Mission (Please Give Me a Favorite and a Ticket)

Mission (Please Give Me a Favorite and a Ticket)

Huang Xian chuckled but said nothing.

Chen Mei was the one who answered, her voice soft and gentle. "If you lose it, it's really not a big deal. We have Life Soul Lamps, after all. When we return to the sect, they can verify our identities, and we can just get another one. It's just very expensive—a full fifty Low-grade Spirit Stones."

Fifty Low-grade Spirit Stones... Compared to his fine, that was nothing!

So Pei Ling continued, "Speaking of spirit stones, I looked through the Sect Rules yesterday and realized that almost anything can be settled with spirit stones. But they also give you quite a long time to raise the money. In that case, if someone owed the Sacred Sect a lot of spirit stones, then found a chance to slip out of the sect and run away... wouldn't the Sacred Sect just suffer a loss?"

"Impossible!" Xiao Tasha shook her head at once, despite having shown little expression until now. She smiled with absolute certainty. "The Sacred Sect is actually one of the most lenient among the sects. You can settle anything with spirit stones. But everyone knows you must never owe the Sacred Sect spirit stones!"

"Forget owing a lot and trying to flee your debt. There was once a disciple who owed a hundred spirit stones. He was getting old, had exhausted his potential, and decided to take a mission so he could escape and dodge the debt. But the Sacred Sect sent three cultivators, each a full major realm above him, to hunt him down! They searched for a full twenty years and dragged him out of hiding. Then they ground him to dust, along with the entire family he'd founded under a new name—not a single one was spared!"

Pei Ling's eyelid twitched. Then, keeping his expression unchanged, he said, "I see! That disciple was truly brazen, daring to run from a debt to the Sacred Sect!"

He didn't dare continue that topic, and quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Senior Brother Chen, what mission did we take this time?"

"We took three missions this time. Two are for you and Mei'er to get some practice, and they're both near Luoshan City." Chen Huan smiled and explained warmly, "The other one is for me, Junior Brother Huang, Junior Brother Zhang, and Junior Sister Xiao. It's about three hundred li from Luoshan City: hunting a demonic beast at the sixth level of the Awakening stage. That mission would be too dangerous for you two, so we'll leave you at a distance when the time comes."

Chen Mei glanced at Pei Ling, looking a little shy. "Junior Brother Pei, I'll have to ask you to look after me then. I heard it's deep in the woods, and it's pitch-black even in broad daylight. It's a little scary."

"Don't worry, Senior Sister Chen. I'll do everything I can when the time comes," Pei Ling replied earnestly, though his mind was already racing with thoughts about what to do next.

The disciple Xiao Tasha had mentioned had only owed a hundred spirit stones, while he owed thirty thousand, perhaps even close to a hundred thousand!

Would the Sacred Sect let him off?

Besides, that disciple had been an older one. He should have known more about the Sacred Sect and the cultivation world, and his cultivation should have been higher, too. If he still couldn't escape, Pei Ling doubted he'd be any luckier.

But if he didn't run, he'd have to pay off the debt.

How could he possibly repay such a huge sum?

After thinking it over, Pei Ling suddenly asked, "Senior Brother Chen, when you finish a mission like this and return to the sect, how many spirit stones do you usually earn?"

"That depends on the difficulty of the missions and how many you take. For example, we took three this time," Chen Huan said. "The two missions you and Mei'er are handling are relatively simple. One is to deliver a letter to the City Lord of Luoshan City. That's just a small favor. The other is to get rid of the flower demon in a valley outside the city. That mission shouldn't be too dangerous, either."

"Only the third mission, hunting a demonic beast at the sixth level of the Awakening stage, is a bit of a challenge..."

"For all three missions together, we should get a little over a hundred spirit stones. That'll be enough for us to cultivate for quite some time after we return."

As he said this, Chen Huan discreetly glanced at Pei Ling and deliberately named a sum he was sure would tempt him. "Junior Brother Pei, as long as you cooperate and do your part, you'll get at least twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones when we return!"

Pei Ling frowned. All three missions together paid only a little over a hundred spirit stones? Never mind having to split it among everyone—even if he got the entire amount, he'd have to take on hundreds, maybe even thousands, of missions like this to save enough for his fine!

Thinking this, Pei Ling quickly composed himself and smiled. "Twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones will last me quite a while. Thank you, Senior Brother Chen!"

Chen Huan smiled. "We're fellow disciples. There's no need to be so polite."

After a few pleasantries, Huang Xian brought up some questions about cultivation. Chen Huan began offering pointers, and Zhang Zhongqin asked a few questions of his own from time to time.

Xiao Tasha didn't join in, but kept her eyes fixed intently on Chen Huan.

Pei Ling listened for a while and realized their discussion was scattered, all of it closely related to their individual circumstances. It wasn't much use to him. He looked around and saw that Chen Mei wasn't listening either. Instead, she was resting her chin in her hands, leaning against the edge of the Yin Corpse Cloud and admiring the scenery below.

After a moment's thought, he went over and sat cross-legged beside Chen Mei, chatting with her about this and that.

After a while, Pei Ling managed to get the information he wanted.

As it turned out, the twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones Chen Huan had mentioned was already a high reward for an Outer Sect mission.

The group had just spent ten Low-grade Spirit Stones to rent this Yin Corpse Cloud, but that was because their destination was too far away and they didn't have anything they could ride. They had no choice.

Otherwise, even Chen Huan, a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator, wouldn't have been willing to spend that much.

After all, a Bone Quenching Pill only cost ten Low-grade Spirit Stones within the sect.

Besides taking missions, the main way to earn spirit stones in the sect was through the arts the Sacred Sect taught for free, as stated in the Sect Rules.

Forging, alchemy, talisman-making... As long as you were skilled enough, you could earn spirit stones!

And you could earn a great deal—not even ordinary disciples who braved the wind and rain and risked their lives could compare.

Chen Mei also told Pei Ling that Pei Hong Nian was a typical example! Pei Hong Nian had an outstanding talent for talisman-making. When he'd first entered the sect, an instructor from Talisman Peak had taken notice of him and had almost accepted him as a personal disciple. But Pei Hong Nian had soon become infatuated with Sun Yinglan and done many shameless things. He'd even neglected both his cultivation and his talisman-making.

The instructor had been so disappointed that he never brought it up again.

And Pei Hong Nian had lost his chance to rise to the top in a single bound.

The example made Pei Ling very interested, but when he learned that Pei Hong Nian had spent a full two years just to make one acceptable talisman, his interest vanished.

Forget two years—even if he couldn't pay his fine within three months, he'd become material!

Just then, Huang Xian finished asking his questions. He exchanged a glance with Zhang Zhongqin, who spoke with a half-smile. "Junior Brother Pei, the journey's dull. Why don't we spar a little, so we can see whether you and Junior Sister Chen can handle your missions? That way, we can avoid any unexpected trouble. What do you say?"