Heavy Reward for Chu Yunxiao

All missions within the sect are divided into six levels, and each level is further divided into one to five stars based on difficulty.

The reason for such fine divisions is to allow disciples to accurately assess their own strength.

This prevents them from taking on missions that far exceed their capabilities. While failure is one thing, losing one's life would be a terrible loss.

Generally speaking, disciples in the early stage of the Zhen Qi Realm are suited for Level 1 and 2 missions. Mid-stage disciples can handle missions up to Level 3. Late-stage disciples are suited for Level 4. Level 5 missions usually require multiple people or are taken by core disciples.

Of course, this is just a general guideline. Talented individuals with exceptional strength cannot be judged by ordinary standards.

Take Feng Chao, for example, who was ranked eleventh among inner disciples and whom we heard about earlier.

However, the consequences of failure must be borne by oneself.

As for Level 6 missions, they rarely appear and are not posted here. These are directly assigned to Elders in the Gang Qi Realm.

Lu Ming felt it would be better to take on a lower-level mission to warm up, so he first checked the Level 1 mission area.

His eyes swept over them, and the first one was a Level 1, 1-star mission: Eliminate an Early Stage Level 2 Demonic Beast, an Ink Leopard, lurking in the back mountains of Xiaxi Village.

Completion rewards: 90 contribution points, 3,000 silver taels, and all demonic beast materials.

Next was a string of Level 1, 1-star missions, until he saw a Level 1, 2-star mission.

Content: Slay the notorious bandit Yu Yuan.

Below was a brief description of the individual: Peak early stage Zhen Qi Realm, relies on brute force, commits all sorts of evil deeds, notorious for his wickedness...

Whereabouts: Recently appeared near Hele Town.

Completion rewards: All spoils belong to the individual. Additionally, 100 contribution points, 50,000 silver taels, and 10 Low-grade Yuan Stones.

The rewards were incredibly generous, especially the 10 Low-grade Yuan Stones that could aid cultivation, which were extremely rare.

Logically, a Level 1, 2-star mission shouldn't have such high rewards. However, the target was a notorious bandit, and the friends and family of his victims had offered many bounties.

Hence, the rewards were substantial, and this also made such missions extremely popular.

Lu Ming, with quick eyes and hands, immediately took down this mission. This caused great frustration to a disciple standing nearby who was a step too slow.

"Brother, this Yu Yuan is not easy to deal with. Many have died by his hand, including people from other sects. You might not be able to handle it, let me do it."

Since both were in the early stage of the Zhen Qi Realm, they couldn't tell if they were fellow disciples, so the other person addressed him as "brother."

Lu Ming suppressed a smile at the other person's somewhat amusing words and shook his head. "Sorry, I can handle it. No need to trouble you."

"Do you want to reconsider?"

The man still didn't want to give up.

"I've considered it very clearly." With that, Lu Ming went directly to the counter to register.

"Sigh..."

The man wanted to say more, but seeing Lu Ming walk away, he could only reluctantly search for other missions.

Ignoring the man, Lu Ming registered and then went straight to the beast park to rent a fine horse. He didn't want to waste too much time on travel.

With everything prepared, he left the sect and galloped away.

"That little fellow has left."

On a peak beside the mountain gate, two figures stood with their hands behind their backs. One of them was Gongsun He, an Elder of the inner sect.

The other was a middle-aged man with a scholarly demeanor.

Judging by their positions, the latter was clearly the leader.

It was also he who had just spoken.

"He's already taking missions after only four months. That's faster than we anticipated," Gongsun He replied.

The middle-aged man continued:

"Didn't you say he cultivated four martial arts this time? To master four martial arts in just four months, his comprehension and physical aptitude are extremely rare."

Saying this, he turned and asked, "Back in your day, at his age, how long would it have taken you to fully learn two Human-grade, high-stage martial arts and two Human-grade, peak-stage martial arts?"

Gongsun He smiled and shook his head. "I can't compare to him. It would probably take over a year. However, according to the purchase records from the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion, he should have only mastered the first stage of his Iron Elephant Art."

"Even so, it's remarkable."

The middle-aged man was already very satisfied. "I have a premonition that he will bring great glory to our Wuji Sect in the next Ten Nations Hegemony Competition."

"Yes, with his talent, if he maintains this pace, he certainly will."

Gongsun He agreed. He then asked, "Sect Master, what are your plans for Zhu Ningyun? She has asked to go on missions for training more than once."

