Chapter 51

Chapter 51: Live by the Boat

The afterglow of the setting sun gently fell on the mountain path, covering the rocky steps with a layer of orange glow and adding a kind of sacred aura.

It was like they were stepping on sunlight on a path to glory.

Green leaves and colorful flowers could be seen everywhere on both sides of the mountain path. The fragrance of the flowers and the scent of the soil blended into the mountain wind. When the mountain wind blew on their faces, it carried a hint of humidity that pervaded their minds and bodies.

The surrounding trees cast cool shade, and the clear chirping of birds would be heard from time to time. It was as if they were composing a tune for those who would come to the mountain road, including the group of people walking by at that moment.

There were five people in this group, and the round-faced middle-aged man walked at the front. He clasped his hands behind his back as he introduced the sect to Xu Qing and the others behind him.

"Since you’ve successfully joined Seven Blood Pupils, I’ll now explain how the sect works. In fact, in my opinion, Seven Blood Pupils isn’t really a sect."

“It’s more like a huge business under the name of a sect!”

The round-faced middle-aged man spoke lightly, but his words caused the hearts of those four following him to tremble.

Besides Xu Qing, the other three were Zhou Qingpeng, Li Zimei, and another girl.

The girl’s name was Xu Xiaohui. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she wore ordinary clothes. Clearly, she wasn’t from a wealthy family, but she was much better off than the scavengers. Most likely, she had come from a relatively small town.

On the way, she expressed some affection to Xu Qing; however, Xu Qing wasn’t a social person and didn’t like people getting too close to him, so he’d brushed her off with a nod. Thus, Xu Xiaohui soon began to court Zhou Qingpeng instead.

Zhou Qingpeng had a gentle smile, far different from Xu Qing’s reticence. This made the girl feel more intimate, and the two of them occasionally whispered to each other on the way.

On the other hand, Li Zimei was very reserved and seemed quite timid. She walked at the back of the group, keeping a certain distance from everyone else.

However, Zhou Qingpeng paid close attention to her and Xu Qing. He would occasionally smile at them, making Li Zimei seem less reserved.

At that moment, the mountain wind blew past them, lifting everyone’s hair and carrying the round-faced middle-aged man’s words.

“Seven Blood Pupils is split into the mountain and the foot of the mountain. You can consider it as two different worlds, and there is indeed a world of difference between them. And you… are mountainfoot disciples.”

“Only Foundation Establishment cultivators have the qualification to go up the mountain and the right to receive benefits from Seven Blood Pupils. On the other hand, the mountainfoot disciples have to struggle and suffer to survive.”

“So, for mountainfoot disciples, going up the mountain is their greatest desire. Do you know how many people are in the main city at the foot of the mountain?” The round-faced middle-aged man glanced at the four young men and women behind him.

"Three million people!" He raised his right hand and stretched out three fingers.

“These three million people include commoners as well as the low-level disciples of all the peaks. You will also be part of them, and you’ll need to survive under the Seven Blood Pupils’ rules.”

“The rules of the Seven Blood Pupils main city are very simple. In a word, everything is contribution points. Everyone at the foot of the mountain, be they commoners or disciples, must pay 30 contribution points, or 30 spirit coins, every day to live in the main city.”

“The contribution points are automatically deducted every day. Once the number in the token reaches zero, you’ll be expelled from Seven Blood Pupils. This is the case for both commoners and disciples.”

“If you try to forcibly stay, then after two hours, the array will kill you.”

The round-faced cultivator’s words caused Xu Qing and the others’ complexions to change. Even if Zhou Qingpeng already had some understanding previously, hearing the rules again right now, his eyes still showed fear.

“This is just the basic cost to live here. As for food and accommodations, you’ll have to find out for yourself. It’s survival of the fittest. The prices in the Seven Blood Pupils main city are all extremely high, but the highest prices are given to cultivation resources.”

Listening to the round-faced cultivator's words, Xu Qing fell silent, and the other three were shocked by the harsh words. Xu Xiaohui hesitated for a moment before asking in a low voice.

