The missions here were more difficult. He selected one, stamped it with his Holy Order, and just like that, the mission was accepted. If he completed it, he could turn it in at the Thunderlight Pavilion to receive his reward. But if he failed, he would get nothing. Fortunately, these more difficult missions didn't deduct contribution points. In contrast, for the simple, popular missions, a certain amount of contribution points had to be wagered as a deposit to prevent people from hoarding them without putting in the effort.
"Ah, looks like that kid went up to the second floor."
"Looking won't kill you. Come on, Senior Brother. If you find a way in, don't forget about us! We should stick together."
Just as he stepped outside, Wang Meng ran into an acquaintance: Zhou Qian.
Zhou Qian, seeing there was no way to avoid him, immediately plastered a smile on his face. "If it isn't Junior Brother Wang! Haven't seen you in a few days. It seems your Cultivation has reached a new level."
Wang Meng smiled. 'This guy is certainly interesting,' he thought.
"Brother Zhou, you're too kind. For someone with your strength to be so modest is truly rare."
Zhou Qian froze for a moment. "What strength? Junior Brother, are you talking about me? Haha."
Seeing that the other man was unwilling to reveal his true capabilities, Wang Meng didn't press the matter. It seemed Zhou Qian was also on his way to accept a mission.
Suddenly, Wang Meng turned back. "Brother Zhou, speaking of which, I should thank you for what happened last time."
Zhou Qian stopped in his tracks, worried that Wang Meng was about to bring up the past incident to cause trouble. After all, Hu Jing and Zhang Xiaojiang were favorites of the Elders, and Wang Meng was their friend. They had more than enough clout to make his life difficult.
"Junior Brother, ahem, I was just blind and didn't recognize your greatness. How about this: if there's anything you need, as long as I can help, I won't refuse. Let's be friends!"
Zhou Qian's face was still wreathed in smiles.
Wang Meng shook his head. "Your Divine Movement Talisman was quite useful. What's past is past. However, while fence-sitting might ensure your survival, it's not the path of Cultivation."
With that, Wang Meng left, leaving Zhou Qian standing frozen in place, the smile on his face stiffening.
'Is this Cultivation?' Zhou Qian gave a bitter smile, then his thoughts drifted for a moment. 'Damn it, a pipsqueak at the Second Layer is lecturing me? What has the world come to? If only Cultivation were as naive as you think it is!'
After Zhao Guang left, Zhou Qian's days had indeed gotten easier. He could do whatever he wanted.
It was rare for Wang Meng to return to Thunderlight Hall, so he took the opportunity to visit Hu Jing and Zhang Xiaojiang. However, neither was there; they were receiving instruction from an Elder. Looking at the clean room, he couldn't help but smile knowingly. The chessboard hadn't been moved, but he could sense that someone often studied it.
Without lingering, Wang Meng ambled back to his small thatched hut. The Spirit Field was growing splendidly, but the Elemental Qi in Thunderlight Hall wasn't particularly abundant, causing the Spirit Valley to grow slowly. In a place like Hundred Herbs Hall, one could earn a good number of Spirit Stones just by planting Spirit Valley.
He uncorked the bottle of Spiritual Spring water, and a wisp of Spiritual Qi immediately dispersed. Wang Meng was exasperated. 'You call this a Spiritual Spring? I guess I'll have to make do.'
His hands formed a Spell seal for Ma Tian'Er's Wind Cloud Technique. In Wang Meng's hands, however, it had been greatly improved. His only limitation was his insufficient Elemental Power; otherwise, he could have truly summoned a tempest. Even so, it was enough to form a small rain cloud over the Spirit Field.
The Spiritual Spring water flowed from the bottle, merging with the Wind Cloud Technique and transforming into a fine, silent drizzle that sprinkled over the Spirit Field.
It lasted for a full half an hour before Wang Meng finally finished. His Elemental Qi was completely drained, a feeling he still wasn't quite used to.
He sat directly on the ground, lowered his head, and began his Cultivation of the Nourishing Essence Technique to replenish his Elemental Power. He estimated that by the time the Spirit Valley was ready for harvest, he would be about ready to advance to the next level.
Beyond the unnoticed Thunderlight Hall, the other Sub-Halls were bustling with activity. Every so often, some major event would erupt.
