The Salary Scandal (Part 3)

The scabbard felt like it was carved from ice jade.

It was a bit feminine, perhaps, but still within the bounds of Bai Lan’s aesthetic sensibilities. She drew the sword and examined it. A biting chill emanated from the blade, a clear sign it was forged from cold iron.

“Hanpo? A fine name. A shame it’s only a Human-tier weapon,” Bai Lan remarked indifferently.

“Very well, you have your reward. Continue to work hard, and future rewards will be even more plentiful. Also, your experience value has increased significantly. You should see what you can exchange for it,” Yun Yao reminded her.

With that, Yun Yao returned to Bai Lan’s body and fell silent. She was an existence without self-awareness, appearing only when Bai Lan needed her and rarely emerging on her own.

Now that she had reached the Qi Refining realm and become a cultivator, everything was different. As for the experience value, it had indeed risen, but Bai Lan had no intention of using it just yet. She preferred to save it for something truly necessary.

Just then, Bai Lan felt the surrounding spiritual qi converge toward a single point. Puzzled, she quickly stepped out of her room and looked toward the source of the gathering energy. It was coming from Xue Linglong’s residence.

Spiritual qi entering the body? Linglong has also become a Qi Refining cultivator? Bai Lan mused, watching the mist envelop her dwelling. As expected of someone with a Linglong Body. She’s nearly as fast as I was, and I was already a Foundation Establishment cultivator. At this rate, her cultivation speed might not be any slower than mine.

The milky-white mist was concentrated spiritual qi. After pooling to a certain point, it found an entrance and was instantly drawn into the house. With that, Xue Linglong officially became a first-level Qi Refining cultivator. Li Yunxi, on the other hand, possessed an ordinary constitution and would naturally not be so quick.

For a cultivator with average aptitude, reaching the Qi Refining realm was no simple feat. It requires time, comprehension, and a measure of luck.

Li Yunxi would likely need anywhere from half a month to several months; it was impossible to say for sure.

Having broken through, Xue Linglong emerged from her room. The first thing she saw was Bai Lan standing at her doorway, watching her. In her eyes, a faint mist now swirled around Bai Lan—the power fluctuations of the Qi Refining realm.

“Sister, you’ve broken through to the Qi Refining realm as well, haven’t you?” Xue Linglong said, her voice filled with joy.

She hurried over to Bai Lan. Qiu Hanyun had already explained the cultivation basics the day before, so anyone with a decent memory could distinguish a cultivator from an ordinary person, provided they were a cultivator themselves.

“Yes, I have. And from the looks of it, so have you,” Bai Lan replied.

“I have! I don’t know how it happened, but cultivation feels so simple. I just circulated my energy according to the elder’s instructions and could sense the world’s spiritual qi almost immediately. Sister Bai Lan, now that we’re cultivators, shouldn’t we start practicing the Luoshen Sword Art right away?” Xue Linglong asked eagerly.

Bai Lan nodded. She had a feeling these peaceful days wouldn’t last. Setting aside the matter of Chen Xuan, the stipend system implemented by the Luoshen Sect was itself enough to sow discord among the disciples.

While there wouldn’t be much conflict for now, friction was bound to arise within the month.

Li Yunxi was still in seclusion, so Bai Lan and Xue Linglong left her undisturbed. Xue Linglong took out the standard-issue longsword from the sect and began practicing by the sea.

The young girl had a photographic memory for sword techniques. She needed no instruction from Bai Lan and executed the entire set without a single flaw, much to Bai Lan’s envy. Of course, as a former Foundation Establishment cultivator, Bai Lan also grasped the relatively simple sword art after a single glance.

She possessed far more powerful techniques from her memories—skills of the Xue Clan—but she had no intention of using them unless absolutely necessary. Thus, she made a token effort to practice the Luoshen Sword Art.

Yet, when they performed the same art, the results were strikingly different. Xue Linglong’s blade radiated a vibrant blue light, while Bai Lan’s was wreathed in a chill that seemed to freeze the very air. The Luoshen Sword Art consisted of seven stances, and having been created by a female cultivator, its movements were reminiscent of a dance.

Bai Lan had no patience for such superfluous gestures. She cut them all out, sacrificing the art’s aesthetic grace for brutal efficiency.

Strangely, and perhaps without even realizing it herself, Bai Lan’s comprehension of techniques far surpassed that of an ordinary person. For any other practitioner, the posture and method of a creator’s sword art were paramount.

Yet she had managed to modify the stances without destroying the essence of the moves, completely transforming a feminine sword art into a versatile, universal one.

Xue Linglong watched from the side, astonished. In Bai Lan’s hands, the same sword art looked entirely different from her own.

The two spent their time practicing. In the days that followed, more of the five thousand outer sect disciples began to break through to the Qi Refining realm, becoming true cultivators.

It was peaceful at first, but after about a week, trouble began to stir. Disciples who had achieved a breakthrough but had not received a stipend started targeting those who had received one but had yet to become cultivators.

They directly demanded their belongings in what amounted to open robbery. The moment one became a cultivator, for most, their mindset shifted from what it was before.

“You there, sister. Hand over the stipend you received this month.”

In a densely populated area of Eternal Blossom Island, an arrogant-looking girl had barged into another disciple’s residence to make her demands.

“What? Why should I give you what I received?” the girl asked, still trying to understand the situation.

But the aggressor cared little for her thoughts. Seeing the girl’s reluctance, she simply lunged forward to snatch it. The victim naturally tried to resist, but the moment they made physical contact, she was struck by an irresistible force. Her assailant pinned her to the ground with a single hand.

“How? It’s impossible… you’ve already broken through to the Qi Refining realm?” the girl on the floor finally understood.

“Heh, finally figured it out? Do you think I’d dare to rob you if I wasn’t a cultivator? The sect’s stipend distribution is unfair. Since it’s unfair, the strong will take what they want. Besides, sister, you haven’t broken through yet, so you don’t need these things right now,” the arrogant girl sneered. As she spoke, she reached down and ripped a white pouch from the other girl’s waist.

It was a storage pouch issued by the Luoshen Sect, specifically for outer sect disciples.

After being robbed, the girl’s face was a mask of indignation, but what could she do? The other had broken through first. The arrogant girl rummaged through the storage pouch, took what she wanted, and tossed the empty pouch aside before swaggering away.

Incidents like this would soon become commonplace in the outer sect.

This was precisely what the upper echelons of the Luoshen Sect wanted to see.