Front Hall Mission

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

He did not hurry to swing it. Instead, he stood quietly in the courtyard, closed his eyes, and focused his mind. Following the method recorded in his notes, he adjusted his breathing and gathered his scattered thoughts, visualizing in his mind the artistic conception of "a lone boat on a cold river, beneath the solitary glow of a chilly moon."

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

"Clang!"

The Cold Ripple Blade left its sheath, releasing a clear ring like ice splitting apart. Its radiance flashed like a streak of cold lightning, tracing an elegant yet frigid arc through the courtyard.

This time, his movements were clearly smoother and more natural than yesterday.

Though he could still feel slight obstructions as his force circulated, it was no longer as rough and difficult as yesterday. Instead, it had become far more fluid.

Wherever the blade passed, the chill spreading through the air seemed to have grown denser.

He no longer pursued the limits of speed and strength. Instead, he focused almost all his attention on fusing the artistic conception with his force, striving for every slash to perfectly match the angle, speed, strength, and artistic conception of "Cold River Reflecting Moon."

Drawing the blade, circulating his force, tracing an arc, retracting his stance... He sought precision, composure, and efficiency in every movement.

For a time, within Listening Tide Courtyard, only a figure could be seen shifting and darting about. Streak after streak of cold blade light poured across the ground like moonlight, flowing without end.

The clear, chilly blade wind swept through the courtyard. Fallen leaves on the ground were silently split apart and sent swirling into the air, as though the chill within the blade light had frozen them brittle.

During breaks in his cultivation, he never put aside his practice of Mist Manipulation.

He tried to control the mist's range and density more precisely, practicing how to keep the Mist Barrier from dispersing while moving rapidly. He even attempted to condense the mist within a three-foot radius around the blade, enhancing its concealment while reducing its overall consumption.

He discovered that at night, in the early morning, or beside a river—places rich in water vapor—the consumption of using the technique decreased noticeably, while its effects lasted longer and became more pronounced.

This made him realize just how greatly the environment affected his abilities.

The days quietly slipped away amid such fulfilling, orderly, and somewhat monotonous bitter cultivation.

Apart from eating and sleeping when necessary, Chen Yuan spent nearly all his time in Listening Tide Courtyard, single-mindedly tempering his cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, five days passed.

Chen Yuan had just finished a round of blade practice that lasted half an hour. He was carefully wiping the Cold Ripple Blade with a fine cloth, feeling the faint coolness transmitted through the blade and the subtle resonance with his own qi and blood.

Then an extremely familiar, rough voice like muffled thunder came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Little Junior Brother! You've been cooped up in this courtyard all day, hacking and chopping at wooden dummies. Aren't you afraid you'll train yourself into a block of wood?"

"Come on, come on, stop fiddling with that blade of yours. Come with Senior Brother to the Front Hall and see the excitement. Those boys took on a troublesome job and are arguing about it right now!"

Before his voice had even faded, Fifth Senior Disciple Wang Meng's tall, iron-tower-like figure appeared at the courtyard gate in a whirlwind. His bronze-colored face carried its usual hearty smile, though a glint of excitement at the spectacle seemed to dance between his brows.

Chen Yuan sheathed his blade, turned around, and said with a smile, "Fifth Senior Disciple, weren't you helping Hundred Refinements Iron Shop transport ore today? How did you get back so quickly? And how do you still have the leisure for this?"

"Ah, don't mention it."

Wang Meng waved his large hand as though brushing away some bad luck. He strode into the courtyard, picked up the teapot from the stone table, and gulped down a large mouthful of cold tea straight from the spout. Only after wiping his mouth did he say:

"I thought it would be a fat job. Master Liu made it sound heavenly, saying that this newly arrived 'Black Heavy Iron' was related to the production schedule for his next batch of equipment, and that the pay would be generous. But what happened? It was nothing but a trifle!"

