Earth Dragon Exotic Insect

Inner Sect Mission Hall.

More than three years had passed since Li Gan last came here. Now he was back to take an Inner Sect mission.

His gaze fell on the mission board. The number of Suppression Missions had indeed decreased considerably.

There were still no other missions; people had snapped them all up long ago.

He didn't take any missions from the board.

The Mission Hall had already arranged an Inner Sect mission for him. The ones on the board were for Inner Disciples who had finished their mandatory missions to choose from.

Li Gan walked up to the window and took out the wooden token that proved his identity.

Before long, a staff member handed him a mission token and a small booklet.

Li Gan flipped through it, surprised. For him, this mission was relatively easy.

He guessed it was because he had just broken through to the Xiantian Realm, so they had assigned him a somewhat simpler mission.

An Earth Dragon Exotic Insect had appeared at a mine in Ye City, Xuan Prefecture. He was to go there and clear it out.

"Earth Dragon Exotic Insect."

Li Gan felt a little curious.

Exotic beasts, insects, and birds were primarily transformed beasts, bugs, and birds. Some were more dangerous than others. As for what caused the transformation, it was said to be related to Heaven and Earth Origin Qi, unusual minerals, and spirit herbs and fruits.

However, those were wild exotic beasts.

Great martial sects like the Divine Sword Sect also specially raised exotic beasts.

The skill of raising them was so important that it counted as one of a sect's foundations.

The Exotic Beast Jerky Li Gan ate came from beasts raised by the sect.

If the sect relied on hunting wild exotic beasts, it could never provide enough to supply the vast Divine Sword Sect.

There were two possible rewards for the mission he had taken. Killing the Earth Dragon Exotic Insect earned five thousand Contribution Points.

Capturing the Earth Dragon Exotic Insect alive earned twenty thousand Contribution Points.

That was a full four times as much.

After all, killing it was easy, but capturing it alive would make the difficulty skyrocket.

According to the mission description, the Earth Dragon Exotic Insect had not been transformed for long. Anyone at the Postnatal Realm Seventh Layer or above should be able to handle it.

The only trouble was that the Earth Dragon Exotic Insect could burrow underground, making it difficult to pin down.

That was why the mission had been assigned to him, a Xiantian Martial Artist.

If it had been another ground-dwelling exotic beast of the same level, a few high-ranking Postnatal Realm Martial Artists could have completed the mission.

The sooner he completed it, the better.

Li Gan didn't waste time. He immediately mounted a swift horse and left the Divine Sword Sect.

The sooner he left, the sooner he could return.

Every extra day he spent outside meant one less day he could spend striking the bell.

The Divine Sword Sect's swift horses were all raised on Medicinal Meals.

They had incredible stamina and could cover a thousand li in a day.

The Divine Sword Sect had also specially developed Horse-Travel Pills, which were fed to the swift horses.

Just a few pills a day could keep a swift horse full of energy without any food.

To save time, Li Gan naturally rode day and night.

He remembered that a few years earlier, it had taken him more than ten days to escort Madam Lin to Ye City, Xuan Prefecture.

This time, riding a swift horse without rest through the night, he reached the outskirts of Ye City in just one day and one night.

Xiwu Mine.

One of the largest mines in Ye City, it employed a huge number of miners, along with supervisors, smelters, and other workers. The population there numbered at least tens of thousands.

Wooden shacks dotted the area around the mine.

They were places for the miners and other workers to eat, sleep, and rest.

For some time now, the mine had been in a state of panic.

A terrifying Earth Dragon Exotic Insect had appeared in the tunnels. In less than half a month, at least dozens of people had been swallowed by it.

The mine had stationed its own Martial Artists there, but they were no match for it.

What was more, the Earth Dragon Exotic Insect was elusive. Even the Inner Disciple from the Divine Sword Sect stationed in Ye City remained helpless.

A cluster of orderly houses stood on the outskirts of the mine.

Those who lived there were undoubtedly the mine's mid- and upper-level managers and guard Martial Artists.

"Martial Master Ling, when will your sect be able to send someone over?"

Inside a house, a burly man couldn't help asking.

He was the mine's head steward, responsible for managing the entire operation.

The Ming Family, one of Ye City's three great families, owned the mine. Besides Xiwu Mine, they had countless other businesses, including mines and smelting workshops of all sizes.

