"Elder Yu, what brings you here?" The senior disciple in charge immediately put down the leisure book in his hands, titled "My Sword Spirit Wife," and looked nervously at the old man.
Lin Jing looked over too. If he remembered correctly, Elder Yu oversaw outer sect affairs. In the outer sect, he was the boss.
"Ziran, what are you reading now?" Elder Yu frowned and extended a hand. The senior disciple's book immediately flew into his grasp.
"Elder! This book was written by Daoist Jian Qingfeng of the Heavenly Sword Sect. It contains profound truths of the sword Dao and is by no means useless light reading..." Before the senior disciple could finish, Elder Yu gave a cold snort and confiscated the book.
"Reading leisure books during working hours. Your penalty is half a month's Spirit Stones."
The senior disciple looked as though his pet beast had died.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak..." The Pineleaf Squirrel covered its mouth and snickered.
Just then, Elder Yu turned his gaze toward the Pineleaf Squirrel... toward Lin Jing.
The Pineleaf Squirrel immediately wiped the smile off its face, terrified that he might fine it half a bag of leaves.
"Hmm?"
"You're Lin Jing?" After a glance, Elder Yu suddenly spoke.
"In answer to Elder Yu, this disciple is indeed named Lin Jing." Lin Jing was not surprised that the outer sect elder recognized him. Elder Mo had brought him back and placed him in the outer sect, so he must have put in a word with Elder Yu.
"Are you here to take on a mission?" Elder Yu asked.
Lin Jing nodded.
Elder Yu pondered for a moment, then said, "It looks like you haven't found a suitable one yet. Would you prefer a mission that pays Spirit Stones, or one that pays sect contribution points?"
Lin Jing froze. What did the outer sect elder mean...?
Was he going to tailor one for him?
"In answer to Elder, this disciple would like both."
Elder Yu choked for a moment, then said, "I came here precisely to post a mission."
"The Rising Dragon Festival is approaching. We need a large quantity of spirit bamboo to manufacture mechanical beasts. An Outer Gate Disciple with a wood-element pet beast may take this mission and go to the Golden Pearl Ravine to harvest spirit bamboo in exchange for Spirit Stones and sect contribution points. For now, only one person may accept it."
"I see that you have contracted a Pineleaf Squirrel. Would you like to take this mission?"
Huh?
The senior disciple in charge and the other four Outer Gate Disciples were dumbfounded. They looked at the unfamiliar Lin Jing and began guessing at his background.
Elder Yu had practically written "backroom dealings," "special treatment," and "abuse of authority" right on the mission wall!
Just who... was this guy?
"This disciple is willing!" Although Lin Jing still did not quite understand what was going on, as an honest man, he could hardly refuse to give the elder face.
"Ziran, record the mission. For every ten stalks of bamboo harvested, the reward will be one Spirit Stone, plus one sect contribution point," Elder Yu said. "Leave it to this disciple."
With that, he swept his broad sleeve and left the Mission Hall.
Once Elder Yu was gone, Senior Brother Ziran immediately looked at Lin Jing with admiration. "Junior Brother, congratulations. Having caught Elder Yu's eye, your future prospects are immeasurable."
Lin Jing returned the courtesy. "Just good luck, that's all. Senior Brother, what exactly is this mission about? Could you explain it to me?"
With his book gone, Senior Brother Ziran had time to spare, so he explained, "You know about the Rising Dragon Festival, right?"
It was one of the Heavenly Origin Ancient Kingdom's traditional festivals. Legend had it that the kingdom's founder, the first Ancient Emperor, had used the True Dragon Secret Art to awaken the mountain range at the very center of the Heavenly Origin Continent. The mountains had risen into the air and transformed into a divine dragon, taking on the duty of protecting the Heavenly Origin Ancient Kingdom.
This enormous dragon was also a symbol of the Heavenly Origin Ancient Kingdom's fortune. It slumbered within the earth, becoming a dragon vein of fortune that guarded the ancient kingdom generation after generation. Whenever a disaster too powerful to withstand struck within the kingdom, it would awaken and suppress the calamity.