He smacked his lips and began gesturing as he complained. "It was just one cart of ugly black lumps of iron, heavy as hell, on roads that were awful to travel. It jostled my rear end until it hurt. There really were a few blind little thieves along the way, hiding in the woods and trying to ambush us. I guess they saw that there weren't many people in the convoy."

"But guess what? Your big brother didn't even need a second move. One punch each, and I flattened them all. They couldn't take a beating at all—what a bore. If I'd known it would be this kind of job, I might as well have slept at the martial arts school!"

He spoke so casually that it sounded as though he had merely swatted a few flies to death.

But Chen Yuan noticed that there were still abrasions on his knuckles that had not been completely wiped clean, and a bit of mud clung to the hem of his clothes. Clearly, the journey had not been as easy and pleasant as he made it sound.

Tasks involving the transport of supplies were not necessarily a matter of surviving nine deaths out of ten, but they still required constant vigilance. Sleeping under the open sky and eating in the wind inevitably led to conflicts with others. They were by no means easy.

"Are transport and escort missions like this common at the martial arts school?" Chen Yuan asked naturally. This was a blind spot in his current knowledge.

Since entering the school, he had buried himself in cultivation and knew little about the school's daily operations or how its disciples made a living.

"Common? They're more than common!" Wang Meng immediately perked up at the question. He dragged over a stone lock used for training, sat down heavily, and began speaking at length.

"Little Junior Brother, do you think disciples of our martial arts school—especially those of the Inner Court and the direct disciples—can do anything with just that little monthly allowance the school gives us?"

"Is it enough to buy a few portions of Skin Tempering Ointment? Or enough to enjoy a few good meals at the Drunken Immortal Restaurant? If you want better pills, sharper weapons, or more profound cultivation manuals, which of those doesn't require a great deal of silver or merit points?"

"Where do merit points come from?" he asked and answered himself, his voice booming. "Most of them come from taking missions. On the eastern side of the Front Hall, there's a huge 'Task Wall,' polished from Obsidian until it shines like a mirror. Every day, all sorts of mission notices are posted on it!"

He introduced them to Chen Yuan on his fingers, as if counting family treasures. "Some are issued by the authorities, such as assisting the county yamen in patrolling the city or capturing fugitives. Sometimes, when the border is troubled, they even conscript us to help defend the city."

"Some are issued by the major merchant houses in the city, such as escorting merchant ships, transporting valuable goods, or clearing out trouble entrenched in mines or along the roads."

"There are also private missions issued by local gentry, wealthy households, or people from the martial world—finding people or objects, mediating disputes, guarding homes... They come in all shapes and sizes. There's everything!"

"The difficulty varies, and so do the rewards," Wang Meng continued.

"For something like the transport job I did today, or clearing out those unranked Demonic Beasts that harass villages and farmland outside the city—things like Ground Badgers and Grain Thief Rats—you get some silver or a dozen or so merit points. It's better than nothing."

"For more difficult ones..." His expression became somewhat more serious.

"For example, assisting the county yamen in surrounding and exterminating wanted criminals with cultivation, or exploring newly discovered hidden mines or the outskirts of ancient ruins that may contain dangers. Those rewards are much richer—dozens or even hundreds of merit points, and sometimes additional pills, weapons, or even cultivation manuals."

At this point, he lowered his voice, a trace of awe entering it. "I heard... there are also extremely difficult missions posted on blood-red notices. For example, venturing deep into the peril-filled Misty Cape to search for a particular spirit herb, or dealing with powerful demon bandit chiefs who occupy an area and possess strange abilities..."

"The rewards are astonishing. I hear they may even include ranked magical artifacts or the chance to receive direct instruction in core martial arts. But those missions are extremely dangerous too. It's common to lose an arm or a leg, or even your life. Usually, Senior Disciple Brothers and Senior Disciple Sisters form teams and plan repeatedly before attempting them."

Chen Yuan's gaze flickered as he listened, and his emotions stirred faintly.

This mission system was undoubtedly an excellent way to rapidly obtain cultivation resources, accumulate valuable combat experience, and temper his martial skills at the same time.

