After walking back to his cultivation cave with Li Yun, the two conversed about the latest happenings within the sect. Along the way, Li Yun casually mentioned that a lucrative mission would soon be posted, offering a generous number of merit points. He suggested that Yuan consider taking it, as such opportunities were rare.
Curious, Yuan asked for more details.
Li Yun explained that a powerful, fully grown demonic beast had appeared near one of the sect's villages, preying on mortals. Initially, the mission was classified as suitable for outer disciples, but after several failed attempts that resulted in their deaths, the mission hall reevaluated its difficulty. After two more unsuccessful attempts, they officially upgraded the mission to an inner sect-level assignment.
Hearing this, Yuan frowned slightly. "Why should I take such a risky mission?" he asked.
Li Yun simply laughed and replied, "Isn't this the perfect moment to test one's strength after experiencing enlightenment?"
Before Yuan could respond, they arrived at his cultivation cave. Li Yun waved him off with a smile, reminding him to think it over, as the mission would become public in three days. Without waiting for an answer, he departed, leaving Yuan alone in his cave.
Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Yuan closed his eyes in meditation, contemplating the mission.
Although it is dangerous, it's not beyond my capability. Li Yun did mention the rewards were good… should I give it a try?
After all, I only have a hundred merit points left,the merit points the sect granted me upon becoming an inner disciple. That's barely enough to buy anything useful. If I make a single purchase, I'll be left penniless, without a single merit point to my name…
He let out a quiet sigh, then pushed the thought aside. There was no need to rush his decision.
Instead, he focused on mastering the Wind Cutter Slash and Howling Gale Steps techniques.
In just one week, Yuan had already grasped the foundation of both techniques. The Wind Cutter Slash is a basic yet practical sword technique, especially useful in long battles. Its essence lies in making the spiritual blood in the fingertips and wrists lighter and more agile, allowing for smoother and faster sword movements. While not overly complex, its efficiency makes it an excellent tool for conserving energy during extended combat.
On the other hand, the Howling Gale Steps is a more costly technique in terms of spiritual essence. At its core, it works by accelerating blood flow in the legs, enhancing foot speed and agility,a common effect in many step techniques. However, what sets Howling Gale Steps apart is its momentary burst effect, which grants an explosive speed boost for an instant. This makes it incredibly useful for dodging fatal attacks or closing the distance between opponents in the blink of an eye.
Yet, this powerful move comes with a significant flaw. The sudden acceleration consumes a huge amount of spiritual essence, meaning that one can only use it twice before completely exhausting their reserves. This limitation requires careful timing and precision, as relying too much on the technique would leave a cultivator vulnerable.
Although Yuan had successfully mastered the Wind Cutter Slash, the Howling Gale Steps still needed refinement. The momentary burst is difficult to control; it is easy to misjudge the speed and end up in an unfavorable position. Mastering this aspect requires not just practice, but also a deep understanding of one's body coordination.
Still, with his red regenerative aura passively restoring his stamina and his spiritual blood replenishing throughout the day, Yuan could afford to push himself further. He had time to practice and perfect the technique.
And so, the night passed, the sun rose, and the day continued as Yuan remained focused on mastering the Howling Gale Steps. He practiced relentlessly, refining each movement until the time finally came.
Standing up, he opened the door to his cultivation cave and stepped outside, breathing in the fresh mountain air. Without wasting any more time, he began making his way toward the Outer Sect Market, occasionally glancing up at the sky to observe the drifting clouds.
After thirty minutes, he arrived at the bustling Outer Sect, where disciples moved about,some talking, others diligently working. But Yuan paid them no mind. His destination was the Breezy Meat Restaurant.
A few outer disciples noticed him and instinctively bowed in greeting upon seeing his inner sect robes, but Yuan ignored them completely. He had no interest in their respect or flattery, though caution always remained in his mind.
Even though he currently had no known enemies, there was always the possibility that hidden threats existed,people who might be watching, waiting for him to lower his guard before striking. Because of this, he didn't walk directly to the restaurant; instead, he took a detour.
