Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

Life in the stockade was simple, but also hard.

Every day, the men would go into the mountains to hunt or clear land for farming, while the women stayed home to weave, look after the children, and process the game.

For the first time, Chen Ye followed the man named Shan—the one who had greeted him upon his arrival—and the other young men of the stockade deep into the mountains.

"Brother Chen, you need to stick close. These mountains aren’t like the outside world; danger is everywhere," Shan cautioned, turning back as he cleared a path ahead.

Chen Ye nodded, following behind them into the mountains at a steady, unhurried pace.

He noticed that these mountain folk were like fish in water within the forest, moving with even more agility than monkeys.

Moreover, they could easily distinguish which plants were poisonous and which beasts’ lairs to avoid. Their experience was truly vast.

Soon, they discovered the tracks of a sounder of wild boars.

"Shh, there’s something big up ahead." Shan made a hushing gesture. Everyone crouched down and crept forward stealthily.

Chen Ye crouched down as well. Using his Asura’s Eye, he looked ahead and saw seven or eight massive wild boars rooting around in a thicket.

One of the boars was particularly enormous, with long, sharp tusks. It looked like serious trouble.

By now, the young mountain men had also gotten a clear view of the situation in the thicket and began to whisper amongst themselves.

"What do we do? Just charge in?" a young man asked quietly.

"No, that Pig King is too strong. If we rush in head-on, someone will get hurt." Shan shook his head, frowning as he mulled over a strategy.

Just then, Chen Ye picked up a few stones from the ground. He weighed them in his hand, then said to Shan, "Brother Shan, you guys flank them from the left and drive the herd toward that cliff over there. I’ll handle the big one."

"You?" Shan stared, taken aback. He looked at him worriedly. "Brother Chen, that Pig King is no easy opponent. It’s incredibly strong. One hit from it could break your bones."

"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing," Chen Ye said with a smile.

Seeing his confident expression, Shan hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. "Alright! Be careful, then! Men, let’s go!"

At his command, the mountain men charged out from the side, shouting, and drove the startled herd of boars toward the cliff.

At the same time, Chen Ye flicked his wrist and threw a stone.

Chen Ye put his full strength into the throw. The stone let out a sharp whistle as it struck the Wild Boar King squarely on the back.

Even with its thick hide, the Wild Boar King still staggered from the impact. It was thoroughly enraged. It spun around and charged toward Chen Ye like a tank.

Watching from a distance, Shan and the others felt their hearts leap into their throats.

"Younger Brother Chen, get out of the way!" Shan yelled, worried.

However, facing the menacing Pig King, Chen Ye’s face didn’t show even a hint of tension.

He flicked his wrist, and the stones in his hand shot out like bullets from a gun, whistling through the air.

THWACK! THWACK!

Two stones struck the wild boar’s eyes with pinpoint accuracy.

"AWOOOO—!"

The Pig King let out a bloodcurdling shriek. Blinded and wracked with excruciating pain, its massive body instantly lost balance. It crashed to the ground, tumbling several times before coming to a stop.

Before it could struggle back to its feet, Chen Ye had already rushed forward, raising his foot and stomping down hard on the Pig King’s neck.

CRACK!

The crisp sound of bone breaking rang out.

The Pig King, so ferocious just moments before, had its neck snapped. It twitched a few times and then fell completely still.

The entire sequence was clean and decisive, so fast it was dazzling.

From a distance, Shan and the other mountain men were completely dumbfounded. Their jaws dropped, and they stood there gaping for a long time.

’The mild-mannered Brother Chen... had just killed a Pig King weighing over a thousand pounds with a single stomp?’

They were snapped out of it only when Chen Ye clapped his hands and shouted to them, "Hey, what are you all staring at? Get over here and help me carry it!"

As if waking from a dream, the group stared at Chen Ye like he was some kind of monster before rushing over excitedly.

"My god! Younger Brother Chen, you’re incredible!"

"Yeah! I’ve never seen anyone as amazing as you in my entire life!"

"How’d you do that just now? Your aim was perfect!"

From that day on, Chen Ye’s status in the stockade rose to a new level. He was no longer just a welcome guest, but a hero admired by all the young people.

Chen Ye was happy with this turn of events. He spent his days hunting, drinking, and laughing heartily with the simple mountain folk.

He taught them some simple combat techniques, and in return, the mountain folk taught him how to better survive in these great mountains.

His heart was calmer and more fulfilled than ever before.

To Chen Ye’s even greater surprise, he discovered that his power was also growing rapidly amidst this simple and pure lifestyle.

Drinking the mountain spring water, which contained faint traces of Spiritual Qi, and eating meals made from various mountain delicacies and wild game, his physical body grew stronger without him even realizing it.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

And every night, Chen Ye would sit cross-legged in his room and circulate the Star River Qi Refining Technique, drawing the Power of the Stars from the heavens into his body. The effects of his Cultivation were surprisingly good.

He could feel the Qi Sea in his Dantian expanding at a visible rate, and his True Essence was growing more and more potent.

Time passed day by day in this peaceful and fulfilling life.

Chen Ye had almost forgotten the troubles of the outside world, forgotten that he was still a fugitive wanted by the Celestial Sword Manor across the entire region.

However, he was unaware that the world outside the mountains was in an uproar because of him.

「More than half a month later. Qingzhou Prefecture City, Celestial Sword Manor’s base.」

At this moment, Jian Wuchen’s expression could no longer be described as merely grim; it was as dark and terrifying as the sky before a thunderstorm.