Chapter 800: Chapter 689: No Need to Spend, Just Grind (Extended Chapter)
Tao City, a subordinate city of the Tao Sect.
Grandmaster Tang also served as the City Lord, and instead of constructing a City Lord Mansion within the city, the town hall was used as a replacement to manage all affairs big and small in Tao City.
Although Yan had secluded himself, the operations of the entire Tao City remained stable and efficient, which showed that his presence or absence didn’t make much of a difference.
The fervor of the Sect disciple selection had gradually passed, and many of the Human Race and Alien Race who had settled in Tao City had turned their attention to the tasks that were about to be released by the city.
There were several locations within the city designated for task distribution, such as the Core Area, the second phase project, and even the third phase project that was currently under construction—all had grand halls dedicated to posting tasks.
At the “Task Distribution Center,” the doors were still tightly shut, but there were already quite a number of people waiting around the grand hall.
These people,
were almost all young people who had been eliminated during the assessments, along with their friends and relatives.
Completing tasks and exchanging Contribution Points for quotas was their only possible way to become disciples of the Sect.
What made them anxious was the number of tasks.
As the strongest force of the Human Race, the Tao Sect ruthlessly eliminated even many talents at the Great Perfection during the selections, so the quotas that could be exchanged through Contribution Points were probably limited.
Many advanced cultivators at the Stepping Void Realm were eyeing the door of the task center, hoping to seize the tasks with their strength advantage.
Hodder was also an advanced cultivator of the Human Race at the Stepping Void Realm, but he wasn’t interested in the tasks that the Tao Sect was about to release.
He was a Loose Cultivator.
Having cultivated for hundreds of years, Hodder had neither courted a spouse, had offspring, nor belonged to a family.
Without young descendants, even if he had enough Contribution Points to exchange for a Sect entry quota, it was useless to him.
At least, he hadn’t heard that the quota could be transferred.
Seeing those advanced cultivators at the Stepping Void Realm guarding the door of the task center with their talented descendants, Hodder felt a tinge of envy.
In his lifetime, the Stepping Void Realm was his limit, but if he had a direct talented descendant who could join the Tao Sect, who knows, when they became powerful in the future, they might provide him, their ‘Ancestor,’ some precious Cultivation qualifications.
Powerful families could provide Cultivation Resources for the strong members of the clan, and in turn, the strong could lead their family towards prosperity… a virtuous cycle from generation to generation that could grow stronger and stronger as long as no formidable enemies were provoked.
Hodder… he had entertained the thought of founding a family.
But he didn’t even have a spouse, not because he was ugly, but because… he was poor.
Not up to it.
Firstly, he didn’t own a dwelling in a well-known city like White City, although he did have a cave dwelling that he had carved out in some quiet and remote mountains, but that was useless.
Which advanced female cultivator at the Stepping Void Realm would be willing to live in a cave with him?
Secondly, he had no steady income.
Advanced cultivators at the Stepping Void Realm from large families only needed to hold down certain resource spots and they would have a continuous stream of resources just by concentrating on cultivation behind closed doors.
Hodder, being a Loose Cultivator and not skilled at Forging, Alchemy, Engraving Runes, or growing medicinal herbs—means that could steadily earn Source Crystals—he could only work for some large families to exchange for some Cultivation Resources, and over many years he had barely saved any Source Crystals.
Unable to support himself, let alone find a spouse or think about starting a family and spreading his branches.
Sometimes Hodder got lucky and discovered the emergence of some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, only to find himself no match for other advanced cultivators at the Stepping Void Realm, and he would have to beat a hasty retreat.
Without a Divine Weapon or Advanced Attack and Destruction Magic, Hodder’s Combat Skills placed him at the bottom of the Stepping Void Realm.
The strong remain strong, and the weak grow weaker. To outsiders, he was a glorious advanced cultivator at the Stepping Void, but in reality, he was merely a high-level enforcer.
“If only I had a Divine Weapon…”
With a Divine Weapon, he would be able to set foot in regions he had previously feared to tread, have a better chance to compete with others at the Stepping Void for Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and at least increase the speed at which he earned Source Crystals several times over, perhaps it wouldn’t take long to purchase a second Divine Weapon…
But the prerequisite was to have a Divine Weapon.
“Recently, the ‘Treasure Pavilion’ in White City had a Divine Weapon for sale; it was almost my only channel to acquire a Divine Weapon… ”
But he still couldn’t afford it.
Hodder clenched his right fist and struck his left palm, “I’ll give it my all, I never had a chance before, but at least there is hope now. Tao City is newly founded, with many opportunities still to be had, I need to earn more Source Crystals during this time, perhaps then I’ll be able to buy a Divine Weapon…”
No longer hesitating, Hodder strode forward, and just as he passed by the “Task Distribution Center” grand hall, suddenly the doors opened.
Whoosh—
The crowd that had been standing before the grand hall surged inside, and the street outside the hall suddenly became somewhat empty.
Hodder blinked, “Why not take a look?”
He wasn’t interested in quotas for joining the Sect; he was merely thinking that among those young people scrambling for tasks, there might be some who managed to seize a task but were unable to complete it… then wouldn’t that mean business for him?
Hodder walked in,
The interior of the grand hall was even more expansive, resembling a starry sky, and although the crowded street outside had rushed in, the hall didn’t feel congested.
Upon entering, he immediately felt a weak yet continuous Spiritual Wave spreading throughout the grand hall.
After a moment’s hesitation, he accepted the wave.
It contained some simple information about the “Task Distribution Center.”
“Just a grand hall for task distribution, and they’ve already employed space techniques and some kind of spiritual communication technique; the Tao Sect’s methods are so sophisticated.”
Looking around, there were countless dazzling stars in the hall that appeared like a starry sky, with each star representing a task.
By approaching them, one could read the specific details of the task.
Or explore them directly with spiritual power.
Hodder’s spiritual power spread out and connected to a few of the stars.
[Collection mission: Gather Black Gold Fire Lotuses, reward: 150 Contribution Points per lotus.]