First Immortal of the Sword - Chapter 2204 - The Mission Begins
Chapter 2204 – The Mission Begins
The old man was portly and dressed in brocade. His name was Li Chuan, and he was the master of the Celestial Treasure Palace.
His rank was roughly comparable to Tie Wenjing’s.
“Just as each radish in a field has its dedicated hole, the sect’s hierarchy is meticulously organized. Even if you’ve accumulated enough merit to advance, if there’s no opening, you can forget about a promotion,” Li Chuan said coolly. “To the best of my knowledge, there are currently thirty-seven people in the sect with enough merit to advance to vice palace master, but even now, there are no open spots.”
He shook his head. “If the boy achieves an act of supreme merit, he might well bypass the usual system and advance. Otherwise, he’ll just have to wait in line. If he’s lucky, he’ll have to wait several hundred years. If he isn’t, he might well have to wait thousands.”
“If I achieve an act of supreme merit, I can bypass the usual system and ascend directly to vice palace master?” Su Yi said thoughtfully.
“That’s right,” said Li Chuan. He gazed playfully at Su Yi. “But supreme merit isn’t so easily acquired. Moreover, you already broke the usual pattern by becoming a deacon of Wandering Night Palace immediately after joining the sect. That’s already enormously fortunate, so quite dreaming about an overnight rise to prominence.”
“A young man ought to have far-reaching ambition!” laughed Su Yi.
He didn’t argue, but who said there was no way to rise to prominence overnight?
That said, he wasn’t currently interested in a promotion, so he set that aside. “I plan to trade all of these merit points for cultivation resources and divine medicines useful for treating injuries. The more precious, the better.”
Li Chuan was briefly stunned, but then, he nodded. “That’s right. You ought to be focused on your cultivation, not coveting promotions and authority. Come with me.”
……
By the time Su Yi left Celestial Treasure Palace, he’d used up every last one of his merit points. He’d exchanged them for divine medicine, including quite a few rarities.
Su Yi estimated that by the time he’d refined them all, his wounds would be around sixty percent healed, and his cultivation would be about half recovered!
Should the chance arise, I ought to accumulate some merit. It’s practically money. I can exchange it for all sorts of stuff I want, thought Su Yi.
There were all sorts of ways to accumulate merit, but the most direct approach was to accept and complete missions. There were missions of all kinds, and the rewards were all over the map.
When disciples of Qingwu Divine Sect went out to temper themselves, they typically accepted a few missions to complete during their journey.
Celestial Treasure Palace was also where these missions were posted. When Su Yi found the free time, he planned to see if there were any missions suitable for his rank that could net him a supreme merit!
“Xiao Jian, Palace Master Li Chuan is one of the grand elder’s supporters. His attitude might have been unpleasant, but he’s a decent man. Don’t take his dispiriting words to heart,” Tie Wenjing patiently explained.
Su Yi froze, suddenly touched, then asked solemnly, “Elder Tie, forgive my boldness, but why are you going to such lengths to look out for me?”
Elder Tie was stunned. “I told you, didn’t I? I’m the one who brought you back to the sect, and we faced adversity together. How could I possibly disregard your well-being?”
He paused, then said with an air of self-deprecation, “I’m the most useless of the inner court elders, and I have no grand ambitions, so I’m extremely proud that I managed to bring a peerless figure like you back with me. I’m happy from the very bottom of my heart!”
Here, he smiled. “To tell the truth, I think of you as I might my own disciple. I’m not looking for gratitude; I just want to help you out. I hope that one day, you can rise through the ranks and shine, not just within the sect, but throughout the Southern Flame Divine Continent!”
Here, Tie Wenjing’s face filled with longing. “My path has ended in the Fortune Realm, and I’m always busy taking care of various matters for the sect. No one really takes me seriously.
“But you’re different. You have a Torch Dragon bloodline, and one day, you’re certain to soar into the heavens! When that day comes, everyone who sees me will have to exclaim over my wisdom and judgment!”
Tie Wenjing burst into laughter.
Su Yi laughed too. He roughly understood where Tie Wenjing was coming from.
……
Just like that, the name “Xiao Jian” spread throughout the sect. Even the old-timers deep in seclusion and the lowliest of outer sect disciples knew about him now.
This was all because of the battle on Spirit Bamboo Peak. There, Xiao Jian’s sharpness had been on full display, as well as his unparalleled, prideworthy combat prowess. Countless people were talking about him. fre.eweb(n)ovel\.c om
Just like that, Su Yi had established his prestige!
Moreover, his stated desire to pursue the Dao wholeheartedly and avoid getting tangled in trouble, followed by his decision to vacate Spirit Bamboo Peak, had earned him widespread sympathy. Much of the sect was indignant on his behalf.
This was influence, and it was just what Su Yi wanted to achieve.
He now dared to say with certainty that even if the sect leader, third elder, or grand elder wanted to make trouble for him, they’d at least be more cautious about it going forward.
