Front Hall Mission

In the afternoon, Chen Yuan once again gripped the Cold Ripple Blade.

He didn't rush to swing the blade immediately. Instead, he stood still in the courtyard, closed his eyes, and focused his mind. Following the methods recorded in the notes, he adjusted his breathing, gathered his scattered thoughts, and visualized the artistic conception of "a lone boat on a cold river, a desolate moon shining in solitude" within his mind.

Only when he felt his mind settle into stillness, his Spirit Terrace clear and empty, and the blood and qi throughout his body calm down like the slow flow of a cold river, did he suddenly open his eyes.

Clang!

The Cold Ripple Blade left its sheath, carrying a crisp, ice-shattering ring. The blade's light flashed like a bolt of cold lightning, carving an elegant and frigid arc across the courtyard.

This time, his movements were noticeably smoother and more natural than yesterday's.

Though he could still feel subtle resistance in the flow of his power, it was no longer the rough, difficult motion of the day before—it had become much more fluid.

Where the blade passed, the chill spreading through the air seemed even denser and more solid.

He no longer pursued the extremes of speed and power. Instead, he devoted most of his focus to merging artistic conception with force, striving for the perfect alignment of each blade's angle, speed, and power with the "Cold River Reflecting Moon" artistic conception.

Draw the blade, channel the force, trace the arc, finish the stance... Every movement aimed for precision, calmness, and efficiency.

For a time, within the Listening Tide Courtyard, only a single figure could be seen shifting and maneuvering, streaks of icy blade light spilling like moonlight across the ground, unbroken and continuous.

The cold, clear blade wind swept through the courtyard, silently slicing fallen leaves into pieces, sending them swirling—or perhaps making them brittle from the chill they carried.

During breaks in his training, he didn't neglect practicing the "Mist Manipulation" divine ability.

He tried to control the range and density of the mist more finely, practiced maintaining the Mist Barrier while moving quickly, and even attempted to condense the mist tightly within a foot or so around the blade to enhance its obscuring effect and reduce overall consumption.

He discovered that at night, or in the early morning, or near places like rivers where water vapor was abundant, the consumption of the divine ability noticeably decreased, and its effects lasted longer and were more pronounced.

This made him realize how greatly the environment influenced his abilities.

Days passed quietly in such fulfilling, disciplined, and even somewhat monotonous Arduous Cultivation.

Aside from necessary eating and sleeping, Chen Yuan spent almost all his time within the Listening Tide Courtyard, single-mindedly honing his cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, five days had passed.

Chen Yuan had just finished a half-hour-long blade practice session and was carefully wiping the Cold Ripple Blade with a fine cloth, feeling the faint coolness from the blade and the subtle resonance with his own blood and qi.

From outside the courtyard gate came an extremely familiar, thunder-like, rough voice.

"Junior Disciple Brother! Cooping yourself up in this yard all day, hacking and slashing at Wooden Dummies—aren't you afraid of turning into a block of wood yourself?"

"Come on, come on, stop fiddling with that blade of yours. Follow your Senior Disciple Brother to the Front Hall and check out the excitement. Those kids picked up a tricky job and are arguing about it right now!"

Before the words faded, Fifth Senior Disciple Brother Wang Meng's towering, iron-tower-like figure appeared briskly at the courtyard entrance. His bronze face wore his usual hearty smile, though his brows seemed tinged with the thrill of watching a spectacle.

Chen Yuan sheathed his blade, turned around, and smiled. "Fifth Senior Disciple Brother, weren't you supposed to help the Hundred Refinements Iron Shop escort some ore today? Why are you back so soon? And with such leisure?"

"Pfft, don't even mention it."

Wang Meng waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away bad luck, and strode into the yard. He grabbed the teapot from the stone table, took a big gulp of cold tea, then wiped his mouth and said:

"I thought it'd be a cushy job. Master Liu talked it up like crazy—something about a new batch of 'Black Heavy Iron' affecting the timeline for his next set of tools, with a generous reward. And what did it turn out to be? A load of crap!"

