Entering the Mission Array
Li Yan stepped into the magical formation for receiving missions. The moment he crossed its boundary, a blinding white radiance erupted from his body—so intense that it seemed to sear his very skin. Straining his eyes in the midst of the swirling light, he found that everything around him was lost in a shifting sea of white. He could see nothing clearly; the secret immortal technique infused within the formation had cloaked his immediate surroundings. Yet somehow, every disciple who entered the array was automatically relocated to an unoccupied spot—the formation "self-positioned" each person even when nothing was clearly visible. All around him, only a vast expanse of milky white light reigned. When Li Yan finally dared to turn his head, he discovered a distinct black void behind him, which he presumed must be the exit.
Raising his gaze upward, he noticed a massive white jade tablet suspended calmly in midair. Its smooth surface was alive with flickering golden characters that danced and jumped continuously. Occasionally, one entire line would shift to a dull gray, signifying that someone had already accepted that particular mission. In some parts of the text, numbers would constantly roll by, a sure sign that the multi-person missions were actively refreshed by other disciples.
Scanning the Mission List
After studying the jade board for a while, Li Yan's eyes finally landed on the column designated for the "spiritual plant garden" missions. Prominently displayed at the head of that column was a large numeral "2," indicating that these tasks corresponded with the stone plaques bearing two thin cracks by the roadside. In that column, about forty or so mission entries were listed. He began perusing the details:
Mission Type: 2. Irrigate fifty mu of Long'an Leaf. (Single-person task) Requirements: A minor mastery of the "Mist Breathing Technique" and the knowledge of the herbal properties of Long'an Leaf. Procedure: Must be performed at a fixed time every day; every three days yield one low-grade spiritual stone reward. If even one plant is damaged, a penalty of one low-grade spiritual stone is imposed.
Mission Type: 2. Harvest two hundred mu of Spiritual Rice. (Multi-person task) Requirements: Must achieve a modest level in the wood-element "Qing Ren Technique" to near perfection. Details: Harvesting ten mu earns one spiritual stone, but losing fifty plants results in a penalty of one low-grade stone. The mission must be completed within two months; for every mu beyond the deadline, one stone is penalized.
Mission Type: 2. Apply medicine to one hundred mu of Guang Si Zi. (Multi-person task) Requirements: Knowledge of the water-element "Fen Shuang Jue" to the initial stage of great accomplishment; awareness of when the medicinal properties diffuse. Reward/Penalty: Two spiritual stones per mu, with damage on one mu invoking a penalty of four low-grade stones. Completion is expected within one month, or one additional low-grade stone per mu late.
And so on…
Line after line, Li Yan read the detailed instructions. He couldn't help but let out a silent sigh: earning spiritual stones in these missions was truly an arduous task. Most tasks not only carried the risk of incurring penalties equal to—and sometimes several times—their reward if any damage occurred, but many of these assignments might also take months or even over a year to complete. After all, he mused, an outer-door disciple at the early Condensation Qi stage might earn a mere three low-grade stones a month—only thirty-six in a full year. For example, harvesting two hundred mu of Spiritual Rice might net only twenty stones in total (and since it was a multi-person task, sharing the bounty made it even harder to accumulate rewards).
Moreover, Li Yan noted that many missions came with strict requirements regarding one's cultivated immortal techniques and elemental affinities. He already knew that certain spiritual herbs or elixirs respond differently depending on the elemental properties of a cultivator's technique. For instance, if one were to use the "Qing Ren Technique" imbued with fire elemental power on a herb, it might be immediately ruined. In contrast, missions that demanded the use of higher-level—or "purer"—immortal arts often offered higher stone rewards.
Choosing the Mo Wang Bamboo Assignment
After scanning the many entries, Li Yan's attention eventually settled on one particular mission line:
Mission Type: 2. Irrigate fifty mu of Mo Wang Bamboo. (Single-person task) Requirements: Must achieve minor mastery in the water–wood dual technique called "Yun Yu Shu." Details: Perform the task daily for a total of eighty-one days; every ten days yields one low-grade spiritual stone. Any damage to fifty bamboo culms incurs a penalty of one low-grade stone.
