That makes sense!

Xu Changshou nodded inwardly. Jiang Xiaochuan was absolutely right; the legendary Foundation Establishment Pill was fundamentally just a Barrier Breaking Pill, albeit of a vastly superior grade.

Its sole purpose was to artificially inflate the success rate of reaching Foundation Establishment.

The gulf between a mere Qi Condensation disciple and a Foundation Establishment grand cultivator was as vast as the chasm between heaven and earth.

The moment one shattered that bottleneck, their identity, status, raw strength, and even their clan's standing would undergo a meteoric transformation.

More importantly, their mortal lifespan would double, surging from a hundred and fifty years to a staggering three centuries.

Naturally, the value of a Foundation Establishment Pill rose alongside the heavens.

Jiang Xiaochuan scoffed, "Compared to a Foundation Establishment Pill, this Barrier Breaking Pill is like comparing a puddle to the ocean. The Foundation Establishment Pill is a genuine second-grade Pill. Normally, you could buy an entire bottle of cheap second-grade Pills for anywhere between one and ten Spirit Stones."

"But a single Foundation Establishment Pill easily commands over a thousand Spirit Stones-and that's if you can even find a seller. They are strictly hoarded."

"Many lesser cultivation clans could bankrupt their entire lineage and still fall short of affording a single one."

"Naturally, such a Pill is beyond our reach. Sigh!"

"Senior Brother Xu, it is far too early to dream of Foundation Establishment. Let us focus on piercing the seventh layer of Qi Condensation first. Hehe, once I do, I will be your Senior Brother."

"Piss off. Is that the absolute peak of your ambition?"

The two were bantering when a sudden commotion erupted outside the courtyard.

"Hurry! Get to the Lecture Hall! The Task List has been published!"

"Truly? Excellent, let's go look!"

"Move, to the Lecture Hall!"

...

The Task List? Already?

Xu Changshou and Jiang Xiaochuan exchanged a sharp look before bolting out the door, racing down the steps toward the Lecture Hall.

By now, almost every Miscellaneous Disciple on the peak was sprinting in the same direction.

Before they were formally dispatched from Chuxiu Peak, the Sect always published the Task List. This ledger dictated where each Miscellaneous Disciple would be permanently stationed and the grueling labor they would endure.

It was a decree that determined the entire trajectory of their miserable lives; naturally, the anxiety in the air was palpable.

Breathing heavily, the two arrived at the bulletin board. Ye Shanhu and the rest of their courtyard were already crowded around it.

Seven massive scrolls hung from the wall.

They corresponded to the Sect's seven domains: Taiyi Peak, Danxia Peak, Red Fire Peak, Tianji Peak, Bagua Peak, Fengdu Peak, and Green Ink Peak.

The crowd immediately swarmed the first scroll, its parchment densely packed with over a hundred names.

Scanning the lines, Xu Changshou quickly spotted Jiang Xiaochuan's assignment: Jiang Xiaochuan, Taiyi Peak, Medicine Garden Boy.

A Medicine Garden Boy was tasked with guarding the spirit medicine fields. It was an incredibly lucrative posting, offering ample free time for Secluded Cultivation and basking in Spiritual Qi far denser than the outer grounds.

Before the placements were finalized, Jiang Xiaochuan had spent a small fortune greasing the right palms.

Xu Changshou had assumed the rich brat was bribing the deacons of Danxia Peak. To think he had actually secured a spot on Taiyi Peak.

Han Zong practically drooled with envy. "Not bad at all. Junior Brother Jiang actually secured a placement on Taiyi Peak."

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Jiang."

Xu Changshou asked out of genuine curiosity, "Junior Brother Jiang, I truly believed you were aiming for Danxia Peak. I never expected Taiyi Peak."

Jiang Xiaochuan grinned slyly. "My sights were set on Taiyi Peak from the start. The competition to enter Danxia Peak is simply too vicious, and besides, my Spirit Roots lack the affinity for Water, Fire, or Wood."

"Junior Brother is incredibly shrewd!"

Xu Changshou nodded in silent approval.

Had Jiang Xiaochuan thrown his wealth at Danxia Peak without the proper elemental affinities, those Spirit Stones would have simply been tossed into the abyss.

"Taiyi Peak is excellent; the conditions are certainly on par with Danxia Peak."

"Without a doubt. Guarding the spirit medicine garden is a fat slice of meat. With so many rare herbs lying around, pocketing even a single stray stalk would be worth a fortune."

"Look! Senior Brother Li is assigned to Taiyi Peak as well."

Xu Changshou peered closer and indeed found Li Linhao's name: Li Linhao, Taiyi Peak, Crane Keeper.

Crane Keeper. It was a rather obscure assignment; Xu Changshou had never even heard of such a role.

After exhausting the first scroll, they moved down the line to the second:

Ye Shanhu, Danxia Peak, Alchemy Boy.

Zhang Feixian, Danxia Peak, Alchemy Boy.

Lin Xian'er, Danxia Peak, Alchemy Boy.

Scanning the entirety of the Danxia Peak roster, Xu Changshou felt a twinge of disappointment. His name was nowhere to be found.