The middle-aged man frowned upon hearing this and pondered for a moment before replying, "She is being watched very closely. If she leaves the sect, she's likely to be ambushed. We should send her to a secret training ground within the sect."

"That's the only way."

Gongsun He sighed. He then added, "I heard that a sword genius named Yang Xuan has suddenly appeared in the Nine Heavens Sect. Speaking of which, like Lu Ming, he's also from Shuofeng City."

"Oh? Is the news accurate?"

The middle-aged man was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected such a small place as Shuofeng City to produce two geniuses in succession.

It seemed incredible.

"It's absolutely true. In fact, if Inner Sect Disciple Chu Yunxiao hadn't brought Lu Ming back, he originally intended to go to the Nine Heavens Sect."

Gongsun He added.

"Reward Chu Yunxiao handsomely."

"He's already been rewarded."

"Reward him again."

Adjacent to Hele Town was an even smaller town called Rouyun Town. It was formed by the merger of three villages, so its population wasn't very large.

Naturally, there weren't many powerful martial artists there either.

One day, in a courtyard within the town that was larger than the others, a series of cracking sounds suddenly erupted.

Following that was a burst of laughter: "Haha, your young lady has a pretty face, so I'll gladly take her!"

With the laughter, a man with a scar on his face, holding a woman in a goose-yellow dress, flew out.

The people on the street couldn't help but stop and stare at the commotion.

"It's the notorious bandit Yu Yuan. I didn't expect him to come to our Rouyun Town."

"Oh no, with his strength, I'm afraid only the owner of Fuyun Restaurant in our town could match him."

"He's someone who kills without blinking. Quickly, hide!"

In the blink of an eye, the street became completely deserted.

At this moment, the notorious bandit Yu Yuan, still holding his captive, appeared on the street. Seeing the terrified crowd fleeing, he was quite pleased with his reputation.

Then, three more figures leaped out of the courtyard, surrounding Yu Yuan.

"Yu Yuan, let go of my daughter!"

The speaker was an elder in the early stage of the Zhen Qi Realm. The other two were a man and a woman, only in their thirties or forties. They remained silent but both held long swords, ready for battle.

"Haha, old man, it's not difficult to make me let go of your daughter. Just beat me first, and take this!"

Facing the three surrounding him, Yu Yuan was not flustered at all. He remained wild and domineering, extending his palm and striking towards the elder.

Crack!

Grayish-white palm energy tore through the air, emitting a crackling sound. The elder's expression changed, and he quickly channeled his energy to block, but he was instantly sent flying back.

Swish swish!

At this moment, the man and woman attacked with their swords. "Yu Yuan, it's your bad luck today. Let us show you the might of our Plum Ridge Twin Swords."

Hearing this, Yu Yuan sneered, "What bullshit Plum Ridge Twin Swords? I've never even heard of them. Take this move, Whirlwind Sweeping Leaves Leg!"

Facing the attacking twin swords, Yu Yuan, while still holding the woman, suddenly spun and unleashed more than a dozen leg shadows.

Bang bang bang!

The forces clashed. Under the leg shadows, the sword energy of the Plum Ridge Twin Swords instantly shattered. This caused the expressions of the two to change drastically.

"Get lost!"

Another leg shadow struck, and the Plum Ridge Twin Swords immediately spat blood and were sent flying back again.

"Hahahaha, a bunch of weaklings. I'm in a hurry today, so I can't be bothered to kill you."

Having dealt with three opponents in quick succession, Yu Yuan was clearly in a good mood. "Old man, I'll send your daughter back tonight."

"Dad, save me."

The woman being held, seeing the three people in her family defeated in an instant and hearing the other's words, couldn't help but cry out in terror.

"You... daughter..."

The elder lying on the ground was so enraged that he felt faint, but he was powerless to stop Yu Yuan. He could only watch as the bandit walked away.

However, at this moment, at some unknown time, a figure suddenly appeared standing on the previously empty street ahead.

The figure was dressed in a black robe and wore a straw hat covered with black gauze. They were likely carrying a sword or two. They stood with their back to everyone, their appearance hidden.

Only the black gauze on the hat fluttered in the wind.

"Who are you?"

Yu Yuan couldn't help but stop. Although he appeared rough, he was actually a meticulous person. Otherwise, he wouldn't have survived so many years of villainy.

His years of vigilance told him that this person was not simple.

"Wuji Sect, Inner Sect Disciple Lu Ming, here to take your life."