The Flying Phoenix Hall, being a Sub-Hall primarily for Female Cultivators, was by far the most popular. Even disciples from Dao Guang Hall often came to visit, but one needed to be at least at the Fifteenth Layer with Sword Control abilities to do so. Otherwise, you could slap on a Divine Movement Talisman and still run yourself to death trying to get there.
The leading figure of Flying Phoenix Hall's younger generation, Flying Phoenix Yang Ying, one of the Nine Heroes of the Holy Hall, was the undisputed chosen daughter of heaven. She was the center of everyone's adoration, and she truly had the skills to be proud of. With a Nineteenth Layer Life Mark, she stood at the forefront of the younger generation.
Of course, a Life Mark didn't represent the entirety of one's abilities. However, in the last grand competition, she had led the Flying Phoenix Hall to a fourth-place finish, fully demonstrating her own strength. She personally ranked second. If not for the overwhelming overall strength of the other three top halls, the Flying Phoenix Hall could certainly have placed even higher. Her individual ability was beyond question, but it was clear that Yang Ying was not content with her last performance.
At the mission-accepting area in Flying Phoenix Hall, the scene was a completely different story—it was a bustling, crowded spectacle. Many disciples with some measure of strength from other Sub-Halls would hang around, not for any other reason than to "help" their junior sisters with missions while fostering some affection. This was one of the natural advantages of being a Female Cultivator.
Although Yang Ying found this somewhat distasteful, she also knew that not everyone had access to the same resources she did.
"Have you guys heard? Liangyuan from the Immortal Fate Hall got a bottle of Replenishing Essence Pills and is now in seclusion!" a disciple from Hundred Herbs Hall said with an air of importance.
"For real? Elder Sun is really putting it all on the line! A whole bottle! He's going all out. When will I ever meet a master like that?"
"Damn! When has news from our Hundred Herbs Hall ever been false!"
Indeed, when it came to being well-informed, if Hundred Herbs Hall claimed to be second, no one would dare claim to be first.
"Liangyuan was already a handful, ranking third individually last time. With a bottle of Replenishing Essence Pills, he must be gunning for Senior Sister Yang!"
The disciple from Hundred Herbs Hall shook his head mysteriously. "Wrong. Dead wrong. This year isn't going to be fun for them. Whether it's Liangyuan, Yang Ying, or Ning Zhiquan from Dao Guang Hall, they're all about to face the most savage challenge from one person!"
"Who? Who's that amazing? Did some senior brother have a fortuitous encounter? Zhang Liang, stop keeping us in suspense! Everyone knows you've got the best intel, so spill it!" a female disciple by his side said.
"Hehe, wrong! Dead wrong! This person is named Li Tianyi!" Zhang Liang said smugly. He loved this feeling of being the center of attention.
"Li Tianyi? Never heard of him. Even if he's from the Li Family, he couldn't be *that* strong, could he?"
"That just shows what you don't know! News about Li Tianyi is still confined to the upper echelons. Haven't you noticed Lingyin Hall's rapid rise recently?"
"Now that you mention it, yeah. A couple of days ago, a Main Hall mission was completed by someone. Could it have been this Li Tianyi?"
"Mastering the Nine Heavens Fire Sword at the Fifteenth Layer... you tell me how ruthless that is!" Zhang Liang said proudly, as if he himself were Li Tianyi.
The surrounding area instantly fell silent. The Nine Heavens Fire Sword was a secret art of the Li Family and one of the Holy Hall's most famous Sword Techniques. It was said that one needed to be at the Twenty Layers or higher to even qualify to practice it, yet this person had mastered it at the Fifteenth Layer. With the power of the Nine Heavens Fire Sword, it was likely that no one in the younger generation could stand against him!
"Is what you're saying true?" A slightly cold voice rang out, and the surrounding crowd immediately parted to make way.
On Flying Phoenix Hall's territory, only one person commanded that kind of status: Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens, Yang Ying.
Zhang Liang froze, his eyes filled with excitement. He had come to Flying Phoenix Hall many times but had only ever seen Yang Ying from a distance. He never thought Senior Sister Yang would actually speak to him.
"It's true! Absolutely true! And..." Zhang Liang paused. "Since Senior Sister is asking, I'll drop another bombshell. The reason Elder Sun gave Liangyuan a bottle of Replenishing Essence Pills is because Liangyuan lost to Li Tianyi. And he lost badly!"
*(Please vote, please vote! Help me blow past Old Cat-bro in the rankings!)*