Chapter 72

"Half a month since joining the sect? Why would a newcomer take on this mission? Are you in a hurry to feed the fire rock snakes? Our team doesn't need a liability, and we don't clean up after others!" The dark-skinned man's face darkened, and he said bluntly.

"Junior Brother Yuan, what Agula and the others said isn't without reason. Collecting fire jade is dangerous, and if we encounter a fire rock snake attack, we might not be able to protect you. It's best to focus on cultivation for a while and improve your strength before taking on such missions," the beautiful young woman advised, her eyes showing a hint of skepticism.

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister and this Senior Brother. Although I may not be highly skilled, I believe I can take care of myself and won't be a burden," Yuan Ming nodded slightly to the beautiful young woman and the dark-skinned man, smiling.

He seemed to ignore Agula completely.

The beautiful young woman raised an eyebrow, and the dark-skinned man grunted but said nothing more.

At this moment, Agula, who had been ignored, had a face as red as a pig liver and stepped forward, "You have quite the mouth. If you want to join our team, let me see your strength first!"

"Since Senior Brother Agula wants to teach me, please proceed," Yuan Ming said calmly.

"Fine, take this arrow first!" Agula cast a spell, and a crystalline stream of water appeared in the air, quickly bending and transforming into a two-foot-long water bow. An arrow made of sparkling water automatically formed on the bowstring.

With a sharp whistle, the water arrow shot through the air, heading straight for Yuan Ming's chest, much faster than a regular arrow.

Agula had secretly cast the spell before speaking, and the water arrow was already launched as soon as he finished speaking.

"Water Arrow Spell?"

Yuan Ming remained calm, pushing his right hand forward, and a dense green light emerged from his palm.

A thick wooden spike sprouted from it, intercepting the water arrow before it could reach him.

In recent days, Yuan Ming had been diligently practicing the Moon Meditation Technique. Although his soul power hadn't increased much, his reaction speed had improved significantly.

With a loud "bang," the water arrow shattered, and the wooden spike was also cracked.

"What!" Agula's expression froze.

He had cast the spell in advance, and with the speed of the Water Arrow Spell, it should have easily hit Yuan Ming, but it was intercepted by the Wooden Spike Spell.

"Is that enough?" Yuan Ming said coolly, and the green light in his palm surged, instantly repairing the broken wooden spike.

Agula's face turned grim, and he quickly cast another spell. The water bow glowed, and five water arrows appeared.

Whizz!

The five water arrows shot out simultaneously, heading straight for Yuan Ming.

"Five arrows in succession! When did Agula's Water Arrow Spell reach this level?" The beautiful young woman exclaimed in surprise.

The dark-skinned man and the young man with triangular eyes also showed surprise.

The Water Arrow Spell isn't hard to master, but casting five at once is difficult, requiring a deep reserve of magical power and strong control.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming's expression became more serious, but he remained calm, casting a spell and pointing.

Green light flashed on the ground in front of him, and three thick wooden spikes emerged, each about a foot in diameter, blocking him from view.

Yuan Ming's magical power wasn't enough to summon more than three wooden spikes.

The water arrows easily pierced through the wooden spikes, creating five large holes, but Yuan Ming was nowhere to be seen.

Agula, surprised and uncertain, felt a sharp pain in his foot as a small wooden spike suddenly emerged and pierced his sole.

For today's mission, Agula wore specially made boots made from the leather of a crocodile-like beast, which was very tough. The wooden spike didn't pierce through the sole, but it made him stagger, pausing his evasive movement.

The cold light of the Greenfish Sword swept down, already enveloping his arm, about to sever it.

At that moment, a silver light shot from the side, faster than anyone could see, and struck the Greenfish Sword with a "clang."

Yuan Ming's wrist went numb, and the Greenfish Sword flew out of his hand, and he was pushed back two steps.

The silver light revealed itself to be a silver bracelet, the one on the beautiful young woman's wrist.

In a flash, the beautiful young woman appeared between the two.

"Hehe, the two of you have shown impressive elemental spells. We still have a mission to complete. Why don't we end the test here?" The beautiful young woman smiled, her gaze no longer showing any skepticism, clearly acknowledging Yuan Ming's strength.

"Of course, I was just sparring with Senior Brother Agula." Yuan Ming chuckled, picked up the Greenfish Sword from the ground, and put it away.

Agula said nothing, his face turning pale.

"Junior Brother Yuan has remarkable strength. I'm sure you two have no objections to him joining the mission team?" The beautiful young woman looked at the dark-skinned man and the young man with triangular eyes.

"Junior Brother Yuan's cultivation is impressive. I welcome him," the dark-skinned man grinned, his previous arrogance gone.

The young man with triangular eyes nodded without speaking.

