Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

Chapter 371: Chapter 350: Turning in the Mission (Part 2)

Zhao Lin was greatly surprised. The Yinfeng Realm had sparse Spiritual Qi and was thick with Yin Qi. On top of that, he’d found it difficult to quiet his mind and cultivate these past few days. He never expected to actually break through a new Spiritual Acupoint, a cultivation speed even faster than his time at the Spirit Dao Institute.

After much thought, Zhao Lin came to a conclusion: cultivation wasn’t merely about practicing Cultivation Techniques and Magic. It also involved tempering the body and mind, requiring one to constantly face external pressures in order to grow.

This was especially true for him as a Martial Cultivator; he needed combat and confrontation. This principle was shared with the martial path. Training in seclusion would only lead to a dead end.

Having figured this out, Zhao Lin felt a sense of relief, and his path of cultivation became much clearer.

Two days passed in a flash. On the third day, Zhao Lin left the cave.

"Cultivator Zhao..."

Before parting, Li Yuanyou hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t.

Zhao Lin understood his thoughts and said reassuringly, "Once I get out, I’ll report this matter to the sect. Then, I’ll go to Three Mountains County to inform your family."

"Don’t worry, Fellow Daoist Li. For solving a twenty-year-old missing persons case, the sect will surely offer a reward. For both personal and practical reasons, I would never conceal this and fail to report it."

Hearing the logic in his words, Li Yuanyou felt much more at ease. "Thank you," he said.

Zhao Lin then asked, "Can you remember your family now?"

Li Yuanyou replied gloomily, "Still no."

"It’s alright. You should be able to remember once you see them."

"Alright. I’ll wait for your news. Take care."

Li Yuanyou extended two tentacles, mimicking the gesture of cupping one’s fists.

"Take care!"

Zhao Lin left the cave. Instead of heading to Central Yin Mountain, he journeyed west through the Yinfeng Realm.

According to the mission description, the western part of the Yinfeng Realm was low-lying and crisscrossed by waterways, a veritable swampland.

Based on the experiences of those who came before, Spirit Grass was rare here, so cultivators seldom visited.

Zhao Lin was very cautious along the way, avoiding other cultivators and steering clear of any Demon Beasts he encountered. He only ran into a few non-sentient Yin Souls, which he dealt with casually.

After traveling for the better part of half a day, he walked into a stretch of mudflats.

In the mudflats was a pit of sludge, dozens of zhang in circumference, that reeked of decay. It was surrounded by moss and calamus.

Zhao Lin found a rock and tossed it in. The rock sank quickly, sending up a few bubbles before the surface returned to normal.

’This is the place.’

Zhao Lin took Sheng Jinlong’s inner armor and Antler Blade from within his robes.

Both items were very valuable; on the open market, they would fetch a price no lower than that piece of Wuyang Iron, and likely higher.

But they were engraved with the Sheng family’s insignia and possibly even branded with secret marks. He absolutely could not keep them on his person, nor could he take them out of this minor realm.

THUMP, THUMP. Zhao Lin tossed the inner armor and the Antler Blade into the sludge pit, watching with his own eyes as they sank out of sight.

No matter how capable the Sheng family was, it would take them a great deal of time to find these two items.

...

By dusk, Zhao Lin had reached Central Yin Mountain.

The World Shuttle Vessel was already parked on the summit, carrying a dozen or so cultivators who had completed their missions and were preparing to return to the outside world.

When the cultivators saw Zhao Lin, disdainful looks appeared on their faces. They were probably thinking, ’A mere Low-Tier cultivator at the Qi Refining Third Layer is also trying to get in on the action?’

Zhao Lin paid them no mind. A cultivator’s cultivation base determined their status; fawning over the powerful and trampling the weak was just human nature.

The red-robed cultivator piloting the vessel was the same one who had brought Zhao Lin in. He still recognized him and asked casually, "Fellow Daoist, did that scoundrel give you any trouble?"

Zhao Lin knew he was talking about Sheng Jinlong and deliberately gave a wry smile. "Didn’t run into him. If I can’t afford to provoke him, can’t I at least hide from him?"

The red-robed cultivator laughed. "True enough. You’re lucky then. Best leave quickly once we’re out."

Zhao Lin quickly thanked him, thinking to himself, ’Cultivators usually don’t stay in a minor realm for more than a month. In another twenty days, someone will definitely realize something’s wrong. Yinfeng Valley is going to get lively then.’

Before long, the World Shuttle Vessel ascended, carrying the group through the minor realm’s barrier and arriving back in Yinfeng Valley.

Upon exiting the valley, Zhao Lin was struck by the blinding sunlight, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

Having not seen the sun for many days, he felt a pleasant warmth spread over his body, giving him the sense of having returned to the human world.

