Chapter 93 Mandatory Mission (Seeking First Subscription)

Two months later.

Ge Ying hurriedly returned to her cave, and golden communication swords, shimmering with spiritual light, flew out continuously.

A streak of light swooped down from the mountaintop, but was blocked by a magical barrier near a bamboo house at the foot of the mountain, its light flashing continuously.

Li Lingyu was training her spiritual sense inside the bamboo building when she sensed the commotion outside. She then used a hand seal to break the magical barrier and caught the spirit sword.

The mark of her master was on the lower right of the spirit sword. She was slightly startled. The speed at which the golden sword could fly exceeded that of most late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators and was only used in emergencies.

She used her divine sense to read the contents of the golden communication sword and immediately left the bamboo house.

Outside, grey-feathered sand geese leisurely pecked at vegetable leaves on the open ground, while spirit-seeking mice tore open the hard outer skin of acorns with their two front paws, pulled out the flesh, and put it into their mouths.

"Ji An, our master has summoned us. We need to go to the cave on the mountaintop immediately."

Li Lingyu shouted, taking out a paper crane and channeling spiritual energy into it.

Upon hearing the sound, Ji An dispersed his magical power, and the golden light that had solidified like sand at his fingertips slowly dissipated. His mind then connected with the stone tortoise.

【Sharp Metal Technique (Perfect 45%→46%)】

He activated the seal with a hand gesture and asked:

"Did Master say what happened?"

As he walked down from the bamboo building, he took out a paper goose and infused it with spiritual energy.

The broad-backed paper goose looks like a simpleton next to the lifelike paper crane.

"No, but the message was delivered by the Golden Sword of Swiftness, not an ordinary talisman, so something big must have happened."

Li Lingyu lifted her skirt, stepped onto the paper crane, tilted her head, and asked:

Why aren't you riding your beast?

"Just got back from Biyue Lake, let it catch its breath."

Ji An laughed and said that traveling this short distance was nothing for the Grey Feather Sand Goose. He didn't ride the beast because he found that whenever he went out with people, the beast would always attract some hatred.

He gained a deep understanding of Sha Yan's personality; he found her to be utterly shameless.

The two talisman birds slowly rose and flew away. The sand goose glanced at the spirit-seeking rat beside it.

"Gah!"

The spirit-seeking rat shuddered, tore open an acorn and threw the fruit out. The sand goose gracefully twisted its long neck and swallowed the fruit in one gulp.

“Yesterday I ran into Senior Brother Liu, who told me that a group of disciples from major sects in the Central Continent had arrived in our sect. The giant ship we saw a few days ago was a magical artifact from a certain sect.”

Ji An said, "I wonder what level a sect with a flying boat that's a hundred feet long must be at."

Li Lingyu's heart tightened, and her eyes began to flicker as she recalled her master's words from half a year ago.

"A demonic calamity is imminent, and sects from the Central Continent have sent people to assist."

Is there a sign that a demonic calamity is about to erupt?

Li Lingyu shook her head slightly. It couldn't be that fast. Over the years, the three sects had been closely monitoring the movements in the heart of the Ten Thousand Mountains. If there were any signs of a demonic calamity, they would have already begun to conscript cultivators to fight.

"Junior brother, has Master ever told you about the predicament that the Western Continent sects will face decades from now?"

"Huh? No, what's the problem?"

Li Lingyu frowned slightly and shook her head:

"I can't tell you directly, but I'll give you a piece of advice, junior brother: improve your strength as soon as possible."

Ji An scratched his head, thinking to himself:

'I've used every ounce of my strength to improve myself; I'm almost ready to resort to cheating, deception, murder, and arson.'

What predicament will the Western Continent sects face? It's probably a war between humans and demons.

Neither of them spoke again, each lost in their own thoughts.

Feeling bored, Ji An habitually released the Wind Control Technique. He carefully sensed the rhythm of his immortal veins while casting the spell, and each serious spell cast brought him some gains.

