Book 1- The Start of Cultivation Chapter 13: Two-Star Mission

He then experimented a bit with the Hundred Phantom Hands

He tested how far he could use it. After some experimentation, Xue San determined that twenty feet was the maximum distance he could effectively control the Phantom Hand. Beyond that, maintaining control became more taxing, and the qi in his dantian decreased at an alarming rate. As if that weren't enough, its power diminished by about 60% to 70% beyond the twenty-feet range.

Xue San kept experimenting until he ran out of qi.

Tired but gratified, he savored some smoked meat that night and rested, Fluffy beside him—the little wolf cub's belly full, curled up into a cozy ball. Who could have guessed that the tips he picked from his father about hunting and his mother about cooking would prove so useful to him as a cultivator?

For the next two months, Xue San's life settled into a routine: he meditated at dawn, trained in the Hundred Phantom Hands, then went hunting or fishing as the day waned. Fluffy now wouldn't even leave his side.

Once a week, he still attended public lessons.

He had many more questions about cultivation because he didn't know if what had happened to him was normal. So far, he hadn't found any answers in the Qi Compression Method book.

But during one of the public lessons, luck was finally on his side, and he actually got some answers without even having to pose any questions himself.

He learned that those in the Initial Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm usually had a core the size of a marble; at the Middle Stage, it was twice that size, and at the Late Stage, three times the size of a marble. There were exceptions to this, but the instructor didn't go into detail about it, and Xue San also didn't ask about the matter.

With this information, he was certain there was something special about him. After all, his core was much larger than what the instructor said. He didn't know what it meant, but he was convinced it was significant, so he decided to check how much the paid lessons cost, after the class.

He wasn't so naïve as to announce what had happened to him when he broke through. Even though he was new to the cultivation world, he understood that a secret wasn't a secret once a second person knew about it. So he needed to figure it out and find answers without raising suspicions.

But to his dismay, even the cheapest lessons started at 80 contribution points. And it wasn't even guaranteed that his questions would be answered.

He decided to visit the Public Library when he had some free time. He first needed to get stronger.

Then a piece of news that shook everyone spread like wildfire within the sect.

Long Huo, the new core disciple who was only at the 9th Stage of Qi Condensation Realm, apparently had a disagreement with an outer sect elder, which resulted in the elder issuing a challenge.

The elder declared that if Long Huo could withstand three strikes from him, he would concede defeat, and acknowledge her position as a true core disciple. Long Huo accepted the challenge and, to everyone's astonishment, took on the three strikes head-on and even pushed the outer sect elder back.

Enraged and humiliated, the elder—to the shock of all present—disregarded the difference in age, cultivation, and status, and went all out. His attacks were vicious, his objective clear: to kill Long Huo.

Everyone thought that Long Huo was done for. No one expected the elder to be so shameless as to attack a core disciple with the intent to kill.

But Long Huo actually fought the outer sect elder to a standstill while still in the Qi Condensation Realm, then an elder from the Punishment Hall arrived and apprehended that outer sect Elder, his fate unknown.

This news shook not only the Soaring Sword Sect but the entire kingdom. Many began to say that she, Long Huo, was one of the most talented persons to appear in the last five hundred years. After all, a Qi Condensation Stage cultivator fighting a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator was as rare as a phoenix feather or a qilin horn; even among all the cultivators in the Soul Saint Kingdom, it was an extraordinarily rare event.

But even so, the news that shook him the most was that, apparently, about two months ago, the Sect Master activated the sect protection array and mobilized a great number of disciples and elders. The official explanation was that Grandmaster Chu Feng was refining a special pill and needed protection during the concoction period.

But Xue San thought it was too much of a coincidence that this happened right after he broke into the Qi Condensation Stage; perhaps his breakthrough wasn't so simple. So he decided to be even more cautious.

Xue San also gave up on his monthly pill allocation. He knew they were delivered to the residence, so the Long trio probably took them for themselves, but he didn't care; he still had one Poor-Grade Qi Replenishing Pill and eleven Mid-Grade ones left.

Since that day when he had the incident while cultivating, his progress had been much smoother, so he hadn't used any of the pills he had left.

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He decided to attend one more public lesson to hear any new gossip, and then go to the Minor Dragon Hall to see if he could find a mission that suited him, so he could finally earn some extra contribution points.

Xue San made his way to the Public Lesson Pavilion and took a seat in his usual area. The lesson today didn't offer anything new, so he was about to leave early when a boy suddenly approached him.

"Hello there, friend. My name is Li Shi," said a boy who appeared to be 14 or 15 years old, rather thin and with squinted eyes.

"Yes," Xue San replied. Truth be told, aside from casual interactions when inquiring about the latest gossip or news, he didn't socialize much; all his time was spent in the forest.

So he was a bit wary when someone approached him first.

"Haha, you don't have to be wary of me, brother. Actually, I've seen you a few times during the public lessons, and seeing that you're attending them, you must also be someone with no background like the rest of us. I'm part of a small group of outer sect disciples that usually team up for missions, but this time one of our members can't come, so I thought maybe you would be interested."

Xue San looked at him for a while and asked, "Why me?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, you aren't really the first one I asked, but the other people refused, so..."

