"Seriously though, they are impressive," the guy pulled out a notebook and flipped through the pages. "Some inner disciples asked me to gather information about the newly accepted disciples, and there are four who really stand out."

"Really? Let's hear about them," a bald guy responded.

The guy with the notebook cleared his throat. "Alright, you already know about Yu Yongrui. That guy is from a peasant family. Aside from his talent, there's nothing particularly impressive about him. Still, his talent is unbelievable. Some people say he has an extreme physique or a Heaven Grade cultivation scripture. Whatever it is, he advanced from the third stage of the Lock Opening realm to the sixth stage in just two months. At this speed, he could surely reach the Core Splitting realm within two years."

The bald man spoke up, "I also heard he's ruthless. The guy who tried to rob him had all his bones broken."

"Hmph, I bet he uses forbidden techniques to grow so fast. He'll hit a bottleneck soon and won't advance anymore. Two years? He won't reach the Core Splitting realm in ten!" Lei Peng declared.

"Whatever you say, brother," the one with the notebook replied. "Next, there's a girl named Yan Yu. She's extremely beautiful. I heard even some inner disciples tried to court her. They all failed. Though, some received a nice slap that made me jealous," he added with a lecherous smile. "I wouldn't mind if she slapped me, or kicked me, or choked me. Hehe."

"Beautiful or not, what kind of man wants to be slapped by a woman!" Lei Peng shouted.

"An adult man. You wouldn't understand."

"What? You think I'm a kid? Let me tell you, if I want a woman, she'd be falling all over me."

"Guys, let's calm down and get back to the topic," the bald one interjected.

The notebook guy cleared his throat again. "Right. So, Yan Yu is beautiful, but she's also strong. Almost two months ago, she went to a house near the river. You know, the spot where the qi is so dense everyone improves just by being there."

"Ah, I know that story. Brother Gu lived there."

"Right, Brother Gu, who came in second place in last year's tournament. Needless to say, Brother Gu was enraged. Yan Yu is rude and arrogant, but that's also her charm, and her slap is…"

"Stay on topic," the bald man repeated.

"Right, sorry. She demanded Brother Gu and everyone in that area to move out. Then a beatdown happened. Yan Yu's technique revolves around ice, and her control over it is top-notch. I heard some people became ice statues, some were skewered by ice arrows, and everything around her froze."

Hearing this, Liu Xing raised his eyebrows. So that girl who squatted in his cave is named Yan Yu, and it seems after he threw her out, she rampaged and stole other people's houses.

"I heard many people were sent to the clinic. She's ruthless. Some even lost their cultivation," the bald one said.

"That rumor is exaggerated. No one lost their cultivation, though some lost limbs. Anyway, now she lives near the river and hasn't been heard from since. In terms of cultivation speed, Yu Yongrui is faster, but they're both at the Lock Opening sixth stage. The odds of her becoming an inner disciple are high."

The notebook guy and the bald guy glanced at Lei Peng.

"What?" Lei Peng asked.

"You didn't comment?" the notebook guy prompted.

"Hmph. I still think she's lesser than me. But I'm not blind. I recognize talent when I see it."

"Alright then, that's nice. Moving on, the third one is Shen Ye, the second prince of the Phoenix Empire."

"Yeah, I heard of him too. He's handsome, rich, and talented. He came to the sect to surpass his older brother."

"Right, his fire affinity is high. Some think he has a special bloodline related to a phoenix. I can't confirm it because his fights end in the blink of an eye. Although his opponent was charred, so there's a high probability he either has a monstrous comprehension of fire or truly possesses a bloodline."

"Hmph. Even if he's a prince, in this sect we are equal," Lei Peng scoffed.

"Well, our status, yes, but he's already at the Lock Opening seventh stage. It's just a matter of time before he becomes an inner disciple," the notebook guy pointed out.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"He's not really surprising. While his background is the most impressive, he feels like a normal guy," the bald one commented.

"I would argue with you, but let's move on. The fourth one is actually a mystery. No one has met him, but some people heard mad cackling near the valley, saw flashing lights, and head explosions. I didn't have time to confirm this information, but this morning, I was close to that valley when taking a dump and I heard a big explosion. Needless to say, I ran out of there without my pants. on"

"I didn't need to hear the last part," the bald one groaned.

"Hmph, probably just someone trying to cultivate a mysterious aura. I bet he's some loser who just wants to grab attention," Lei Peng sneered.

"Anyway, the most important information is about how smooth Yan Yu's palm is. The one who got slapped said—"

Liu Xing, sitting nearby, struggled to keep his expression neutral. The funny trio was now discussing Yan Yu's palm. The one with the notebook wanted to be slapped, Lei Peng thought he was superior to Yan Yu, and the bald one just sighed at his friends' conversation.

