Chapter 104 - 103: Mandatory Mission
Chapter 104: Chapter 103: Mandatory Mission
His first mission had been a success, and the rewards plentiful. After returning to his abode and cultivating quietly for a few days, Lu Zhao once again dove into the sea of tasks offered by the General Affairs Hall.
However, good fortune was not always on his side. Over the next two months, Lu Zhao successively took on four more tasks: clearing out Demonized Iron Wire Vine, sorting mixed ore sand, helping find another lost Spirit Beast, and a mission to gather Ice Blue Grass from a remote Cold Pool.
These tasks were either tedious and complicated, involved long journeys, or offered meager rewards. The ore-sorting and Spirit Beast-finding tasks in particular consumed a great deal of time and energy for a pitiful amount of Merit. Had Lu Zhao not been eager to complete ten tasks quickly, he would never have accepted them.
Including the four Merit from his first task, Lu Zhao had toiled away for nearly two months, only managing to accumulate a total of sixteen Merit.
Sitting cross-legged in his abode and staring at the insignificant number "16" on his Token, Lu Zhao couldn’t help but shake his head with a bitter smile. ’Sixteen Merit... If I really have to rely on these tasks to trade for Cultivation Resources, I’ll struggle just to maintain my daily cultivation. I’ll end up starving to death in the Bixia Sect.’
An Outer Sect Steward’s Salary wasn’t high to begin with, and for Cultivators who hadn’t mastered one of the Cultivation Hundred Arts, these tasks were their main source of income.
Lu Zhao shook his head. ’It seems if I want to accumulate resources quickly, I’ll have to fall back on my old trade—Puppetry.’
With this in mind, Lu Zhao got up and gathered the Puppets he had crafted over the last six months: three Ice Wind Wolf Puppets, nine Ironwood Guards, and two Water Spirit Turtle Puppets. He prepared to head to the Bixia Marketplace to deliver them to Lin Yuanshan at the Spirit Puppet Tower.
After leaving the Sect, he set foot on the main road to the Marketplace. The road was wide and smooth, flanked by a crisscrossing patchwork of Spirit Fields. In the distance, layers of lush green mountains rose up, and the air was brimming with Spiritual Qi.
Cultivators traveled back and forth along the road; some flew at low altitudes on Magical Artifacts, while others walked. Most of them appeared calm and unhurried. Patrolling disciples were stationed along the route, their auras steady and their sharp gazes scanning in all directions.
The journey was completely peaceful. He didn’t encounter a single brainless Demon Beast, let alone a Tribulation Cultivator. Lu Zhao was filled with admiration. ’As expected of a Golden Core Major Sect. Their control over their own territory is more than ten times stronger than the Zhou Family’s. This level of order is truly reassuring.’
Back in the Bixia Marketplace, Lu Zhao navigated the familiar streets to the Spirit Puppet Tower. When Lin Yuanshan saw him, a smile spread across his face. "Mr. Lu, you’re here! It’s been nearly half a year. I was starting to think you had no plans to return."
"Of course not. I’m counting on the Spirit Puppet Tower to earn Spirit Stones," Lu Zhao said with a cupped-fist salute, handing over the Storage Bag containing the Puppets. "The usual batch: three Ice Wind Wolf Puppets, nine Ironwood Guards, and two Water Spirit Turtle Puppets."
Lin Yuanshan accepted the bag, swept it with his Divine Sense, and nodded in satisfaction. "One hundred and sixty Spirit Stones for each Ice Wind Wolf Puppet, seventy for each Ironwood Guard, and two hundred for each Water Spirit Turtle Puppet. The total is one thousand five hundred and ten Spirit Stones." He produced the payment without hesitation.
Once the transaction was complete, Lu Zhao asked with an air of casualness, "Shopkeeper Lin, any recent news in the Marketplace? Have the prices been fluctuating much?"
Shaking his head as he put the Puppets away, Lin Yuanshan replied, "Same as always, calm and quiet. We’re right at the foot of a Major Sect with a Golden Core Master presiding. What sort of trouble could stir? The prices are stable, too. You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Lu."
Then Lin Yuanshan recalled something. "Oh, right. A while back, a Cultivator named Zhao Xiaoshu came looking for me. He was asking when you’d be back and seemed to be in quite a hurry."
Lu Zhao’s interest was piqued. ’Zhao Xiaoshu is an informant I’ve placed in the Marketplace, specifically to look out for certain rare materials and news. If he’s in such a hurry, could he have found something?’