"M–Mo Wang Bamboo… could it be the very bamboo of Little Bamboo Peak?" he wondered silently.
For a moment, Li Yan hesitated. But then, shaking his head decisively, he murmured to himself, "Never mind—at least it's bamboo I've seen before. I've never encountered the other more unfamiliar tasks, and I'd risk even less if I choose the one I trust."
Resolute, Li Yan let his divine sense interface with the white jade board. In the very next moment, a sharp red beam shot from his waist token toward the board. At the same time, the text detailing the Mo Wang Bamboo mission gradually faded to a muted gray—a clear signal that the mission was now claimed. As his divine sense immersed into his token, he discovered that a red dot had appeared on it. Touching that red point with his spiritual focus, he re-read the mission details in his mind. There was no doubt: he had accepted the Mo Wang Bamboo assignment.
Exiting the Mission Hall and Returning to the Path
After his mission was confirmed, Li Yan left the Mission Hall and stepped onto a narrow path winding through the mountain's bamboo groves. He glanced briefly at a roadside stone plaque with two fine cracks—which, as explained earlier by Lin Daqiao, indicated the location of a corresponding mission site—and smiled lightly before continuing on.
After the passage of about half a cup of tea's time, Li Yan arrived again at the end of a small path he had walked years before. Without lingering, he plunged directly into the phantom formation within the dense bamboo forest. The very air flickered with radiant light, and in a sudden burst, Li Yan found himself transported into a vast mountain valley. This valley spanned hundreds of li, with distant hills and plains teeming with a diverse array of plants: acres of flowering fields, vast herbal gardens, large patches of wheat-like crops, and sprawling groves of trees. A gentle breeze carried the mingled fragrances of all these living things, and the ambient spiritual energy felt both vibrant and almost tangible.
After standing in silent wonder for several minutes, Li Yan chose a direction and began walking. In the midst of verdant meadows and clusters of delicate blossoms, he noticed an area swathed in a thick yellow mist. Intrigued and somewhat perplexed, he recalled that earlier he had asked his Seventh Brother about these mission regions—and Lin Daqiao had explained that in each of these mission areas one must first locate the responsible senior (or ) so that tasks could be assigned. The locations of the mission offices were also clearly marked.
Just as Li Yan was about to use his waist token to gain entry, the yellow mist began to heave and churn. From within its depths, a passage suddenly emerged. Whether the formation had sensed his presence or some resident spirit within had activated a hidden corridor, Li Yan did not hesitate. He holstered his token and stepped confidently into the passage.
Arriving in the Bamboo Courtyard
He emerged into a refined, tranquil bamboo courtyard. There were multiple houses arrayed one after the other, their overall scale considerable. However, the courtyard was not empty—it was filled with a curious assortment of apparatus. Wooden stakes crisscrossed in the distance, while nearby the ground was strewn with sand pits, wooden beams, and even clusters of stone locks. The sight struck Li Yan with a sense of familiarity—it bore a resemblance to the makeshift training grounds he had once seen at the Military Strategist's compound, where soldiers gathered and exercised. For a moment, he wondered whether this connection might reveal something about Sixth Senior Sister's talents as a physical cultivator.
Li Yan had read extensively over the years about the dual paths of cultivation. One path, known as magical cultivation ), emphasized the refining of spiritual qi, long-range techniques, and high-powered attacks—but its practitioners were often less robust in body and reliant on protective talismans or symbolic talismans. The other path, physical cultivation ), placed its focus on developing the body itself, yielding practitioners who were physically formidable and capable of close-quarters combat without relying heavily on external aids. Yet here in this bamboo courtyard, the training implements appeared almost crude—more reminiscent of conventional exercise equipment than of the subtle techniques described in ancient texts. This contrast left Li Yan both intrigued and somewhat puzzled. Traditionally, body cultivation in the immortal world was supposed to be advanced via techniques and medicinal elixirs, not by such everyday, rough-hewn instruments.
Despite these crude surroundings, Li Yan felt confident in his capacity. As a magical cultivator with a body already toughened by years of spiritual qi training, he could easily heft weights of four or five hundred jin without tapping into his magical reserves. In his estimation, such apparatus would be of little consequence for him. Even a practitioner dedicated solely to physical cultivation would likely find these tools insignificant compared to the power they already wielded.
