The Sect’s First Earnings

Boom!

The crumbling half-wall, which had long been on the verge of collapse, finally surrendered to the ravages of time.

Swept by a foul-smelling gale, it gave way completely, kicking up a choking cloud of yellow dust.

More than a dozen Bloodthirsty Wind Wolves, each as large as a full-grown water buffalo, stepped over the shattered bricks and broken tiles into the courtyard of the Wentian Sect.

According to the Bestiary of the Eastern Profound Continent, Bloodthirsty Wind Wolves were merely low-tier demonic beasts that didn’t even qualify for the lowest official rank.

But they were notoriously savage, with bodies as hard as iron.

Once they hunted in packs, even ordinary Qi Refinement cultivators would rather avoid them than fight.

The faint wind-element demonic power flowing through their bodies made them even deadlier, allowing them to stalk their prey in utter silence like wandering ghosts.

At that moment, every wolf’s glowing green eyes were fixed on the alchemy furnace in the center of the courtyard.

Drool dripped from their interlocking fangs onto the bluestone floor, hissing as it corroded the stone.

“M-Master…”

Yu Ruyan’s little face turned deathly pale.

She had just eaten fried chicken infused with Spirit Gathering Liquid.

The tremendous medicinal power had cleansed her meridians, washed away the impurities in her body, and left her feeling as though she possessed endless strength.

But at the end of the day, she was still a simple-minded girl who had never even killed a chicken.

All she could think was that those beasts had enormous mouths.

One bite was all it would take to tear her head clean off.

Instinctively, Yu Ruyan shrank closer to Qin Lin.

Her tiny hands gripped the battered wooden sword so tightly that the splintered tip trembled.

“Master! Wolves! Such huge wolves!”

“Please hurry and wipe them out!”

She tugged anxiously at Qin Lin’s sleeve.

Sitting calmly in the Grand Master’s chair, Qin Lin stared at the Wind Wolves towering over him.

His scalp tingled with terror.

‘Wipe them out my ass!’

‘I only have one year’s worth of pitiful cultivation!’

‘Charging in would be nothing but suicide!’

Qin Lin was panicking so badly he almost lost his composure.

But… his disciple was watching.

He slowly picked up the coarse porcelain teacup on the table.

With practiced elegance, he even used the lid to skim away the floating tea leaves.

“What are you panicking for?”

Qin Lin frowned slightly.

“If I were to make a move, are you insulting your master…”

“…or do you simply not want to eat roasted wolf legs anymore?”

“Huh?”

Yu Ruyan froze.

Qin Lin snorted.

“If I were to lift a finger, even the tiniest wisp of my true qi would instantly reduce these filthy beasts to dust.”

“So tell me.”

“Would you rather spend tomorrow morning drinking the northwest wind¹…”

“…or eating your meal mixed with their ashes?”

He continued patiently.

“The finest cuisine requires the finest ingredients.”

“These Bloodthirsty Wind Wolves spend day and night running through the Hundred Thousand Mountains.”

“The meat in their hind legs is firm, tender, and delightfully chewy.”

“Slice it paper-thin, flash-sear it in scorching spirit oil, sprinkle it with my secret cumin blend and a pinch of fine salt…”

“The outside turns perfectly crisp while the inside stays juicy.”

“One bite, and the meat juices burst across your tongue…”

Gulp.

A loud swallowing sound escaped Yu Ruyan’s throat.

She unconsciously wiped away the drool gathering at the corner of her mouth.

“But!”

Qin Lin abruptly changed his tone.

“Go.”

“I won’t interfere tonight.”

“Treat this as your very first trial since entering the sect.”

Yu Ruyan looked at the hideous Wind Wolves.

Then she glanced at the alchemy furnace, which still carried the lingering aroma of fried chicken.

At that instant…

Her overwhelming craving for food ruthlessly crushed every trace of fear.

“For roasted wolf legs!”

The timidity vanished from the girl’s eyes in an instant.

With a loud shout, she charged forward with her eyes squeezed shut, waving the broken wooden sword like a village girl chasing stray dogs away with a fire poker.

“Awoooo!”

Seeing such a frail human foolishly rush toward it, the alpha wolf let out a furious howl and lunged head-on.

