Dichen Cave

After Sun De left, Qin Sang looked at Zhuang Yan with suspicion. "Senior Brother Zhuang, what was Senior Brother Sun referring to when he mentioned those notorious trap chores?" Zhuang Yan let out a soft sigh and shook his head. "Junior Brother Qin, among the sect's chores, some are indeed tedious while others are easy, but on the whole, it is fair. For burdensome chores, the monthly stipend is higher, and some even offer unexpected opportunities. However, they eat into cultivation time, which is why many fellow disciples are unwilling to choose them. Yet someone has to do these chores. I am put in a difficult spot as well, left with no choice but to assign them forcibly to newly admitted juniors, which has earned me quite a bit of bad repute. You and I hit it off rather well, Junior Brother Qin, so in a moment I'll give you a roster to choose from yourself. Once you pick, there will be no backing out—you must serve the full five years, unless you break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. How does that sound?" Qin Sang knew that Senior Brother Zhuang making such a concession was already showing him great courtesy; pressing any further would be refusing face when it was offered. He said gratefully, "Thank you, Senior Brother Zhuang." As the two walked and talked, Qin Sang also learned that chores for Shaohua Mountain were not limited to the sect grounds; many were far away in other places. For instance, in the major cultivation markets surrounding the mountain gate, Shaohua Mountain cultivators were stationed to keep those unruly rogue cultivators in line. Such chores were extremely lucrative, but Zhuang Yan told Qin Sang frankly that there was no chance he would get one unless he managed to latch onto a martial uncle. Then there were the mortal kingdoms of various sizes under Shaohua Mountain's jurisdiction. Some were governed by cultivation clans subordinate to Shaohua Mountain, while others required Shaohua Mountain to dispatch disciples to keep watch over them. Their primary purpose was to prevent rogue cultivators from causing trouble, and to stop beasts and evil cultivators from bringing disaster to the mortal realm. They were strictly forbidden from meddling in mortal affairs at whim or performing miracles before mortals, under threat of severe punishment. After careful consideration, Qin Sang decided to choose a chore outside the sect gate if possible. While searching for the Song clan in the major cultivation markets, he had not forgotten to inquire about where yin baleful qi might be found. He had noted several locations, all situated in remote wilderness, though he had not yet had the chance to verify them. As long as he had Soul Pills, his cultivation speed would not lag behind others. Being outside was far more convenient, and even if the spiritual energy was not as rich as on Shaohua Mountain, it would not affect him much. Returning to the wooden hall, Zhuang Yan retrieved a jade slip and handed it to Qin Sang. Scanning it with his spiritual sense, Qin Sang instantly understood why so many chores were left unchosen. The very first was serving as an alchemy attendant at Jiuding Peak. The jade slip praised it to high heaven, citing numerous examples of senior brothers and sisters who had caught an elder's eye, were taken on as disciples, taught the Dao of alchemy, and became grandmaster alchemists. Yet it glossed over the drawback in a single line—one had to attend to the furnace and earth fire every day for at least twelve hours. Qin Sang skipped the chores within the sect and went straight to the later entries. Reading through them one by one, he discovered one that involved guarding Dichen Cave. According to the slip, Dichen Cave was bottomless, and the entire cavern was permeated with yin baleful qi. Shaohua Mountain had placed restrictive seals over Dichen Cave, requiring disciples to stand guard at all times. If any anomaly occurred, they were to report it to the sect immediately to prevent the yin baleful qi from leaking out and devastating living souls. Qin Sang was quite surprised. For Shaohua Mountain to be so cautious, could it be that the yin baleful qi in Dichen Cave was even more abundant than in the Yin Baleful Abyss? Withdrawing his spiritual sense, he asked Zhuang Yan, "Senior Brother Zhuang, is there still an opening for the chore of guarding Dichen Cave?" Zhuang Yan looked at him with an odd expression. "You're sure about this one?" Seeing Qin Sang nod, Zhuang Yan clapped his hands together and rejoiced, "Splendid! Dichen Cave is all yours from now on, Junior Brother Qin. I'll update your waist token right away." Handing over his waist token, Qin Sang asked with a darkened face, "Senior Brother Zhuang, can you tell me the truth now? Is Dichen Cave one of those