6: Sect mission!

“Oh? How do they Cultivate?” Meng Yun’s words piqued Yang Kai’s curiosity, and he looked at Meng Yun with a hint of wonder, waiting for him to continue.

Meng Yun cleared his throat with a satisfied air, putting on a show before saying, “Do you know that this qi gathering pill is only one of three types of Cultivation Medicinal Pills that Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators can take, and it’s even the one with the lowest efficacy?”

Yang Kai shook his head. Of course, he didn’t know any of this; the knowledge in his mind had no record of such things.

“Heh! The Medicinal Pills that can be taken during the Qi Refining Stage are called First-Grade Medicinal Pills. Among them, the qi gathering pill is quite special, as Mortals can also take it. However, the Yellow Dragon Pill and Clarity Pill can only be taken by those in the Qi Refinement Stage. The Clarity Pill’s effects are similar to the qi gathering pill’s, but the Spiritual Qi it contains far exceeds that of the qi gathering pill. And this Yellow Dragon Pill is truly potent; it’s said that after taking it, a Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator can instantly increase his Cultivation by one stage!” Meng Yun spoke until his throat was dry, quickly drank the tea in his hand, and let out a long sigh.

“The Yellow Dragon Pill actually has such effects. Are there any restrictions on taking it?” Yang Kai quickly asked.

“I haven’t heard of any. But this Yellow Dragon Pill is a highly sought-after item among Outer Sect Disciples. Besides the occasional few that appear at the auction in the market, it can only be obtained by completing School missions,” Meng Yun said, a bit embarrassed, after being questioned by Yang Kai.

“School missions?” Yang Kai frowned. He had originally thought that after becoming an Outer Sect Disciple, he would steadily Cultivate, never expecting there to be so many intricacies involved.

“Yang Kai, there are all sorts of School missions. Wang Hu, who was previously in charge of overseeing the Utility Disciples, took on the mission of guarding the Utility Disciples. As long as he met the assessment requirements, he would receive a bit of School contribution after a year.”

“Besides that, there are also missions like helping the Elders look after Medicinal Pill gardens or Alchemy. Although these missions only offer a small amount of School contribution, they are very lucrative, and ordinary Disciples usually can’t get them.” Meng Yun spoke on, and Yang Kai didn’t interrupt, listening quietly and constantly calculating in his mind.

“Yang Kai, there’s a mission recently that’s been quite popular among Outer Sect Disciples: assisting several Inner Sect Disciples in subduing a Yao Beast. It’s said to be a Spirit Ape that was originally held on Spirit Beast Peak, which escaped for unknown reasons. These Inner Sect Disciples posted a mission to recruit ten Outer Sect Disciples to help capture the Spirit Ape. If successful, each Outer Sect Disciple can receive ten points of School contribution!”

“This mission is very popular. I spent two Spirit Stones just to secure two spots, and I signed us both up. We depart tomorrow…”

“What did you say? You signed me up? Signed me up for this mission?!!! Let’s go, cancel the mission right now!” Yang Kai shot to his feet, grabbed Meng Yun by the collar, and said angrily.

“Yang Kai, don’t be angry. Unless you voluntarily deduct School contributions equal to the mission reward, School missions cannot be canceled. I’ve inquired about this mission, and there’s no danger. You can get ten points of School contribution in less than half a day. How suitable is that?” Meng Yun’s voice trembled slightly. In three years, he had never seen Yang Kai angry, and he didn’t expect Yang Kai to be so frightening when he got angry.

“I hate it when others make decisions for me. Don’t ever make any decisions for me without my permission again!” Yang Kai was not a person prone to impotent rage, and he quickly calmed down, releasing his grip and stepping aside.

“Yang Kai, is there something wrong with this mission?” Meng Yun asked quickly when he saw Yang Kai had calmed down.

“I’m not sure, but if this mission is as easy as you say, why aren’t other Outer Sect Disciples taking it? Why did you have to spend Spirit Stones to buy a spot?” Yang Kai said coldly.

