Before Departure

Lu Qingshan, naturally, had no idea that after a series of insightful analyses, the two leaders of Yuanshan Tower had already identified him as a Nascent Soul cultivator with a deep-seated hatred for the Underworld.

Of course, even if he had known, while he wouldn't admit it, he wouldn't deny it either.

At this moment, Lu Qingshan was in the most prosperous street in Yuanshan City.

Across the street, Lu Qingshan gazed at the building opposite, which bore the sign of the Monster Hunter Alliance.

The Monster Hunter Alliance was a vast yet loose organization.

It was vast because, like the Great Xia Trading Company and Zhishou Tower, it was present in almost every major Human city.

Its looseness stemmed from the fact that the Rogue Cultivator Tower was not subordinate to any single power; its management was a result of negotiations among multiple factions.

The Monster Hunter Alliance was initially founded by several powerful cultivators who originated from the ranks of rogue cultivators. Its initial purpose was to integrate the numerous rogue cultivators.

That's right, among Human cultivators, rogue cultivators constituted the largest proportion, despite being the most inconspicuous.

Without the support of sects or factions, rogue cultivators often had to risk their lives to obtain cultivation resources, only to come back empty-handed.

And hunting demonic beasts had always been a crucial way for rogue cultivators to acquire cultivation resources.

However, due to a lack of resources, rogue cultivators generally had lower combat power.

Demonic beasts, on the other hand, often relied on their powerful physiques and various innate divine abilities to contend with several rogue cultivators of the same level.

This often resulted in rogue cultivators being unable to defeat demonic beasts during hunts and dying on the spot.

A significant portion of the high mortality rate among rogue cultivators could be attributed to demonic beasts.

Yet, even so, rogue cultivators continued to charge towards demonic beasts one after another.

The reason was simple: if they didn't fight, where would the unsupported rogue cultivators find the resources to cultivate?

In this situation, rogue cultivators forming teams to hunt demonic beasts became a very good method.

But then another problem arose: how would rogue cultivators who had never met before form teams?

And how could they ensure that the rogue cultivator teammates they found were trustworthy and wouldn't stab them in the back?

After all, in the world of cultivators, humans were often more terrifying than demons or monsters.

Those few powerful rogue cultivators, deeply understanding the hardships of rogue cultivator life, decided to join forces and create the Monster Hunter Alliance.

Cultivators could post team-up missions through the Monster Hunter Alliance to find suitable rogue cultivators and form teams to hunt demonic beasts together.

Each completed monster-hunting mission would be rewarded with a certain number of points, and the completed missions would be recorded in their resumes.

When cultivators looked for teammates, they only needed to review their resumes to see at a glance whether they were trustworthy.

Every day, thousands of cultivators searched for suitable missions within the Monster Hunter Alliance.

The Monster Hunter Alliance was open to all Human cultivators; whether rogue cultivators or disciples of sects, anyone could post or accept missions there.

For this reason, the Monster Hunter Alliance gradually grew stronger.

The turning point that led to the qualitative change of the Monster Hunter Alliance was when the Great Xia Imperial Family realized that the Monster Hunter Alliance's model had significant benefits for improving the overall combat power of Human cultivators. Thus, they intervened and strongly supported the development of the Monster Hunter Alliance.

With the support of the Great Xia Imperial Family, the Monster Hunter Alliance rapidly expanded its branches within Human cities, quickly becoming a behemoth.

As it developed to this point, the Monster Hunter Alliance was no longer limited to posting team-up monster-hunting missions; its mission types now encompassed all aspects of a cultivator's life.

Whether it was finding spiritual herbs, materials, or wanting to team up to explore ruins, corresponding missions could be posted within the Monster Hunter Alliance.

Of course, having developed to this stage, the Monster Hunter Alliance could no longer be subordinate to just a few cultivators.

The Monster Hunter Alliance was now jointly controlled and mutually checked by powerful rogue cultivators, various local cultivation families and factions, and sects.

The Great Xia Imperial Family, as the highest authority of the Monster Hunter Alliance, did not participate in its management.

Lost in thought, Lu Qingshan had already crossed the street and arrived at the opposite side, entering the lobby of the Monster Hunter Alliance.

There weren't many people in the lobby at this time.

This was also quite normal.

Cultivators had very long lifespans, so their concept of time was stretched over a longer span.

A month's time, in the eyes of cultivators, was often no different from a single day for mortals.

Therefore, in most cases, the Monster Hunter Alliance in small prefectural cities like Yuanshan City was very deserted.

Lu Qingshan needed to first register for a monster hunter identity.

Becoming a monster hunter required no qualifications, nor was there any so-called strength assessment.

—Cultivators were the most insecure and suspicious group of people; how could they be willing to easily reveal their strength to others?

Becoming a monster hunter only required paying ten First-grade Spirit Stones.

Being wealthy, Lu Qingshan naturally didn't care about such a small amount of money.

After honestly paying ten First-grade Spirit Stones and registering his basic information, Lu Qingshan received the Spirit Seal, which represented his identity as a monster hunter, from the young female cultivator responsible for reception.

This was a Spirit Seal crafted from spirit jade, and it would record all of Lu Qingshan's resume within the Monster Hunter Alliance.

Lu Qingshan's divine sense probed into it.

Lu Qingshan (First-grade Monster Hunter)

Points: Zero

Record: None

First-grade Monster Hunters are the lowest rank within the Monster Hunter Alliance.

A monster hunter's rank is determined solely by the quantity and quality of tasks they complete, and has no relation to their strength.

For each task completed, monster hunters are awarded a certain number of points based on the task's difficulty.

Once a certain number of points are accumulated, a monster hunter can advance their rank.

For example, advancing to Second-grade Monster Hunter requires one hundred points.

For Foundation Establishment cultivators, becoming a Second-grade Monster Hunter isn't difficult if they are diligent.

There are even many Qi Refining cultivators who have accumulated enough points to advance to Second-grade Monster Hunter.

The higher a monster hunter's rank, the greater their corresponding privileges.

Tasks with high rewards often have rank requirements for the monster hunters.

"Are there any tasks I can take that are headed to Zhenjiang City?" Lu Qingshan inquired.

The beautiful female cultivator at the reception was quite polite. Following Lu Qingshan's request, she buried her head in the complex task jade slips, searching for one that met his requirements.

"Found one!" the female cultivator exclaimed softly, picking up a jade slip and handing it to Lu Qingshan.

Lu Qingshan felt a surge of joy.

Zhenjiang City was a thousand li away from Yuanshan City. Tasks with Zhenjiang City as their destination were generally of a higher rank, not something he, a First-grade Monster Hunter, could accept.

He didn't have the time to grind his monster hunter rank up to Second-grade right now.

He had only asked on a whim, just to see, and was surprised to find one.

Lu Qingshan took the jade slip.

"Task Content: The Lin Family needs to transport a batch of goods to Zhenjiang City. To ensure safety during the journey, they are recruiting ten monster hunters to assist with escort duties.

Task Reward: Thirty First-grade Spirit Stones.

Task Evaluation: Simple (Completion grants ten points)."