Next to Lu Yang, a senior brother also noticed the mission notice and chuckled under his breath. "Every time I see this long-term mission, I can't help thinking of Eldest Senior Sister's glorious achievements."
Another disciple chimed in, "Back when it came to light that Eldest Senior Sister had written her own cultivation techniques and passed them off as discoveries from ancient ruins and grotto-heavens, it caused quite an uproar."
"I heard my master mention that down in Lingnan, there's a ruined grotto-heaven called Sishui Grotto-Heaven. The most precious treasure inside was the cultivation technique left behind by its former master in life, the *Chaos Dawn Incantation*."
"Eldest Senior Sister once falsely claimed she had found a manual called the *Chaos Dawn Incantation* in Sishui Grotto-Heaven, saying that cultivating it to grand accomplishment could tear through the chaos and see through all the truths of the world."
"Not long after her lie was exposed, someone stumbled their way through peril after peril, made it to the deepest part of Sishui Grotto-Heaven, and obtained the real *Chaos Dawn Incantation*."
"And what happened? Once the sect compared the two, they found that the genuine technique was harder to cultivate than the one Eldest Senior Sister had made up, and their ultimate effects were like night and day."
"After that, a steady stream of secret manuals was unearthed across various ruined grotto-heavens. Whenever one shared a name with a technique Eldest Senior Sister had concocted, none was as powerful as hers. When the elders learned of this, they stayed silent for days."
Lu Yang: "..."
Lu Yang had never seen the Yun Zhi Section in the Scripture Pavilion. Presumably, it was because the techniques Eldest Senior Sister created defied the heavens so outrageously that they were all stored on the very top floor, forbidden to be browsed or cultivated without special authorization.
In other words, what people commonly referred to as forbidden arts.
"Eldest Senior Sister's natural gifts are staggering, rare across eternity. She possesses world-spanning talent and unfathomable depth of mind. Otherwise, people wouldn't be saying it's a blessing that she took over as acting Sect Master while the Sect Master entered seclusion."
"I even heard a rumor that Eldest Senior Sister usurped power, locked up the Sect Master, and wants to become a genuine cultivation technique herself! She supposedly even has dirt on the eight great elders, so none of the higher-ups dare resist. People have heard sobbing at Tianmen Peak at night—that's the sound of the Sect Master crying in the dungeon!"
"Hahaha, that's pure nonsense. Absolutely impossible."
At Tianmen Peak, Lu Yang certainly had never heard any so-called whimpering from the Sect Master. He paid it no mind and continued browsing for missions.
Finally, he found one that fit his requirements.
"According to the folk of Taiping Township, Quhe Commandery, an avian demon beast has appeared in the township. It speaks the human tongue, but its exact species is unknown. There are no records yet of it harming people or using demonic arts. A Daoist master of the Dao Seeking Sect is requested to resolve this demon bird."
Lu Yang pondered for a moment and accepted the mission.
Judging from the description, it seemed like a demon beast that had wandered into human lands by mistake, or perhaps one that had gained sapience through some chance encounter with immortal fate. Such beasts' cultivation would not exceed the Foundation Establishment stage, their aggression was low, and they might even be friendly toward humans—ideal for a newcomer like him.
Moreover, the reward offered by the Mission Hall confirmed this.
Mission Reward: thirty contribution points.
The lowest possible mission reward.
Mission rewards were calculated by a designated member of the Dao Seeking Sect and cross-checked by another. Under this double guarantee, mistakes were exceedingly rare.
The lower the reward, the simpler the mission.
Lu Yang went up to the front counter. "Senior Brother, I'd like to take the mission to deal with the avian demon beast."
"I'd like to take the mission to deal with the avian demon beast." Another voice chimed in almost at the exact same moment.
The speaker was a young girl dressed in a soft pink dress. She had exquisite features and fair skin, as radiant and enchanting as peach blossoms in full bloom.
With such sweet looks and a cultivation at the Foundation Establishment stage like Lu Yang, her identity was practically written on her face.