“Since that’s the case, why are there so many commoners coming here? 30 spirit coins a day… that’s one spirit stone a month. It’s too expensive. Besides, if we still have to pay contribution points even after becoming official disciples, what’s the point of becoming a disciple in the first place?”

The round-faced middle-aged man glanced at Xu Xiaohui.

“The commoners who teleport over here are all capable people with deep pockets. The reason why they all rush over here is because the Seven Blood Pupils main city protects them. Disciples aren’t allowed to indiscriminately kill innocent people, plus… there’s a heterogeneity-isolating array here that increases their lifespan.”

“Compared to outside, where there’s rich heterogeneity, mutated beasts, and villains everywhere, the Seven Blood Pupils main city is naturally a dream destination.”

“As for the use of becoming a disciple?”

“First, cultivation resources are only sold to those who have the status of disciples. Others can’t buy them, and spreading them outside is strictly forbidden. Once you’re caught, you’ll definitely die.”

“Second, only disciples who cultivate the Seven Blood Pupils cultivation technique can go up the mountain and obtain the right to receive benefits from Seven Blood Pupils after reaching Foundation Establishment. Thus, you all must work hard in the future. Although the sect obviously forbids disciples from killing each other… every month, a number of disciples still disappear inexplicably. Generally, the sect will turn a blind eye to this. When raising Gu[1], deaths and injuries are expected.”

“But if a foreign Foundation Establishment cultivator takes action against you Qi Condensation disciples, they’ll be severely punished. This is a violation of the rules of Seven Blood Pupils. Of course, if a foreign Qi Condensation cultivator makes a move, the sect generally won’t care.

The round-faced cultivator smiled meaningfully.

Hearing these words, Xu Qing was slightly relieved. This was one of the primary reasons he came to Seven Blood Pupils.

At that moment, Li Zimei hesitantly asked a question from the side.

“If it’s like this, how will the disciples growing up in such an environment feel a sense of belonging? What happens to the sect’s solidarity?”

The round-faced cultivator laughed.

“Solidarity? What is solidarity? Friendship is a kind of solidarity, gratitude is another, reverence is a third, but none of these are sturdy. In this cruel and chaotic world, the real sense of belonging, the real solidarity, is only benefits!”

"As long as a Seven Blood Pupils disciple breaks through to Foundation Establishment with the Seven Blood Pupils’ cultivation technique, they will be eligible to go up the mountain and even have the right to receive a share of benefits from Seven Blood Pupils.”

"Seven Blood Pupils' monthly income is publicly known. It comes from everyone’s living expenses, sales of cultivation resources, and the trading by the port. Almost 500 million spirit coins are earned every day, or 500,000 spirit stones. Every month, there’s 15 million spirit stones’ worth of proceeds.”

“These benefits are distributed according to the rights and interests of cultivators at different cultivation levels. Aside from the sect itself retaining a portion for daily expenses, the rest is distributed to all disciples at Foundation Establishment and above.”

“The higher the level of cultivation, the bigger the share of benefits. Disciples at early Foundation Establishment get about 5,000 spirit stones a month. If they reach Core Formation, they can get at least several tens of thousands of spirit stones per month.”

"That's why I said that Seven Blood Pupils is more like a business. Foundation Establishment cultivators who go up the mountain are equivalent to shareholders in this business. As long as Seven Blood Pupils exists a day longer, you’ll earn an extra day of benefits!”

“So, do you think that when a foreign enemy comes to plunder your property, will you just watch as your benefits are stolen without taking action?”

As the round-faced cultivators spoke, Xu Qing’s eyes showed a deep light. At this moment, he thoroughly understood Seven Blood Pupils.

Perhaps it was as he said. In this chaotic world, maybe… benefits were the true solidarity.

Li Zimei also fell silent, no longer speaking.

The round-faced cultivator smiled lightly. He had brought many new disciples up the mountain, and he had said these words many times. In this chaotic world, benefits were an eternal truth. At that moment, he pointed at the foot of the mountain.

“Let me tell you about the prosperity of Seven Blood Pupils. Look over there. That’s the largest port in the entire South Phoenix continent, and an endless stream of ships comes and goes every day. No matter which power from outside wants to transport goods, or which disciples from other peaks want to go to sea for missions, they all have to pass through the port. And this port is controlled by our Seventh Peak.”