An Unexpected Encounter
Yet nothing could have prepared him for what he saw next. At a set of parallel bars near the far end of the courtyard, a short-haired, tall young woman stood motionless, watching him with an icy, detached gaze. Li Yan instantly recognized her—this was none other than his Sixth Senior Sister, Gong Chenying.
At that moment, Gong Chenying's attire caught his eye. She was dressed in a tight, short-sleeved fitted shirt paired with equally form-fitting shorts that clung to her lean, athletic legs up to her knees. Below, her tanned legs were exposed, their finely defined lines and smooth muscular curves visible. Rising from her thighs, her tight top accentuated a well-rounded, shapely figure—her waist carved in a way that suggested both strength and grace. Along her long, graceful neck, beads of perspiration glinted softly, betraying a cool intensity beneath her stoic expression.
Li Yan's face flushed with embarrassment. In all his years, apart from the occasional closeness with his elder sister, the only woman who had ever made his heart race was Zhao Min—a delicate presence whose subtle fragrance and soft, moonlit visage had often stirred feelings in him. Now, however, the impact was far more immediate and overwhelming. He found himself frozen, uncertain whether he should withdraw or boldly step forward.
"Are you here to take on a mission?" the young woman asked coolly. Her tone was entirely matter-of-fact as she reached out and casually picked up a pristine white towel, using it to gently dab the sweat from her face and neck.
"Oh… yes, I… am," Li Yan stammered, hastily nodding while hastily diverting his gaze. He pretended to focus on the nearby training equipment, hoping to mask his obvious discomfort.
"Hand me your waist token," she commanded as she draped the towel over the parallel bars.
"Y-yes, Senior Sister," he replied, fumbling awkwardly as he retrieved the token from his belt. In that brief moment, as Gong Chenying drew to within mere steps of him, a subtle warmth and delicate fragrance—reminiscent of Zhao Min's scent, albeit far more potent owing to the heat—permeated the air. Li Yan's heart hammered in response.
Without any visible emotion, Gong Chenying raised her hand in a fluid, controlled motion. In an instant, the token in Li Yan's grasp sailed away, merging briefly with her subtle divine sense before she tossed it back to him with an almost casual flick of her wrist.
"Mo Wang Bamboo mission," she stated flatly. "You have multiple spiritual roots, so naturally you possess both water and wood affinities. But tell me—have you mastered 'Yun Yu Shu' to the level of minor mastery? Otherwise, the power you generate will be insufficient. Not only will it have no effect, it will merely waste your 'Xue Xi Jing.' Show me a demonstration now; if you fail, you'll be on the hook for several low-grade spiritual stones in penalties."
Li Yan listened with a mix of understanding and confusion. Though he hadn't quite grasped every technical term—"Xue Xi Jing" was still an unfamiliar concept to him—he said nothing. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest. In response, a vast cloud began to churn ominously overhead. Dark, swirling clouds gathered and hinted at impending rain—even as no droplets yet fell.
Gong Chenying merely nodded in acknowledgment. This was the level of control expected when an immortal technique had reached the stage of minor mastery.
For context, Li Yan recalled that the classification of immortal arts typically ranged from: Entry, Proficient, Early Minor, Mid Minor, Late Minor, Minor Perfection, and then into the major stages. In the three years since his cultivation began, besides his "Flowing Sand Technique" having reached the major stage, his other skills—especially his "Yun Yu Shu"—had hovered around the mid-to-late minor level. He knew that such swift progress was largely due to his sect's substantial resource allocation. Currently, his "Yun Yu Shu" was at mid-minor level, allowing him to channel its power with the precision of a single breath and to reserve that energy as needed.
"Hold on a moment—I'll take you over," Gong Chenying said briskly before turning and striding into the bamboo house. After a few moments, she reemerged, now garbed in an elegant dark-green robe that flowed around her with effortless grace.
