Team Up

The Nine Provinces Chronicle recorded major events that had taken place in the world of immortal cultivation.

The biggest event of the past month had undoubtedly been Immortal Jiuyi, headmaster of Mist-Hidden Immortal Mountain, emerging from seclusion. At Furnace Mountain, he had battled the left and right protectors of the Nether King Sect, slain the Silver King outright, and severely wounded the Violet Gold Marquis, who fled in defeat.

As one of the titans of the demonic path, the Nether King Sect had been gathering momentum with every passing year, once even showing signs of stepping into the open. Immortal Jiuyi's brazen strike this time counted as a heavy blow against them. The only question was how that mysterious sect master of the Nether King Sect would respond.

Then there was Three Absolutes Valley, one of the Ten Great Sects. A female disciple named Luo Yao had recently emerged, and her methods were exceptionally ruthless. Roaming the lands of the Southern Region, she had already wiped out three evil sects of witchcraft and gu arts within a single month.

The crucial point was that Three Absolutes Valley itself had established its place in the world through the three absolutes of witchcraft, gu, and poison. It was a major sect that was neither wholly righteous nor wholly evil. With Luo Yao hating evil as though it were her mortal enemy, one wondered whether her fellow disciples would be trembling in their boots.

The Shushan Sect had also made an appearance in this month's Nine Provinces Chronicle, though it was merely mentioned in passing. Wang Xuanling, master of Shushan Sect's Jade Sword Peak, had slain a flood dragon in the Eastern Sea two days ago after it stirred wind and waves and endangered fishing vessels.

When Chu Liang saw the news, he suddenly felt a wave of concern. His master had always been at odds with Wang Xuanling. Given her temperament, if Wang Xuanling had done something so showy, it would be a miracle if she could hold herself back.

He was not worried about his master's safety. He was merely somewhat worried about the Eastern Sea's ecology...

As though there were some unseen connection in the dark, the instant that thought arose, a streak of fire shot into the sky nearby and sped southeastward. A voice transmission drifted over on the wind: "Your master is going out for a few days. Take good care of yourself!"

"..."

A master who always had to be the strongest.

Finally came the crowd's most beloved section, "Tales of the Martial World."

Compared to the proper and solemn Nine Provinces Chronicle, Tales of the Martial World leaned more toward entertainment, mostly featuring gossip and scandal.

For instance, the first piece of news was that when His Majesty the Emperor of the Yu Dynasty had inspected Ascending Dragon Academy some time ago, he had intended to arrange a marriage between his youngest daughter, Princess Jingyang, and Zhang Chen, the academy's chief disciple. To everyone's surprise, Zhang Chen had refused.

His reason was that romantic entanglements between men and women would affect his studies.

Ascending Dragon Academy was the foremost academy of the Confucian school. Backed by the imperial court, it ranked among the very best of the Ten Great Sects. As Ascending Dragon Academy's chief disciple, Zhang Chen's future had already seemed assured, whether he chose to devote himself to cultivation or enter the court as an official. Yet with this refusal, his prospects had suddenly become difficult to predict.

The emperor was not the only father troubled by his daughter's marriage.

The lord of Thunderfort, one of the Ten Great Sects, had also announced that he was willing to offer ten precious treasures as a bride price in search of a worthy son-in-law for his only daughter, Huang Linger. Yet not a single hero of the Nine Provinces dared accept.

Naturally, there were hidden circumstances behind this.

This was a chance to become Thunderfort's son-in-law. Even if one were marrying into the family... there should have been no shortage of outstanding young talents, virtuous and accomplished alike, competing for it.

The reason no one dared come was that Huang Linger had long since declared fiercely that anyone wishing to marry her had better have a higher cultivation than hers. Otherwise, on the first day they entered the household, they would become food for her Dragon-Tusk Mammoth.

Among all those anecdotes, Shushan still had only one piece of news make the list.

