Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Return to Cyan Yuan Sect

“I’m finally back!”

Seeing the familiar Cyan Yuan Sect, Yang Chan couldn’t help but smile happily.

After the Three Major Sects were annihilated, they hadn’t stayed in Taiyu City for long before setting off back to the Cyan Yuan Sect.

There hadn’t been any assassination attempts over the past few days. With the Three Major Sects destroyed, any who might have slipped through the net were now in hiding.

Before returning to the Cyan Yuan Sect, Elder Lü Zhenghai had arranged for people to stay behind in Taiyu City and hunt down the hidden remnants of the Three Major Sects. The order was to kill any they found on sight, aiming for complete extermination.

The Cyan Yuan Sect wasn’t the first faction to do this. The other powers were the same—once they struck, they were decisive and left no loose ends.

After returning to the Cyan Yuan Sect, Yang Chan went to the pharmacist examination office to collect his rewards for becoming a Pharmacist, which had been kept at the sect for him.

For instance, a Pharmacist’s courtyard was much larger than an Official Disciple’s room. It was a private, standalone residence, guarded by Cyan Yuan Sect Disciples, making it far safer than Taiyu City.

He could also borrow books related to becoming an Intermediate Pharmacist. This would give him a plausible reason for his knowledge later on. Although he didn’t plan to spend his Potential Points on the Pharmacist profession for now, it didn’t hurt to prepare.

Even if he suddenly wanted to become an Intermediate Pharmacist in the future, he would have a suitable cover story.

Yang Chan had long since planned out his future. Being forced to leave the sect before was just an accident, and it was an accident he had no desire to repeat.

If that accident hadn’t happened, his proficiency in the Tai Chi Health Cultivation Skill would have been at least halfway to Tier Three Mastery by now.

The next time he leveled up his Tai Chi Health Cultivation Skill, his Lifespan would surely increase significantly. This was Yang Chan’s true goal.

’Let others be peerlessly magnificent; I’ll just watch from the comfort of my long life as you turn to dust, then I’ll light a stick of incense for you.’

This was the path Yang Chan had chosen for himself, not one mired in danger.

Yang Chan had already decided to keep his distance from Elder Lü Zhenghai. People who were that ruthless, even to themselves, were bound to die in some accident sooner or later. ’When that day comes and it’s time to pay respects,’ he thought, ’I’ll just be sure to stomp on his grave a few times.’

It wasn’t that he held grudges. He just wanted to help pack the dirt down so the poor man wouldn’t get cold from the wind.

On the way back to the Cyan Yuan Sect, Yang Chan had run into Shu Yu and the others several times, as the Pharmacists and Pharmacist’s Assistants had been grouped together for the journey.

When they met, Yang Chan would at most offer a simple greeting and nothing more.

’Once you see through someone, there’s no need to force yourself to interact if you feel it’s unnecessary. After all, everyone lives for themselves.’

He was all alone, unlike others who had elders to support and children to raise, who had to navigate all sorts of social obligations with a smile for everyone. His Lifespan would only get longer, and everyone else would die before him, so there was no need to put up with things he didn’t like.

When Yang Chan came out of the Medicine Hall’s examination office, he had a new key in his hand—the key to his new Pharmacist’s courtyard.

He also had two sets of Pharmacist robes. These had been prepared especially for him and were a perfect fit, unlike the slightly-too-small set he had worn in Taiyu City.

These two new sets of Pharmacist robes were naturally a much better fit.

He was also told he could now borrow Pharmacist-related books from the second floor of the Medicine Hall Collection Pavilion. Yang Chan had seen the second floor before but hadn’t been qualified to go up. Now that he could, he naturally planned to go borrow some books from there.

His various other rewards would be distributed along with next month’s monthly stipend.

Yang Chan and the others had completed their mission by leaving and returning to the sect, so there were other rewards for that as well. Adding those to his Pharmacist rewards, Yang Chan knew that next month’s stipend would be substantial.

Furthermore, his quota for compounding medicines would also be increased.

Although he had left the sect as a Pharmacist’s Assistant, he had used the identity of a Pharmacist in Taiyu City, so his rewards were naturally calculated at the Pharmacist level.

As for the status of an Elite Disciple, Yang Chan didn’t plan on claiming it just yet. He would wait until his Martial Arts Cultivation reached the peak of the External Refining Steel realm, then he would be promoted to Elite Disciple.

When that time came, he could also use Contribution Points to exchange for the Tiger Demon Bone-Refining Fist. He had made inquiries and found that with the contributions he’d earned from this mission, once he became an Elite Disciple, he would have enough Contribution Points to redeem the technique.

Even if an Elite Disciple’s Martial Arts Cultivation reached the peak of the External Refining Steel realm, they would have no way to learn the Tiger Demon Bone-Refining Fist without Contribution Points.

This was because within the Cyan Yuan Sect, learning the Tiger Demon Bone-Refining Fist and the Tiger Demon Martial Seal required Contribution Points, as did other Cultivation Techniques.

This was also why Elite Disciples competed to leave the sect for missions.

The further one progressed in Cultivation, the more one had to rely on oneself. Only by ’competing’ and contributing to the Cyan Yuan Sect could one obtain more.

The Stewards within the Cyan Yuan Sect were formerly Elite Disciples or even Direct Disciples whose Cultivation had stagnated. Once they reached a certain age, they had only two choices. The first was to leave the sect to work for it externally, perhaps by establishing a family that would serve the sect. The second was to remain in the Cyan Yuan Sect and take on roles like a Steward to serve the sect from within.

If their Cultivation broke through to the Inner Master realm, they could become an Elder of the Cyan Yuan Sect. At that point, they would be considered part of the sect’s upper echelons.

However, the chances of breaking through to the Inner Master realm like this were slim. Most Inner Masters achieved their breakthroughs while they were still Direct Disciples, relying on a wealth of Cultivation Resources.

In Martial Arts Cultivation, the older one got, the weaker their Qi and Blood became, and the harder it was to achieve a breakthrough.

Yang Chan wasn’t worried about any of that. He just wanted to keep a low profile. After returning to the Cyan Yuan Sect, he planned to settle into the quiet life of an ordinary Basic Level Pharmacist, completing his tasks on time each day and never working overtime.

He planned to follow Xu Gaocen’s example. Once his Pharmacist Ability improved further, he would start arriving late and leaving early. That was something he was really looking forward to.

Carrying his key and following the directions he was given, Yang Chan arrived in front of a large courtyard. When the Cyan Yuan Sect Disciples guarding the area saw the Pharmacist robes he was wearing and the Cyan Yuan Sect Pharmacist Token in his hand, they all broke into friendly smiles.

Within the Cyan Yuan Sect, a Pharmacist’s status was not low. Whether for injuries or for medicines needed for Cultivation, one required a Pharmacist’s help, so it was only natural that no one wanted to offend them.

Even Elite Disciples were very respectful when they saw a Pharmacist, because you never knew when you might need to ask them for a favor.

Yang Chan responded politely before opening the gate. The courtyard was much, much larger than his previous room as an Official Disciple. He liked it a lot.

Looking at the courtyard, Yang Chan felt a sense of peace. This gave him a much greater sense of security than he ever felt outside the sect. After putting his things down, Yang Chan first went back to his old room to bring his belongings over. He didn’t have much, but he wasn’t going to just abandon it.

Yang Chan also had things he was bringing back from Taiyu City, but most of it was still in transit.

The delivery would be rather slow, but he wasn’t worried about anyone trying to rob it. After all, in Qing State, no faction was that blind.

Had they not seen? The Three Major Sects were a perfect cautionary tale.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep