Selecting a Mission

The Mission Hall was livelier than Ning Buhui had imagined.

It was afternoon, and plenty of Soul Masters were coming and going, some in groups and some alone. Several large wooden boards hung on the walls, divided into A, B, C, and D sections and covered with all kinds of mission sheets. Some had yellowed and curled at the edges, clearly having hung there a long time; others had fresh ink, evidently only just posted. Hu Liena led the way, heading straight for the B section.

"Let's look at the B-rank missions first." She turned and beckoned to the other three. "Moderate difficulty, good for testing ourselves."

Yan strode at the very front, using his size to part the crowd for the other three. Hu Liena followed behind him, her eyes already sweeping over the notice wall. Xie Yue brought up the rear, silent as ever.

Ning Buhui walked between the three of them, his gaze roaming over the mission sheets covering the wall. When he had read novels in his previous life, the mission hall had always been nothing more than a backdrop, and any mission the protagonists casually picked up would turn into a life-or-death battle. Only when he stood here himself did he discover how full of trivialities the place was. Driving away harmful beasts, gathering Soul Beast materials, escorting merchant caravans, investigating abnormal Soul Power fluctuations, and there was even a request for help finding a cat... Sheets covered an entire wall, packed together, with everything imaginable.

Yan moved up to the wall, gave it a cursory look, and reached for the topmost sheet. "This one. Hunt an eight-thousand-year Vigorous Vajra Ape. It's just right."

Xie Yue glanced at it. "That beast could slap you into the ground with one swing."

"Isn't that perfect?" Yan grinned. "Going head-to-head is the satisfying way."

"We're going to test ourselves, not throw our lives away." Hu Liena slapped his hand aside and continued looking along the wall.

Ning Buhui remained silent, looking down the sheets one by one instead. Several were quite difficult, such as hunting the cub of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, gathering lava concentrate from deep inside a volcano, and investigating the frequent Soul Power abnormalities that had recently appeared in a certain swamp. They were either too dangerous, too time-consuming, or simply didn't lack people.

He considered it. For their first mission, it would be best to choose one with a clear objective and moderate difficulty, one that would also let the four of them practice working together.

"This one." Hu Liena suddenly stopped and pulled down a sheet.

Ning Buhui leaned over to look. It had been posted by a Spirit Hall elder skilled in crafting Soul Tools. The elder was busy making a defensive Soul Tool shoulder guard and needed the deep-blue mane and intact shoulder bone of a Mist-Hidden Shadow Wolf. The mane was to be woven into the energy-conducting lining inside the Soul Tool, while the shoulder bone would serve as the shoulder guard's base material. The handwriting was neat, the wording polite, and the reward was good too.

"Mist-Hidden Shadow Wolf?" Yan took the mission sheet and read it aloud. "Hunt a forty-five-hundred-year pack leader and eliminate four young wolves as well. Retrieve the deep-blue mane and shoulder bone. They must be killed and harvested on-site, and the materials kept intact." He smacked his lips. "Forty-five hundred years is manageable for us, but add a pack of four young wolves, each one or two thousand years old, and it'll be a tough fight."

"Mist Swamp Forest." Xie Yue looked at the location on the sheet, his brow twitching slightly. "I know that place. A thin gray-blue mist hangs over the forest all year round. Visibility is terrible, and Spiritual Detection gets disrupted too. The wolf pack will be like fish in water there, while we'll be at a disadvantage once we go in."

"That's why we need teamwork," Hu Liena said. "And look at the reward-fifteen hundred points. That's high for a B-rank mission."

Ning Buhui listened without interrupting. His gaze fell on the note at the bottom of the mission sheet, where a line was written in tiny characters: The wolf pack excels at circling behind and harassing its enemies. A team is recommended, and the battle should be ended quickly.

"The difficulty is moderate," Hu Liena continued. "It's a more reliable choice than the eight-thousand-year Vigorous Vajra Ape, and the swamp forest's mist doesn't interfere too strongly with spiritual power. I should still be able to use Charm."

"What do you think?" Xie Yue also felt the mission was doable and looked at Ning Buhui and Yan.

Ning Buhui thought it was doable too. A forty-five-hundred-year Mist-Hidden Shadow Wolf would not be hard to handle, and the young wolves' skill at hiding and launching sneak attacks would be just right for honing their teamwork.

Yan scratched his head. "You decide. I'm only responsible for fighting."

"Then this one?" Hu Liena shook the sheet in her hand. "Forty-five hundred years. Between the four of us, we have offense, control, and support. It shouldn't be hard to handle."

"But we can't underestimate them," Xie Yue warned. "Soul Beasts that live in packs are harder to deal with than solitary ones. One pack leader and four young wolves aren't as simple as one plus one equals two. And a place like the swamp forest is also very unfavorable for us to fight in."

After discussing it, the four decided to take the mission and went to register with the sheet.

The four walked up to the counter and handed over the mission sheet. The attendant behind the counter was a woman in her forties. She took the sheet, looked it over, then looked up and glanced at the four of them. Her gaze lingered on Ning Buhui for an extra moment, as though she wanted to say something, but in the end she only lowered her head, registered the mission, and handed them a bronze token.

"The mission has been registered. I wish all four of you success."

Then they discussed their battle plan.

"The mission spells it out clearly. The pack relies on hiding and circling behind its enemies; its strength in a direct fight isn't particularly great. There are four of us, so we can cover one another," Ning Buhui said. "And in the mist, I can provide steady support. You'll be less affected, and the effect on me will be limited too."

"A forty-five-hundred-year pack leader, plus four young wolves one or two thousand years old." Xie Yue pondered for a moment. "Leave the leader to me. I'll hold it off while you deal with the smaller ones first."

"I'll hold the front." Yan patted his chest. "If the wolves circle around behind us, I'll definitely be the first one they run into."

"I can control the field." Hu Liena twirled a lock of her hair around her finger. "My perception is stronger than yours in the mist, so I can keep track of their movements."

After a brief discussion, they turned and left.

They came out of the Mission Hall. The evening wind met them head-on, carrying the chill of early spring. Yan rolled his shoulders, already considering how to fight the pack leader; Xie Yue said nothing, quietly planning the route in his head; Hu Liena walked at the front, her steps light.

"Leaving tomorrow?" Ning Buhui asked.

"The day after tomorrow." Hu Liena looked back at him. "You need to go to the side hall tomorrow, don't you? You should let Teacher know."

Ning Buhui nodded. He did need to tell Bibi Dong about the mission.

"Then let's meet at the west side gate early the day after tomorrow," Hu Liena said. "The journey will take three days, so bring enough dry rations."

"Got it."

The four went their separate ways. Ning Buhui headed for the quiet room. As he passed Pope Hall, he saw from a distance that the lights in the side hall were still on. He stood there for a while but did not go in, intending to visit tomorrow instead. It so happened that Bibi Dong had also seemed to have something to discuss with him after he returned from the Soul Beast Forest.

Back in his room, Ning Buhui altered the back of his clothes so that releasing the Wind Thunder Wings would no longer burst them apart. Otherwise, he would have to take off his upper garments every time he released them.

Then he began packing the things he needed for the trip into his ring. Dry rations, waterskins, medicinal powder, a hunting knife, a change of clothes-he packed everything he needed.

Since he had to go out tomorrow, he did not continue cultivating that night. He lay in bed thinking about things. He thought about his first mission and the forty-five-hundred-year Mist-Hidden Shadow Wolf, and before he knew it, he fell asleep.