Strange Nascent Beasts

At some point in the conversation, Lei Ya grew increasingly curious about the state of affairs outside their room. She directly asked, "Say, have you heard of anything interesting going on, Hua? Truthfully, Jin and I have been itching to stretch ourselves after staying cooped up here for some days." 

With this rumbling power coursing through her, Lei Ya felt it would be a huge shame not to fully experience it, to truly test her new limits.

Li Hua furrowed her brows for a moment, a particular thought emerging in her mind, a mission she'd heard whispers about. "Your timing is perfect, Martial Sister. Nearly a week ago, there has been this strange new mission posted. It's a difficult mission, even for the high-tier Inner disciples. You see, this mission is all about strange Nascent Tier beasts that had suddenly began emerging close to our city. And these beasts are giving trouble to everyone. The local Mortal Awakening and Essence Gathering cultivators are continually falling prey to these beasts. The only way to survive is if they go in groups, and even then, death can still come. Sect disciples like us fare far better against these strange beasts, but many are still coming back heavily injured. A few of the more reckless have even died!"

"Eh? Really?" Lei Ya tilted her head in confusion, her usual sharp wit momentarily dulled by the unusual news. "Some mere Nascent Tier beasts are really giving everyone so much trouble? This isn't some joke, right? I mean, at most, Nascent Tier beasts can grow to give Early layer Essence Gathering cultivators trouble. But usually, those beasts have something special about them, and they're scarce." 

Her confusion was understandable. From what Lei Jin could recall from his merged memories, monsters and various types of beasts alike grew similarly to cultivators, progressing through tiers. 

Beasts, just like with cultivators, had separations of talents and special powers that made them either weak or more powerful. Nascent Tier beasts were typically used for harvesting their cores or as training fodder for Mortal Awakening and early layer Essence Gathering cultivators, not as a widespread threat.

Li Hua's expression was serious as she explained, "This is no joke, Martial Sister. These strange Nascent Tier beasts really mean business. They're unusually aggressive and numerous. And the rewards for clearing these beasts are actually quite high. It's why many of us are gearing themselves up to take on these beasts, whether it's for the rewards or just to sharpen their skills and experience."

"I see…" Thoughts were forming inside Lei Ya's mind at lightning speed. The itch that she needed to be scratched was about to be fulfilled. The same kind of thoughts were filling Lei Jin's mind, a strategic opportunity presenting itself. He asked next, his voice calm, "Just what kind of reward is being handed out?"

"A Heavenly Quality Spirit Stone!" Li Hua announced, her voice tinged with awe.

"Oh?" Lei Ya's eyes brightened wide, and even Lei Jin had a hint of curiosity, a rare flicker of surprise. 

With a click of her tongue, Lei Ya said, "Now that's something you don't see every day. This stingy sect rarely gives out Heavenly Quality resources, even to Core disciples." 

From common to middle, and high quality separated the obvious ranks of quality. Evidently, anything high quality would be several times greater than the lower quality. But the chasm between high to heavenly quality was as wide as an abyss. A single Heavenly Quality Spirit Stone is worth thousands upon thousands of high-quality Spirit Stones. And a high-quality Spirit Stone is already worth hundreds of middle-quality Spirit Stones.

Lei Jin could understand the disciples' eagerness to harness such a reward. Though he still had some questions, he voiced them calmly, "I assume there's still more to this, correct? After all, the arrogant fools around here value their own lives more than anything."

Li Hua seriously nodded, her expression earnest. "Naturally. Risking their lives means the gains are tempting to ignore. I've heard from my father directly that when one kills these strange Nascent Tier beasts and absorbs their cores, the disadvantages are very minimal compared to usual beast cores. In fact, a test has just been done recently. An average Mortal Awakening cultivator was able to cross from the 3rd layer to the 4th layer in just one long session by using this strange Nascent beast core. Naturally, this cultivator was already very close in reaching the 4th layer in the first place, but the fact that it was able to quickly speed up a process that usually takes a day or two, with such small drawbacks, is outstanding."

"Oh!" Lei Ya's eyes lit up even more, a brilliant spark of understanding. She exchanged a knowing glance with Lei Jin. 

Another perfect, heaven-sent opportunity was at their doorstep. This mission, along with the remarkable effects of these beast cores, was another ideal cover-up to explain their broken cultivation speed. After all, they couldn't stay cooped up here, cultivating all the time, without drawing suspicions from the elders and higher figures of the sect. 

Even with their new revelation of insane comprehension skills, the situation was still somewhat acceptable to the higher-ups, since breaking through the early and middle layers of the Mortal Awakening Realm was relatively easier for talents compared to that of the Essence Gathering Realm. 