The Ming Family's control over so many businesses was closely tied to the Divine Sword Sect.

Some of the Ming Family's children cultivated at the Divine Sword Sect.

"Steward He, they should be here in the next few days. There's no use fretting."

The man sitting across from him wore a fitted martial outfit, with a sword resting beside him.

He drank his tea and spoke calmly.

"Ah, I can't help worrying. Every day the mine is shut down, we lose who knows how much."

Steward He sighed.

Those lowly miners could die for all he cared. At most, they'd have to pay a little compensation.

But the losses from shutting down such a huge mine for a day were enormous.

If so many people hadn't died over the past couple of days, forcing him to bow to the pressure, and the miners hadn't started to grow restless and refuse to go down into the mine, he wouldn't have wanted to stop work either.

Just then, a guard Martial Artist rushed in and said to Ling Xingfeng, the Divine Sword Sect Inner Disciple, "Senior Brother Ling, the sect has sent someone to deal with the Earth Dragon Exotic Insect."

"Excellent!"

Senior Brother Ling immediately replied, "Steward He, come on. Let's go out and welcome them."

The sect must have sent a Xiantian Martial Artist to deal with the Earth Dragon Exotic Insect.

At the Divine Sword Sect, Xiantian Martial Artists were at least Core Disciples of the various peaks. They all had elders backing them and powerful connections—far beyond what a Named Disciple like him could match.

Generally, elders accepted Personal Disciples only if they had the potential to become Xiantian Martial Artists.

Otherwise, they could be no more than Named Disciples.

Ling Xingfeng had ordinary talent. Thanks to his boldness and years of painstaking cultivation, he had broken through to the Postnatal Realm Ninth Layer.

But he was already in his thirties. To think he could break through to the Xiantian Realm on his own potential was pure wishful thinking.

His greatest wish now was to save up enough Contribution Points to exchange for a Xiantian Pill and enter the Xiantian Realm.

Even if it only made him Half-step Xiantian,

he would still be far stronger than a Postnatal Realm Martial Artist.

Many Inner Disciples of the Divine Sword Sect, when they saw no hope of breaking through or had become Half-step Xiantian, chose to return to their hometowns and establish their own households.

The many Inner Disciples who left the sect still kept in touch with the Divine Sword Sect, becoming a reserve force for the sect beyond its gates.

"He's here! Excellent!"

Steward He was overjoyed too. At last, their savior had arrived.

He and Ling Xingfeng hurried out of the house to welcome the Xiantian Expert sent by the Divine Sword Sect.

Soon, an Inner Disciple of the Divine Sword Sect walked over with a gray-robed young man leading a swift horse.

The gray-robed young man was, of course, Li Gan.

He had followed the map and come straight to Xiwu Mine.

The mine was full of tunnels and utterly barren. There was hardly any vegetation left, since the mining had destroyed it.

"I'm Ling Xingfeng, a Named Disciple of Dishui Peak. Greetings, Senior Brother."

Ling Xingfeng first froze when he saw the young man brought by his fellow disciple. Then he realized who he was and hurried forward to salute.

Steward He, standing beside him, was also puzzled. Why was he so young?

But he said nothing, only watched from the side.

"Just call me Senior Brother Li."

Li Gan didn't waste words. He tossed over a mission token.

After glancing at it, Ling Xingfeng hurriedly returned the token with both hands. "Senior Brother Li, this is Steward He of Xiwu Mine. He's in charge of the entire operation."

He thought back to the Core Disciples surnamed Li in the Inner Sect. There seemed to be plenty of them, but none appeared to match the young man before him.

Even so, he didn't dare underestimate him and remained utterly respectful.

Steward He might have been a burly, rough-looking man, but he was perceptive and skilled at reading people. Otherwise, he could never have become the head steward of Xiwu Mine.

From Martial Master Ling's expression and manner, he could tell that this gray-robed young man must have an extraordinary status and background.

He immediately bent forward and said respectfully, "I'm He Wufang. Greetings, Martial Master Li."

He kept his posture low.

He was the head steward of Xiwu Mine and a man of importance even in Ye City. But in front of a Xiantian Expert from a great sect like this, he was nothing.

Even with Ling Xingfeng and the other Divine Sword Sect Inner Disciples, he always provided them with the finest food and lodging, never daring to offend them in the slightest.