One early morning, Song Yan, Qi Yao, and Xu Changjun were called to a mountainside at the entrance of the lonely cliff.
Zhang Senior Brother, whom they had met during the transmission of skills and receiving the Jade Token, was sitting in a stone pavilion with an elder and a woman.
The elder had a gaunt face, aged cheeks, and his mouth and eyes were lined with tree bark-like wrinkles. He looked nothing like a cultivator, more like an ordinary person, yet in the "Refining Profound Realm," one cannot increase lifespan, and there are many cultivators who die of old age trapped in this realm.
The woman wore a suitably fitted double-faced Profound Robe, with spring-like eyebrows and eyes. Her demeanor carried a hint of the enticing charm of a young married woman yet unsatisfied. She might not be exceedingly beautiful, but she was by no means plain, and along with her alluring aura, any mortal man who saw her would likely be easily swayed and distracted.
The woman smiled as she looked at the approaching people.
She was Wang Susu.
The elder was also somewhat familiar; Song Yan recalled he was an "official disciple" named Kang Defu who had "passed the test" earlier than Wang Susu.
Gaining the ability to cultivate Profound in old age, who knows if it's lucky or unfortunate.
"Come, circulate your Profound Qi. If you can manage even a wisp, you pass," Zhang Senior Brother said directly, "Who will go first?"
Although Qi Yao was a woman, she stepped forward boldly and said, "I'll go."
After speaking, she stretched out her hand.
Zhang Senior Brother, as if checking a pulse, placed his fingers on the back of her hand, closed his eyes briefly, then nodded with them open again, saying kindly, "Junior Sister Qi, step behind me."
Wang Susu and Kang Defu also smiled at Qi Yao, both offering congratulations.
Qi Yao swept a glance at Wang Susu's eyes, as if they said, "What are you pretending, chaste female knight? Didn't you siphon off Profound Qi from men through those Yin-Yang techniques? Were you a chaste female knight when you extracted Profound Qi?"
Qi Yao's face turned frosty, extremely cold.
Wang Susu rolled her eyes but didn't mind, simply wore a fox-like smile as her gaze shifted to the second person being tested, Song Yan.
"Junior Brother Song, not bad. Your wisp of Profound Qi is quite pure, which means your bones may not be perfect, but your talent is definitely sound." Zhang Senior Brother, having finished assessing Song Yan, showed a slight smile and curiously asked, "Could the Strengthening Ginseng Pill given to the Furnace have this effect?"
Song Yan replied, "Junior Brother simply couldn't bear to see that woman die, so while taking from her, I also supplemented her, without thinking too much about it."
Successfully passing the test, he felt quite pleased.
It was just that the test wasn't nearly as difficult as he imagined.
One only needed to guide the Profound Qi within to the arm to pass directly, no need to hide it so deeply...
Zhang Senior Brother was momentarily stunned. Being a disciple of the Demon Sect, his actions were quite indifferent and ruthless, but everyone, no matter how indifferent and ruthless, wished the best for those around them.
He nodded, his impression of Song Yan improved slightly.
Wang Susu's initially smiling eyes gradually showed an expression of disbelief. She stared at Song Yan, who had passed the test, feeling it impossible, but quickly composed herself and laughed, "I thought all grudges with Junior Brother Song were ended, never expected we had good fortune instead."
She was reminding Song Yan that despite past conflicts, everything had ended on that day.
Song Yan nodded; he had reached the second layer of Refining Profound, why would he care anymore?
Qi Yao was genuinely shocked and stammered, "You... you passed?"
"I passed."
Song Yan responded and then stood by the column at the side of the stone pavilion.
Qi Yao looked around, bypassed Wang Susu, and stood right next to Song Yan.
Compared to those like Wang Susu and Kang Defu, who relied on taking others' lifespans to cultivate, she felt more favorable towards Song Yan.
Just then, Zhang Senior Brother spoke.
"Xu Changjun, go back. Your cultivation isn't enough, and you're likely to never encounter the Profound Dao in this lifetime."
The handsome, tall man seemed unfazed, only pretending to be slightly saddened and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Master Zhang. Then I'll return to the Tannery."
Zhang Senior Brother ignored him.
Just a servant.
What's there to care about?
Zhang Senior Brother looked at Song Yan and Qi Yao, saying, "Currently, my Tannery lacks staff. You came from the Tannery as servants, so remain here to cultivate. The Cave Mansion resources that Official Disciples receive won't be spared from you."
Immediately, he coldly added, "Don't talk about going to the main peak or other nonsense; such good fortune is not for you."
After glancing at both of them and seeing neither showed discontent, Zhang Senior Brother smiled and said, "Come along, I'll take you to entry-level, choose a Cave Mansion, and enjoy... certain benefits only Official Disciples can have."
After saying this, his eyes flashed with an odd color and he smiled playfully, "You chose a good time for entry-level; the benefits are truly good, come... let me show you."
...
...
The peak where the Tannery is located is called South Bamboo Peak, an outer peak of Shadow Puppet Peak.
