Maxing Out Proficiency, Grinding Into a Mortal Sword Immortal

"That's true, it really does look like it. After unleashing Qi and Blood, practicing the Falling Cloud Palm definitely provides a massive boost to the martial art! It's almost as if it's outputting power that shouldn't belong to it."

The four of them all bowed slightly toward Yun Shu before taking their leave.

Yun Shu had heard their words.

Yun Shu felt a bit amused; he was just practicing a martial art, after all.

The Falling Cloud Palm indeed received a tremendous enhancement after unleashing Qi and Blood, but for anyone capable of unleashing Qi and Blood, wouldn't any martial art they practiced be like adding wings to a tiger?

However, Yun Shu didn't know what this Outer Sect Disciple Ranking they mentioned was. He was somewhat interested in finding out; it sounded like something that would offer rewards.

After all, if climbing the rankings didn't provide rewards, who would bother doing it? He was currently in a period where he was short on resources.

There was no rush for this, though; he could just ask Lin Yang next time.

Although Lin Yang's strength wasn't great, he had been hanging around the Outer Sect for so long that he still had some level of competence.

Until the sun set.

Only then did Yun Shu plan to head back. It wasn't that he didn't want to keep practicing, but there was no need to for the time being.

The Falling Cloud Palm had already reached Great Success. As for the results, Yun Shu had tested them: combined with the unleashed Qi and Blood, it was enough to slap a Body Refining Fifth Level Demonic Tiger to death from ten meters away.

The closer the distance, the stronger the force. If he fought at close quarters, Yun Shu felt that someone at his same level might not be able to take a single palm strike from him, not to mention that the palm wind was continuous and unending.

He was currently not even at the Body Refining Stage Seven, so he was very satisfied with this result. As for a real fight, no one could be sure what tricks or styles might emerge; that could only be tested in actual combat.

Yun Shu took a look at his Attribute Points. The number of points hadn't decreased by much; it had only taken one point to bring the Falling Cloud Palm to Great Success. It was truly worthy of being the simplest martial art.

If he were using them to grind Sword Intent, it would really be one Energy Point per point of Proficiency.

Yun Shu now felt that if you didn't have money, it was best not to practice the sword.

All the resources consumed were poured into it, yet it only advanced a little bit. It sounded like the losses outweighed the gains.

The next day.

Yun Shu still arrived at the Scripture Pavilion under the cover of night. Three hours of rest was enough; any more time spent resting would just be a waste.

Such precious time.

The Fat Steward of the Scripture Pavilion was fast asleep, sprawled over the counter without a care for his image.

"Hello," Yun Shu said.

The Fat Steward woke up and rubbed his eyes. "Oh, it's you. I don't suppose you've come to my place to take on another mission, have you?"

Yun Shu nodded.

The Fat Steward glanced at Yun Shu and handed over the bamboo slip. "See for yourself."

He then slumped back onto the counter and began to snore loudly, as if Yun Shu's arrival had not disturbed his interest in sleeping in the slightest.

Yun Shu set the bamboo slip down and carefully observed the various conditions and missions listed above.

The missions were divided into four grades: A, B, C, and D.

A-grade missions were mostly tasks that only disciples at the Foundation Establishment Stage could complete.

However, in a power like the Myriad Sword Pavilion, the strength of the Foundation Establishment Stage was already considered the ceiling.

Most of the Head Seats of the nine inner peaks were likely only at the Peak Foundation Establishment.

There were not many such missions, but each one was quite shocking to behold.

Yun Shu did not say much and skipped over this section directly.

This was not something he could concern himself with right now; the more he knew, the less good it would do him. Cultivation, after all, should be taken one step at a time.

Next were the B-grade missions.

These contained a small portion of Foundation Establishment Stage missions, but the majority were for the Qi Condensation Stage.

The Qi Condensation Stage allowed one to mobilize the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth and was the beginning of cultivation. As for the Body Refining Stage, it was merely about tempering the body to be more robust so that it could contain more Spiritual Energy.

That was just a period for laying a foundation; there were no substantial immortal cultivation methods to speak of.

The path of immortality was ethereal and unpredictable, while the Martial Path was merely a lower grade, a vassal to the path of immortality. At the very least, that was the conventional wisdom held by people today.

The missions for the Qi Condensation Stage varied, but the rewards were incredibly enticing. Only by scrolling to the very bottom could one see a glimpse of Qi Nurturing Pills, and whenever they appeared, they were in the hundreds or thousands.

For example, this one.

