What day is most joyous for a worker? It is, without a doubt, payday.
Hong Yuan was no exception.
The A06 Workshop, usually resounding with the clanging of ironwork, had become a quiet zone.
Amidst Li Wu's shouting, batch after batch of official Disciples went to Zhu Wushang's small reception room to collect their Energy Stones.
"Hey, Yuan, Senior Brother Zhu gave me five Energy Stones!" Zhao Gonghe approached Hong Yuan with a chuckle, shaking a black cloth bag.
"Is that so? Congratulations," Hong Yuan smiled back.
Hong Yuan knew why Zhao Gonghe was so happy. Zhao Gonghe's job was easier than that of the official Disciples, yet he received two more Energy Stones than they did!
"Hehe, I can't compare to you. You're the lucky one; Senior Brother Zhu has let you take charge of a part of the Miao Blade casting. I reckon you can get at least ten Energy Stones!" Zhao Gonghe said enviously.
Then Zhao Gonghe winked and nudged, "How about going to the Yihong House in Phoenix River Town to relax?"
The Yihong House was a brothel in Phoenix River Town, where one Energy Stone could buy you a merry week at the Hongluan House.
"This... aren't you going to exchange for Cultivation Techniques?" Hong Yuan said helplessly.
"Cultivation Techniques? No rush. As long as it's enough, let's enjoy ourselves first. So, are you coming to the Yihong House with me or not?" Zhao Gonghe continued to wink and nudge, urging Hong Yuan.
Just then, Zhu Wushang, their senior brother, specifically called Hong Yuan's name, asking him to come alone to receive his monthly salary.
Hong Yuan and Zhao Gonghe looked up to see Zhu Wushang standing at the door, staring expressionlessly at them.
Hong Yuan quickly made his way toward Zhu Wushang.
CREAK.
Zhu Wushang pulled the door shut.
"Yuan, you're only sixteen this year, right?" Zhu Wushang said solemnly.
"Yes, Senior Brother," Hong Yuan quickly responded.
"Yuan, you are intelligent and have a Class A Aperture. There's a good chance for you to reach the legendary Martial Saint Realm and witness many more wonderful sights. At sixteen, your foundation has not yet fully settled, and I don't want you to be harmed by indulgences and end up with lifelong regret."
"..."
Zhu Wushang spoke earnestly to Hong Yuan at length. Aware that he himself had no hope of becoming a Martial Saint, he hoped Hong Yuan would not waste his exceptional talent and go astray.
In the end, Zhu also gifted Hong Yuan a small spatial storage bag.
This small spatial storage bag had a volume of three cubic meters and was worth two hundred Energy Stones on the market!
Two hundred Energy Stones! That would require Hong Yuan to work for a year without eating or drinking to earn!
"Your salary this month is twenty Energy Stones, which I've already placed inside the spatial storage bag. I hope you'll give some serious thought to your life," Zhu patted Hong Yuan on the shoulder and sent him out the door.
When Hong Yuan left the small room, Zhao Gonghe immediately followed.
Zhao Gonghe looked curiously at Hong Yuan's sleeve and asked, "Yuan, how many Energy Stones did Senior Brother Zhu give you?"
"Hehe, it's about what you'd expect."
"Ahhh, Senior Brother Zhu really favors you! I'm jealous…"
Afterward, Hong Yuan declined Zhao Gonghe's invitation and returned to his small courtyard alone.
「Practice Room.」
Hong Yuan looked at the spatial storage bag on the table with a complex expression and murmured, "Senior Brother, Senior Brother, how can you be so good to me..."
Soon, Hong Yuan shook his head gently, turned around, and put the items needed for refining Sting Bee Worms—Hundred Tempered Fine Iron, Star Luster Grass, first-order Cold Iron, and other materials—into the spatial storage bag.
Beyond that, he also went out to buy dried food, a bamboo water bottle, a bee prison cage, an iron bucket, and other items.
Once all the items were prepared, Hong Yuan went to the practice room, where he wielded his Tang Sword, practicing the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword multiple times.