As Meng Yun thought about it, cold sweat poured down his back, and endless regret welled up in his heart.

Yang Kai glanced at the self-pitying Meng Yun and tried to comfort him, “Alright, what’s done is done. What’s the use of dwelling on it here? Let’s go, we’ll go investigate what’s really going on with this mission.”

“That’s great, Yang Kai! If we can solve this matter, you’ll be my older brother from now on—no, you’ll be my biological father!” Meng Yun clung to him as if he had found a life raft, wishing he could hug and kiss Yang Kai a few times.

“You’re quite rich, kid. You actually have two Spirit Stones. Where did they come from?” Yang Kai pushed Meng Yun away with a hint of disdain and asked.

“Cough, cough, you know, I come from the Lingqing Dynasty. Our Dynasty has been submitting to the Flowing Cloud Sect for over ten thousand years. Countless people like me have entered the Flowing Cloud Sect to Cultivate. As long as a Family Disciple becomes an Outer Sect Disciple, he will receive financial support from the Family. If he can go further and become an Inner Sect Disciple, the benefits are even greater.” Meng Yun took out five Spirit Stones from his Qiankun Bag and handed them to Yang Kai, with an expression that implied ‘what’s mine is yours.’

“I didn’t expect this kid to be a little rich man.” Yang Kai didn’t stand on ceremony, took the Spirit Stones, tucked them into his bosom, and turned to walk out of the room. Meng Yun quickly followed behind him.

The market was bustling with activity. An Outer Sect Disciple stood in front of a stall, arguing fiercely over the price difference of a qi gathering pill, just like a secular market.

Led by Meng Yun, Yang Kai and he arrived in front of a wooden pavilion named the Ji Shi Pavilion. This was precisely where School missions were accepted.

Meng Yun rushed into the crowd with an angry face, meticulously searching for the person who had swindled him out of two Spirit Stones. Unfortunately, Meng Yun scrutinized everyone there but couldn’t find the person who had cheated him.

“No need to look. If it were you, would you still be here now? Let’s go, the important thing now is to find out what’s wrong with this mission.” Yang Kai pulled Meng Yun and walked towards the counter.

“Oh? You mean the mission to capture the Spirit Ape? That’s hard to say.” An Outer Sect Disciple stood behind the counter, looking at Yang Kai and Meng Yun with an arrogant expression, hinting at something.

“I understand the rules, Senior Brother. I hope you can do us a favor.” Yang Kai smiled slightly and nudged Meng Yun with his arm. Meng Yun reluctantly handed over ten qi gathering pills.

The qi gathering pills had a special exchange point within the Flowing Cloud Sect, where one Spirit Stone could be exchanged for ten qi gathering pills. However, in this market, you couldn’t exchange a hundred qi gathering pills for even one Spirit Stone. Spirit Stones were hard currency for Cultivators in the Qi Refinement Stage and were generally not easily given away, making qi gathering pills the circulating currency among Qi Refinement Stage Disciples.

“No problem, no problem. This mission is indeed a bit tricky. With your Cultivation, you’ll likely face certain death if you go.” The Outer Sect Disciple’s eyes lit up when he saw the qi gathering pills, and he snatched them, saying.

“This mission is actually so dangerous?! Why didn’t your Ji Shi Pavilion make it clear when you posted the mission?!” Meng Yun said through gritted teeth.

“Hmph! Are you trying to tell my Ji Shi Pavilion how to do things?” The Outer Sect Disciple snorted coldly, about to get angry, but Yang Kai quickly changed the subject.

“Senior Brother, please calm your anger. What exactly are the dangers of this mission? Please inform us, Senior Brother.” Yang Kai asked sincerely.

“Since you seem to be sensible, I’ll tell you. That beast is a Core Formation Stage Yao Beast. These Inner Sect Disciples are all in the Foundation Establishment Stage. Although there are Spirit Formations to assist, success depends on luring that beast into the Spirit Formation, but the danger here is evident,” the Outer Sect Disciple of the Ji Shi Pavilion said with an air of composure.