As soon as the roast chicken was brought out, Ren Shengping was drawn in by its aroma. Without standing on ceremony with Chu Shaoye, he began to eat as he spoke. “It’s really nothing much—just the usual friction between people.”
“Steward Fang and Steward Wang are about equal in strength, with Steward Wang being slightly weaker. Our Sect has a rule that once a person’s strength reaches Tier Five, they can apply for the position of Elder.”
“The peak we live on is called Lumang Peak. At present, there is only one vacant Elder position, so naturally they’ve started competing for it.”
“This dormitory area of ours is managed by Steward Fang, while the one near the foot of the mountain is managed by Steward Wang. When those at the top don’t get along, those below aren’t on good terms either. Don’t go wandering over that way if you have no business there, or they might bully you.”
Chu Shaoye nodded and refilled his cup of water. “Brother Ren, could you tell me about the situation in the Sect? I’ve only just arrived and am completely in the dark about everything.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Ren Shengping said. “Let’s start from the very top. You’ve probably heard of our Crimson Firmament Sect’s Sect Leader, Master Yunding. He is a Tier Six Spirit Lord, and his Natal Spirit Companion is a mutated Cloud Beast, the Cloud-Devouring Beast. Recently, the Sect Leader has been in Secluded Cultivation, attempting to break through to Tier Seven.”
“If the Sect Leader succeeds in advancing and becomes a Tier Seven High-Tier Spirit Master, our Crimson Firmament Sect will be truly formidable from then on.”
Chu Shaoye nodded. On the Myriad Spirits Continent, Spirit Lords were divided into nine tiers in total: Tier One through Tier Three were Low-Tier Spirit Masters, Tier Four through Tier Six were Mid-Tier Spirit Masters, and Tier Seven through Tier Nine were High-Tier Spirit Masters.
The gap between each major stage was like a vast chasm; once crossed, a cultivator’s strength could no longer be spoken of in the same breath as before.
Ren Shengping continued, “Now that the Sect Leader is in Secluded Cultivation, our Sect is temporarily managed by two Acting Sect Leaders. The two Acting Sect Leaders are Master Yunding’s twin daughters, named Qingji and Hongji, and their Natal Spirit Beasts are twins as well.”
“Twin Natal Spirit Beasts?” Chu Shaoye asked in surprise. “This is the first time I’ve ever heard of such a thing.”
Ren Shengping sighed in admiration. “Who hasn’t felt the same? The two Acting Sect Leaders’ Natal Spirit Beasts are called Heartlinked Twin-Wing Birds—one is an Azure Bird, and the other is a Red Luan. They fly wing to wing as a pair, their hearts in perfect accord.”
“Each of the Heartlinked Twin-Wing Birds only has Tier Six strength on its own, but together they can rival Tier Seven. That is why the Sect Leader could enter Secluded Cultivation with peace of mind.”
Chu Shaoye listened intently. Shuangyue had taught him to recognize many Spirit Beasts, yet had never mentioned the existence of Twin Spirit Beasts. Truly, the world was vast and full of wonders; he still needed to travel and see much more of it.
“Below the Acting Sect Leaders, there are twelve Elders, and under each Elder there are several Stewards. There are too many of them, so I won’t introduce them one by one.” This story is hosted at novelping(.)com.
“As for us disciples, there are even more of us. The disciples of the Crimson Firmament Sect are divided into three categories. First are the Inner Disciples, who all have personal masters and receive the best treatment. Second are the Outer Disciples; most of them do not have personal masters and can only attend the Sect’s large lectures.”
“As for us Menial Disciples, calling us disciples is just a polite way of putting it. In truth, we’re hired by the Crimson Firmament Sect to do manual labor. Those Inner Disciples and Outer Disciples may not say it out loud, but in their hearts they look down on us completely and treat us like servants.”
At this point, Ren Shengping let out a sigh. “When your talent falls short of others’, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Chu Shaoye nodded, though inwardly he disagreed. Talent was certainly important, but hard work was indispensable as well. He asked, “Then can we go attend the large lectures?”
Ren Shengping nodded. “We can, yes, but we have to work all day long. Where would we find the time and energy to attend lectures? Even if we go, we’re only met with disdain.”
