“You wish to go to the Spirit Field Department? You will not stay on the main peak?”

The Deacon in charge of the administrative hall looked at Han Yu with mild surprise.

“Yes,” Han Yu replied. “Is it possible for the Deacon to arrange this?”

“Arranging it is simple enough. In fact, most disciples are currently clamoring to stay on the main peak. Housing is scarce here; we have already begun assigning two or three disciples to a single dwelling,” the Deacon explained. “If you are willing to forgo a residence on the main peak and go directly to the Spirit Field Department, it would actually save me some trouble.”

“However, are you certain this is what you want?”

“I am certain,” Han Yu answered.

“Very well. Go then.” The Deacon tapped the large stone tablet in the center of the hall, channeling his mana into it to update Han Yu’s status. “You are now one of the Steward Outer Disciples of the Spirit Field Department. You may return there immediately.”

Han Yu then bowed slightly and asked, “I still possess some Spirit Stones and Minor Merits. May I exchange them for items within the Sect?”

The Deacon nodded. “You may exchange them here with me.”

“Under normal circumstances, the purchasing of Sect resources with Spirit Stones is forbidden; one must use Major or Minor Merits, while Spirit Stones are meant for the Green Grain Market. However, given the current crisis, the restriction has been lifted. Spirit Stones may now be used to purchase Sect items, though the price will be somewhat higher than outside.”

“What do you wish to exchange for?”

Exchange right here, in front of everyone?

Han Yu hesitated. Although he now possessed ten Minor Merits, twenty Spirit Stones, and fifty catties of spirit rice, flashing his wealth in public seemed unwise.

Noticing his caution, the Deacon did not take offense. “You may come back when it is less crowded. Alternatively, I can have a disciple explain the available inventory to you in the side room, and you can make your decision there.”

“Please arrange for a disciple. I would like to review the exchange options first.”

The Deacon nodded approvingly at Han Yu’s prudence. He turned toward the side room of the hall and called out, “Lu Yun?”

Silence.

Frowning slightly, the Deacon raised his voice. “Lu Yun!”

Still no response.

“Sheng Yan?”

“Deacon Liu, this disciple is here.” A young man in his early twenties, wearing the blue robes of an Inner Disciple and sporting a fair, clean-shaven face, stepped out from the side room and bowed.

“Where has that scoundrel Lu Yun gone off to? Did Elder Wen not send him here to cure his bad habits?” Deacon Liu asked impatiently. “How has he disappeared again in the blink of an eye?”

“This disciple does not know.”

As Sheng Yan answered, the corner of his mouth twitched, betraying his disdain for Lu Yun.

“That bastard! If not for his constitution being different from ordinary men, how could we tolerate such behavior?” Deacon Liu snorted coldly. “Forget it… Take Han Yu to the side room. Show him the exchange list. Once he has decided, bring him back to me.”

He paused, then added darkly, “And if you see that scoundrel Lu Yun, give him a thrashing before you tell him to roll over here!”

Sheng Yan immediately rubbed his fists together, his eyes lighting up with enthusiasm. “Yes! I will go at once!”

He turned to Han Yu, his voice tinged with impatience. “Junior Brother Han, follow me!”

Han Yu thought to himself that this Inner Disciple’s eagerness seemed a bit excessive. Was Lu Yun truly that detested?

Upon entering the side room, Han Yu saw another Inner Disciple and several Outer Disciples lounging about.

Sheng Yan did not bother introducing them. Instead, he waved an Outer Disciple over. “Li Hua, come here. Explain to Junior Brother Han how to use Minor Merits and Spirit Stones to exchange for Sect resources.”

He then turned to the others, his voice buzzing with excitement. “Have any of you seen Lu Yun? Deacon Liu personally gave the order—we can beat him up and teach him a lesson!”

The others instantly perked up.

“I know where he is! He went to the small grove in the back!” one shouted.

“Let’s go! Time for a beating! That guy is shameless and thick-skinned anyway; he’s not afraid of a few punches!” another added.

Led by Sheng Yan, the group filed out the back door of the hall in high spirits, looking as if they were off to a festival.

Li Hua smiled apologetically and began explaining the exchange rates to Han Yu.

Han Yu couldn’t help but ask, “This Lu Yun… he isn’t afraid of being beaten?”

“Mm, that guy has a strange physique. He heals incredibly fast, though no one knows why,” Li Hua explained. “By all rights, he should be cultivating hard to repay the Sect, but he’s always disappearing to do low-class things.”

“It’s not just us. Even the Deacons are fed up with his lack of ambition. Getting the chance to beat him up allows everyone to vent their frustrations. It makes people feel better.”

“Besides, he recovers quickly. He’s got thick skin and thicker flesh; he doesn’t mind the pain.”

As they spoke, Sheng Yan and the other disciples returned, dragging Lu Yun with them.

