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 casting mottled spots of light across the room.

Cheng Buzheng, sitting cross-legged on the bed, remained as motionless as a clay statue. As a ray of sunlight shone upon his face, his eyelashes fluttered, and he opened his eyes.

Sensing the Magic Power in his Dantian space, he felt no more signs of weakness. He knew his foundation was now solid, and there was no longer any danger of his cultivation realm regressing.

Cheng Buzheng exhaled softly.

"Hoo!"

Cheng Buzheng stood up. His gray robe was slightly disheveled from sitting all night, so he gave it a light pat. Instantly, the exceptionally smooth fabric became as wrinkle-free and brand new as before.

He opened the door, turned around, and reached out with his slender, fair right hand to flip the wooden sign hanging on the door. The word "Closed-door Meditation" on the sign changed to "Going Out."

He walked along the path in front of his door. As he passed the surrounding houses, he glanced at them and noticed that his teammates all had "Closed-door Meditation" signs hanging on their doors.

Cheng Buzheng speculated to himself:

Nan Ye should be advancing to Qi Refining Level 1 within these next few days at the latest. As for the other three, they will likely need some more time.

Afterward, he did not delay any further. He followed the path past the living area for Outer Sect Disciples. Once he exited the canyon, he pushed off with his legs, crushing the gravel beneath his feet into powder and leaving a deep footprint.

Suddenly.

The air exploded. Cheng Buzheng shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, dust billowing behind him to form a long, snaking trail of smoke.

Half an hour later.

At the foot of Immortal Spring Peak.

Cheng Buzheng looked up at the mountain, which stood over three hundred zhang tall. From time to time, streaks of spiritual light flashed by as people came and went, leaving him feeling quite envious.

But he knew in his heart that he was still a long way from achieving Artifact Flight. He still needed to grow and develop.

Cheng Buzheng did not linger to watch any longer and sprinted along the winding mountain stairs.

A quarter of an hour later.

Cheng Buzheng saw an ancient-looking pavilion before him. The pavilion was five zhang tall and consisted of three stories. Built entirely from a certain type of black spirit wood that faintly shimmered with spiritual light, he knew it must have been quite expensive to construct.

The pavilion doors were wide open. Above the entrance hung a plaque with three gold-leaf characters inscribed upon it: "Command Token Pavilion." This was the place where the sect issued missions and disciples came to accept them.

From time to time, scenes of spiritual light rising and descending appeared. Groups of two or three senior brothers and sisters were constantly entering and exiting, showing just how bustling the place was.

Cheng Buzheng took a look and, without hesitation, walked slowly toward the hall along the side of the path. He did not want to offend any narrow-minded senior brothers or sisters before he had even accomplished anything.

In all things, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Besides, he was currently nothing more than a small fry at Qi Refining Level 1. Anyone could step on him, and he had no capital to fall out with others right now.

Cheng Buzheng had come today to scout for information and prepare for selecting free spells. His cultivation resources were scarce, so every step needed to be calculated and considered carefully to lay a good foundation for his future path to immortality.

Following the roadside, he entered the main hall.

The entire hall was about five zhang in diameter. A massive Jade Wall hung on the north wall, occupying the entire surface. Lines of text scrolled across it, much like a projection screen from his past life.

On the west side stood a long counter that took up most of the area. It was crafted from spirit wood and emitted a faint, refreshing fragrance that made one feel much calmer.

Behind the counter were two senior sisters dressed in gray robes. Though not stunning, their features were quite delicate. The spirit pressure radiating from their slender bodies told him that these two were definitely not just eye candy, but powerful cultivators.

At this moment, the two senior sisters were each engaged in conversation with a senior brother.

To the east was a room that occupied a small portion of the space, the entire area shrouded in a layer of spiritual light.

In the northeast direction, near the small room, there was a staircase entrance, but it was wrapped in a layer of spiritual light. He knew that was where the Foundation Establishment uncles accepted missions.

The senior brothers and sisters who came here were all watching the lines of text scrolling on the Jade Wall. No one paid any attention to a small, newly joined Qi Refining Level 1 cultivator; even if it were for cannon fodder, a Qi Refining Level 1 was not qualified.

Cheng Buzheng stood silently in the distance, watching the missions on the Jade Wall, as inconspicuous as a transparent person in the hall.

"Mission No. 12: Tend to the No. 8 Herb Garden for one year. Requires Golden Needle Technique and Spirit Rain Technique. No reduction in yield allowed during this period. Reward: 50 Spirit Stones."

"Mission No. 83: Guard the sect's formation entrance for two years. Requires cultivation at Qi Refining Level 6. No dereliction of duty allowed. Reward: 30 Spirit Stones."

"Mission No. 95: Refine ten bottles of First-order High-grade Qi Gathering Pills. 15 portions of spirit herbs provided. Reward: 500 Spirit Stones. Accept this mission with caution. If the mission fails and the pills are insufficient, the difference must be made up with Spirit Stones. If there are insufficient Spirit Stones, the sect rules will be applied."

"Mission No. 321: Refine eight First-order Mid-grade Magic Tools, Giant Turtle Shields. 12 portions of spirit materials provided. Reward: 400 Spirit Stones. Accept this mission with caution. If the mission fails and the magic tools are insufficient, the difference must be made up with Spirit Stones. If there are insufficient Spirit Stones, the sect rules will be applied."

He stood there for a long time, watching for just as long.

Cheng Buzheng discovered that new missions would occasionally appear. Those with generous rewards and simple requirements would be snatched up by senior brothers and sisters, often disappearing in less than a breath.

As for the difficult missions with meager rewards, the senior brothers and sisters present wouldn't even spare them a glance.

Occasionally, the rewards for missions that had gone unaccepted for a long time would be adjusted.

From time to time, a mission would disappear, indicating that it had been taken. It would only reappear on the Jade Wall if the mission failed.

Cheng Buzheng watched quietly for a long time and gained some experience: missions in the four categories of alchemy, artifact refining, talisman making, and formations offered the highest rewards and appeared frequently.

For these types of missions, the glamorous side inevitably had a downside; once the success rate failed to meet the minimum requirements, one would lose everything.

The second type of mission involved going out to search for and collect spirit herbs or hunt demonic beasts.

These missions were relatively dangerous or relied heavily on luck. If one was lucky enough to collect high-grade spirit herbs, the Spirit Stones earned were incomparable to those from alchemy, artifact refining, and the like.

It is even possible to obtain enough resources to cultivate up to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

If one's luck is poor, they are essentially just running to the doorstep to serve as rations for spirit beasts, "delivering warmth."

The third type of task involves earning hard-earned money. For example, mining spirit ore within a Spirit Ore Vein. The rewards vary depending on the difficulty of the mining, but overall, the differences are not significant.

The fourth type of task consists of miscellaneous chores, such as guarding the sect's formation entrances and exits, watching over herb gardens, or standing guard duty. The rewards vary; however, most tasks that offer generous rewards for simple work are found within this category.

Cheng Buzheng silently analyzed the various types of tasks in his mind, weighing the pros and cons while also considering his own cultivation level.

Otherwise, there would be no need to think twice; the first type of task would be the best choice.

But at this moment, he had only just advanced to Qi Refining Level 1. He certainly could not complete such tasks; he could only blame his cultivation for being too low.