The man spoke with a weird, snide tone, clearly mocking Lin Haoming's low cultivation level.
But before Lin Haoming could retort, another gaunt man in his thirties sneered, "Guo Xin, weren't you also at the 7th level of Qi Refining once? I recall you didn't even break through until you were over twenty. Now you're mocking someone who reached it earlier than you? You've got quite the nerve."
"Niu Wu, what do you know?" Guo Xin replied dismissively. "The only reason Lin Haoming's cultivation is this high is because he's the descendant of Old Ancestor Lin. He had pills and spirit stones handed to him every day. If I had those conditions, I'd probably be at the Great Perfection by his age."
Hearing this, Lin Haoming realized that quite a few people here knew exactly who he was.
Niu Wu, who clearly hadn't known, saw that Lin Haoming didn't deny it and realized it was true. His initial warmth cooled instantly; he muttered a few words and fell silent. Most of the others did the same.
Lin Haoming saw through them—they knew his background and realized he likely had no future now that his backer was gone, so they saw no point in befriending him. He also noticed the managers were split into two factions: one side followed Zhou Zhiye, and the other—including himself and Niu Wu—followed Situ Ping. The friction between the two groups made it obvious just how bad the relationship was between the two inner sect seniors.
Guo Xin, sensing the shift in the room, laughed. "The kid is lucky today. But according to our rules, every newcomer must participate in the Duel. Don't be too scared to show up during next month's Grand Month!"
Lin Haoming was confused. He turned to Niu Wu and asked, "Senior Brother Niu, what is this Duel?"
"Every Grand Month, we managers hold a series of duels—best two out of three," Niu Wu explained. "The losing side has to pay two spirit stones per manager. The actual participants have to put up five stones. If you win, you keep your opponent's stones and the pool from the others. As the newcomer, you must fight. We just finished this month's round and won. Since you're new, you have to represent us next month!"
"I'm only at the 7th level. Isn't that unfair?" Lin Haoming cried out, deliberately acting indignant.
"Normally, a newcomer fights someone of equal level," Niu Wu said, looking slightly annoyed. "But there's no one here below the 8th level. Your opponent will be at least an 8th level cultivator."
The others in Situ Ping's faction looked at Lin Haoming with mounting frustration. His low cultivation meant they were basically starting with one guaranteed loss. If the other two managers didn't win their matches, everyone would lose spirit stones.
One man named Tang Gaojun, a 9th-level cultivator in his twenties who seemed to be the leader of their faction, warned sternly: "Junior Brother Lin, when the time comes, don't just go through the motions because you think you're weak. You better show some real skill, or don't blame us for not giving you any face!"
"Don't worry, Senior Brother. I won't give up easily," Lin Haoming promised. He wasn't saying it because of the threat; he simply hated the taste of defeat.
Guo Xin, from the opposing faction, let out a cold laugh. "Talk is cheap. I think you lot should start saving up your spirit stones now so you aren't short next month!"
"We'll see about that. It's not like we haven't swept all three rounds before!" Tang Gaojun snapped back, though he shot a frustrated glare at Lin Haoming before storming off.
---
The "Power Bank" Discovery
Lin Haoming didn't care about the politics for now. He was obsessed with one thing: could the Spirit Accumulation Bead actually recharge spirit stones?
He used his new jade plaque to enter his new stone chamber. It was much larger, featuring a living room area with a stone table and stools. He activated the room's formation with a spirit stone and immediately pulled out the beads and a completely drained, dull spirit stone.
He placed the bead directly on top of the stone and watched.
As time passed, the dull stone began to regain a faint, translucent luster. It was working! The bead could indeed refill a spent stone. Lin Haoming jumped for joy.
However, a day later, reality set in. It took nearly a full day to recharge a single low-grade spirit stone. He couldn't spend all his time charging stones; he needed the bead to cultivate!
He experimented further, placing three stones within a three-foot radius of the bead. After a day, all three were only about one-third full. The charging speed was fixed. He decided not to waste more time on this for now; he needed to unlock more seals on the Merit Beads.
On the third day of his managership, Lin Haoming returned to the slaughterhouse.
Even without him there, the workers had been diligent—Li Haiying's execution was fresh in their minds, keeping them honest.
"Manager Lin!" Li Shuntian's fat face beamed as he hurried over. He had been the only one to show Lin Haoming kindness when he was a nobody, and he wasn't about to miss the chance to cozy up to the new boss.
Being a manager came with perks—he could appoint assistants to oversee the daily grind. Bao Wenliang, Li Haiying's old lackey, watched from a distance with a pale face, clearly terrified of retaliation.
Lin Haoming had no interest in petty revenge against a lackey. He looked at the row of Mountain Armored Beasts waiting to be slaughtered, and his eyes practically glowed with anticipation for the Merit he was about to earn.