Its razor-sharp claws ripped through the foul wind as they slashed straight toward Yu Ruyan’s throat.

“Aaaahhh!”

Yu Ruyan screamed with her eyes tightly shut.

She charged so recklessly that her left foot caught on her right.

Her body lurched forward in a thoroughly undignified stumble.

She was moments away from planting her face into the dirt.

And then…

A miracle happened.

What Yu Ruyan didn’t know was that hidden within her seemingly delicate body was the legendary Innate Sword Bone, a gift so rare that the cultivation world had not seen another in ten thousand years.

The Sword Bone possessed an almost unnatural instinct when faced with danger.

That clumsy-looking stumble had, by the narrowest possible margin, perfectly dodged the alpha wolf’s fatal pounce.

At the same time, the true qi she had just absorbed surged through her body.

Guided by her Pure Sword Heart, it poured frantically into the battered wooden sword in her hand.

Swish!

One slash.

The alpha wolf, still suspended in midair, split neatly into two halves before crashing heavily onto the ground.

The cut was so smooth it looked like polished glass.

Yu Ruyan landed on her backside with a thud.

She stared blankly at the broken wooden sword in her hand.

Not a single drop of blood stained its blade.

The remaining Wind Wolves were dumbfounded.

Their primitive minds simply couldn’t comprehend it.

How had this two-legged sheep, blindly flailing around with its eyes closed…

…instantly killed their leader in a single strike?

“Wow!”

Feeling the tremendous strength surging through her body, Yu Ruyan’s courage swelled instantly.

She scrambled to her feet and dusted off her skirt.

Looking at the wolves surrounding her, she declared excitedly,

“They’re all delicious roasted meat that’s crispy outside and tender inside!”

“Don’t run away!”

What followed…

…was an absolute massacre.

Yu Ruyan charged wildly through the pack without the slightest technique.

She screamed in terror,

“Stay away from me!”

while keeping her eyes tightly shut and swinging her wooden sword in every direction.

In less than half the time it took an incense stick to burn, the courtyard was littered with the corpses of Wind Wolves.

Every single one had died from a single strike.

Better yet, every carcass had been preserved almost perfectly, without ruining the quality of the meat.

“Huff… huff…”

Yu Ruyan stood amid the mountain of wolf corpses, drenched in sweat.

Her pale yellow dress was splattered with wolf blood.

She turned excitedly toward Qin Lin.

“Master!”

“I’ve finished slicing them all!”

“I didn’t ruin the meat at all!”

“Master, wasn’t I just now especially impressive?”

“Didn’t I look just like a Sword Immortal?”

Qin Lin remained seated in the Grand Master’s chair.

The teacup in his hand hadn’t trembled even once.

But no one knew…

Beneath his flowing robes, his inner garments had already been completely soaked through with cold sweat.

If that girl had made even a single mistake…

…this peerless sect master would have been forced to figure out which direction to run in while preserving at least a shred of dignity.

“So-so.”

Qin Lin set down his teacup.

His face remained stern, though there was a hint of approval in his voice.

“Your movements resembled nothing more than a market shrew flailing about.”

“They possessed no elegance whatsoever.”

“But your strikes were all clean kills.”

“At least the meat was preserved.”

“Hehe.”

“That’s all thanks to your excellent teaching, Master!”

Yu Ruyan scratched the back of her head with a silly grin.

“As soon as I started thinking about roasted meat, it felt like the wooden sword had grown eyes of its own!”

Qin Lin rose to his feet.

Walking over to one of the wolf carcasses, he nudged its sleek fur with the tip of his foot.

“Spend tonight meditating and regulating your breathing.”

“Digest the medicinal power still inside your body.”

“Then head to the kitchen and find a butcher’s knife.”

“Skin every wolf carefully.”

“Wind Wolf pelts fetch a good price at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.”

“Dig out their demon cores as well.”

He turned and walked toward the main hall, leaving the girl with nothing but the back of a master who concealed both his accomplishments…

…and the fact that he had nearly scared himself to death.

“Clean everything up properly.”

“Tomorrow morning, your master will make charcoal-grilled wolf ribs for you.”