Beichen Sword Sect's Headmaster's Secret Records

Chapter 363 Garbage System
When Huangfu Yi opened his eyes, he was nearly blinded by the plain silver hairpin shoved right in front of him. Turning his head, he saw that Pei Yuhan was sleeping with her head on his chest, drool dripping down her front, and she smelled sweetly like she had been soaked in a candy jar. Her breathing was normal, so she didn't seem to be injured.

The capping ceremony marks the beginning of rites. When a girl is fifteen and ready to marry, she is capped and given a hairpin ceremony.

Actually, this girl is only eight years old this year, not yet of marriageable age. However, her father was afraid that if he delayed any longer, she would miss a special opportunity with a celestial being and cause many troubles. Besides, these days there are plenty of reincarnated monsters who are hundreds of years old, pretending to be young. So he held a coming-of-age ceremony for her overnight and sent her off to become a disciple the next day.

He casually pushed the girl aside, and Huangfu Yi sat up, rubbing his numb arm. He found that the two of them had been taken in by the disaster victims' shack. His right arm, which had been broken by the masked man, had been bandaged up. The Tengkong Sword lay quietly beside him, emitting a faint glow.

Stepping out of the shack, I saw a full moon. The only sounds in the refugee camp were the sounds of snoring. On a nearby hill, a Taoist priest in yellow robes sat cross-legged, gazing at the stars. He must have been busy healing the sick during the day, and only had time for cultivation and refining his qi in the dead of night.

"I am Bai Yi, thank you for saving my life, senior."

Huangfu Yi bowed at the foot of the mountain, but the other party did not react. After hesitating for a moment, but considering that the other party had done him a favor, he could not just turn around and leave without saying goodbye, so he greeted them again.

"Thanks to your help, senior, I was able to save the young lady of the Pei family. Now that this matter is settled, I will depart tomorrow morning to take my leave."

"Your kindness in sheltering these starving people is immeasurable. I will certainly inform the Pei family and provide relief to the victims to repay your kindness."

This time, the Taoist priest finally reacted, turned around, and waved to Huangfu Yi.

So Huangfu Yi bowed, went forward and sat down with the Taoist priest, and stared intently at him.

The Taoist priest was seven feet tall, with eyebrows like distant mountains, black hair like a waterfall, a high nose, and regular features. Although he wore a coarse hemp ochre-yellow Taoist robe and straw sandals, he exuded righteousness and had a dignified appearance. However, he seemed to have been using his spirit to treat the disaster victims for days, and his face inevitably showed some signs of fatigue.

Perhaps because he had dealt with mortals so much, this Taoist priest no longer acted arrogantly despite his high level of cultivation, and immediately asked questions.

How much rice can you get?

Huangfu Yi hadn't expected the other party to start with such a remark, as it was just a casual, polite exchange. He felt a little awkward for a moment.
"I wouldn't dare to boast, but with the Pei family's wealth, they should be able to scrape together a reward of a fortune..."

The Taoist shook his head.
“I don’t want his money. The world is in chaos, and people are starving and eating each other. What use is money? I want rice. I don’t want much from him, just 100,000 shi of grain will do.”

"This... Miss Pei is of noble birth, so this reward is naturally not much. However, it will take a long time to raise 100,000 shi of grain, and transporting it through these high mountains will be quite inconvenient..."

Huangfu Yi was also taken aback, but he knew that with so many people gathered here, 100,000 shi of grain could only sustain them for a month or two, so the demand was indeed not much. However, he still had the important task of exterminating the demon, so how could he wait in this army of refugees until this point? He had no choice but to bite the bullet and discuss it.

Fortunately, the Taoist priest was reasonable.

“It’s alright. You can take her daughter home. There’s no need for him to bring the grain here. Just make a note of it and let him remember that this business exists. When I come to beg for food in the future, I hope he won’t beat me out with sticks.”

