*Eliminated a Sixth-Level Qi Condensation Blood Demon, awarding 25 Universal Coins*

*Awarded 50 Universal Coins/500 Spirit Stones, do you wish to transfer the contents?*

'25 coins for a sixth-level? Is it that good?'

If he had not been shaken because of his past with the demons, as well as hasty in judgment, Li Ao could have taken care of the demon with ease. As such, gaining 25 coins seemed too easy of an endeavour.

Senior Dogshit asked him while he read the notifications. *Do you see the separation of rewards?*

*Most missions will give you the chance to convert Universal Coins to Spirit Stones. Some might even offer special items or perks instead of Spirit Stones. For first grade missions, regardless of difficulty, it will always be Spirit Stones.*

''What are their quality?''

Spirit Stones had low, mid, high, supreme, and immortal grades of their own. Each upgrade in tier was equivalent to a hundred stones of previous level.

*Default quality is mid-grade, if it is any different it will be specified in text.*

''Ain't that a pretty good deal!?'' Li Ao exclaimed. He only had an allowance of ten mid-grade spirit stones a month—just one mission gave him above four years' worth spirit stones!

*You can't convert Spirit Stones to Universal Coins, don't forget.*

Even then, it was still a good deal.

''Wait, is this conversion special to mission rewards only?*

*Good, dogshit, you are learning. You can't exchange your coins outside of rewards—so if you are ever in need of money you can do a few first-grade missions to make ends meet.*

That put a halt on his most excellent plan of being a local tycoon. After all, while he could buy a single %100 Purity Qi Gathering pill with 10 coins, 100 Mid-grade Spirit Stones could get him hundreds of the %80 Purity pills inside Holy Capital. Efficiency aside, it could help him make up his lost time faster.

''I really wasted a lot of time, didn't I?''

Li Ao sighed.

''I'll get Universal Coins.''

*Transferring rewards...*

Li Ao opened up the interface and saw his total coins rise up to 91. Now that he had a bit of a capital, he wanted to increase his cultivation realm before attempting another mission.

''Senior, when will these missions vanish?''

*Depends. They remain posted between several agents suited to take the task, but if no one takes it by the time limit it will be assigned to a random agent of the required rank to complete. By that time, the rewards become a tad bit more generous, but difficulty itself is several times higher.*

''I thought I was a mercenary, not a forced employee.''

*You are what you believe, dogshit.*

Li Ao snorted, then opened up Alchemy Store.

Browsing through the different purity levels of Qi Gathering Pills, he decided to buy the %100 purity in the end. He bought 5 of them, leaving 41 coins behind in case he needed it later. After scanning the environment, system transferred the pills into his hand.

Sitting with his legs crossed, Li Ao swallowed one of them and furiously started circulating his Qi. The medicinal power was as strong as ever as it pushed his dantian to its limits. Watching how the Qi bounced off the walls of his dantian again and again like a large wave, Li Ao noticed a very minute expansion.

This pill could help him expand his dantian?

That kind of effect could only be achieved by seventh-grade pills!

Li Ao made a mental note to investigate how purity affected a pill's composition and effect and focused on cultivating.

In a short time, he broke through the seventh-level of Qi Condensation and still kept climbing...

*********

Three days later, Li Ao stopped his cultivation.

With the aid of two %100 purity pills, not only did he reach the eighth level of Qi Condensation, he also further consolidated his realm. In addition, his dantian was almost ten percent bigger than those of the same realm, providing him with an additional source of hidden strength.

Standing up and stretching, Li Ao looked down at the Phoenix Sword laying by his feet.

He grasped its brown hilt and stared into the scarlet blade. Since most of the system rewards had been amazing, did this weapon also have a hidden function?

Brandishing the one meter and twenty centimeter blade, Li Ao swung in the air a few times. As the cage was thin, he couldn't move properly, but he noticed a sense of union within his strikes. Clattering the edge of the blade against the cell bars, he stopped.