"Junior Sister Tao Yaoye, what a coincidence," Lu Yang said with a smile. He had only met Tao Yaoye when they first joined the sect; for the past year, he had stayed on Tianmen Peak and rarely saw outsiders.
Lu Yang had placed first in the entrance trials. Until a new ranking took place, he was the Senior Brother of their cohort.
In truth, Tao Yaoye's choice of this mission was no coincidence. Missions suitable for the Foundation Establishment stage were scarce to begin with; for new disciples of their year seeking to fulfill mission quotas, there were only a handful to choose from.
"Ah, it's Senior Brother Lu. Congratulations on reaching Foundation Establishment. There aren't many Foundation Establishment missions—why don't the two of us complete it together and split the reward?" Tao Yaoye said with a sweet smile, somewhat curious about this senior brother who so rarely showed his face.
Lu Yang gladly agreed.
Taking on missions was not purely about the rewards; they were more interested in tempering themselves through the experience.
"Quhe Commandery isn't particularly close to here. How about taking a flying boat?"
***
"Junior Sister Tao Yaoye, did you know? We humans are a rather contradictory race. People often revere and yearn for the very things they fear.
"I've heard that in ancient times, demons ran rampant and natural disasters struck without end. The human race was weak, struggling to survive in the crevices of the world.
"Those great demons relied on their ancestral bloodlines, formidable physiques, and innate divine abilities to run wild across the untamed lands.
"Humans feared the great demons, seeing them as natural disasters that could not be resisted, yet at the same time, humans revered them, hoping to attain power like theirs.
"Only because of this did the ancient ancestors pioneer cultivation methods, learning divine abilities from the bloodlines of demon beasts. Overcoming layer upon layer of hardship, they stood at the pinnacle of the continent and carved out a new world for humanity. The endless thriving of our race began right there!
"Take wind, rain, thunder, and lightning as another example. The ancient ancestors feared them, of course, but also yearned for them. They were the majesty and authority of nature, a natural will that could not be defied!
"Humans yearned for them and wished to possess nature's majesty and authority. The ancient ancestors questioned Heaven and Earth, confronted the thunder, and meditated amid wind and rain, ultimately understanding the truth that humanity models itself after the Earth, the Earth models itself after Heaven, Heaven models itself after the Dao, and the Dao models itself after nature—comprehending Dao arts one after another!
"Do you see? This contradictory mindset was an essential element for humanity to become the overlords of the continent!
"Or take the sky. Humans yearn for the sky, hoping to soar as freely as birds, yet they also hold the sky in awe, finding it mysterious and fathomless. This sense of awe flows in our bloodline; it is a mindset every single human possesses, whether obvious or hidden..."
Inside the flying boat, Lu Yang was swept up in a surge of emotion. Growing excited, he sprang to his feet, gesturing animatedly as he held forth with great fervor.
Tao Yaoye considered his words calmly for a moment, then cut through Lu Yang's grand lecture.
"So that's why you're afraid of heights?"
"Yes."
Tao Yaoye: "..."
The two of them sat inside the cabin of the flying boat cruising through the clouds. The bottom of the vessel was inscribed with balancing formations mass-produced by formation masters, so those inside wouldn't feel the slightest jolt even in violent gales and torrential rain.
At that moment, the skies all around were clear and bright, making it a wonderful opportunity to bask in the sun, meditate, and enjoy the scenery out on the deck. Tao Yaoye had suggested stepping outside for a walk, but Lu Yang's Dao heart remained rock-solid—he refused no matter what.
Tao Yaoye was more curious than most. Pressed by her repeated questioning, Lu Yang had no choice but to trace all the way back to ancient history to explain why he was afraid of heights. He quoted the classics and cited extensive sources, holding forth at great length to prove that a fear of heights was a reasonable, ancient instinct—and, on a grander scale, something that aided the progress of humanity.
Fortunately, Tao Yaoye didn't believe a single word.
Chapter 16