Over time, to commemorate this enormous dragon transformed from a mountain range, the day of its birth had become a traditional festival. It was celebrated not only in the cultivation world, but among mortals as well.
Lin Jing had not expected the Beast Taming Sect to make a point of celebrating this festival too.
"The Beast Taming Sect celebrates the Rising Dragon Festival every year. Of course, we don't make a huge production of it. We just hold a few small events as usual."
"The festival is also a good opportunity for both inner and outer sect disciples to show what they can do."
"And here in the Beast Taming Sect, there's a very special event during the Rising Dragon Festival celebrations: 'Dragon-Beast Contest.'"
"Disciples can send out their pet beasts to challenge the 'dragon'!"
"Of course, this dragon isn't a true dragon. Our Beast Taming Sect doesn't have any true dragons yet. This 'dragon' refers to a Mechanism Dragon made using Mechanism Art."
"When Elder Yu was young, he traveled the continent and learned how to manufacture mechanical beasts, a branch of Mechanism Art among the hundred arts of cultivation!"
"That craft is still quite rare in our Beast Taming Sect."
"Because of this talent, Elder Yu now oversees the sect's Rising Dragon Festival every year. Since he's posted a mission to harvest spirit bamboo, he's probably planning to use it to make a Bamboo Mechanical Dragon."
As soon as the senior disciple in charge finished speaking, another Outer Gate Disciple in the Mission Hall said excitedly, "A Bamboo Mechanical Dragon! Looks like this year's Mechanism Dragon will be wood-element. My pet beast is a Fire Spirit Sparrow, so it'll have an elemental advantage."
"This is valuable news. We can start studying how to deal with wood-aspect beasts right now," another Outer Gate Disciple said.
"Over the years, defeating the Mechanism Dragon has always earned substantial rewards. Spirit Stones, pills, magical treasures, spells—you name it. That's why both inner and outer sect disciples are eager to try," Senior Brother Ziran said with a smile. "But the Mechanism Dragon... while it's only equivalent to Qi Refining cultivation at most, and its combat strength won't be too outrageous, it's still the work of a Golden Core elder. Defeating it isn't that easy."
"I see." Lin Jing understood now. He continued, "Senior Brother, is there anything particular I should know about harvesting spirit bamboo?"
Although he had been working hard to learn all sorts of knowledge about Spirit Plants, he had not been studying for very long.
"The Golden Pearl Ravine is a gorge between two peaks in the northern foothills of the Beast Taming Sect. There's a sea of bamboo there that produces plenty of spirit bamboo. If I remember correctly, this type of spirit bamboo must be felled with an axe imbued with wood-element properties, or it'll lose its special qualities."
"Oh, wood spells should have the same effect, like the Pineleaf Squirrel's Flying Leaf Technique. Elder Yu said just now that he gave you this mission because he saw you had a Pineleaf Squirrel." Senior Brother Ziran once again looked envious.
"The rewards for this mission are incredibly generous. Even among the missions available to inner sect disciples, there probably aren't any that pay this well."
"But..." He studied Lin Jing and the Pineleaf Squirrel.
"Is your Pineleaf Squirrel still at the third level of Qi Refining? From what I know, spirit bamboo is incredibly tough. Even a Mid-Qi Refining Pineleaf Squirrel would probably need to use the Flying Leaf Technique several times to cut down a single stalk. It takes a great deal of effort!"
"I'm afraid cutting through spirit bamboo with its Flying Leaf Technique won't be easy."
The senior disciple in charge suddenly understood. He had been wondering why Elder Yu was being so generous.
He had just been thinking that the rewards seemed a little too generous. As it turned out, Elder Yu was certain that this junior brother's strength would not allow him to harvest much spirit bamboo. If his main intention was to help him train the Flying Leaf Technique, then it all made sense.
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