Mission Hall

From then on, Lu Yang's life became thoroughly fulfilling. At dawn, he would sit at the mountain summit with his five centers facing the sky, bathing in the morning light. During the morning, he honed his swordsmanship, nourishing his sword with his heart. At midday, he lounged in the trees for a brief nap. By afternoon, re-energized, he would spar with the puppet—and get beaten black and blue by it. After dinner, he read by candlelight to complete the coursework Eldest Senior Sister had assigned him. Thus, a year passed, and Lu Yang's cultivation rose steadily. *** "Look over there! Isn't that the Sect Master's fourth disciple, Lu Yang of the Sword Spiritual Root?" Inside the Mission Hall, Lu Yang was clad in a white robe, his eyes bright and spirited. The red tassel tied to the pommel of the precious sword at his waist was exceptionally eye-catching. Anyone who caught sight of him could not help praising him as a fine, promising young talent. Most disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect were acquainted with one another. Especially in a place like the Mission Hall, whenever they spotted someone rarely seen, they would chat about it for the novelty. As the first-place finisher in the entrance trial, possessing a Sword Spiritual Root, having managed to provoke both the good-natured river spirit and Dai Bufan, becoming an apprentice under the Sect Master, and being personally trained by Eldest Senior Sister, Lu Yang shone brilliantly among the newest generation of disciples, enjoying immense fame. Even Tao Yao, blessed with celestial beauty, fell short of Lu Yang's renown. "The Lu Yang who's personally trained by Eldest Senior Sister? Hey, it really is him." "I heard he entered the sect a year ago and just broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage a few days back." "Foundation Establishment already? No wonder he's here at the Mission Hall. Looks like he's going to take on a mission to temper himself." Lu Yang had long grown used to the surrounding stares, which treated him like a rare beast. The senior brothers were right in their chatter. Seven days ago, he had successfully achieved Foundation Establishment, spent another seven days consolidating it, and had only now formally ended his seclusion. Following Eldest Senior Sister's instructions, he had come out to walk around more. In the Mission Hall, Lu Yang witnessed all manner of diverse missions and marveled at the sight. Everything was represented—from slaying Body Integration stage archdemons who left mountains of corpses and seas of blood, all the way down to helping search for missing cats and dogs. For instance, the mission Lu Yang was currently reading asked for a dual cultivation technique—a proper one. Dual cultivation techniques fell into two categories: proper and improper. Needless to say, proper dual cultivation techniques were nothing more than mutual assistance between man and woman, harmonizing yin and yang, and the like. Improper dual cultivation techniques needed even less explanation. The one who posted the mission was a fox demon registered with the Dao Seeking Sect. Although the Dao Seeking Sect's duties included vanquishing demons and eliminating evils, they did not kill demons indiscriminately. Toward demons with a clean record and no intent to harm people, the Dao Seeking Sect would not subdue them. On the contrary, they would register such demons and grant them legitimate identities. This fox demon was one such case. The fox demon was named Su Yan, an ordinary little fox living deep in the ancient forest. While playing, she had been caught in a hunter's bear trap. Fortunately, a scion of a prominent family was wandering the mountain and rescued her, successfully ensuring the hunter's day of labor went entirely to waste. Later, in a secluded cave, Su Yan consumed a Shape-Shifting Fruit, activating the bloodline latent within her body and becoming a fox demon. Eager to repay the kindness, Su Yan assumed human form and went to repay that scion. By then, the scion had already become the family head. He had seen countless women, yet none could rival Su Yan's beauty. The two naturally wed. Then came the problem. Fox demons were naturally endowed with a seductive constitution that uncontrollably absorbed yang energy. Whenever the couple consummated their marital duties, the husband was always on the receiving end of having his yang energy drained. Fortunately, yang energy could replenish itself and was not inherently fatal; lowering the frequency of their intimacy would suffice. Yet as newlyweds, being told to restrict intimacy was something neither wanted. If the frequency was too high, the husband grew increasingly haggard by the day, which readily invited gossip. For this reason, Su Yan hoped to cultivate an