"Why?" Xue San asked

"They are a bunch of cowards" Li Shi scoffed.

"What kind of mission?"

"It's an escort mission. These kinds of missions can be really dangerous sometimes, but the rewards this time are excellent, so our captain decided to accept it. Our captain is a well-known outer sect disciple named Meng Xi." finished Li Shi with a tinge of pride in his voice, as if waiting for Xue San to be in awe.

"Let me think about it for a while, and I'll get back to you later," Xue San replied. He was about to leave when he turned to Li Shi and asked, "How can I contact you?"

"If you're interested, come by the Lecture Pavilion I will be here until the lesson finishes," Li Shi said.

"Okay," Xue San replied.

Xue San decided to learn more about this Meng Xi before making a decision so he decided to visit the Minor Dragon Hall.

The Minor Dragon Hall was bustling with activity, as usual, a hive of energy with people coming and going. Disciples moved purposefully, their conversations melding into a low hum that filled the air. Xue San navigated through the crowd and approached a counter to inquire about the available missions.

"How can I help you?" asked the female disciple behind the counter, her eyes attentive and welcoming.

"Yes, I'd like to ask about the escort mission that a disciple named Meng Xi took," Xue San said.

"Ah! Are you perhaps the last member to join the escort mission led by Senior Sister Meng Xi's group?" the disciple asked excitedly.

"Do you know her?" he inquired, noting the admiration in her voice.

She gave him a curious look before replying, "Who doesn't know about Senior Sister Meng Xi? She's one of the rising stars of the outer sect—joined just two years ago and is already at the Fifth Stage of Qi Condensation. She's also a favorite to join the inner sect." Her eyes sparkled with admiration.

"What is the mission about?" Xue San asked, his interest piqued.

"It's a request from a wealthy merchant to escort him safely to Darkwood City. The sect evaluated it as a three-star mission due to the recent bandit activities in the region," she explained.

"Three-star mission? What does that mean?" he asked, realizing he was unfamiliar with the mission ranking system.

"Is this your first time taking a mission?" she asked a hint of surprise in her tone.

"Yes, it is," he admitted.

She smiled. "The sect categorizes missions according to their difficulty level—the more challenging the mission, the more stars it receives. One and two-star missions are suited for the initial stages of Qi Condensation; three and four-star missions are for the middle stages; five and six-star missions are for the late stages. The sect doesn't assign missions higher than three stars to outer sect disciples. You can also accept more than one mission at a time, but if you fail to complete all of them, you won't receive any rewards. However, if you succeed in completing them all, you'll receive extra rewards—15% more for completing two missions, and 20% more for completing three. You can accept up to three missions simultaneously."

"Why does the sect encourage taking multiple missions?" Xue San asked, intrigued.

"It's a way to motivate the most hardworking disciples—a method to encourage efficiency and dedication. It's like killing two birds with one stone," she said with a professional smile. Her patience and thoroughness were evident as she explained everything.

"Then, can I take a look at other missions near Darkwood City?" he asked.

"Certainly," she replied, placing her hand over a glowing formation behind the counter. After a moment, she looked up. "There are nine three-star missions, five two-star missions, and four one-star missions near Darkwood City."

"That's quite a number," Xue San mused aloud. "Are there any missions related to medicinal herbs?"

"Yes, eight of the three-star missions and one of the two-star missions involve medicinal herbs," she answered.

"Tell me about the two-star mission," he requested. He needed contribution points, so taking on additional missions made sense.

"It's to search for Spirit Ginseng," she said. "A valuable herb used in alchemy."

"I'll take that mission as well," he decided.

"Very well. May I have your token, please?" she asked.

He handed over his disciple token. She placed it within the intricate patterns of the formation array, a soft glow enveloping it before she returned it to him.

Noticing his puzzled expression, she added, "You just need to place the token against your forehead and send a strand of qi into it. The mission details will then be available to you. For now, only the two-star mission is registered. As for the escort mission, you'll need to be here with the rest of the group to accept it together in two days."

"Thank you," Xue San said, offering a respectful bow before turning to leave.

Xue San informed Li Shi of his decision to join their mission. To his surprise, Li Shi beamed from ear to ear upon hearing this—a reaction that Xue San found genuinely peculiar.

Returning to his secluded spot in the forest, he settled beneath the oak tree, the dappled sunlight casting shifting patterns around him.

He retrieved his outer sect disciple token, its surface cool and smooth in his hand. Following the girl's instructions, he placed it against his forehead and sent a thin strand of qi into it. Immediately, a stream of information flowed into his mind.

Danger Level: Two-Star Mission

Issuer: Nirvana Pavilion

Objective: Go to the Sleeping Giant Mountain outskirts, near Darkwood City. There, you will search for Spirit Ginseng. You need to find at least two.

Dangers: The Spirit Ginseng is usually guarded by the one-eyed mole, a one-star beast.

Rewards: 100 contribution points and 5 Low-Grade Qi Replenishing Pills.

Xue San was awed by the amazing things cultivators could do. Even passing information directly into his mind was possible.

He stood, the cool evening air filling his lungs. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, but tonight, beneath the whispering leaves and the emerging stars, he felt ready to embrace whatever fate had in store.