More importantly, after this incident, he’d established his footing in the sect.
His position was not yet secure, but Su Yi wasn’t in a rush. Given his abilities, slowly building power and seizing authority over Qingwu Divine Court wouldn’t be difficult.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to do it, either. He just disdained racking his brains over something so trivial. He’d just go with the flow instead.
Time slipped by. Soon, over ten days had passed.
Little Pine Peak.
This was Tie Wenjing’s territory. Until recently, he’d lived here alone. After all, Tie Wenjing was still an inner court elder, as well as a Greater God. It was perfectly natural that he had a mountain to himself.
But now, Su Yi lived and cultivated on Little Pine Peak, too.
Tie Wenjing arranged an immortal cave just for him. There were pine and banana trees planted outside it. A winding path led down from the cave, and the nearby cliffside was planted with all manner of wondrous plants. There were waterfalls, geysers, pavilions, and gazebos. The scenery was extraordinarily tranquil and beautiful.
That aside, Tie Wenjing arranged for some of the sect’s immortal cultivators to take care of odd jobs for them, like sweeping the immortal cave, organizing the weapons, brewing tea, delivering messages, and pruning the trees and grasses.
Some were even startlingly beautiful lady yao immortals.
Su Yi couldn’t help but be rueful. Although Tie Wenjing’s status in the sect was rather low, he was still living it up as an inner court elder.
What made Su Yi frown was that even after leaving Spirit Bamboo Peak and moving into Tie Wenjing’s territory, that strange, inscrutable aura lingered. It had followed him here like a shadow.
Every time he sat down to cultivate, or did anything at all, he sensed someone watching him from the shadows.
By now, he was confident that that aura originated from a Human-Faced Bluebird. She had the face of a hideous old woman covered in wrinkles.
This strange bluebird had appeared on Little Pine Peak several times. Although she hid her presence, Su Yi could still sense her. Thus, he was confident that she was the one who’d been watching him all this time.
After confirming this, during a chat with Tie Wenjing, Su Yi asked about the sect’s Master Gods with feigned casualness.
Tie Wenjing told him everything he knew.
After hearing him introduce all of the sect’s Master Gods, Su Yi immediately pinpointed his stalker’s identity: Dao Protector Hui Qing!
She was a One-Tribulation Master God and one of Ancestor Hua Hongzhen’s old servants.
Hua Hongzhen had left the sect to explore the outside world a long time ago, while Hui Qing had stayed behind. She now worked for Wandering Night Palace.
And Hui Qing’s true body was a Human-Faced Bluebird!
Su Yi finally understood who the person who’d secretly kept tabs on him ever since he joined the sect was. Ku Zhen actually sent a Master God to keep tabs on me. It seems he’s still suspicious of me…
Suddenly, the voice of a lady yao immortal emanated from outside his cave. “Deacon Xiao, Vice Palace Master Huang Changting commanded you to come to Wandering Night Palace tomorrow at dawn.”
“Alright,” said Su Yi.
Two months ago, after the curtains fell on the grand battle on Spirit Bamboo Peak, the vice palace master had told him that he’d be going with them on a mission outside the sect in just two weeks.
Even now, Su Yi had no idea just what kind of mission it was.
……
The following morning.
Wandering Night Palace.
When Su Yi arrived, he saw Vice Palace Master Huang Changting, Deacon Qian Hu, and three Wandering Night Gods.
When he saw Su Yi, Qian Hu’s expression instantly darkened. His defeat at Spirit Bamboo Mountain had left his reputation in shambles, and he’d become a laughingstock in the sect.
The other three Wandering Night Gods, two men and one woman, gave him a lukewarm welcome.
“Now that we’re all here, I’ll announce the nature of our mission,” Huang Changting said with dignity. “Our mission is to track a certain someone down. They say he’s been spotted in the Barren Mountains of Divine Calamity. He’s likely already fled deep into the mountains.”
Uproar followed this declaration. The three Wandering Night Gods looked stricken.
The Barren Mountains of Divine Calamity were one of the most famous—and perilous—places in the entire Southern Flame Divine Continent!
The threats there were sufficient to imperil even gods!
Huang Changting could sense their dread at a glance. “Rest assured, all of you. Our mission is simply to investigate, gather information, and track our target down. We aren’t expected to fight or capture him personally.”
“Just who is our target?” Qian Hu couldn’t help but ask.
Huang Changting took out a jade slip, then squeezed. The slip erupted with light, which transformed into a portrait.
It depicted a pale, gaunt man with disheveled long hair and plain robes.
Inscrutable, misty Laws of the Natural Order hovered around him, while the image of an Undying Phoenix beating its wings amidst the endless darkness appeared reflected behind him!
When Su Yi saw this, his pupils silently constricted, and his heart shook. That was none other than Luo Qingdi!
He was Luo Xuanji’s older brother, a once-legendary figure who’d dazzled past epochs.
They’d once said that Luo Qingdi, the “Blue Emperor,” was supreme amongst the Undying!