Jiang Yuebo, known on Shushan as Fairy Jiang, had been seen sharing dinner with Feng Chaoyang of the Heavenly King Sect at Drunken Moon Tower in Jiangnan. They were suspected of having an ambiguous relationship.

Of course, the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion would not fabricate rumors out of thin air. Before confirming the relationship between the two, it could only use the word "suspected."

Still, one could imagine that this news alone was enough to shatter the hearts of many of Fairy Jiang's admirers.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

"My Jiang Jiang could never be whisked away by that bad boy from the Heavenly King Sect!"

"Fairy Jiang! Please! Leave your love in the Shushan Sect!"

"..."

Across the vast white plaza before Infinite Palace, one could hear an occasional howl of despair.

Now and then, female disciples would raise their voices in rebuttal.

"You like Fairy Jiang, but is there any need to put down Feng Chaoyang? He's hardworking, kind, and the ideal man!"

"Exactly! At nineteen, he's already the strongest contender for chief disciple of the Heavenly King Sect. When will you sour lemons ever catch up to even half of him?"

"..."

The joys and sorrows of people were not shared. Chu Liang only found them noisy.

He calmly passed through the crowd and crossed the entire plaza. Shushan's four halls were all located along the edge of this plaza.

Aside from the Disciplinary Hall, which oversaw the sect's laws and punishments, the Sword Transmission Hall handled magical treasures and weapons, the Dharma Protector Hall handled divine abilities and techniques, and the Pill Cauldron Hall handled pills and talismans.

All three of these halls displayed many listed items for Shushan disciples to purchase with Sword Coins.

The few missions Chu Liang had completed had already earned him twenty Sword Coins. That was naturally not enough to buy magical treasures or manuals, but he could purchase some medicinal pills to aid cultivation.

He went to the Pill Cauldron Hall and bought four Divine Intent Realm Spirit-Gathering Pills. With those pills to assist him, he believed he would soon break through to the middle stage of the Divine Intent Realm.

Compared with other disciples, he could save all his Sword Coins to exchange for pills. The benefits were considerable indeed.

After leaving the Pill Cauldron Hall, he went to the Sword Exchange Pavilion.

He could not stop taking missions to slay demons. Since he had the White Tower in hand, he had to make full use of it.

It would not do to ask Elder Shen to help him choose missions every time, either. This time, he intended to pick one himself. Several jade boards hung high in the main hall of the Sword Exchange Pavilion, their mission slips changing rapidly. The section for Divine Intent Realm missions in particular was packed with assignments, dazzling the eye.

After only a few glances, he heard someone shouting nearby, "Gathering Human-Faced Jade Essence Flowers! Generous reward! We're short one Divine Intent Realm cultivator and leaving immediately! A Golden Core Realm senior brother is leading us, so it's absolutely safe!"

"Gathering Human-Faced Jade Essence Flowers..." The one calling out was a young disciple dressed in black brocade. He had thick brows, large eyes, and a sharp gleam in his gaze. At a glance, he radiated vigorous yang energy.

Three other male and female disciples stood behind him. It seemed the four of them were together.

Human-Faced Jade Essence Flowers...

Chu Liang pondered briefly. He did not know where such flowers needed to be gathered, but he knew that any mission requiring several people meant either that it was difficult or that there were many demonic creatures to face.

A mission with many demonic creatures was a good mission.

So he stepped forward of his own accord and said with a smile, "Hello, I can join you."

Though he did not know these people, they were all Shushan disciples, close as one family. There would be no barriers between them.

"Huh?" The black-clad youth was delighted at once. He immediately smiled and pulled Chu Liang over. "That's perfect! Come on, let's hurry and claim the mission slip first. My name is Lin Bei. What's yours?"

"Chu Liang."

"Brother Chu, let me tell you, this mission is in high demand."

With their numbers complete, Lin Bei familiarly went forward to collect the mission slips for everyone, then returned and distributed them.

After handing one to Chu Liang, he asked warmly, "Brother Chu, we're from Jade Sword Peak. Which peak are you from?"

Chu Liang answered, "I'm from Silver Sword Peak."