Cultivation in the Public Office, Assessment Mission

"If I want to climb to higher levels in the future, I must have a platform."

"And it must be a major sect."

"According to what Han Qingsong said, the more miscellaneous one's cultivation, the easier it seems to be to die."

"Major sects possess a cohesive, inherited system where the path ahead has long been tested and corrected by predecessors, allowing one to go much further."

"As for the Hundred Schools of Thought within the Great Tang Dynasty, even if they don't compare to major sects, they shouldn't be too far off."

"The Demon Extermination Hall is backed by the Hundred Schools of Thought; it seems to be a grand hodgepodge."

"With such uneven quality, perhaps I can fish in troubled waters."

Li Qing pondered countless pieces of information in his mind; in this world, advancing further was not so easy.

He took a deep breath, a decision forming in his heart.

"Then I shall give it a try."

"If there's a problem, I'll just slack off."

Thinking of this, he walked toward the Demon Extermination Hall.

When he arrived at the main gate, the scrutinizing gazes of two guards landed upon him.

"What is your business here? This is a restricted government office; idlers are not permitted to enter."

Li Qing smiled slightly. "Wen Taiquan asked me to come; he invited me to join the Demon Extermination Hall."

Upon hearing this, the two guards wore expressions of surprise.

One of them said, "Wait here; I will go find Wen Taiquan."

Li Qing nodded slightly. "Very well."

A moment later, two figures emerged from the Demon Extermination Hall.

Wen Taiquan looked at Li Qing with a face full of smiles. "Hahaha, Mr. Qin has finally come after all."

"Please, come in."

Li Qing cupped his hands slightly. "Pardon the intrusion."

His heart gave a slight jolt; the other party had already discovered his surname was Qin. Although it was a false surname, only the people at the Escort Agency knew it.

It seems there are government officials or informants within the Escort Agency.

He felt a sense of vigilance regarding the imperial court's reach.

They passed through the small garden in front of the Demon Extermination Hall and, in a few steps, arrived at a side hall.

Li Qing observed silently; he discovered that the Demon Extermination Hall seemed to occupy a vast area, roughly estimated to be at least a hundred zhang in length and width.

In a side hall, Wen Taiquan and Li Qing sat opposite each other.

Wen Taiquan spoke, "Does Your Excellency wish to join the Demon Extermination Hall?"

Li Qing nodded. "Yes."

"I am not sure what the rules are here; I would like to understand them first."

Wen Taiquan laughed heartily. "Actually, the Demon Extermination Hall is a very relaxed place."

"Everything here must be exchanged using merit points."

"Once you join, you become a Demon Extermination Captain, holding a ninth-rank official position in the Great Tang Dynasty."

"With a monthly salary of ten taels, you are guaranteed a living in this city."

"As for all other cultivation resources, they must be exchanged through merit points."

"Our Jade City is merely a small town in the Border Wilderness; we primarily deal with Grade A, Grade B, and Grade C missions."

"Grade A is the highest, Grade C is the lowest, and the most powerful missions involved will not exceed the peak of the True Method Realm."

"Each year, you must complete at least one mission."

"Furthermore, regarding special conscription missions, everyone may refuse once."

"However, after refusing a conscription mission, the price of cultivation resources exchanged with merit points will double the following year."

"Secondly, as Demon Extermination Captains, we cannot break the law."

"Otherwise, knowingly breaking the law carries an increased penalty."

"Our primary targets are various mutated cultivators and the anomalies that appear within the city."

"We protect the ordinary people in the city from the influence of cultivators and anomalies."

"Other than that, you are basically free to act as you please, with no one to constrain you."

Hearing this, Li Qing pondered silently.

This seems like a decent path.

Thinking of this, he nodded slightly. "If I wish to join, what are the procedures?"

Wen Taiquan smiled slightly. "There are no special procedures. We just need to go register and get you a waist token."

"As long as you are a normal cultivator, that is enough. But once you are no longer normal, you will be automatically discharged."

Having said that, he led Li Qing away from there.

They arrived at a palace hall with the words "Archives Hall" written in large characters on the plaque.

Inside, an old man sat amidst a sea of books, seemingly processing documents.

Wen Taiquan brought Li Qing before him and said with a faint smile, "Elder Huang, I've introduced a newcomer."

Elder Huang was an old man who looked to be sixty or seventy years old.

His gaze fell upon Li Qing, and a faint cyan light flashed in his eyes.

This cyan light transformed into a pair of mysterious pupils, scanning Li Qing up and down.

Li Qing felt a jolt in his heart; he felt as if this person had seen right through him.

"Heh heh, not bad. Your essence and energy are pure, without a hint of impurity."

"Your cultivation technique is authentic. Although I haven't seen it before, it should be a legitimate method."

"Even though you are only at the Essence Refining level, there is a faint glimmer of Sha Qi about you. You must have seen blood."

"Have you checked his background?" he asked, looking at Wen Taiquan.

Wen Taiquan nodded. "I have. There are no issues."

Hearing this, Li Qing felt a slight stir in his heart. Checked?

"What is your name?" Elder Huang's gaze turned to Li Qing.

"My name is Qin Wuming."

Elder Huang nodded slightly, took out a token, and a flash of cyan light passed through his hand.

The character "Qin" appeared on the back of the token, while the front bore the words "Demon Extermination."

Elder Huang waved his hand and tossed the token to Li Qing. "In the future, if you want to take on missions, go to the Mission Hall. If you want to exchange for items, go to the Treasury Hall."

"This is a simple magical artifact; it will record all your information."

Li Qing nodded slightly and cupped his hands. "Many thanks."

Wen Taiquan laughed. "Brother Qin, let's go. We'll head to the Mission Hall first."

"As proof of joining the Demon Extermination Hall, you need to complete a trial mission."

Upon hearing this, Li Qing's brows furrowed instantly.

Wen Taiquan said, "Don't worry, the assessment missions are mostly a formality."

"They are all very simple tasks that you can easily resolve with your means."

Li Qing nodded silently at these words, intending to see what it was all about first.

Led by Wen Taiquan, they arrived at the Mission Hall.

There were not many people here, and many were dressed in various styles.

As they entered and exited, quite a few people greeted Wen Taiquan.

Wen Taiquan responded cheerfully; it seemed he was quite well-liked.

Li Qing observed silently.

Entering the main hall, a vertical wall appeared before their eyes.

The wall was hung with jade tablets of various colors.

Wen Taiquan explained, "The blue jade tablets are Grade A missions, which are basically for those in the True Method Realm. We shouldn't touch those."

"The green jade tablets are Grade B. Basically, as long as you can step into the Human Tribulation, you can take on Grade B missions. There are fewer than ten of those a year."

"The white jade tablets are Grade C, which both those in the Essence Refining and State-Forming stages can take on."

"I am your guide, and to test whether you have the qualifications to become a Demon Extermination Captain, you need to take on one Grade C mission."

"The mission must be completed by you alone. Would you like to try?"

Li Qing thought for a moment. "Since Brother Wen is my guide, I wonder if you have any advice for me?"

Wen Taiquan smiled slightly. "Grade C missions are mostly about Anomalies within the city."

"All the content is collected in advance by professionals from the Government Office and the Demon Extermination Hall, analyzed by experts within the Hall, and finally pinpointed."

Li Qing frowned. "Are there never any mistakes?"