?” he grunted. “Contribution Points and Spirit Stones.”

“Three hundred Contribution Points. Zero Spirit Stones.”

“The name’s Li Dan. You can call me Senior Brother Li.” Despite looking like he ate gravel for breakfast, Li Dan was actually a remarkably warm-hearted guy. “You’re only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, so you can’t equip high-grade gear anyway. You won’t need to spend too much.”

Senior Brother Li proficiently swiped through the glowing exchange registry, pulling up various defensive artifacts. “Take this *Hundred Battles Heart-Protecting Mirror*. Strap it to your chest, and it’ll completely absorb one full-power strike from a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator. A steal at two hundred Contribution Points.”

Lu Yang rubbed his chin, seriously considering the investment. Before he could decide, a painfully timid voice squeaked from the side.

“J-Junior Brother Lu… actually, you don’t need to buy a heart-protecting mirror here. The baked flatbreads from the cafeteria can also block a full-power strike from a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator… and they’re much cheaper.”

The voice trailed off, growing so quiet it rivaled the hum of a mosquito’s wings. If Lu Yang hadn’t recently broken through to Foundation Establishment and sharpened his five senses, he would have missed it entirely.

“Senior Sister Zhou Lulu?” Lu Yang blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected to run into her here.

During his first month in the Dao Seeking Sect, he had practically lived in the Scripture Pavilion. Whenever he hit a wall in his reading, he would ask Zhou Lulu for help. But ever since Yun Zhi had locked him up on Heavenly Gate Peak for his hellish training, he hadn’t seen her. A whole year had vanished in the blink of an eye.

“Senior Sister,” Li Dan greeted her. He was only one year ahead of Lu Yang, making Zhou Lulu his senior as well.

“Y-yes, it’s me.” Zhou Lulu fidgeted, visibly anxious. She had just returned from a mission to claim her Reward and had simply bumped into Lu Yang by chance.

“Y-you guys keep looking. I-I was just offering a tiny suggestion, that’s all.” Wilting under their combined stares, Zhou Lulu scurried several feet away, desperately trying to shrink into the background. She clearly intended to wait until Lu Yang was done before stepping up to the counter.

Deciding to let her be, the two men turned back to the registry.

“Here’s the *Mountain-Colliding Hammer*,” Li Dan continued. “Every strike releases a shockwave that disrupts an opponent’s rhythm. It’s a solid counter against Formation and talisman cultivators who need focus to set up their arts. Granted, an Expert in Formations or talismans will have a will of iron and can adjust their pacing through the interference, which lessens the hammer’s effectiveness. Still, it’s a bargain at two hundred and seventy Contribution Points.”

Lu Yang nodded approvingly. It was a tactical choice. The odds of running into a Formation or talisman user in the wild were high. Unless he was fighting some old monster who had spent decades immersed in their craft, the hammer would give him a distinct edge.

From her corner, Senior Sister Zhou Lulu muttered softly, “The deep-fried dough sticks from the cafeteria have the exact same concussive effect.”

Both men rigidly ignored her.

“Senior Brother Li,” Lu Yang leaned in slightly. “Do we have any… smaller gadgets? Things meant for, say, ambushing someone?”

Li Dan’s scarred face tightened into a mask of absolute solemnity. “Junior Brother. Are you aware that the Dao Seeking Sect is a pillar of the righteous path? A beacon of orthodox morality?”

“Yes…?”

“Then you need to ask that question in a much lower voice.”

“Oh,” Lu Yang whispered.

Li Dan slammed his thick finger onto the registry, swiping down with furious speed. A blur of orthodox weaponry flashed by before he abruptly stopped the scroll. “Here. *Jade-Shattering Needles*. Fine as ox hair. Channel your Spiritual Qi into them, and they become sharp enough to pierce standard defensive barriers. The catch? They’re notoriously difficult to master, require endless practice, and cost a small fortune.”

He tapped another entry. “*Unorthodox Nails*. When you’re outmatched, you wait for an opening, grab a handful, and hurl them directly at the enemy’s seven orifices. Instant victory through sheer underhanded surprise. Idiot-proof to use, and the price is very reasonable.”

Lu Yang nodded in deep appreciation. They were cheap, effective, and undeniably pragmatic. A fantastic return on investment.

“A handful of raw rice from the cafeteria works way better,” Senior Sister Zhou Lulu helpfully chimed in from the sidelines.

A vein bulged on Li Dan’s forehead. Unable to endure the peanut gallery a second longer, the hulking man whipped around, nearly giving Zhou Lulu a heart attack.

She instantly dropped her gaze to the floor, terrified of Li Dan’s bandit-king scowl. She genuinely wasn’t trying to cause trouble! The cafeteria food was just *that* good. She had wanted to recommend it to Lu Yang directly but was too shy to approach him.

Seeing her cower, Li Dan realized she meant no harm. He forced his gravelly voice into a gentler register. “Senior Sister Zhou, look. I know you belong to Hundred Forges Peak, but you can’t just scam the new Junior Brothers to drum up business for your division!”

He turned back to Lu Yang, gesturing emphatically. “And Junior Brother Lu, think about it logically! Aside from being dirt cheap, virtually indestructible, highly versatile, and functioning perfectly as both lethal weaponry *and* emergency rations… what other benefits does the cafeteria food actually have?!”

Lu Yang stared at him deadpan. *…Are those not enough benefits?*

Li Dan froze. He blinked, his own words catching up to his brain. He thought about it for a long, agonizing moment. Aside from the fact that wielding a flatbread looked incredibly stupid in a life-or-death duel, the cafeteria food literally had zero flaws.

Li Dan sighed, his broad shoulders slumping in defeat. “You know what? Senior Sister Zhou, why don’t you just take Junior Brother Lu to the cafeteria?”

Zhou Lulu’s eyes lit up like lanterns. She lunged forward, grabbed Lu Yang by the wrist, and began dragging him toward the dining halls.

Lu Yang stumbled, his eyes widening in shock. The timid, shrinking girl’s grip was like a vice of cold iron. He couldn’t budge an inch against her terrifying physical strength. *Just what cultivation realm is she at?!*

“Senior Sister Zhou,” Lu Yang wheezed as he was hauled along. “You’re from Hundred Forges Peak?”

Hundred Forges Peak, governed by the Fifth Elder, was responsible for two things: artifact forging and the sect cafeteria. More often than not, those two departments were completely indistinguishable from one another.

“Yep!” Zhou Lulu chirped happily. “I’m a disciple of Hundred Forges Peak.”

“But I used to see you reading in the Scripture Pavilion all the time,” Lu Yang pointed out, genuinely baffled. “And none of the books you read were about artifact forging.”

He couldn’t wrap his head around it. Shouldn’t a disciple of the forging peak actually study… forging?