He had never been a huge fan of swords, preferring lances and spears instead. Yet, even when he made a clumsy slice up or a random drop down, the sword seemed to move like his limb.

''This weapon was made for me?''

Not just for 'him', but it seemed this sword was made to complement him. Not many Forging Masters could create such a specialized weapon.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

''I better take it then.''

Since he had nothing to hang the blade, he just held it within his fist and opened up the missions. Now there were eight missions left.

Turning to the two other missions left, Li Ao swept his gaze through the descriptions.

*Mission: Help the scout of Zhu Noble Clan deliver their news to the Imperial Ancestor!*

*Target World: Six-Fold Immortal Domain*

*Timeline: Real-Time Progression*

*Time Dilution: 300:1*

*Mission Time: Thirty Years*

*Estimated Difficulty: Hell*

*Source: Agent ???(Rank ???)*

*Reward: 2000 Spirit Stones(High-Grade)*

''Senior Dogshit.''

Li Ao waited another moment.

''Senior Klein Dogshit?''

*Boy, you should pray I am a few light years away from you.*

''What is a light year?''

*What do you need?*

Li Ao grumped at being ignored, then pointed at the difficulty and source. ''How hard is this 'Hell' difficulty? Also, others can also post missions?''

*There are several difficulty levels: Minimal, Easy, Laborious, Hard, Hell, Improbable, and Fateful. This evaluation depends on your current capabilities, so do take that in mind when attempting. For your other question—yes. Some of your superiors might need certain events to take place for their own missions to conclude. Instead of doing every little detail themselves, they can post these as lower-tier quests to accomplish their aim.*

*Once you unlock third-grade missions, you will understand more.*

Li Ao nodded. It seemed reasonable to him that, as the stage of such missions grew larger, the responsibility an agent had to take would grow. After all, not every mission could require someone to kill or guard—if an agent had no skill on managing, for example, or subterfuge or intrigue, how could they accomplish highly specialized missions?

''Got it.'' He nodded. ''Is there something that can help me with the second mission?''

Li Ao swept his gaze over the other mission.

*Mission: Find out what happened to Pangu Sect Disciples on the sea voyage!*

*Target World: Heaven and Earth Paradise of the ??? *

*Timeline: ???*

*Time Dilution: 600:1*

*Mission Time: ???*

*Estimated Difficulty: Easy(???)*

*Source: Agent ???(Rank ???)*

*Reward: 10 Universal Coins/100 Spirit Stones*

*Superior's Note: You are allowed to abort the mission at anytime—be sure to bring a memory reading skill and a Ten-Faces Skin Mask to infiltrate. I will contact at an appropriate time. There might be a follow-up quest depending on your performance.*

''I've got the latter, but how can I obtain the skill?''

*How come you are so retarded in simple matters? Just search it up in the general store!*

Li Ao covered his ears at the shout. He opened up the general store and just typed 'Memory Reading'. Right away, there were almost a few hundred thousand manuals flashing before him—a great number of them greyed out.

''I don't have enough cultivation to use most of them, and some others require other cultivation systems?''

Universe was wide indeed. How could so many people think of the same thing?

''...I don't have enough coins.''

Cheapest of them all cost around 120 Universal Coins.

''Oh my most blessed Senior Klein, may you live for a thousand years!''

*I hate beggars.*

''Who said I begged? Can I not wish my most trusted confidante and brother good tidings?''

*Who has a brother like you, dogshit? If you call me your grandpa and kowtow nine times, then I might consider—*

''Good tidings be your way my dear grandfather! May you live a thousand years, reign over the lands, be the supreme!'' Li Ao shouted at the top of his lungs and kowtowed towards the void. Just as he did, he heard an eerie laugh rise from the darkness before him.

''You brat, how did you sense me?''

Li Ao, face pale, cursed in his mind. This fellow had set him up!

''Huh?''

With a single step, Li Ao's grandpa appeared before the cell.

''Ao'er, what is all this blood!?''

