Chapter 20 - One Hunt, Two Doors Open

Morning arrived quietly.

The faint light of dawn crept through the cracks in the hut's wooden walls, casting long beams across the floor. Outside, the sect had already begun to stir, distant footfalls, clashing blades, and the faint hum of early cultivators beginning their routines.

Lao Xie stepped out from his hut, robes neatly arranged, his expression unreadable as always.

He made his way across the stone paths of the outer disciple quarters. The same glances followed him, some curious, most dismissive. However none of them mattered.

Soon, the towering silhouette of the Commission Hall came into view.

Inside, the hall was already buzzing. Disciples moved between counters and mission boards, exchanging flyers, reporting completions, or trying to gather a party for higher-level tasks.

Lao Xie walked straight past them.

"Next," came the voice of the elder at the front counter.

He stepped forward and calmly placed the stamped mission flyer on the counter.

The elder glanced at it then did a double take when he saw Lao Xie's face.

"Oh? Still alive, are you?" the elder asked with a raised brow, lips twitching into a faint smirk. "When I stamped this flyer yesterday, I was half-convinced you'd be crawling back asking to cancel the mission."

Lao Xie remained expressionless. "Disappointed?"

The elder let out a low chuckle. "A little. I was looking forward to winning a bet with the other elders that you'd turn tail after seeing the beast."

He leaned forward slightly. "So? What now? Coming to report failure or wait, don't tell me you actually killed it?"

Lao Xie didn't answer. With a flick of his wrist, a flash of light erupted beside the counter.

When Lao Xie dropped the Shadow-Furred Panther's corpse onto the counter, the elder's smirk died instantly.

"…Hold on," he muttered, stepping forward with a stunned look.

"This… this isn't just any wild beast... this is a third-stage Shadow-Furred Panther..." He crouched beside it, inspecting the limbs, eyes wide. "Even inner disciples avoid this thing unless they're in teams."

He looked up at Lao Xie again, slower this time. "…You killed it. Alone?"

Lao Xie gave no answer.

"You were just a mortal who couldn't cultivate just a few days ago..." the elder muttered. "This is way beyond what you should've been capable of... And the origin of that storage ring is questionable, too," he added, shifting his attention to the ring.

Lao Xie just shrugged. "Things change."

The elder slowly stood and sighed. "You just made me lose a hell of a bet."

Then, grudgingly, he stamped the flyer. "Did you cheat? I still can't believe this."

The elder then let out a breath and shook his head, muttering, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I might have to re-evaluate a few things about you."

He reached for the mission scroll and brought out his seal.

Shrugg-

He handed over a small pouch and a jade token. "That's your payment. Take the token to the Alchemy Hall, they'll let you pick your pill there."

Lao Xie stored the items without a word and turned to leave, his steps steady as he headed toward the Alchemy Hall.

Half an hour later, he arrived.

Compared to the Commission Hall, it was quieter but no less imposing. The structure was built of pale stone, its tiled roof lined with emerald green ridges and smokeless chimneys that released faint streams of herbal mist into the air. A gentle medicinal scent lingered on the wind.

Disciples came and went through the front entrance, many holding beast parts, herb bundles, or jade slips. Most wore outer disciple robes, their expressions ranging from tense to eager.

Lao Xie walked up the stone steps without pause.

Inside, the main hall was brightly lit and warm. Wooden counters lined the edges of the room, behind which several elders and alchemists sorted herbs and categorized beast materials.

A young clerk at the nearest counter looked up.

"Outer disciple?" the clerk asked, his tone polite but disinterested. "State your business."

Lao Xie held up the jade token given to him by the Commission Hall elder.

The clerk's expression shifted. "Token from the Commission Hall, huh? Let me see…"

He took it with a glance and waved Lao Xie over to the side. "Wait there. Someone will check on you shortly."

Lao Xie said nothing and stepped to the indicated space near a weighing platform. Not long after, an elder in alchemist robes arrived, his movements brisk, his gaze sharp behind a pair of narrow spirit-forged glasses.

"This the one with the Shadow-Furred Panther?" he asked. Then he paused, noting Lao Xie's appearance. "Outer disciple?"

The clerk nodded and gestured at Lao Xie.

"Show me the corpse," the elder said curtly, as if going through a routine.

Lao Xie flicked his wrist.

Flash-

The body of the Shadow-Furred Panther appeared once more, now slightly more faded from being stored in the ring, but still clearly fresh.

The elder's movements paused.

"…Well, this is… quite intact." He adjusted his glasses and crouched beside the body, examining the limbs, claws, and core chamber with experienced fingers. "The blood hasn't even clotted fully. You harvested this yourself? How did you do it?"

Lao Xie didn't answer. The elder gave him a brief glance, then muttered, "This is a third-stage wild beast… inner disciples don't usually go after these alone."

His eyes lingered on Lao Xie for a long moment.

"Well, regardless," the elder eventually said, straightening. "I couldn't care less about how you hunted it. And that includes that storage ring... it's something not easily obtained by an outer disciple."

He narrowed his eyes, both in curiosity and intrigue.

Unlike most cultivators, alchemists thought differently. They were devoted to pill refinement and cared little for cultivation strength. In short, they didn't ask unnecessary questions.

And that worked in Lao Xie's favor.

"Good preservation. Clean core extraction. No signs of damage to the internal organs. That's Impressive," the elder said, nodding as he stood and extended a hand.

Lao Xie, without missing a beat, shook it with his usual calm.

Moments later, the elder pulled out a wooden token and handed it to him.

"This is my elder token. Take it."

Carved into its surface was the name 'Wu Ruya'.

"I only hand those out to a very select few," he added. "If you ever need anything in the future, show this token to the clerk in charge. You'll be treated properly."

He turned to the counter. "Record his name. He can select two pills from the list."

The clerk blinked. "T-Two? But the commission only allows—"

"And one more thing," the elder added, ignoring him. "The additional pill is on me. The corpse was in better condition than I expected."

The clerk coughed and nodded, then turned to Lao Xie.

"Congratulations… I guess," he muttered, pushing over a list carved onto jade slips. "Pick anything you like."