Chapter 34
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Chapter 34: Recruitment
Just as Aunt Wang had left, an elderly man arrived.
Standing at Wang Chen’s door was an old gentleman with snow-white hair and a beard that cascaded down to his chest. He held a wooden staff in one hand and carried a large silver mouth gourd at his waist.
Wang Chen quickly bowed and said, “Grandpa Sun, what brings you here?”
This old man was no ordinary figure; within a radius of dozens of miles, there was no cultivator of higher seniority than him.
He was also the local head of this area.
In the territory of the Yunyang Sect, although they had cultivated hundreds of thousands of acres of spirit fields, with thousands of farmers and tenant farmers,
they had not divided the land into the typical rural villages seen elsewhere.
For ease of management, the outer sect headquarters had established dozens of Wei Halls, organized by household units.
Each Wei Hall generally oversaw three to four hundred households.
Simultaneously, they appointed one local head and one Wei chief.
The cultivators serving as local heads were mostly individuals of high virtue and esteem.
Grandpa Sun was said to be over ninety years old. As a Qi Training seventh level cultivator, his life was nearing its end, yet he still appeared vigorous and spirited.
He spoke with a strong, clear voice: “Wang Chen, I have something to discuss with you.”
Wang Chen did not dare to be disrespectful: “Please come in and speak.”
He respectfully invited Grandpa Sun inside, where they took seats in the small courtyard.
Without any delay, Grandpa Sun handed a piece of silk paper to Wang Chen: “This is the recruitment order issued by the Wei Hall. You have been summoned to join the Night Patrol Team.”
Wang Chen took it and examined it closely. Indeed, it stated that he was to join the Fourth Night Patrol Team of Wei Hall B Ten.
He was required to report to the Wei Hall by the si hour tomorrow morning.
He was being summoned to the Night Patrol Team?
Wang Chen couldn’t help but be shocked: “Grandpa, this must be a mistake!”
His Wei Hall had over four hundred households and nearly a thousand Qi Training cultivators.
Under normal circumstances, a seventeen-year-old boy like Wang Chen wouldn’t have a chance to join the Night Patrol Team!
The Night Patrol Team, as the name suggests, was responsible for patrolling at night, primarily to guard against magical beasts, Evil Spirits, and loose cultivators from invading the sect’s territory.
This job carried considerable danger and was usually undertaken by experienced and strong cultivators.
Wang Chen did not fully meet the criteria.
“Your name is written here, and there isn’t another Wang Chen at our Wei Hall,” Grandpa Sun said with a wry smile. “The recruitment order bears the official seal of the Wei Hall; even the Wei chief must comply.”
In theory, the local head holds a higher status than the Wei chief, but in practice, the Wei chief wields greater power over the patrol team.
With the recruitment order in place, Wang Chen’s joining the Night Patrol Team was as good as set in stone.
Unless he abandoned the Yunyang Sect, there was no chance to decline.
Grandpa Sun sighed, "Lately, the land has been restless. The Wei Hall is recruiting cultivators to expand the patrol team, and you are among those chosen."
He paused, then added, "By the rules, tomorrow at the Wei Hall, you can select two mid-level Qi Training techniques. Think it over carefully today to avoid a hasty decision tomorrow."
"Moreover, joining the Night Patrol Team earns you contribution points. If you defeat any magical beasts or Evil Spirits, you can also claim the spoils."
The old man continued to chatter on about the Night Patrol Team and the night watchers.
Wang Chen listened intently.
Being unexpectedly summoned by the Wei Hall was completely unforeseen.
Since resistance was futile, Wang Chen chose not to grumble or blame fate.
He avoided adding to his own troubles.
Instead, he tried to focus on the positive—at least it wasn’t unpaid labor.
Grandpa Sun’s guidance was invaluable, ensuring Wang Chen didn’t enter the night watch unprepared.
He committed every word to memory.
After finishing, Grandpa Sun stood up, "I must be off now; I have more recruitment orders to deliver to other families."
For an old man, visiting dozens of households was quite exhausting.
As Wang Chen escorted him out, they encountered Old Sun passing by.
Old Sun was humming a discordant tune, looking smug and somewhat shady.
Grandpa Sun’s eyebrows shot up in anger, and he raised his wooden staff to strike, "You scoundrel! Why aren’t you working in the spirit fields during the day? Planning to sneak off to the Fragrant Pavilion to chase after those female cultivators from the Harmony Sect?"
Old Sun, caught off guard by the strike, clutched his head in pain.
Recognizing Grandpa Sun, he was terrified, "I wasn’t… I didn’t…"
Old Sun, who usually flaunted his seniority in front of others, turned into a meek grandson before Grandpa Sun, stammering excuses while scurrying away in panic.
His disheveled state made Wang Chen shake his head in disbelief.
Grandpa Sun brandished his staff and gave chase.
Grandpa Sun and Old Sun were from the same clan, with Grandpa Sun being two generations older, making their relationship quite close.
Grandpa Sun’s anger likely stemmed from deep disappointment.
After seeing off Grandpa Sun, Wang Chen, having been interrupted multiple times, found his enthusiasm for practicing his technique waning.
He began to ponder which techniques would best suit him for tomorrow.
Acquiring mid-level Qi Training techniques at the Dharma Hall usually required a hefty sum of contribution points.
Now, he had the opportunity to obtain them for free.
And not just one, but two techniques.
If he didn’t choose carefully, it would be a huge loss!
Struggling to recall the mid-level Qi Training techniques, Wang Chen summoned his Cultivation Panel.
He checked his skill list.
Cleansing Technique (Entry Level): 99/100
Great Strength Technique (Entry Level): 99/100
Metal Finger Technique (Advanced Level): 37/400
Rain Summoning Technique (Proficient): 19/200
Spirit Eye (Entry Level): 99/100
Object Manipulation (Entry Level): 99/100
Vajra Fist (Entry Level): 37/100
In the past half-month, Wang Chen spent a lot of time raising his skill proficiency.
He had achieved considerable results by now.
Cleansing Technique, Great Strength Technique, and the recently mastered Spirit Eye and Object Manipulation had all reached a bottleneck at the entry level.
Wang Chen had 14 points of Virtue.
As long as he was willing, he could easily push all four techniques to the Proficient level in one go!
But Wang Chen didn’t do that.
The rules for Virtue points allocation he knew followed a tenfold increase.
The first time cost 1 point, the second time would cost 10 points, and the third time was highly likely to cost 100 points!
If it followed the same pattern, by the fourth, fifth, sixth time…
The number of points required could only be described as terrifying!
So, Wang Chen’s plan was to try his best first; if he really couldn’t manage it, then he would allocate points for a breakthrough.
He aimed to delay the first allocation level as much as possible.
This would greatly reduce the consumption of his Virtue points.
For example, with the Metal Finger Technique, Wang Chen intended to break through to Proficient on his own, then advance from Proficient to Basic Level using 1 point, and from Basic Level to Advanced Level using 10 points. Achieving a breakthrough from Advanced Level would only cost 100 points.
That was completely within his range to handle.
Spirit Eye, Object Manipulation, and others belonged to the low-level Qi Training techniques; breaking through to Proficient with 3 points of root bone and comprehension was definitely not a problem.
Adding points right now was certainly not the wisest course of action!
Additionally, he needed to reserve some Virtue points to prepare for the new skills he was about to acquire.
As for which two techniques to choose, Wang Chen already had some preliminary ideas.
