Take on a mission, play at life!

The tendrils of Spirit Hall and the calculations of the local nobility had intertwined into an invisible web here.

He had originally planned to observe the Dark Alley a little longer, but he changed his mind at that moment.

Now that he had obtained the mysterious Stone Box and accidentally heard rumors that might be related to him, he needed to digest and respond to them as quickly as possible.

He did not linger. He quickly left the Dark Alley area and took several winding turns. Only after confirming that no one was following him did he return to Qingfeng Yuan.

After closing the door and setting up simple soundproofing and warning Soul Power, Lan Aotian took out the Stone Box.

After carefully sensing it in the quiet surroundings, he found that the restrictive power remaining on the box was already extremely weak, while the ancient runes had completely faded from sight.

He tried gently washing over it with Blue Silver Emperor Soul Power. The runes became faintly visible again, but the box still could not be opened.

It seemed to be missing some specific "key," or perhaps it required a stronger power of the same origin to open.

Still, merely studying these runes might help him understand the more ancient Law of Life or plant-type inheritances.

He carefully put away the Stone Box. This was not the time to study it.

What mattered was the information he had just heard.

"Blue Silver King might appear in Sylvester City."

...Where had this rumor come from?

Had it been leaked by the Purple Star Earl Manor?

Or had some perceptive Soul Master detected something unusual when he entered the city?

Or had Spirit Hall reasoned backward from the logic of "Blue Silver Grass disappearing" and "Tang Hao's son appearing"?

Had they believed that some powerful existence related to Blue Silver Grass might be drawn in or caught up in the matter, and spread the rumor as a kind of tentative probe?

Regardless, this was not good news for him.

It meant he needed to be even more careful, and act faster.

His original plan to slowly establish contact with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect might need to be adjusted.

Rather than passively waiting for an opportunity, it was better to create one himself.

He recalled the "Guard Supply Convoy" mission released by the Sylvester City Spirit Hall Branch Hall that he had seen at the Soul Master Guild during the day.

The convoy's destination was Spirit City, and it would depart in two days.

A plan gradually took shape in Lan Aotian's mind.

Joining this guard team might be a good choice.

First, he could observe the movements and attitudes of Spirit Hall's personnel from close range.

Second, the route to Spirit City would largely overlap with the itinerary of Ning Fengzhi and the others from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He might find a suitable opportunity to make contact along the way.

Furthermore, acting as a guard would conceal his true purpose and whereabouts to a certain extent.

Finally, he might even run into other "interesting" things on the road.

Of course, there were risks as well.

He needed to disguise his identity and strength properly and avoid attracting excessive attention from Spirit Hall.

He inspected his storage equipment. Inside were several sets of Soul Master clothing and masks that he had prepared earlier for different identities.

He could suppress his strength to the peak of Soul Emperor, a level strong enough to become an important combatant in the guard team without being so high that the person in charge of the Spirit Hall Branch Hall would personally intervene.

As for his appearance, slightly adjusting his bones and muscles, combined with a mask, would be more than enough.

After making up his mind, Lan Aotian no longer hesitated.

Tomorrow morning, he would go to the Soul Master Guild and take on that guard mission.

He gazed at the heavy night sky outside the window. The lights of Sylvester City flickered in the distance.

He had already stepped into the edge of the storm.

Next, he would approach the storm's center by another step, this time taking the initiative under a different identity.

This game of chess was becoming more and more interesting.

The next morning, Lan Aotian altered his appearance.

Using Soul Power, he made slight adjustments to the muscles and bones of his face, making his originally overly handsome features more angular and giving them a weathered look. His complexion also became slightly darker.

He changed into a deep blue Jinzhuang suited for movement, covered it with a somewhat worn leather vest, and hung an ordinary decorative longsword at his waist.

His Soul Power fluctuations stabilized at the peak of level sixty-nine Soul Emperor. His aura was solid and carried the sharpness of someone who had endured long years of honing.

After looking at himself in the water mirror and confirming that he now looked completely different from the former "blue-haired young nobleman," he returned to the Soul Master Guild.

Quite a few people were still gathered around the guard mission, but there were not many teams that truly met the conditions of "Soul King or above, five-person team."

After all, although working for Spirit Hall paid well, there were also many restrictions, and the risks were unclear.

Lan Aotian pushed to the front and said directly to the guild Deacon in charge of registration, "Soul Emperor, solo, taking the guard mission."

Why take on a mission?

I mainly want to play at life.

Experience it.

The Deacon looked up at him. After sensing the Soul Emperor aura around him, he nodded and handed over a form. "Name, martial soul, level, affiliation, if applicable. The mission requires at least five people. You can register first, and we'll try to match you with temporary teammates, or you can find them yourself. Once the team is complete, report to the Spirit Hall Branch Hall in the west of the city for a simple verification."

"Lin Yue. Martial soul, Green Wood Vine. Level sixty-nine control-type Battle Soul Emperor. No affiliation."

Lan Aotian quickly filled in the false information.

Green Wood Vine was a relatively uncommon but not top-tier plant-type martial soul, known for its control and resilience. It suited the identity he was disguising himself as.

"Very well, Soul Emperor Lin Yue. Your information has been recorded. Three people have registered so far, so we're still short two. We may be able to gather everyone by this afternoon at the earliest. Please watch for a guild notice or come back to ask in person."

Lan Aotian nodded. He did not leave the guild. Instead, he found a chair in the corner of the hall and sat down with his eyes closed, seemingly resting. In reality, his Mental Power covered the entire hall as he gathered information.

About an hour later, two more people registered for the guard mission.

One called himself Tie Shan. His martial soul was Iron Armor Rhinoceros, and he was a level sixty-two power-attack-type Battle Soul Emperor. He was a brawny man over two meters tall with bulging muscles and a booming voice.

The other was called Ying Shu. His martial soul was Nether Mouse, and he was a level fifty-eight agility-attack-type Battle Soul King. He was short and wiry, with shifting eyes and a somewhat solitary air.

Including the two who had registered earlier—a level fifty-five Fire Leopard Soul King and a level fifty-seven Rock Turtle Soul King—along with Lan Aotian, they had just enough for a five-person team.

The guild Deacon soon notified the five of them to gather. After briefly explaining the mission's assembly time—tomorrow at Chen hour—the location—the side-gate plaza of the Spirit Hall Branch Hall in the west of the city—and several points to note, he let them leave on their own. They only needed to report on time tomorrow.

The brawny man called Tie Shan seemed to want to win over his temporary teammates. He suggested going to a tavern for a drink so they could get to know each other.

The Fire Leopard Soul King and Rock Turtle Soul King agreed, while Ying Shu shook his head coldly and left directly.

Lan Aotian also politely declined, saying that he needed to make some preparations.

Tie Shan did not press him and left with the other two.

Lan Aotian returned to the inn and continued meditating. He familiarized himself with the way Soul Power circulated under his disguised identity while also simulating the various situations he might encounter in his mind.

The next day at Chen hour, the side-gate plaza of the Spirit Hall Branch Hall in the west of the city.

Five Cargo Carriages reinforced with thick timber and some metal had already been prepared. Each carriage was pulled by four sturdy Black Scale Horses.

Around the carriages stood twenty Soul Masters with sharp auras, dressed in Spirit Hall low-ranking Deacon uniforms. Their Soul Power ranged from Soul Elder to Soul Ancestor, clearly forming the backbone of the escort team.