"You flatter me, senior. I will remember your great kindness and will certainly speak to the Pei family about it..."

Huangfu Yi felt ashamed. To be honest, although there were many hermits in the world, their actions were clearly selfish and self-serving. They killed demons to refine elixirs and vanquished monsters to cultivate their skills. There were very few who truly sought no reward and did not help the common people.

Even Huangfu Yi himself, if Jiuquan Village hadn't been so close to that Blood Demon, and if the lives of his fellow villagers hadn't been tied to his shoulders for over a decade, he wouldn't have been so eager to seek immortals and ask someone to slay the demon.

Of course, if you insist that this Taoist priest must have some unspeakable personal reasons, harboring ulterior motives and grand ambitions, which is why he insisted on sheltering hundreds of thousands of people, providing them with medical care, food, and sustenance, and searching everywhere for rice, then Huangfu Yi can only say, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were a few more such 'selfish' good people in the world?"

At this moment, the Taoist priest had gathered divine light, his eyes flashing like lightning. He glanced at the young man from head to toe, then shook his head and said...
"Let me make this clear beforehand, I have no grudge against you. That person was killed by your own sword. As for your injuries, it's all thanks to your exceptional talent; you recovered completely after a good night's sleep."

The reason I let you go this time is because you have offended someone of considerable influence and have a powerful figure protecting you. I am very busy here and do not want to cause any more trouble or get involved in your calamity.

However, let me make this clear: if anyone dares to owe me money, I'll teach them a lesson.

"Yes……"

Just as Huangfu Yi was about to take his leave, the Taoist priest took out a yellow talisman and a diagram depicting meridians and qi techniques from his sleeve and handed them to him, while explaining to him how to study the diagram.
"Two streams of true qi have been injected into your body, lingering in your Qi Sea and meridians and flowing backwards. Although you are a body cultivator with strong muscles and bones, this is not a long-term solution. You should seek out a renowned master as soon as possible to cultivate the orthodox Qi cultivation methods of the Xuanmen sect and refine these two streams of true qi for your own use. This is the fundamental solution."

Here is a breathing method for circulating qi and nourishing essence. It is not a divine skill or secret manual, and this talisman is not particularly miraculous. It is for strengthening the foundation, cultivating qi, nourishing essence, and assisting in cultivation.

If internal injuries flare up in the future, causing vital energy to stagnate, this talisman can be swallowed with warm water. Following this method of breathing exercises will alleviate abdominal pain and prevent qi deviation, which could endanger your life.

Huangfu Yi was taken aback, took the talisman, and bowed.

"Thank you very much, my benefactor. I do not know your name, but I will repay you in the future."

The Taoist priest bowed and said...
"My surname is Zhang. I am just a rogue cultivator who was expelled from the mountain gate. I have no famous name to remember."

Besides, it's just a talisman; what's the point of talking about reporting it? If you truly master this skill in the future, just remember to bring me plenty of rice.”

"...Yes, lad, I'll remember that."

Knowing he couldn't help solve the problem of feeding tens of thousands of mouths, Huangfu Yi didn't disturb Zhang Daoren's midnight cultivation and took his leave.

Back in the tent, Pei Yuhan had already taken up the floor mat, and he was sleeping in a terrible manner, snoring like a dog.

Huangfu Yi naturally didn't squeeze onto the ground with the children. Instead, he stood in front of the tent and looked at the talisman the Taoist priest had given him in the moonlight.

"Xuanhuang Yiqi Divine Skill (incomplete), trash, can be completed. Xuanhuang Yiqi Divine Skill, eighth grade, lower-middle level, useless."

Upon hearing the evaluation from the system in his mind, Huangfu Yi couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"This is garbage, that is trash, I think you're the trash."

The evaluation system stated,
"Wrong. This system is a professional evaluation system. The grade is bound to the original host. If it is considered ungraded trash, it is not qualified to call itself waste."

