Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 186 Shift Duty, Blackwater Lake Internal Waters

The outer sect settlement of the Blood Lotus Sect is located on the mountainside of Yunmeng Peak.

The buildings here are noticeably simpler than the welcoming hall at the foot of the mountain and the core area at the summit. Most of them are uniformly styled houses, densely packed together.

The people coming and going were mostly young disciples in a hurry, most of them with blank expressions and an inescapable aura of hostility.

This is a true reflection of the outer sect of the Blood Lotus Sect.

Resources are scarce and competition is fierce.

To get ahead, you have to work hard to complete tasks, compete, and grab.

If you're not careful, you could become someone else's stepping stone to rise to the top.

Given such intense competition, it's understandable that these outer disciples are filled with hostility.

Chen Ye's arrival did not attract much attention.

Qian Feng led Chen Ye to a secluded house near a cliff and said with a smile, "Junior Brother Lin, this is your residence. Although it is a bit simple, it is quiet and undisturbed."

Chen Ye looked around the house and found that it was indeed not large, but the walls were engraved with basic magic arrays, the room was also floored, and it was spotless. More importantly, the spiritual energy was very abundant, so it was much better than the place he had lived at the dock before.

"This is your identity token. Your information has been entered. With this token, you can freely enter and exit most areas of the sect, accept missions in the Hall of Merit, and listen to lectures in the Hall of Dharma Transmission."

Qian Feng handed an iron token to Chen Ye and then went on and on about some important things to note about the outer sect.

"Thank you very much, Manager Qian." Chen Ye rarely expressed his gratitude.

"Oh, Junior Brother Lin, you're too kind. From now on, we're fellow disciples, so just call me Senior Brother Qian," Qian Feng said with a smile. "If you ever need anything, just come to the Reception Hall to find me. As long as it's within my power, I'll do my best to help."

This can be considered an investment in advance.

Chen Ye nodded noncommittally.

After seeing Qian Feng off, Chen Ye pushed open the door and entered the wooden house.

The room was simply furnished with a wooden bed, a table, and a chair, nothing else.

Chen Ye casually tossed his identity token onto the table, then sat cross-legged on the bed and began to ponder his next plan.

He has now successfully infiltrated the Blood Lotus Sect and obtained a legitimate identity.

The first step of the plan has been successfully completed.

The next step is the second step: acquiring resources to enhance strength.

The Blood Lotus Sect's resources are all tied to contribution points.

To contribute points, you need to complete tasks.

However, ordinary outer sect missions offer low rewards and waste time, so Chen Ye naturally didn't care about them.

His goal was clear from the beginning.

That is the inner waters of Blackwater Lake.

That's the place with the richest resources in the entire Blackwater Lake, where high-grade spirit pearls are abundant.

The high-grade spirit orbs are the fuel he needs to launch the Ark of the Other Shore next time.

After spending the night there, Chen Ye left his wooden house early the next morning and went straight to the Merit Hall located in the center of the outer gate.

The Hall of Merit is a magnificent stone hall. In the center of the hall stands a huge black stone tablet, on which various sect missions are densely recorded in blood-red characters.

This is another way to accept tasks besides the Merit Jade Slip. Although it is cumbersome, it has the advantage of providing a more comprehensive view, so many people come here.

Countless disciples gathered around the stone tablet, pointing and choosing tasks that suited them.

Chen Ye's arrival went unnoticed by anyone. He didn't even look at the mission stone tablet, but instead went directly to the deacon's counter on one side of the main hall.

A chubby butler sat behind the counter, yawning and flipping through a picture book.

"Senior brother." Chen Ye knocked on the counter.

"What?" The fat butler raised his eyelids and glanced at him impatiently.

"I would like to apply for a shift duty in the inner waters of Blackwater Lake," Chen Ye said bluntly.

"Hmm?" The fat deacon was taken aback upon hearing this, and looked up to examine the somewhat unfamiliar young disciple in front of him again, his eyes filled with a strange look.