He smacked his lips and started gesturing as he complained: "Just a cart of pitch-black iron lumps, heavy as hell, and the road was terrible. Bounced my ass raw. There were a few clueless little bandits hiding in the woods trying to ambush us, probably thinking the convoy was undermanned."

"And guess what? Your big bro here didn't even need a second move—one punch each, and they were all down. Too weak to be fun. Boring as hell. If I'd known it was this kind of job, I'd rather have slept in the training hall!"

He spoke lightly, as if he'd casually swatted a few flies.

But Chen Yuan noticed the unwashed scrapes on his knuckles and the mud still clinging to the hem of his clothes. Clearly, the process hadn't been as easy as he made it sound.

Escort missions like that, though not life-or-death, still required constant vigilance, roughing it outdoors, and inevitable conflicts with others—far from simple.

"Are escort missions like this... common in the training hall?" Chen Yuan asked, seizing the opportunity. This was a blind spot in his current knowledge.

Since joining, he'd buried himself in cultivation and knew little about the training hall's daily operations or how the disciples made a living.

"Common? More than common!" Wang Meng perked up at the question. He pulled over a stone lock used for training, plopped down, and began rambling:

"Junior Disciple Brother, do you think we training hall disciples—especially us inner courtyard and direct disciples—can get by on just the monthly allowance the hall gives out?"

"Enough to buy a few doses of Skin Tempering Ointment? Or a few good meals at the 'Drunken Immortal Restaurant'? For better pills, sharper weapons, or higher-level techniques and manuals—everything needs a pile of silver or contribution points!"

"Where do contribution points come from?" He answered his own question, his voice booming: "Mostly from doing tasks. On the east side of the Front Hall, there's a huge 'Task Wall' made of polished Obsidian, shiny as a mirror. Every day, all kinds of task notices are posted on it!"

He counted on his fingers as he introduced them to Chen Yuan: "There are official ones from the government, like helping the County yamen patrol the city, chasing down fugitives, or even—when the border gets unstable—mobilizing us to help defend the city."

"Then there are ones from the big merchant guilds in town, like escorting merchant ships, transporting valuable goods, or clearing out trouble lurking in mines or along roads."

"And some are privately posted by local gentry, wealthy households, or Jianghu folks—searching for people or items, mediating disputes, guarding estates... all sorts, you name it!"

"Different difficulties mean wildly different rewards." Wang Meng continued.

"Like the escort job I did today, or even going outside the city to clear out those unranked Demonic Beasts like 'Ground Badgers' or 'Grain Thief Rats' that harass villages and fields—they give a bit of silver or a dozen or so contribution points. Better than nothing."

"For harder ones," his expression turned slightly more serious, "like helping the county yamen surround and capture wanted criminals with cultivation, or exploring newly discovered, potentially dangerous hidden mines or the outer edges of ancient ruins—the rewards are much better. Dozens or even hundreds of contribution points, and sometimes extra pills, weapons, or even technique manuals."

At this point, he lowered his voice a little, with a hint of awe: "I've heard... there are also extremely difficult tasks, posted on blood-red paper. Like going deep into the perilous 'Misty Cape' to find some specific spiritual herb, or dealing with powerful demon bandit leaders who've carved out territories and have weird abilities..."

"The rewards for those are insane—I've heard they even offer graded magical artifacts or direct instruction in core martial arts. But the danger is also extreme. People lose limbs or even their lives on those. Usually, Senior Disciple Brothers and Sisters team up and plan over and over before attempting them."

Chen Yuan listened, his eyes flickering, his heart stirring slightly.

This task system was undoubtedly an excellent way to quickly obtain cultivation resources, accumulate valuable practical experience, and hone one's martial skills at the same time.

It was far more practical than training in isolation behind closed doors.