Leaving the Courtyard by Magical Means
Outside the bamboo courtyard, the yellow mist reasserted itself, once again cloaking the small compound behind a shifting veil. With a graceful gesture of her hand, Gong Chenying summoned a small jade boat out of thin air. The exquisite vessel materialized midair, and without hesitation, she leapt onto it. Li Yan marveled at this superior magical instrument—it far exceeded the capabilities of his own flying spirit device. Without thinking twice, he followed suit and jumped aboard.
They soared together through the vast mountain valley for roughly seventy to eighty li. At last, they arrived above a sprawling bamboo forest that stretched over an area of about forty li. Within this forest, the bamboo was arranged in neat grids. Some strands were slender and bore a delicate, pale ink color while others were thicker with a deep, robust dark-green hue. Although these bamboos were reminiscent of those on Little Bamboo Peak, Li Yan sensed subtle differences—details he could not quite discern.
When they finally descended, they landed before a patch of fine bamboo forest covering several dozen mu. In this plantation, every individual bamboo was no thicker than a thumb and only about half a person's height. They were uniformly colored in a light ink shade, with sparse, delicate branches.
Gong Chenying explained calmly, "This entire area is dedicated to irrigating fifty mu of Mo Wang Bamboo seedlings. With the area that your 'Yun Yu Shu' can cover, you're likely only able to water perhaps half a mu at a time. More critically, during the rainfall process, a wood-element spiritual force is required to integrate four units of 'Xue Xi Jing' into the raindrops as they descend and remain suspended in the air. This process must occur in perfect harmony—if the 'Xue Xi Jing' does not completely melt before the raindrops hit the ground, the Mo Wang Bamboo will suffer from nutritional imbalance. In that case, that half mu of bamboo would have to be replanted, and you'd incur a penalty: for every fifty bamboo culms lost, one low-grade spiritual stone is deducted, and if the loss of 'Xue Xi Jing' exceeds the quota, further penalties apply."
Li Yan's mind reeled as he absorbed the technical details. It almost felt as if, with each explanation, spiritual stones were being flung out of his storage bag and disappearing into the ether. He reflected on how many of these missions were designed to span several months—or even a year and a half—to complete. Given that an outer-door disciple at the early stage of Condensation Qi might earn only three low-grade stones a month (a total of a meager thirty-six per year), a mission such as harvesting two hundred mu of Spiritual Rice might only yield a fraction of that reward. And because such tasks were grouped as multi-person missions, the actual gain would be even harder to secure.
Moreover, many missions imposed further limitations regarding which level of immortal art and elemental attributes were acceptable. Li Yan was well aware that certain spiritual herbs and medicinal ingredients responded differently depending on the type of instrument or technique employed. For instance, if one attempted to use the "Blue Blade Technique" with excessive fire-element infusions, some herbs could end up being completely destroyed. In contrast, missions necessitating a higher level of immortal art typically carried a higher spiritual stone reward.
After reading and rereading these detailed instructions, Li Yan's eyes finally rested on the particular line that had first drawn him in:
"Mission Type: 2. Irrigate fifty mu of Mo Wang Bamboo seedlings. (Single-person task) Requirement: Must achieve minor mastery in the water–wood dual – 'Yun Yu Shu.' Routine: Perform the task at fixed times daily for a total of eighty-one days; for every ten days, receive one low-grade spiritual stone; damage to fifty bamboo plants incurs a penalty of one low-grade spiritual stone."
He murmured to himself, "Mo Wang Bamboo… it must be that familiar bamboo of Little Bamboo Peak." For a moment he hesitated, then shook his head resolutely: "Never mind—at least it's a kind I recognize. The others I've never really encountered, and I can't be sure about them. Either way, I must accept a mission. I'll trust my instincts on this one."
Without further delay, Li Yan channeled his divine sense back to the white jade tablet. In the following second, he saw a vivid red beam of light shoot out from his waist token. At the same time, the entire line describing the Mo Wang Bamboo mission on the jade board faded to gray—clear evidence that the task had been claimed. His spiritual sense sank into the token, and he detected a new red dot there. With that confirmation, the mission details were imprinted unavoidably into his mind.
Stepping Out and Venturing into the Valley
After leaving the Mission Hall, Li Yan walked out into the narrow mountain path lined with bamboo. He looked briefly toward a stone plaque beside the trail—its surface showing two fine cracks—and smiled softly, then continued on his way.
