“…I see.”

In the market town, the old man sitting behind the counter nodded and sighed after listening to the girl's narration.

"It seems that it's time for you to go out and gain experience." Uncle Lian Yin raised his eyebrows and looked at the quiet and beautiful girl in front of him.

"Jia Lan, don't worry for now. I will report to the head master later, and there will be a reply in a few days." He stood up and took out a few books and some small things from the drawer at the back and put them on the table.

"This is the sequel to the Nine Netherworld Sect. It is divided into several directions, each with its own focus. You can choose to advance in the direction you are good at and that you like."

"Also, I'll give you this bead as a gift. Jinhua asked me for a favor before, so this is an extra reward for you."

Loran Hill looked at the bead, which was slightly larger than his palm. Its color was deep black with a hint of dark blue.

[Soul Abyss Orb] (Pearl Grade, Excellent): Crafted from the core of a South Sea Ghost Abyss fish, this orb can be used to house ghosts, nurture souls, or restrain spirits. It provides a slight bonus to Undead Sequence and cold-related skills.

It's quite valuable, Loranhill thought as he looked at the gem.

In the market, a pearl-level treasure like this could be sold for around 800 gold plates. Even for an inner disciple, if they wanted to purchase one, they would have to spend years of hard work to accumulate enough resources or contributions to exchange for it. And yet, today, it was generously given to me.

Seeing the girl's calm and composed expression, Lian Yin felt relieved. She was indeed a disciple that the other brothers had high hopes for, so composed. With such a calm mindset, she would encounter fewer obstacles in her future cultivation.

"You don't have to feel unworthy of it. In fact, this is an advance reward for you because you will be going out to participate in some affairs of the sect." Uncle Lian Yin explained.

"So-called cultivation is not just about improving one's own strength, but also about training and growing one's mind. If a person only has high-level strength but lacks a strong mind, problems will arise sooner or later."

"This isn't just my own conjecture or judgment, but a concept shared and agreed upon by many major sects."

"Perhaps these subtle flaws won't show up in the short term, but if you live long enough, you'll always encounter them."

Unexpectedly, the upper sect also attached great importance to self-cultivation. When Loran Hill recalled the witches he knew, he found that many of them had lived for too long, and thus developed various hidden loopholes in their hearts, and finally slid into the abyss of paranoia and madness.

"I understand." Loran Hill nodded.

"Then I'll take my leave first. If there is any news, Uncle Lian Yin can ask this guy to inform me."

Loran Hill picked up a bamboo basket from under the counter. Inside was a fat bird. Its beak, wings and feet were tied with white cloth strips so that it could not move.

"No need to feed it specially, this guy has been losing weight recently." The girl poked Dai Ju's fat belly. The little bird struggled to stand up, but unfortunately its feet were tied and it could only struggle weakly.

"This little guy, has he become so fat after not seeing him for a few months?" Uncle Lian Yin also smiled, looking at the bird that usually stayed with Loran Hill.

"Then I'll take care of it for a few days. Jialan, go back and read the classics first. I'll have a mission for you later."

"Yes." The girl turned and said goodbye, leaving only Dai Ju, who was staring blankly in the bamboo basket.

Wow, the big guy doesn’t want me anymore.

——————

After returning to the courtyard, the girl began to look through these books and gained a general understanding of the several branches of the Zhuo Ri Xiang Yu Sect within the Jiu You lineage.

One is: nourishing the soul and piercing the spirit

Basically, it's about focusing on cultivating one's soul, making it tough and strong, and then using methods that attack the soul. This fighting method is very effective against enemies that have strong bodies and defenses but weak souls, ignoring defenses and directly causing real damage.

The second one is: Night Tour of the Soul

They command various wild spirits, or extract the souls of living beings in cruel ways and use them as ghost servants to fight. Once they reach a certain size, their combat power will be terrifying, and fighting against opponents of higher rank is common.

The third is: withering and ruined

Knowing the characteristics and weaknesses of life, one can accelerate its decay and aging, leading to its death. Although their immediate combat effectiveness is not strong, the damage they cause is often irreversible and incurable, making them feared by many transcendents.

The fourth is: The Yellow Spring

Reawaken the dead, manipulate their bodies and souls, and transform them into fearless undead corpses. As long as there are enough corpses and the individual manipulation ability is strong enough, it is possible to form an army on your own.

Of these four paths, the first is the most neutral and peaceful, offering faster advancement and fewer obstacles. The second and fourth paths offer the strongest combat power and are extremely impressive, but they progress slowly and are prone to distractions. The third path is bizarre and extremely dangerous.

If Loran Hill could only choose one, she would definitely choose the first one, but because of the existence of the system, she also wanted to try to see if she could integrate the advantages of more other options.

[The system is accepting data.]

She placed a few books in front of her, let the system scan and input them one by one, and then tried to deduce them.

[Accepted, analysis in progress, ...2%......8%...]

It looks like it will take quite a while. The girl glanced at the purple progress bar, pondering, then looked back at her current data.

Dead Souls Order 3: Silence

ability:

[Wind of Change] (Mythic): Its own form of existence is so free that it allows you to simulate and switch between different forms of power modes at will.

[Silence] (Perfect Level): Can eliminate sounds and magical fluctuations within a radius of 500 meters, forming a silent area.

[Soul Nourishment] (Excellence): Strengthens one's soul and enables one to resist many mental attacks or deceptions.

Skill:

[Cold Soul Thorn Lv.5] (Rare): Deals significant damage to souls, causing Sequence 1-2 beings to freeze or die. Also disrupts those of the same or higher levels. (Affected by talent and class abilities, gains a corresponding bonus from Lv.2 to Lv.5)

[Soul Perception Lv.9] (Perfect): The presence of souls is undeniable in front of you. You can easily find them and even communicate with them. (Affected by talents and trained class abilities, gain corresponding bonuses from Lv.3 to Lv.9)

The Undead Order was currently on track, and she didn't know what tasks the faction would assign her. As she sat in the shade of a tree in the courtyard, a cheerful bird song came from afar. Then, a small yellow bird flew through the vines and weeds in the forest and flew straight into the girl's arms.

"Well, is there news so soon?" The girl untied the small bamboo slip on Dai Ju's calf and looked at the work transfer order that belonged to her.

[Head to the Asariyu Shrine in the Sunset Mountains, assist the local dragon priestess in worshiping the dragon veins and patrolling the wilderness]

Then below is the time limit for this mission, other requirements, and time limits. After completing the mission, you can advance to the inner gate and receive rewards.

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PS: I fell asleep while coding, so sleepy. Let’s stop here for today and continue tomorrow. Good night everyone.