Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 6 Mission

Chapter 6 Mission
"what?"

Song Yan focused his mind and separated a wisp of divine sense to meet the fourth falling giant monument, but his gaze was fixed on the few glowing small rings.

The fourth ring lights up...

The fifth one...

The sixth one...

……

By the time the twelfth small halo lit up, Song Yan's consciousness in the space had begun to blur, and his divine sense could no longer be differentiated.

He allowed the thirteenth black monument to fall, blasting him out of space.

"call……"

Song Yan was breathing heavily. Even if he experienced the exact same feeling of death again, it was still difficult for him to remain calm.

However, compared to the first time, this feeling is much better.

There are seventeen points of light in total, corresponding to seventeen giant steles?
He sat cross-legged, slowly recovering his spiritual power, his mind constantly pondering.

If seventeen giant steles could be cut down in succession, what kind of changes would occur?
"But why are there seventeen..." he muttered to himself, clutching the stone bead in his hand. "How strange..."

However, if one's strength and cultivation level are insufficient, thinking about it will be in vain. It is better to cultivate steadily.

Song Yan is sixteen years old this year, but her birthday hasn't come yet.

Although his spiritual root aptitude is mediocre, fortunately he didn't start cultivating immortality too late. Now he is at the fifth level of Qi Refining, which is the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Judging from this momentum, he should be able to reach the Qi Refining Perfection stage around the age of forty or fifty.

In the first stage of Qi Refining, the first three levels are relatively easy to cultivate, and the middle three levels are not difficult either.

With ordinary talent, if one has some fortuitous encounters or sufficient cultivation resources, advancing to the sixth level of Qi Refining in three to five years is not considered fast.

Reaching the sixth or seventh level of Qi Refining is a huge hurdle.

Countless mediocre cultivators waste their lives in the late stage of Qi Refining.

Having exhausted his lifespan and destiny, he lost his desire to seek the Dao.

“Cultivation resources are a big problem…”

Based on the elders' occasional lectures from the outer sect and Song Yan's own observations, there are ten levels in the Qi Refining stage.

The first three levels are called the early stage of Qi Refining, the fourth to sixth levels are called the middle stage of Qi Refining, and the seventh to ninth levels are called the late stage of Qi Refining.

Reaching the tenth level of Qi Refining signifies that the Qi Refining stage has been completed, and one can establish a foundation for the Dao.

"Foundation Building..."

Establishing the foundation of the Dao means truly transcending the realm of mortals, possessing boundless spiritual power, and being able to control objects and fly through the sky.

They do not need to eat human food, and even if they remain in the early stage of Foundation Establishment forever, they will still have a lifespan of more than two hundred years.

Song Yan shook his head. Why think so far ahead?

"There are still four spirit stones left..."

"There are still pills... The effects of the Qi Nourishing Pill are now negligible; it can only be used to restore spiritual energy."

Song Yan was already planning ahead, preparing for an upcoming mission six months from now.

"The cultivation world is a dog-eat-dog world, even more dangerous than the mortal realm. It's best to be well-prepared."

Since entering the world of cultivation, Song Yan has had very little experience in fighting others. The only time he participated in the siege of a low-grade demon beast that had gone berserk in the sect was when he first reached the fourth level of Qi Refining.

"A magical artifact..."

Song Yan did have a small peach wood and metal sword in his Qiankun bag, which was one of the standard weapons for outer disciples distributed by the sect.

It looks good, but it can only be considered a low-grade magic weapon and is not very useful.

In battles within the Qi Refining realm, unless it's a later-stage clash with an earlier-stage battle, when the difference in spiritual power is not significant, these magical artifacts and talismans are the key factors that determine the outcome of the battle.

pity……

Song Yan is penniless; where would he get resources?

Magical artifacts are the sect's basic necessity, talismans...

Sigh, I guess I'll just have to try my luck at Huogongzhai later.

"If this continues, scavenging might become a habit..."

Song Yan smiled wryly.

"Om-"

Just as Song Yan was frowning and thinking about how to improve his combat power, a gentle yet penetrating voice came from outside Song Yan's cave.

It is the sound of a transducer.

Ok?
Song Yan was slightly taken aback. Transmission talismans were usually only used when a mission was assigned, and they were rarely seen even by outer disciples.