"you……"

Huangfuyi was speechless. Who would have thought that after burning the midnight oil for a week on Super Pidgin, finally racking up 998 views, all he got in return was this useless piece of trash who could only curse and was utterly incompetent...

"Learning complete, Xuanhuang Yiqi Divine Skill (incomplete), Rank 9, lowest level, trash."

The next second, Huangfuyi felt a movement in his internal energy sea, as if waves were rising on the sea surface and whirlpools were being stirred up. The true energy that was blocking his lungs and meridians began to flow and circulate. Although he could not yet completely digest the two completely different internal energy groups, at least he no longer felt lung pain due to the internal energy fighting, and his discomfort was slightly relieved.

Well, it's not entirely useless; it does have some use.

In short, with the help of this trash system, Huangfuyi can instantly learn all trash skills. And if one day his rating breaks through trash and rises to dregs, the system will also upgrade accordingly, allowing him to instantly learn all trash skills. It will also upgrade all the previously learned, low-grade trash skills to the lowest-grade dregs for free.

Well, to be honest, it's... pretty rubbish...

"This self-study session cost 200 points, with 13 points remaining."

"Huh? What! Wasn't it supposed to be free? Why do I have to pay now?!"

"Of course it's free, because merit points aren't money, they're tokens."

"Uh..." Huangfu Yi was speechless.

"So every time I learn and upgrade a skill, I have to defend Yangjingbang and then exchange it with merit points."
Wait a minute, wouldn't it have been the same if I had just exchanged my merit points for the skill? Why did I have to spend an extra 998?

Besides assessing what's good for you, what other use do you have?

system,

"That's all, but my review was professional."

"Wait a minute, the low-quality version of the Xuanhuang Yiqi Divine Skill only costs 100 points! Why is your garbage version so much more expensive!"

System Road,
"You get what you pay for. Direct exchange only gets you the secret manuals and techniques. The rest you have to hone on your own, which is time-consuming and laborious. Moreover, there's no chance that someone with poor aptitude or a stupid or mentally challenged person might end up going into a state of demonic possession and death."

The professional evaluation system can assess all martial arts techniques, eliminate hidden dangers in cultivation, and create customized new versions. It is truly an essential tool for home and travel, cultivation, and unfettered freedom, leading directly to the pinnacle of power.

One hundred is the service fee.

"You! Me! Sigh... There really is no such thing as a free lunch..."

"Pancakes? Where can I find pancakes? What kind of filling?"

Pei Yuhan groggily got up, turned her head and saw Huangfu Yi kneeling on the ground sighing, so she called out.
"Those candied fruits!"

Huangfu Yi said irritably,

"Your candied fruit is dead."

Pei Yuhan froze, as if she had instantly awoke from a sweet dream to the desolate, stench-filled reality. She remained silent for a moment, sitting with her legs drawn up, curled up into a small ball.

Huangfu Yi looked at her and felt sorry for her, so he sighed and comforted her.

"Don't be afraid. I told you to kill that thief. We'll set off at dawn and take you back to the Pei family."

Oh, and remember to tell your father to prepare 100,000 shi of grain for them as a token of gratitude to Master Zhang for saving his life.

Pei Yuhan looked up at him.

"Aren't you going to take me to Mount Jiuyin?"

Huangfu Yi looked at her, then at the precious sword lying quietly on the mat.

"Its name is Tengkong. Call it and see if it responds."

Pei Yuhan paused, then turned to look at the sword cautiously, like a cat meowing.

"Soaring into the air?"

However, the sword lay still, the moonlight like water, sprinkling on its blade, casting a silvery glow on the ground, but without the slightest reaction.

Pei Yuhan pouted.

"Why would you react? Shout!"

Huangfu Yi then flipped his hand, and in an instant, silver light flowed and sword light flashed. In the blink of an eye, the soaring sword flew up and landed in his palm. The sword spine glowed faintly and emitted a resounding golden sound.