The other cultivators reacted much like Zhao Lin; some even burst into loud laughter.

The group transferred to a Spiritual Vessel and soon arrived at the vessel station outside Qiuyang County.

Gathering Spirit Grass in the Yinfeng Realm was a continent-level mission, meaning it could, in principle, be turned in at any county within the Western Ox Continent.

Zhao Lin didn’t want to wander around with so many Spirit Grasses, so he headed straight for Qiuyang County after disembarking.

The cultivators from his vessel had the same idea. A group of over twenty people passed through the mountain gate and arrived at the Merit Hall.

Qiuyang County wasn’t large, but its Merit Hall was quite spacious. Due to its proximity to Yinfeng Valley and the Yinfeng Realm, cultivators came here daily to turn in missions in exchange for Spirit Stones and merit points.

It was currently the busiest time of day.

The Qiuyang County Merit Hall had one deacon and three attendant disciples.

The deacon was an old, white-haired man, leaning back in his chair, a market gazette in one hand and a teacup in the other, looking completely at ease.

The market gazette was similar to the mortal world’s official dispatches, recording recent major events in the sect, military intelligence, rumors, the prices of various cultivation items, and the movements of other sects—it contained practically everything.

The three attendant disciples sat behind the counter, receiving cultivators who had come to turn in their missions.

Zhao Lin watched for a while and noticed that the cultivators turning in their missions mostly submitted a dozen or so stalks of Spirit Grass. The larger hauls were only twenty or thirty stalks, and most of it was Yinfeng Grass, which awarded no merit points.

’If I take out my nearly three hundred stalks of Spirit Grass, won’t that be too conspicuous?’

’Then again, being a little conspicuous might be a good thing. It’ll show that I was busy gathering Spirit Grass the whole time and had no time for anything else. That makes it even less likely for them to suspect me in Sheng Jinlong’s matter.’

With that thought, his heart was at ease.

The attendant disciples counted quickly, and before long, it was Zhao Lin’s turn.

Zhao Lin took out his Body Stone. The attendant disciple checked the mission record, then placed a stone casket made of Stele Stone on the counter.

"Put the Spirit Grass in here."

Stele Stone was a type of rock produced in Yinfeng Valley. It naturally contained Triple Yin Qi and could preserve Yin-attribute Spirit Grasses and demonic insects for long periods.

Zhao Lin glanced at the stone casket and immediately said, "This one’s too small. I’ll need a bigger one."

The attendant disciple was taken aback but said nothing, retrieving a larger stone casket from under the counter.

"This should be enough, right?"

Zhao Lin said impassively, "Still not enough."

The attendant disciple’s expression changed. He looked up, sizing up Zhao Lin, and seeing he was only at the Qi Refining Third Layer, he sneered. "What big talk! I’d like to see just how much Spirit Grass you’ve collected!"

As he spoke, he petulantly pulled out the largest-sized stone casket from under the counter.

Zhao Lin still shook his head. "One isn’t enough. I need two."

The attendant disciple said, displeased, "Are you messing with me?"

Their conversation attracted the attention of the others, who all looked over curiously. Some cultivators who had already turned in their missions and were about to leave decided to stay and see what was happening.

The deacon, who had been silently reading his gazette and drinking his tea, saw the situation and spoke up: "Give them to him."

The attendant disciple shot Zhao Lin a glare but had no choice but to haul out another large stone casket.

The hall fell silent for a moment. Even the attendant disciples at the other two counters stopped their work, wanting to see just how much Spirit Grass Zhao Lin had actually collected.

Zhao Lin took down his storage pouch, undid the restrictive seal, and began emptying its contents into one of the stone caskets.

Star Peony Grass came pouring out with a RUSTLE, filling more than half the casket in the blink of an eye.

The attendant disciple’s jaw dropped, leaving him stunned and speechless. The eyes of the spectating cultivators went wide, and a chorus of stunned gasps filled the hall.

Seeing this, the old man who had been calmly reading his gazette could no longer remain composed. He looked over in astonishment, sizing Zhao Lin up from head to toe.

After a moment, all the Star Peony Grass was out, and Yinfeng Grass began to fall, nearly filling the casket to the brim.

Zhao Lin then moved to the other casket, and another huge pile of Yinfeng Grass came pouring out.

The cultivators who had arrived with Zhao Lin looked at each other in dismay, all thinking the same thing: ’The harvests of everyone else here combined probably don’t add up to what he alone has gathered.’

The attitude of the attendant disciple serving Zhao Lin changed instantly. "Whoa, that’s so much!" he exclaimed. "Slow down, don’t let it spill!"

"Senior Brother Hu, Junior Brother Qian, quick, come help count!"

The Spirit Grass had to be counted as quickly as possible; if left exposed for too long, its quality would be affected.