Chapter 6

After leaving the Moon Salary District, Hu Donghan did not leave the Foreign Affairs Hall but went directly to the sect mission area.

The sect mission area was not as quiet and empty as the Moon Salary District. In the mission area, dozens of disciples were checking the missions.

Hu Donghan took a jade slip from the mission area, infused it with spiritual energy, and began to examine the various sect missions.

"Skull Peak's Niu Le, the steward, offers a bounty to kill the lone evil cultivator Lu Yu: 1,000 spirit stones and 10 bottles of Qi Cultivation Pills—Target's cultivation: peak Qi Cultivation; Required cultivation: late-stage Qi Cultivation, recommended to go with at least three disciples; Proof of mission completion: Lu Yu's head and spiritual energy mark. Mission danger level: high."

"Earth Fire Hall's Senior Brother Liu Mengde urgently needs twelve front paws of Ghost Leopards: 200 spirit stones and 12 bottles of Qi Cultivation Pills—Ghost Leopards are peak first-tier spirit beasts, extremely fast, recommended to go with at least three peak Qi Cultivation disciples. Proof of mission completion: twelve front paws of Ghost Leopards. Mission danger level: relatively high."

"Senior Brother Song Yushu of the main sect's outer gate offers a bounty for one low-grade ghost: 1,000 spirit stones and 10 bottles of Small Qi Cultivation Pills—Proof of mission completion: one low-grade ghost."

"Stacked Peaks offers a bounty for disciples of this peak—The number of ghosts in the Lone Souls Ridge under Stacked Peaks has surged. Disciples in the Qi Cultivation stage can go to hunt ghostly creatures. Killing 100 ghostly creatures of any Qi Cultivation stage will earn one spirit stone. Bounty mission deadline: three days, today is the last day. Mission danger level: low."

"Main sect's cleansing mission—In the small market of Red Maple Ridge, the leader of the Loose Cultivators Alliance killed two Yin Soul Sect cultivators and ten laborers. One hundred late-stage Qi Cultivation cultivators are urgently needed to go and exterminate them. Each cultivator will receive 100 spirit stones, and the mission will end once the quota is filled."

...

Hu Donghan drooled at the various bounties but was helpless, only able to sigh in frustration—these missions were not something he could handle with his current first-stage Qi Cultivation.

After drooling for a while, Hu Donghan finally turned his gaze to the entry trial missions below the sect missions.

Entry trial missions were the simplest of all sect missions.

These missions were designed to help sect disciples understand their own strength. They were usually mandatory for newly admitted disciples who had reached the first stage of Qi Cultivation.

While these missions were not like helping a certain fairy find a pet or taking care of a certain steward's child, they were not much different in terms of difficulty. For the Yin Soul Sect, entry trial missions generally involved going to a certain cemetery or mass grave and killing some ghosts at the periphery.

Such missions could be completed by any cultivator who had mastered the Spirit Bullet Technique, as long as they didn't foolishly rush into a group of ghosts.

"Entry Trial Mission (Mandatory Mission)—Kill ten ghostly creatures in the Ghost Cemetery of this peak. Mission reward: 10 spirit stones, one low-grade soul ring (can be claimed in advance, but will be reclaimed if the mission fails). Proof of mission completion: ten soul breaths. Mission deadline: complete within two months of receiving the mission."

Soul breaths were the lingering auras left by ghostly creatures before they dissipated. Different strength ghostly creatures left different intensities of soul breaths. However, soul breaths had no practical effect other than proving the existence of a ghost. If left alone, soul breaths would gradually dissipate. Therefore, apart from cultivators with sect missions, few others paid attention to soul breaths.

As for the low-grade soul ring in the mission reward, although it was called a reward, it was essentially a basic benefit of the Yin Soul Sect.

A low-grade soul ring, while named a magical tool, had only the simple function of storing ghosts and souls. It had no other uses. In essence, it was a tool for ghost cultivators to preserve souls. The Yin Soul Sect was an expert in ghost cultivation, and it would be embarrassing if its disciples didn't even have a tool to store ghosts. This was one of the main reasons for the existence of low-grade soul rings.

Of course, while low-grade soul rings were ineffective and abundant, mid-grade and high-grade soul rings were more valuable. This was because these advanced soul rings could nourish souls, increase the cultivation speed of ghosts, and quickly heal ghost injuries. The higher the grade of the soul ring, the more significant the enhancement. If one had an ultimate-grade soul ring, the improvement in ghost strength would be immeasurable!

"Regardless, this entry trial mission must be completed. Although the low-grade soul ring is a bit useless, it is extremely important for me at this stage. Stabilizing my first-stage Qi Cultivation will take three to five days. After that, I need to complete this mission first... The two-month mission deadline means I can take the mission now without any issues."

Hu Donghan thought to himself, holding the jade slip and walking up to a Foundation Establishment stage steward. He respectfully said, "Uncle, I would like to take the entry trial mission and claim the low-grade soul ring in advance."

The Foundation Establishment stage cultivator's expression didn't change. He reached out, took out a jade token and a ring, and handed them to Hu Donghan, saying indifferently, "Take them! Use the jade token to record soul breaths, and return it within two months."

For such entry trial missions, the Foundation Establishment stage cultivator's handling was rather rough—but this was understandable. In the history of the Yin Soul Sect, only about a hundred people had failed to complete this entry trial mission, and they were all those who had foolishly rushed into a group of ghosts...

Having successfully taken the entry trial mission, Hu Donghan reluctantly glanced at the jade slip a few more times before putting it down and walking out of the Foreign Affairs Hall.

Just as he was about to leave the Foreign Affairs Hall, a person walked in from outside.

This person was thin and small, with a face full of pockmarks and a lecherous appearance, yet he was dressed in elaborate clothing, looking quite out of place.

When he saw Hu Donghan, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he blocked Hu Donghan's path, mocking, "Oh! Everyone, come and see who this is! Isn't this our Yin Soul Sect's four-attribute genius, Hu Donghan? Junior Brother Hu, you've finally reached the first stage of Qi Cultivation? Congratulations! Congratulations! Reaching the first stage of Qi Cultivation in three months, Junior Brother Hu is truly the number one genius of our Yin Soul Sect!"

As he spoke, his voice was deliberately raised, startling many of the disciples in the Foreign Affairs Hall. They all turned to look at Hu Donghan, their gazes filled with curiosity, ridicule, and amusement.

As for Hu Donghan, he rolled his eyes in slight frustration, pushed the thin, pockmarked man aside, and muttered, "Idiot!"