All sect missions were divided into six levels, and each level was further ranked from one to five stars according to difficulty.
They were categorized so meticulously to make it easier for disciples to carefully assess their own strength.
This was to prevent them from taking on missions far beyond their abilities. Failure was one thing, but losing one's life over it would be more loss than gain.
Generally speaking, Early True Qi Realm disciples were suited for Level 1 to Level 2 missions; mid-stage disciples could take missions up to Level 3; late-stage disciples were suited for Level 4 missions. Level 5 missions generally required several people to go together, or were taken by core disciples.
Of course, that was only the general case. Those exceptionally powerful geniuses could not be judged by ordinary standards.
For example, Feng Chao, who had just been mentioned as eleventh in the Inner Sect rankings.
However, the consequences of failure could only be borne by oneself.
As for Level 6 missions, they rarely appeared and would not be posted here. They were directly assigned to Gangqi Realm elders.
Lu Ming felt it would be better to take a lower-level mission first to get some practice, so he looked through the Level 1 mission area.
At a glance, he saw a Level 1 one-star mission: clear out an Early Stage Level 2 demonic beast, an Ink Leopard, entrenched in the back mountain of Xiaxi Village.
Completion reward: ninety contribution points, three thousand taels of silver, and all demonic beast materials belonged to the recipient.
What followed was a string of Level 1 one-star missions, until he saw a Level 1 two-star mission.
Content: kill the notorious bandit Yu Yuan.
Below was the man's profile: Peak Early True Qi Realm, relied on force to commit all manner of evil, with countless crimes to his name...
Last known whereabouts: recently seen near Hele Town.
Completion reward: all seized goods belonged to the recipient, plus one hundred contribution points, fifty thousand taels of silver, and ten low-grade Origin Stones.
The reward could be called extremely generous. In particular, the ten low-grade Origin Stones that could aid cultivation were exceedingly rare.
Logically speaking, a Level 1 two-star mission should not have carried such a high reward. However, Yu Yuan was a notorious bandit, and the relatives and friends of those harmed by him had put out numerous bounties.
Thus, the rewards were plentiful, and such missions were especially popular.
Quick-eyed and quick-handed, Lu Ming immediately tore down the mission notice, leaving a disciple beside him who had been one step too slow deeply annoyed.
"Brother, this Yu Yuan isn't easy to deal with. Quite a few people have died by his hand, including people from other sects. You can't handle him. You should let me take it."
Since both of them were in the Early True Qi Realm, neither could tell who was senior, so the other addressed him as brother.
Hearing the man's somewhat comical words, Lu Ming suppressed a laugh and shook his head. "Sorry, I can handle it. I won't trouble you."
"Don't you want to reconsider?"
The man still did not want to give up.
"I've considered it very clearly." Leaving those words behind, Lu Ming headed straight for the counter to register.
"Ah..."
The man wanted to say more, but seeing Lu Ming walk away directly, he could only helplessly search for another mission.
Ignoring him, Lu Ming finished registering and went straight to the beast garden to rent a fine horse. He did not want to waste too much time traveling.
With his preparations complete, he left the sect and galloped away in a cloud of dust.
"That little fellow has left."
On a mountain peak beside the sect gate, two men stood with their hands behind their backs. One of them was Inner Sect Elder Gongsun He.
The other was a middle-aged man with an elegant, scholarly air.
Judging by their positions, he was clearly the leader.
He was also the one who had just spoken.
"He started taking missions after only four months. That is faster than we expected," Gongsun He replied.
"Didn't you say that he cultivated four martial arts at once this time? To master four martial arts within a mere four months—such comprehension and physical aptitude are exceptionally rare."
"When you were his age, how long would it have taken you to fully learn two Human-grade High Stage martial arts and two Human-grade Peak Stage martial arts?"
Gongsun He smiled and shook his head. "I cannot compare to him. It would probably have taken me over a year. But judging from the purchase records of the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion, his Iron Elephant Art should only have reached the first stage."
"That is already remarkable."
The middle-aged man was already very satisfied. "I have a feeling that at the next Ten Nations Hegemony Competition, he will surely make our Wuji Sect shine brilliantly."
"Yes. With his talent, so long as he keeps it up, he surely will."
Gongsun He agreed wholeheartedly, then asked, "Sect Master, how should we arrange things for that girl Zhu Ningyun? She has asked more than once to go out and gain experience through missions."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man frowned and pondered for a while before replying:
"She is being watched too closely. The moment she leaves the sect, she will likely encounter a siege. It would be better to send her into the sect's secret grounds to train."
