"Did you need something?"
"I know a senior sister at the Sword Pavilion. If you need a sword, we can go pick one out. You can pay me back for the Spirit Stones later."
Hu Jing said, looking at Wang Meng with a strange expression. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but Wang Meng seemed different. He was more composed, and his gaze had become incredibly deep. Compared to his old, carefree personality, he seemed to have matured a great deal.
Wang Meng smiled. "No, thanks. I already have a sword. It'll do for now."
Wang Meng took out his broken blade.
"Is that really going to work?"
"It's enough for cultivation."
Just then, Hu Jing's Messenger, a Little Spirit Fox, ran over. Hu Jing nodded. "My master is calling me, so I have to go."
Wang Meng nodded. 'In my past life, I abandoned everything I could for the sake of cultivation. This time around, I'll cherish what I have in front of me. Meetings may lead to partings, but until then, I want to help those two a little more.'
'Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.' What Wang Meng wanted to impart was the ability to survive. This was far safer and more valuable than any Cultivation Technique or Magical Artifact.
...Suddenly, Wang Meng realized he was completely broke himself, with only a single Spirit Stone and a broken blade to his name.
'I've really never been this pathetic before.'
"Looks like it's time for me to get to work, too."
Wang Meng ambled over to the Thunderlight Pavilion. This was the place for disciples to accept missions, find part-time work, or earn Contribution Points.
A young girl with a round face came out. "Excuse me, Senior, is there anything you need?"
Wang Meng smiled. "My assignment for the year is to cultivate a Spirit Field, so I've come to get some seeds."
"Of course, Senior. May I see your Holy Order?"
Wang Meng took it out. Every official disciple had one, which recorded their Contribution Points to the Holy Hall. For purchases within the Holy Hall, one could use either Spirit Stones or Contribution Points.
The young girl took the Holy Order and swiped it over a crystalline jade tablet. She smiled. "This must be your first assignment, Senior. Every new disciple starts with ten Contribution Points, but these Spirit Valley seeds will use up all ten. Are you sure?"
"I'm a newcomer. Just call me Wang Meng."
The round-faced girl giggled. "My name is Xiaotian. We call all our customers Senior Brother or Senior Sister here. I'm just working part-time, too."
"Ah, I see. In that case, I'll take all the Spirit Valley seeds."
"Alright, Senior Brother Wang." The girl swiped the tablet again, returned the Holy Order to Wang Meng, and then retrieved a small bag of Spirit Valley seeds from the storeroom in the back.
"Senior, come find me when it's harvest time. I'll give you a better price."
The young girl said with a sweet smile.
"Sounds good." Wang Meng wasn't particularly concerned.
"Oh, right! Senior Brother Wang, wait a second." The young girl rushed back inside and came out with a Talisman. "Senior Brother Wang, this... is a Wind Cloud Talisman I made myself. It might not be very good, but I hope it can be of some use."
She pressed it into Wang Meng's hand, blinking her big, dark eyes. Wang Meng smiled. "In that case, I won't be polite. As you can see, I'm penniless at the moment. But when I make it big someday, I'll be sure to treat you to a feast."
The young girl bit her lip. "You have to keep your promise, Senior Brother Wang."
Wang Meng nodded, a warmth spreading through his chest. 'No wonder they say Saint Cultivators lead a blessed life,' he thought. 'If I were among Evil or Demon Cultivators, I wouldn't encounter this kind of thing in a million years.'
He could tell just by touching the Wind Cloud Talisman that it was poorly made. Still, it was the thought that counted, and refusing it would have only hurt her feelings.
With his broken blade in hand, Wang Meng ambled toward his Spirit Field. 'Clearing land and planting crops... Tsk, tsk. This really is a novel experience,' he thought.
Right now, the talk of the city was the destruction of the Sword Tomb. For Thunderlight Hall, it was as if someone had dug up their ancestral graves. The problem was, their own Ancestral Master had been the one to do the digging, so all they could do was grit their teeth and swallow their bitterness.
Many disciples, especially Sword Cultivators, had joined Thunderlight Hall specifically for the Sword Tomb. Before the age of thirty, one could challenge its Sword Array. If they were lucky enough to obtain a Treasure Sword, their future cultivation would be much easier. Who could have imagined things would turn out this way?
With the Sword Tomb gone, some disciples began thinking of transferring to other halls.
While the Holy Hall didn't encourage such transfers, it didn't prohibit them either.
"Aunt, I'm going to Dao Guang Hall!" Zhao Guang was fuming. 'I'm a distinguished member of the Zhao Family, and a powerful one at that! It was humiliating enough being stuck in this godforsaken place. I'd planned to challenge the Sword Tomb once I reached the Twenty Layers within the next two years. Now the Sword Tomb is gone, all for nothing. What's the point of staying here anymore?'
Zhao Ya felt helpless. She knew what Zhao Guang was thinking, but as an Elder of Thunderlight Hall, she also knew that if he left, the hall might never recover.
"Do you really have to leave? Xu Huang has been good to you," Zhao Ya said.
"Aunt, Elder Xu and I don't see eye to eye. Our backgrounds are too different. To be frank, we barely get along, and I'm sure you've noticed. Besides, Thunderlight Hall's standards are pathetic; staying here will hinder my cultivation. Now that the Sword Tomb is gone, Dao Guang Hall is my only option. And even if I didn't suggest it, the family would."
Zhao Guang truly felt no attachment to this wretched place.
Zhao Ya sighed and waved him away. She was the one who had pulled strings to get him here, all to boost Thunderlight Hall's prestige. If it weren't for Zhao Guang, the younger generation of Thunderlight Hall wouldn't have a single person of note. In the end, it was all for naught. She had no idea how she was going to face the Thunder Ancestor Master.
In the Holy Hall's Grand Competition two years from now, Thunderlight Hall was likely doomed to finish last. Life would not be easy for the Elders, either.
On his way out, Zhao Guang ran into Hu Jing. 'This wretched place has nothing to offer,' he thought. 'Although... if there's one thing...' His eyes landed on Hu Jing. 'She's turning into a real beauty, and her talent isn't bad either. A commoner like her... offer her a few benefits, and she'll follow me around like a puppy.'
A flush of heat went through him at the thought.
"Junior Sister Hu, perfect timing. There's something I need to talk to you about," Zhao Guang said with a smile, putting on the airs of the Senior disciple.
Hu Jing stopped. "What is it, Senior?"
"Ahem, it's not very convenient to talk here. Let's go over there."
Hu Jing gave a slight smile. "If it's something that can be said, you can say it here. My master is waiting for me."
Her smile made her even more beautiful. Though she didn't come from a Cultivation Family, she possessed a captivating quality. After cultivating for some time, it was beginning to radiate from her, like a budding orchid—subtly fragrant and lasting.
"I'm sure you've heard about the Sword Tomb's destruction, Junior Sister Hu."
"I have. It seems Ancestor Master Lei did it intentionally. Perhaps he wants us to be reborn from the ashes and not build our honor on past glories."
"Reborn from the ashes? What a joke! Thunderlight Hall's standards are pathetic. If the Zhao Family didn't owe Thunderbolt a favor, my aunt would've never come here. Now that the Sword Tomb is gone, it won't be long before all the outstanding disciples leave. My aunt might even leave. Come with me. Let's go to Dao Guang Hall. That's where all the best of the Holy Hall's younger generation are. You can only grow properly in a place with high standards."
Zhao Guang spoke with an easy confidence, his voice filled with an air of superiority.