He had been waiting for almost an hour. But the middle-aged man kept meditating and paid no
attention to Austin.
After patiently waiting for an hour, Austin decided he should greet the middle-aged man. Just as he was
about to speak with the middle-aged man, Marvin Su and his team arrived.
When Lara Tang saw the humble-looking middle-aged man, she furrowed her brow and asked Marvin
Su, "All we need to do is to hand the Jade Badge to this man, right? But he is not sleeping, is he?"
At those words, Marvin Su hushed her.
The outer disciples who came to practice at Beast Mountain called the middle-aged man the mountain
keeper.
Lara Tang had no idea who he was. But after adventuring into Beast Mountain several times, Marvin Su
knew the mountain keeper was not as simple as he looked.
Two years ago, a Diabolic Unicorn at the third level suddenly appeared in Beast Mountain and took the
lives of many Sun Sect disciples.
At last, a man came forward and killed that third-level Diabolic Unicorn. That man was the seemingly
inconspicuous mountain keeper.
Numerous Sun Sect disciples witnessed that brutal fight, and one of them was Marvin Su.
That third-level beast was as fierce as a man at the eighth or ninth level of the Energy Gathering
Realm.
Nevertheless, when that mountain keeper dealt with the beast, it seemed as vulnerable as a child. In
the blink of an eye, the mountain keeper had destroyed the creature.
That was when the outer disciples realized that the mountain keeper who sat under the huge tree day
in and day out had strength that was not inferior to that of some elders in their sect.
Marvin Su carefully walked up to the mountain keeper and stated respectfully, "Senior, we're outer
disciples who have ventured here for adventures."
A moment later, the middle-aged man slowly opened his eyes and glanced at Marvin Su and the
others.
His eyes reflected no emotions. But in the next second, the disciples felt pressure wrapping around
them.
The pressure was a sign of the huge gap between their cultivation bases. Under its effect, all the
disciples quivered, and some whose willpower was not very strong felt their knees give out.
"Hm."
After glimpsing at them, the mountain keeper said flatly, "Hand me your Jade Badge. If you survive the
adventure and return alive, I'll give you the contribution credits you deserve based on your
performance."
The disciples did not dare to say another word. They took out their Jade Badges and handed it to the
mountain keeper, one by one.
Lara Tang, though pompous, was not stupid. By now, she had noticed that the mountain keeper was at
a level much higher than her.
With that in mind, her previous rude attitude evaporated in an instant. Now, she behaved and acted like
an obedient kitty.
In a world where only strength prevailed, the weak were irrelevant to the strong.
If a cultivator unintentionally upset a man at a higher level, he might invite harsh treatment in return.
The Jade Badge was the identity proof of each Sun Sect disciple. It was also the symbol of their status.
Besides that, it served as a record of their contribution credits as well.
Each time a disciple completed a task, relevant contribution credits would be added to the Jade Badge
according to the difficulty and the significance of that task.
When the disciple needed resources for practice, he or she could obtain some from the sect by paying
with the contribution credits left on the Jade Badge.
Austin was the last to turn in his Jade Badge.
As he fished out his badge that was inscribed with grunt disciple, Marvin Su, and the other six disciples
were dazed.
'A grunt disciple?'
They immediately cast mocking and disdainful looks at him.
To the outer disciples present, grunt disciples were slow and only capable of doing humble and
exhausting work. However, one of them had dared to come to Beast Mountain!
Lara Tang could not stifle her contempt and muttered, "What? A grunt disciple put his work aside to
practice at the mountain? You really have an exaggerated opinion of your abilities!"
She threw him a look full of loathing and despise.
Austin smiled wryly. He could do nothing about her taunts, as he knew that in this world one's strength
and identity decided his status.
'Austin, a grunt disciple?'
The mountain keeper was a little taken aback, too.
'Could he be that man? People say that man became an idiot after another disciple bashed his head.
Why is he here to practice?
Well, he must have recovered his senses. But his cultivation base dropped to the fourth level.
I heard that before the beating he had been at the ninth level and was about to enter the Earth Realm.
It seems that the attack cost him gravely.'
The mountain keeper knew that if Austin hadn't fallen prey to that dark scheme, he would have reached
the Earth Realm.
But on account of that incident, Austin was reduced to a fool for three years, and his cultivation base
also fell to the fourth level.
The trauma that Austin had incurred was enough to force a man give up hopes of advancing, not to
mention the damage it caused to his vital energy and cultivation base.
Life was unpredictable as no one knew what would happen to them the next day. It also applied to
those who were extremely gifted, given that many of them were killed in their infancy before they had
the chance to grow up and become strong.
But now that Austin was here, it showed that he still wanted to fight. The mountain keeper started to
wonder what kind of performance Austin would present this time.
The mountain keeper suddenly felt a rush of curiosity. He had heard of Austin before and knew that he
used to be ranked the highest among all the outer disciples.
"Fine."
The mountain keeper replied, void of expression. He closed his eyes again and waved at them.
"Go ahead, all of you."
Austin turned and looked into the distance. The forest ahead of them was so thick that it blotted out the
sky and covered the sun. Rolling hills lined up and stretched as far as he could see. Austin breathed
deeply at the magnificent view of the Beast Mountain, and whispered, "Beast Mountain, I'm coming!"
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