In the western part of the Zephyr Mountains, past the primary mountain group’s Nature Zone, was a mountain called the Mountain of the Throneseeker.

The mountain had a strange rock that looked like a boat, its two ends sticking out in the air. Only a single point in the middle made contact with the summit, so it also looked like a balance. Even a gust of wind would have this strange rock on the summit swaying.

But no matter how the rock swayed, it never fell over. It was as if some god was keeping it in place.

A person sat on this suspended rock, seated in meditation, his eyes closed. He even held a fishing rod, the long fishing line dropping off the side of the rock.

It was Tang Jie.

There was a piece of bloody meat attached to the end of the fishing line.

The meat let off a powerful odor as it lay on the ground, and it wasn’t long before a badger fiend was drawn over.

This badger fiend was only at the lower grade of Spirit Sensing. For a little guy who had only just become a fiend, this fresh meat still had a lethal attraction.

It looked around and then cautiously came over. When it felt like there was no more danger, it lunged over to take a bite.

Just as it bit down, the fishing line went taut, pulling the badger fiend into the air.

The badger fiend flailed in the air like a fish, and the fishing line occasionally flashed with spiritual light.

At this moment, a voice suddenly shouted, “Tang Jie!”

Tang Jie’s hand trembled, and the fishing line snapped. The badger fiend dropped from the air, rolled a few times on the ground, and swiftly ran off.

Tang Jie didn’t chase after the fleeing badger fiend. He drew back the fishing line and looked at the break. “It seems I’m still very far away from drawing energy into a hair-thin line that can stretch for a thousand kilometers.”

The rabbit fiend, Tutu, praised, “This Fiend Fishing art is a secret art of my Heavenshade Domain, and it’s perfect for tempering one’s control and operation of spiritual energy. This line is extremely thin, and putting in too much will cause the line to snap. There’s not even a need to use it for Fiend Fishing. And without using a hook, only sucking in with spiritual energy, raises the difficulty even more. That you could reach this level in less than a hundred days is extraordinary progress. It seems like I’ve underestimated you. You really are a genius.”

Only Tang Jie knew that he wasn’t some genius. It was the White Tiger’s essence blood that had changed him, altering his constitution. But the White Tiger could not affect his Jade Gate, but other aspects, like constitution, potential, and the ability to sense and control spiritual energy.

He was just about to say this when that person who had called out his name flew closer. It was Wei Tianchong.

After returning from Endsea, Tang Jie spent every morning Fiend Fishing. It had been three months, and over time, everyone had learned to come and find him here.

Wei Tianchong landed on that boat rock on the summit, but just when he was about to speak, Tang Jie waved his hand. “Don’t talk. Let me guess why you’ve come first. If my guess is right, the arguments about my contribution and reward have finally been settled, right?”

Wei Tianchong laughed. “Impressive, impressive. This truly is the case. The sect has finally reached an agreement.”

The battle over the sea and the battle in the hidden realm had resulted in Tang Jie killing two and a half Celestial Heart True Persons of the Beast Refining Gate and more than a hundred disciples, and he had also destroyed a teleportation formation. These were all enormous contributions.

Contributions had to be rewarded. The problem was how to reward him.

The radical faction believed that Tang Jie should be richly rewarded and should be nurtured as a future elite of the Basking Moon Sect.

But some people thought that this was improper. Although many Beast Refining Gate disciples had been killed in this battle, they had ultimately failed to get the treasure in the Beast Garden. The Beast Refining Gate had suffered devastating losses, yes, but the Basking Moon Sect hadn’t gained anything much either. Although the losses of the enemy were their gain, it couldn’t be exaggerated too much. Since the Basking Moon Sect had not gained anything, Tang Jie should simply be rewarded with the contribution points for his kills. There was no need for additional reward.

Rewards and punishments were meted out fairly. It could be considered unfair not just to fail to give out rewards that should be rewarded, but also to casually give out rewards that shouldn’t be given.

On this matter, the two sides fiercely argued for some time.

As this was related to additional rewards, Tang Jie was very open-minded. Thus, he paid little attention to the matter, nor did he go around trying to win people over to his side. He spent every day on this mountain fishing for fiends for his amusement and honing his body. In the eyes of others, this was taken as him having a good temperament, a powerful determination that was not attached to physical things, and they developed a better opinion of him.

Three months had passed, and the dust of the quarrels had finally settled into a joint agreement.

