“Welcome home.”
Chu Huaian pushed open the door and walked into the courtyard with a faint smile.
“Greetings, Xian Ge.”
The four of them, in awkward poses, clasped their fists and laughed.
“How do I feel like Xian Ge seems to have gotten much stronger?” Zhao Shijie whispered.
“I feel it too.” Lin Ye nodded, deeply empathetic.
“Xian Ge, what mission do we have today?” Jiang Xiaoxiao revealed a mouthful of white teeth, speaking sweetly.
Chu Huaian smiled slightly, “From now on, you will be in charge of overseeing the medicinal field. You will receive ten contribution points every day.”
“Wow, thank you, Xian Ge.” Jiang Xiaoxiao happily jumped up, wishing she could rush over and kiss Chu Huaian.
“What the—there’s such a good thing?” Zhao Shijie and the other two widened their eyes, filled with envy, jealousy, and hate.
“However…” Chu Huaian paused, and seeing the corners of Jiang Xiaoxiao’s mouth gradually stiffen, he continued, “If the medicinal field is damaged, or the spirit herbs die, your contribution points will be deducted.”
“Don’t worry about that, I guarantee I’ll take good care of it!” Jiang Xiaoxiao patted her chest, assuring him.
“Xian Ge, what about us?” Qin Zhenhua looked a bit anxious, pointing to himself.
He was still bothered by the incident in the group chat earlier, thinking that Chu Huaian didn't have a very good impression of him.
However, he was overthinking. Chu Huaian hadn't taken that matter to heart at all; that previous message was just to scare Qin Zhenhua.
“From today onwards, you no longer need to do those miscellaneous tasks. Just focus on cultivating.”
Chu Huaian had just spoken halfway when he saw Ye Wuyai rush out of the thatched hut in a hurry.
“Phew, good thing I made it!”
He ran to the side of the crowd, standing ramrod straight.
The five of them stood like they were having an early morning meeting, which made Chu Huaian feel a bit helpless.
“There is a pill in the Mall called Body Tempering Pill, which can help you temper your physique faster and break through earlier.”
“However, I suggest that you first undergo the tempering of battle before taking the Body Tempering Pill. This way, the medicinal power will be absorbed better, and it will lay a solid foundation for your future realms.”
“So, your mission is to go into the secret forest and kill demonic beasts. No matter what difficulties you encounter, do not return.
If you can reach Smelting Body Realm Stage Three within two days, the sect will reward each of you with one hundred contribution points.”
“Remember, everyone must meet the standard to receive the reward.”
Upon hearing this, the four looked at each other.
This was pushing them to their limits!
The secret forest was full of dangers. Last time, they nearly died at the hands of a demonic beast. If they hadn't run fast enough, they would have been dead already.
And now Chu Huaian was asking them to survive in there for two days and reach Smelting Body Realm Stage Three in cultivation. This mission was incredibly difficult.
However, the reward was also extremely generous. One hundred contribution points was enough for them to buy many Body Tempering Pills.
This time, it was Jiang Xiaoxiao’s turn to be envious, looking at Chu Huaian as if she wanted to speak but hesitated.
Chu Huaian saw through her little thoughts and said, “You don’t need to be envious. Once they leave, all the tasks within the sect will be yours, and your contribution points won’t be any less than theirs.”
Hearing this, Jiang Xiaoxiao finally gave up the idea of going with them and nodded vigorously.
After giving the instructions for the mission, Chu Huaian returned to the house again.
Zhao Shijie and the other three in the courtyard exchanged glances, their eyes burning with intense fighting desire.
“What do you say? Still the old rules?” Lin Ye was the first to speak.
“This time, let’s change our target. Let’s go kill a Star-Tail Beast.” Zhao Shijie suggested.
“You mean that family we saw last time?”
“Exactly. Since last time, I got a beast compendium from Xian Ge. It states that adult Star-Tail Beasts are around Smelting Body Realm Stage Three.”
“Can we beat them?” Qin Zhenhua asked with some concern.
“Star-Tail Beasts are clumsy in movement, but the shell on their back can withstand a full-power blow from a Smelting Body Realm Stage Five. Their only attack method is their tail. As long as we are careful, killing them shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Ye Wuyai waved his hand, brandishing his longsword, and charged fiercely into the secret forest.
