Third Chapter: That's Right, It's Me.

[This book's cultivation system is based on Sword Origin, though some parts have been slightly altered for the needs of the story. (Even if you haven't read Sword Origin, it's fine. The salted fish will explain things in the book as well...)]

The Notoriety Task Board was what Jiang Lin usually called the NPC Task Board.

From snatching little girls' lollipops on the street to pretending to be injured and extorting people in broad daylight, it had every kind of task imaginable. The tasks were updated once a week, and now that the Rewards and Punishments Hall had just sent someone to update them, the area in front of the task board was already packed with people...

"Make way, sorry, excuse me, thanks, please let me through."

He finally squeezed his way to the front of the task board. At the very top, a task titled "Disrupt the Dao Sect Tournament" had been pinned.

[Disrupt the Dao Sect Tournament]

[Age: Eight years old at minimum, with no upper limit.]

[Required cultivation: Cave Mansion Realm or above.]

[Task requirements: As the title says, anyone from the Demon Sect may disrupt the Dao Sect Tournament. You may drive up prices around the tournament and make everyone panic. You may also flirt with renowned sect fairies and disturb their Daoist hearts. You can even NTR Immortal Dao Companions right to their faces and make them rage helplessly.]

[Task reward: The reward will depend on the extent to which the Sect Grand Tournament is disrupted.]

[Required number of participants: No limit. P.S.: Teams of two or more are recommended for easier coordination.]

"This is the one!"

Jiang Lin was overjoyed. According to the system, Senior Sister Lin would see through the mortal world after several bloody battles during this Dao Sect Tournament, breaking through the knot in her heart amid combat. She would then come to hate the Demon Sect. As long as he went to the Dao Sect Tournament by carrying out the task, he would definitely be able to meet Senior Sister Lin. In the end, he could personally untie the knot in her heart and prevent her mind from becoming twisted.

As for how to untie it, Jiang Lin had already come up with countless ideas at that moment, and he felt every one of them was highly feasible.

Once he had decided, Jiang Lin immediately ran to the Rewards and Punishments Hall.

"Little Brother Jiang, what's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"

The person at the front desk responsible for receiving Jiang Lin was Fang Ruo, a female senior whose cultivation had already reached the Nascent Soul Realm First Floor. She had lovely features and a fantastic figure. Countless people who came to accept tasks liked to run to her window. After all, getting a glimpse of the scenery on the mountain was a wonderful thing.

"Sister Fang, I want to accept the task to disrupt the Sect Grand Tournament."

"Oh? Little Brother Jiang just got back from the Dragon Gate Sect. Aren't you going to rest for a while? Your performance this time can keep Twin Pearl Peak going for at least four years."

"This... it's a long story. But, Sister Fang, please don't tell my naïve master that I stole the Dragon Vein."

"That won't be a problem, but Little Brother Jiang, you owe me a favor."

"I'll make an Ice Cream Cake and bring it over then."

"That's wonderful. It's a deal!" Fang Ruo clapped her hands and took out an application form, handing it to Jiang Lin. "Just fill this out. Also, where's the person teaming up with you? Didn't he come?"

"Teaming up? It's just me."

"That won't do. Disrupting the Sect Grand Tournament is extremely risky. You need two people to cooperate before you can set out."

"But the task board only said that forming a team was 'recommended,' didn't it?"

"It's been changed. The notice on the task board will be changed soon too. If you don't have a teammate, then even if Little Jiang Lin begs me, I can't break the rules. Big Sister is doing this for your own good."

Jiang Lin felt somewhat desperate...

There were less than ten days until the Sect Grand Tournament. Where was he supposed to find a reliable teammate? A pig of a teammate could be far more terrifying than a divine opponent.

Should I take my master, Jiang Yuni, with me?

Forget it, forget it...

If this had been his master before her personality changed drastically, it might have been fine. But his master now would pout and get angry at him even if he merely crossed the street.

Just as Jiang Lin was considering hanging up his information at the Rewards and Punishments Hall to recruit a teammate, a man suddenly walked over.

"I want to accept the task to disrupt the Sect Grand Tournament!"