Wei Tianchong had come to deliver the news, though he was surprised to find that Tang Jie had already guessed his purpose.

Tang Jie indifferently said, “It’s nothing at all. Why don’t we make a bet? If I manage to guess the rewards the sect has given me directly, you will recite the Mind Parting Heart Anchor Art for me once.”

“What?” Wei Tianchong shivered.

The Mind Parting Heart Anchor Art was his master Yan Changfeng’s mantra, and privately passing it to someone else was a grave crime.

Tang Jie replied, “Relax; I only want to use it as a reference. I won’t leak its contents, let alone pass it on to anyone. If I lose, I’ll pass on the entirety of the Bright Heart’s mantra to you.”

Wei Tianchong was relieved to hear this.

Feeling like his chances of victory were pretty good, he finally nodded and said, “Fine; let’s do it. Go on, then!”

Tang Jie said, “This argument isn’t actually about contribution points, but about the additional rewards. The Sword Holder believes that, in addition to my earned contribution points, I should also be granted the right to enter the Water Moon Paradise, the ability to travel the 19 Peaks freely, the ability to access Heaven One Pavilion whenever I want, 20 years of exemption from the basic contribution requirement, promotion to chamberlain of the Secret Hall, and three hundred thousand spirit coins. The Mystic Moon True Lord felt that these rewards were too ample and were not particularly fair…”

Tang Jie paused for a moment and then chuckled. “In truth, I also think these rewards were too much and were not fair.”

The Water Moon Paradise was the paradise of the Basking Moon Sect, where countless Titans of the sect had left their Returned Remnants, one of the places in the Rosecloud Domain with the highest concentration of spiritual energy. One day cultivating here could be worth as many as one hundred days in the outside world.

There were also thousand-year spirit fields here, bearing countless rare flowers and plants. It was a strategic area of utmost importance for the Basking Moon Sect.

To open the Water Moon Paradise to Tang Jie was a show of immense favor.

As for the ability to freely travel the 19 Peaks, it meant that he could go anywhere in the Basking Moon Sect up to the mountains of the 19 Celestial Chiefs without worrying about the sect’s rules. This allowed for immense freedom of movement, and while it had little practical use, it represented an illustrious status and promising future.

20 years of exemption from the contribution requirement meant that Tang Jie did not need to pay contribution points for his residence. Of course, he would still have to pay for everything else.

There was no need to explain the spirit coins, the free access to Heaven One Pavilion, and the promotion to chamberlain.

Such an extravagant reward was only the extra part. Even Tang Jie felt like this was too high, and this was precisely what had caused so much argument in the sect.

But Tang Jie understood that this wasn’t because all of his achievements were worth that much. Rather, Xiao Biehan was using this chance to make trouble for the conservative faction of the sect.

As the current power holder, the conservative faction disagreed not out of pettiness, but because the proposal broke the rules and harmed the sect’s reputation for fairness. Thus, it could never agree to this proposal.

And their opposition would undoubtedly cause a loss for Tang Jie, which had a high chance of making him unhappy and throwing in his lot with the radicals.

Even if that didn’t happen, the radicals would have shown how much they favored Tang Jie, an expression of their goodwill. For the young generation, the side that they chose could simply be whoever valued them more.

In terms of rewards, the radicals favored him more than the conservatives. At the very least, they were willing to break the rules for him.

But alas, this trick was of little use on Tang Jie. He had already seen through everything. His value to the radicals truly did play a part in their willingness to break the rules for him, but the more important reason was that they weren’t the party in power.

Tang Jie naturally wouldn’t say all this to Wei Tianchong, only saying, “In truth, the Mystic Moon True Lord also thought that I made a great contribution on this matter. Considering the importance of the Beast Garden to the Beast Refining Gate, and that it was the source of the grudge between the two sects, I would have to be given an additional reward. Their arguments up until now are actually part of a compromising process. The Sword Holder removed some of his excessive rewards, and the Mystic Moon True Lord appropriately gave a little, and so both sides are happy. For many things, all that is needed is a reason for precedent to be broken. So, here is my guess for what the final rewards are:

“First is the basic portion, which is simple. In this trip to Endsea, I have solid proof of killing 51 people. 18 were at Hundred Refinement, 20 were at Nine Revolutions, 11 were at Cognitive Creation, and 2 were at Celestial Heart. There are 58 for which there is little proof. Hundred Refinements are 10 points, Nine Revolutions are 50 points, Cognitive Creations are 100 points, and Spirit Rings are 1,000 points. If all of the unverified are calculated at 50 points per, then there is a total of 7,130 contribution points. In addition to that, there’s 1,000 points for destroying the teleportation formation and also the points for finding Lin Baicang. In total, the reward comes to 8,630 contribution points.

