"But seriously, they are impressive," said another guy, pulling out a notebook and flipping through the pages. "Some inner disciples asked me to gather info about the newly accepted disciples, and there are four disciples who really stand out."

"Really? Let's hear about them," said a baldy.

The guy with the notebook cleared his throat. "Alright, you already know about Yu Yongrui. That guy is from a peasant family. Aside from his talent, there's nothing impressive about him. Still, his talent is unbelievable. Some people say he has an extreme physique or a heaven-grade cultivation scripture. Whatever it is, he can advance from third stage Lock Opening realm to sixth stage in the span of two months. With this kind of speed, he can surely reach the Core Splitting realm within two years."

The bald guy spoke up. "I also heard he's ruthless. The one guy who tried to rob him had all his bones broken."

"Hmph, I'm sure he uses forbidden techniques to grow fast. He’ll soon reach a bottleneck and won't advance anymore. Let alone two years, he won't reach the Core Splitting realm in ten years!" Lei Peng said.

"Whatever you say, brother," said the one with the notebook. "Next, there's a girl named Yan Yu. She is extremely beautiful. I heard even some inner disciples tried to court her. They all failed. Though, some received a nice slap that made me jealous," he added with a lecherous smile. "I wouldn't mind if she slapped me, or kicked me, or choked me. Hehe."

"Although she is beautiful, what kind of man wants to be slapped by a woman!" Lei Peng shouted.

"An adult man. You wouldn't understand."

"What? Do you think I'm a kid? Let me tell you, if I want a woman, she would fly into my embrace."

"Guys, let's calm down and get back to the topic," said the bald one.

The one with the notebook cleared his throat. "So, Yan Yu is beautiful, but she's also strong. Almost two months ago, she went to a house near the river. The spot where the qi is so dense everyone advances if they stay there."

"Ah, I know that story. Brother Gu lived there."

"Right, brother Gu, who came in second place in last year's tournament. Needless to say, brother Gu was enraged. Yan Yu is rude and arrogant, but that's also her charm, and her slap is--"

"Stay on topic."

"Right, sorry. She demanded Brother Gu and everyone in that area move out, then a beatdown happened. Yan Yu's technique revolves around ice, and her control over it is top-notch. I heard some people became ice statues, some were skewered by ice arrows, and everything around her was frozen."

Hearing this, Liu Xing raised his eyebrows. So that girl who squatted in his cave is named Yan Yu, and it seems after he threw her away, she rampaged and stole other people's houses.

"I heard many people were sent to the clinic. She's ruthless. I heard some even lost their cultivation," said the bald one.

"That rumor is exaggerated. No one lost their cultivation, though some lost limbs. Anyway, now she lives near the river and hasn't been heard from since. In terms of cultivation speed, Yu Yongrui is faster, but they're both at the Lock Opening sixth stage. The odds of her becoming an inner disciple are high."

The notebook guy and the bald guy glanced at Lei Peng.

"What?"

"You didn't comment?"

"Hmph. I still think she's lesser than me. But I'm not blind. I know talent when I see it."

"Alright then, that's nice. Moving on, the third one is Shen Ye, the second prince of the Phoenix Empire."

"Yeah, I heard of him too. He's handsome, rich, and talented. He came to the sect to surpass his older brother."

"Right, his fire affinity is high. Some think he has a special bloodline related to a phoenix. I can't confirm because his fights end in a blink of the eyes. Although his opponent was charred, so there's a high probability he either has a monstrous comprehension of fire or really possesses a bloodline."

"Hmph. Even if he's a prince, in this sect we are equal."

"Well, our status, yes, but he's already at the Lock Opening seventh stage. It's just a matter of time before he becomes an inner disciple."

"He's not really surprising. While his background is the most impressive, he feels like a normal guy," said the bald one.

"I would argue with you, but let's move on. The fourth one is actually a mystery. No one has met him, but some people heard mad cackling near the valley, saw flashing lights, and explosions. I didn't have time to confirm this information, but this morning, I was close to that valley when taking a dump, and I heard a big explosion. Needless to say, I ran out of there without my pants."

"I don't need to hear the last part," said the bald one.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Hmph, probably just someone trying to cultivate a mysterious aura. I bet he's some loser who just wants to grab attention."

"Anyway, the most important information is about how smooth Yan Yu's palm is. The one who got slapped said—"

Liu Xing, sitting on the bench, tried hard to control his expression. That funny trio was now talking about Yan Yu's palm. The one with the notebook wanted to be slapped, Lei Peng thought he was better than Yan Yu, and the bald one just sighed at his friends' talk.

Liu Xing finished his meal and soon walked out of the Eating Hall.

"That fourth disciple, are they talking about me?"

Liu Xing didn't cackle like a madman, but he remembered being excited and having a pretty loud laugh, especially when he successfully combined his Exploding Fist with electricity.

"Hmm, whatever."

The rumor about him was harmless, so he wouldn't care about it, although he decided not to use that valley for training again.