Brother Zhang is named Zhang Yin, the second disciple of Cheng Danqing, the Peak Master of South Bamboo Peak.
This Cheng Danqing holds the position of Internal Affairs Steward at Shadow Puppet Peak, wearing a white robe, but with a double-faced pattern embroidered on the back.
At Shadow Puppet Peak, robes are in two colors: profound and white.
Profound signifies ordinary disciples; white denotes status.
The double-faced pattern on the back of the robes also comes in two variants: profound and red.
Profound represents the outer sect; red signifies the inner sect.
Cheng Danqing's ability to wear a white robe indicates his considerable status, overseeing a mountain peak; however, the profound pattern suggests he is neither an Elder nor part of the inner sect, thus unable to access the higher-level Unique Cultivation Techniques and Secret Techniques of the Puppet Palace.
From this, it can be entirely deduced that the position of the Tannery is not high within the entirety of Shadow Puppet Peak.
Song Yan and Qi Yao quickly paid their respects to Cheng Danqing, switched to the uniform of Profound Patterned Robes, and simultaneously changed their Identity Tokens.
The material of the tokens also changed from the original Black Wood to Black Jade.
Song Yan glanced at the token: Song Yan, Official Disciple, Shadow Puppet 334.
Qi Yao, on the other hand, was "Shadow Puppet 333."
Zhang Yin continued explaining, "Anonymous Contribution Points Cards are only for servants, henceforth your Identity Tokens will also serve as your Contribution Points Cards. Even if someone picks them up, they can't use them; if you die, the contribution points within the token will automatically become void."
"As for the disciples of Shadow Puppet Peak, actually there are about six hundred people. If someone falls, their token number will vacate and be sequentially replaced by subsequent disciples.
The tokens you two received belonged to disciples who fell in the past few days."
Unable to restrain himself, Song Yan asked, "Brother Zhang, do you know how those two brothers fell?"
Zhang Yin gave him a deep glance, solemnly saying, "Our Puppet Palace is located in the middle of the Three Kingdoms, Wei, Shu, and Wu. The Nanwu Sword Sect prides itself on being the Righteous Dao and often harbors the intention of destroying our sect. Their disciples wander around our sect's periphery; if encountered, magical battles are inevitable. Your and Junior Sister Qi's tokens belonged to disciples who died in such battles."
Nanwu Sword Sect?
Song Yan vaguely heard a bit about it, told to him by Qiu Lianyue, but since Qiu Lianyue was a mortal merchant's daughter, she only knew the name.
Qi Yao, however, remained silent, with a hint of secret delight in her heart, thinking: 'It would be best to kill all of you evil demons.'
The three continued walking in the mountains for a while longer, and Zhang Yin pointed ahead, saying, "Your Cave Mansions are just ahead. Rest well today, and tomorrow go to learn the cultivation techniques and understand the affairs.
As for the benefits Brother mentioned, having come this far, there's no harm in telling you.
Great Wei is dying; newly risen is a gang from the Mortal World called the Blood Gun Gang. To curry favor with our sect, they sent numerous royal bloodline members to our sect in numerous batches.
The Empresses, concubines, princesses, princes, as well as sons and daughters of Prince Mansions, were all included.
The Great Wei Royal Family's bloodline has an exceptionally thin Multi-tailed Fox Race bloodline, thus the men are handsome, and the women charming. Their mutual enjoyment not only brings pleasure but also allows more Profound Qi to be extracted because of their bloodline, making them excellent Furnaces.
You may be able to cultivate, but if your Profound Root is only a subpar Human Profound Root, the cultivation methods you can rely on are none other than Dual Cultivation and Elixirs.
Therefore, the Furnace is extremely important.
Today, you're also lucky to each have been assigned a member of Great Wei Royal Family bloodline, as you enter the mansion, you'll see clearly.
There is Fanatic Fans on the stone table, which counts as a daily benefit for Official Disciples, a bottle per month."
Qi Yao blushed slightly at these words, concealing both shame and anger, secretly saying in her heart: 'The Demon Sect is truly damnable.'
Song Yan took the opportunity to say, "Brother Zhang, speaking of the Furnace, I have one at the Tannery, which is handy to use. Plus, I fed her quite a few Strengthening Ginseng Pills, could I bring her with me to the Cave Mansion?"
Qiu Lianyue was eagerly hoping for him to rescue her from the fire pit, hence giving both her body and contribution points; if he passed the test now yet didn't pull her out, then she'd likely despair to the point of suicide.
Zhang Yin nodded, saying, "Since she's a Furnace, it's not against the rules. You can bring her later, transitioning servants' identities is very easy; Brother will help you register, and you can treat her as your mansion's person."
Song Yan quietly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of "finally fulfilling my duty."
And thinking about not needing to sleep in the Suspended Room anymore, his mood eased a bit.
Tanning, it prolongs life, which he quite likes.
But the identity of the Tannery and servant is like walking on thin ice, he didn't like it.
How things will go in the future, he'll take one step at a time.