Chapter Twenty-Four: The Mission

Late at night.

The search for Gu Xingyuan’s hometown still seemed far too distant for Chen Mu. He arrived at the open-air training ground reserved for inner sect disciples, drew his Blackgold Sword, and began to practice. He repeated the first three forms of the Brahma Star Sword Technique, each movement growing more skillful and fluid than before. Chen Mu trained until late before returning to his cave residence to rest.

The next morning, as he stepped out, he decided to take a stroll around the inner sect—after all, in all his years here, this was his first proper tour, excluding the main hall, his own cave, and the training ground.

As he walked, all the inner sect disciples he passed regarded him with curious eyes, but none greeted him. Chen Mu’s cultivation was still at the Meridian Realm, and many looked down on him. They clearly doubted whether this young man, at such a low realm, could truly have withstood Elder Xiao Ruthless’s casual strike.

Chen Mu ignored them, intent on seeking out Lü Shi to discuss future plans.

Once Chen Mu had gone, in a corner nearby, voices whispered.

“So that’s Chen Mu, the one who survived Elder Xiao’s attack? I heard he topped the outer sect assessment this year. I don’t see anything special about him… There’s no aura at all. His cultivation is so weak—these rumors must be false, right? Senior Brother, how could the Sect Master accept someone like him as a personal disciple? I don’t think it’s fair to you.”

“Enough. Whether the rumors are true or not is not our concern. The Sect Master must have his reasons for accepting him. It’s not for us to discuss these matters.” The handsome young man in front frowned.

“You’re the top senior brother of the inner sect—if the Sect Master doesn’t accept you as a disciple, who else? This guy? I’m not convinced! I heard Chen Mu hasn’t advanced in two years. Such mediocrity disgraces our Starwatch Valley. Besides, they say he only got in because of connections—there’s probably something shady here…”

“That’s enough. Stop gossiping. Xia Yudong, if you’re idle, go deal with the bandits to the west.”

“Yes, yes, Senior Brother, I’ll take the task now.”

…

After a moment of silence, the so-called Senior Brother muttered, “Chen Mu, I hope you’re as capable as the rumors say, or else…”

This man was none other than Gu Feng, the top senior brother of Starwatch Valley’s inner sect. He had apprenticed under Elder Yang Ming of the Law Hall and was a leader among the younger generation, already at the peak of the Foundation Realm at age twenty-six—a commendable achievement within the Qi-poor lands of the Great Xia Empire. Yet, his pride had kept him from being accepted by the Sect Master as a personal disciple, and now, seeing Chen Mu taken in by Gu Xingyuan, how could he be at ease?

…

Chen Mu found Lü Shi, and the two began to familiarize themselves with the inner sect.

Lü Shi had joined the Law Hall. Chen Mu was not surprised—Law Hall was the typical choice for disciples, specializing in spells and martial arts, the prime destination for fighters.

They toured the Pill Pavilion, Talisman Hall, and Library, discovering that everything required massive amounts of contribution points—thousands or even tens of thousands. Chen Mu realized how poor he truly was; the points he’d earned from missions were woefully insufficient. He thought of the Brahma Star Sword Technique given to him by Gu Xingyuan and wondered how many points it might fetch, but recalling the sect’s rule of crippling cultivation for such offenses, he promptly abandoned the idea.

“Senior Brother Chen, now that I’m an inner sect disciple, it still feels like a dream—nothing seems real. But it’s all thanks to you; without you, I wouldn’t be here. I won’t say much, but if you ever need anything, just say the word. Even if it means braving fire or blades, I won’t hesitate!”

Chen Mu shook his head. “No need for that. You’re one of the few here who respects me. I treat others as they treat me. Friends deserve kindness, so you needn’t worry.”

“Friends? Senior Brother Chen, are we really friends?” Lü Shi trembled, dazed.

Chen Mu frowned. “Why? You don’t want to be?”

“No, I do! I do! Then can I call you Brother Chen?”

“No, you’re probably older than me, so that’d feel odd. Let’s just use names.”

“Chen Mu.”

“Alright, now let’s figure out how to establish ourselves here. First, we need to earn contribution points. Let’s see what tasks the inner sect offers.” With that, the two made their way to the task hall.

The task board teemed with missions—slaying monsters, repelling beast tides, scouting mines, competing for territory—too many to count. The rewards were staggering, from ten thousand up to hundreds of thousands of points. But the difficulty made them hesitate; most tasks required teams of Foundation Realm disciples, especially those at the mid to late stages. These tasks were beyond Lü Shi’s abilities, if not Chen Mu’s.

As they stood there, uncertain, a senior brother at the desk shook his head, smiled, and approached. “Are you two the new inner sect disciples? If I’m not mistaken, you must be Chen Mu, right?”

Chen Mu was momentarily surprised, then nodded.

“You’re looking for tasks suitable for early Foundation Realm, aren’t you? Those aren’t on this board. Look over there.”

At his words, Chen Mu and Lü Shi glanced at the corner he indicated—a cluster of small scraps of paper. It turned out this corner held the tasks suitable for new inner sect disciples.

Chen Mu was embarrassed, realizing their mistake, and respectfully asked, “We made a fool of ourselves. May I ask how we should address you, Senior Brother?”

“My surname is Yue, Yue Shanxing. Just call me Senior Brother Yue. I happen to have a task that’s easy and pays well, though it’s not yet posted. Want to hear about it? The reward is five thousand contribution points each.”

Chen Mu was immediately interested. “What’s the task?”

“Recently, Senior Brother Liu Qing discovered a promising group of youths in Xucheng and wants to bring them into Starwatch Valley as outer sect disciples. Since Liu Qing can’t leave due to other matters, he asked the sect to send two disciples to assist. What do you think? Not difficult, right?”

“Xucheng? Yes, that’s not hard. It’s not far from Starwatch Valley. What do you think, Lü Shi?”

“It’s doable. Just recruiting some new blood for the outer sect—not much trouble. Yes, let’s take it.”

Seeing their agreement, Yue Shanxing smiled. “Then I’ll leave the task to you two. Come to the desk to register.”

The three went to the desk and recorded the mission.

“Thank you, Senior Brother Yue. Our first task is so easy—I almost feel guilty,” Lü Shi said, scratching his head.

“It’s nothing. We’re all brothers here, and besides, I find you two likable. Special treatment is deserved.”

Chen Mu cupped his hands. “Thank you, Senior Brother Yue. Now that we’ve accepted the task, we’ll prepare to head for Xucheng. Farewell.”

Chen Mu and Lü Shi journeyed through mountains and rivers, traveling five days and four nights before arriving at Xucheng.

“Chen Mu, the location Senior Brother Liu Qing marked is the Sima Manor in Xucheng, right? Are all the new recruits there?” Lü Shi asked as they entered the city.

“According to the information, two of the recruits are from Sima Manor, so all the prospects have been gathered there.”

“Who knows what Liu Qing is up to—leaving the newcomers at Sima Manor and vanishing himself.”

“He must have important business, or else he wouldn’t entrust something so vital to others.”

As they chatted, Chen Mu and Lü Shi arrived at the so-called Sima Manor.