Suppressing bandits at White Birch Mountain. The mission reward was one hundred Qi Nurturing Pills. What kind of concept was that? It was three hundred Energy Points, enough for Yun Shu to cultivate to the peak of the ninth level of the Body Refining Stage, perhaps even break through further, or even enough to push his Sword Intent to the second stage.

And this was just at the very bottom, meaning one could take on such a mission at the Middle Stage of Qi Condensation.

As for those simplest Qi Condensation Stage missions, the rewards were not as high, but they were still enough to make Yun Shu burn with desire.

But he could only set them down silently; these were not things he could touch right now.

Finally, Yun Shu looked at the C-grade missions. These were tasks that could only be accepted by those at the late or peak stages of Body Refining, and they were incomparably dangerous.

Yun Shu gritted his teeth slightly.

The Female Protagonist had already entered the sect, and it would likely be very soon before she began to shine brilliantly within it. If he wanted to avoid being forced into the role of cannon fodder for the Female Protagonist, he might truly need to step out of his comfort zone. In other words.

It was time to risk his life!

He had already taken D-rank missions before; now, completing them alone didn't pose much of a challenge. As for C-rank missions, those were the type that required risking one's life.

It was an hour later by the time the Fat Steward woke up.

"I've made my choice."

The Fat Steward scrambled up in response, which actually made Yun Shu chuckle.

It was fortunate that the Fat Steward was a light sleeper. If he had been the type who was impossible to wake, Yun Shu would have come for nothing.

The Fat Steward lifted his head slightly and glanced at Yun Shu. "Fine. Which ones do you want? I'll go register them for you."

"D-32, D-16, D-1, and C-27," Yun Shu said.

The Fat Steward was startled, then said, "You need to think this through. Missions have deadlines. If you miss them, you'll have to forfeit resources. D-rank missions have a three-day limit, and C-rank missions have five days. They are meant for those who already possess considerable strength, but even they wouldn't take on so many at once."

He then advised, "You just joined the Outer Sect and don't understand the rules and nuances here. I don't blame you, so I'll pretend you never said that this time, but don't let it happen again."

Yun Shu replied earnestly, "I have read the Outer Sect Disciple handbook. I know the rules of the Scripture Pavilion. I want to take these four missions."

The Fat Steward looked at Yun Shu seriously, sensing that he wasn't just messing around. He then said, "Alright then. Hand over your Jade Token. Good luck. Of course, if you fail to complete any of these missions, you'll have to pay double the penalty."

"Don't force yourself if you can't finish them. I can see that none of these missions are easy. If you really can't do it, your life is more important."

"Hand over your Jade Token."

Yun Shu complied and handed it over.

The Fat Steward glanced at the identity and sect history on it, then shook his head slightly.

Having taken over two years to rise to the Outer Sect, he didn't seem like some peerless genius. While the fact that he and his partner had managed to kill a Demonic Tiger last time was a decent achievement, that was still just a Body Refining Fifth Level mission. And now, only two days had passed?

Yet he was suddenly taking on so many missions at once.

The Fat Steward knew better than anyone that biting off more than one can chew leads to trouble. Many people in the past had done the same, taking on several missions at once.

In the end, because they couldn't afford the penalties, they were sent to the Law Enforcement Hall and had to spend two years guarding the gates of the Outer Sect just to pay off their debt.

Could his strength have skyrocketed in just these two days?

That was completely impossible.

However, he had already given his warnings.

As for what happened afterward, he only needed to act according to protocol. If he hadn't warned him beforehand, his own job would have been much more difficult.

He took the mission tags down and handed them to Yun Shu.

Yun Shu took the token and then turned to leave.

The Fat Steward was a decent enough person, though Yun Shu felt he was a bit too hesitant and overly cautious. He did have his merits, though; at the very least, he slept quite soundly.

These few missions were ones he had considered after careful deliberation. The rewards were high, and the danger remained within a reasonable range.

This was also his first time attempting a C-grade Mission.

Afterward, Yun Shu went to look for Lin Yang.

Previously, Lin Yang had given him an address, but this was the first time Yun Shu had come to seek him out on his own initiative.

Usually, it was Lin Yang who invited him or sent someone over.

There was no helping it. Although he didn't necessarily need assistance from others to carry out missions, Lin Yang was an absolutely indispensable help. Furthermore, someone needed to transport the carcasses of the Demonic Beasts back, and Lin Yang had a wealth of experience in that regard.

Following the address, Yun Shu arrived outside the living quarters of an Outer Sect Disciple.

"Lin Yang, Senior Brother Lin, Senior Brother Lin."

Yun Shu knocked on the door with a rhythmic thumping.

"Who is it?"

A groggy voice drifted from inside the room.