They learned from their previous lesson and did not purchase any pills, waiting to buy them from the Mall only when needed.
This way, they wouldn't have to worry about dropping them or buying too many.
However, this time, the few of them were very unlucky. Not long after they ventured into the secret forest, they saw a Flower-Patterned Lightning Leopard cat taking small, leisurely steps, swaggering through the bushes.
Without a word, the four of them immediately jumped into a nearby mud pit, only daring to show half of their heads.
Fortunately, the Flower-Patterned Lightning Leopard was some distance from them and did not discover them.
“That damn cub, I’ll chop it up sooner or later!” Qin Zhenhua gritted his teeth and said hatefully.
The death experience from last time was deeply etched in their memories, and they also gnashed their teeth in hatred towards the Flower-Patterned Lightning Leopard.
After about ten minutes, until the Flower-Patterned Lightning Leopard disappeared into the depths of the secret forest, the four of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Gurgle gurgle—
Just then, a large number of bubbles emerged from the mud pit, rushing towards the four at an extremely fast speed.
“Quick, run!” Zhao Shijie roared, thrusting his long spear into the mud pit.
The others took this opportunity to quickly scramble onto the bank.
Bang—
A dull sound rang out, and mud splattered everywhere.
A massive toad leaped out of the mud pit and slammed down in front of the four.
Before the four could recover from their shock, a bright red tongue lashed out towards Qin Zhenhua, who was closest.
“Move aside!”
Lin Ye knocked Qin Zhenhua away, and he himself was slapped away by the tongue, crashing heavily against a tree trunk.
“Wah…”
The powerful impact caused Lin Ye to spit out a large mouthful of fresh blood.
“Ye Wuyai, cover me!”
Zhao Shijie swung his long spear and quickly charged towards the giant frog.
Ye Wuyai, behind him, retreated to a safe distance and began shooting wildly with his longbow.
“Croak!”
The giant frog extended its tongue again, shooting it towards Zhao Shijie like a spring, with such speed that it arrived in an instant.
Zhao Shijie had no time to dodge and could only raise his spear to block.
Bang—
He was sent flying backward, his long spear bent into a V-shape, and his tiger's mouth tingled with numbness, blood seeping from his palm.
One could see how terrifying the force of that blow was.
Whoosh whoosh—
At the same time, three arrows all struck the giant frog’s body, but they couldn’t penetrate its mud-covered skin, leaving only three shallow marks.
By now, Qin Zhenhua had circled to the giant frog’s left side, raising his knife to stab the giant frog.
Pffft, the knife tip sank in a small section.
The giant frog cried out in pain, raising its foot to swat at Qin Zhenhua.
“Careful!”
Zhao Shijie and Lin Ye rushed forward from left and right, but they were still a step too late.
Qin Zhenhua was kicked away, crashing into a nearby bush.
“This giant frog’s strength is around Smelting Body Realm Stage Three. We can fight it!”
Zhao Shijie dropped the long spear in his hand and charged forward with his bare fists.
Lin Ye followed closely, gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands, leaping high.
Ye Wuyai, not far away, seeing the two fighting so desperately, decisively ran forward, drawing his bow to its full extent.
Whoosh—
The arrow spun in the air, shooting straight towards the giant frog’s eye.
Three-pronged attack!
The giant frog had nowhere to retreat and could only raise its hand to block the fatal arrow.
Bang—
Pfft—
Two sounds rang out simultaneously.
Zhao Shijie unleashed his full strength, punching the giant frog’s chest, while on the other side, Lin Ye's sword was embedded in the giant frog’s body, his entire person suspended in mid-air.
“Croak!”
The pain drove the giant frog into a frenzy, wildly flailing its hands.
Zhao Shijie decisively retreated, while Lin Ye used the sword as leverage to flip onto the giant frog’s back, then began slashing wildly.
“I slash, I slash again!”
The giant frog kept slapping its hands, but it couldn't reach Lin Ye at all, getting so anxious that it jumped up and down.
“Good chance, quickly use your skills!” Zhao Shijie roared.