Record of a Demon's Cultivation

Chapter 31: Beginner’s Task

Translator: Cinder Translations

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Song Wen walked out of his cave and saw Du Qiu waiting impatiently at the door.

Behind him were five others who had entered the sect at the same time.

Wu Xiu, with his Iron Corpse in tow, looked smug and provocatively stared at Song Wen.

A month ago, taking advantage of Song Wen's unfamiliarity with the rules of the Corpse Demon Sect upon his arrival, he forcibly occupied Song Wen's cave. With the dense spiritual energy and corpse qi in the cave, in just a month, his 'Corpse Fiend Technique' had advanced from the mid-stage of Qi Refining Stage Three to the late stage, which filled him with great satisfaction.

Now he was eager to see how Song Wen felt after learning about the sect's prohibition against private fights.

However, Song Wen's reaction disappointed him. Song Wen simply glanced at him indifferently, showing no further concern, as if the incident of occupying the cave had never happened.

Zhang Xiaofan and the other four had also started practicing the 'Corpse Fiend Technique', but they were only at the introductory stage, with barely visible corpse qi on them.

After a glance at Song Wen, Du Qiu saw that Song Wen had already completed practicing the 'Corpse King Blood Refining Technique' and no longer paid attention to him.

As long as this person could complete his cultivation to the introductory stage within a month, his mission would be considered accomplished.

Du Qiu said, "The month's time is up. You need to go to the Outer Hall to receive the sect mission. Follow me."

With that, Du Qiu led the way, heading towards the mountainside along the rugged mountain path.

Song Wen followed suit.

During the journey, Wu Xiu continued to provoke Song Wen with his eyes from time to time, but Song Wen completely ignored him as if he hadn't seen anything, leaving Wu Xiu's provocations in vain.

'This person must be a fool! I don't know where he gets the confidence. He's so fearless in a strange place just after arriving. Isn't he afraid of getting knocked out one day?' thought Wu Xiu.

On the other hand, Zhang Xiaofan, who had briefly interacted with Song Wen, cast a friendly glance at him.

Song Wen responded with a smile. Even in the demonic sect, interpersonal relationships were necessary, especially among peers who entered the sect at the same time, fostering a sense of closeness.

It was always good to have friendly fellow disciples, even if only superficially.

After walking for half an hour, they arrived at the Outer Hall halfway up the western peak of the mountain.

Du Qiu said, 'This is the Outer Hall. Before parting ways, let me remind you one last time: be careful when choosing the novice missions. It directly affects your future five years and may even have a significant impact on your entire cultivation career.'

"That's all I have to say. Farewell."

With that, Du Qiu left gracefully.

After Du Qiu had gone far, Wu Xiu glanced at the five of them with an inexplicable sense of superiority in his eyes.

He had already chosen a sect mission before joining the sect, feeling much stronger than these five rookies who knew nothing.

He took the lead into the Outer Hall and approached an elder inside.

"Respectfully greeting the elder, I am Wu Xiu, a new disciple since last month, here to receive the novice mission."

The elder lifted his cloudy eyes, devoid of any emotion, glanced at Wu Xiu, then at the five behind him, and urged, "The five of you behind, hurry up. This old man doesn't want to waste time introducing the novice missions twice for you newcomers."

The five behind hurriedly quickened their pace.

As they approached, the elder continued speaking.

"Currently, there are specific needs for newcomers. The Spirit Plant Hall requires six Spirit Planters, the Blood Refining Hall needs two Corpse Dissectors, the Soul Refining Hall needs three Soul Collectors, and the Corpse Pit requires two Corpse Bearers..."

The elder proceeded to introduce each position that urgently required fresh recruits.

"These are the current opportunities available. You may choose any one of them, but once chosen, you cannot change your assignment for five years."

Wu Xiu, who had already made up his mind, spoke first.

"Elder, I wish to become a Corpse Dissector at the Yin Demon Hall."

In the practice of the Corpse Demon Sect, demonic cultivators required a significant amount of essence blood and corpses from righteous cultivators and ordinary people. Corpse Dissectors were specifically tasked with capturing and slaughtering these individuals.

Of course, the corpses needed by the Corpse Demon Sect were not ordinary; they often required specific conditions, such as being born in an inauspicious year, month, or time, or remaining incorruptible for a hundred years in a corpse nurturing ground.

When slaughtering righteous cultivators, the Corpse Demon Sect typically avoided members of major righteous sects, targeting instead wandering cultivators and disciples of smaller sects, as they were less likely to provoke retaliation.

The elder's expression turned stern as he harshly rebuked, "You, a newly arrived novice, why do you think you can become a Corpse Dissector at the Yin Demon Hall!"

The reason for the elder's anger was that among his previous introductions, becoming a Corpse Dissector had not been an option.

To qualify as a Corpse Dissector at the Yin Demon Hall, one needed at least the cultivation level of mid-stage Qi Refining. This was merely the minimum requirement; due to the high risk involved in combatting wandering cultivators, most elite Corpse Dissectors were in the late stage of Qi Refining.

However, despite the high risk, the rewards were substantial. Each month, the Corpse Demon Sect provided substantial resources to Corpse Dissectors, and their status within the sect was top-notch. Moreover, after killing wandering cultivators, they often gained valuable resources from their corpses.

Facing the elder's rebuke, Wu Xiu showed no fear. He clasped his hands together and respectfully replied, "Please calm down, Elder. My deceased father was once a Corpse Dissector. He taught me the 'Corpse Fiend Technique' from a young age. Now, I've reached the peak of Qi Refining Stage Three, just a step away from mid-stage Qi Refining. I also possess an Iron Corpse comparable to the cultivation of someone in the sixth stage of Qi Refining. Elder, please consider my family's contributions to the sect and show some flexibility."

As he spoke, Wu Xiu reached into his robe and pulled out a cloth bag containing fifty spirit stones, which his father had prepared for him before his death.

He handed the bag directly to the elder.

The elder took the bag, smiled slightly, and although the spirit stones were not many, he was quite satisfied.

Nodding, the elder said, "Considering your family's contributions, I will allow you to become a Corpse Dissector at the Yin Demon Hall."

Reaching into his storage pouch, the elder pulled out a triangular black token with the words 'Corpse Dissector' inscribed on it.

He tossed the token to Wu Xiu.

Taking the token, Wu Xiu appeared delighted and respectfully bowed, "Thank you, Elder."

The reason why Wu Xiu wanted to become a Corpse Dissector, despite its extreme danger, was mainly because he had only a fourth-grade spiritual root. While this was considered a decent quality, providing a chance to build a foundation, it required a large amount of resources to support cultivation. The inheritance left by his deceased father, who was only at the eighth stage of Qi Refining, was evidently insufficient to sustain him to the foundation-building stage.

He didn't want to end up like his father, who failed to build a foundation and sadly left the sect decades later, placing his hopes for immortality on future generations.

(End of the Chapter)