Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

Chapter 383: Chapter 356: Return to the Commandery, Part 2

"There has to be a reward from the sect for killing a Ghost Cultivator, right?"

Another, rather portly, cultivator asked.

"I’m not sure. I’ll have to wait for news after I get back to the county. However, after I finished the mission, I made a special trip to Three Mountains County, and the Li family did give me some compensation."

Zhao Lin intentionally steered the conversation toward the Li family.

The first man asked again, "So, did the Li family show their appreciation?"

Zhao Lin smiled faintly. "The Li family gave me one thousand Spirit Coins to show their gratitude."

"That’s it? They’re so stingy!"

"I know, right? The Li family doesn’t do things properly. Li Yuanyou is the Patriarch’s eldest son, after all, and they just fobbed you off with a thousand Spirit Coins."

"They have no sense of gratitude at all..."

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Zhao Lin smiled, stood up, and took his leave, leaving the crowd of cultivators to their heated discussion.

’It won’t be long before the news reaches Three Mountains County.’

...

Zhao Lin returned to Han Chi County before dark.

As he walked into his familiar little courtyard, the tension he’d been holding finally melted away.

This was his first time leaving on a mission, and he had faced one crisis after another. No wonder the Spirit Dao Institute didn’t allow disciples to leave the county before reaching the Middle Stage of Qi Refining.

It really was unsafe for Low Tier cultivators to travel alone.

Zhao Lin flopped onto his bed, cleared his mind of everything, and fell fast asleep.

The next morning, he woke up feeling a hundred times more energetic. He could even feel a faint loosening in the "Zhiyang" and "Jizhong" Spiritual Acupoints on his back.

’It seems my cultivation makes noticeable progress every time I have a brush with death.’

"Senior Brother Zhao, where have you been these past few days?"

"Elder Wu only said you went out on a mission, not where you went."

Zhao Lin was practicing his skills on the mountaintop when Zhu Cong, Li Sancai, and Tong Mu, a few disciples he was on good terms with, came over to ask.

"Nowhere special. I went to a small world in the Western Ox Continent to gather some Spirit Grass."

"A small world? Was it fun?"

Zhu Cong asked, his face full of curiosity.

"Not fun at all. It was actually very dangerous. Don’t take on that kind of mission before you reach the Late-stage Qi Refining."

Not wanting to mislead them, Zhao Lin warned them earnestly. He only told the three of them about some of the peculiar things in the Yinfeng Realm, not mentioning a single detail about the mission itself.

After finishing his morning practice, he went to the Demonstration Pavilion.

The Demonstration Pavilion had multiple rooms, each managed by a different transmission disciple.

Next to one door was the character for "wind." This was where a senior transmission brother taught wind-based movement skills.

Zhao Lin’s purpose in coming here was to practice the Void Trapping Skill. Although he had already mastered this skill, he still needed to keep up appearances.

’Otherwise, being able to use a skill without ever having learned it would be impossible to explain.’

Zhao Lin planned to do the same not just for the Void Trapping Skill, but for his other skills as well.

Around noon, Zhao Lin went to the Transmission Hall to see Elder Nie.

Elder Nie had approved his departure from the county, so it was only natural that he should report back upon his return.

"Elder Nie, Elder Wu, this disciple has returned."

Seeing that Elder Wu was also present, Zhao Lin bowed to them both.

"Mm."

Elder Nie nodded slightly. "It’s good that you’re back. If you’d been a few more days, I would have had to send an inquiry to Qiuyang County."

Zhao Lin said gratefully, "Thank you for your concern, Elder."

At this moment, Elder Wu, who was standing to the side, spoke up. "Zhao Lin, you are still a disciple of the Spirit Dao Institute. Your focus should be on cultivation. There will be plenty of time for missions later; there’s no need to be so hasty."

Zhao Lin quickly replied, "You are right, Elder."

"How did the mission go? How many merit points did you earn?"

"It went okay. This disciple earned nine hundred and thirty merit points."

"That’s why I say, a disciple should still focus on cultiva—"

Elder Wu stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something was off. He asked abruptly, "What? How many did you just say?"

"Nine hundred and thirty."

Zhao Lin repeated.

Elder Wu was rendered speechless.

Elder Nie asked in confusion, "I recall the mission you accepted was to gather Spirit Grass in the Yinfeng Realm. That’s a Tier Two mission. How could you earn so many merit points?"

"It wasn’t all from gathering Spirit Grass. I also ran into two bandit cultivators..."

Zhao Lin explained, recounting his mission experience from start to finish, omitting only the part about Sheng Jinlong.

After speaking, he took out the Body Stone and presented it to Elder Nie.

After viewing the Body Stone, Elder Nie was so surprised he didn’t speak for a long moment. When Elder Wu glanced at it, he had the exact same expression.