A short while later, after the time it took to finish half a cup of tea, Li Yan reached the end of a small path he had visited in previous years. Without lingering, he strode directly into a phantom array formed within the dense, delicate bamboo. In a sudden burst of light, the scenery around him shimmered and changed. When his vision cleared, Li Yan discovered he was standing in a vast, sprawling mountain valley. The valley was enormous—extending for what he estimated to be several hundred li. Here, hills and lowlands alike were interwoven with varied plant life: there were acres of vibrant flowers, extensive fields of medicinal herbs, large tracts of wheat-like vegetation, and many different groves of trees. A soft breeze carried a delightful aroma that filled his nostrils, and even the ambient spiritual energy seemed animated and alive.
After standing for a few moments absorbing the wonder of this new environment, Li Yan focused his attention on one particularly striking area. Amidst the gently swaying green grass and delicate blossoms, he noticed a patch of land enveloped in a dense, undulating yellow mist. Soon he arrived before this mysterious barrier. As he gazed at the surging, ever-changing yellow haze, he was momentarily at a loss. He recalled that prior to arriving here, he had asked his Seventh Brother about these mission regions, and Lin Daqiao had explained that in each of the three mission areas one must first locate the responsible senior—either a senior brother or sister—to have tasks arranged and to learn the location of the task office.
Just as Li Yan was about to use his waist token to obtain entry, the yellow mist began to surge and churn. Suddenly, from within the shimmering mist, a passage opened—a clear corridor materializing almost as if the formation sensed his arrival. Without hesitation, Li Yan holstered his token, steadied himself, and stepped into the passage.
Entering the Bamboo Courtyard of Tasks
He emerged into a serene, elegant bamboo courtyard—a complex of individual houses arranged in a tidy cluster. Although the courtyard was not vast, it was filled with numerous apparatus. In the distance, wooden stakes intersected as if forming an intricate lattice; here and there, sand pits and wooden beams broke the uniformity of the ground, and clusters of stone locks lay scattered across a dedicated area. The sight made Li Yan pause in astonishment—the scene resembled the training grounds he had seen outside the Military Strategist's compound, where soldiers lived and trained. For an instant, a thought occurred: might Sixth Senior Sister's talents extend beyond spiritual arts into the realm of physical cultivation?
Over the years, Li Yan had studied many books and learned that cultivators often followed one of two paths. Magical cultivation concentrates on refining spiritual energy, casting long-range techniques, and unleashing powerful attacks. In contrast, physical cultivation focuses on direct training of the body, yielding strong defenses without reliance on magical protections. The apparatus before him, however, looked rugged and utilitarian—more like the tools used by ordinary soldiers than the refined equipment described in ancient texts on immortal training. This discrepancy surprised him. After all, wasn't it touted that true body cultivation among immortals was achieved via specialized techniques coupled with medicinal aids? Here, it all appeared crude and rudimentary.
Nonetheless, Li Yan was confident in his abilities. As a practitioner of magical cultivation with a body honed through years of inhaling spiritual qi, he was capable of lifting weights of four or five hundred jin with a single hand even without expending magical energy. For him, these training implements would likely have little effect. A fellow physical cultivator of his level, even without magical infusions, could probably heft several thousand jin without trouble.
Yet, what caught him even more—and made his cheeks flush—was the sight of a short-haired, tall young woman standing near a pair of parallel bars. Li Yan recognized her immediately; this was his Sixth Senior Sister, Gong Chenying.
At that moment, Gong Chenying exuded an air of cool detachment. She was dressed in a tight, short-sleeved top paired with equally form-fitting shorts that revealed her sculpted, sun-kissed legs up to her knees. Every curve of her lower body was accentuated by the snug fabric; her well-shaped hips and slender waist were perfectly highlighted, and her long, graceful neck glistened with tiny beads of sweat. The visual impact was overwhelming—far more direct than the subtle allure Li Yan associated with Zhao Min from his past encounters. In that instant, Li Yan was caught between the desire to retreat further into anonymity and the impulse to approach her.
