It wasn’t the glow of Spirit Stones. The yellow talismans were covered with red runes that shimmered faintly.
“This is…” Elder Qin rubbed his eyes hard, suspecting he was seeing things. How could a newly promoted menial laborer in a place like this possibly have True Divine Flame Talismans?
In that small bundle, there were at least a dozen True Divine Flame Talismans. Even if not used personally, they could be exchanged for a hefty sum!
One talisman could easily fetch 100 high-quality Spirit Stones.
With over ten of them, that was a fortune.
Even someone of Elder Qin’s status was momentarily stunned by such wealth. A smile spread across his face like he was facing a VIP client.
“Brother Su, there’s really no need for this!”
“Why so polite with me, giving me such a generous gift?”
Despite his words, Elder Qin didn’t hesitate one bit as he reached out and took the talismans with practiced ease.
“I just joined the outer sect, no longer a menial laborer. As an outer sect disciple, I should naturally do my part for the sect…” Su Bai said righteously. “To serve the sect is a blessing.”
Elder Qin thought to himself, this old man really knows how to talk like an official. Getting way too used to flowery words.
“Brother Su’s awareness and dedication command my respect. How about I assign you to the Pill Hall? The work is easy, and there are plenty of pill benefits…” Elder Qin offered a light job in return for the talismans.
If it were anyone else, even with 1,000 Spirit Stones, they wouldn’t land such a post. But since Su Bai was so generous, Elder Qin naturally wanted to win over this big spender.
“The Pill Hall has too many toxic fumes. I’m afraid these old bones of mine wouldn’t be able to handle it…” Su Bai declined.
“Then how about the Forging Hall? You’d just need to help guard the warehouse. Most outer sect disciples get their flying swords from there—it’s a cushy job!” Elder Qin was still generous.
“Guarding a warehouse may be easy, but it carries a lot of responsibility. If anything goes wrong, I couldn’t bear the blame,” Su Bai said with a troubled expression.
Elder Qin raised an eyebrow, visibly annoyed.
You don’t want this job, nor that one. What exactly do you want?
He was starting to regret it. Clearly, these valuable talismans weren’t going to be so easy to accept. This old guy was picky and hard to please. Maybe only a truly ideal job would satisfy him.
“I can’t very well assign you to give massages to the female disciples…” This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
“Though, such a position does exist…”
“But those roles have already been taken by the descendants of inner sect elders.”
Elder Qin tried to be diplomatic.
“Elder Qin, what kind of person do you take me for?” Su Bai said, looking serious. “All I wanted was to go to the Spirit Beast Garden to take care of animals, and yet you take me for some pervert?”
Then his face suddenly broke into a grin. “But I suppose massage work isn’t completely out of the question. I’ve been a menial laborer for decades, and I’m pretty skilled at bone-setting and muscle-relaxing techniques…”
Elder Qin nearly spat out his tea.
You old rascal, how do you change face so quickly?
Mention female cultivators and suddenly you’re full of energy!
“Ahem, Spirit Beast Garden it is! If that’s what you want, I’ll arrange it for you right away!” Elder Qin now only wanted to send Su Bai off quickly. But still, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
The Spirit Beast Garden involved dealing with demonic beasts all day—cleaning up droppings, handling feed. It was a filthy job. Who in their right mind would volunteer for it?
Suddenly, Elder Qin had a bold guess and looked at Su Bai with a strange expression.
“Ahem. Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t have any… special preferences!” Su Bai was speechless. Just how twisted were these old monsters’ minds?
In truth, Su Bai had only one reason for choosing the Spirit Beast Garden.
Other jobs were either dangerous or came with heavy responsibility. But the Spirit Beast Garden? As long as you didn’t let the animals die, it was fine. And demonic beasts were incredibly resilient—it wasn’t easy for them to just die off.
Su Bai, who loved peace and freedom, found this job perfect. He could raise animals when bored, nap when tired, slack off when he felt like it, and no one would care.
This job was a dream.
Even better, the Spirit Beast Garden had tons of delicacies.
A few eggs lost during incubation? Normal.
Some missing honeycombs from the Spirit Bees? No big deal.
A beast fight resulting in a bear missing a paw? Plausible.
And all it cost Su Bai was a dozen True Divine Flame Talismans. Totally worth it.
Of course, normal outer sect disciples wouldn’t dare to pull such stunts. Want to eat bear paw? You’d better have the strength to subdue the bear first—or else you might end up as the main course.
But Su Bai had the Vermilion Bird Demon-Suppressing Sword and the Azure Dragon Technique-enhanced body. Subduing ordinary demonic beasts? Easy.
Late at night, in Lin Xiaoyue’s courtyard.
Su Bai arrived respectfully at her residence, bringing the complete sword manual.
“Senior Sister Lin, I’ve brought the sword manual.”
“Also, here’s your token, returned as promised.”
He looked humble and respectful on the surface, but inside, he was brimming with anticipation.
Once he completed the trade and got the Jade Bracelet, he would pass it to Ziyun—and surely receive an even more powerful artifact in return!
Lin Xiaoyue glanced at the sword manual, and excitement flashed in her eyes.
A powerful technique like this was something other outer sect disciples could only dream of.
Now, she’d gotten it from this old man for a mere token and a bracelet. She’d made an amazing bargain!
“A complete version of the Fire Phoenix Sword Technique!”
“With this, once I enter the inner sect, I’ll likely break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm within three years!”
Her eyes were blazing with desire as she stared at the pages, completely mesmerized. She waved her hand casually, signaling Su Bai to leave.
The Jade Bracelet then floated from her hand and landed precisely in Su Bai’s palm.
[Host has gifted: Fire Phoenix Sword Manual.]
[Triggering Critical Return: Received—Greenwood Sword Technique!]
Su Bai’s heart soared with joy. The Greenwood Sword Technique was an ancient, peculiar move—not only did it unleash powerful sword Qi, but it could also summon plants to bind and lash out at enemies.
Its effects were strange and unconventional—nothing like normal sword styles.
But someday, if he encountered a seductress from the Joyous Union Sect, this odd sword technique might just produce miraculous results.