From their Gengzi Courtyard, only those three had made the cut.

Beside him, Qian Yuanbao's face was horribly ashen. He had also emptied his pockets to bribe the deacons of Danxia Peak, but had ultimately failed to secure a spot.

"Congratulations! A massive congratulations, Senior Sister Ye."

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Zhang! Congratulations, Junior Sister Lin!"

"The three Fellow Daoists have encountered a truly blessed Fated Chance."

"We are simply green with envy."

The crowd peppered the trio with fawning praise and jealous stares.

When Miscellaneous Disciples entered Danxia Peak, they were universally assigned as Alchemy Boys. They would start by tending the fires and grinding herbs, slowly stealing scraps of knowledge until they learned the dao of alchemy themselves.

In truth, a vast majority of the Sect's low-tier alchemists had clawed their way up from the ranks of the Miscellaneous Disciples.

These indentured servants had virtually zero hope of ever reaching Foundation Establishment. But by mastering alchemy, they proved their worth, slaving over cauldrons to provide the Sect with an endless stream of Pills until their century of servitude was complete.

Alchemists were universally wealthy. Once their hundred-year indenture ended and they returned to the mortal realm, they could bring home a staggering hoard of Spirit Stones, securing a golden future for their mortal clans.

For many Miscellaneous Disciples, this was the absolute peak of their earthly ambitions.

Confirming his absence from the first two scrolls, a cold knot formed in Xu Changshou's stomach. Both Taiyi Peak and Danxia Peak sat directly atop the Sect's primary spirit veins, boasting incredibly dense Spiritual Qi. The other peaks simply could not compare.

With his trash-tier Spirit Roots, he desperately needed an environment saturated with Spiritual Qi to stand a chance. Sadly...

Panic rising, Xu Changshou hurriedly scanned the remaining scrolls.

Third list: Su Mo, Red Fire Peak, Bellows Boy.

His name was not there.

Fourth list: Qian Yuanbao, Tianji Peak, Mining Boy.

His name was absent.

Fifth list: Shi Wantong, Bagua Peak, Array Front Boy.

Still no name.

After exhausting five full scrolls, Xu Changshou's heart plummeted into the icy abyss.

Only two lists remained: the rosters for Fengdu Peak and Green Ink Peak.

Fengdu Peak specialized in the Dao of Corpse Refinement. Their disciples were little more than glorified grave robbers, digging up tombs and hauling rotting corpses.

Green Ink Peak specialized in drawing Talismans. It was a sweatshop of endless attrition, demanding a relentless, agonizing drain on a cultivator's Spiritual Qi to meet impossible quotas.

Neither peak was a place for the living. They were gristmills meant to grind Miscellaneous Disciples into dust.

Feeling lightheaded, Xu Changshou forced his eyes toward the sixth list.

There, he immediately spotted Han Zong's assignment: Han Zong, Fengdu Peak, Grave Robbing Boy.

"This-!"

Han Zong's face turned the color of week-old liver. Motherfucker, I paid the bribes! I greased the palms! How the hell am I being shipped to Fengdu Peak?!

The very first lesson a Grave Robbing Boy learned was how to unearth coffins and pry open rigor-mortis jaws for burial jade.

The mere thought sent violently cold shivers down one's spine.

...

Thank the heavens. At least I'm not on that list. I won't have to rob tombs in the dead of night.

Xu Changshou breathed a ragged sigh of relief, turning his gaze to the final scroll. Upon the massive expanse of parchment, only a single name was written:

Xu Changshou, Green Ink Peak, Talisman Boy.

Xu Changshou's face instantly blackened. Fuck. Of course. A sweatshop scribe.

The thought of being locked in a dark room, bleeding his Spiritual Qi dry day and night to paint endless Talismans, washed a wave of crushing despair over him. Damn it all! Out of the hundreds of disciples on Chuxiu Peak, why am I the only one being sent to the Green Ink meat grinder? Is it seriously because I was the only pauper too broke to bribe a deacon?!

"Look! There's only one name on the Green Ink Peak roster. Xu Changshou. Who is that unlucky bastard?"

"Unlucky is an understatement. I heard Green Ink Peak treats its servants like indentured cattle. It has the absolute worst conditions in the Sect, bar none."

"Senior Brother Xu, my deepest condolences. But honestly, Green Ink Peak isn't a complete death sentence. The labor will bleed you dry, but at least it's relatively safe. You won't be risking your life in the wilds."

"Junior Brother Han and Senior Brother Xu truly pulled the shortest straws. One is doomed to rob graves in the dark, and the other is a beast of burden meant to draw Talismans until his core runs dry."

According to Sect protocol, following the publication of the Task List, they had exactly two months of grace before they were forced to report to their respective peaks.

Simultaneously, the next fresh crop of ignorant new disciples would be herded onto Chuxiu Peak to take their place.

The next day.

Jiang Xiaochuan burst into Xu Changshou's room, practically vibrating with excitement. "Senior Brother Xu, I am entering Secluded Cultivation! The next time I step out of that door, you'll be the one bowing and calling me Senior Brother! Hahaha!"