"Are you here to take on a mission?" Gong Chenying asked in a cool, almost disinterested tone, seemingly oblivious to the blush and awkwardness that crept over Li Yan's face. With a casual air, she picked up a pristine white towel and used it to dapple her forehead and neck, wiping away the evidence of her exertion.
"M–yes, I… am," Li Yan stammered, nodding quickly and directing his gaze downward, as if fixating on some nearby apparatus to hide his fluster.
"Hand me your waist token," she instructed briskly, draping the towel over the parallel bars.
"Senior Sister," Li Yan replied, his voice betraying his nervousness as he clumsily extracted his token from his belt. At that moment, as Gong Chenying advanced just a few steps, a gentle but unmistakable fragrance wafted toward him—a scent reminiscent of Zhao Min's elusive perfume but now intensified by the heat. His heart began to race uncontrollably.
With no sign of softness in her expression, Gong Chenying extended her hand in a graceful motion. In an instant, the token flew from Li Yan's grasp. It seemed to briefly merge with her refined divine sense before she nonchalantly tossed it back to him.
"Mo Wang Bamboo mission," she stated flatly. "You have multiple spiritual roots, so it is natural that you possess both water and wood attributes. But tell me—have you achieved minor mastery of the 'Yun Yu Shu' technique? Otherwise, the power you produce will be insufficient. Not only will you obtain no effect, but you'll simply waste your 'Xue Xi Jing.' Demonstrate it now; if you fail, you'll end up owing several low-grade spiritual stones in penalties."
Though Li Yan understood only fragments of her technical explanation—the reference to "Xue Xi Jing" remained somewhat mysterious to him—he said nothing further. Instead, he folded his arms across his chest. In response, dark clouds seemed to gather directly above his head. Slowly, a vast assembly of ominous clouds rolled in, portending the arrival of rain even though no droplets had yet fallen.
Gong Chenying merely nodded—a subtle sign of approval that indicated she recognized this as the controlled display expected of someone whose immortal art had reached the minor mastery stage.
For context, Li Yan recalled that the gradations of immortal cultivation typically ran from Entry, Proficient, Early Minor, Mid Minor, Late Minor, and Minor Perfection, before progressing into the major stages. In the three years since he had set out on his cultivator's path, aside from his "Flowing Sand Technique" having surged ahead to the major stage, his other techniques—including "Yun Yu Shu"—remained in the mid-to-late minor stage. He knew that his rapid progress was largely attributed to the sect's considerable resources allocated in his favor. His current status in "Yun Yu Shu" allowed him to channel its power within one controlled breath while holding his energy in reserve.
Taking Flight
"Just wait a moment—I'll take you over," Gong Chenying said briskly before turning and striding purposefully into the bamboo house. Moments later, she emerged, now dressed in an elegant dark-green robe that flowed gracefully around her.
Stepping out of the courtyard, Li Yan watched as the yellow mist reassembled behind him, enveloping the small courtyard once more in its shifting haze. With a swift, almost casual gesture of her hand, Gong Chenying summoned a small jade boat from thin air. The shimmering, exquisite vessel appeared, suspended in midair. Without hesitation, she leapt onto it. Li Yan, impressed by the superior quality of this magical transport—which far surpassed his own flying spirit device—quickly followed suit and boarded as well.
They soared together through the mountain valley for roughly seventy to eighty li before eventually approaching a vast bamboo forest. This new forest stretched over an area of about forty li. Within its boundaries, the bamboo was arranged in neat, grid-like patches. Some of the bamboo was slender and exhibited a delicate, pale ink color while other, thicker specimens glowed in deep, robust dark green. Although these bamboos were reminiscent of those Li Yan had seen on Little Bamboo Peak, he sensed subtle differences in texture or hue that he could not quite pinpoint.
Finally, they descended onto the ground. Before them lay a considerable patch of fine bamboo plantation, covering several dozen mu. In this plantation, each bamboo was diminutive—barely as thick as a thumb and only about half the height of an average person—with a uniform, light-ink coloration and delicate branches.
