Shin Youma

As Fatty Dumpling and his group went inside, the remaining older group of Handymen approached.

One of them spoke up, "You can choose any of these small houses." He gestured towards the tiny dwellings before continuing, "However, all female disciples will reside within the mansion."

With that, he stepped back, and the female Handymen disciples began making their way towards the mansion.

Shi Jian, already familiar with this arrangement, simply chose the room farthest from the mansion and stepped inside.

"Just as usual," he murmured to himself, surveying the space. The room was identical to how it was before: small, with a single wooden bed and nothing else.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Shi Jian closed his eyes, his mind focusing inward. "I have two hours before they summon us for food."

He thought to himself, "Let's begin from this point, up until I was summoned."

Determined not to waste any time and allow Fatty Dumpling and the others to continue harassing more women, Shi Jian decided to initiate his cultivation journey.

Shi Jian recalled the Supreme Qi Cultivation Method, a technique he had discovered in the Upper Realm when he first began cultivating his Dao of Life.

With a deep breath, he murmured the technique to himself, the words flowing through his mind. To start cultivating, he needed to achieve the first stage: the Body Strengthening stage.

This stage comprised nine levels, divided into three sub-stages: the early stage (levels one to three), the middle stage (levels four to six), and the late stage (levels seven to nine).

The tenth level marked the peak stage of this cultivation realm. Every cultivation realm followed the same pattern, with each stage building upon the previous one.

Shi Jian thought to himself, "After mastering the Body Strengthening stage, I must quickly ascend to the Qi Awakening stage. Only then will my true cultivation journey begin."

He refocused on the Supreme Qi Cultivation Method, repeating it to himself.

Although the technique was already etched into his soul, his current body needed to adjust to it. By concentrating on the method, Shi Jian prepared his body for the journey ahead.

Meanwhile, inside the mansion, one of the older female Handymen disciples escorted the new recruits to their living quarters.

"Unlike the men, who have their private chambers, we female disciples will be sharing our living space," she explained.

Her tone then turned grim. "If you want an easy life here, you'll need to follow Elder's every command. And when I say every, I mean every."

She gestured to a row of beds. "Choose one and rest until you're called for supper." With that, she departed, leaving the new disciples to ponder her words.

Inside the room of elder.

Shou Tou, however, was distracted by the sight of a naked female Handymen disciple, who had awoken with a startled gasp when Fatty Dumpling pinched her buttocks.

"Get up, my dumplings! It's morning already," Fatty Dumpling exclaimed, his voice booming through the room.

He then slapped another female disciple's buttocks, rousing her from sleep.

As she and the other sat up, they were startled to see a group of men standing in the room, watching them. Quickly, they scrambled to cover their naked bodies, their faces flushing with embarrassment.

The first female disciple was even more startled when she saw Shin Youma, her eyes widening in surprise.

They shared a past, hailing from the same place and having been lovers of sorts. However, their lives took a drastic turn after arriving at the sect.

The female disciple had ended up in Elder Fatty Dumpling's bed, while Shin Youma, once her love, was relegated to the humble status of an outer sect disciple.

Seeing Shin Youma there, the female disciple felt a surge of betrayal and anger. His stern expression seemed to convey that he didn't care about her situation.

However, she suppressed her emotions and wrapped the bedsheet around herself, hastily exiting the room with the other female disciple.

The four men standing behind Shin Youma gulped, their eyes widening in intimidation.

Just then Elder released his 5th-stage Qi Awakening aura, they quickly dropped to their knees.

"Greetings, Elder," Shin Youma said, also kneeling and bowing his head.

He was only at the 1st level of Qi Awakening, but he showed no hesitation in displaying respect. The four men behind him echoed the greeting in unison.

"Elder, this young man is Brother Tou's little brother," Shin Youma explained.

"He has come to follow your every command." As his name was mentioned, Shou Tou kneeled fully on the ground, his head bowed deeply.

"Elder, I'm here to serve you. I'll follow your every command," Shou Tou vowed. The three men behind him followed suit, each one repeating the oath of loyalty.

Elder Fatty Dumpling smiled, seemingly impressed by their loyalty. "Good, if I tell you to die, you'll die. So, are you ready for that?" He eyed them expectantly, his gaze piercing.

The hesitation was palpable on their faces, but Shou Tou steeled himself and spoke up, "Yes, Elder." The others followed his lead, echoing their assent.

The Elder chuckled, clearly pleased. "Good, very good. You may go now." He waved his hand in dismissal.

His gaze then shifted to Shin Youma, who retrieved a spatial bag from his waist. It was the same bag the Elder had given him earlier.

Shin Youma handed it over to the Elder, saying, "There are 20 spirit stones inside, Elder. I would have collected more, but my duties at the recruitment assessment took up too much of my time."

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air for a minute, as if the Elder was displeased with the offering. Shin Youma's brow beaded with sweat, his anxiety palpable.

However, the Elder finally spoke, his voice measured, "This time, I'll let the matter slide, but next time, I expect you to fulfil your quota, including today's amount." As he released the pressure of his cultivation, the tense atmosphere dissipated.

The Elder then used his spatial ring to collect the spirit stones and tossed the empty spatial bag back to Shin Youma. "I'll be expecting it," he said, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Shin Youma nodded hastily, "I will, Elder." He then turned to leave the room, accompanied by the four others, who were still reeling from the mix of fear and excitement.

By exerting his power over them on their very first day, Fatty Dumpling was employing his signature method to instil fear in his followers.

However, what others didn't know was that Fatty Dumpling had a powerful backer within the sect, which was the reason why Shin Youma remained bound to the Elder's every command, even after leaving the Wooden Depository.

Shin Jian's eyes snapped open, a knowing smile spreading across his face. "You've sunk so low," he said, his voice laced with disdain. "You sacrificed the woman you loved for power that was never truly yours."

He was aware of the tragic tale of Shin Youma and his lover, who had joined the sect with dreams of becoming a cultivation couple.

But Shin Youma's ambition had gotten the better of him, and he had abandoned his lover to the Elder's mercy. The Elder had taken advantage of her, assaulting her repeatedly until she grew to despise Shin Youma.

"She will become one of my weapons to bring an end to Fatty Dumpling's story,"

Shin Jian murmured to himself, a hint of determination in his voice. He then closed his eyes once more, refocusing his attention on the Supreme Qi Cultivation Method.