But the late layers of Mortal Awakening were where even for true talents, cultivation speed would considerably slow down, due to the higher comprehension skill ceiling and the fact that bodily absorption took longer to refine every inch of the body. 

With these beast cores and the promise of a Heavenly Quality Spirit Stone reward for the mission, the duo knew they wouldn't stay as mere Mortal Awakening juniors for long at all.

That look shared between the siblings did not go unnoticed in Li Hua's eyes. She slightly narrowed her eyes, subconsciously putting her hands on her hips, and spoke with a hint of accusation, "You two… don't tell me you're actually considering taking on this mission?"

The siblings shared another look. Words were shared by their simple gazes, a silent conversation passing between them. 

Truthfully, neither Lei Jin nor Lei Ya knew just how much their combat prowess had advanced. They would need to do some testing to make some sort of rough estimate. But in the possibility that their combat prowess did far, far exceed their base realm to the point they could fight above a major realm, both Lei Jin and Lei Ya knew not to show that off without sufficient enough strength to back it up. 

Lei Ya had already experienced the treacherous and venomous spite of cultivators. While even Lei Jin, who wanted to take risks, knew when to be cautious. 

Both siblings knew it wasn't that they didn't trust Li Hua. But it was against the sect rules to use their full powers when they weren't outside of the sect or in a designated combat training area. Even if they tried to be quick about showcasing their true aura, the sheer disturbance would be caught on by the rooms next to them. And exposing themselves so early on would only be a disadvantage to them more than anything, drawing unwanted attention and intricate schemes. 

Thus, the siblings decided to play it safe for now, to accumulate even more of their foundations before fully striking.

With their minds cleared, Lei Ya chuckled while casually waving her hand. "Don't be alarmed, Hua. We're simply thinking of the far future when we reach Essence Gathering. I mean, no elders will bother to waste their time on an issue the younger generation can solve. So that gives us plenty enough time to cultivate and solve this mission ourselves."

"Mn. It's better to prepare than live only in the moment sometimes." Lei Jin tactfully added, his gaze steady.

Given how sincere they looked, even though Li Hua wasn't completely convinced, she dropped the topic. She sighed and shook her head with a wry smile. "I really can't match pace with you two. The word 'rest' simply isn't in your vocabulary."

"Well, we're resting now, right?" Lei Ya smirked, in which Li Hua giggled in response, a melodious sound like angelic bells. "I suppose we are…"

Some more pleasant time passed between the trio, filled with light chatter and comfortable silence. 

When it felt a few hours had passed, Li Hua began to stand up with a reluctant gaze. She spoke with a helpless tone, "It's truly frustrating. It already took a lot for my father not to bother me in this short amount of time. Forgive me, but he wants me to finally associate with the 'real talents' of the sect. 'Friendship brings a lot,' as he supposedly claims."

That resigned look in her eyes managed to annoy both Lei Jin and Lei Ya. Li Hua clearly felt like it was impossible to go against her father, but who could blame her? 

A patriarch at that level, even for a weaker noble family, was still an existence that the High-Elders within the sect would give face to. Juniors like them had no hope of resisting. 

For now, at least.

With a calm smile, Lei Ya nodded at her and said, "Try not to lose your patience yet, Hua. I want to be there when you smack one of those idiots down!"

"Mn. You can use this time to show how much better of a real talent you are compared to them." Lei Jin added on, his voice firm. 

Both of their comments made Li Hua smile, a genuine, radiant expression. Her lovely smile, which could tremble the hearts of demons, seemed particularly focused on Lei Jin. 

"Right! See you two later!" 

With a now eager nod, she swiftly left the room.

There was only a brief moment of silence. Lei Ya's eager eyes landed on Lei Jin as she announced, "So? Tomorrow it's time for us to stretch our own bones."

"Indeed." Lei Jin simply said, but just that single word carried a weight that would change their future forever.

...

A day swiftly passed. Across the Beloved Sky Sect, there was a noticeable, large bustle sweeping through the disciples. Groups alike were either scouring the markets for the best items they could find for better equipment or tirelessly working themselves in the combat arenas, honing their skills. 

All of this was for the difficult mission making waves. Everyone wanted to be the first one to gain that Heavenly Quality Spirit Stone or experience the benefits of those strange Nascent Tier beast cores. And the only way to achieve that was through improving themselves even further, to stand an actual chance against beasts known to give peak Early Layer Essence Gathering cultivators trouble.

It was within this hustle and bustle that Lei Jin and Lei Ya made their way to the sect's mission center.