notorious trap chores?" As if a massive burden had been lifted from his shoulders, Zhuang Yan felt utterly relieved. He chuckled and said, "Dichen Cave is indeed acknowledged as one of the big traps. Because the changes inside Dichen Cave are erratic and cannot be discerned from outside the restriction, the cultivation abode is situated within the cave itself. Kept from sunlight year-round, enveloped in bone-chilling cold, anyone whose disposition is not settled will find it unbearable. But if you can endure the loneliness, Junior Brother, it is actually one of the finest chores." Qin Sang gave a slight nod, thinking to himself that if immortal cultivators lacked anything, it certainly was not the ability to endure loneliness; there was bound to be more to the story that Senior Brother Zhuang was glossing over. However, what he needed right now was yin baleful qi. So long as his life was not in danger, he could endure anything. The two finalized the chore on the spot. Zhuang Yan then led Qin Sang to the Dharma Hall. The martial uncle delivering the lecture had already arrived. Since Qin Sang had just entered the sect, he did not need to pay spirit stones for his first month, so he slipped inside to listen in. As soon as Qin Sang started listening, he became entranced. This martial uncle truly lived up to his reputation. His attainments in incantations were extraordinarily profound, particularly in Five Elements incantations. Any casual remark of his was immensely enlightening to Qin Sang; Yue Wu was far inferior to him. Many points that had previously puzzled Qin Sang became clear. Over the course of two hours, he benefited immensely, thinking to himself that for this alone, rogue cultivators could never compare to sect disciples. He also roughly understood why others were unwilling to go to Dichen Cave. Dichen Cave was located in a very remote area, and one had to remain stationed there all year round, missing who knew how many opportunities to hear the martial uncles lecture on the Dao. When the lecture ended, the disciples rose to see off the martial uncle respectfully. Qin Sang could still stay at Shaohua Mountain for a month. Since he was currently stuck at the bottleneck of the ninth layer, he decided not to rush to Dichen Cave, but to stay behind and listen to more lectures so he could avoid taking unnecessary detours in the future. "Which chore did Junior Brother Qin choose?" As the crowd dispersed in small groups, Qin Sang heard Sun De's voice from behind. Turning around, he said, "Greetings, Senior Brother Sun. Senior Brother Zhuang assigned me to guard Dichen Cave." Sun De said to Zhuang Yan, "You duped another one." Zhuang Yan said smugly, "You can't blame me for this. Junior Brother Qin chose it himself." Sun De looked surprised, then turned to Qin Sang. "Going to Dichen Cave isn't so bad either; at most you'll tough it out for five years and then be done. When do you plan to set off, Junior Brother Qin? Shall we travel together?" Zhuang Yan turned his head and explained to Qin Sang, "Senior Brother Sun looks after the herb garden on Dianyun Mountain, which isn't far from Dichen Cave. If you run into trouble out there in the future, just call on Senior Brother Sun for help. Within Shaohua Mountain, Senior Brother Sun is known as the Timely Rain." Qin Sang looked pleased. "I will be relying on Senior Brother Sun's care in the future, then. However, I still have some minor matters to attend to, so I'd like to stay at the sect for a month. I'll travel with Senior Brother Sun next time." ... The next day, Qin Sang flew to Pagoda Peak alone. The title of newcomer was useless at Pagoda Peak. Qin Sang obediently paid his spirit stones and entered the first floor, where records on spiritual herbs and spiritual fruits were kept. Two hours later, Qin Sang emerged from Pagoda Peak with a helpless expression. Although he had anticipated this, he could not help feeling disappointed. The first floor of Pagoda Peak was meant only for cultivators of the Qi Refinement stage, containing only common spiritual herbs and fruits. Qin Sang had already learned part of this at Yuanzhao Sect, but he still patiently searched through them. As expected, there was nothing resembling the mysterious orchid. Still, it was not a wasted trip; at the very least, he would be able to identify most spiritual herbs when encountering them out in the world. As for the second floor of Pagoda Peak, spirit stones alone were not enough to enter; it required the waist token of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Qin Sang knew only Martial Uncle Wen and had no real relationship with him, so he could only drop the matter for now. Thereafter, Qin Sang remained at Shaohua Mountain, but before a month had even passed, he abruptly left in a hurry.