"The snake gall should be worth a little money too. It can be used in medicine," Lin Yang said.
Pfft.
Yun Shu immediately found the right spot and removed the gall.
Though it reeked, Yun Shu didn't mind at all as he held it in his hand.
This was a Cultivation Resource!
Anything that could be exchanged for pills was fragrant, no matter how foul it smelled.
"I'll take these things back first, and we can exchange them all together later," Lin Yang said.
"No. Exchange this one directly, so nothing unexpected happens," Yun Shu said, shaking his head. "Here's the token for this mission."
"Be careful on the way back, and don't expose yourself," Yun Shu added. "Things haven't been very peaceful lately."
By "lately," he naturally meant since the Female Protagonist had arrived.
With the Female Protagonist's arrival, the story had begun. Countless factions were stirring, though they wouldn't affect minor characters like them just yet. Still, it was always better to be careful.
"Got it!" Lin Yang nodded solemnly.
Yun Shu said nothing more. He gave a slight cupped-fist salute, then headed off in the opposite direction.
He still had to hurry to the next location.
For now, the two went their separate ways.
Two hours later, Yun Shu arrived at a pool.
Most of the missions he'd taken involved gathering herbs, one of the most lucrative types.
That was because the people who posted them were mostly fabulously wealthy pharmacists or alchemists.
They lacked auxiliary ingredients, which was why these missions appeared. But they were also among the most difficult.
While gathering herbs, one had to face the Exotic Beasts as well.
Rare herbs were often the foundation upon which Demonic Beasts built their path to enlightenment. After refining them, the beasts could enter the immortal state of absorbing the rosy clouds and consuming vital energy.
Demonic Beasts had incredibly long lifespans, but most of them didn't cultivate quickly.
If you took another Demonic Beast's foundation for enlightenment, it would naturally fight you to the death.
There was a strange fish in the pool called a Three-tailed Dragonfish. Though its name included "dragon," it had no blood relation to dragons whatsoever. The fish had to be caught using fresh blood, and it was only valuable if it was still alive.
Yun Shu took out the wild rabbit he had prepared beforehand and lightly slit its throat over the water. Soon, ripples spread across the surface.
A vicious-looking fish burst out of the water and lunged at the struggling rabbit, baring its teeth.
It was golden, with three tails and long, sharp teeth.
Yun Shu snatched the rabbit away at once, then struck the fish from a distance with his palm. The Three-tailed Dragonfish landed in the grass and thrashed about.
The whole process was simple. Yun Shu put the Three-tailed Dragonfish into a bag he had prepared earlier.
There was water inside to keep it from drying out. Then Yun Shu put the rabbit in as well.
The Three-tailed Dragonfish tore at it relentlessly, and in a flash, swallowed it whole.
The mission itself was simple enough, but it required venturing deep into Great Mountain, where Demonic Beasts were everywhere. Some even lived in the central region, and were already comparable to those in the Qi Condensation Stage. That was why the mission had been given such a high grade.
Yun Shu didn't linger. As for hunting Demonic Beasts in the mountains, he had no intention of doing that. If he hunted them alone, the returns would certainly be limited.
For now, he would focus on the sect's missions.
Generally speaking, the sect's mission rewards yielded twice as many Energy Points as ordinary Demonic Beasts.
Besides, every part of a Demonic Beast was valuable. Absorbing only its power would be a waste.
"Perhaps once I can get to the trading market at the foot of the mountain, I'll be able to go out and temper myself," Yun Shu thought.
A black market like that probably sold just about everything. If he could sell some Demonic Beast carcasses at a high price, he would definitely get a large amount of Cultivation Resources.
After leaving the mountain range, Yun Shu was extremely cautious along the way, avoiding contact with the Demonic Beasts as much as possible. He could clearly sense that the beasts here were exceptionally powerful.
If he provoked one, it might not be easy to get away unscathed.
In the end, he shook off the attack of a lone Demonic Leopard and successfully left the mountain range.
He glanced at the bag. Thankfully, the fish hadn't died while he was being pursued.
Otherwise, he would have taken a huge loss.
"That Demonic Leopard was at least at Body Refining Stage Seven. And that speed..." Yun Shu gave a quiet snort. "Once I've gotten stronger, I'll come settle the score with you."
