Command Token Pavilion

The next day.

The Golden Crow rose, and the Jade Rabbit retreated.

Golden sunlight spilled into the Canyon, filtering through the window and dappling the room.

Cheng Buzheng sat cross-legged on the bed, motionless as a clay statue. When a shaft of sunlight fell across his face, his lashes twitched and his eyes opened.

Feeling the magic power in his dantian, no longer weak and unsteady, he knew he had laid a solid foundation and no longer risked losing his cultivation level.

Cheng Buzheng let out a soft breath.

"Whew!"

Cheng Buzheng stood up. His gray robe was a little rumpled after a night of sitting in meditation, so he brushed it lightly. In an instant, the exceptionally smooth robe was pristine again, without a single crease.

He opened the door, turned around, and reached out with his long, fair right hand to flip over the wooden plaque hanging on it. The words "In Seclusion" on the plaque changed to "Out."

Following the road outside, he passed several nearby houses and glanced at them. He saw that the doors of several teammates' rooms bore "In Seclusion" plaques.

Cheng Buzheng guessed to himself:

"Nan Ye should advance to Qi Refining Level 1 within the next few days at most. The other three will probably need a little longer!"

Then he didn't linger. He followed the road past the Outer Sect Disciples' residential area and left the Canyon. He kicked off hard, crushing the gravel beneath his feet into powder and leaving a deep footprint.

In an instant.

The air cracked. Cheng Buzheng shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, dust billowing behind him in a long, twisting serpent.

Half an hour later.

At the foot of Immortal Spring Peak.

Cheng Buzheng gazed at the mountain, which rose more than three hundred zhang high. From time to time, streaks of spiritual light flashed by, people coming and going. He couldn't help feeling envious.

But he knew he was still a long way from Artifact Flight. He still had plenty of growing to do.

Cheng Buzheng didn't linger to watch. He raced up the Ring Mountain Stairs.

A quarter of an hour later.

Cheng Buzheng came upon an ancient-looking pavilion. It stood five zhang tall and had three stories, built entirely from some kind of black Spirit Wood that faintly shimmered with spiritual light. He could tell it had cost a pretty penny.

The pavilion doors stood open. A plaque above them bore three gilded characters: "Command Token Pavilion." This was where the sect issued missions and disciples took them.

Now and then, spiritual light rose and descended as groups of Martial Brothers and Martial Sisters came and went, making the place exceptionally lively.

Cheng Buzheng glanced around and, without hesitation, walked slowly along the side of the hall. He didn't want to offend any touchy Martial Brothers or Martial Sisters before he'd even done anything.

Better safe than sorry.

Besides, he was only a tiny cultivator at Qi Refining Level 1. Anyone could step on him, and he had no leverage at all to fall out with anyone.

He had come today to gather information and prepare to choose a free spell. With few cultivation resources at his disposal, he needed to calculate every step carefully and consider everything thoroughly, so he could make a good start on his Immortal Path.

He followed the side of the hall inside.

The hall was about five zhang across. A massive Jade Wall covered the entire north wall, with lines of text scrolling across it like a projection screen from his previous life.

A long counter occupied most of the west side. Made of Spirit Wood, it gave off a faint, soothing fragrance that helped put people at ease.

Two Martial Sisters stood behind the counter, both dressed in gray robes. Neither was stunning, but both had rather pretty features. The Spirit Pressure emanating from their slender figures told him they were no mere ornaments, but powerful cultivators.

At that moment, each of the two Martial Sisters was talking with a Martial Brother.

On the east side was a room that took up a little less than half the space. A layer of spiritual light enveloped the entire room.

Near the small room, in the northeast corner, was a stairway. A layer of spiritual light shrouded the entrance. Cheng Buzheng knew that Foundation Establishment Martial Uncles took missions there.

The Martial Brothers and Martial Sisters who came here all watched the lines of text scrolling across the Jade Wall. No one paid any attention to a tiny cultivator at Qi Refining Level 1 who had just joined the sect. Even as cannon fodder, someone at Qi Refining Level 1 wasn't qualified.

Cheng Buzheng quietly stood in the distance, studying the missions on the Jade Wall. In the hall, he was practically invisible.

"Mission 12: Tend the No. 8 medicine garden for one year. Must know the Golden Needle Technique and Spirit Rain Technique. Yields must not decrease during the term. Reward: fifty Spirit Stones."

"Mission 83: Guard the sect's Formation Entrance for two years. Must have reached the Sixth Level of Qi Refining. No neglect of duty during the term. Reward: thirty Spirit Stones."

"Mission 95: Refine ten bottles of First-order High-grade Qi Gathering Pills. Fifteen portions of Spirit Medicine provided. Reward: five hundred Spirit Stones. Take this mission with caution. If the mission fails and pills are lacking, make up the shortfall with Spirit Stones. If you lack the Spirit Stones, you will be dealt with according to the sect rules."

"Mission 321: Refine eight First-order Mid-grade Giant Turtle Shields. Twelve portions of Spirit Material provided. Reward: four hundred Spirit Stones. Take this mission with caution. If the mission fails and Magic Tools are lacking, make up the shortfall with Spirit Stones. If you lack the Spirit Stones, you will be dealt with according to the sect rules."

He stood there for a long time, watching for quite a while.

Cheng Buzheng noticed that new missions appeared now and then. The simple ones with generous rewards especially drew a scramble among the Martial Brothers and Martial Sisters, and were often snatched up in less than a breath.

As for the difficult missions with meager rewards, the Martial Brothers and Martial Sisters present wouldn't give them a second glance.

Now and then, the rewards for missions that had gone unclaimed for a long time would be adjusted.

Every so often, a mission would disappear, meaning someone had taken it. It would not reappear on the Jade Wall until that person failed.

After watching quietly for a long while, Cheng Buzheng had learned a thing or two. Alchemy, artifact crafting, Talismanship, and formations offered the highest rewards and were also among the missions that appeared most often.

These missions had a bright side, but they also came with a catch. If your success rate fell short of the minimum, you could lose everything and end up worse than when you started.

The second category of missions involved going out to search for and gather Spirit Medicine, or hunt Demonic Beasts.

These missions were dangerous, or at least depended heavily on luck. If you were lucky enough to find high-grade Spirit Medicine, the Spirit Stones you earned could not be matched by missions like alchemy, artifact crafting, and the rest.

You might even gather enough resources to cultivate all the way to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

If your luck was bad, you might as well be marching straight to a Demonic Beast's door to become its meal and "bring it some warmth."

The third category consisted of backbreaking jobs that paid hard-earned money. For instance, mining in a Spirit Ore Vein paid according to the difficulty of the work, though the rewards didn't vary much overall.

The fourth category consisted of odd jobs, such as guarding the sect's Formation Entrance, watching medicine gardens, and standing watch. The rewards varied, but most of the simple missions with generous rewards fell into this category.

Cheng Buzheng silently weighed the pros and cons of each type of mission, while also taking his own cultivation level into account.

Otherwise, there was no doubt that the first category of missions was the best choice.

But he had only just reached Qi Refining Level 1. He couldn't possibly complete those missions. He could only blame his low cultivation.