“And boats… are the key to our Seventh Peak’s cultivation. We call them magic boats.”

Xu Qing looked in the direction of the round-faced cultivator’s finger. Right now, under the light of the setting sun, he could clearly see the port of the main city from his position on the mountain.

Near the great sea, several horseshoe-shaped docks had been dug out. Each of them was very large and seemed to be capable of accommodating a large number of boats. There were quite a few such docks, numbering in the hundreds.

The whole port was very large, and it seemed to be split into two colors. Half of the port was filled with white docks where huge merchant ships came and went. As for the other half, there were purple docks with purple buildings, and the boats in the purple docks were small and densely packed.

In addition, each dock had a gate and a tall lighthouse.

“The white docks are for outsiders, and the purple ones are where our Seventh Peak disciples live.”

“The boats in the purple docks are the magic boats I just mentioned!” The round-faced cultivator said.

“Our Seventh Peak’s magic boats are famous throughout all of South Phoenix, and they’re also the core of our cultivation.”

“A magic boat isn’t just your residence, but also your mount, battle partner, and a necessity for obtaining resources. It’s not at all mistaken to regard the magic boat as a… magic treasure!”

When the round-faced cultivator spoke to this point, Li Zimei and Xu Xiaohui’s eyes widened. They obviously knew about magic treasures. Zhou Qingpeng’s eyes also revealed anticipation.

Xu Qing, too, was shocked. He was very clear about the value and rarity of magic treasures, so he took another look at the purple docks in the port. However, the densely packed boats made him feel like the supposed rarity of magic treasures seemed to be a bit overstated.

“Of course, it’s not a magic treasure in the truest sense, but our Seventh Peak’s magic boats have the potential for growth. As your cultivation level improves and you continue to refine it, it’s not impossible that the boat will become a real magic weapon one day.”

“Thus, owning your own magic boat is the most important goal for every disciple who’s just joined the Seventh Peak.”

“Unfortunately, even the most basic magic boat still needs to be bought. It costs 100,000 contribution points, or 100 spirit stones.”

“Furthermore, only disciples who own magic boats are eligible to be randomly assigned to work and cultivate in the harbor.”

“As for those disciples who don’t have a magic boat, they can only find ways to make money on their own. Their time limit is three years – if they can’t accumulate enough contribution points to buy a magic boat within three years, they’ll be expelled from the sect.”

“This is because our Seventh Peak’s cultivation technique is related to the sea. By cultivating on the boat, with the help of the Spirit Gathering Array inside, you’ll get twice the results with half the effort. By the way, the cultivation technique can be gotten for free after becoming a disciple.”

Listening to the round-faced man’s words, Xu Qing’s heart beat stirred. He was very interested in the Seventh Peak’s special magic boat, and he also gradually learned more about the Seventh Peak.

The magic boat was key for the disciples of the Seventh Peak.

Disciples who owned a magic boat would be assigned work and were eligible to live in the purple dock area of the port. This was why the round-faced middle-aged man had called the boat a residence earlier. Unfortunately, living on the boat still cost contribution points.

But the disciples without boats could only stay on the shore, doing menial tasks, struggling to cultivate, and working hard every day to accumulate contribution points.

Moreover, when anyone from the other peaks or even the entire South Phoenix continent wanted to go out to sea, they had to pass through the port. Seventh Peak disciples often rented out their boats to earn contribution points.

Throughout the Seventh Peak, the vast majority of disciples did this. Everyone tried their was trying their best to survive and break through into Foundation Establishment in order to receive the Seven Blood Pupils benefits.

“So, here in the Seventh Peak, cultivating with the magic boat is the key to survival before reaching Foundation Establishment.”

“I have to purchase a magic boat as soon as possible!” Xu Qing’s eyes were bright, and he felt a strong sense of urgency in his heart.

Just like that, as the round-faced cultivator talked along the way, Xu Qing’s group arrived at the halfway point up the mountain. Here, the new disciples’ identity token would be activated, and they would receive the Seventh Peak’s cultivation technique and a Daoist robe.

