Living in a demonic sect is hard and terrifying, at least for a disciple by trial.
Three weeks ago, when Gu Changsheng and Jang Yue left Elder Meng's office, they returned to a place outside the sect's main houses, lonely and secluded.
"This is the place you will be staying from now on."
Gu Changsheng said, pointing to a tattered hut. Of course, you can already guess Jang Yue's reaction.
It was not pleasant, but hey, at least he had a place to sleep, right?
Apart from the hut being stuffy, the smell was terrible.
He was a vampire, so his senses were naturally sharper than ordinary humans. But it smelled so bad that he began to wonder who had lived in the hut before him, and how dirty they must have been.
He asked a series of questions about that person, but Gu Changsheng didn't respond. He just told him:
"Find a way to cultivate. Since you have a demonic heart, it means that you were either destined or meant to defy destiny. So find a way before another twenty years pass. I don't want to look for another best friend to recruit into the sect."
With that, Gu Changsheng flew away.
Jang Yue was amazed. So this is the power of cultivation, he thought, watching Gu Changsheng disappear into the distance.
But his problems were just beginning. These were the things that made his three-week stay in the Infinite Demon Sect terrible.
First, he needed food. The sect only gives meals to the outer disciples; inner disciples are never hungry, so they don't eat. But disciples by trial had to work for every single grain of rice they got.
Hence, Jang Yue began to work in spiritual farms and as a cleaner, earning just two sect points. Still, it was better than nothing.
Eating spirit food, however, made things worse. It had no taste whatsoever.
On Earth, the reason he survived for three years without drinking human blood was because he normally drank animal blood. Though not as tasty, it was sufficient to keep him going. Even so, the animal blood made him thin and pale, as if he were on the edge of death itself.
The second problem was his hard-earned sect points.
You might ask, how is that a problem? Well, sect points were used for exchanging things within the sect, from disciples to elders to villagers inside the sect. This included spirit rice, spirit stones, techniques, and so on.
But every time Jang Yue earned a few points, he was challenged to a sect duel. Mandatory, as long as the challenger followed the rules.
The rules were simple: every cultivator in the Infinite Demon Sect had the right to challenge anybody as long as they did not have more than three sub-realms above them. But they could only challenge once a day.
Hence, Jang Yue was like winning the lottery to the outer disciples. Each time they came to his hut, he would throw his broom and choose one person to fight. This was the "right" they gave him.
If he won, he would get one sect point.
Unfortunately, the Bone Tempering realm was far from ordinary.
Still, Jang Yue persevered. After getting beaten to the bone, he fought on just to earn a sect point. He was truly suffering.
His weakness to the sun affected him heavily. He had to fight in a weakened state, covering himself with the cloak Gu Changsheng had given him to prevent burning—limiting his movements.
Today was just like any other day. After earning two sect points, he bought a bag of spirit rice and moved toward his hut.
But hundreds of outer disciples had already gathered, waiting for that one point he had left.
He heaved a sigh.
"Wait here for me, I'll be right back."
He entered his hut and dropped the rice.
In the left corner was a long broom. He grabbed it and ran outside again.
The crowd cheered as he rushed out with his broom.
"Yeeees!"
"Choose me!"
"Me, choose me!"
Jang Yue quickly spun his broom and suddenly landed in front of a chubby outer disciple.
"I guess I'm the lucky one today."
The chubby boy rushed out and bowed.
"I'm Wu Cheng. Please give me some advice."
Everyone knew Jang Yue was going to get a good beating today.
As soon as the greetings finished, Jang Yue took the initiative to attack.
His thin, weak body exploded with all the strength he could gather, yet it seemed not enough because of the suppression from the sun.
He didn't use any special techniques, but having fought every day for three weeks, some moves were already engraved into his memory, though he was unaware of it.
Wu Cheng didn't panic. A little smugness appeared on his face, silently mocking Jang Yue.
Jang Yue was about to hit him, but Wu Cheng shifted just in time, letting Jang Yue's fist graze only his sect uniform.
Not wanting Jang Yue to retreat, Wu Cheng countered with a side kick. Despite his chubby nature, he was as agile as an athlete. Jang Yue muffled a groan, enduring excruciating pain in his left ribs.
Wu Cheng saw him falter and believed he had won.
However, the crowd laughed.
"Fool, get in a stance or you'll be the one on the floor soon."
"He really thinks he won."
"I guess even with second-level Bone Tempering, he still lacks a brain."
"You only win if he passes out."
"Better not use Qi, or you'll lose."
Before Wu Cheng knew it, two legs shot straight toward his face. His heart skipped a beat.
'Oh no'
He dodged just in time, moving to the side where the shadows of tree leaves covered the battle square.
That was close, Wu Cheng thought, resetting his stance.
His small mistake didn't affect the overall situation.
Jang Yue closed in, exchanging fists with Wu Cheng. A tree blocked the sun just enough to lessen his weakness, giving him a fighting chance, though he was still exhausted.
So what if he fell into Jang Yue's trap? Wu Cheng's strength ran deep, even without Qi.
Jang Yue didn't use Qi to keep the fight on equal footing; he was not yet a cultivator.
With two light bangs, Jang Yue was sent flying back to the tree. But as far as he was conscious, one sect point was his motivation. Imagine having two bags of spirit rice in his hut, what a blessing that would be.
Wu Cheng didn't give him a chance and punched him once more in the stomach.
Jang Yue passed out.
Wu Cheng confirmed it and muttered under his breath:
"Junior brother yue, thank you for letting me win."
He didn't feel proud that a junior who wasn't even a cultivator had grazed his clothes.
The crowd dispersed, some talking about the interesting battle, others returning to their daily schedule.
Meanwhile, a feminine figure dressed in black like a ninja quietly watched, recording the events.
"Thirty-nine losses, one win in three weeks," she muttered.
Looking at Jang Yue's pale figure, she removed a healing herb and fed it to him.
"Minus one point for healing herbs."
If Jang Yue knew about this subtraction, he would have been heartbroken. But he remained unconscious.
***
When Jang Yue finally woke up, he was in his hut. The lantern was on, and the hut was carefully arranged.
He thought a kind disciple had helped him inside.
He slowly walked out and sat beside a hilly tree, watching the moon. He felt energized and refreshed.
He knew he was weak...far too weak.
He had tried everything to gain spirit roots, but nothing worked. Not even spirit root pills helped. It was as his body constantly denied the nature of cultivation itself.
But he was doing it all wrong.
How would he move forward?
His goal of gaining eternal life and birthing a lineage like Dracula now seemed futile.
The hazy wind danced around his long hair, his loose robes shifting over his pale skin. The breeze followed its own directions.
Then suddenly, a howl resounded behind him.
When Jang Yue turned, he was shocked to see something he had only read about in textbooks: a demonic beast.
The Hellhound.