"You're going to Blackwater Lake?"

"Yes." Chen Ye nodded.

The fat deacon's expression became even stranger. After all, although Blackwater Lake produced spirit pearls and offered a fair amount of contribution points during shifts, and sometimes even extra income, it was a remote place. Moreover, the area was actually managed by core disciples from the Blood Lotus Sect headquarters, while outer disciples could only do menial tasks.

Therefore, hardly anyone goes there normally. It's quite incomprehensible that this guy, who looks like he just joined the Blood Lotus Sect, actually volunteered.

However, none of these things concerned him, so the fat deacon simply nodded, then took out a jade slip from under the counter and tossed it to Chen Ye.

"Imprint your identity information into it, and state the reason for your application, and I will submit it to you."

Chen Ye took the jade slip without hesitation, immediately probed it with a wisp of divine sense, quickly completed the application, and then returned the jade slip to the fat deacon.

The fat deacon took the jade slip, glanced at it, and then tossed it into the pile of documents beside him.

"Alright, go back and wait for the news. It should be approved in about three days. The news will be sent directly to your identity token. You can just go and report for duty."

"Thank you!"

Chen Ye nodded his thanks, then turned and left the Merit Hall.

The Blood Lotus Sect is quite efficient at times.

Especially when it comes to these kinds of arduous tasks that nobody wants to do.

Chen Ye's application for a three-day shift was actually approved in just one day.

Upon seeing the message sent through his identity token, Chen Ye breathed a sigh of relief and then told Li Qingyan.

"Master, once you get inside, remember not to get into conflict with those core disciples. Although their actual combat strength may not be as good as yours, they all have someone backing them up to become core disciples. At the very least, they are elders at the Core Formation stage, so you must be careful," Li Qingyan carefully advised.

Chen Ye nodded. "Be careful when you get to the dock. Contact me immediately if anything happens."

"understand!"

The two then went their separate ways; Li Qingyan headed to the dock, while Chen Ye went straight to the inner waters of Blackwater Lake.

They traveled in silence. When Chen Ye crossed the outer perimeter of Blackwater Lake and arrived at the inner waters, he saw a lake surface that was both wider and darker than the outer dock.

The lake water is almost black, and a thin layer of black mist shrouds its surface year-round, making the already gloomy sky seem even more oppressive.

The air was filled with a strong, fishy smell, mixed with a faint, unsettling demonic aura.

Following the instructions on his transfer document, Chen Ye landed on a huge stone island built in the middle of a lake.

This rocky island should be the central hub for managing the inner waters.

On the island stood some simple stone houses and a towering watchtower. Several cultivators, also dressed in outer sect disciple robes, were lazily leaning against the dock railing chatting.

Upon seeing Chen Ye, they merely glanced at him lazily, showing no intention of approaching to question him.

Chen Ye walked off the dock and headed directly toward the largest stone temple in the center of the island.

Just as he reached the entrance of the hall, a thin disciple with shifty eyes stopped him.

"Stop, what are you doing?"

"Lin Xun, the new one on duty." Chen Ye showed his identity token.

The skinny disciple took it and glanced at it casually, then looked Chen Ye up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.

"A newly arrived rogue cultivator at the early stage of the Sea Condensation realm?" He curled his lip. "Alright, come with me, Senior Brother Zhou is inside."

After saying that, he turned and walked into the main hall. Chen Ye followed him in and found that the main hall was empty except for a young man dressed in the robes of an inner disciple, who was sitting with his legs crossed on a grand chair, leisurely drinking tea.

"Senior Brother Zhou, the new disciple on duty has arrived," the thin disciple reported respectfully.

Senior Brother Zhou raised his eyelids, his gaze swept over Chen Ye, and then returned to his teacup.

"Yes, I've already read the previous transfer documents. Lin Xun, right?"

"Yes."

“Starting today, you will be in charge of collecting spirit pearls in the Black Stone Beach area to the west. Your access has been activated and is on your identity token. Monkey will take you to hand over the other specific tasks.” After saying this, Senior Brother Zhou waved his hand, “I have other things to do, go quickly.”