“The second portion is the extra rewards. First of all, promotion to chamberlain is impossible. This has limited benefits to me, and is also an extreme violation of the rules. The best that can be done is adjutant. The same is true for free travel within the 19 Peaks. Lacking the power to match the authority will do more harm than good. It will only draw envious eyes and trouble, so it can be removed.”

“Correct.” Wei Tianchong nodded.

In the quarrels between the two factions, the first two rewards to be removed were these.

“The free access to Heaven One Pavilion can also be removed. It’s not that this reward isn’t important, but I’ve already read the Divine Firmament Sword Classic and the Violet Jade Mantra, so this reward isn’t that valuable to me. Even if I want to look at them in the future, I will be able to find a way. Thus, this condition is actually used as a concession.”

Wei Tianchong was dazzled.

Tang Jie continued, “Now, the 20 years of exemption from contribution. I am currently at the fourth revolution, not far from Cognitive Creation. After I enter Cognitive Creation, I will have to deal with the Three Withering Tribulations, which are very dangerous. So as to preserve talent, this is the only part that will be increased rather than decreased. From what I see, it should be 30 years of exemption so that I don’t have to run around completing missions in order to comply with the basic contribution for the next 30 years. Of course, as a price, the 300,000-spirit-coin reward will be cut down to 30,000. In truth, the contribution points are only authority, while spirit coins represent resources. Trading resources for authority is the most appropriate and most intelligent method.”

Wei Tianchong’s jaw had dropped.

“Finally, the Water Moon Paradise. The Water Moon Paradise is one of this sect’s most important areas, and it has always been a great honor to be allowed to cultivate within. Since I’ve made such a great contribution, allowing me to go inside the Water Moon Paradise isn’t a problem, and this is the part that allows the most room for maneuvering. Allowing me in is one thing, but how long I can stay is another. I’m guessing that the Mystic Moon True Lord has allowed me to enter the Water Moon Paradise, but there’s a time limit.”

Tang Jie raised three fingers. “Only three days! Of course, there’s no way the Sword Holder would have agreed that easily. In the end, they should have opened up a contribution point exchange for me, allowing me to freely trade contribution points for more time in the Water Moon Paradise. As for the price? It will be the standard rate of 300 contribution points per day, but it can only be used once. At the same time, I can choose when I want to go in, any time within the next ten years!”

Wei Tianchong felt his vision going dark. “You… you guessed everything right!”

Tang Jie heartily laughed. “Since I guessed right, fulfill your end of the wager.”

With a bitter face, Wei Tianchong recited the Mind Parting Heart Anchor Mantra for Tang Jie. While doing so, he repeatedly emphasized that he couldn’t spread it around, or else Yan Changfeng would have his hide.

After passing on the mantra, Wei Tianchong suddenly remembered something. “The Mind Parting Heart Anchor Mantra is best for comprehension. At profound levels, one can multitask, comprehending several mantras at the same time, corroborating them with each other while not disordering the Origin Heart. Other than rich spiritual energy and thousand-year spirit fields, the Water Moon Paradise is also known for having a treasure that contains the cultivation insights of countless predecessors of the Basking Moon Sect. Many disciples who enter the Water Moon Paradise richly benefit just from comprehending the insights of their predecessors. My master was one of the greatest beneficiaries. His Nine Coronal Transformations is a spell art created from the insights of nine predecessors, and he was able to use it to become one of the 19 Celestial Chiefs…”

He looked at Tang Jie and said, “Did you ask for the Mind Parting Heart Anchor Mantra because you already knew that you were going into the Water Moon Paradise?”

Tang Jie smiled and said nothing.

Wei Tianchong was enlightened.

He suddenly looked around. “Yiyi? Where’s that little girl right now?”

Tang Jie shrugged. “Where else? She’s naturally at the site of the declaration. Did you really think I would manage to guess everything purely through intuition?”

“You played me!” Wei Tianchong lunged forward in anger, punching at Tang Jie.

Tang Jie laughed and evaded. With his speed, there was no way Wei Tianchong could catch him.

