Chapter 483: Becoming a Local Tyrant by Making Sugar Figurines Too Well

He’d made no new gains out in the cosmos, and his own progress was just so-so. Qi Suian’s life had become exceptionally peaceful.

Ever since he’d disabled the effects of his "protagonist halo," fortuitous opportunities no longer came his way, and naturally, neither did trouble.

The life of an ordinary person was like that of an NPC—devoid of anything grand or dramatic, just the daily grind of a workhorse.

Those who ran into trouble were always the minority, not the majority.

"What? You actually graduated?!" Qi Suian stared at a smug-looking Zuo Fan, thinking the kid was something else.

He took a closer look. ’No protagonist halo on him, yet he really graduated.’

"I was lucky. This time, the graduation assessment tested Blazing Flame Sword Qi, which I happened to know."

"If they’d tested us on Flame Escape or Spirit Flame Bomb, I would’ve been toast." Zuo Fan sounded slightly relieved as he said this.

He admitted that his graduation wasn’t entirely on merit—luck had played a big part. Blazing Flame Sword Qi was the Spiritual Technique he was most familiar with, and even then, he was far from proficient.

As for the other two Spiritual Techniques, his skill was so awful it was painful to watch. He had only just scraped by.

"Tomorrow, the sect is assigning a Steward to take us on missions. It’ll be a long time before I can eat your sugar figures again, Uncle."

"So, I figured I’d buy a few extra Yanghuang Zhenren sugar figures today and save them for later." With that, Zuo Fan took out three hundred wen.

Although Zuo Fan had graduated and become a true Spirit Master, he was still a rookie. He’d need someone to guide him for a while before he could take on missions alone.

Only when he could carry out missions independently would he be considered to have completed his apprenticeship.

Every year, a good number of Spirit Masters died because they couldn’t handle missions on their own. Even within the sect’s borders, safety was never a guarantee.

Why else would Qi Suian have picked a place with good public safety?

"No need for the money. Consider this a gift to congratulate you on your graduation." Qi Suian said, handing Zuo Fan ten sugar figures.

This made Zuo Fan ecstatic, and he hurriedly helped Qi Suian wrap the sugar figures.

"You’re the best, Uncle!" Zuo Fan was overjoyed.

Qi Suian, however, remained unfazed.

’After all, Zuo Fan was just an eight or nine-year-old kid.’

Qi Suian had seen his fair share of the major sects’ cruelty. To guarantee a steady supply of the Extraordinary, they had no choice but to constantly exploit those at the bottom.

It was just like how they squeezed their own cells—a form of exploitation that clearly had numerous drawbacks.

However, because the sects were powerful, controlling both martial might and the economy, and further reinforced their rule by brainwashing the populace with various ideologies, there were no overt resistance movements.

Even if some existed, they were too insignificant to be of any consequence.

Of course, it wasn’t without its benefits. The paths for advancement, the living conditions for ordinary people, and so on were actually quite good.

Spiritual Techniques, in particular, were also a great boon to productivity.

Not all missions were about fighting and killing; in fact, the vast majority were about maintaining the social structure.

In addition to accepting commissions, the sects also issued their own missions to guarantee a certain standard of living for their low and mid-level members.

"Well, I’m off! Next time I’m back, I’ll treat you to some barbecue, Uncle!" After saying his piece, Zuo Fan left with his bag of sugar figures.

The rewards for Spirit Masters completing missions were quite high.

For a rookie like Zuo Fan, who had yet to undertake a single mission, completing one would earn him at least a tael of silver.

To an ordinary person, that kind of money was on a completely different level.

Of course, the missions were difficult. The money was good, but the work was hell.

Who knew, the next time Qi Suian saw Zuo Fan, the boy might have turned into a jaded workhorse, reeking of mission fatigue and spouting hollow acknowledgements.

"Tsk, so energetic. But that’s kids for you," Qi Suian remarked casually.

"Once you become a Spirit Master, you can’t be considered a child anymore." A middle-aged man’s voice came over. "Give me one of those Yanghuang Zhenren sugar figures."

Qi Suian glanced at him and got one for him.

Qi Suian recognized the man. He was Shi Hanwen, the Peak Master of Azure Flame Peak, one of the highest-ranking figures in the Yanghuang Sect.

After all, above the Peak Masters, there was only the Sect Leader.

On Azure Flame Peak, he was both the strongest individual and the ultimate authority.

As a humble sugar-stall owner, Qi Suian had, of course, "never" seen the man before, so he maintained a placid demeanor.

The man stuffed the sugar figure into his mouth, shattering it in a single bite. CRUNCH, CRUNCH. Shi Hanwen ground the sugary shards between his teeth.

"Generous with ingredients, and very sanitary. More importantly, it’s cheap. No wonder your business is so good." Shi Hanwen swallowed it in one gulp and then spoke.

"It’s alright. It’s a small business, high volume and low margins," Qi Suian said, holding out his hand. "Fifty wen."

’I don’t mind him eating it, but he has to pay.’

’Even if I don’t need the money, I can’t set this precedent.’

’If a Peak Master dines and dashes today, will the Sect Leader want a free meal tomorrow?’