He never looked directly at Chen Ye, nor did he ever stand up from his chair.

The entire process was extremely perfunctory.

The skinny disciple nicknamed Monkey grinned at Chen Ye and said, "Junior Brother Lin, this way please."

Chen Ye's eyes remained calm and composed, showing no anger despite the other party's disdain.

He knew that this was the normal state of affairs for the Blood Lotus Sect.

A newcomer with no connections who voluntarily applies to come to this godforsaken place is no different from a fool in the eyes of these seasoned veterans, and naturally will not receive any respect.

But it suited him just fine.

He didn't come here to curry favor with these people.

What he wanted was an undisturbed environment so he could quietly amass wealth.

Therefore, the more these people ignore him, the easier it is for Chen Ye to act.

Chen Ye followed the disciple named Monkey out of the Hall of Affairs.

The man named Monkey was quite enthusiastic throughout the journey.

“Junior Brother Lin, you’re new here, so you might not know much about our situation,” the monkey said as they walked. “Our inner waters aren’t that big, but they’re not that small either. They’re divided into five areas, which are jointly managed by our five senior brothers.”

"However, these senior brothers are all important figures who are rarely seen. They usually stay in their caves to cultivate in seclusion and do not care about these trivial matters."

"So the one who's really in charge here is actually that Senior Brother Zhou from earlier, and a few other inner sect senior brothers like him."

"As for us outer disciples, to put it bluntly, we're here to do odd jobs for them."

The monkey was talking, but its eyes were secretly observing Chen Ye's reaction.

Chen Ye remained expressionless, only giving a faint "hmm".

Seeing that he was so unyielding, the monkey got bored and stopped talking. It then steered the boat to the deeper part of the water.

"Junior Brother Lin, that rocky beach ahead is the Black Rock Beach you're in charge of," the monkey said, pointing to a jagged area of ​​black rocks in the distance.

"The pearl divers in charge of this area live on that small island. There are about thirty of them. Your task is to supervise them to go into the water to collect pearls every day, and then hand over the spirit pearls they collect on time."

"Oh, right." The monkey seemed to remember something and added, "These pearl divers are all unruly and ruthless characters. Junior brother, you have to be careful. Don't lose control of them. If you can't complete the tasks assigned by the sect, you'll be in big trouble."

"Thank you!" Chen Ye said, after all, the fact that the monkey could remind him in such an unfamiliar environment was enough to prove that the monkey was not a bad person.

The small boat navigated through the reef-strewn waters and soon arrived at the small island the monkey had mentioned.

The monkey took its leave and left, and Chen Ye stepped onto the island.

This island is much smaller and more desolate than the stone island that serves as the administrative center.

The island had only a few makeshift shacks built of stones and rotten wood, crammed together in a crooked and dilapidated manner, looking like a refugee camp.

Just as Chen Ye arrived on the island, dozens of unfriendly gazes were immediately cast upon him from the shadows of the shacks.

These gazes were filled with vigilance and numbness, as well as a deeply hidden ferocity.

With a single sweep of his divine sense, Chen Ye was able to thoroughly investigate the situation on the island.

There were thirty-two people in total.

And as the monkey said, none of these people were ordinary people.

Most of them were martial artists who had mastered body tempering, with vigorous blood and strong bones, comparable to cultivators in the Unobstructed Realm.

There were also seven or eight genuine cultivators, and they all carried the aura of desperados.

Moreover, these people had iron rings on their shoulder blades and ankles, with intricate patterns engraved on them. These rings would occasionally flash with a faint light as the people moved, clearly indicating some kind of seal.

Chen Ye's expression remained unchanged, and he continued walking straight toward the stone house in the center of the island that looked decent enough.

Just as Chen Ye was about ten steps away from the stone house, a figure emerged from a nearby shed and blocked his way.