"That is the only way."
Gongsun He sighed, then added, "I heard that a sword-wielding genius has recently emerged in the Nine Heavens Sect as well. His name is Yang Xuan. Speaking of which, like Lu Ming, he is also from Shuofeng City."
"Oh? Is the information accurate?"
The middle-aged man was somewhat surprised. He had not expected little Shuofeng City to produce two geniuses in succession.
It was rather unbelievable.
"It is absolutely true. Speaking of which, if Inner Sect disciple Chu Yunxiao had not brought Lu Ming back, Lu Ming would have gone to the Nine Heavens Sect according to his original wishes."
Gongsun He added another sentence.
"Reward Chu Yunxiao heavily."
"He has already been rewarded."
"Reward him again."
Next to Hele Town was an even smaller town named Rouyun Town. It was formed from three villages living together, so its population was not large.
Naturally, there were no particularly powerful Martial Artists there either.
On this day, a burst of crackling sounds suddenly rang out from within a mansion larger than any other in the town center.
Then came a loud laugh. "Hahaha! Your young lady is quite pretty. Yu accepts her with pleasure!"
With that laughter, a scar-faced man flew out while holding a woman dressed in a pale yellow gown in his arms.
The commotion caused the people on the street to stop in their tracks.
"It's the notorious bandit Yu Yuan! I never thought he would come to our Rouyun Town."
"This is bad. With his strength, I fear only the proprietor of Fuyun Restaurant in our town can contend with him."
"He kills without batting an eye. Hurry and hide first!"
In the blink of an eye, the street became utterly deserted.
At this moment, the notorious bandit Yu Yuan had already appeared on the street with his captive. Seeing everyone flee in fright, he was very pleased with his own fearsome reputation.
Then three more figures leaped out of the mansion and surrounded Yu Yuan tightly.
"Yu Yuan, release my daughter!"
The speaker was an old man in the Early True Qi Realm. The other two were a man and a woman, both only around thirty or forty years old. They did not speak, but they held longswords and stood ready for battle.
"Hahaha! Old fool, you want me to release your daughter? Easy—defeat me first! Take this!"
Though surrounded by three people, Yu Yuan did not panic in the slightest. He remained wild and domineering as he thrust out a palm toward the old man.
Crack!
Grayish-white Palm Force tore through the air with an explosive burst. The old man's expression changed, and he hurriedly circulated his cultivation to block it, only to be blasted flying in a single strike.
Swish! Swish!
At that moment, the man and woman attacked with their swords. "Yu Yuan, today is your unlucky day. Let us show you the might of the Meiling Twin Swords!"
Hearing that, Yu Yuan smiled disdainfully. "What worthless Meiling Twin Swords? I've never even heard of you. Take a move from my Whirlwind Sweeping Leaf Leg!"
Facing the twin swords rushing at him, Yu Yuan suddenly spun while holding the woman, then swept out more than a dozen leg shadows in succession.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Their forces collided. Under the rain of leg shadows, the Meiling Twin Swords' Sword Qi instantly shattered into nothingness, causing both of their expressions to change drastically.
"Get lost!"
Another leg shadow came crashing in, and the Meiling Twin Swords immediately spat blood as they flew backward.
"Hahahaha! A pack of chickens and dogs! This lord is in a hurry today and cannot be bothered to kill you."
After defeating three opponents in a row, Yu Yuan was clearly in an excellent mood. "Old man, I'll send your daughter back tonight."
"Father, save me!"
Seeing the three people from her household defeated in the blink of an eye, then hearing Yu Yuan's words, the woman in his arms cried out in terror.
"You... my daughter..."
The old man lying on the ground was so enraged that blood rushed to his heart, yet he was powerless to stop Yu Yuan. He could only watch helplessly as the man began to walk away.
Yet at that moment, a figure had appeared out of nowhere on the previously empty street ahead.
The figure wore a black robe and a bamboo hat draped with black gauze. What he held in his arms seemed to be a blade or sword. With his back to them, his features could not be seen.
Only the black gauze on his hat fluttered in the wind.
"Who are you?"
Yu Yuan could not help stopping. He appeared rough and uncouth, but he was in fact a meticulous man. Otherwise, after committing evil for so many years, he could not have survived until now.
And the vigilance honed over the years told him that this newcomer was no ordinary person.
"Lu Ming of the Wuji Sect's Inner Sect. I have come to take your life."
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