The sky stretched endlessly, an unbroken canvas of pale blue, with the sun as a glaring eye at its center. The wind, if it stirred at all, carried only a ghost of warmth, lifting dust into the air before vanishing into the distance.
Wu Ming flapped his fan, stirring a breeze against his face. "Well, this is where we part ways."
Zhuo Feng smirked and waved. "Yeah, yeah. Good luck with whatever scraps you get from the Mission Hall." Then without waiting for a reply, he strode toward the Martial Hall entrance, his figure vanishing into the stream of disciples.
Wu Ming's gaze lingered briefly before shifting to the Mission hall. The building was large but far less crowded than the Martial Hall's section with only a few disciples coming and going.
He straightened his sleeves and walked inside the Mission Hall.
Unlike the Martial Hall and Execution Hall, which accepted only their own members, this place was open to all sect members.
The process here was simple, present your sect identification token, receive a task suited to one's rank, and carry it out. Unlike the other halls, where disciples could choose from a variety of missions, here one took what was given. No selection, no refusal.
He stepped up to the counter, where an inner sect disciple sat behind a wooden desk, flipping through a thick register. The man barely glanced up. "Token."
Wu Ming presented his jade token without a word. The inner disciple placed it against a crystalline slab, and with a soft chime, a line of text emerged.
Rank: 1888
Mission Grade: High Copper
The disciple read it, flipped through the register, plucked out a bamboo slip, and handed it over. Wu Ming accepted the slip, his eyes briefly scanning the glowing text.
[Hunt and retrieve two Dark Thunder Wolf cub cores. Reward: 6 spirit stones. Deadline: Six days.]
Wu Ming gave a polite nod. The inner disciple returned a perfunctory gesture before turning to the next disciple.
As he walked out of the Mission Hall, Wu Ming calculated silently, 'Twelve spirit stones from my savings, four from this month's sect allocation, plus that bottle of Black River Spiritual Water... That puts me at nineteen spirit stones. If I add the six from this task, I'll have twenty-five.'
He stored the bamboo slip in his pouch as he weighed his options. 'My original estimate was another four months of cultivation to break through to the 4th layer, but if I pour all my resources into cultivation, I might break through in three months. Too slow. It's better to invest in a technique to raise my battle strength, earn better rewards, and then accelerate my cultivation progress.'
'The previous owner of this body avoided taking this route because learning techniques was time-consuming. But that's not an issue for me. With the Seed of Comprehension, I can master techniques with great ease.'
But then, his brows furrowed slightly. 'The problem… Twenty-five spirit stones aren't even enough for the lowest grade Yellow Rank technique in the Hall of Scrolls. The cheapest starts at 60 spirit stones.'
His gaze darkened. 'Seems I have no choice but to take a trip to the black market. Six days from now… Let's see if I can dig up something useful. For cheap, preferably.'
With that thought settled in his mind, Wu Ming quickly descended the mountain.
The next morning, the sun cast long shadows over the outer sect as Wu Ming pushed open the wooden door of his residence. A crisp breeze whispered through the courtyard, carrying the faint scent of damp earth and aged wood.
After a short rest, he resumed his daily necessities. Relieving himself in the designated pit behind his dwelling, drawing a bucket of cold water to wash away the last traces of sleep, and preparing a simple meal of steamed rice and preserved meat.
Cultivator or not, these things could not be ignored. For most, they were a complete waste of time, but Wu Ming had already found a way to mitigate the losse of time.
Yesterday, when he was returning from the inner area, an idea struck him. Activating the Seed of Comprehension, he let its power surge through his mind, filling it with endless currents of thought.
Thoughts that would help him master techniques at an unnatural speed. But today, he directed them elsewhere.
Rather than focusing on techniques, he directed those abundant thoughts toward multitasking. His mind split into layers, one silently cultivating while the rest handled trivial matters. Where others wasted precious minutes, he gained them.
As he finished his meal, he sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, letting the warmth settle in his stomach. His thoughts turned to the mission ahead.
Dark Thunder Wolves.
The previous Wu Ming had hunted them before. That experience was his now. Finding the den was an simple task. The challenge lay in retrieving the cubs without alerting the pack.
Just then, Wu Ming's fingers resting on his knee, twitched. His divine sense had picked up a presence.
A cultivator at the 3rd layer of the Green Copper Realm was approaching his residence.
For an instant, his mind went blank. Then, a cold smile curved his lips.
'Finally. Someone comes knocking.'
Wu Ming rose to his feet, rolling his shoulders as his joints let out soft pops. He reached for his sword, fingers brushing against the familiar hilt. Then, without hurry, he strode out to greet his uninvited guest.