Chapter 397 - 365: Spirit Pearl Mission (Part 1)
Chapter 397: Chapter 365: Spirit Pearl Mission (Part 1)
"Junior Brother Zhao!"
In the Merit Hall, Steward Hu smiled brightly as he watched Zhao Lin walk in, sizing him up as he spoke.
A look of surprise then crossed his face. "It’s only been half a year, and you’ve already broken through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer! This is truly wonderful news!"
"It’s all thanks to cultivating in the Spirit Cave. It’s nothing special. You’re too kind, Senior Brother Hu."
Zhao Lin replied humbly. For someone with a medium-grade Spiritual Root, being the third disciple of his cohort to reach the Qi Refining Fourth Layer had caused a minor stir in the Spirit Dao Institute.
However, when the other disciples heard that Zhao Lin had an abundance of merit points and spent half of every month cultivating in the Spirit Cave, no one grew suspicious.
"Even with the help of a Spirit Cave, reaching the Qi Refining Fourth Layer in your second year is still very impressive!"
Hearing this, Steward Hu stroked his beard and smiled. "Younger Brother Zhao, are you here to redeem merit points or to accept a mission?"
Zhao Lin casually glanced around and, seeing that the hall was mostly empty, said, "I just broke through, and I’m already getting restless. I’d like to take on a mission."
Steward Hu let out a thoughtful "Oh." "Younger Brother Zhao, you’ve come at the perfect time. The end of the year is approaching, so not many people are taking on missions, and many of them can’t even gather enough people. What kind of mission are you looking for?"
"My abilities are limited, so I’m looking for a mission that only Qi Refining Realm cultivators can undertake, preferably one that takes place in rivers, lakes, or seas."
"To be honest with you, Brother Hu, I’ve just learned the Water Manipulation Skill and I’m hoping to play to that strength."
Zhao Lin paused in thought for a moment before laying out his conditions.
With his current strength, there was no way he could contend with Foundation Establishment cultivators. Moreover, the Li family was watching him like a tiger stalking its prey. If they sent a few Foundation Establishment cultivators to ambush and kill him, not even a mountain of Hongyan Talismans could save him.
He chose a water-related mission for safety reasons as well.
After all, most Magic is significantly weakened underwater, while Water Element Skills are enhanced. Since his Water Manipulation Skill had reached the Great Achievement level, he would have a better chance of escaping if he ran into danger.
"Oh, right. The mission needs to be one where I can earn merit points."
Zhao Lin added, taking out two ten-yuan Spirit Coins from his robes and discreetly slipping them into Steward Hu’s hand.
There were hundreds, if not thousands, of sect missions, and just browsing through them would take a great deal of time. Furthermore, many had hidden details that couldn’t be gleaned from the mission descriptions alone.
The last time they had interacted, Zhao Lin had discovered that Steward Hu was an expert in his "business" and knew every mission like the back of his hand. Rather than waste a lot of time picking a mission himself, it was better to ask for his help.
"Junior Brother Zhao, you’re too kind."
Though Steward Hu said this, his hands moved quickly. He accepted the Spirit Coins, and after weighing them for a moment to know the exact amount, his face broke into a wide grin.
After a moment of thought, he said, "If you want a mission with merit point rewards, it has to be at least Gold-rank. There are currently two missions that fit your criteria, Younger Brother Zhao: Yi Wu No. 7 and Ding Si No. 3." He then took out a jade slip.
Zhao Lin took the jade slip and immersed his Divine Sense in it, quickly finding the corresponding missions.
Both missions involved "working" underwater. One was to harvest Spirit Grass, and the other was to search for Spirit Pearls cultivated by river clams.
Both were Gold-rank missions.
After reading the mission details, Zhao Lin first thanked him and then asked, "Senior Brother Hu, roughly how many merit points can one earn by completing these missions?"
Steward Hu thought for a moment and said, "Younger Brother Zhao, you must understand that the number of merit points you can earn from a mission varies from person to person, and it also depends on how long you take."
"Generally speaking, Gold-rank missions don’t offer many merit points, but their advantage is that they are safe. For these two missions I’ve recommended, an average cultivator, with a bit of luck, can earn between fifty and one hundred merit points."
