Task

Seeing the mountain rabbit act like this, Qin Fengming was very happy. The Spirit Numbing Powder was indeed effective. ...www..com... However, to fully understand the efficacy of this anesthetic, he needed to test it on some larger animals.

Half an hour later, a strong wild boar weighing over a hundred pounds appeared before Qin Fengming.

Such prey was exactly what Qin Fengming wanted. Silently approaching the wild boar from behind, he moved his left hand, and with a "snap," five Heart-Questioning Nails accurately struck the wild boar's body.

The wild boar had tough skin and thick flesh. Although the Heart-Questioning Nails were extremely sharp, they only pierced its hide and fur, with none penetrating deep into its body.

Despite this, as the mechanism of the hidden weapon sounded, the strong wild boar weighing over a hundred pounds instantly collapsed, its body weak and limp, losing its ability to resist.

Under Qin Fengming's gaze, the wild boar only took about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before it staggered to its feet, grunting and snorting as it fled into the depths of the forest.

After these two tests, Qin Fengming had a good understanding of the effect of "Cold Star." Faced with this anesthetic, even a master of internal energy would undoubtedly fall to the ground immediately.

However, he could not predict how long it would take to neutralize. He guessed it would certainly be faster than for the wild boar.

Even if it were several times faster, with his Azure Cloud Maze movement technique, it would be a certainty that he could approach and subdue the opponent.

In the following days, Qin Fengming returned to practicing his swordplay and movement techniques.

When the Dark Night Hall Master left previously, he had mentioned that within two years, no missions would be assigned to him. But after two years, he would officially become a disciple of the Dark Night Hall, and executing dangerous missions would be a normal occurrence.

Thinking of this, Qin Fengming felt a sense of anticipation.

Time slowly passed. Qin Fengming spent his days practicing swordplay and the Azure Cloud Maze movement technique. Sometimes, he would venture deep into the dense forest to find wolves, insects, tigers, and leopards to test "Cold Star."

During his martial arts practice, he also made time to visit Danyun Peak twice, specifically to see his Master, Mistress, and Junior Sister.

As seasons changed and time flew by, another year passed in the blink of an eye.

One day, as Qin Fengming was meditating and practicing his internal energy in his room, a person dressed in black, with a black veil covering their face, suddenly appeared in the courtyard.

The moment the black-clothed person appeared, Qin Fengming was already on his feet, rushing to the door.

The black-clothed person looked at Qin Fengming for a long time before speaking in a deep voice:

"Not bad. After two years of hard training, your internal energy has indeed become much stronger. From today onwards, you, Qin Fengming, are officially a disciple of our Dark Night Hall and can participate in Dark Night Hall missions."

As the black-clothed person spoke, they raised a hand, and a black token flew towards Qin Fengming.

Reaching out to take it, Qin Fengming felt the token was extremely cold to the touch, as if made of some kind of metal. On it was carved the character "Dark", and on the other side, "Eleven".

The black-clothed person stared at Qin Fengming, their eyes devoid of any emotion, and their voice, low and deep, spoke again:

"This is your identity token. For all disciples at any branch of Luoxia Valley, seeing this token is like seeing the Hall Master. With this token, you can command anyone in Luoxia Valley. This token is made of a special material and cannot be forged. Where the token is, there you are."

"Disciple understands," Qin Fengming replied respectfully, bowing. He didn't say much more.

"In the future, when I assign you a mission, I will first show you the Hall Master's token. Only when you see the Hall Master's token can you obey the order. Otherwise, no one, including myself and the Hall Master, has the right to assign you missions. Look closely, this is the Dark Night Hall Master's token."

Saying this, a token identical to the one in Qin Fengming's hand landed in his palm. He looked down and saw that it was carved with only the character "Master".

"Disciple understands. I will only recognize the token from now on," he said, flicking his wrist and returning the Hall Master's token.

"Qin Fengming, I will now assign you your first mission for joining the Dark Night Hall. Prepare yourself. In two days, you will go to Haobai City to retrieve a white jade box.

First, go to our Haobai City branch and then contact our Dark Night Hall's Fifth Senior Brother. Together, you will go to a bandit stronghold located sixty li east of Haobai City and retrieve the white jade box."

The black-clothed person looked at Qin Fengming, their tone completely devoid of emotion, as if their voice drifted from a distant place. After a short pause, they added:

"This mission will be led by Fifth Senior Brother. You will cooperate as needed, and you can decide the methods you employ. I heard you have learned the Azure Cloud Maze movement technique, one of our sect's three ultimate difficult techniques. With such strength, even if you encounter a top expert from our Yingzhou Prefecture, even if you cannot win, you should have no problem protecting yourself."

The black-clothed person's voice was hoarse, but their explanation was detailed. They tossed an envelope to Qin Fengming and then turned and disappeared into the dense forest.

Opening the envelope, Qin Fengming found only a piece of paper inside, blank except for a drawing of a jade box. The jade box was intricately carved with flowers, birds, insects, and fish, with a keyhole on the front, appearing very exquisite.

Qin Fengming carefully examined the drawing of the jade box until there were no omissions. Then, he took out flint and steel and burned the letter and envelope together.

This mission was the first task Qin Fengming would undertake since joining Luoxia Valley.

At this time, Qin Fengming was still only about fifteen years old. Most children his age were still at home playing with their parents.

For this solo mission, Qin Fengming had to make some preparations. He flew down and found Elder Wu, asking him for a detailed map of Yingzhou Prefecture and preparing travel expenses. Finally, he selected a fine steed.

Elder Wu did not ask any questions about what Qin Fengming requested and complied with everything he provided.

At the very end, Elder Wu gave him a detailed explanation of the sect's various branches, even including the locations of their hidden branches in various places. After instructing him to memorize it thoroughly, he had him burn it.

Using one day, Qin Fengming thoroughly studied the map and the branch descriptions. Afterward, he went to the treasure pavilion and found a copy of the "Record of Strange Tales from the Jianghu of Great Liang," which he also carefully examined.

At this point, Qin Fengming had a rough understanding of the martial arts world of the Great Liang Kingdom.

Two days later, a fine horse galloped out of the hidden Luoxia Valley stronghold, heading towards Haobai City.

Traveling through villages and towns, traveling by day and resting by night, after nearly a month and a half of travel, Haobai City finally appeared before Qin Fengming. Along the way, Qin Fengming had taken many detours, but with the help of the fine horse, he was still more than ten days ahead of the schedule originally mentioned by the Hall Master.

Haobai City was adjacent to Qijia City and Luyu City, forming a triangular defensive formation. The scale and layout of the entire city were almost identical to Qijia City, appearing very tall and majestic from a distance.

Qin Fengming dismounted at the city gate and entered the city with the crowd. The streets were bustling with people, and the sounds of buying and selling echoed, making it very lively.

It was precisely noon, and feeling hungry, Qin Fengming's first priority was to satisfy his hunger.

Looking up, a tall restaurant appeared before him. The words "Juying Tower" hung above the main entrance of the restaurant. Holding his horse's reins, Qin Fengming turned and walked towards the inn.