"I don’t have change that small. This will have to do." Shi Hanwen wasn’t the type to stiff someone, but he simply didn’t carry small change for such minor purchases. He pulled out the smallest-denomination silver note he had on him.

It was a silver note with a denomination of ten taels.

To an ordinary person, this was a fortune that had just fallen from the sky.

"Can’t make change." Qi Suian spread his hands and refused to take it.

’Of course, it’d be easy to make change, but how would I explain where it came from? A tiny sugar stall like mine with that much cash?’

’If I’d been open for ten-odd years, maybe I could explain it. But it’s been barely any time at all since I started.’

"Keep the change. Your sugar art is very well done. I want to hire you to create a statue of Yanghuang Zhenren." Of course, Shi Hanwen hadn’t come just for a sweet treat.

As a Peak Master, he had tasted far better delicacies.

Qi Suian’s true artistry lay not in the flavor or texture of his candy, but in its appearance and price.

He was particularly satisfied with the likeness of Yanghuang Zhenren that the man had created.

In a few months, the Yanghuang Sect would hold its centennial grand ceremony. If they could replace the current statue of Yanghuang Zhenren with a version based on Qi Suian’s sugar art, it would absolutely astound all the other Celestial Sects.

Qi Suian was dumbfounded. He had never encountered a situation like this before.

"This is the art of making sugar figures. I can’t do a Stonemason’s..." Qi Suian started to refuse.

’I *could* do it, but I don’t want to.’

’Why would I get involved in something like this for no reason?’

’Changing the statue of the founding patriarch for the number one sect in the world? If there isn’t some conspiracy tangled up in this, I’ll tear my own head off and kick it like a ball.’

"You don’t have to do the work, just supervise. If there’s anything wrong, you can point it out."

"I can have the craftsmen move the stone right next to your shop, so you won’t even have to leave." There was no way Shi Hanwen would let Qi Suian work directly inside the Yanghuang Sect’s Ancestral Hall.

The work would obviously be completed off-site and then delivered.

"If it’s sculpted well, there’s a reward in it for you afterward," Shi Hanwen added.

His underlying meaning was clear: he wanted Qi Suian to understand his own place. An ordinary person who defies someone of unknown, but clearly high, status will not meet a good end.

"Alright, I can do that, but..." Hearing the arrangement, Qi Suian thought, ’Just supervising? That’s not hard.’

"No buts. It’s settled then. I’ll arrange for people to come this afternoon."

"If you need anything, you can come find me directly. I live on Azure Flame Peak. When you get there, just show this Token to a disciple and say you’re looking for the Peak Master."

With that, Shi Hanwen tossed a small token to him before turning and walking away.

Qi Suian couldn’t help but chuckle. ’This Stone Peak Master is certainly straightforward.’

But then again, he thought, if they really did replace the statue of Yanghuang Zhenren with his version, it would bring great prestige to the Yanghuang Sect. His own contribution in that would be far from small.

Then, Qi Suian took the Token, framed it, and placed it in the most conspicuous spot in his shop, where anyone who walked in couldn’t miss it.

’Use it? That’s the crudest way to handle things.’

’By framing it for everyone to see, I won’t even need to present the Token in the future. Everyone will know I have a connection to the Peak Master of Azure Flame Peak.’

’Not only will it take care of a ton of potential trouble, but it will also open doors and solve problems at their very root.’

’And what about the enemies of the Peak Master of Azure Flame Peak? Why would figures on his level ever bother with a small fry like me?’

’It’s not like I’m the only one with a Token like this. It’s basically a pass. The Peak Master of Azure Flame Peak has given out plenty of them, to his exclusive vegetable vendors, butchers, and the like.’

’They just weren’t as ostentatious about it as I am.’

"With this, I’m practically a local big shot now."

And with that, Qi Suian leaned back into his rocking chair and shifted his consciousness to Fei.

Fei was already descending to the surface of a planet, beginning to feed.

And as it did, it discovered numerous traces left behind by a civilization.

’This planet once harbored life, and it even developed a civilization.’

’But... where did they all go?’ Qi Suian wondered. As Fei continued to feed, the data it sent back provided him with more intelligence.

’It doesn’t look like a gradual decline. It seems to have happened in an instant.’

’It’s as if the entire planet was devoured by something, leaving behind nothing but an empty husk.’

Qi Suian quickly came to a conclusion. Fortunately, Fei was composed of fibrous matter, so it was not a picky eater. Even if the entire planet was just an empty husk, it could still provide it with nutrients.

’Don’t tell me there’s a species out there like the Insect Race.’

’But why are there no signs of them on my planet?’

On a cosmic scale, Fei wasn’t that far from Qi Suian’s own planet. Theoretically, a species with that kind of efficiency should have devoured this world long ago.

Yet here it was, not only uneaten but thriving. Something was very wrong.

’How could a race with that kind of technology possibly get lost?’

Besides, Fei hadn’t encountered anything unusual during its entire journey; it only sensed this strangeness after landing on the planet.

’It’s highly likely something happened to them en route, preventing them from ever reaching this planet.’

With so little information to go on, Qi Suian could only speculate.

Besides, based on the traces left behind, at least a thousand years had passed. Investigating now would be nearly impossible.