The Mission Hall was where the sect posted missions.
The outer sect's Mission Hall had three floors in total. The first floor served servant disciples, the second served outer disciples, and the third served outer sect stewards and elders.
On the first floor of the Mission Hall, countless mission jade slips hung all around for anyone to choose from.
Most missions available to servant disciples involved odd jobs, such as cleaning herb gardens, planting spirit rice, and felling spirit trees. Those with somewhat higher cultivation could also take sparring missions.
When Ye Xuan arrived at the Mission Hall, he passed over the low-level missions by the entrance and headed farther inside.
[Sparring mission: requires Qi Refining Third Layer and proficiency in fist techniques and swordsmanship. Duration: four hours. Reward: one spirit stone.] [Pill-testing mission: minimum Qi Refining First Layer. Test medicinal pills. Reward: one spirit stone for every five pills.]
He scanned the missions one after another. Most were sparring missions or highly dangerous ones, none of which were particularly suitable.
Could I really have no choice but to sign in here?
Ye Xuan was somewhat unwilling to settle. The Mission Hall was utterly unremarkable, and he felt that signing in here would not yield anything good.
Just as Ye Xuan was about to give up, a new jade slip appeared among the missions.
[Herbal assistant: minimum Qi Refining First Layer. Knowledge of medicinal properties preferred. Sort and grind medicinal herbs. One spirit stone per day.]
I can take this one!
Although Ye Xuan had never studied medicinal properties, he had spent three years as a servant disciple and taken plenty of missions tending herb fields. His memories contained a fair amount of basic medicinal knowledge.
He formed a method formula and accepted the mission, only to find that two other cultivators had accepted it as well.
Soon, the outer disciple who had posted the mission gathered the three of them. Of the other two, one was at Qi Refining Second Layer, and the other was at Qi Refining Third Layer.
"I'm Ji Fenghe. I only intend to recruit one herbal assistant for this mission, so I'll ask you a few questions about medicinal properties. Whoever gives the best answers will get the mission."
The three nodded. Ji Fenghe wore the blue-green robes of an outer disciple, a sunny smile on his face and a folding fan in his hand. He stood like a jade tree in the breeze, refined and courteous.
"First question: how should white summer grass be processed?"
"White summer grass is slightly cold in nature and sweet in taste. Its leaves turn grayish white when mature. Dig up its roots, remove the rootlets, dry them in the sun, and grind them into powder."
Ye Xuan answered first. White summer grass was widely grown outside and was said to be one of the ingredients used to refine Qi Gathering Pills.
"Very good. Second question: how should yellow abundant mugwort be harvested and processed?"
"Yellow abundant mugwort has straight, woody stems and simple leaves. The leaves turn yellow when mature. Pick the leaves, dry them in the sun, and grind them into powder."
The disciple at Qi Refining Third Layer answered first.
"That's incorrect. Yellow abundant mugwort favors shade. After picking its leaves, they should be air-dried or dried in the shade."
Ye Xuan shook his head and corrected him.
Hearing Ye Xuan's answer, Ji Fenghe nodded in satisfaction, then asked several more questions, all of which Ye Xuan answered using his exceptional memory.
"Very good. You're the one. Come with me."
With that, Ji Fenghe beckoned, and a gourd appeared in midair. The two climbed onto it and flew into the distance.
"For the next few days, you'll help me harvest and process medicinal herbs. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."
Ji Fenghe spoke to Ye Xuan. A few days earlier, his master had tested his alchemy skills, and to his surprise, the Qi Gathering Pills he took such pride in had been disparaged as utterly worthless.
Ji Fenghe had found this rather hard to accept. The Qi Gathering Pills he refined contained nearly twenty percent fewer impurities than those made by other disciples. Even the pill shops on Wood Moon Peak scrambled to buy them.
But his master had casually refined a batch of flawless Qi Gathering Pills, dealing a heavy blow to Ji Fenghe's confidence. That was why he had posted this mission: he intended to bring the medicinal efficacy of his Qi Gathering Pills up to eighty percent.