"Thank you for the information, Shopkeeper Lin. I’ll go find him right away." Lu Zhao rose and took his leave.
Leaving the Spirit Puppet Tower, Lu Zhao went straight to Zhao Xiaoshu’s humble abode. The moment he knocked and the door opened, Zhao Xiaoshu’s face lit up with delight. He immediately turned and shouted into the house, "Sis, go rest in the inner room for a bit!" A small, thin figure answered and scurried away from the doorway.
He then ushered Lu Zhao inside. "Elder Lu! You’re finally here! I’ve been looking all over for you!"
Lu Zhao stepped into the house and casually set up a Sound Insulation Restriction. "What’s so urgent?"
Zhao Xiaoshu rubbed his hands together and leaned in close, his voice dropping to a low, excited whisper, clearly hoping for praise. "Elder Lu, I have news about those materials you asked me to look for! It’s about the Cyan Spirit Wood Tree Heart!"
"The Cyan Spirit Wood Tree Heart?" Lu Zhao’s eyes instantly lit up. This was one of the core Main Materials he needed to craft the Tier One High-Grade puppet, the Cyan Wood Giant Ape! The item contained pure Wood Spirit Vitality, making it a key component for forging a Puppet Core, and it was extremely difficult to find.
"Do you know if that exchange meet will be held again? How can I participate?" Lu Zhao pressed.
"It will be! Of course it will!" Zhao Xiaoshu said with absolute certainty, his eyes gleaming.
"Tell me everything," Lu Zhao urged.
"It happened three months ago," Zhao Xiaoshu said hurriedly. "I heard that in the South District, over by the Hundred Arts Workshop, a few Late-stage Qi Cultivation cultivators had privately organized a small exchange meet with a low barrier to entry."
"I managed to find a way to slip in and see what it was about. And you’ll never guess what happened! At the meet, someone brought out a section of something about a foot long and as thick as a baby’s arm. It was a lustrous, vibrant green, glowed with an inner Spirit Light, and had a very unique, fresh botanical fragrance! I immediately thought it looked like one of the materials you described to me."
"Later, the owner confirmed it: a Tier One High-Grade Cyan Spirit Wood Tree Heart. Unfortunately, he seemed to be looking for a specific Fire Attribute Refining Material in trade, and when he couldn’t find one, he put it away."
"I feigned interest and got friendly with a guy who attends these things regularly, making sure to get all the details! They hold this exchange meet like clockwork, once every six months. The last one was three months ago, which means the next one is in exactly three months! The location is usually in the Hundred Arts Workshop area, somewhere near the back of the old flea market. They’re very cautious about the exact spot, though; they only send someone to notify confirmed regulars two or three days before it starts."
"The requirements to attend aren’t too high, either. As long as you have an official Identity Jade Token from any marketplace under the Bixia Sect’s jurisdiction, proving you’re a local, and your Cultivation is at the Qi Cultivation Third Layer, you’re pretty much set. You just go there and tell the person at the door you’re there for the meet. They’ll usually collect one Spirit Stone for entry and won’t give you a hard time. These small, private gatherings are all about convenience and secrecy; they don’t have all the red tape you’d find at a Major Sect event."
"Excellent! Very good!" A satisfied smile spread across Lu Zhao’s face. He casually pulled a Jade Bottle from his Storage Bag and tossed it to Zhao Xiaoshu. "This is a bottle of Tier One Lower Grade Vessel-Protecting Pills. You did a good job this time. Stay sharp and keep looking for information for me."
Zhao Xiaoshu caught the Pills, overjoyed, and bowed again and again. "Thank you for the reward, Elder Lu! I will do my absolute best and never slack off!"
Leaving Zhao Xiaoshu’s residence, Lu Zhao returned to the Bixia Sect in high spirits. The news about the Cyan Spirit Wood Tree Heart gave him much more confidence about crafting the Cyan Wood Giant Ape. Back in his abode, he sat cross-legged, regulating his breathing to cultivate as he waited patiently.
He knew perfectly well that as an Outer Sect Steward, the "mandatory task" was likely coming soon.
Sure enough, half a month later, while Lu Zhao was in meditative cultivation, the Outer Sect Steward Token hanging at his waist suddenly trembled, emitting a warm pulse. He picked up the Token, probed it with his Divine Sense, and a clear line of text materialized:
"Outer Sect Steward Lu Zhao: You are hereby ordered to report to the Recruitment Bureau of the General Affairs Hall within three days and await your assignment."