"Spirit-grade Mission: Suspected demon activity crossing the boundary in the Western Borders. Recommendation: Cultivators at the core formation stage or above. Reward: 4,000 merit points..."
"Grade B Mission: Xu Feng, an Elder of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, lost a storage bag near Frost City. No limit on the number of attempts; return the storage bag to complete the task. Reward: 500 merit points."
Xu Xian clicked his tongue. Truly stingy!
"Grade A Mission: A water beast is wreaking havoc in the Luo River, harassing passing ships and causing widespread panic. The village chief burned spirit incense to request aid. Base reward: 4,000 points, subject to increase based on the beast's strength... Recommendation: Disciples at the core formation stage or above."
Spirit incense.
It was a communication tool used exclusively by immortals.
When mortals burned spirit incense to convey their requests, a sliver of mental intent within the incense would drift back to the Wendao Sword Sect on the wind. It wasn't exactly high-tech, but it was a convenient way for the mortal realm to communicate with immortals—somewhat like a cultivation version of a carrier pigeon.
'This one isn't bad, but I'm not good at aquatic combat. Let me keep looking.'
"Grade A: A small mountain village in Linfeng City needs a canal carved through a mountain for crop irrigation. The village chief burned incense to ask: 'Can the immortals assist us?' Reward: 1,500 merit points..."
Xu Xian pondered for a moment, his gaze scanning the area once more.
He intended to take this mission.
He had already looked through nearly half of the Mission Hall, and there weren't many tasks suitable for the foundation establishment stage. After all, in the Wendao Sword Sect, you could throw a stone and hit a dozen core formation disciples, and even those so-called nascent soul old beasts were everywhere.
Among the few suitable tasks, they either paid too little or carried too much risk.
Though Xu Xian had a sword spirit root, a sword body, and an immortal sword... he had zero actual combat experience. He felt it was better to be safe than sorry.
Easy does it.
He would pick a simple task first to practice and familiarize himself with the process. Besides, carving a mountain to dig a canal was a good deed that benefited both the country and the people; it was very meaningful. To live is to do meaningful things.
Using an immortal sword to dig a canal would surely be both fast and deep.
"I'll take you."
He reached out to take the mission slip and was about to head to the front desk to register when he turned and saw a young man walking toward him. The youth cupped his hands in a respectful greeting.
"Greetings, Little Grand-Uncle."
Xu Xian looked him up and down. The youth was handsome with a refined, scholarly air about him, yet a long sword hung at his waist. The bright red tassel on the sword's hilt was particularly eye-catching. He was quite the looker, almost a match for Xu Xian's own good looks.
A line of text hovered above the youth's head:
[Core Formation Stage · Late Stage]
"And you are?"
The youth introduced himself. "My name is Song Qingshu, a disciple of Falling Cloud Peak."
Xu Xian raised an eyebrow. Song Qingshu? He didn't have a great feeling about that name, but as the old saying goes, one shouldn't judge a person by their name. He replied honestly, "Never heard of you."
Song Qingshu gave an embarrassed smile. "It's not surprising that Little Grand-Uncle hasn't heard of me, given there are over a hundred thousand disciples in the Wendao Sword Sect. I see you're also here to accept a mission?"
"Yeah, what of it?"
Song Qingshu explained his intent. "It's like this: I've accepted a mission that's a team effort for four people. We're currently short one person. I wonder if Little Grand-Uncle would be interested in joining us?"
Xu Xian was stunned, wondering how such a good thing had fallen into his lap. Without thinking much, he asked, "What's the mission?"
Song Qingshu presented the mission slip with both hands.
"Please have a look, Little Grand-Uncle."
Xu Xian instinctively took it, unfolded it, and read softly.
"Spirit-grade Mission: In recent years, infants have been mysteriously disappearing from Yecheng in the Southern Borders. Secret investigations have been repeatedly hindered. It is suspected that an evil cultivator at the nascent soul stage is active in the area. Due to a lack of manpower, the Yecheng Supervision Hall requests the sect to dispatch experts to investigate. The mission requires four people, including at least one cultivator at or above the nascent soul stage. Reward: 5,000 merit points per person."
The mission levels in the Wendao Sword Sect's Mission Hall, from lowest to highest, were: Grade C, Grade B, Grade A, Spirit-grade, Immortal-grade, and Divine-grade.
Generally, minor internal tasks—like finding someone's lost pet or watching a house to water spirit herb fields—were Grade C.
Outdoor missions with risk were Grade A, while those without risk—like the canal digging or road repairs Xu Xian had seen—were mostly Grade B. Of course, massive projects like Li Qingshan's task of diverting a massive river were considered Immortal-grade.
As for slaying evil spirits or demons that required nascent soul experts, those were usually Spirit-grade.
Looking around, Xu Xian noticed that Grade A missions were the most common in the hall, followed by Spirit-grade.
However, rewards weren't strictly tied to the mission grade; they were determined by the specific circumstances. This current mission's individual reward of 5,000 points was a bit low, but since it was a team effort, the total was nearly twenty thousand. For a Spirit-grade mission, that was actually quite generous.
After reading it, Xu Xian clicked his tongue. "Tsk, tsk. This is quite the big job."
Song Qingshu smiled. "Is Little Grand-Uncle interested? We can set out tomorrow. Furthermore, my other two teammates are at the nascent soul stage; they can fully ensure your safety."
Xu Xian didn't beat around the bush and voiced his concern directly. "I'm very interested, but I don't understand why you're looking for me. I'm only at the foundation establishment stage. Aren't you afraid I'll drag you down?"
Song Qingshu replied candidly, "To be honest, Little Grand-Uncle, I do have a selfish motive."
'I knew it,' Xu Xian thought. Even in the Wendao Sword Sect, which was righteous to an eerie degree, people still pursued interests within the bounds of morality. Why else would they carry a dead weight like him for no reason?
While he was exceptionally talented and possessed the potential of a great emperor, he was ultimately insignificant compared to these veteran disciples. Aside from being handsome, he was currently useless.
However, the other man's honesty eased Xu Xian's worries. He leaned in and pressed, "What's the motive? Let's hear it."
Song Qingshu smiled. "You may not know this, but our sect has a long-standing permanent task called the New Disciple Assistance Plan."
"In team missions of three or more, two or more disciples at the core formation stage or above can bring along one new disciple below the core formation stage. Upon completing the task, the seniors receive an additional thirty percent bonus on their rewards. So... you understand."
Xu Xian was half-skeptical. "Really? There's such a thing?"
"Yes. The sect does this to give new disciples more opportunities for experience while encouraging seniors to help them grow quickly, creating a virtuous cycle," Song Qingshu continued.
Xu Xian nodded slightly. It certainly aligned with the Wendao Sword Sect's values.
Helping others brought mutual benefit. New disciples received proper guidance, and the seniors didn't walk away empty-handed.
"I see."
"So, is Little Grand-Uncle willing?"
Xu Xian smirked. "I don't think I have a reason to refuse."
Song Qingshu gave a warm smile. "Pleasure working with you!"
Xu Xian replied, "Pleasure working with you!"
Rate on N.U.