All their Daoist robes were the same color – gray.

A gray Daoist robe was the basic clothing for all Seven Blood Pupils disciples. As long as their identity tokens were activated, they would receive a robe free of charge.

Just activating the token cost 1,000 contribution points. An activated token recorded your basic information and contribution points, and it could also be used for communication.

Soon, everyone received the cultivation technique and activated their identity tokens one after another, also receiving the gray robe in the process. Xu Qing held the robe in his hand, feeling the vague spiritual energy fluctuations rolling off of it. Clearly, it was made of pretty good material.

It was extremely soft to the touch and wouldn’t easily form wrinkles. If taken outside, just the robe itself might sell for quite a lot.

Next to Xu Qing, Li Zimei was also stroking the Taoist robe, and she showed firmness in her eyes. On the other hand, Xu Xiaohui was looking at Zhou Qingpeng.

Zhou Qingpeng blinked, glancing at the round-faced cultivator and the senior from the sect who was distributing the supplies. Suddenly, he spoke softly.

“Senior, Junior wishes to purchase a magic boat.”

The round-faced cultivator smiled when he heard these words. The one handing out supplies, a skinny old man, glanced over at Zhou Qingpeng and spoke lightly.

"One hundred thousand contribution points, or one hundred spirit stones."

Li Zimei and Xu Xiaohui both inhaled deeply as soon as the skinny old man spoke. To them, one hundred spirit stones was an unimaginable amount of wealth.

But Zhou Qingpeng quickly hurried forward, taking out a golden ticket and respectfully handing it over.

“Second Peak’s spirit ticket? Alright.” After looking at the ticket, the old man put it away, taking out a purple brocade box and handing it to Zhou Qingpeng. Then he looked at the other three.

“Who else wants to buy?”

Both Li Zimei and Xu Xiaohui lowered their heads. Xu Qing pondered for a bit and then endured the pain in his heart as he stepped forward. He took out a hundred spirit stones from the cloth bag and placed them in front of the skinny old man.

The old man didn’t speak further, handing Xu Qing a brocade box. Li Zimei and Xu Xiaohui looked envious, and Zhou Qingpeng gave him a sidelong glance.

Xu Qing accepted the box and opened it up. There were only two items in the brocade box – a jade slip and a small and clear bottle.

The bottle was very strange. It was only the size of a palm, and it was half-filled with a liquid that seemed like sea water. Floating on top of the sea water was actually a small dark awning boat![2]

This small boat was completely black, and although it seemed simple, every plank was filled with runes. Even though the boat was trapped in a bottle, waves of pressure still spread out.

It could be said that the bottle itself and the boat inside were both worth far more than one hundred spirit stones. As for the jade slip, it recorded important information about the dark awning boat.

“Alright, you can head down the mountain now. Remember that the cultivation technique and the magic boat can’t be shared with outsiders, or else… you’ll be very miserable.” The voice of the round-faced middle-aged man interrupted Xu Qing’s thoughts.

“Xu Xiaohui and Li Zimei, you should work hard and do your best to buy a magic boat as soon as possible. As for Zhou Qingpeng and Xu Qing, your identity tokens already have information about your assignments, so you can go ahead with those.”

The four of them immediately cupped their fists towards the round-faced cultivator. Xu Qing was about to leave, but the round-faced cultivator called out to stop him.

"Xu Qing."

Xu Qing turned his head and looked at the round-faced cultivator respectfully.

“Among low-level cultivators, you are very strong. Although your cultivation is only at the seventh level of Qi Condensation, you’ve already reached Qi and Blood Form a Shadow, which is only used by peak body refiners. Your talent is very good, and among low-level cultivators, you’re already an expert. You probably wouldn’t have any trouble fighting loose cultivators or small sect cultivators at the ninth or tenth levels of Qi Condensation.”

“However, body refinement is too simple in the end. It’s just accumulating more speed, strength, and stamina. It isn’t the Great Dao.”

“The Great Dao of we cultivators is cultivating spells! I advise you to pay more attention to spells in the future. The spiritual energy that can be contained in your body is too weak. Against loose cultivators, it’s enough, but you’ll suffer quite a bit if you run into disciples of a major sect!”

