I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

Chapter 105: 105 Black Wind Poisonous Fire

Little Spring Mountain.

The Daoist temple at the peak.

Enshrouded in five-colored mists, its interior impossible to see through.

The Daoist temple covered an area of over ten zhang in diameter, comprising front and back compounds, and there was room for expansion if necessary.

In the Cultivation World, the hierarchy was distinct; as cultivators ascended one realm after another, they naturally shed many restrictions, until finally they could do as they pleased, free and unfettered.

The front courtyard was for receiving guests, while the back courtyard had a cultivation room, alchemy room, medicinal fields, and so on.

The Bloodvine Demon twisted and winded in the medicinal field like red serpents, while the thousand-year-old Spirit Ginseng tumbled and rolled, emitting joyful laughter.

The Earth-grade Spirit Vein gathered the essence of an entire continent. Even at its fringe, the Spiritual Energy was several times that of Little Dan Mountain.

Zhou Yi sat cross-legged in the cultivation room, his Guiyuan Technique mana had completely transformed, turning from pale blue to a mix of five shining colors.

Having no Spirit Root and after more than two hundred years of Qi Refinement with all five elements complete, he had quickly mastered the Five Spirits Scripture.

"Let's try the Five Elements Escape Technique!"

Zhou Yi formed a spell with his hands and stirred the muddy-yellow mana in his dantian, his figure slowly sinking into the ground.

"The speed of movement is slower than that of the Earth Traveling Bead, but with practice and advancement in realm, I'll surpass it sooner or later. Plus, with the Five Elements in rotation, there's no need to detour around metal, iron or hidden rivers."

After experiencing each of the Five Elements Escape Techniques one by one, Zhou Yi slowly ended his practice. From now on, it would be a steady grind.

Only when the Five Elements mana changed at will, as easy to control as the limbs of a body, could he truly escape through anything within the Five Elements.

"In the blink of an eye, more than half a month has passed. It's time to take on a sect duty."

Sect duties were the only stable way to gain merit, whereas other ad-hoc tasks were either difficult or fought over by many. Zhou Yi was set on not joining the fray, though he might accept a task should one be posted.

Zhou Yi used the Earth Escape Technique and made his way to the External Affairs Hall.

On the first floor, dozens upon dozens of Qi Refinement Realm disciples in green robes were waiting for new ad-hoc tasks, hoping to snag an easy one with a good reward.

For example, true immortals or true monarchs entering seclusion often needed someone to care for the medicinal gardens—such tasks were not only easy, but also provided opportunities to build relationships with elders.

All were surprised when they suddenly saw someone emerge from the ground, their expressions filled with shock at such an image-unconscious cultivator. Upon seeing the clear blue Daoist robes, they quickly bowed and paid their respects.

"Greetings, Uncle-Master."

"Hmm."

Zhou Yi paused, then responded with a smile.

After nearly three hundred years of cultivating, this was the first time he had been saluted by so many cultivators—it was a rather pleasant feeling.

He headed straight to the third floor of the External Affairs Hall, exchanged pleasantries with three fellow Daoists, then addressed Li Mu.

"Brother Li, I've come to undertake a sect duty."

"Sure, sure."

Li Mu, with a smile, took out a jade slip and said, "All the available tasks in need of people are in here. Junior Brother, feel free to choose whichever you like."

"Thanks, Brother Li."

Zhou Yi, uncertain of the three's dispositions, didn't bother to ingratiate himself with gifts. His Divine Sense swept over the jade slip.

The Dan Ding Sect's headquarters covered a thousand li, an area comparable to more than a dozen imperial capitals of his former world. Even though most of the land consisted of mountains, rivers, and lakes requiring people to oversee and manage, there were still plenty of positions available.

Among the tasks, the superior ones like guarding palaces, managing medicinal fields, alchemy, and artifact refining were all marked as full.

The mid-level tasks included public preaching, dispute mediation, and menial task distribution. Some of these had openings, but they took a lot of time, and mishandling them could lead to ongoing trouble.

The lower-level tasks were almost always short of people, or they were roles that one would soon seek to upgrade to a better position.

Zhou Yi looked over each task, eliminating those that took too long, involved too much interaction with others, and those managed alongside several true immortals.

Adding together these three conditions, nearly ninety-nine percent of the tasks were ruled out, leaving very few options for Zhou Yi to choose from.

As a new Foundation Establishment true immortal, the Dan Ding Sect offered a free choice of Cultivation Technique, giving Zhou Yi an opportunity to benefit. Therefore, it was essential to interact less with others, to avoid arousing suspicion among acquaintances.

