Family Mission (Please Check In)

Cultivation knew no ages; in the mountains, one never knew the passing years. Three months flew by in the blink of an eye.

During this period, Song Changsheng cultivated diligently while taking on odd jobs in artifact forging and array setting to earn Spirit Stones. His days were full and pleasant enough.

But before long, that peace was shattered...

Inside the Lineage's Hall of General Affairs, Song Changsheng and more than a dozen clansmen of similar age were gathered together. Without exception, they all looked utterly bewildered, not knowing why the Lineage had summoned them here.

"Hey, Clan Brother, do you know what this is about? Is it good news or bad?" A somewhat gaunt youth nudged Song Changsheng with his elbow.

Hearing this, everyone around them immediately turned their eyes toward Song Changsheng. After all, everyone knew that not only was Song Changsheng the Patriarch's own grandson, but he was also Fifth Elder Xia Yunxue's only son.

He himself was also a Foundation Establishment Seed of the Lineage. No matter what, he ought to have some inside information, right?

Yet Song Changsheng merely shook his head with a bitter smile. "I really don't know about this."

There was no need for him to lie about such a thing. Even if he said nothing, they would know the answer soon enough.

But precisely because of that, their curiosity was magnified without limit. Everyone began talking over one another, and while the discussion was fairly normal at first, it gradually became more and more absurd.

Before even more unreliable guesses could emerge, someone suddenly shouted, "The Great Elder has arrived!"

The previously noisy hall fell silent at once, and everyone looked toward outside the hall.

A tall, lean middle-aged man walked in as though strolling through a leisurely courtyard. He wore a black robe edged in gold and patterned with Yinyue clouds, a White Jade Crown upon his head. His eyes shone brightly, while his temples were streaked with gray.

Song Changsheng and the others immediately cupped their fists in salute. "We pay respects to the Great Elder."

The newcomer was none other than the Lineage's Great Elder, Song Xianyun. As one of the only two remaining Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Xian Generation, and a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator himself, Song Xianyun possessed lofty prestige within the Lineage.

Patriarch Song Xianming remained in secluded cultivation year-round, and Song Xianyun usually handled all matters great and small within the Lineage. He was exceptionally busy. If he showed up in person, this matter was surely no simple one. For a moment, everyone grew somewhat nervous.

"No need for formalities." Song Xianyun's voice was somewhat aged, yet full of authority.

He swept his gaze across the crowd, pausing for an instant on Song Changsheng's face before saying, "Children, none of you have come of age yet. According to the clan rules, you should be cultivating wholeheartedly on the mountain. However, the Lineage is currently short-handed, and many positions in our outside holdings remain vacant.

"Therefore, after deliberation, our Council of Elders has decided to send you down the mountain early to serve the Lineage. This goes against the clan rules, so the choice is yours. If any of you are unwilling, simply tell me privately. There will be no punishment whatsoever.

"For those willing to go, the Lineage will not treat you poorly. Aside from your usual Cultivation Resources being distributed as normal, the Lineage will additionally provide ten jin of Spirit Rice and two Spirit Gathering Pills each month."

Everyone present was immediately dumbfounded. They were actually being sent down the mountain ahead of time. One had to know that leaving the mountain early meant losing the precious opportunity to continue cultivating atop a Third-Tier Spirit Vein. For a moment, many faces showed dissatisfaction.

Yet some felt that the compensation was quite good. Most of those with such thoughts were clansmen of poor aptitude.

They had no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment in this lifetime. Rather than that, they might as well begin serving the Lineage early, save up some Contribution Points and Spirit Stones, marry and have children later, and leave something behind for their descendants.

Song Xianyun took in everyone's reactions, but the expression on his face did not change in the slightest. He said sternly, "To ensure fairness and impartiality, assignments will be decided by drawing lots. Whatever you draw is what you get. Who will draw the first lot?"

For a moment, more than a dozen pairs of eyes turned in unison toward Song Changsheng. Among those present, he had the strongest background and was also a genius of the Lineage's First Echelon.

Everyone wanted him to draw the first lot.

Song Changsheng said calmly, "The Lineage has raised me for sixteen years. Now that the Lineage is in difficulty, it is my duty to step forward without hesitation."

