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Chen Changsheng raised his hand and pointed into the distance.

"Junior Brother Shen Gongbao."

The voice was not loud, but it struck like an invisible heavy hammer, landing precisely at the back of the crowd.

The Daoist whose name was called stiffened, his expression freezing instantly.

"This poor Daoist believes that this task is yours alone."

The crowd parted like a tide, stepping back in unison.

A solitary figure was abruptly exposed beneath the gaze of tens of thousands of eyes.

The Daoist wore a Eight Trigram robe, with a wisp of goatee, his eyes darting furtively as he had been trying to shrink back into the crowd.

Now, however, he seemed frozen in place, unable to move.

It was Shen Gongbao.

The color drained from his face at a visible rate, turning as pale as the jade walls of the Calamity Aversion Department hall.

It was over.

That was the only thought in Shen Gongbao's mind.

His legs went weak, nearly giving out beneath him. He forced himself to walk out of the crowd, then fell to his knees with a thud before Chen Changsheng, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"Dao Protector, spare my life!"

"This disciple's cultivation is shallow, my Dao base is thin, and my courage is even smaller than a needle's tip! I go out of my way to avoid even a mosquito on the road—how could I bear such a heavy responsibility?"

As he spoke, he wiped at nonexistent tears with his sleeve, his voice pitiful and shrill.

"This... this Observer task, this disciple truly cannot handle it! I beg the Dao Protector to choose another worthy, choose another worthy!"

Watching his blubbering display, the surrounding disciples wore varied expressions.

Some showed contempt.

"Look at him, what a disgrace."

But more eyes held a trace of sympathy, and relief.

"Ah, Senior Brother Shen is just unlucky, getting picked by the Dao Protector."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Going to the East Sea Coast—how is that any different from walking to your death? Lucky it wasn't me."

These whispers, though quiet, reached Shen Gongbao's ears word for word, making him weep even more bitterly.

On the high platform, Zhao Gongming and Daoist Duobao were equally puzzled.

They truly could not see what was so special about this shifty, cowardly Shen Gongbao that the Dao Protector valued him so highly.

Chen Changsheng paid no attention to the murmurs.

He knew that in his early years, Shen Gongbao had sought to join the Chan Sect out of admiration, but was rejected by the Primordial Heavenly Venerate due to his origins (or his flighty nature), who judged him as "of crooked heart, hard to achieve true fruition."

After that crushing blow, he had drifted into the Jie Sect, which taught all without discrimination, but because of the Primordial's judgment, he was always secretly looked down upon within the Jie Sect as well, remaining a marginal Registered Disciple.

Thus, he harbored a deep grudge against the Chan Sect, especially the Primordial Heavenly Venerate.

It was precisely this, along with his burning desire to prove himself, that Chen Changsheng had chosen him.

The subtext of Chen Changsheng's promise to him was: "The Chan Sect didn't want you—that was their blindness. Here with me, you can achieve feats they could never imagine."

He walked slowly down from the high platform, stopping before Shen Gongbao, but did not tell him to rise.

He simply looked at him calmly and spoke slowly.

"Junior Brother Shen, do you think I sent you to the East Sea to fight?"

Shen Gongbao froze, his crying halving in volume as he looked up in confusion.

"Is it... not?"

"Of course not."

Chen Changsheng shook his head, a gentle smile appearing on his face.

"Our Jie Sect is now strong in soldiers and horses. How many capable senior brothers are there, countless? If we truly needed to fight, it wouldn't fall to you."

He paused, then shifted his tone.

"The reason I chose you is that I see in you a... unique talent."

Shen Gongbao was even more bewildered.

Unique talent?

What talent do I have?

I don't know of any.

Chen Changsheng's voice was full of persuasion.

"Junior Brother Shen, do you realize? You were born with a kind of affinity. You can strike up a conversation with anyone. Your eloquence is comparable to an Innate Spiritual Treasure—it can turn conflict into harmony, make even a stubborn stone nod its head."

"This mission is called 'Observer,' but in truth, it is 'Diplomat.'"

"We don't need you to fight, don't need you to risk your life. What we need is someone who can talk, who can gather intelligence, who can chat and laugh with the enemy commander amidst a sea of troops."

"And that person, looking across our entire Jie Sect, is none other than you!"

These words left even Shen Gongbao stunned.

Me... am I really that impressive?

He subconsciously stroked his goatee, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

Seems... seems to make some sense.

He really was quite good at talking.