Li Ao turned his head down to look at himself. Indeed, he had forgotten to clean himself again. Most of the blood had dried on his white robes, painting him a sorry figure.

''What happened here!?''

His grandpa flung open the cell and grasped his wrist, anxious. His frown and worry seemed to vanish just as he did, and his eyes opened wide.

''You...how? When?''

''Eheheheheh~''

A slap shook his head like a basketball.''Stop that disgusting laugh!''

Both of his thick eyebrows knitting together, Li Ao's grandpa let go of his wrist. ''You've been cultivating?''

''Of course, you geezer, what else can I do in here?''

''What is all this blood, then? Who scratched your body?''

Li Ao glanced at the scratches left by the blood bats. ''I have no idea.''

''Whose blood is this, then?''

''Dunno, I wonder how it came here?''

''...'' Gnashing his teeth, Li Ao's grandpa flicked his finger and the Phoenix Sword floated to stand in front of him. ''How did this thing get here, then?''

''It was laying on the ground when I came.''

Listening Li Ao whistle, his grandfather let out a very troubled sigh at last. His gaze went over the sharp edge of the blade.

''Good sword!'' Swinging it around the cell, his grandpa showed a peculiar glint in his pupils. ''Ao'er, will you not really cultivate any longer?''

''Oh yeah, I will!''

''I know you feel burdened...what?''

Looking back at the retarded looking grandson of his, the old geezer formed a stupid smile on his face. ''You will?''

''Of course! Just you wait a few months, grandpa! I will show you what I can do!''

''Good! Good! Your IQ finally rose back to two digits!'' Laughing out loud and ignoring Li Ao's resentful gaze, his grandpa flicked the blade away to him. ''Then let's go! I will take you back to the estate!''

''No!''

''Hm? What's wrong?''

''Uhh, I mean, I cultivate better here! Yes, I feel more at peace!''

''Really?'' His grandpa seemed to think of a particular group of people, and the thought made his smile drop.

''Yes! Also, think, geezer. What if the Imperial Palace hears you let me out too early? Won't they be dissatisfied with you? I can't shame you in front of the Holy Capital!''

''Since when have you become so filial, you monkey!'' A red steam rose from his grandpa's bald head. ''How many shit did you put me through...''

Then, as if resigning, the wild air over him dispersed. Blasting the steam away with a breath, he cast a deep look at Li Ao.

''I will move you to a larger cell, then. You can't practice your sword here.''

''Uh, is there a need?''

''If you cut a few times more, the cell would have broken down. Do you really want to be alone with all those demons and demonic beasts?''

Looking around, Li Ao saw thin cuts that went through the metallic bars. ''It was this sharp?''

He had no more reason to complain, so Li Ao let his grandfather carry him to another portion of the cell. Now more interested, he checked the cultivation of the creatures on the way. He could sense none of their cultivation, and some of them made him tremble with their gaze alone.

After locking him in a cell as wide as a courtyard, his grandpa gave him a spatial ring and turned to leave.

''Grandpa, do you know any memory reading arts?''

''You good for nothing, what do you intend to do!?''

''Uh, I'm just asking. Hold your hand! Hold your hand!''

Suffering a random beating without knowing the reason why, Li Ao watched his grandpa leave. Now he was all alone again in the cold void. From afar he could hear the rattling chains of the prisoners, though there was no longer a chill disturbing his body. Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, Li Ao sat down.

Sweeping his divine sense through the ring, he saw the second and third level of Scarlet Path Martial Art, as well as the Seven Levels of Li Noble Clan Cultivation Art in different jade slips. Several hundred mid-grade Spirit Stones and a few bottles of Qi Gathering Pills stood neatly on the corner of the ring. Smiling like a monkey with its precious banana, Li Ao put Phoenix Blade inside the ring and started to cultivate.

He spent a day to further consolidate his realm and reach his peak state, then pressed on the portrait with large ship.

An invisible force squeezed him, pressed on his head, then he was gone from the cell.