Zhou Yi's gaze swept over the remaining tasks, finally settling on one.

"Repentance Cliff, Black Wind Cave..."

Repentance Cliff was situated on the shady side of Divine Fire Peak, featuring a several hundred zhang tall sheer cliff rising vertically as if carved by an axe.

In the middle of the sheer cliff was a peculiar cave that led to the depths of the earth's veins, spewing black winds and poisonous fire year-round. Aside from being useful for refining wind and fire magic artifacts, it had no other purpose.

With its many members in the Dan Ding Sect, there were not a few who violated the sect rules. For minor offenses, merits were deducted; for more serious ones, the punishment was to endure the wind in the cave at Repentance Cliff; and for the gravest crimes of betraying the sect and ancestors, one was executed, their soul dispersed.

"To guard the Black Wind Cave at Repentance Cliff, one must watch over punished disciples, ensuring that the black wind and poisonous fire do not enter their bodies and kill them before they can be saved, cutting short their cultivation path."

"Affected by the black wind and poisonous fire, spiritual energy becomes chaotic and polluted. While on duty in Black Wind Cave, it's impossible to idly cultivate, and even with the sect repeatedly increasing merit rewards, few are willing to take up the post!"

Zhou Yi stared at the duty assignment for a long while, feeling quite satisfied with all aspects, then returned the jade slip.

"Brother Li, I've decided to take a turn on duty at Repentance Cliff."

"Good, huh?"

Li Mu said in surprise, "You can't cultivate in Black Wind Cave, are you sure?"

In the Cultivation World, the primary objective was cultivation; as one's cultivation realm rose, merits naturally wouldn't be in short supply. The Golden Elixir True Monarchs in the sect could earn a hefty amount of merits just by speaking on the Dao or performing alchemy.

"I'm sure."

Zhou Yi sighed, finding an excuse, "With a four-type Spirit Root, it was already a stroke of luck to break through to Foundation Establishment. If I hope to have a sliver of a chance at Core Formation, mere hard cultivation won't suffice."

"So that's how it is."

Li Mu nodded in agreement and logged the sect duty into the Identity Token.

Formations and prohibitions were set up at the entrance to Black Wind Cave. Without the token for the assigned duty, one couldn't open it or enter, and other tasks had similar restrictions.

"Thank you, Brother."

Zhou Yi suppressed the joy in his heart, realizing that with less contact with others in Black Wind Cave, he could easily switch identities and obtain several body-protection secret techniques for free.

"Brother Xiao, can I take a look at the external demon-slaying duties now?"

"You can check it anytime." Xiao Yuan said as he handed over a jade slip.

Zhou Yi scanned the jade slip with his divine sense and couldn't help but shake his head slightly; the current demon-slaying duties he could accept were picked over by others and quite dangerous.

The difficulty of demon-slaying tasks varied greatly, and the sect only required one to be completed every ten years.

Thus, simple tasks were snapped up quickly, while difficult ones remained untouched, which was why Xiao Yuan, who had advanced notice of the tasks, held such astonishing power.

"Thank you, Brother, I will focus on cultivating for some time."

Zhou Yi returned the jade slip and then approached Xuan Yi, speaking respectfully, "Brother, could you give me a comprehensive list of cultivation techniques so that I can study them in detail and exchange them for merits as soon as I have enough?"

Xuan Yi's eyes were half-opened and half-closed, not saying a word but simply tossing a jade slip over.

Zhou Yi scanned it with his divine sense, revealing a hint of delight, and thanked him with clasped hands, "Thank you for the guidance, Brother, I won't disturb your rest any longer!"

After Zhou Yi had walked away.

Li Mu clicked his tongue in wonder, "How did this fellow achieve Foundation Establishment without even understanding the proper way to express gratitude in personal affairs?"

"Haven't you noticed over the years? Loose Cultivators from outside generally come in two types," Xiao Yuan said. "Either they are arrogant, believing themselves ordained by heaven after emerging from countless other Loose Cultivators, or they are cautious and meticulous, taking care of every aspect of their actions, fearing others might disdain them."

At that moment,

Xuan Yi, who had been half-asleep, suddenly interjected, "Neither of these is desirable; one must aim for a balance."

Li and Xiao both readily agreed.

"What the elder Brother says is very true."

Even though his path of cultivation was severed, Xuan Yi was a powerful False Core Realm expert, his strength and status second only to the Golden Elixir True Monarchs.

Xuan Yi gave the two a sidelong glance, reminding them on account of their years of camaraderie.

"Speak less of these matters in the future, as there are seven Loose Cultivator elders among the sixteen peaks, and it wouldn't be good for them to hear such talk!"