Cloudpeak

There were senior brothers beside Lu Yang who noticed the mission too. One of them chuckled quietly. "Whenever I see this long-term mission, I'm reminded of Senior Sister's glorious achievements."

Another chimed in. "When it came out that Senior Sister had written a cultivation technique herself and passed it off as something she'd found in an ancient grotto, it caused quite a stir."

"I heard Master mention that there's an ancient grotto in Lingnan called the Sishui Grotto. The most precious treasure inside is the cultivation technique its former master left behind: Chaos Dawn Art."

"Senior Sister once claimed she'd found a cultivation technique called Chaos Dawn Art in the Sishui Grotto. She said that once you mastered it, you could shatter chaos and see through every truth in the world."

"Not long after Senior Sister's lie was exposed, someone stumbled through one perilous trial after another and reached the deepest part of the Sishui Grotto, where they found the real Chaos Dawn Art."

"After the sect compared the two, they discovered that the real technique was harder to cultivate than Senior Sister's version, and the results were worlds apart."

"After that, people found all sorts of cultivation manuals in ancient grottos. Whenever one had the same name as a technique Senior Sister had invented, it was weaker than hers. When the elders learned about it, they fell silent for days."

Lu Yang: "..."

Lu Yang had never seen the Yun Zhi section of the Scripture Depository. He figured that was because the techniques Senior Sister had written were so heaven-defying that they were all kept on the highest floor, where no one could read or practice them without special permission.

In other words, they were forbidden arts.

"Senior Sister's talent is peerless, rare even in ten thousand years. She has the genius to reshape the world, with a grand design in her heart. Otherwise, people wouldn't say it's a good thing for her to act as Sect Master while the Sect Master is in seclusion."

"I've heard another rumor, too. They say Senior Sister seized power, locked the Sect Master away, and plans to become the real Sect Master. She's got the Eight Great Elders by the throat, so none of the higher-ups dare resist. Someone heard sobbing at Heaven Gate Peak at night—that must be the Sect Master crying in the dungeon!"

"Hahaha, that's obviously nonsense. There's no way that could be true."

Lu Yang had never heard any supposed sobbing from the Sect Master at Heaven Gate Peak. He paid it no mind and kept looking for a mission.

At last, he found one that fit the bill.

"According to residents of Taiping Township in Quhe Commandery, a bird-like demon beast has appeared in their village and can speak human language. Its exact species is unknown. There have been no reports of it harming anyone or using demonic arts. Ask Dao Sect is requested to deal with this demon bird."

Lu Yang thought it over for a moment, then accepted the mission.

From the description, it sounded like a demon beast that had wandered into human territory, or perhaps one that had chanced upon an immortal's blessing and gained intelligence. Beasts like that wouldn't have cultivation beyond the Foundation Establishment Realm, and they weren't very aggressive. It might even be a beast friendly toward humans—the perfect assignment for a newcomer like him.

The reward offered by the mission hall confirmed as much.

The mission reward was thirty contribution points.

The lowest possible reward.

Mission rewards were calculated by a designated Ask Dao Sect disciple, then checked by another person. With those two safeguards, mistakes were rare.

The lower the reward, the easier the mission.

Lu Yang went to the counter. "Senior Brother, I'll take the mission to deal with the bird-like demon beast."

"I'll take the mission to deal with the bird-like demon beast," said another voice at almost exactly the same time.

The speaker was a young girl in a pale pink dress. Her features were delicate, her skin fair, and she was as enchanting as a peach blossom in bloom.

With her sweet looks and Foundation Establishment cultivation, her identity was obvious.

"Junior Sister Tao Yaoye, what a coincidence," Lu Yang said with a smile. He'd only seen Tao Yaoye when he first joined the sect; he'd spent the whole following year at Heaven Gate Peak and rarely met anyone new.

Lu Yang had ranked first in the entrance test. Until the rankings changed, he was the senior brother of their cohort.

In truth, Tao Yaoye hadn't picked the mission by chance. There weren't many suitable missions for cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Realm, and their cohort had only a handful they could take on.

"So it's Senior Brother Lu. Congratulations on reaching Foundation Establishment. There aren't many missions for cultivators at this level. Why don't we work together and split the reward?" Tao Yaoye smiled sweetly, curious about this Senior Brother who rarely showed his face.

Lu Yang gladly agreed.

Missions weren't all about the rewards. More often, they wanted to gain experience while carrying them out.

"Quhe Commandery isn't very close. How about we take an airship?"

"Junior Sister Tao Yaoye, do you know that our human race is a rather contradictory one? People often fear the very things they worship and yearn for."

"I've heard that in ancient times, demons and monsters ran rampant, disasters struck without end, and humans were weak, scraping by in the cracks."

"Those great demons relied on their ancestral bloodlines, powerful bodies, and innate abilities to lord it over the wilderness."

"Humans feared great demons, seeing them as unstoppable natural disasters. Yet they worshipped them too, hoping to gain power like theirs."

"That was why the ancient ancestors opened the path of cultivation. They learned divine abilities from demonic bloodlines, overcame countless hardships, and rose to the top of the continent, carving out a new world for humanity. That was how the human race began to thrive without end!"

"Take wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. The ancient ancestors feared them, of course, but they also yearned for them. They were the might and authority of nature, an irresistible natural will!"

"Humans longed for them and wanted to claim nature's might and authority for themselves. The ancient ancestors questioned Heaven nine times, faced thunder head-on, and found enlightenment amid wind and rain. They grasped that humanity followed Earth, Earth followed Heaven, Heaven followed the Dao, and the Dao followed nature—and from that understanding, they created countless spells!"

"Do you see? This contradictory mindset is essential to humanity's rise as the continent's overlord!"

"Take the sky, for example. Humans yearn for it, hoping to soar freely through it like birds, but they also revere it, finding it mysterious and unfathomable. That reverence flows in our blood. Every human has it, whether they realize it or not..."

Aboard the airship, Lu Yang's heart surged with passion. At his most excited, he sprang to his feet, gesturing with both hands as he held forth at great length.

Tao Yaoye thought it over calmly, then interrupted his long-winded lecture.

"So that's why you're afraid of heights?"

"Yes."

Tao Yaoye: "..."

The two of them sat inside the airship's cabin as it flew through the clouds. A formation master had carved mass-produced stabilizing arrays into its underside, so the passengers wouldn't feel a thing even if it ran into fierce winds or torrential rain.

The sky was clear and bright; it was the perfect chance to sunbathe, meditate, and admire the view on deck. Tao Yaoye suggested they go outside for a look, but Lu Yang's Dao heart remained steadfast, and he refused no matter what.

Tao Yaoye was more curious than most. After she pressed him again and again, Lu Yang had no choice but to start from ancient history and explain why he was afraid of heights. He cited the classics, drew on a wide range of evidence, and talked at length to prove that fear of heights was a reasonable and ancient instinct—and, on a grander scale, helped humanity progress.

Fortunately, Tao Yaoye didn't believe a single word of it.