Accepting a Mission
System, raise Innate Primordial Qi to perfection! Lu Feng said silently.
[Ding! The cultivation technique is incomplete (only the first half is available) and cannot be directly raised to perfection.] [Spend 1 million Demon Points to complete the Innate Primordial Qi cultivation technique?]
What? It can even complete cultivation techniques? Lu Feng was startled, then gave a wry smile.
He had only a little over thirty thousand Demon Points now. Never mind a million-he didn't even have a tenth of that.
Don't complete it. Spend Demon Points directly to increase my progress in the existing technique!
[Ding! Spent 35,000 Demon Points. Innate Primordial Qi progress increased to 35%!]
As soon as the words fell, an incomparably pure surge of force Qi burst from Lu Feng's dantian, rushing through his limbs and bones like a racing stream.
Boom!
Lu Feng's presence surged, and the force Qi within him churned wildly, breaking through the barrier of Ming Jin Perfection and propelling him into Early Nei Jin in an instant!
But the force Qi didn't stop. It continued to nourish his meridians in an endless stream, and his presence soared again. In mere moments, he successfully broke through to Mid Nei Jin!
Lu Feng felt power fill his entire body. Every inch of his skin burned, and the force Qi within him was condensed and abundant.
He rose and gently sent a pulse of Nei Jin at the stone stool in the corner.
The surface of the stool appeared not to have shifted in the slightest, but when Lu Feng lightly touched it with his finger, a crisp crack rang out. The stool instantly shattered into a cloud of fragments that scattered across the floor.
"So this is Nei Jin!" Wild joy flashed in Lu Feng's eyes.
It could injure an enemy without a trace, leaving nothing visible on the surface. It was far more overbearing and far more concealed than the power of Ming Jin!
He sat cross-legged again and spent some time consolidating his Mid Nei Jin cultivation. Only when his presence had steadied did he open the system panel again:
[Host: Lu Feng] [Cultivation: Mid Nei Jin;] [Cultivation techniques: Innate Primordial Qi (35% progress); Gale Saber Art (perfection); Carefree Steps (perfection); Gate-Severing Saber Art (perfection); Grasping Hand (perfection); Iron Cloth Shirt (perfection); Treading on Snow Without a Trace (perfection);] [Demon Points: 100;]
"I didn't expect to use up more than thirty thousand Demon Points all at once." Lu Feng smiled helplessly, then rose, pushed open the door, and walked out.
"Lu Feng, you finally came out!"
As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Chen Hu leaning against the wall, waiting, his face full of anticipation. "Miss Xiaolian came by just now. She told us to find her once we were ready."
The two had barely gone a few steps when they met Xiaolian coming toward them.
"Miss Xiaolian, what did you need us for?" Lu Feng asked, cupping his hands.
Xiaolian smiled and waved the two brocade boxes in her hands. "Your Demon-Slaying Guard tokens are ready. I'll take you to collect your clothing and equipment. From now on, you must wear the Demon-Slaying Bureau's standard equipment when you're on a mission."
With that, she led the two men to the equipment storehouse.
Inside, a white-haired old man was sorting equipment with his head lowered. When he saw Xiaolian enter, he immediately came over with a broad smile. "Miss Xiaolian, you're here. These two must be the new Demon-Slaying Guards, right? Their equipment has been ready for some time."
The old man handed over two brocade boxes. Lu Feng opened one and found a fitted black uniform inside. The Demon-Slaying Bureau's wolf-head emblem was embroidered at the waist, understated yet imposing. There was also a black token and a long saber gleaming with a cold light.
"Try them on. If they don't fit, I'll have them adjusted for you," Xiaolian said.
Lu Feng and Chen Hu hurried into the changing cubicles to the side and put on their Demon-Slaying Guard uniforms.
When they came out, Xiaolian's eyes lit up. She smiled and said, "Not bad, not bad. They fit perfectly. Anyone can tell at a glance that you're from the Demon-Slaying Bureau!"
She picked up their tokens and explained in detail, "Besides letting you enter and leave the Demon-Slaying Bureau, these tokens can be used to accept missions and redeem Merit Points. They also record your Merit Points, so make sure you don't lose them."
Lu Feng touched the token at his waist and suddenly remembered the storage bag Zhao An had used. He hurriedly asked, "Miss Xiaolian, how can we obtain storage bags?"
Ever since seeing Zhao An use one to hold demon beast corpses, he had wanted one himself. That way, when he killed demon beasts in the future, he would no longer have to trouble himself with carrying their corpses.
"You can exchange for storage bags at the exchange pavilion in the Demon-Slaying Hall," Xiaolian explained. "A storage bag with ten cubic meters of space costs 100 Merit Points."
She paused, then added, "Oh, right. The Demon-Slaying Bureau gives every newcomer 100 Merit Points when they join, just enough to exchange for one storage bag. Your tokens already have 100 Merit Points on them."
Lu Feng quickly picked up his token. The words "Demon-Slaying Guard" were engraved on one side, while the other clearly displayed a Merit Point balance of "100."
"Most newcomers use those 100 Merit Points to exchange for healing pills or body-tempering pills. After all, pills are more useful in the early stages of cultivation." Seeing the eagerness in Lu Feng's eyes, Xiaolian smiled and reminded him, "I suggest you go take a look at the Demon-Slaying Hall first, then decide what to exchange for."
"Thank you for the reminder, Miss Xiaolian." Lu Feng cupped his hands in thanks, then headed for the Demon-Slaying Hall with Chen Hu.
As soon as they entered the Demon-Slaying Hall, they felt the strong air of cultivation and the bustling atmosphere.
The mission hall occupied the center of the main hall. A huge wooden board was densely covered with all kinds of missions, the writing clear and the rewards plainly stated;
Beside the mission hall was the merit hall, which handled merit registration and item exchanges. Behind it were the pill pavilion, armory, cultivation technique pavilion, and other facilities, all neatly arranged by category.
Lu Feng and Chen Hu first walked up to the mission hall and looked up at the missions on the wooden board, quickly scanning them:
[Mission 1: Go to Demon Wind Forest and gather 10 blood-clotting herbs. Reward: 10 Merit Points;] [Mission 2: Go to Pingnan Mountain and slay a second-tier fox demon (threatening villagers). Reward: 200 Merit Points + 1 healing pill;] [Mission 3: Villagers in Qingfeng Town suddenly began disappearing three days ago. Mission requirements: Investigate the cause of the disappearances and eliminate the hidden danger. Reward: 500-5,000 Merit Points (depending on mission difficulty);] [Mission 4: Clear out the group of first-tier demon beasts at Black Wind Cliff (approximately 20). Reward: 200 Merit Points + 2 Body-Tempering Pills;]
Lu Feng's eyes gleamed as he looked at the densely packed missions. His Nei Jin cultivation technique needed to be completed, he needed to exchange for a storage bag, and more cultivation resources waited for him to obtain them-and all of that required a large number of Merit Points!
But just as he was about to choose a mission, Chen Hu suddenly tugged at his sleeve and lowered his voice, his expression grave. "Lu Feng, look over there... it's Lin Shan!"
Lu Feng looked in the direction he was pointing and, sure enough, saw a familiar figure standing in a corner of the mission hall, speaking in a low voice with a Demon-Slaying Guard, his expression sinister.
The two exchanged a glance but didn't approach immediately. It wasn't time to make a move yet.
Most of the missions on the board were basic assignments to gather medicinal herbs or slay demon beasts. Lu Feng glanced over them and noticed that quite a few Demon-Slaying Guards accepted gathering and demon-slaying missions together, allowing them to earn Merit Points while making efficient use of their journey.