With that, he walked over to Song Xianyun and drew a jade slip from the lot cylinder. Written upon it in bold strokes were the words: "Immortal Ascension Assembly."

Song Changsheng was momentarily speechless. It was actually the Immortal Ascension Assembly. It seemed his luck was not bad. This was a short-term assignment and would not delay his cultivation too much.

Seeing someone take the lead, the Others stepped forward to draw their lots, some willingly and some reluctantly. Though Song Xianyun had said they could withdraw, not a single person did so.

They could grumble a little, but the Lineage had raised them for more than a decade. Now it was time for them to repay the Lineage. After all, this was their home too...

After returning to his courtyard, Song Changsheng began examining the details of his assignment. "One month from now, descend the mountain with a Deacon from the Spirit Testing Hall and travel to a Mortal City to test Spirit Roots. The assignment reward will be linked to the number and quality of Spirit Roots."

"There's still a month until the Immortal Ascension Assembly. Looks like I have time to make some preparations." Song Changsheng was very satisfied with this assignment. Having come to This World sixteen years ago, he had never once seen the world beyond the mountain. This was the perfect chance to broaden his horizons.

Besides, his mother, Xia Yunxue, was responsible for guarding a Mortal City. This trip would let him see her as well. The last time they met had been last year. The wine at home was nearly gone, so he could conveniently pick up some more.

For an outsider to receive the Lineage's support toward Foundation Establishment, she naturally had to possess exceptional abilities. Xia Yunxue was a Second Tier Mid-Grade Brewmaster.

Brewing was a relatively niche profession among the Hundred Arts of Cultivation. The Wine Liquid they brewed often possessed many wondrous effects and brought the Lineage highly considerable profits.

With such a mother, Song Changsheng had practically grown up soaking in wine jars. It had laid a solid foundation for him, but it had also given him a fondness for drink.

But this was of no consequence. Cultivators had all manner of strange and peculiar hobbies. His was nothing at all.

I forged the Treasure Gourd several years ago. Its methods for dealing with enemies are somewhat too simple. It would be better to carve an array into it and refine it into a Water-Fire Treasure Gourd. Paired with the Water-Fire Control Technique, my combat strength could rise another level. Song Changsheng pondered to himself.

The Wine Gourd hanging at his waist was actually the Natal Magic Tool he had forged himself, currently at First-Tier Mid-Grade.

Since he had only recently advanced to become a First-Tier High-Grade Artifact Forger, he had not yet had the time to improve its quality. Now that he was heading down the mountain, it was time to refine it anew.

"One month is enough for me to raise the Treasure Gourd by one level. Since this is my first time down the mountain, I should make proper preparations."

No sooner said than done, Song Changsheng went to the Contribution Hall and exchanged three hundred Contribution Points for several pieces of water-fire attribute ores. He then spent another two hundred points on several bottles of medicinal pills and a few Talismans, using up more than half the Contribution Points he had accumulated over the years.

The foot of the mountain was not like the mountain itself. All sorts of accidents could happen. To mend the roof before the rain, it was never a bad thing to be thoroughly prepared.

"Only three hundred Contribution Points left. I'll have to be more frugal from now on." Looking at the number on his Identity Token, Song Changsheng sighed.

Lineage Contribution Points were extremely valuable. One Contribution Point could be exchanged for one Low-Grade Spirit Stone, but Spirit Stones could not be exchanged for Contribution Points.

Contribution Points could be used to exchange for any resource in the Family Treasury, and the various divine abilities and spells in the Scripture Repository could also be exchanged freely.

Thus, within the Lineage, Contribution Points were more useful than Spirit Stones.

As a Foundation Establishment Seed, Song Changsheng received an annual stipend of fifty Spirit Stones and three hundred Contribution Points.

It seemed like a lot, but his expenses were not small either. The title of genius had to be piled up with resources.

After eight years of cultivation, he only had a little over two hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones left on him, along with merely three hundred Contribution Points.

That was only because he often took on odd jobs. Otherwise, he would already be utterly penniless.

If there are any mistakes, please leave a comment to point them out, fellow cultivators. Thank you!