The two soon arrived at a mountain peak. Ye Xuan could clearly feel that the spiritual Qi here was several times denser than at his residence.
If I could cultivate here, my cultivation speed would increase greatly.
"Wood Spirit Peak is covered in herb fields. Your task is to gather the herbs listed in the pill formula from these fields and process them properly. I know exactly what's there, so don't ruin your own prospects."
Ji Fenghe led Ye Xuan around Wood Spirit Peak before finally arriving at an alchemy chamber, where he handed Ye Xuan a pill formula.
A formula for Qi Gathering Pills!
Ye Xuan was somewhat surprised. Although the formula for Qi Gathering Pills was not expensive, it still cost several dozen low-grade spirit stones. He had not expected Ji Fenghe to simply give it to him, and immediately cupped his fist.
"Rest assured, Senior Brother Ji!"
"Good. I'll start refining pills. Go make the preparations. Once you've processed the herbs, bring them to the Alchemy Chamber."
With that, Ji Fenghe ducked into the Alchemy Chamber.
Ye Xuan took a deep breath. Holding the token and pill formula Ji Fenghe had given him, he strode toward the spirit fields, where the spiritual Qi was even denser.
Unfortunately, the token Ji Fenghe had given him could only open the spirit fields containing the herbs listed in the Qi Gathering Pill formula.
Upon reaching the herb field, Ye Xuan shouted inwardly.
System, sign in!
[Ding!] [Sign-in successful!] [Host's first sign-in at Wood Spirit Peak. Congratulations, Host, on obtaining a high-grade wood spirit root!] [Claim the sign-in reward now?]
A high-grade wood spirit root!
Ye Xuan's breathing quickened.
Every disciple had their spirit root tested when they entered the Azure Feather Dao Sect.
Those with top-grade spirit roots would have inner sect elders fighting to take them as disciples.
Those with high-grade spirit roots could enter the inner sect directly.
Those with Mid-Grade Spirit Roots and low-grade spirit roots could enter the outer sect.
Those with trash spirit roots could only become servant disciples.
Claim the reward!
Ye Xuan shouted excitedly in his mind.
In an instant, Ye Xuan felt shackles within his body unlock. The circulation of spiritual Qi accelerated dozens of times over, and the surrounding spiritual Qi swarmed toward him.
If a high-grade spirit root gives me this kind of cultivation speed, wouldn't a top-grade spirit root let my cultivation advance a thousand miles in a single day?
Delighted surprise showed on Ye Xuan's face. He decided to do this mission well and build a good relationship with Ji Fenghe so that he could keep coming to Wood Spirit Peak to sign in.
After calming himself a little, Ye Xuan began diligently harvesting and processing the herbs.
Some delicate herbs had to be sealed in jade boxes when harvested, which was quite troublesome. Thus, it took Ye Xuan four busy hours to finish preparing ten sets of ingredients for Qi Gathering Pills.
"Senior Brother Ji, here are ten sets of ingredients."
Ye Xuan walked into the Alchemy Chamber. A pill furnace stood in the center, and Ji Fenghe had his palm pressed against it, paying no attention to Ye Xuan's arrival.
"Haha, they're finally done! Seventy-two percent efficacy. The impurities really have decreased."
After a while, Ji Fenghe suddenly slapped the pill furnace, and more than ten blue-green pills flew out. He picked one up and examined it for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Congratulations on your success in alchemy, Senior Brother Ji!"
Ye Xuan offered his congratulations.
"Hehe, not at all, not at all. Thanks for the hard work preparing the herbs. These pills are yours."
Ji Fenghe chuckled, clearly pleased by Ye Xuan's praise, and casually tossed him five Qi Gathering Pills.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Ji!"
Ye Xuan hurriedly thanked him. A single Qi Gathering Pill was worth one low-grade spirit stone. Even the way Ye Xuan looked at Ji Fenghe changed.