Before long, the talisman bird landed in the open space in front of the cave, and the magical barrier at the cave entrance opened automatically.

The two stepped inside and said in unison:

"Greetings, Master."

They were the closest, and although they rode on talisman birds, they arrived the earliest.

Inside the cave, there was only the master and two Qi Refining stage maids serving him.

Ge Ying waved her hand, a slight smile appearing on her lips:

"Find a seat and wait for the others. I've sent a message to all the disciples staying in the sect; the others should still be on their way."

Judging from Master's expression, this should be a good thing.

Ji An and Li Lingyu found the last chair and sat down, patiently waiting.

Other disciples arrived one after another; they were all Foundation Establishment cultivators.

After everyone had arrived, Ge Ying coughed lightly and said:

"This gathering is to discuss a major decision concerning the sect."

After a while, the sect will issue mandatory tasks to everyone, with generous rewards of contribution points.

Qi Refining stage disciples submit the essence of the Five Elements, while Foundation Establishment stage and above cultivators submit higher-level Five Elements spiritual items.

This mission is expected to last ten years or even longer, so everyone can make some preparations in advance.

"Master, what is the sect's purpose in doing this?"

The speaker was the second senior brother, Zhu Qinghao. He was slender with a refined beard and was already a cultivator at the fifth level of the Foundation Establishment stage. His alchemy skills were truly inherited from their master.

Forced missions have a penalty mechanism; he had never seen a sect issue such missions to everyone before.

"It wouldn't hurt to tell you, this matter can't be kept secret."

The two patriarchs spared no expense in inviting Master Qianyue of the Panshan Sect in Zhongzhou to survey the sect's spiritual veins. After nearly two months of investigation, Master Qianyue devised a plan to accelerate the improvement of the main vein's quality.

Ge Ying's words were filled with barely suppressed excitement. The sect had two second-tier top-grade spiritual veins, and there was a mysterious connection between these two spiritual veins.

If one of the spiritual veins is nurtured and upgraded, the other spiritual vein will also gradually receive nourishment. This information has been empirically proven.

About two thousand years ago, after the sect cultivated the southern spiritual vein into a second-grade superior quality, the northern spiritual vein also advanced to superior quality four hundred years later without any additional cultivation.

She only learned this secret today: she spent one resource and gained two benefits.

After more than two thousand years of cultivation, the second-tier top-grade spiritual vein in the south has reached the edge of advancement.

If we can cultivate it to the third tier this time, the sect will surely possess a second third-tier spiritual vein in a few years. At that time, the sect will become the strongest sect in the Western Continent, without exception.

"Improve the quality of the spiritual vein?" Zhu Qinghao muttered to himself, swallowing the saliva that had just been secreted.

The outbreak of the demonic calamity is like a sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of cultivators in the Western Continent. If the quality of the sect's spiritual veins is improved, a stronger protective array can be set up, and everyone's safety can be better guaranteed.

Everyone's eyes widened, and excitement flashed across their faces. This was great news for everyone in the sect.

When the quality of the main spiritual vein is improved, the quality of the existing branch veins will also be upgraded by one grade.

At the same time, the area covered by the spiritual veins will inevitably expand significantly, and more branch veins will radiate from the main vein. At that time, the spiritual veins will be able to support more high-level cultivators.

Ji An thought about it and felt that spiritual veins might form beneath the spiritual fields around Biyue Lake in the future.

Ge Ying clapped her hands lightly, her expression turning serious:

"This kind of thing should ideally be done in secret, and it's better to take it longer."

However, the situation is complicated now, and the outbreak of the demonic disaster is imminent, which does not allow us to proceed slowly.

Therefore, the ancestor simply acted in a high-profile manner, issuing mandatory tasks to strive to obtain enough Five Elements spiritual objects to cultivate spiritual veins in the shortest possible time.

Our strength may not be something other forces want to see; be more careful when going out on missions in the future.

