A Training Mission

[Body: Robust Physique]

[Qualification: Superior Aptitude]

[Fortune: Mediocre Luck]

[Appearance: Plain]

[Wisdom: Naturally Dull]

[Destiny: ???]

[Lifespan: ???]

"These five are basic Destinies whose specific ranks I can see. Originally, aside from wisdom, which was the lowest, gray rank, the other four were all white rank."

"After advancing earlier, my aptitude went from white to green. Its current judgment is Superior Aptitude. To advance it again, I need 10 Destiny Points before I can even try."

"My physique has the support of a special Destiny, so there's no rush to improve it. I'll use the remaining three points to try raising my fortune, appearance, and wisdom!"

With that in mind, he began advancing them one by one.

[You spent 1 Destiny Point to try to advance your fortune. Failed.]

[You spent 1 Destiny Point to try to advance your wisdom. Failed.]

[You spent 1 Destiny Point to try to advance your appearance. Success!]

Of his three attempts, two failed.

But the third finally brought a pleasant surprise.

[Congratulations, your appearance has advanced from Plain to Dignified Appearance.]

Shen Mo was quite delighted to see the notification.

He found the bronze mirror in the room and examined his appearance after the advancement.

"There really is a difference."

Shen Mo's features in the mirror hadn't changed all that much.

Yet somehow, he looked more pleasing to the eye than before.

If Shen Mo's original appearance had been the sort that vanished into a crowd, then now, with his appearance advanced to Dignified Appearance, he had improved considerably.

"Even so, I'm still nowhere near as handsome as I was in my previous life, when I outshone Wu Yanzu with my peerless looks."

"But at least I look a lot more pleasing than I did before."

Holding the bronze mirror, Shen Mo examined himself for a long while, feeling quite pleased.

Although improving his appearance couldn't make him tangibly stronger like improving his aptitude, wisdom, or fortune could, who didn't want to look more handsome?

Maybe Chen Mengze hadn't taken a liking to the original owner because he wasn't handsome enough?

At noon, Shen Mo went to the Deacon Hall after taking a bath.

"Mission Spirit Platform."

He slowly made his way to the center of the Deacon Hall.

Before him stood a dark-green Spirit Platform, about one zhang across.

On its surface, lines of pale-gold text flickered continuously.

The words inscribed there listed the various sect missions issued by the platform.

[Grade B Mission: Rescue people in Thunder Valley, Linjiang Mountain Range.]

[Mission Description: Inner Sect disciples Chen Xun, Lu Ming, Jia Gan, and ten others encountered a third-tier demonic beast, a Thunder Moon-Swallowing Wolf, and were trapped in Thunder Valley, unable to escape. They have issued a bounty mission via Sound Transmission Talisman, hoping that a powerful member of the sect will come to their rescue.]

[Mission Reward: Fifteen mid-grade Spirit Stones and a Purple Gold Blade (Mystic Grade Mid-Tier).]

[Recommended Strength: Spirit Sea Realm, third tier or above.]

"Fifteen mid-grade Spirit Stones and a Mystic Grade Mid-Tier magical weapon. What a generous bounty. Those guys must have emptied their coffers to buy their lives."

At River-Facing Sect, when a disciple went out on a training mission and fell into danger, the elders were under no obligation to rescue them unless they had been pursued by a hostile sect.

If they wanted help, they either needed a powerful elder with close ties to them, or they had to issue a bounty mission like this and pay a hefty sum for someone to come to their aid.

"Such a generous reward, but it's a shame hardly anyone has the ability to earn it."

A Spirit Sea Realm cultivator at the third tier was exceedingly rare, even throughout River-Facing Sect.

Only the elders and a few exceptionally talented personal disciples had reached that level.

The reward was certainly generous, but it had nothing to do with him.

Shen Mo skipped past that mission and quickly looked at the next one.

[Grade C Mission: Bounty for the search for Taiyi Purple Gold Stone.]

[Mission Description: As the title says, a hefty reward will be paid. Any disciple who possesses Taiyi Purple Gold Stone or knows where to find it may come to the Weapon Forging Hall and speak with me.]

[Mission Reward: Three mid-grade Spirit Stones for every jin of Taiyi Purple Gold Stone provided; one mid-grade Spirit Stone for any useful information.]

The mission had been issued by Elder Lin of River-Facing Sect's Weapon Forging Hall.

He was urgently searching for the ore, presumably to forge a magical weapon.

[Grade C Mission: Seeking a protector at the seventh tier of Qi Gathering Realm or above.]

[Mission Description: I am Meng Hao, an Inner Sect disciple. Three months ago, in Tianyang City, Blue Province, I offended a Rogue Cultivator at the sixth tier of Qi Gathering Realm. Because of this, I have stayed at the sect and stopped going out.

But this month, an auction will be held in Tianyang City, and it will have something I urgently need. I have no choice but to leave the sect.

For my own safety, I need to recruit a protector from the sect to accompany me and keep me safe.]

[Mission Reward: Three hundred low-grade Spirit Stones.]

[Recommended Strength: Qi Gathering Realm, seventh tier or above.]

The Mission Spirit Platform displayed a great many missions, covering all sorts of things.

Some sought protectors.

Some offered bounties for rare treasures.

Others called for powerful cultivators to come to the rescue.

But after looking through them all, Shen Mo couldn't find a single training mission suited to him.

"Nothing useful."

After examining the missions, Shen Mo looked away.

Most of today's missions weren't right for him.

But he wasn't in a hurry. He could wait and keep looking.

For the next few days, he would cultivate at the sect and check the missions at the Deacon Hall each day. Surely he would find one that suited him.

River-Facing Sect had more than ten thousand disciples. Hundreds of missions were issued every day.

With so many missions, the possibilities were endless. Finding the one he wanted was only a matter of time.

Not long afterward, he left the Deacon Hall and returned to his quarters.

That day, after refining a few batches of Qi Recovery Pills as usual, he went to bed early.

The next day, after waking up, Shen Mo spent some time refining pills, then drew ten talismans. In the afternoon, he went to the Deacon Hall again.

Once more, there were no training missions that satisfied him.

So he returned to continue cultivating, and spent a long while practicing Thunderbolt Quickstep as well.

Four days passed like this, with Shen Mo finding time each day to check the missions.

At last, one of them caught his interest.

[Grade D Mission: Seeking an immortal master to rescue the Zhao Family's Spirit Field.]

[Mission Description: In Yongan Town, a hundred li north of our sect, there is a household named Zhao. They own thirty mu of Spirit Field and have cultivated Vermilion Fruit for generations, offering it to River-Facing Sect in exchange for generations of wealth and prosperity.

For years, all had been peaceful.

But last month, a snake demon appeared in the Zhao Family's Spirit Field, devouring Vermilion Fruit and wrecking the fields, causing heavy losses.

Though the Zhao Family has guards stationed there, ordinary mortals are no match for demonic beasts.

The family has therefore issued a bounty mission to our immortal sect, asking a disciple to slay the snake demon wreaking havoc and restore the Zhao Family's Spirit Field.]

[Mission Reward: Ten Vermilion Fruits.]

[Recommended Cultivation: Body Tempering, seventh tier or above.]