Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector
Chapter 1: Pearl Collector

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Pearl Collector

Black Water Lake, a territory under the Blood Lotus Sect’s control.

The lake’s water was black as ink, its depths unfathomable. Even now, at high noon, it remained bone-chillingly cold, enough to make one’s hair stand on end.

But this was already the best time of day to enter the water for Pearl Collection.

Pearl Collection Ships were anchored all over Black Water Lake. The Pearl Collectors stripped down to their undergarments and, one after another, plunged into the water.

Chen Ye was among them. He moored his boat near the edge, took a deep breath, and plunged headfirst into the water.

The lake water was bitingly cold. An ordinary person without protection would die upon entry.

Fortunately, at that moment, the Exorcism Talisman hanging around Chen Ye’s neck took effect. It emitted a faint warmth, ensuring the most basic circulation of his qi and blood.

Chen Ye picked up speed, diving toward the bottom like a slippery fish.

The lakebed was covered in a thick layer of silt. Chen Ye held his breath and quickly began to rummage through it.

This was a highly technical maneuver. The slightest excessive movement could stir up the silt, causing him to lose his bearings.

And down here in the frigid water, losing one’s bearings meant death.

Fortunately, Chen Ye was experienced. His movements were cautious yet swift, and he soon found a Spirit Clam the size of a cattail fan in the silt.

The Spirit Clam was a grayish-brown color, blending in with the silt. It would be easy to miss if one wasn’t paying close attention.

Beyond that, its tightly shut shell, as hard as steel, was another major problem.

Chen Ye took the shovel tucked at his waist. It had a peculiar shape, its edge shimmering with a faint Spiritual Light. It was specifically designed to deal with these tough shells.

This was a tool issued by the Blood Lotus Sect to Pearl Collectors like him. Aside from the Exorcism Talisman, it was the only Magical Artifact Chen Ye had access to.

Chen Ye pressed the tip of the shovel against the seam of the shell and pushed hard. An imperceptible trace of Spiritual Light seeped in, followed by a soft CRACK. A crack was pried open in the Spirit Clam.

In the gloom of the lakebed, a soft, fluorescent glow shone out from the opening, looking exceptionally striking.

Chen Ye quickly pried the entire shell open. Inside, a Spirit Pearl the size of a longan fruit lay quietly in the flesh, emitting a moist, gentle luster.

Chen Ye’s heart leaped with joy. ’Judging by its size and luster, this has to be at least an Eight-Pointed Spirit Pearl.’

The Blood Lotus Sect roughly divided Spirit Pearls into nine grades, with First Grade being the highest and Ninth Grade the most basic. But in all his time here, Chen Ye had never even seen a Ninth Grade pearl, let alone a First Grade one.

The Spirit Pearls he usually found—or rather, the ones most Pearl Collectors ever came across—were all below grade.

Even so, they were still differentiated by size. An Eight-Pointed Spirit Pearl meant that both its size and luster were quite good.

With this, today’s quota was met.

Chen Ye carefully extracted the Spirit Pearl and placed it in a special pouch at his waist.

Just then, Chen Ye felt the surrounding water grow even colder. A chill seeped deep into his bones, and the circulation of his qi and blood slowed, as if he were freezing solid.

As for the Exorcism Talisman on his chest, its glow had dimmed to almost nothing, and the heat it emitted was rapidly fading.

This was a sign that the Exorcism Talisman was about to fail.

Three months ago, this was how his predecessor had died.

Therefore, Chen Ye didn’t dare delay for a second. With a powerful kick of his legs, he shot toward the surface.

SPLASH!

Finally, just before the Exorcism Talisman failed completely, Chen Ye broke through the surface of the water.

The noon sun beat down on him, but it couldn’t dispel the Yin Qi’s chill from his body. Chen Ye scrambled onto the Pearl Collection Ship and curled into a ball. He was shaking like a leaf, and his lips had even turned a purplish-blue.

After a long while, he finally caught his breath. Shivering, he lifted the lid of a wooden bucket containing pre-prepared ginger soup.

Chen Ye downed two large bowls in a row. Only when a light sweat beaded on his forehead did his pounding heart finally settle.

Then he collapsed onto the deck of his boat, his face a mask of bitterness.

Three months ago, Chen Ye had woken up to find he was no longer a corporate wage slave, but had instead been transported into the body of a young man who shared his name.

At first, Chen Ye had been a little excited, but reality soon slapped him mercilessly in the face.

For this was a world where a myriad of cultivation methods flourished and a hundred schools of thought contended. Cultivators were high and mighty, while mortals were as lowly as dust.

His predecessor had been the scion of a powerful and noble family in the Great Yao Dynasty, a state under the Blood Lotus Sect’s dominion. He, too, had once lived a life of luxury and splendor.

But his family later lost a power struggle. Once they fell from grace, the entire clan was sent to the Blood Lotus Sect, registered as Sinful People, and became these Pearl Collectors.

This Black Water Lake was the collective name for an extremely vast body of water, filled with countless dangers. Not even the Blood Lotus Sect had managed to explore it completely.

The area where they performed their Pearl Collection was just a small corner of Black Water Lake, and there were many other such collection zones.

The Spirit Pearls produced in Black Water Lake were of excellent quality, making them an important strategic resource. However, the Yin Qi in the lake was too dense. For Cultivators especially, if it invaded their bodies, it would damage their qi and blood at best, or destroy their cultivation foundation at worst. That was why the Blood Lotus Sect continuously conscripted criminals from the various Dynasties under its rule to use as "expendable assets."

Over the years, almost none of the Sinful People sent here had ever made it back alive. Thus, in the various Dynasties, being sent to the Blood Lotus Sect as one of the Sinful People had become a terrifying punishment, one considered even worse than death.

After all, a beheading was swift, a single stroke of the blade bringing release. But here, one had to endure unimaginable despair and torment.

And to make these "expendable assets" more effective, the Blood Lotus Sect would issue each of them an Exorcism Talisman before they entered the water. But the quality of these things was terrible. They were supposed to last for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, but in reality, they often failed prematurely.