It wasn't that he couldn't beat it. But if he fought in the forest, who knew what level of Demonic Beast he might attract? And if he drew blood, he might bring swarms of them down on himself. Then he'd be buried right there.
That was why he looked so disheveled.
He glanced at the forest.
He'd be back. Just wait!
Lin Yang arrived soon after.
"Here, take this and go exchange it for the mission reward," Yun Shu said with a smile as he stood up. "Don't take too long, or the fish will die."
"Qingfeng Mountain Range. A Three-tailed Dragonfish." Lin Yang was so shocked he didn't know what to say.
Quite a few Outer Sect Disciples had been buried in that mountain range. He knew of at least three himself. The Three-tailed Dragonfish mission was, in fact, one of the most difficult. But the fish was also an important auxiliary ingredient for refining Qi Condensation Stage pills.
He had thought he'd arrive early and help Yun Shu out.
Now it seemed Yun Shu had already finished the mission before he even got there.
The third location was still a long way off. Yun Shu didn't waste time. After giving Lin Yang a few brief instructions, he rode off.
Lin Yang looked at the fish in the bag and suddenly felt that he and Yun Shu were becoming less and less like partners.
But they were still partners.
That was enough.
Lin Yang didn't fuss over it. He headed back to the sect and continued helping Yun Shu exchange the rewards with Yun Shu's Identity Jade Token.
Yun Shu had taken the missions, and Lin Yang was only helping him out. Naturally, he didn't expect any compensation.
He was only running errands. Even without him, Li Jian could have done it.
By the time Lin Yang returned again, Yun Shu had already been waiting there for quite a while.
"It's dark already. Looks like I got here a little late," Lin Yang said with a smile as he dismounted.
"Not at all. The mission was easy enough to complete, and the distance was considerable. Getting here now means Senior Brother Lin rode at full speed," Yun Shu said with a smile.
Then he dragged the black bear out from beneath himself. "Take a look. This is the new quarry. I figure some elder got a craving for bear paws and posted a mission for them."
"But the reward's pretty good, so I don't mind making the trip."
Lin Yang nodded. "That's true. Elders often post missions to find delicacies like these. It's not just to satisfy their appetites, either. The Demonic Beasts are full of vital energy, making them excellent ingredients."
"Take this Earth Splitting Black Bear, for example. It's one of the finest ingredients in the dishes of the Cultivation World, and the meat is cheap..."
"Whatever," Yun Shu said, shaking his head.
"Here's the next mission." Yun Shu took out a map.
Even Yun Shu treated a C-grade Mission with great caution.
One careless mistake, and it could cost him his life.
Every year, too many disciples who took missions ended up buried far from home. The sect wouldn't even spare them a second glance. That was simply how cruel the Cultivation World was.
Resources were limited, so countless people fought over every opportunity.
Some would even risk everything.
"Junior Brother, why not take a few more D-grade Missions? You had to risk your life and take a C-grade Mission. You could do three D-grade Missions in a day, but you might not even finish one C-grade Mission in three days," Lin Yang said.
There was a note of regret in his voice.
Yun Shu kept his eyes on the map and replied without looking up, "But the reward is too good."
Lin Yang fell silent. Maybe this fellow was desperately short of money—and even more short of Cultivation Resources.
"All right, let's see what this C-grade Mission is," Lin Yang said. He picked up the wooden token Yun Shu had tossed aside, but after only one glance, his expression changed.
"No wonder the reward is so high," Lin Yang said thoughtfully. "This is a mission to kill someone."
Missions to kill people had always offered much higher rewards, because the targets were usually experts at the same cultivation level. Even if the target was weaker, there was no guarantee the fight would be a sure thing.
That was why the reward was so high.
One careless slip, and you could fall into your enemy's trap and die at their hands. Once you were dead, that was it.
Missions involving Demonic Beasts were relatively simple. Demonic Beasts weren't very intelligent, and though their bodies were tough, they weren't too difficult to deal with.
People were different.
Who knew what kind of trump cards they might have? Even powerful experts had been known to stumble in a ditch.
This mission was to wipe out a gang of Mountain Bandits. It had been posted by a Mortal Dynasty whose people had been tormented by the bandits, and who had appealed to a major cultivation sect for help.
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