This was a burly man nearly nine feet tall, with bulging muscles all over his body. His bronze skin was covered with hideous scars, and he was like an iron tower, exuding an extremely fierce aura.

This is a body-refining martial artist whose vital energy is so abundant that it is almost tangible. In terms of physical strength alone, he is no less than an ordinary cultivator in the Sea Condensation Realm.

The burly man didn't speak, but stared intently at Chen Ye with his beast-like eyes.

As he moved, the remaining thirty-one people on the island also emerged from the shadows, forming a semi-encirclement around Chen Ye.

The air seemed to freeze, and a strong smell of blood and violence assaulted the senses, enough to make even the most resolute person break down on the spot.

These pearl divers were mostly captured cultivators who suffered oppression and were bound by numerous seals and restrictions, thus harboring deep-seated hatred for the Blood Lotus Sect.

However, the Blood Lotus Sect was powerful, and they dared not openly resist. They could only vent their resentment in this way and test the bottom line of the new manager.

If the one who comes is an easy target, then their days might be a little easier.

However, faced with the encirclement of this group of desperados and the provocation of the burly man with the iron tower, Chen Ye showed no panic or anger on his face. He didn't even glance at him twice before raising his right hand.

In his hand, the iron token that represented his identity lay quietly in his palm.

The next instant, Chen Ye injected a wisp of true essence into it.

A soft buzzing sound rang out, and a flash of blood-red light appeared on the token.

In that instant, the expressions of all the pearl divers present changed drastically!
"Ahhh!"

A piercing scream, so shrill it was almost inhuman, suddenly shattered the island's deathly silence!
All thirty-odd pearl divers, whether they were powerful martial artists or cultivators, seemed to have their hearts gripped by an invisible giant hand, and they all knelt down on the ground.

The iron rings on their shoulder blades and ankles emitted an eerie red light, and finer blood-red runes spread out from the iron rings, like red-hot branding irons, deeply imprinting themselves into their flesh and even their souls!
"Uh...ho..."

The burly man leading the group was the first to be hit.

His massive body slammed heavily to the ground, convulsing violently. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and bulging veins jutted out on his neck and arms like writhing dragons.

This is not just physical torture.

The restrictions deeply etched into their bodies were now frantically burning their meridians, devouring their vital energy and true essence!
Every second felt like a year of torment in purgatory!
Chen Ye stood there quietly, watching the pearl divers writhing and groaning on the ground with an indifferent expression, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

He was not some indiscriminate killer, but he was certainly not a merciful saint either.

If these people harbor murderous intent towards him, then he must be prepared to bear the consequences.

Words are futile when dealing with such unruly desperados.

Only the most direct and profound pain can teach them what reverence is.

The screams gradually faded, replaced by heavy breathing and suppressed groans.

Everyone collapsed to the ground, their bodies soaked in sweat as if they had just been pulled out of the water. The look in their eyes as they looked at Chen Ye changed from initial ferocity and hostility to deep-seated fear and horror.

They finally realized that the new steward, who looked young and whose cultivation wasn't top-notch, was not someone to be trifled with.

The red light on the iron ring gradually faded, and the excruciating pain that penetrated to the bone also receded like the tide.

The pearl divers, who had survived the ordeal, gasped for breath, greedily inhaling the air, but none of them dared to get up from the ground.

The entire island was deathly silent.

Only then did Chen Ye finally speak. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Tomorrow at dawn, we will go into the water to collect pearls."

"Those who don't meet their quotas can continue to experience the feeling they just had."

After saying that, he didn't look at the crowd on the ground again, walked past the muscular man who was slumped like mud, pushed open the door of the stone house, and went inside.

The stone gate closed, isolating the two worlds.

Outside the door was a group of prisoners who had survived the ordeal, their eyes filled with nothing but fear.

Inside the gate lies the new ruler of this area.

Only after Chen Ye's figure completely disappeared did the pearl divers dare to shakily get up from the ground, help each other, and silently retreat back to their respective huts. Throughout the entire process, not a single person dared to make a sound.

(End of this chapter)