Chapter 45

In the following days, Lu Li practiced in the main hall. Apart from reading books, Lu Ling spent her time chatting with the wife of the main hall elder, Cheng Qu.

Cheng Qu's wife was unable to bear children, and Lu Ling was well-behaved and sensible, so Cheng Qu and his wife liked her very much. Lu Li noticed that Lu Ling and Cheng Qu's wife got along well and was very pleased. He practiced all day, and Lu Ling was too lonely by herself; it was good for her to have someone to talk to.

Wuling City had been unusually quiet recently. The Zhao family had awakened a fifth-grade bloodline, and they had been very low-key these days. Family members were not allowed to go out, and they certainly would not conflict with the Liu family.

There was still no news from Hanyun Mountain. It was said that the battle between the major super families and the Beast Emperor had reached a critical moment, and they might be able to kill the Beast Emperor soon. It was estimated that the major families had forcibly suppressed the Liu family to avoid any additional complications.

The Grand Elder did not send any messages, and the Liu family did not send any warriors to reinforce Hanyun Mountain. The Liu family had awakened a fourth-grade bloodline, which was a happy event, and they were probably trying to find ways to cultivate the child.

Time passed quickly, and half a month went by in the blink of an eye.

Lu Li emerged from his seclusion, not because he had reached the peak of the Xuanwu realm, but because in half a month, he had only managed to unblock two and a half meridians, with another half meridian still unblocked.

He emerged because—Xiao Bai had no food left!

The white little beast had a huge appetite, and all the broken Xuan weapons had been eaten. It was probably very hungry and had started eyeing the Tianlin Sword. If Lu Ling hadn't noticed, the Tianlin Sword would have been gnawed by now...

Looking at Xiao Bai's pitiful eyes, Lu Li gritted his teeth and exchanged all 300 of his remaining contribution points for broken Xuan weapons, bringing back over a dozen of them.

These dozen broken Xuan weapons would probably only last Xiao Bai for about a week. Lu Li thought for a moment and found Cheng Qu, asking, "Elder Cheng, how do I earn contribution points?"

There were many broken Xuan weapons in the Armory, enough to feed Xiao Bai for half a year, but the problem was that they all required contribution points. Lu Li could only ask Cheng Qu.

"Contribution points are very simple!" Cheng Qu explained, "Each family has a Task Hall. You can take on tasks, and once you complete them, the family will naturally give you contribution points. For example, you can stand guard at the city wall, and you get two contribution points per day."

"Two..."

Lu Li rolled his eyes. Standing guard for several days wouldn't even be enough for one meal for Xiao Bai. He thanked Cheng Qu and went to the Liu family's inner courtyard to find the Task Hall. Although Xiao Bai still had enough food for about a week, he had to plan ahead, or the Tianlin Sword would eventually be gnawed.

The Task Hall was also presided over by a gray-haired old man with not much combat power but a high seniority. Seeing that Lu Li was a guest of the main hall, he didn't even smile, and he asked with a sidelong glance, "What task do you want to take?"

Lu Li politely clasped his hands and said, "Sir, are there any tasks within the city that offer a lot of contribution points?"

The gray-haired old man snorted and said, "Do you think contribution points can be picked up for free? Without risking your life, how can you get a lot of contribution points? The highest contribution point task in the city right now is to monitor the Zhao family. You get 100 contribution points for useful information, and if there's no information, you get two contribution points per day."

"One day two?"

Lu Li touched his nose. How could he get useful information? Unless he infiltrated the Zhao family's residence, but once he did, he would probably be instantly surrounded and killed.

He asked hopefully, "Sir, are there no other tasks?"

"There are!"

The gray-haired old man threw a task scroll at him and said, "The tasks in this scroll, if you can complete them, each one is worth over a thousand contribution points. Do you dare to take them?"

Lu Li took the scroll and scanned it, his face changing slightly. The tasks in the scroll indeed offered high contribution points, but could they be completed by a human?