Lu Yun looked battered, his face swollen and bruised. He was hastily pulling up his trousers, muttering complaints. “What’s the big deal? I was just… You guys were a bit too heavy-handed this time.”

Spotting Han Yu, he grinned through a swollen lip. “Hey, aren’t you the guy from the Spirit Field Department? What was your name again? You made Outer Disciple too?”

Han Yu couldn’t help but smile. “I am Han Yu, Senior Brother Lu.”

“Oh, right, right. You made Outer Disciple? Qi Refining third layer? That was fast—”

Sheng Yan, annoyed by his chatter, kicked him hard in the lower back, sending him stumbling. “Idiot. Did your brains leak out with everything else?”

“Today was the Laborer Disciple Grand Competition. Junior Brother Han took first place!”

Lu Yun looked shocked. “Ah? He was first? Senior Brother Sheng, you were also first in your competition before entering the Inner Sect, right? Both of you are first-place winners!”

“Imbecile.”

Sheng Yan didn’t bother explaining further, simply spitting out the curse.

How could a Laborer Disciple promoted by exception compare to a Qi Refining seventh layer genius who dominated the Outer Disciple competition to enter the Inner Sect?

Still, beating this scoundrel was undeniably refreshing. He would have to do it again next time the opportunity arose.

“Deacon Liu wants to see you. Go!”

Lu Yun quickly acknowledged the order and scurried into the main hall. Moments later, he returned, looking dejected after being thoroughly scolded.

Han Yu continued listening to Li Hua’s explanation. Exchanging items with Spirit Stones was not cheap. If the Sect were not in dire need of resources, they wouldn’t have opened this avenue at all.

Twenty Spirit Stones and fifty catties of spirit rice were roughly equivalent to thirty Spirit Stones in value. This could only buy about twenty Sect-crafted talismans or three bottles of Qi Condensation Pills.

Spirit plants and herbs were not available for exchange; the Sect was hoarding them for the crisis.

As for cultivation techniques, ten Spirit Stones only counted as five Minor Merits, and one still had to go to the Technique Pavilion to finalize the transaction.

Magical Artifacts were even more exorbitant. Even if Han Yu combined all his Spirit Stones, spirit rice, and his ten Minor Merits, he could only afford one of the lowest-grade artifacts—excluding the Plantain Leaf.

The Plantain Leaf was indeed cheap, costing only ten Spirit Stones or five Minor Merits. These were harvested from several massive plantain trees within Wanchun Valley and lightly refined. In the past, they were simply issued to Outer Disciples.

Now that they required a specific exchange, the price had effectively been raised.

Hearing these prices and thinking back to Bai Lingyun, who was decked out in Magical Artifacts from head to toe, Han Yu felt a pang of envy.

Having an Elder for a great-grandfather and a relative among the Deacons certainly ensured a comfortable life free from such scarcity.

Han Yu made his selection. Seeing that the crowd of newly promoted disciples outside had mostly dispersed, he walked out of the side room to find Deacon Liu.

“Two Protection Talismans, two Sharp Gold Talismans, two Great Strength Talismans, two Wind Blade Talismans, two Flame Talismans, two Ice Condensation Talismans, two Earth Control Talismans, two Cleansing Talismans, and one flying Plantain Leaf?”

Deacon Liu repeated the list, slightly puzzled. “You do not wish to exchange for items that aid your cultivation?”

“Elder Yan rewarded me with a bottle of Qi Gathering Pills the other day for my service.”

Deacon Liu nodded in understanding. “That should be sufficient for your cultivation. It likely won’t be long before you reach the third layer of Qi Refining.”

The transaction cost Han Yu five Minor Merits and twenty Spirit Stones. This left him with five Minor Merits and fifty catties of spirit rice.

Han Yu tucked the stack of talismans into his robes and channeled his Spirit Breath into the Plantain Leaf to refine it. With this, he could now fly between the Spirit Field Department and other locations, which would be far more convenient.

He had barely taken two steps out of the Deacon’s Hall when he ran into Deacon Bai, who was leading Bai Lingyun by the hand.

They were likely here to collect Bai Lingyun’s Outer Disciple robes and jade pendant.

Deacon Bai smiled and nodded slightly at Han Yu.

Bai Lingyun tried hard to keep a straight face, acting as if he didn’t want to see Han Yu, yet he couldn’t resist shooting him a glare.

Han Yu bowed slightly to Deacon Bai, then stepped onto his Plantain Leaf. With a surge of Spirit Breath, he rose into the air and flew away from the main peak.

Glancing up, he noticed that the three black dots—Elder Bai, Elder Yan, and Li Tonghai—were still visible in the distance.

Hm? They are still waiting there?

Pondering this, Han Yu passed through the cyan glow of the main peak’s protective formation, heading toward the Spirit Field Department.