Pei Yuhan's eyes reddened, and she curled up into a ball again.
"you are bullying me!"

Huangfu Yi ignored her, gazing only at the sword in his hand and the bright moon reflected in its blade, lost in thought as if attaining enlightenment.
"There is a remnant of a sword formation by immortals in my village. All my skills were taught to me by the sword immortal."

With such abilities, ghosts and gods cannot offend you, demons cannot approach you, and evil spirits cannot invade you. Who wouldn't want that?

Unfortunately, everyone except me who tried to enter the formation to observe the sword was slain by the sword light. If you think about it, more people died under the sword light than they died in the mouths of demons. But people still went to the formation one after another to test their skills, simply because no one wanted to be trapped in this icy wasteland for the rest of their lives, a mortal who could die at any moment in the mouths of demons.

My childhood friends who joined me in the initial challenge, my teammates who fought alongside me against demons, and my companions who faced life and death with me—one by one, right before my eyes, right beside me, were cleaved into bloody pieces by the sword light.

Even if I mastered the skill myself and then taught it to others, drawing talismans and chanting incantations according to the instructions, they still couldn't perform it. That's when I understood.

A predestined connection with the divine cannot be forced.

"It's either there or it isn't. Just like the accumulated wealth of your Pei family over generations, you would never be willing to share even a fraction of it with others. Even if you forcefully try to grasp at someone else's enlightenment, it's like trying to catch the moon's reflection in water—visible but unattainable."

Huangfu Yi sheathed his sword and looked at her.

"Life is tough these days. You should just go home and be your pampered princess. Maybe you'll live a little longer that way."

Pei Yuhan shook her head.

“My father won’t allow it. The word has spread in the mountains that the Pei family should give up their ancestral property as my dowry. My father can’t bear to poison me to death, but he also refuses to give up the family business.”

So if I can't become an apprentice of Jiuyin Mountain this time, and I can't find my grandmother, then I'll find a sword immortal to follow me, even if it's as a slave or a maid, I'll ask them to take me in, since there's nowhere left for me in Jiangzhou.”

Huangfu Yi frowned.
"Was that person here to abduct the bride? How can Donghua Mountain act so domineeringly? But that doesn't make sense. Why would a hermit like me covet a mortal's property? Even if I don't marry you, your family will still make offerings to you every year, right?"

Besides, forming a partnership is a matter of immense karma for cultivators. You haven't even achieved the Golden Core stage yet, so you can't engage in dual cultivation, can you? Marrying someone so early and keeping them as a concubine seems like a huge loss, doesn't it?"

Pei Yuhan was dissatisfied.
"Hey! I have the beauty to topple kingdoms and the looks of a celestial being! Plus, I have the Pei family's wealth accumulated over generations. How could you possibly lose out by marrying me!"

Huangfu Yi glanced sideways at the chubby cheeks, which looked just like a pufferfish...

"What 'angelic beauty'? Your father is just trying to make you happy..."

"You! Hmph! I may not have grown up yet, but my Pei family has produced two Ziwei Fairy Empresses and six Honghu Fairy Consorts! A renowned family known to everyone in Ziwei Yuan!"
"Let me tell you, a blind fortune teller once told my fortune. He said I just happened to be born at the wrong time. Otherwise, if I had entered the palace for the imperial concubine selection, I'd be guaranteed to be a high-ranking concubine! If I had competed, I might have even reached the top of the Ziwei Palace and become the overlord of the harem!"

"To be the ruler of the harem, you at least need to have a boyfriend or a girlfriend..."

Huangfu Yi rolled his eyes, hugged his sword, and lay down.
"Alright, alright, my ancestors were generals who conquered the west, stop bragging and go to sleep early, we have to travel tomorrow."

"You! Ugh, I'm so angry! You look down on me now, but you'll regret it later!"

Pei Yuhan sulked for a while, but in the end, she curled up behind the boy's reassuring back and fell asleep.

(End of this chapter)