Once he was sure nothing seemed out of place, he activated the momentary burst of the Howling Gale Steps and dashed forward, his body moving with incredible speed.
Even though he hadn't fully mastered the technique yet, his movement was smoother than before. The only downside was that he still wasted too much spiritual essence in the process, but that was the cost until he achieved complete mastery.
Arriving at his destination, Yuan noticed that the Breezy Meat Restaurant was closed,Pressuring Books had taken his words seriously.
A low chuckle escaped Yuan's lips as he stepped inside. There, standing in the dimly lit space, was Pressuring Books. He wore the usual bright green robes of an outer disciple, his brown hair slightly unkempt and his brown eyes filled with hesitation.
Yuan wasted no time. "Hello, Junior Pressuring Books. So, have you made your decision?"
Pressuring Books hesitated, his expression filled with uncertainty. His fingers curled into a loose fist as he struggled with his thoughts.
After a brief moment, he finally nodded and said, "I… I think I will work under you."
His voice was uncertain, but the decision was made.
Yuan nodded and let out a chuckle. "Okay, so you want to work under me without even knowing what you'll be doing? Well, that's something I didn't expect."
Pressuring Books looked stunned. "So… what exactly will we do?"
"What we will do?" Yuan repeated, tilting his head slightly, a bright smile curving his lips. "Well, that's simple. Really simple."
Then, before Pressuring Books could press further, Yuan continued, "But before we get into all that, let's talk about you first. Who are you, Pressuring Books?"
Pressuring Books froze, a flicker of fear flashing in his eyes. "Who… I am?" His voice wavered, as if he were unsure how to respond.
Yuan chuckled softly. "Yes, who are you? Where do you come from? Tell me about your life. Let me understand who the person standing before me truly is."
Pressuring Books looked even more uneasy. "Who is before you? Wh-what a weird question… Why do you want to know?"
Yuan's gaze remained steady, his smile unwavering. "Well, I liked your spiritual tea. So, I was curious about how your family managed to produce such good tea."
"Good tea? You… You're asking me just because of the tea?" Pressuring Books's confusion deepened.
Yuan could barely contain his amusement at the way Pressuring Books reacted,always so fearful and unsure.
"Yes, why not? I like tea. Don't you want to tell me?" Yuan pressed.
At that, Pressuring Books's expression twisted into something grim. Panic flared within him,what if refusing to answer meant he'd be killed right here and now?!
"Ähmm, it's nothing really fancy… It's just that my mother's family has been active in the tea market for a long time, and I only learned how to make our family's tea from my mother."
Oh? So it was his mother, not his entire family. He didn't mention 'family,' which likely hinted at some underlying issue.
"Oh! So your mother made tea! Now I want to know even more about you!" Yuan said hastily, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Pressuring Books,who, in truth was named Ming Ze,felt the pressure around him grow heavier. He had built up the notion that Yuan was demanding his life story, and under that self imposed pressure, he finally gave in and began to recount his past.
Ming Ze explained that he was an illegitimate child of a noble family under the Wu Family's influence. Because of his status, he faced heavy discrimination. Everyone on his father's side despised him, wanting nothing more than to discard him like garbage. However, no one dared to outright cast him out or kill him because of a law enforced by the Wu Kingdom itself.
The head of the current Wu Family was also an illegitimate child, so the Wu Family took such matters very seriously. A new law had even been established, stating that every noble-born child must receive a noble title. If any noble failed to uphold this right, their family would come under direct inspection by the Wu Kingdom.
Thus, even though the Ming Family despised him, they had no choice but to acknowledge his noble status. However, his mother was not afforded the same protection. She had married into the Ming Family and was given the noble title of Ming, but the family refused to help her in any way. She was treated as an outsider, an unwanted person.
Yet his mother did not break under that treatment. She still had her own family,respected tea merchants. More importantly, his grandfather was a Meridian Awakened cultivator, giving him some influence and power. Although not strong enough to seize a noble title, as he was too old, he was at least powerful enough to protect his family from external threats.