"Digging for Earth Jade Crystals at the edge of the Ice Abyss, 10,000 contribution points..."

"Obtaining the venom of a fourth-grade Xuan beast, the Silver Thread Snake, from the Bone Burial Mountain 10,000 miles north of the Ice Abyss, 10,000 contribution points."

"Obtaining a Heavenly Fire Lotus from the Tianhuo Volcano, 3,000 contribution points per plant..."

The more Lu Li read, the more black lines appeared on his forehead. What kind of tasks were these? The edge of the Ice Abyss, even the Liu family's Grand Elder wouldn't dare to approach, as it was the territory of the Beast Emperor.

The fourth-grade Xuan beast, the Silver Thread Snake, was as powerful as a human in the Life Wheel realm. Going to get its venom was no different from suicide.

The Tianhuo Volcano was a volcano that erupted year-round. Touching the scorching lava would mean certain death. Moreover, his strength was not enough to even approach it; the terrifying high temperature would burn him to ashes.

Lu Li continued to read patiently, hoping to find a relatively safe task with enough contribution points. However, after a long time, he found that none of the tasks were within his capabilities. Taking on any of them would mean certain death.

"Hmm? This task seems not bad!"

Lu Li's eyes suddenly lit up, finding a decent task: "Steal the eggs of the Red Phosphorus Eagle from Red Rock Mountain, 500 contribution points per egg."

Red Phosphorus Eagle!

Lu Li had once fought with Liu Yi and others, and the Red Phosphorus Eagle was not very strong. However, they were social animals, and stealing eggs from their nest would easily attract a large group of Red Phosphorus Eagles to chase him.

Moreover, Red Rock Mountain was also the gathering place of stone rats, and it was said that stone rats and Red Phosphorus Eagles liked to cooperate against enemies. If he faced them, he would be easily bitten to death from all sides.

Lu Li had heard of Red Rock Mountain, which was 200 miles north of the Hanyun Valley, still a considerable distance from the Ice Abyss. In theory, there should be strong warriors from various families guarding the area, so there shouldn't be any powerful Xuan beasts.

Lu Li's heart was conflicted. Going to Red Rock Mountain was very dangerous, and if he encountered Di Ba, he would be chased to death.

The problem was that if he didn't take on a task, he wouldn't have any contribution points, and how could he feed Xiao Bai?

Xiao Bai was clearly a high-grade Xuan beast and was very obedient, now determined to follow him. In the future, it would be a great help to him.

"Afraid?"

The gray-haired old man saw Lu Li holding the scroll and sneered, "You young people, always aiming too high and not being down-to-earth. Wanting to do something without the ability? Get lost, don't waste my time."

Lu Li was a bit angry at this, and he gritted his teeth and said, "I'll take this task!"

The gray-haired old man showed a hint of surprise, his eyes flickering as he asked, "Are you sure? Once you take on this task, you must complete it. If you give up, you will lose 100 contribution points. Think carefully."

"I've thought carefully!" Lu Li said, bracing himself.

"Good!"

The gray-haired old man took Lu Li's token to record it. After recording, he gave Lu Li a map and said, "This is the map to Red Rock Mountain. You must complete the task within a month. Go, and I hope you have the luck to come back alive."

Lu Li left with the map and returned to the main hall, where he told Lu Ling about it.

Originally, he thought Lu Ling would blame him, but unexpectedly, she nodded and said, "It's good to go out once. All warriors must constantly fight and experience life and death to become strong. The moment you chose to become a warrior, you must be prepared to die."

"These words were left by Father. What I want to tell you is—don't rely solely on bravery in battle, use your mind more. And don't give up easily, even if you know you will die. If you die, Sister won't let you go alone; I will accompany you to the Netherworld."

"Sister~"

Lu Li's eyes reddened, and he grabbed Lu Ling's hand, choking up. At that moment, he firmly remembered Lu Ling's words, especially that he must not give up easily in any situation.

Because if he died, Lu Ling, with her fierce nature, would never live on.