Ge Ying tossed the jade slip in her hand to her second disciple and continued:

"Passed around, the jade slip contains the spiritual items and quantities required for the sect's mandatory missions."

You can now leave the sect and go to various markets to buy goods, so as not to delay your cultivation because of completing the mission.

Remember not to make any purchases within the sect, and do not leak the news to outsiders.

The mandatory tasks are carried out on a one-year cycle, and the penalties are severe if they are not completed.

"You don't need to ask about those large shops in the market; the Ancestor already sent people out to buy them yesterday."

"Master, there is no time to lose, I shall take my leave now."

Zhu Qinghao stood up to say goodbye, and the others also bid farewell and left, leaving only one person in the blink of an eye.

Ji An cupped his hands in greeting and smiled:

"Master, I have a request."

Once the sect's news spreads, it will inevitably cause the prices of various related materials to skyrocket until the day the mandatory mission ends.

Now, while the outside world is still unaware, I want to stockpile a batch of goods.

"The time to earn high profits is only a few days, and I hope to borrow some crystals from my master to tide me over."

"ah?"

Ge Ying was amused. There were even disciples who took the initiative to borrow crystals from their master. She had taught many disciples, and this was the first time she had encountered such a situation.

"What if you lose money? How will you pay it back?"

You're now at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and you're probably already preparing to exchange your contribution points for Foundation Establishment Pills, right?

If this speculation fails, how will we buy Foundation Establishment Pills?

She felt that this new disciple was too attached to worldly desires. It was fine now, but if he continued to be obsessed with acquiring spirit stones after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, it would be detrimental to his future cultivation.

After establishing one's foundation, one needs to dedicate more time to comprehending the divine intent within the cultivation method, requiring undivided attention to delve into the profound mysteries and comprehend the Dao.

At that time, crystals will still be important to cultivators, but their importance will decrease. As cultivators' cultivation level increases, the importance of crystals will become less and less.

"The reason I'm doing this business is simply to accumulate enough contribution points to exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills as soon as possible."

The chances of this business failing are very low. Even if it fails and I lose money, I can still pay off my debts through farming.

There are many undeveloped plots of land within the sect that don't meet the standards, and the rent is very low for me.

"This humble disciple has recently grasped the essence of the Thick Earth Technique."

Ji An spoke eloquently, only gently revealing his reliance at the end.

Having grasped the essence of the two most important techniques in planting magic, and using the skills as collateral, surely I can borrow some spirit stones.

Master is an expert in planting, so he will surely understand its significance.

A glint flashed in Ge Ying's eyes as she secretly made a hand seal, breaking the magical barrier on the wall.

"Go in and let me experience the profound meaning of the Earth Technique."

She has a habit when accepting disciples: after all the Qi Refining stage disciples she teaches have advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, she will rest for a few years before starting the next round of accepting disciples.

Before meeting this disciple, she had no intention of taking on an apprentice; she only wanted to hire an excellent spirit farmer to manage the herb garden.

After the other party performed the Lesser Cloud Rain Technique at the level of magical intent, she took a liking to his talent and accepted him as her disciple.

Ji An entered the herb garden and calmly cast a spell. A rich, nourishing aura appeared along with a flash of earthy yellow spiritual light, seeping into the soil.

After completing the spell, he stood beside his master with his hands at his sides, waiting for the other's response.

Ge Ying stood quietly for a moment, her eyes revealing satisfaction:

"Very good, keep up the good work."

She felt that this disciple had the potential to become the most outstanding spirit farmer since the sect's founding. The second-tier top-grade spirit peach tree was nearing the end of its life, and she worried that she would not be able to help the sect cultivate a new top-grade spirit fruit tree before her lifespan ran out. Now, that worry had lessened considerably.

Even if she fails to fulfill her wish, her disciples can take over the responsibility.

Ge Ying turned and walked out, her gentle voice carrying her thoughts:

"I don't have many crystals left, so I'll lend you twenty mid-grade spirit stones."

(End of this chapter)