orthodox dual cultivation art to control her seductive fox constitution. This mission had hung on the board for a long time, and no one had taken it. It was not that dual cultivation arts were exceedingly rare, but rather that whoever accepted the mission would be signaling they possessed a proper dual cultivation technique. And once you had a proper one, people would involuntarily wonder whether you possessed improper dual cultivation techniques as well. If your fellow disciples came asking you for improper dual cultivation techniques, would you say you had them or not? Would you share them or refuse? How would the senior and junior sisters view you? "This mission isn't bad. I'll take it." Someone behind Lu Yang spoke. Just from the voice, he knew it was Meng Jingzhou. Meng Jingzhou was indeed the most suitable candidate to accept this mission. With the Meng family's background, he certainly did not lack dual cultivation arts, and possessing a Pure Yang Spiritual Root, he definitely wouldn't have any improper ones. Even if Meng Jingzhou were given an improper dual cultivation technique, he could only stare at it in futile longing. Meng Jingzhou had reached Foundation Establishment earlier than Lu Yang; this was already the third mission he was taking. "You've reached Foundation Establishment too?" Meng Jingzhou smiled. Both of them possessed mutated single spiritual roots with comparable cultivation talents, so Lu Yang reaching Foundation Establishment somewhat later than him was slightly unexpected. Recalling his experience of being tormented by Eldest Senior Sister over the past year, Lu Yang sighed. "Finally at Foundation Establishment." "Once we finish our missions, let's have a grand feast together. My treat," Meng Jingzhou offered magnanimously. He had spirit stones to spare. After Meng Jingzhou left, Lu Yang continued browsing the missions posted on the wall. "Suspected traces of a demonic sacrificial rite have appeared in the north. Cultivators of the Golden Core stage or above are advised to investigate. Mission reward: 400 contribution points, with additional rewards if further information is gathered." "Daoist Li Hong of Shanhaiguan has lost a pet. Someone is needed to search for it." Lu Yang paused, thinking this mission looked decent. Looking for a little cat or dog held no danger. Then he read further: "Lost pet: one winged fierce tiger, cultivation at the mid Nascent Soul stage. Finding it yields a reward of 5,000 contribution points." Lu Yang shrank his neck. A Nascent Soul stage demon beast, and a winged fierce tiger possessing an ancient bloodline—the very origin of the idiom 'adding wings to a tiger.' He wasn't even qualified to serve as a toothpick for it. Next, next! "Kunwu Mountain exhibits abnormal fluctuations of spiritual energy during the alternation between day and night, suspected to be an undiscovered grotto-heaven. An investigation is required. Cultivators of the late Nascent Soul stage or above are advised to undertake this. Mission reward: 8,000 contribution points, with additional rewards if the grotto-heaven is of high value." Yet another mission that had nothing to do with Lu Yang. In the outside world, a Qi Refinement cultivator could roam the mortal realm and be hailed as an expert; at the Foundation Establishment stage, one could reign supreme in a local region and bring good fortune to one's descendants for a century; and at the Golden Core stage, one dared to style oneself a Zhenren, establishing sects and founding schools. Yet in the Dao Seeking Sect, any random bystander was in the Golden Core stage. Throwing a single brick could hit a crowd of them... and given a typical disciple's cultivation, they would simply hurl the brick right back. Disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect were all one-in-a-thousand elites. Before this latest batch of newly recruited disciples arrived, the Dao Seeking Sect did not even have Qi Refinement or Foundation Establishment cultivators; the lowest cultivation among disciples had been the Golden Core stage. No matter how gloriously one thrived in the outside world, upon returning to the Dao Seeking Sect, one had to behave obediently. Consequently, missions suitable for the Foundation Establishment stage were not very numerous. Lu Yang reviewed several in succession, only to find they required either the Golden Core stage or the Nascent Soul stage. He also noticed a peculiar mission: "Long-term mission: Collect cultivation techniques not yet recorded by the Dao Seeking Sect. Rewards depend on the technique's content." "Note: Senior Sister Yun Zhi is requested not to accept this mission. The Scripture Pavilion has already established a Yun Zhi Section; Senior Sister Yun Zhi may place her newly authored techniques directly in this section."