When they stepped into the building on the far left, they found only two or three people seated in its sizable hall. Judging by their auras, their cultivation did not seem particularly high.
"The first floor is where you accept missions. The second floor is for Soul Master advancement assessments, and the third floor is where you collect your monthly Soul Master allowance and turn in missions for payment. Shall we see what missions suit us?" Zhang Ping explained everything to Su Chen in detail.
"Mm." Su Chen nodded.
As Spirit Hall Seed Players, they would not stay at a Soul Master Academy studying the same monotonous courses. Like other Soul Masters, they would begin taking on bounty missions.
Besides earning their due payment by helping nobles hunt soul beasts, Bounty Hunters could also accept bounty missions at Spirit Hall's branch halls. Once they completed a mission, they would receive the corresponding reward.
"Level ten mission: help Granny Lin at Shop Number Eight find her pet cat! Bounty: 1 Silver Soul Coin."
"Level seven mission: bandits have appeared south of Suotuo City. Determine their numbers and locate their hideout! Bounty: 10 Gold Soul Coins."
"Level six mission: seeking a Soul Master to provide an escort from Suotuo City to the Imperial Capital! Bounty: 20 Gold Soul Coins!"
A display stood in the center of the hall, updating the missions in real time. Some missions were better described as boring than easy. For some students, however, the rewards were quite considerable, providing a decent amount of spending money without any risk.
"Completing ten level ten missions earns you one point. Completing five level nine missions earns you one point. Completing two level eight missions earns you one point. Completing one level seven mission earns you one point. A level six mission earns you two points, and a level five mission earns you four points. Level four missions are worth eight points and are suitable for Soul Masters of Soul Ancestor rank or higher. Level three missions are worth sixteen points, level two missions thirty-two points, and level one missions sixty-four points. Special-class missions are worth one hundred and twenty-eight points."
"As the mission rank rises, so do its difficulty and danger. Generally, only those of Soul Emperor rank or higher dare accept missions of level two or above! As for the highest-ranked special-class missions, even Soul Douluos wouldn't dare accept them lightly!"
"Whenever someone accepts a mission, it temporarily becomes unavailable to others. It only counts as successfully completed if you finish within the specified time. To receive a Purple Merit Badge from Her Holiness the Pope within three years, we need to earn five thousand points."
Zhang Ping explained enthusiastically to Su Chen. Five thousand points was no small sum.
Three years later, among the seven promising talents, only Hu Liena, Yan, and Xie Yue would achieve that goal.
Zhang Ping paused, then asked, "Su Chen, can we do missions together?"
As one of the Spirit Hall Seed Players, Zhang Ping did not truly accept Su Chen's superiority. Wasn't I outstanding enough? Why could Su Chen become Bibi Dong's student, while I wasn't even qualified?
She also wanted to use this opportunity to see just what made Su Chen so exceptional.
"Then let's have some fun!" Su Chen replied.
Whenever a mission was completed, Spirit Hall also received a certain payment as the intermediary. Now that he had become Bibi Dong's student, he ought to contribute something to Spirit Hall.
Every month, Spirit Hall had to issue free allowances to registered Soul Masters on time. Soul Masters received five Gold Soul Coins, Soul Grandmasters ten Gold Soul Coins, Soul Elders twenty Gold Soul Coins, and Soul Ancestors forty Gold Soul Coins.
Originally, both the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire had provided Spirit Hall with financial support. Now that the two great empires felt threatened by Spirit Hall, they no longer offered it any support. These bounty missions were another way for Spirit Hall to obtain funds.
Su Chen could imagine why, and these missions let him see it for himself. Spirit Hall was handling matters that should originally have fallen under the empires' responsibility for public order. What mattered most to those in power? The people's hearts! It was understandable that the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire felt threatened.
For the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, the threat posed by Spirit Hall did not stem solely from its formidable strength.
"Then which mission should we take?" Zhang Ping asked.
"That level four mission!" Su Chen answered.
Level four mission: residents of Holy Soul Village have reported recent disappearances. Determine the cause of the missing villagers. Reward: 100 Gold Soul Coins!
"All right, that one it is!"
Following Zhang Ping, Su Chen went to the counter, took out his Soul Grandmaster badge, and completed the necessary registration. They then left the hall.
They exited Suotuo City's southern gate and headed south. Only after walking for roughly four hours did Su Chen and Zhang Ping reach the village called Holy Soul Village.
At the village entrance, an old man with a pale golden beard sat on a large rock, a walking stick beside him. His eyes lit up when he saw Su Chen and Zhang Ping arrive.
"Children?"
Once Old Jack discerned their ages, the light faded from his eyes. He shook his head with a sigh.
"Grandpa Jack, what's happened in the village recently?" Su Chen asked.
"Children, are you the ones who accepted the mission I commissioned?" Old Jack asked.
"Yes." Su Chen nodded.
"Children, you'd better go back. This mission is too dangerous. One Soul Master has already lost his life over it." In Old Jack's eyes, Su Chen and Zhang Ping were far too young to take on such a dangerous mission!
"Old village chief, don't look down on us. I'm a Soul Elder." As one of the Spirit Hall Seed Players, Zhang Ping possessed a genius's unbending pride. She stamped her foot, and three Soul Rings appeared around her. From top to bottom, their colors were yellow, yellow, and purple.
"A Soul... Soul Elder!" Old Jack had never seen such a sight. He could not help crying out, stumbling back a step in fright.
"That's right. See the person beside me? His name is Su Chen, and he's the Direct Disciple of Her Holiness the Pope of Spirit Hall!" Zhang Ping withdrew her soul power and introduced Su Chen.
"Su Chen?"
Old Jack looked Su Chen up and down. Although Su Chen wore a mask that concealed his face, the little details about him still carried a familiar air. With excitement filling his eyes, Old Jack stammered, "You... are you the Su Chen who left our Holy Soul Village?"
"Grandpa Jack, you finally recognized me!" Su Chen smiled.
"Su Chen, you've come back!" Old Jack was so excited that even his stooped body straightened.
"Yes, Grandpa Jack! While I'm back this time, I'll also look into the disappearances. Grandpa Jack, please tell me exactly what's going on." Su Chen nodded and asked with a serious expression.
Su Chen had chosen the Great Soul Arena in Suotuo City as his training ground precisely so that he could lend a hand if anything happened in Holy Soul Village. To Su Chen, Holy Soul Village was his hometown. He had never expected it to run into trouble so soon!
Before you continue