Assessment Result: Nine Deaths, One Life

Zhao Gongming pondered for a moment, a flicker of Sha Qi flashing in his eyes.

"In reply to the Dao Protector! There are three suspicious points here! First, the Dragon Clan is a major clan of our Primordial World. Though they have long lost their ancient glory, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse—their strength far exceeds that of ordinary demonic beasts. If the Heavenly Court truly wanted to wipe them out, why not send Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, instead of specifically naming our Jie Sect?"

"Second, the East Sea is our Jie Sect's territory. If the Dragon Clan causes chaos here, it brings shame upon our sect. This move is clearly a scheme, forcing us to act whether we want to or not."

"Third, and most importantly, the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation is approaching. The Chan Sect and the Western Sect would love nothing more than for our Jie Sect disciples to get entangled in karma and die outside. This decree appears to come from the Heavenly Court, but behind it, I suspect the push and pull of several Sages!"

Zhao Gongming's analysis was thorough and clear.

The surrounding disciples nodded along, their reverence for the Heavenly Court quickly replaced by anger toward the Chan Sect.

Chen Changsheng nodded in satisfaction, picked up his brush, and wrote a few lines on the jade wall.

[Potential Risk One: Target strength unknown, suspected to be Daluo-level combat power]

[Potential Risk Two: Mission is a scheme, aimed at draining our sect's fortune]

[Potential Risk Three: Suspected involvement of other Sage lineages behind the scenes, with threats at the Quasi-Saint or even Sage level]

After writing these three, he looked at a thin, shifty-eyed disciple in the hall.

"Wang Youcai."

"Disciple is here!"

Wang Youcai stepped forward excitedly. Having survived the Cycle Mirror, his status among the outer disciples had risen considerably.

Chen Changsheng saw he had some talent for the Dao of Survival and wanted to hear his thoughts.

"In your opinion, if you received this mission, how would you handle it?"

Wang Youcai shrank his neck and answered without hesitation.

"In reply to the Dao Protector! Disciple... Disciple would run at the first chance! Run as far as possible! The East Sea is huge, with so many Dragon Kings—who knows which dragon it is? What if we find the wrong one and get eaten as a snack? The mission info is unclear, the risk is too high—no way I'd take it even if it meant death!"

Chen Changsheng gave him an approving look and added another line to the jade wall.

[Potential Risk Four: Mission info vague, target unspecified, easily leads to misjudgment]

He set down the brush and swept his gaze across the hall.

"Everyone, any additions?"

The disciples buzzed with discussion, and soon all sorts of bizarre risks were brought up.

"Dao Protector! The East Sea is damp—what if our treasures rust?"

"Also, is dragon meat sour or sweet? What if it's poisonous and gives us a stomach ache, affecting our combat power?"

"What if the demon dragon is female and good-looking, and some disciple's Dao heart wavers and gets seduced?"

Chen Changsheng kept a straight face, sifting through these seemingly absurd suggestions, extracting the core risks, and recording them.

In moments, the massive jade wall was densely covered with dozens of potential risks.

Looking at this shocking analysis, all the disciples drew in a sharp breath.

So, behind a seemingly simple "wipe out the demon dragon" mission, there were actually so many deadly traps hidden.

If they had acted on their old impulses, they would have charged out with their swords, blood boiling.

Now that they thought about it, that wasn't courage—it was stupidity.

Chen Changsheng looked at the assessment results, turned solemnly to face the crowd, his expression grave.

"According to the Calamity Aversion Department's preliminary evaluation, the 'East Sea Dragon Slaying' mission carries dozens of fatal risks. Any one of them could lead to heavy casualties among our sect's disciples."

He picked up a massive seal, already prepared and forged from Ten-Thousand Year Profound Iron, and raised it high.

On that seal were carved four blood-red characters.

[Nine Deaths, One Life]

Under the gaze of tens of thousands of eyes, Chen Changsheng channeled his magic power and slammed the great seal heavily onto the assessment results on the jade wall!

A dull thud rang out, like a great bell striking every heart.

On the jade wall, those four blood-red characters emitted an ominous red glow, stinging the eyes painfully.

"I declare!"

Chen Changsheng's voice echoed through the entire hall.

"This mission's risk level is rated as—"

"Highest level!"

"According to the iron law of our Jie Sect's Calamity Aversion Department, this mission is strictly forbidden for any disciple to participate in!"

As his words fell.

The hall full of disciples fell into dead silence first, then erupted into thunderous cheers.

"Long live the Dao Protector!"

"Long live the Calamity Aversion Department!"

"No more going to die!"

They wept hot tears of excitement, as if granted a new lease on life.

Yet Daoist Duobao, after the initial thrill, calmed down.

He walked over to Chen Changsheng and asked in a low voice.

"Dao Protector, the assessment is done, but... how do we explain this to the Heavenly Court?"

Indeed.

This was just their own internal conclusion, but the Heavenly Court's decree was still hanging there.

All eyes once again converged on Chen Changsheng.

A cryptic smile spread across Chen Changsheng's face.

"Explain? Simple."

He stepped outside the hall, faced the golden decree still shimmering in the sky, and declared in a clear voice.

"Reporting to the Jade Emperor: regarding the 'East Sea Dragon Slaying' task entrusted to you, our Jie Sect's Calamity Aversion Department has accepted it."

"Upon assessment, this task carries excessive risk and lacks sufficient intelligence. Our sect cannot dispatch combat personnel at this time."

"However, as a gesture of sincerity, our sect has decided to send one observer ahead to the East Sea Coast for preliminary reconnaissance and intelligence gathering."

"Once the Risk Assessment Report is complete, our sect will make a final decision."

He finished with a slight bow toward the decree.

"This is our Jie Sect's standard procedure. We hope the Jade Emperor... understands."

The golden decree paused midair, as if bewildered by this unprecedented maneuver.

A moment later, golden light flashed, and the decree transformed into a streak of light, vanishing beyond the horizon.

It left.

Just like that!

On the Martial Arts Arena, tens of thousands of disciples stared at the vanished decree, then at the unruffled Chen Changsheng, their mouths agape as if turned to stone.

This was possible?

An Imperial Edict from the Heavenly Court, turned back by a "standard procedure"?

After a long silence, Zhao Gongming swallowed hard, walked over to Chen Changsheng, and rasped.

"Dao Protector... is that... it?"

"Not yet."

Chen Changsheng shook his head.

"Didn't we say we'd send an observer?"

Only then did everyone snap back to reality.

Right, someone still had to go.

But who?

The observer sounded safe, but it was still walking into a dragon's den. One wrong move, and it meant death.

Eyes began darting through the crowd; no one wanted to be the sacrificial lamb.

Chen Changsheng swept his gaze across the assembly, reading every expression.

His eyes passed over Duobao, over Zhao Gongming, over the Inner Sect Disciples who were eager yet fearful.

Finally, his gaze settled on a figure at the back of the crowd—a Daoist who was quietly shrinking backward, trying to hide himself.

The man wore a Bagua robe, sported a wispy goatee, and had shifty eyes that radiated cunning... and sleaze.

The corner of Chen Changsheng's mouth curled up.

"This task requires no one less than a man of great wisdom and eloquence."

His voice silenced everyone.

"We need a junior brother, not to fight, but to observe—to go and have a... chat with the East Sea Dragon Clan."

He raised his hand and pointed into the distance.

"Junior Brother Shen Gongbao."

The Daoist named stiffened, his expression freezing solid.

"This humble one believes you are the only man for the job."