"Senior Brother, for someone at the Skin Grinding Realm like us, especially those who've just entered it, what kind of tasks are most suitable?" Chen Yuan asked humbly.

Wang Meng rubbed the stubble on his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "Just entering Skin Grinding, your foundation isn't fully solid yet. Best to start with relatively safe escort missions, short-distance transport, or tasks to clear out weak Demonic Beasts around the city that aren't much of a threat."

"Mainly to get some practice, get familiar with real blade-on-blade combat and the feeling of fighting those vicious beasts—draw blood, build up your nerve."

"Once you're more experienced and your strength improves—say, reaching Skin Grinding - Minor Accomplishment or Major Accomplishment, when your hide is thick and your strength is solid—then you can consider taking on bandit suppression or exploring abandoned relay stations."

He paused, then added, "Of course, if you team up with a few fellow disciples who know each other well and have good chemistry, and you're bold enough with thorough preparation, taking on tasks above your level isn't out of the question."

"But the prerequisite is confidence—accurate intel and full preparation. Otherwise, you're not earning merits; you're delivering your head to the King of Hell."

He patted Chen Yuan on the shoulder, his tone turning more serious: "Junior Disciple Brother, you've just started, but your foundation is exceptionally solid, and your blood and qi are abundant. If you really can't hold back and want to take a task, come find Senior Disciple Sister Sun or me. We'll team up and get you familiar with things first. But then again..."

Wang Meng shifted gears, chuckled, lowered his voice with a hint of teasing: "I think I overheard Second Senior Disciple Brother mention once that Master privately told him to have you focus on cultivation without distractions for now."

"Get the basics of Cold River Spirit Blade down, raise your cultivation level, and don't get sidetracked by tasks that waste time and energy or might get you hurt."

"He's probably worried you'll fall behind in proper training. After all, it's barely three months until the County Examination. Time's tight. Looks like I'll have to enjoy the excitement myself."

Chen Yuan understood immediately upon hearing this.

Master truly thought things through with a long-term view. At this stage, nothing was more important for him than boosting his absolute strength. Sharpening the axe wouldn't delay the woodcutting.

"I understand. Thank you for the advice, Senior Brother. For now, I'll focus on cultivation. Once I've mastered the 'Cold River Reflecting Moon' stance and made further progress in my cultivation, I'll make plans."

Chen Yuan followed the advice readily.

"That's the spirit!" Wang Meng laughed, stood up, and brushed off his pants.

"Cultivation is the foundation. With strong strength, you can snag any good task later. But then again..."

"It wouldn't hurt to drop by the Task Wall in the Front Hall once in a while. Get a feel for the market, see what troubles the various factions are dealing with."

"Who knows? Maybe a simple task with good pay that happens to be on your way will land in your lap. Think of it as broadening your horizons and relaxing your mind between training sessions!"

After chatting a bit more about recent gossip at the martial hall and which new tavern in the county had good food, Wang Meng hurriedly took his leave.

Seeing Wang Meng off, the courtyard fell quiet again.

But Chen Yuan's mind couldn't help stirring. He walked into the yard, his gaze seeming to pierce through layers of walls toward the lively direction of the Front Hall.

Tasks... combat... resources... demon bandits...

These words swirled in his head.

He naturally had to keep Master's instructions firmly in mind, but Wang Meng's words also held truth.

Absolute seclusion wasn't the best strategy. Proper practical combat might accelerate his understanding of the techniques and reveal his shortcomings.

Moreover, the convenience of the Scarab Fish Secret Pouch for storage and the eerie unpredictability of the "Mist Manipulation" ability could only be truly tested in real combat.

"Maybe... in a few days, after my cultivation is more stable, I should go check out the Task Wall."

Chen Yuan muttered to himself, his eyes flickering with curiosity, caution, and a hint of anticipation stirred up.

"At least, I'll see with my own eyes what kind of 'troubles' are lurking around Lin Hai County."

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