The last time someone contacted him, an outer disciple, using a transmission talisman was during the sect initiation ceremony.

He stepped out of the cave and removed the communication talisman that was suspended in the air.

"Junior Brother Song, today the Outer Sect Miscellaneous Affairs Hall received a letter requesting assistance. It seems that there are some wandering cultivators from outside Shiliang Town."

Lin Qing's gentle voice came from the talisman. "It should have been me who went down the mountain to deal with it, but I know that you, Junior Brother Song, are from Shiliang, and those few rogue cultivators are all in the early stage of Qi Refining. They can't cause any trouble."

"Why don't I entrust this task to you, junior brother? You can take this opportunity to go back to your hometown and have a look around. Before you leave the sect, come to me and I will give you the jade slip with details."

"Lin Qing, stay."

Song Yan's eyes lit up.

The tasks of Dongyuan Sect are divided into many types. The Outer Sect Miscellaneous Affairs Hall is in charge of the outer sect disciples. Their tasks are usually things like taking care of spiritual plants and cleaning the mountain gate. They usually do not leave the sect.

That's why it's called "miscellaneous tasks" rather than "sect missions or commissions" for inner sect members.

Occasionally, there are missions to go down the mountain among the miscellaneous tasks of the outer sect. These usually involve some serious incidents that have occurred in the families and villages affiliated with the Dongyuan Sect, or, like this mission, there are outside cultivators with unclear motives who do not know the rules. You need to reveal your identity and send them away.

For these outer disciples, this opportunity was extremely rare.

Song Yan originally planned to go down the mountain and go home in six months, when the inner disciples led a formal mission.

"Senior Brother Lin has really taken good care of me; I must thank him properly when we meet."

Song Yan tidied up her things briefly...

After looking around, I realized there wasn't much to pack; this guy was penniless.

Leaving the cave, we headed towards the Spirit Plant Garden.

It is said that Senior Brother Lin Qing has been in the outer sect for many years. Now, with the strength of the eighth level of Qi Refining, he is already qualified to enter the inner sect.

For some reason, he remained in the outer sect and became an assistant steward in the outer sect miscellaneous affairs hall.

He was in charge of receiving new disciples and arranging miscellaneous tasks for the sect. The two met when Song Yan was introduced to the sect by him.

Senior Brother Lin Qing lives near the outer sect's spiritual plant garden.

Now that spring has arrived, the crops in the Spirit Plant Garden are growing well, and the surrounding area is full of spiritual energy. No wonder Senior Brother Lin is willing to live here.

"Senior Brother Lin!"

"Oh? Junior Brother Song arrived so quickly?"

Senior Brother Lin Qing walked out of the cave with a warm smile, holding a jade slip in his hand.

"I just came out of seclusion and received a message from Senior Brother Lin, so I came over immediately."

"Huh? Junior brother...you've broken through?"

Lin Qing did not use her divine sense to investigate, but since Song Yan entered the fifth level of Qi Refining, his breathing has become more leisurely, his complexion more radiant, and his temperament is quite different from before.

His face was practically screaming "breakthrough."

"It has exhausted all of my savings."

"Hahaha... Congratulations!"

Lin Qing laughed and said, "Here, this is the mission jade slip, and some other things you might need for this mission. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me, or you can send me a voice message."

Song Yan also had three communication talismans, which were issued when he joined the sect, but he had never used them.

"Okay, thank you very much, Senior Brother Lin."

"Where is it."

After exchanging a few pleasantries and expressing his gratitude, Song Yan left.

He had no money to repay the other party, so he could only discuss it another day.

Lin Qing watched Song Yan's departing figure, the gentle smile on her face gradually fading, replaced by calm. She murmured thoughtfully to herself, "Song Yan..."

“Song Yesheng…”

He turned back to his cave.

Somewhere in the cave, there were some scattered bamboo plaques, each engraved with a different name.

Most of the names were crossed out with a deep mark.

"Gu Qingqing..."

"Zhou Mengdie..."

“Lu Ziye…”

"..."

He ignored the bamboo plaques, strolled to the wall, and gazed at the two names hanging below the inner disciples.

Song Dynasty banquet.

Shao Sichao.

"I can't be mistaken..."