"Of course, this isn’t a hard and fast rule. Didn’t you earn over a thousand merit points last time you went to the Yinfeng Realm, Younger Brother Zhao?"
Hearing this, Zhao Lin inwardly shook his head. ’What I need isn’t just a few dozen or a hundred merit points. It’s rare for me to go out on a mission, and while I don’t expect to solve all my problems in one go, it would be best if I could earn enough to rest for half a year.’
It was the so-called "make one big score and live off it for three years."
"Brother Hu, are there any missions that earn more merit points?"
"A mission with more merit points?"
Steward Hu looked troubled. "You want something water-related that’s restricted to Qi Refining Realm cultivators. These two are the only suitable ones."
"If you really want to earn more merit points, it’s not that there aren’t any, but..."
Hearing the unspoken reservation in his voice, Zhao Lin pressed, "But what?"
Steward Hu replied, "The mission rank is higher."
Zhao Lin had expected as much and said nonchalantly, "Please tell me, Senior Brother Hu. I’ll take a look first."
"Gui Zi No. 6. It’s a White-rank mission."
Steward Hu hesitated for a moment before saying, "But to be honest, the risk for this mission is extremely high, even comparable to many Purple-rank missions. I personally wouldn’t recommend it!"
Purple, White, Gold, Blue—a White-rank mission signified great danger and a risk of death. Only cultivators with top-tier minds and Mana would dare to participate.
Zhao Lin said nothing, directly finding the Gui Zi No. 6 mission in the jade slip and reading its description.
Mission: Harvest Spirit Pearls in the seas near Red Tail Island.
Mission Rank: White.
Mission Details: Red Tail Island is a disputed island between our Chenghua Sect and the Earth Dark Sect. The surrounding sea is rich with marine Demon Beasts such as Five-Turn Shells, Great Horn Clams, Red Extreme Clams, and White Jade Clams.
These Demon Beasts incubate high-quality Spirit Pearls, which are precious cultivation and strategic resources.
Reward: Determined by the type and grade of the Spirit Pearls collected.
Spirit Pearls are divided into five grades.
A Fifth Grade Spirit Pearl can be exchanged for ten Spirit Stones. A Fourth Grade Spirit Pearl for thirty Spirit Stones.
A Third Grade Spirit Pearl for one hundred Spirit Stones and twenty merit points.
A Second Grade Spirit Pearl for three hundred Spirit Stones and fifty merit points.
A First Grade Spirit Pearl for one thousand Spirit Stones and two hundred merit points.
There are also Top Grade Spirit Pearls, which can be exchanged for two thousand to five thousand Spirit Stones and three hundred to one thousand merit points, depending on the specific pearl.
Mission Requirements: Only cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm may participate. Cultivation must be at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining or higher. Participants must have the Water Manipulation Skill at least at the Proficient level, and one non-Fire Element offensive Magic at the Minor Achievement Level.
"This mission..."
Seeing the mission description, Zhao Lin’s brows furrowed slightly, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
’Based on the requirements, this mission doesn’t seem that dangerous. It doesn’t look like it should be White-rank.’
’Although all Magic except for Water Element Skills are weakened in the sea, causing most cultivators’ strength to be diminished...’
’And the marine Demon Beasts are very powerful, with many reaching Tier Two or Tier Three.’
’But the clams and shells that contain Spirit Pearls mostly live in relatively shallow waters, where powerful Demon Beasts usually don’t appear. So why is it classified as a White-rank mission?’
’Also, why is harvesting Spirit Pearls restricted to Qi Refining Realm cultivators?’
"Junior Brother Zhao, you’ve hit the nail on the head!"
When Zhao Lin voiced these two questions, Steward Hu laughed heartily and said, "Indeed, there are no particularly powerful Demon Beasts in that sea area."
"Although the Clam Demons and Shell Demons are quite strong and have impressive defenses, they move slowly. As long as you’re careful, the danger isn’t that great."
At this point, Steward Hu’s expression turned serious.
"The real danger... is other people!"