Nine hundred and thirty merit points was more than a transmission disciple could accumulate in two years. And that didn’t even include the merit points Zhao Lin would receive for uncovering the truth behind the cultivators’ disappearances from twenty years ago, or for slaying the Ghost Cultivator.

In fact, most people who undertook missions usually had to spend their own Spirit Stones, all for the sake of earning merit points.

On this one trip, Zhao Lin had earned over three thousand Spirit Stones and nearly a thousand merit points. Even the two elders were tempted by such a haul.

"Which just goes to show... traveling outside is very dangerous!"

Elder Nie slapped his thigh, having finally found an angle. "You see? First bandit cultivators, then a Ghost Cultivator. If you had made even the slightest mistake, you wouldn’t be alive right now."

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, Elder."

Zhao Lin replied humbly.

Elder Nie nodded in satisfaction. "Since you’ve accumulated so many merit points, you should focus on your cultivation. Raising your cultivation level as quickly as possible is what truly matters. Don’t go out again anytime soon."

"This disciple understands. Thank you, both Elders."

Zhao Lin gave a deep bow, backed away a few steps, and then turned to leave the Transmission Hall.

Watching Zhao Lin’s departing figure, Elder Nie sighed with emotion. "This disciple is truly exceptional! Although his Spiritual Root is only mid-grade, his will is firm and his character is mature. He’s much better than I was at his age."

Elder Wu agreed. "Indeed. Among all the disciples, he’s the most sensible. He knows what he should and shouldn’t do. Honestly, I feel like he doesn’t even need guidance from me, his Transmission Elder."

Elder Nie pondered for a moment before saying, "It’s understandable. He’s the oldest of them. If he were to progress gradually like the other disciples, I’m afraid he’d have no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment."

...

After leaving the Transmission Hall, Zhao Lin went to the Library Pavilion to look through books on arrays.

Having been away from the Spirit Dao Institute for over half a month, he had fallen behind on his studies. A senior transmission brother had given Zhao Lin the titles of two books and told him to study them on his own in the Library Pavilion, and to ask if he had any questions.

After his trials in the Yinfeng Realm, Zhao Lin deeply understood the importance of arrays.

’If I were proficient in arrays, I never would have been trapped in that Ghost Cultivator’s Three Yin Illusionary Killing Array.’

’Of course, it was also because I knew a little that I was able to control the Ghost Cultivator’s array, trap Sheng Jinlong, and subsequently kill him.’

Lu Yuanxiu, a fellow Martial Cultivator at the Purple Mansion realm, had advised Zhao Lin not to waste time on auxiliary arts, but he didn’t know that Zhao Lin possessed the Spirit Cultivation Map, which could save him a massive amount of time when practicing skills.

"Sky Blind Skill, a Tier Two non-elemental skill. Usage: Attacks with a purple light. Effect: Blocks the enemy’s six senses..."

After finishing his research on arrays, Zhao Lin found a description of the Sky Blind Skill in a book from the Library Pavilion titled *An Elementary Guide to Common Skills*.

’So the Sky Blind Skill is a Tier Two skill.’

Zhao Lin shook his head slowly. After careful consideration, he decided not to keep this skill.

For one, it was a Tier Two skill, which he couldn’t practice at his current stage.

Another reason was that while the skill seemed powerful, it wasn’t easy to actually hit an enemy with it, and its duration was extremely short.

Its function was similar to the Hidden Escape Skill, but it consumed far more Spiritual Power.

Besides, this type of illusionary skill was ultimately a minor art; as one’s realm increased, its effectiveness would diminish.

「Three days later.」

The merit point rewards for the Yinfeng Realm mission were issued.

The merit points came in two parts.

For solving the twenty-year-old disappearance case, he was awarded one hundred merit points.

For killing the Ghost Cultivator and seizing its belongings, he was awarded five hundred merit points.

It was obvious the sect placed great importance on matters concerning Ghost Cultivators. Any involvement was met with generous rewards.

Zhao Lin guessed that the sect could use the Ghost Cultivator’s books and items to find ways to deal with them, and also to prevent its own disciples from becoming Ghost Cultivators.

"To have such a bountiful harvest on your very first mission... Daoist Friend Zhao, you are truly remarkable!"

When Zhao Lin arrived at the Merit Hall, the steward who received him, Steward Hu, couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration after recording the merit points with a Star Origin Brush.

"It was all just luck."

Zhao Lin offered a few humble words, then checked his Body Stone. He saw that his merit points had increased by six hundred, bringing his new total to one thousand six hundred and thirty-three!

After leaving the main hall, Zhao Lin didn’t depart immediately. Instead, he walked into the courtyard to look at the newly posted missions.

A search mission soon caught his eye.

At the very top of the mission description, it read: Enter the Yinfeng Realm and find the missing cultivator: Sheng Jinlong.