Mission Beyond the Sect

"There's only one Foundation Establishment Pill, but both Mother and Second Uncle need it. I still need to exchange for another one."

Most of the disciples who placed highly in the last competition had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, yet many still held on to extra Foundation Establishment Pills.

She had heard from Du Yi last time that he was considering trading away his own pill. The pill's primary function was to protect the meridians during breakthrough and provide a surge of spiritual energy.

If she used it herself, it would simply grant an intense burst of spiritual energy absorption—a benefit she could earn gradually through diligent cultivation. It would be wiser to maximize its value by trading it—she might even obtain a rare spiritual treasure in exchange.

"I wonder if Senior Brother Du Yi has already traded his pill away."

With that thought, she immediately took out a communication talisman and sent him a message to inquire about a trade. She possessed quite a few spiritual items and tools, some of which matched or even exceeded the value of a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Not long after sending the message, Du Yi replied.

He said a junior sister had recently tried to trade for the pill, but her offered items weren't very valuable, so he was still waiting. If she was interested, he could make the trade immediately.

"Of course, I won't let Senior Brother Du suffer a loss."

She already knew what to trade—two snow lotus flowers she had nurtured to the second grade, with medicinal potency reaching five to six hundred years.

Though she hadn't fully analyzed their effects, she had confirmed their ability to significantly aid in breaking through cultivation bottlenecks.

She estimated the two could help an early Foundation Establishment cultivator ascend one full stage. This was also her way of repaying the two senior brothers who had looked after her during the cave exploration.

Half an hour later, Du Yi arrived at her courtyard.

"Senior Brother, you came in person? I should have gone to you."

"I happened to be nearby, so I thought I'd drop it off. This Foundation Establishment Pill is of excellent quality. Take care of it," Du Yi said casually, handing it over.

"Thank you, Senior Brother! These two snow lotus flowers were cultivated by me personally. They're second-grade and can help with breakthroughs." Chen Jinshu handed him a wooden box containing the lotuses before storing the pill away.

"No need to be so formal, Junior Sister. Regular spiritual items would have been enough."

"Please accept them. I've cultivated quite a few."

"Alright, then. I'll gladly accept."

Du Yi's expression visibly brightened. As a disciple of Medicine King Peak, it would be shameful not to recognize the value of a snow lotus. After seeing Du Yi off, Chen Jinshu returned to her room to continue sorting through the spiritual items in the four storage bag.

One jade pendant was especially peculiar—unnaturally white, as if man-made rather than natural stone. It felt warm in her hand and had reached the second grade, providing notable defensive power.

Half a month later.

After tidying up things at Ink Plum Courtyard, Chen Jinshu headed to the Task Hall at Medicine King Peak. With her cultivation now at Foundation Establishment, her Rainbow Step technique had improved in speed by 40%.

A trip that once took fifteen minutes now took only a dozen breaths. She had come to accept an official mission outside the sect. According to new sect regulations, any disciple at Foundation Establishment or above must complete one external mission annually. The mission's difficulty was up to the disciple's discretion.

Chen Jinshu's aim was to find a task located near either Vermilion Market or the Bai Chong Mountains, no farther than five thousand li. At the newly opened task board area in the Task Hall, she saw numerous posted missions. Her senior brothers and sisters had rushed to take on missions right after she broke through—they'd been holding off on missions until her Foundation Establishment was successful.

Her master, Shui Huanmeng, had entered seclusion to break through to Nascent Soul. As the youngest junior sister, she deserved proper care. Unable to repay their support in full, Chen Jinshu gifted each of her seniors a bottle of her developed Demon-Purging Pills to help them resist demonic energy.

Staring at the task board, she struggled to decide.

"Junior Sister, most of these tasks are similar. The main difference is location. The sect has ships that pass by most of them, so you can ride one partway and then complete the mission," a senior brother managing the hall offered help.

"Thank you, Senior Brother. Do you know of any missions a bit farther out—specifically near Bai Chong Mountains or Vermilion Market?"

"Hmm, I'm not familiar with those names. But if you tell me which direction, I might know."

"Southwest."

"Southwest?" the senior brother repeated, flipping through his task register. "That area is remote, close to the demon beast region in the west. There are two missions."

"One is an investigation in Qingxu City. A gruesome incident happened there—an entire city vanished overnight and turned into a blood pool. The sect suspects demonic cultivators, likely no stronger than Core Formation. It's highly dangerous and recommended for teams of four or five."

"That serious?" Chen Jinshu was startled.

This was no minor demonic incident. A whole city likely meant thousands of people.

"What about the other task?"

"It's far simpler. A water serpent—a transforming dragon-serpent—has been terrorizing Yulian City and nearby towns. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't catch it. The serpent is very cunning and dives into the riverbed as soon as a strong cultivator approaches."

"The task is to investigate its origin and methods. Slaying it would be ideal. The reward is generous: 3,000 spirit stones and two second-grade spiritual herbs or a mid-grade second-grade spiritual weapon."

"Of course, you'll only get the full reward if you succeed. If you just bring back intel, you'll get 500 to 600 spirit stones."

"I'll take that task." Chen Jinshu made up her mind.

Yulian City was just over 4,000 li from the Bai Chong Mountains. With Xiao Yin, she could reach it in one or two days. Easy round trip.

"Here's the mission token. Keep it safe. Once completed, return with the relevant information or the beast's corpse to claim your reward!"

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

After receiving the mission token, she inquired about sect ships traveling in that direction. Ten days later, a ship bound for Guanghan Immortal City in the west was scheduled to depart. Passengers could ride along in exchange for protecting cargo and other passengers.

Soon, ten days passed.

Chen Jinshu changed into the simple robes of a common cultivator—a pale green long dress—and headed to the sect's shipyard. Once outside the sect, wearing official robes wasn't necessary. It helped conceal identity and made travel easier.

After getting approval from the ship's Foundation Establishment overseer, she was assigned a small room. No sooner had she entered when a loud voice rang from outside.

"One quarter-hour to departure! All disciples not yet aboard, hurry!"