...
...
After leaving the Sect, Hong Yuan sped toward the outer perimeter of the Phoenix Creek Mountain Range.
The low mountains at the outer perimeter were not lofty, but they were lush and green, scenic with clear waters. Peaks rose and fell in continuous succession, clustered together, with strange rocks standing precariously, like solidified, surging waves. The mountainsides, covered in bare, chaotic stones, appeared even more ancient and grotesque under the sunlight, resembling bald heads afflicted with scabs.
WHOOSH!
Hong Yuan quickly passed a group of young men and women dressed in the robes of the Medicine Hall Disciples.
"Eh?"
Among the Medicine Hall Disciples, a beautiful woman exclaimed in surprise as she watched Hong Yuan's figure.
Her eyebrows were like wisps of smoke, delicately arched as if in a slight frown, and her dewy eyes, which seemed to hold unshed tears, were captivating. She possessed a flower-like, moon-like beauty, one that would stir compassion in any beholder.
"Yiru, what's wrong?" Yang Sen, Lin Yiru's most powerful pursuer, immediately asked with concern.
"No, it's nothing." Lin Yiru shook her head lightly, but her thoughts were already largely captivated by Hong Yuan.
A month ago, at the Aperture Opening Conference, Hong Yuan had surpassed her on the water-element white jade steps. He had thus become one of the most dazzling geniuses at the time, stealing her limelight.
Seeing Hong Yuan again now left her somewhat dazed.
But how does this fellow seem to have grown so much taller and stronger?
Hong Yuan did not know he had left such a mark on Lin Yiru's heart; even if he had known, he would not have cared much.
For those he had surpassed, trying to catch up to him was undoubtedly a fool's dream!
"Finally here."
Gazing at the several interconnected mountain peaks ahead, which resembled a colossal, coiling dragon encircling the vast forest, Hong Yuan smiled contentedly.
Calm and unhurried, Hong Yuan drew the Tang Sword from his waist and walked into the forest.
The forest was filled with the constant chirping of birds, and occasionally, a few roars could be heard, quite frightening.
But Hong Yuan's face remained calm as he continued to move forward, unfazed.
[Name: Hong Yuan]
[Realm: First Stage Advanced]
[Cultivation Technique: Five Tiger Breaking Gate Sword (Great Achievement 235/8,000)]
He had been laying low for nearly two months, during which time he had certainly not been idle.
Soon, three black wolves appeared before Hong Yuan. They were fighting a wounded cheetah and seemed to have the upper hand.
When Hong Yuan appeared before them, one of the black wolves howled angrily.
Hong Yuan clicked his tongue lightly, paying no attention to their fight, and continued to search for traces of Tiger Head Bees.
As long as they did not block his path, Hong Yuan would ignore any taunts or roars.
However, while a tiger might disregard ants, ants could not afford to ignore a tiger.
Sensing the tiger-like aura emanating from Hong Yuan, the three black wolves immediately abandoned their hunt for the cheetah. They grouped together, tensely confronting him.
Hong Yuan simply walked away. Nothing happened between the man and the three wolves.
The three black wolves looked at each other. Only after Hong Yuan was far in the distance did they resume their chase of the wounded cheetah.
"AWOOO! AWOOO!!!" The black wolves let out howls, a sense of having narrowly escaped death washing over them.
...
Tiger Head Bees was a common name for certain types of large Wasps, also called Chicken Cage Bees, Horn Bees, Landmine Bees, etc. They were social insects, preferring to inhabit mountainous areas with dense vegetation and abundant food sources. Some built nests high up on tree branches, while others nested in loose soil burrows.
At that moment, Hong Yuan gazed excitedly at the tall trees buzzing ahead and the Tiger Head Bees hovering in the air.
There was a considerably large colony of Tiger Head Bees within the forest!
CLICK!
Hong Yuan took protective gear from his spatial storage bag, along with the prepared Bee Attracting Water, a pig's head, and the specially made bee prison cage...