———————————————

Just as Tang Jie had said, for the mission to Endsea, the Basking Moon Sect had ultimately decided to reward Tang Jie with three days in the Water Moon Paradise, 30 years of exemption from the basic contribution point requirement, 30,000 spirit coins, and around 8,000 contribution points.

With these, Tang Jie would have a much easier time in the future.

It couldn’t be forgotten that he had also harvested a lot from the people he had killed.

Tang Jie had sold them off bit by bit, and even at cheap prices, he had managed to make four-hundred-thousand-some spirit coins. It had to be understood that Tang Jie had fifty-some Mustard Seed Bags alone, and just selling the bags netted him more than two hundred thousand. The rest had sold for only two hundred thousand because he had given some of the stuff that was more difficult to sell to Yun Danqi, and because he had left some for his personal use.

With this money and his earlier contribution points, Tang Jie could ignore missions for a long time.

But Tang Jie didn’t do this. On the contrary, he was even more proactive about taking missions.

This was in preparation for the Water Moon Paradise.

The most valuable part of his reward had been the Water Moon Paradise.

This was one of the most important places in the Basking Moon Sect. It was full of resources, and it had always been reserved for elite disciples and disciples who had made immense contributions to the sect.

Xiao Biehan hadn’t just gotten Tang Jie three days in the Water Moon Paradise. Far more important was his ability to trade contribution points for additional days.

In other words, if he had enough contribution points, he could stay in the Water Moon Paradise forever. However, this trade could only be done once. Once he left, he wouldn’t be able to make this trade anymore, unless the Basking Moon Sect allowed him this privilege again.

Tang Jie didn’t know when he would get this privilege again, so he was using this opportunity to do more missions and stockpile more points.

The Basking Moon Sect had reserved him a spot for ten years. At any time in these ten years, he could enter the paradise. Thus, he would make good use of these ten years.

If possible, he hoped to enter at Cognitive Creation. It would be ideal if he could make the charge at Cognitive Creation within the Water Moon Paradise, perhaps even pass through the Three Withering Tribulations.

Thus, Tang Jie diligently took missions to make contribution points. With his ability to transform, he could freely wander the world without fear of Godhead Palace or the Beast Refining Gate.

Three years went by in the blink of an eye.

In these three years, Tang Jie completed several dozen missions. While these weren’t big missions like the Beast Garden which gave more than eight thousand points in one go, even missions that only gave one hundred points would accumulate over time into thousands of points.

Of course, the price for running around every day was that his cultivation time had been cut down by a lot. In these three years, Tang Jie had only managed to cultivate to the fifth revolution from the fourth.

Those disciples from the same class that he had once left far behind him had used this opportunity to catch up.

Tang Jie was in no rush, continuing to busy himself with missions, and in a flash, another seven years went by.

As he wandered around, he grew more and more familiar with the world. He felt like he was also beginning to integrate with this world more, becoming more like someone cultivating Immortality.

He experienced many things in this time, investigating corruption by other disciples, chasing down traitors, stealing secrets of other sects, and even massacring a small sect that had sold out to the Beast Refining Gate.

He had been through many battles—countless minor ones, twelve major ones, and three in which his life had been on the line. In these perilous moments, he had relied on his original body to come to the rescue. There had even been a time where he had fallen into someone’s trap and almost lost his life for it.

It was only then that he understood how vast the world was and how powerful its adversaries were. Even among wandering cultivators, there were many crouching tigers and hidden dragons, equal to him in both strength and mind.

And because he always completed the sect missions with outstanding performance, his reputation in the Basking Moon Sect grew. Many people now called him Great Brother when they met him.

Nearly ten years had gone by, and Tang Jie had gone from the fourth revolution to the eighth. His advancement was much slower than before, but he had accumulated more and more contribution points, his stockpile breaching thirty thousand.

He had enough points now, but his cultivation level was lacking. There was still one revolution to reach the ninth. Even if he put all his focus into cultivation, he would still need one or two years to do this.

But Tang Jie wasn’t anxious. This was because he had just gone through another trial of Southern Divine Fire with his original body, obtaining a thousand-year Whitefiend Lotus.

Tang Jie traded this item to the Seven Absolutions Sect and managed to complete Nine Revolutions in three months.

At this time, there was only one month until his permission to enter the Water Moon Paradise ran out.

Another time skip! After all that battling and adventure, it’s time for Tang Jie to get some proper cultivation done.