Taking on a mission

Time knew no bounds in cultivation, and seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

After thoroughly mastering all three cultivation methods he had selected from the Hall of Cultivation Method, Ying Ming Hao had carefully refined the Burial Life Blade.

Now, in the courtyard kitchen, Ming Hao's face was pitch-black, as though it had been stained with ink, and thick smoke kept puffing from his mouth.

His eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the beef slices in the wok, which had already turned to charcoal. The corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

Ming Hao had grown up surrounded by fine clothes and sumptuous food, living a life where he merely stretched out his arms to be dressed and opened his mouth to be fed.

A whole crowd of guards and maids had attended him. Whatever he needed, a single glance was enough for someone to immediately take care of it.

Now, however, with Qing Yun and the others no longer by his side, things that normally seemed so simple became terribly difficult when he tried doing them himself.

Having gone hungry for seven whole days, Ming Hao simply refused to believe he could not cook a meal. He muttered to himself:

"That's not right. I clearly saw Qing Yun and the others do it this way. First light the fire, then wash the wok, add oil, add the ingredients, and stir-fry everything. Isn't that all? How did it turn into a black lump when I did it?!"

The more he thought about it, the more something seemed wrong. He wondered to himself, Which step went wrong? I refuse to believe I can't do this. I'll throw this black stuff out and try again!

No sooner said than done. Without hesitation, Ming Hao picked up the spatula, scraped out the beef slices that had turned to charcoal, and prepared to start cooking again...

A little while later, accompanied by a strong burnt smell, Ming Hao walked out with a blackened face...

An hour later, outside the Dining Hall, Ming Hao patted his round belly, his face brimming with bliss!

Coming to the Dining Hall really is quicker. It doesn't taste all that great, though. I'll cook for myself next time. Yes, next time...

Outside the Hall of Missions for Inner Disciples,

Ying Ming Hao stood watching the disciples rushing in and out of the Hall of Missions, utterly speechless.

He grumbled inwardly, It's just a sect mission. Do they really need to rush around like this?

Before long, however, he would understand why these disciples were in such a hurry.

For Inner Disciples, the small sect mission they had to complete each month was a habit, an obligation that had to be fulfilled.

If they did not finish it early, they felt uneasy all over, as though they had left something undone.

Of course, some disciples chose to take on several missions and fulfill the next few months' requirements in advance, leaving themselves more time to cultivate or do other things.

Ying Ming Hao took a deep breath and stepped into the Hall of Missions. The moment he entered, a deafening roar of voices engulfed him.

He looked closely and saw eight enormous Projection Steles, each marked at the top with a different mission rating ranging from one to five stars.

The one-star area alone occupied three Projection Steles. Its missions were relatively simple, and it was also where the most people crowded beneath the steles to choose missions.

The five-star area offered the greatest difficulty. Only a few hundred people stood beneath its Projection Stele choosing missions, a stark contrast to the nearly ten thousand gathered around the four-star area.

Ying Ming Hao curiously examined the various mission ratings, wondering what sort of mission he should choose.

After some thought, Ming Hao decided he should start with a one-star mission to familiarize himself with the procedures and rules and get used to doing missions.

Thus, he headed to the one-star mission area.

However, he was too far away to make out the specific missions listed there.

With no other choice, he steeled himself and squeezed forward, hoping to get close enough to read them.

But there were simply too many people. Ming Hao struggled for quite some time without managing to squeeze through.

He grew irritated and refused to accept defeat.

Just then, he spotted a narrow gap ahead. This was his chance! He immediately seized it, gripping the people on either side with both hands and squeezing inward with all his strength.

As Ming Hao desperately squeezed forward, the two burly men ahead suddenly felt an itch at their waists.

Both turned to look behind them, but neither noticed anything unusual. There was no one else around them, either.

They found it strange but paid little attention, turning back to keep forcing their way forward.

A little while later, however, the itch returned. They looked back again and still saw nothing.

This was truly bizarre! They exchanged glances, each seemingly suspecting the other of playing tricks.

One of the burly men glared at the other and growled:

"Are you up to something, you thick-browed, big-eyed bastard? Keep this up, and don't blame me for getting rough!"

He turned back and continued squeezing inward.

A little while later, the itch struck again, even stronger than before.

The two burly men finally reached the end of their patience. Both whipped around and fiercely scanned their surroundings, but there was still nothing behind them-not even a shadow of a person.

"Fuck! What the hell is going on?" one of them cursed angrily.

Almost simultaneously, both shouted in unison:

"Are you playing some dirty little trick, you thick-browed, big-eyed bastard?!"

The words had barely left their mouths when the other burly man flew into a rage. Pointing at his opponent's nose, he roared:

"Oh, so a thick-browed, big-eyed bastard like you dares play the villain crying victim! Take this!"

With that, he swung his fist hard at the other man.

The two burly men immediately began brawling, their fists thudding into flesh. As they twisted and shifted, they shoved Ying Ming Hao seven or eight steps back.

Ying Ming Hao stared at the two giants, each nearly two meters tall, his expression darkening as he blurted out:

"Motherfucker..."

Everyone was busy squeezing inward, however, and amid the uproar, no one noticed what he was saying.

After a while, Ming Hao tired himself out with his cursing and had no choice but to turn toward the two-star mission area.

In the two-star mission area, Ming Hao looked at what seemed to be an even larger crowd than the one-star area's, and the corner of his mouth twitched!

He seemed to understand why the disciples he had seen outside the hall had all been in such a hurry.

After grumbling inwardly for a while, Ming Hao could only turn toward the three-star mission area to try his luck.

There were noticeably fewer people in the three-star mission area than in the one- and two-star areas, and Ming Hao squeezed through with ease.

The Projection Stele was densely packed with missions. Missions were quickly taken, and new ones immediately appeared to replace them.

Easy, worthwhile missions were rare. Whenever one appeared, it was snatched up instantly. Quick hands got something; slow hands got nothing.

Three-star mission: Go to the Ferocious Beast Mountains and gather ten eighth-grade pills to complete one mission. Reward: one hundred lower-grade spirit stones and one hundred sect contribution points. Repeatable, with no limit on completions or cultivation level...

Three-star mission: Go to the Ferocious Beast Mountains and retrieve ten Eighth-Grade Ferocious Beast Cores to complete one mission. Reward: one hundred lower-grade spirit stones and one hundred sect contribution points. Repeatable, with no limit on completions. Minimum cultivation requirement: Out-of-Body Realm...

Three-star mission: Go to Ascension City...

Three-star mission: Go to the Pill Hall to assist...

Three-star mission: Go to the Back Mountain Range and retrieve an eighth-grade spirit bee hive along with its spirit bees. Reward: fifty lower-grade spirit stones and thirty sect contribution points. Limited to ten completions...

Ming Hao's eyes lit up. This one's good. The Back Mountain Range is right behind the sect. It's close, so the trip there and back will be quick, and I can do it more than once. This is the one.

He immediately ran over to the registration steward and said he wanted to take that mission.

The steward checked and said, "Someone just took this three-star mission. Please find another."

A pretty senior sister beside him spoke up.

"Junior brother, I took that mission. You'll have to find another. Hahahaha..."

Ming Hao was speechless. He could only look for another one.

Three-star mission: Go to the bottom of the South Sea and retrieve seventh-grade coral...

Three-star mission: Go to Heavenly Sun City and investigate the case of the missing undergarments belonging to young noblewomen in the city...

Three-star mission: Go to the snowy mountains and find a thousand-year-old snow fox...