That fourth disciple, are they talking about him? Liu Xing didn't cackle like a madman, but he remembered being excited and laughing pretty loudly, especially when he successfully combined his Exploding Fist with electricity.

"Hmm, whatever."

The rumor about him was harmless, so he wouldn't worry about it, though he decided not to use that valley for training again. After he finished eating, he arrived at the Mission Hall.

He needed to go to Dragon Skull Forest, but he couldn't just go and train there since he hadn't taken a mission in the past two months. About a month ago, a disciple from the Mission Hall had come to tell him he needed to complete a mission or have his points deducted. He had actually forgotten about it, and now, his sect points were probably negative, and if he didn't complete some missions, he could be kicked out of the sect.

Entering the Mission Hall, he took a place in one of the queues, making sure he was in line for a familiar clerk—a middle-aged man with a round belly and pink cheeks, the nicest clerk in the hall. Soon, he reached the front of the queue.

"Liu Xing, long time no see!" the clerk greeted him.

Liu Xing returned the greeting. "I've been busy these past two months. Am I in trouble?"

The clerk checked his token and nodded. "You're in trouble, but not in deep water. Your points are negative ten, and your allotment of spirit stones is reduced to one per month until the next two months. Overall, not bad. I've seen worse."

He sighed in relief. Only negative ten points and losing allotments of spirit stones. Really, not too bad.

"Anyway, I've come to get a mission."

"Any criteria?"

"Anything is fine as long as the mission requires me to go to Dragon Skull Forest."

Hearing this, the clerk raised his eyebrows. "Dragon Skull Forest? Are you finally cultivating seriously? That forest is dangerous, you know?"

"I know, and yes, I'm trying to become an immortal now."

"Well, good luck then. Aiming to become an immortal is good, but you need to know your limits. I give out many missions to disciples in the sect, and let me tell you, the more ambitious they are, the greater the chance they die taking risks."

Liu Xing nodded, "Thank you for the advice."

He knew this world was dangerous and ruthless, and he sincerely thanked the clerk for reminding him of the reality.

"I have some missions related to Dragon Skull Forest. The easiest one is to get a tail from a certain species of lizard that lives there. The tail would be refined into a pill that increases… stamina, if you know what I mean."

Liu Xing blinked a few times, then nodded. Even in the cultivator world, there were always people looking to... keep things lively in bed.

"I assume the rewards are good?"

"Everything related to that activity has a high reward, I tell you. This mission is worth thirty sect points."

"Alright, I'll take the mission."

After accepting the mission, Liu Xing started to pack his supplies. According to the clerk, this mission had to be completed within two months. A reasonable timeframe, since Dragon Skull Forest requires at least a week to travel there.

As he walked to his cave, he wondered what would happen on this mission.

Not every mission he took went wrong, but once or twice, a mission became so dangerous that he needed help or had to run away. He sometimes had nightmares about mushrooms that could grow inside mouths, noses, ears, and brains, as well as a giant boar that had traumatized him.

Shuddering at the thought, he hoped that this mission and his training would go smoothly, and that he would return to the sect as a Lock Opening sixth stage disciple.

***

"You mean this mission has the highest reward?" Yan Yu asked the clerk in front of her.

"Yes, the reward is forty sect points, and the herb you need to pick is really valuable, if you know what I mean." The clerk winked.

Yan Yu gritted her teeth. She didn't have a problem with herb-picking missions. She was just bothered by the fact that the highest mission she could take was to pick an herb that would be refined into an aphrodisiac. Still, the reward was good, and while she didn't need techniques from the library, the points could be exchanged for cultivation pills and artifacts that would help her cultivate faster and awaken her bloodline.

"Fine, I'll take it."

The clerk smiled. "You know, you're not the first person with this kind of mission. I hope you two meet and help each other. After all, your missions are related."

Yan Yu ignored the clerk and accepted the mission in silence. She was still bothered by the herb she needed to pick, but right now she had no choice. She needed to go to Dragon Skull Forest. In her past life, around this time, she was still wandering around, looking for food in the woods before being picked up by her master. But now, she was already a cultivator, and she could seize the opportunities she couldn't take in the past. One of them was in Dragon Skull Forest. Her senior sisters had said that a cultivator from a sect called the Red Desert Sect stumbled upon a pocket dimension in that place, and he became one of the strongest in his sect.

If she wasn't mistaken, he got a black sword that could enhance techniques with temperature manipulation. He used that sword to enhance his fighting style around sand and glass. That black sword would fit her hands better, she decided, so she would retrieve it. It was kind of annoying. In the Frozen Palace Sect, after she awakened her bloodline, she had been showered with resources. She hadn't needed to lift a finger if she needed a pill or an artifact. Her master would have gladly brought whatever she needed to her. But now the situation was different, and she wouldn't complain too much. She just hoped that this mission would go smoothly.

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