"In that case, let's prepare to set off." The beautiful young woman nodded.

"Could you wait a moment? I have something at my residence that I need to fetch. I'll be back soon," Yuan Ming said suddenly.

"No problem. I was going to the Alchemy Hall to buy some items, and Mu Li and the others need to rent a flying crane. Let's解散, and meet back at the mountain gate in a quarter of an hour," the beautiful young woman said, slightly taken aback.

"Rent a flying crane? Are we going to Tali Volcano by flying crane?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Of course. Tali Volcano is a hundred miles away. Walking would take too long," the beautiful young woman said.

Yuan Ming looked troubled. He had just joined the sect and had no contribution points, making it impossible for him to rent a spirit beast.

"Junior Brother Yuan, don't worry. You can ride with me," the beautiful young woman, noticing his distress, said.

"Thank you, Senior Sister." Yuan Ming breathed a sigh of relief and bowed in gratitude.

"It's no big deal." The beautiful young woman shook her head.

Yuan Ming nodded to the others and quickly left, heading for the Alchemy Hall.

He ran back to his residence, retrieved a gray bundle from under his bed.

Inside were the fur skins of the white ape and black toad. This was his first sect mission, and he couldn't afford to fail. Bringing the fur skins would provide a safety net.

Although he was no longer a fur beast slave, he had few other means of attack or self-defense besides the Greenfish Sword and Wooden Spike Spell. The strength boost from transforming into a white ape could be crucial in a critical moment.

Yuan Ming tucked the bundle into his chest and returned to the mountain gate.

...

In the Alchemy Hall.

The layout was similar to the Administrative Hall. In front was a long stone table, with four or five Alchemy Hall disciples seated behind it. Behind them were rows of stone counters, gray and white, about ten feet tall, filled with various jade bottles and ceramic jars.

The air was filled with the scent of herbs, invigorating anyone who entered.

"I need a bottle of Water Essence Pill." The beautiful young woman approached a short, plump young man.

"Ten contribution points." The short, plump young man glanced at her.

The beautiful young woman clearly knew the price of the pills and immediately took out her identity token and handed it over.

The short, plump young man took a white jade talisman and lightly touched the young woman's identity token. A white light flowed out of the token and into the jade talisman.

"Wait a moment, I'll go get the pill." The short, plump young man said and turned to the back counters.

"Junior Sister Lan Ke, it's been a while." A woman in a red dress approached, and it was Chen Wan.

"Senior Sister Chen Wan, are you here to buy pills?" The beautiful young woman greeted Chen Wan with surprise.

The young woman was clearly older, but she was respectful to Chen Wan, as if she were the younger one.

"Can't I come to see you?" Chen Wan smiled and took the beautiful young woman's hand.

"Senior Sister has been promoted to an inner disciple and is very busy. I didn't dare to hope for this," the beautiful young woman smiled.

"I'm here on my master's orders to handle some matters at the Alchemy Hall," Chen Wan said with a smile.

"Can I help? I'm quite familiar with the Alchemy Hall's overseers," the beautiful young woman's eyes twinkled, and she immediately offered.

She was a disciple of the Beast Taming Hall, with no background, but she had high aspirations and was always striving to advance. She was smooth in her dealings and had built a network of connections within the sect. If she could make a good impression on the Third Master through this, it would greatly benefit her future.

"No need. It's just a small matter. I heard Junior Sister Lan Ke is buying Water Essence Pills. Are you going on the mission to collect fire jade?" Chen Wan shook her head and changed the subject.

The beautiful young woman was disappointed but didn't show it, stroking the silver bracelet. "Yes, I plan to add another rune to my silver snake chain, but I don't have enough contribution points, so I need to gather some."

At this, she suddenly thought of Yuan Ming.

"By the way, Senior Sister Chen Wan, has your Alchemy Hall taken in a young disciple from the Central Plains named Yuan Ming?" the beautiful young woman asked.

"Yuan Ming? Yes, there is such a person. Have you heard of him?" Chen Wan nodded, surprised.

"I formed a team to go on the mission to collect fire jade, and Yuan Ming is part of it. He has remarkable strength and even gained the upper hand against Agula in a few rounds," the beautiful young woman said.

"Really?" Chen Wan's face showed surprise.

Agula was a senior disciple of the Alchemy Hall, not talented in alchemy but with strong cultivation, reaching the sixth level of Qi Condensation. It was unexpected that he would be outmatched by a newcomer like Yuan Ming.

She remembered that during the trial mission, Yuan Ming was only at the fourth level of Qi Condensation and was just a fur beast slave. In just a few months, his cultivation had improved?

"Could it be that he has exceptional talent, which is why the master personally brought him into the sect?" Chen Wan thought to herself.