The two talked over a few more matters. Before they knew it, the sky had grown completely dark, and the roast wild chicken had been picked clean.
Ren Shengping looked somewhat sheepish. “Brother Chu, look at this—I ate nearly the whole chicken myself, and you barely had any.”
Chu Shaoye shook his head to show he did not mind, gathered up the leftover chicken bones, and took them outside to throw away.
“Thank you for telling me so much today, Brother Ren. It’s getting late, so let’s rest early.”
After washing up, the two went to bed. Before long, steady snoring drifted over from the neighboring bed. Chu Shaoye felt the hollow of his shoulder grow warm, and a moment later, a little fox emerged from under the covers.
Chu Shaoye rubbed its head, and boy and fox drifted off to sleep together.
Early the next morning, because Chu Shaoye still did not have an Identity Jade Token and could not move about the Crimson Firmament Sect freely, Ren Shengping went to the dining hall and brought back meals for both of them.
“We Menial Disciples only get one meat dish and one vegetable dish per meal. Though we don’t get to choose, there’s an upside too—you can eat as much as you want, and there’s plenty to go around.”
Ren Shengping opened the food box and lifted out three large basins filled to the brim: two basins of dishes and one basin of white rice.
Seeing the broth nearly spilling over the rim, Chu Shaoye widened his eyes in astonishment. “Brother Ren, can the two of us really finish this much food?” The source of this chapter is g.com.
Ren Shengping scoffed. “This is barely anything! Just eat as much as you can, and I’ll finish the rest.”
The two sat down to eat. Ren Shengping ate just like he carried himself—hearty and unrestrained, shoveling down a bowl of white rice in three to five mouthfuls. Watching the speed at which he ate, Chu Shaoye went from worrying whether they could finish the food to worrying whether there would be enough.
Still lazing in bed, the little fox caught the scent of the food. Its nose twitched as it woke, and it got to its feet and stretched. Swishing its big fluffy tail, it gave a light leap and landed on Chu Shaoye’s shoulder.
Chu Shaoye picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and held it to its mouth, asking, “Want some?”
The little fox twitched its nose and sniffed carefully. Detecting no trace of Spiritual Qi in the meat, it immediately lost interest and shook its head in disdain.
Chu Shaoye tapped its nose and chuckled softly. “Picky eater.”
Ren Shengping looked at the little fox in surprise. “Brother Chu, is this your Natal Spirit Beast? With how beautiful it is, its tier can’t be low, right?”
Chu Shaoye shook his head with a wry laugh. “If its tier were high, I wouldn’t just be a Menial Disciple. Xuewu is an Immaculate Fox, and right now it’s only Tier One.”
Immaculate Fox—that name sounded familiar, as though he had heard it somewhere before.
Ren Shengping thought hard and finally remembered. “I’ve heard the disciples in the Sect talk about the Immaculate Fox. Elder Hongyi once wanted to gift an Immaculate Fox to Lady Qingji, but unfortunately he searched for a long time without finding one, and in the end had no choice but to drop the matter.”
“I heard that although the Immaculate Fox isn’t of a high tier, it’s even rarer in number than high-tier Spirit Beasts—impossible to buy even for a fortune. Getting to see Brother Chu’s Immaculate Fox today has really opened my eyes.”
By the time the two finished eating, Chu Shaoye had only eaten two bowls of rice, while Ren Shengping polished off everything else, even mixing the remaining broth into his rice.
Ren Shengping let out a satisfied burp and patted his belly. “You only have the strength to work once you’ve eaten your fill! Brother Chu, your appetite is way too small. You’ll have to train it up properly with me from now on.”
Chu Shaoye did not know whether to laugh or cry, thinking to himself, Does an appetite need training too?
Within the Crimson Firmament Sect lay a vein of Mottled Silver Ore. Mottled Silver Ore was a relatively rare mineral used to forge Spirit Artifacts or Spirit Companion Conveyances, making it widely useful.
Ren Shengping worked at the ore vein, where he was responsible for hauling the mined Mottled Silver Ore. Such labor indeed demanded a great deal of physical stamina; despite how much he ate, he was not fat in the slightest, his entire frame packed with lean, solid muscle.