Xu Qing was shocked when he heard this.

“Also, I don’t know where you were living previously, but I think it must have been a dangerous place. You’ve developed some instinctual habits.”

“Habits?” Xu Qing was taken aback.

“Since I proctored you this time, I’ll remind you. For example, when you walk, your right hand barely moves, and your index and middle fingers in particular are always on guard. I’m guessing that in the leather bag hanging on your right, there’s some needle-shaped weapon or a throwing knife that can be clamped with two fingers, and you’re always ready to take it out at any moment.”

Xu Qing's expression froze. It was the first time anyone had seen through him so clearly.

“But let me tell you, it’s best to not let your habits become your nature. If you remain like this, others will easily see through you, and you’ll be at a disadvantage against them. Always hide your edge, like a needle hidden in cotton. That’s the way of our generation.”

The round-faced middle-aged man smiled and spoke nonchalantly. To him, reminding Xu Qing was nothing more than a casual mention.

However, Xu Qing felt his back break out into a cold sweat. After standing shocked for a while, he took a deep breath and bowed deeply to the round-faced middle-aged man.

As he walked down the mountain, Xu Qing constantly replayed the middle-aged man’s words in his heart. He looked down at his right hand and tried his best to make it look natural.

As he tested things out, his right hand gradually changed. It no longer stayed still when he moved, shaking along with his steps a little more naturally. However, looking carefully, although his movements seemed natural, they appeared to hide a sharp edge.

Xu Qing continued to walk down the mountain. At the same time, in an unknown scavenger camp in a wilderness far away from Seven Blood Pupils, the Seventh Master was squatting on a roof, looking with interest at a youth not far away. The youth was fighting with a wild dog with a bloodthirsty expression, and his mouth was full of dog fur, flesh.

Watching this scene, the Seventh Master’s eyes revealed appreciation.

Next to him, his servant, who was also squatting down, suddenly took out a jade slip. After checking it, he spoke in a low voice.

"Seventh Master, Kid has arrived at Seven Blood Pupils."

"What kid?" Seventh Master replied casually, looking at the youth in front of him.

The servant smiled wryly and explained in a low voice.

“It’s that boy who didn’t wear his new clothes when he went out to kill. You also helped him learn the Dao of Vegetation from Grandmaster Bai, and later gave him a white token.”

Seventh Master had a dazed look on his face as he nodded. Recalling Xu Qing, his eyes showed appreciation again.

“I remember. He was a kind and loyal child.”

“Should we pay special attention to him?” The servant asked.

Seventh Master waved his hand.

“No need. In this chaotic world, if you want to survive, you should work hard and rely on yourself. If he can rely on himself and finally appear in front of me, I’ll grant him an opportunity.” As he spoke, the Seventh Master pointed at the youth fighting a wild dog in the distance.

“What do you think? Comparing this youth with that Kid, which one’s more like a wolf cub?”

The servant glanced at the youth and smiled wryly. He had already answered a similar question several times, and this was already the ninth child the Seventh Master had been impressed by since Xu Qing.

"About the same."

Hearing this, the Seventh Master gave the servant a sideways glance and suddenly laughed.

“I helped Kid with Grandmaster Bai and gave him a white token. This was a favor, but it doesn’t mean I have to accept him as a disciple. I don’t owe him anything, I’m just giving him a chance.”

“And I really want to accept the fourth, but back then, I only accepted the third after giving out more than 50 white tokens. You haven’t been with me for long, so you’re not aware of my habits.”

“This time around, I think 50 tokens won’t be enough for me to find the fourth. I’ll probably need more than a hundred tokens.”

“You can go ahead and give this youth a white token. Remember, you still don’t need to say anything extra.” After Seventh Master spoke, he stood up and walked into the distance.

[1] Raising Gu is a practice of dumping a bunch of venomous creatures (usually scorpions, spiders, and the like) into a jar and letting them fight it out. Supposedly, all of their venom would be concentrated into the final survivor.

[2] It’s a boat that looks like this.

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