Chen Changsheng, seeing the moment was ripe, shot a glance at Daoist Duobao.

Daoist Duobao caught the hint and immediately stepped forward, declaring in a clear voice.

"The Dao Protector speaks truly!"

With a grand sweep of his sleeve, two treasures radiating brilliant light floated before Shen Gongbao.

They were the same models as the two High-grade Houtian Spiritual Treasures just awarded to Wang Youcai.

"This is the 'Invisibility Immortal Robe.' Once worn, even a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal will struggle to find your trace!"

"And this is the 'Ten Thousand Mile Earth Escape Talisman.' Crush one, and you can instantly flee ten thousand miles—the ultimate treasure for escaping death! Here are ten of them; take them as traveling expenses!"

Daoist Duobao's spirit soared as he tossed out a thick stack.

Shen Gongbao's eyes went wide on the spot.

He stared fixedly at the robe, thin as a cicada's wing, then at the thick stack of jade talismans shimmering with an earthy yellow glow, his throat bobbing uncontrollably.

This... this wasn't going on a mission at all?

It was clearly a vacation!

Wearing an invisibility robe, carrying teleportation talismans, just going to chat and ask a few questions?

The risk... didn't seem... all that high?

Chen Changsheng's voice, like a devil's whisper, sounded again.

"Junior Brother Shen, on this trip, only your mouth moves, not your hands. Your sole task is to come back alive."

"As long as you bring back accurate intelligence on that East Sea Demon Dragon and complete this Risk Assessment Report."

He pointed toward the direction of the Calamity Aversion Department's main hall.

"Then you will be the foremost meritorious official of my Calamity Aversion Department!"

"At that time, I will personally petition the Master to commend you, promoting you to Chief Elder of my department's 'External Intelligence Division,' equal in rank to an inner sect core disciple!"

If the treasures had only stirred Shen Gongbao's heart before, then those two words—"Chief Elder"—struck like a thunderbolt, slamming hard into his soul.

He, an utterly unremarkable outer disciple whom everyone despised, had never dreamed of one day becoming a core high-ranking member of the Jie Sect.

Risk?

To hell with risk!

Before such immense temptation, that trivial danger to his life had long been cast to the winds.

Shen Gongbao's spine snapped straight.

The sorrow on his face vanished, replaced by an unprecedented vigor and confidence.

He sprang to his feet, bowed deeply to Chen Changsheng, and spoke with a ringing voice.

"With such trust from the Dao Protector, this disciple, Shen Gongbao, would die ten thousand deaths without regret!"

"That mere East Sea Demon Dragon is nothing but a chicken and a clay dog! Let this disciple go; I'll pry out every last detail of his lineage, clear and thorough!"

This one-hundred-eighty-degree shift in attitude left the surrounding disciples dumbfounded.

One moment he was wailing in despair, the next he was bursting with heroic fervor.

This... this was too fast, wasn't it?

When they looked back at Chen Changsheng, their eyes held only deep reverence.

With just a few words, he had turned a coward who feared death into someone volunteering to charge into danger.

The Dao Protector's methods were truly unfathomable!

Chen Changsheng nodded in satisfaction.

He took a blank Jade Slip from his bosom and handed it to Shen Gongbao.

"Very good. This is the protective treasure I bestow upon you."

Shen Gongbao accepted it with flattered surprise, probing it with his divine sense—only to find it completely empty. He froze.

"Dao Protector, this..."

"I will carve a supreme True Word inside it for you. Remember, no matter whether you see the Dragon King or Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals, your first words must be to recite this True Word."

Chen Changsheng's expression was solemn.

"This True Word can ensure your life is safe from harm."

Upon hearing this, Shen Gongbao immediately felt a surge of reverence. He gripped the Jade Slip tightly in his hand, as if clutching his very own life.

"Your disciple humbly obeys your decree!"

He tucked the immortal robe and magic treasure into his bosom, bowed to Chen Changsheng and the assembled senior brothers, then turned and transformed into a streak of light, flying spiritedly toward the East Sea.

Watching his vanishing figure, Zhao Gongming sidled over, his face full of curiosity as he asked in a low voice.

"Dao Protector, what exactly did you leave for him as a Life-Preserving True Word inside that Jade Slip?"

Chen Changsheng smiled faintly, his smile unfathomably profound.

"A very simple sentence."

He paused, then spoke word by word.

"Daoist friend, please hold a moment. This is the Jie Sect's procedural protocol. If you would kindly... fill out this Risk Assessment Survey Form first."