Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

A deathly silence hung over the docks.

All the Sinful People kept their heads down, not daring to look at Li Qingyan on the platform. After all, her last appearance had left a chillingly deep impression.

First, she had promised that whoever found an Exotic Spirit Clam would be freed from their status as Sinful People, but in the end, she had simply killed them outright.

Who would dare to provoke her after that?

Hiding at the back of the crowd, Chen Ye cautiously raised his eyes to survey the scene on the platform.

He saw that Zhao He had completely lost the deferential respect he’d shown Li Qingyan last time. Not only was his back ramrod straight, but the smug satisfaction on his face was completely undisguised.

"Senior Sister Li, this stretch of water will be in your hands from now on." Zhao He chuckled sinisterly. "It might be a bit harsh here, but on the bright side, it’s quiet. Perfect for you to recuperate, Senior Sister."

He enunciated the word "recuperate" with particular emphasis.

This could no longer be called passive-aggressive; it was tantamount to pointing at Li Qingyan’s nose and cursing her out.

A thought struck Chen Ye, and he immediately looked toward Li Qingyan.

He saw that while Li Qingyan was still dressed in a red gown and could be called stunningly beautiful, her face held a sickly pallor. Her gaze was no longer as sharp as before; instead, it seemed listless, as if her Primordial Qi had been greatly damaged.

Faced with Zhao He’s taunts, her eyes merely flickered, but she said nothing.

Chen Ye understood instantly.

’It seems that after failing to secure the Abnormal Clam and returning empty-handed, Li Qingyan suffered a terrible defeat. That isn’t surprising. In a dog-eat-dog Demonic Sect like the Blood Lotus Sect, a single misstep can lead you into a bottomless abyss. That’s why this former Inner Sect Disciple has been exiled here, becoming a drowning dog that anyone can kick. No wonder Zhao He, who was once so deferential, dares to be so arrogant now.’

"Senior Sister Li is truly a phoenix among mortals. Even here, you remain so poised and untroubled." Seeing that Li Qingyan was ignoring him, Zhao He didn’t back down. Instead, he doubled down on his mockery.

"Unlike me, I’m just fated to a life of toil. I’m afraid I’ll be so busy in the Internal Affairs Hall that my feet won’t even touch the ground. Ah, Senior Sister, you must take good care of yourself. After all, the winds on this Black Water Lake are terribly cold."

Faced with Zhao He’s mockery, Li Qingyan only gave him a cold glance and said nothing, but the hand hidden in her sleeve had quietly clenched into a fist, her nails nearly digging into her flesh.

Seeing this, Zhao He finally let out a triumphant laugh, then gave a mock salute.

"Rest well, Senior Sister. This junior brother won’t disturb you any longer."

With that, he leaped into the air and flew off toward the distant horizon, brimming with self-satisfaction.

Once he was gone, the oppressive atmosphere on the docks grew even heavier.

Li Qingyan’s gaze slowly swept over all the Sinful People below the platform. Her icy stare felt like a knife scraping against their faces, making them ache.

The anger she had swallowed from Zhao He’s insults now transformed into a towering inferno of rage, which she unleashed upon these lowliest of Sinful People.

"From this day forward, the daily quota of Spirit Pearls each person must submit will be increased by thirty percent."

Her voice wasn’t loud, but her words were like a basin of ice water poured over everyone’s head, chilling them to the heart.

Thirty percent!

This was practically a death sentence!

The original quota was already their absolute limit. They worked themselves to the bone every day, and the slightest misstep meant succumbing to the chill and dying in the water.

How were they supposed to survive with another thirty percent added on?

A faint stir went through the crowd, and looks of despair appeared on some faces.

"Does anyone have an objection?" Li Qingyan’s gaze turned bone-chillingly cold.

The commotion died down instantly. Everyone buried their heads even lower, silent as cicadas in winter.

’Are you kidding? Voice an objection to a disciple of the Blood Lotus Sect? Do we have a death wish?’

"Anyone who fails to meet their quota will be flayed, their tendons pulled, and their soul refined into a Blood Lamp." Li Qingyan’s voice was devoid of any emotion, as if she were discussing some trivial matter.

All the Sinful People couldn’t help but tremble. A chill shot up from the soles of their feet straight to the top of their skulls.

’This woman is far more ruthless than Zhao He was. Even though Zhao He looked down on us Sinful People, at least he wouldn’t just exploit and kill us for no reason like this.’

Chen Ye blended into the crowd, his face expressionless, but his heart was a block of ice.

’She’s getting desperate. Having been demoted here, her access to resources is completely cut off. Her only hope of recovering her strength is to squeeze more Spirit Pearls out of us Sinful People. As for whether we live or die, that’s of no concern to her.’

Sure enough, in the days that followed, a pall of gloom and misery settled over Black Water Lake.

Li Qingyan’s methods were far more brutal than anyone had imagined.

The daily Spirit Pearl quota was suffocating. Those who couldn’t complete it were truly dragged to the docks and publicly tortured in front of everyone.

In just a few short days, more than twenty Pearl Collectors had died at her hands.

The people were furious but dared not speak out, and the entire small town became lifeless as a result.

Chen Ye, however, was fine. Now that he possessed three Professions, a problem of this level was nothing to him.

But Chen Ye didn’t relax because of this; on the contrary, his brow was tightly furrowed.

He knew that human desire was limitless—especially for someone like Li Qingyan, who had already lost in the power struggles of the Inner Sect.

Therefore, she would inevitably not be satisfied with this and would make other moves.

Sure enough, just as Chen Ye was pondering this, Li Qingyan was sitting cross-legged inside the town’s most luxurious mansion by the docks, a dozen or so freshly collected Spirit Pearls laid out before her.

She circulated her Cultivation Technique, and wisps of Spiritual Qi were drawn out from the Spirit Pearls, flowing into her body.

But this meager amount of Spiritual Qi was nothing more than a drop in the bucket for her damaged foundation.

"Not enough... It’s nowhere near enough!"