It was far more practical than building a chariot behind closed doors.

"Senior Brother, for Skin Grinding Realm cultivators like us—especially those who have only recently entered this realm—what kinds of missions are generally suitable?" Chen Yuan humbly asked for guidance.

Wang Meng stroked the stubble on his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "When you've just entered Skin Grinding, your foundation hasn't been fully secured. It's best to start with relatively safe escort missions, short-distance transport, or missions to clear out weak Demonic Beasts around the city that pose little threat."

"The main thing is to get some practice first. Become familiar with fighting people with real blades, with battling those ferocious Demonic Beasts. See some blood and build your courage."

"Once you're familiar with it and your strength has improved—when you reach Minor Accomplishment or Great Accomplishment in Skin Grinding, with skin as tough as old leather and ample force—you can consider missions such as suppressing bandits or exploring abandoned relay stations."

He paused, then added, "Of course, if several Senior Disciple Brothers who know each other well and work together seamlessly form a team, and they're bold enough with sufficient preparations, it's not impossible to take on missions above their level."

"But the prerequisite is that you have confidence. The intelligence must be accurate, and your preparations must be thorough. Otherwise, you won't be earning merit—you'll be delivering heads to Lord Yama."

He patted Chen Yuan on the shoulder, his tone turning more serious. "Although you've only just entered the school, your foundation is exceptionally solid and your qi and blood are vigorous. If you really can't hold back and want to take on a mission, you can come find Senior Disciple Sister Sun or me. We'll form a team and take you along to gain some experience. But..."

Wang Meng abruptly changed the subject. He gave a sly grin, lowered his voice, and spoke with a hint of teasing. "I seem to have overheard Second Senior Disciple Brother mention that our master privately instructed him to have you focus wholeheartedly on cultivation for the time being."

"Build a solid foundation in Cold River Spirit Blade and raise your cultivation. Don't get distracted by those time-consuming, exhausting missions that might leave you injured."

"He's probably worried you'll neglect your proper cultivation. After all, there are only three months left until the County Examination, at most. Time is tight. Looks like I'll have to go watch the excitement myself."

Chen Yuan immediately understood upon hearing this.

His master had indeed considered everything thoroughly and with foresight. At this stage, there truly was nothing more important to him than raising his absolute strength. Sharpening the blade would not delay the chopping of wood.

"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 advanced my cultivation further, I'll make plans."

Chen Yuan readily accepted the advice.

"That's the way!" Wang Meng said with a laugh, rising and patting his backside.

"Cultivation is the foundation. Once your strength is up, what good missions won't you be able to grab later? But..."

"There's no harm in occasionally visiting the Task Wall in the Front Hall to look around, learn about the current situation, and see what troubles the various forces are dealing with."

"Maybe some simple mission with decent pay that happens to be along your route will come crashing down on your head. Treat it as broadening your horizons and relaxing your mind between cultivation sessions!"

After chatting a little longer about recent amusing happenings at the martial arts school and which newly opened tavern in the county town served good food, Wang Meng departed in his usual whirlwind.

After seeing Wang Meng off, the courtyard returned to silence.

But Chen Yuan's thoughts inevitably became more active. He walked into the courtyard, his gaze seeming capable of piercing through layer after layer of walls toward the bustling Front Hall of the martial arts school.

Missions... actual combat... resources... demon bandits...

These words revolved in his mind.

His master's admonition naturally had to be remembered, but Wang Meng's words made equal sense.

Absolute seclusion and building a chariot behind closed doors were not the best strategy. Appropriate tempering through real combat might help him understand his cultivation method more quickly and test his own shortcomings.

Moreover, the storage convenience of the Scarab Fish Secret Pouch and the strange unpredictability of Mist Manipulation could only be tested most authentically in actual combat.

"Perhaps... after a few more days, once my cultivation has stabilized further, I should go take a look at the Task Wall."

Chen Yuan murmured quietly, curiosity, caution, and a trace of awakened anticipation flickering in his eyes.