"Here," explained Gong Chenying, "this entire area is dedicated to irrigating fifty mu of Mo Wang Bamboo seedlings. Given the range of your 'Yun Yu Shu,' you'll likely only be able to water about half a mu at a time. More importantly, during the rainfall process, it is essential that a wood-element spiritual force merges four units of 'Xue Xi Jing' into the raindrops as they fall and remain suspended in midair. This process must be executed with perfect timing and coordination. Should the 'Xue Xi Jing' fail to fully dissolve before the raindrops reach the ground, the Mo Wang Bamboo will experience a nutritional imbalance. In such a case, that half mu area would need to be replanted—and you would suffer a penalty: for every fifty bamboo culms lost, one low-grade spiritual stone is deducted, while additional losses of 'Xue Xi Jing' incur further penalties."
Li Yan's mind buzzed with the complexity of the instructions. It felt as if spiritual stones were being flung from his storage bag, destined to drift away—each calculation a reminder of how costly failure would be. He understood that many of these tasks were designed for long durations—some extending for several months, even up to a year and a half. Considering an outer-door disciple at the early Condensation Qi stage might earn only three low-grade spiritual stones per month (a meager thirty-six per year), even a seemingly small mission such as irrigating fifty mu of Mo Wang Bamboo could yield only a fractional reward when divided among the participants.
Moreover, many missions imposed strict restrictions regarding the level of one's immortal techniques and elemental affinities. Li Yan already knew, from his studies, that certain spiritual herbs and elixirs react differently depending upon which instruments or techniques are employed. For instance, if one were to use the "Blue Blade Technique" combined with a fire elemental influence, some herbs might be outright destroyed. In contrast, missions requiring higher-level or purer forms of immortal art tended to yield more generous spiritual stone rewards.
After reading and re-reading the mission details, Li Yan's eyes finally fixed on the entry of most interest:
"Mission Type: 2. Irrigate fifty mu of Mo Wang Bamboo seedlings. (Single–person task) Requirement: Must achieve a minor mastery of the dual water–wood technique 'Yun Yu Shu.' Routine: Execute the task at fixed times every day for a total of eighty-one days; receive one low-grade spiritual stone every ten days; if fifty bamboo plants are lost, a penalty of one low-grade stone applies."
Muttering to himself, he wondered, "Mo Wang Bamboo… is this the bamboo I've seen here on Little Bamboo Peak?" After a moment's thought, he shook his head and decided, "Forget it—it's bamboo I know. The other missions are too unfamiliar, and I can't risk them. Better to accept the one I trust." Determined not to waste any time and to avoid someone else snatching it away, he quickly focused his divine sense on that mission line on the jade board. In the very next moment, a striking red beam shot out from his waist token toward him, and simultaneously the text for the Mo Wang Bamboo mission faded to a muted gray. His divine sense then sank into his token, and he noticed a new red dot that signified his acceptance. The same mission information appeared clearly in his thoughts—there was no doubt: he had claimed the task.
Venturing Out and the Illusory Valley
Leaving the Mission Hall behind, Li Yan found himself on a solitary mountain path winding among dense bamboo groves. In the quiet air, with the distant sound of rustling leaves, he recalled that Lin Daqiao had already returned. Glancing at the stone plaque alongside the path—one that bore precisely two delicate cracks—he allowed himself a brief smile before continuing on.
After a short while, approximately the time it took to finish half a cup of tea, Li Yan arrived at the end of another familiar pathway he had visited in years past. With little hesitation, he strode forward into a phantom formation that lay within a particularly dense section of bamboo. In a flash of dazzling light, the environment around him changed radically. When the brilliance subsided, he discovered that he now stood in a vast and sprawling mountain valley. This valley was immense—its landscape stretching across what he estimated to be several hundred li—with hills and lowlands intermingled with varied vegetation. There were acres of colorful wildflowers, expansive herbal gardens, large tracts of wheat-like crops, and extensive forests created by mature trees. A gentle breeze wafted through, carrying the refreshing aroma of countless blooms and herbs, while the ambient spiritual energy seemed to frolic like a living force in the air.
Standing for a moment in quiet awe, Li Yan then chose a direction and began his walk. Amid the lush grass and tender blossoms, he spotted a particularly striking area—a region shrouded in a thick, undulating yellow mist. Within moments, he reached the edge of that area. Staring at the surging, animated yellow haze, Li Yan