Soon he finished his breakfast, and as he walked to the Mission Hall, Liu Xing noted the names Yu Yongrui, Yan Yu, and Shen Ye.

If the rumors were true, they were the ones he needed to pay attention to when the tournament arrived. After all, Liu Xing also aimed to become an inner disciple.

Not long after, Liu Xing arrived at the Missions Hall. He needed to go to Dragon Skull Forest, but he couldn't just go and train there. Since he hadn't taken a mission in the past two months, Liu Xing needed to complete some missions now.

About a month ago, a disciple from the Mission Hall had come and said he needed to complete a mission or have his points deducted, and Liu Xing had actually forgotten about it. Now, his sect points were probably in the negative, and if he didn't complete some missions, he would be kicked out of the sect.

Dragon Skull Forest was the right place to train and complete some missions.

After he entered the Mission Hall, Liu Xing took a place in one of the queues, making sure he was in the line for a familiar clerk. He looks like a middle-aged man with a round belly and pink cheeks, the nicest clerk in this hall.

Not long after, Liu Xing reached the front of the queue.

"Liu Xing, long time no see!"

Liu Xing greeted the clerk. "I've been busy these past two months. Am I in trouble?"

The clerk checked his token and nodded. "You're in trouble, but not in deep water. Your points are negative ten, and your allotment of spirit stones is reduced to one per month until next month. Overall, not bad. I've seen worse."

Liu Xing sighed in relief. Only negative ten points and he lost two allotments of spirit stones. Really, not too bad.

"Anyway, I've come here to get a mission."

"Any criteria?"

"Anything is fine as long as the mission requires me to go to Dragon Skull Forest."

Hearing this, the clerk raised his eyebrows. "Dragon Skull Forest? Are you finally cultivating seriously? That forest is dangerous, you know?"

"I know, and yes, I'm trying to become an immortal now."

"Well, good luck then. Aiming to become an immortal is good, but you need to know your limits. I give out many missions to disciples in the sect, and let me tell you, the more ambitious they are, the bigger the chance they die taking risks."

Liu Xing nodded, "thank you for the advice."

He knew this world was dangerous and ruthless, and he sincerely thanked the clerk for reminding him of the reality of the world.

"I have some missions related to Dragon Skull Forest. The easiest one is to get a tail from a certain species of lizard that lives there. The tail would be refined into a pill that increases, uh, stamina, if you know what I mean."

Liu Xing blinked several times, then nodded. Even in the cultivator world, there were always things that needed to be raised.

"I assume the rewards are good?"

"Everything related to that activity has a high reward, I tell you. This mission is worth thirty sect points."

"Alright, I'll take the mission."

After accepting the mission, Liu Xing started to pack his supplies. According to the clerk, this mission had to be completed within two months. A reasonable timeframe, since Dragon Skull Forest was outside the Purple Moon Sect and he needed a minimum of a week to travel there.

As he walked to his house, Liu Xing wondered what would happen on this mission.

Not every mission he took went wrong, but one or twice, a mission became so dangerous that he needed help or had to flat out run from it. He sometimes had nightmares about mushrooms that could grow inside mouths, noses, ears, and brains.

Shuddering at the thought, Liu Xing hoped that this mission and his training would go smoothly, and that he would return to the sect as a Lock Opening sixth stage disciple.

***

"You mean this mission has the highest reward?" Yan Yu asked the clerk in front of her.

"Yes, the reward is 40 sect points, and the herb you need to pick is really valuable, if you know what I mean." Yan Yu gritted her teeth.

She didn't have a problem with herb-picking missions. She was just bothered by the fact that the highest mission she could take was to pick a herb that would be refined into an aphrodisiac.

Still, the reward was good, and while she didn't need techniques from the library, the points could be exchanged for cultivation pills and artifacts that would help her cultivate faster and awaken her bloodline.

"Fine, I'll take it."

The clerk smiled. "You know, you're not the first person with this kind of mission. I hope you two meet and help each other. After all, your missions are related."

Yan Yu ignored the clerk and accepted the mission silently. She was still bothered by the herb she needed to pick, but right now she had no choice. She needed to go to Dragon Skull Forest.

In her past life, around this time, she was still wandering around, looking for food in the woods before being picked up by her master. But now, she was already a cultivator, and she could seize the opportunities she couldn't take in the past.

One of them was in Dragon Skull Forest. Her senior sisters had said that a cultivator from a sect called Red Desert Sect stumbled upon a pocket dimension in that place, and he became one of the strongest in his sect.

If she wasn't mistaken, he got a black sword that could enhance techniques with temperature manipulation. He used that sword to enhance his fighting style around sand and glass.

That black sword would fit her hands better, so she decided to retrieve it. It was kind of annoying. In the Frozen Palace Sect, after she awakened her bloodline, she was showered with resources. She didn't need to move if she needed a pill or an artifact retrieved. Her master would gladly bring whatever she needed to her.

But now the situation was different, and she would not complain too much. She just hoped that this mission would go smoothly.