The tea business flourished, and with the wealth they accumulated, his mother even managed to advance to the Blood Purification Stage. Meanwhile, the next head of their family was nearing a breakthrough to the Meridian Awakened Stage. Once that happened, they would be eligible for a baron title under the Wu Kingdom.
However, as they neared success, the Ming Family grew displeased and so they began to scheme against them.
At that time, Ming Ze was ten years old and lived alone with his mother in a small mansion belonging to the Ming Family. Unlike the main branch of the family, their household had very few servants. During this period, Ming Ze mentioned that he awakened his second sense.
But when he turned eleven, his mother's family began to decline rapidly, without any clear reason. Though he didn't understand much about politics or scheming at the time, even his young mind could sense that something was wrong. So instead of worrying about matters beyond his control, he focused on cultivation.
Then, when he was twelve years old, something catastrophic happened.
One day, as he was quietly cultivating in his manor, his entire maternal family was wiped out. Every single member, including his mother, was killed.
Hearing this, Yuan had already predicted how the story would unfold.
"Then after that, I missed my mother very much… so much that I stopped cultivating altogether," Ming Ze continued quietly. "All I wanted was to make the tea she loved. But no matter how many times I tried, no matter how carefully I followed the process, it never tasted the same as her tea."
His fingers trembled slightly as he clenched his hands.
"I threw myself into learning how to make tea, into learning how to cook… but then, one day, my father's servant arrived. He told me that in a year, I would be sent to the Howling Wind Sect and that I should prepare myself."
"But I hadn't cultivated at all." His lips twisted into a bitter smile. "I was too heartbroken over my mother's death. I couldn't bring myself to care."
"Although I didn't care, my father's family did,they didn't want to be known as a noble family that couldn't even produce a direct member to join a sect, so they paid my allowance to join the sect. And that's how I ended up here, doing whatever I could to survive as an outer disciple and earn enough money to get by."
Ming Ze ended his story before reaching the sect. Yuan, who had been silently listening, was somewhat surprised,not by his tragic past, but by the fact that Ming Ze had managed to cultivate to the Third Awakening by the time he was twelve years old.
And yet…
He hadn't cultivated at all for two whole years.
But Yuan was okay with that; Ming Ze had talent.
Yuan smiled, though there was a hint of sadness in his expression. "Ming Ze, let me tell you this: if you work for me earnestly, I will give you a chance for revenge. How does that sound?"
Ming Ze looked at Yuan in confusion.
"Revenge…?" he muttered, as if the word itself were foreign to him. He had never dared to consider such a thing before.
But now, an inner disciple of the Howling Wind Sect was offering him a path toward it. Was it really possible…?
Hope flickered in his eyes,this time, they were filled not with hesitation or fear, but with determination.
"Okay! If you can give me revenge, I will give my all to work for you!" His voice was firm, carrying a newfound conviction.
Yuan chuckled at Ming Ze's reaction; this was truly unexpected. Initially, he had only planned to make him a temporary worker until he could find someone more capable to handle his affairs. His original goal was to gather information, create a hidden faction among the inner and core disciples, and build his power base until he was strong enough to challenge the sect.
But now… things had changed.
If he helped Ming Ze get revenge, he wouldn't just gain a temporary subordinate,he would gain a loyal servant willing to die for him. And if he nurtured him properly, Ming Ze might even become a powerful asset in the future.
This was an unexpected gain, one that Yuan welcomed dearly.
Yuan smiled at Ming Ze and spoke in a calm yet commanding tone. "Congratulations, Brother Ze. From today onwards, I will help you with your revenge, and you will help me with the work I assign to you!"
His voice grew sharper. "From this moment forward, your task is to collect all kinds of information about the new talents in the outer sect area and any other special information you come across! This will be a great help!"
With that, the first piece of the puzzle was in place. Now, he could begin with his plan.