The man's voice was slightly hoarse. For some reason, Jiang Lin felt that something about it was off.

He turned his head. The moment he saw the man, Jiang Lin's eyes lit up again!

He knew this person! No—there were hardly any people in the Sun Moon Sect who did not know him.

In this world, cultivators came in many varieties, but they were mainly divided into three categories.

The most prominent were Buddhist cultivators, Daoist cultivators, and Confucian cultivators. Besides them, there were the Hundred Schools of Thought, such as the Military, Legalist, and Agricultural Schools. These cultivators were collectively considered one category.

The second category was Sword Cultivators. They had the greatest destructive power, were the most decisive in killing, and had the highest threshold as well.

Another category was martial cultivators. Although they were called martial cultivators, strictly speaking, they could not be considered cultivators. They were Pure Martial Warriors, specializing in tempering their physical bodies.

Of course, there were also Martial Mages who cultivated both techniques and the body. However, most achieved limited success, and Martial Warrior True Qi conflicted somewhat with spiritual energy. Normally, once they reached a certain height, they had to choose one path or the other.

The cultivation realms were divided into fifteen realms in total:

Lower Five Realms: The Five Realms of Climbing Mountains—Copper Skin, Grass Root, Willow Tendon, Bone Spirit, and Foundation Building.

Middle Five Realms: Cave Mansion, Sea Viewing, Dragon Gate, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul (Earth Immortal).

Upper Five Realms: Jade Raw, Immortal, Ascension, and the Lost Two Realms.

Martial Warriors were divided into ten realms in total. It was said there was an eleventh realm, but it existed only in legend. The ten realms were:

Body Tempering Three Realms: Clay Embryo Realm, Wooden Womb Realm, and Quicksilver Realm.

Qi Refining Three Realms: Heroic Soul Realm, Heroic Realm, and Martial Courage Realm.

Spirit Refinement Three Realms: Golden Body Realm, Roaming Afar Realm, and Mountain Summit Realm.

Tenth Realm: Martial God Realm. (The Martial God Realm was divided into three levels.)

And this person was Martial Maniac—Chen Jia! He was not yet twenty years old, yet he was already a genius who had reached the Sixth Realm among Pure Martial Warriors!

He especially loved exchanging punches with people outside. There were even rumors that he enjoyed fighting bears bare-chested in winter. He was a living embodiment of a warrior nation.

Of course, what made Chen Jia famous was not merely his astonishing martial talent. He was also extraordinarily fair and delicate!

His appearance was like a flower, his skin like snow, his brows like willow branches, and his bones like jade. His lips were naturally red, and his brows naturally dark. At one glance, he could topple a city; at a second, a kingdom.

Unfortunately... he was a man... and he especially hated people saying he looked like a woman. Once, a fellow disciple from the Demon Sect misspoke and called him a sissy. As a result, he spent five months lying in bed.

Jiang Lin had once wondered whether this fellow was a woman disguised as a man. But after seeing his perfectly flat chest and watching him beat a bear to death with his own hands, that notion was thoroughly dispelled...

"Little Chen... Young Master... you're going to disrupt the Dao Sect Tournament too?" Looking at Chen Jia, Fang Ruo's little mouth hung slightly open, as if she were eating a hot dog.

"What? Is that not allowed?"

"It's not that it's not allowed. It's just that your elders at home..."

"I'll explain it myself. Just handle the paperwork for me."

"Then, Young Master Chen, do you have a teammate?"

"Teammate?"

"Yes. The requirements have been changed. You need two people to form a team."

Chen Jia's willow brows furrowed, yet they were damnably sweet. "I don't have a teammate, and I don't need one!"

"No! You do!"

The moment Chen Jia finished speaking, Jiang Lin flicked the bangs from his forehead!

"Young Master! I am Jiang Lin, Twin Pearl Peak's Senior Disciple as well as its final disciple. If this broad-shouldered, bear-backed man, whose Fist Force is like the wind and who can kick down a great gray bear with every step, does not object, might I team up with you?"

"You?"

"That's right, it's me."

Jiang Lin straightened his body, his urge to swindle beating fiercely.