Chapter 8: Team Formation - Young Noble Be Monster Slaying

Chapter 8: Team Formation "The Chronicles of the Nine Provinces" documents significant events in the world of immortality cultivation. The most groundbreaking event of last month was when Jiuyi Immortal, the headmaster of the Mist Concealment Immortal Mountain, emerged in the world to battle the left and right protectors of the Underworld Sect at Blazing Furnace Mountain, directly slaying the Silver King, while the Purple Gold Marquess escaped with serious injuries. The Underworld Sect, being one of the dominant forces of the demonic path, has been burgeoning in recent years, nearly stepping into the limelight. Jiuyi Immortal's decisive action was a substantial blow to them. It remains to be seen how the mysterious master of the Underworld Sect will respond. Another major development involves Luo Yao, a newly prominent female disciple of the Triple Absolute Valley, one of the Ten Great Sects. She is notorious for her ruthless methods, having eliminated three evil sects practicing witchcraft and poison within a month while roaming the southern regions. What's crucial is that Triple Absolute Valley itself is known for its expertise in witchcraft, poison, and the three absolutes. Luo Yao's uncompromising animosity towards evil surely has her peers trembling in fear. The Zoastral Sect also made a minor appearance in this month's Chronicles, with a passing mention of Jade Sword Peak Master Wang Xuanling, who recently slayed a storm-wreaking dragon in the East Sea that was endangering fishing boats. Upon seeing this news, Chu Liang felt a sudden pang of worry. His master had always disliked Wang Xuanling, and given her temperament, it was doubtful she would let Wang Xuanling's moment of glory pass without doing something about it. He wasn't worried about his master's safety, just the ecological balance of the East Sea... As if fate itself was attuned to his musings, just as this thought arose, he saw a flame shooting skyward from nearby, heading southeast. The wind carried a voice transmission, "I'll be gone for a few days. Take care of yourself!" "..." Chu Liang was silent for a moment. Ah, his master—so competitively ambitious. Lastly, there was the "Tales of the Martial World," a crowd favorite. Compared to the serious and proper "Chronicles of the Nine Provinces," "Tales of the Martial World" leaned more toward entertainment and gossip. Such as the first story, wherein the Emperor of the Yu Dynasty visited Shenglong Academy and attempted to arrange a marriage between his young daughter, the Jinyang Princess, and Zhang Chen, the academy's top disciple. To everyone's astonishment, Zhang Chen refused. His reason was that romantic entanglements would interfere with his studies. Shenglong Academy is the premier institution of Confucian education, backed by the court and ranking amongst the top of the Ten Great Sects. With Zhang Chen as its top disciple, his future prospects, whether in cultivation or courtly service, were assuredly bright. This refusal suddenly cast his prospects in an uncertain light. The Emperor wasn't the only father troubled by his daughter's marriage. The lord of Thunder Fortress, another of the Ten Great Sects, also put out a call, offering ten precious treasures as a dowry to find a worthy husband for his only daughter, Huang Ling'er. Yet no heroes from the Nine Provinces dared to step forward. There's a reason for this. For becoming a son-in-law of Thunder Fortress—even if it meant being a live-in son-in-law—there would undoubtedly be a myriad of young talents vying to be chosen. The hesitance stemmed from Huang Ling'er's own declaration that any man wishing to marry her should best have a cultivation superior to hers, or else he would become feed for her beastly pet, the fabled dragon-toothed mammoth, on his first day at Thunder Fortress. Amidst all these stories, there was only one mention of the Zoastral Sect. That was the sighting of Jiang Yuebai, known as the Fairy of Jiang, having a dinner with Feng Chaoyang of the Heavenly King Sect at Zuoyue Tower in Jiangnan, sparking rumors of a romantic involvement. Of course, the Tianshu Pavilion would never fabricate stories without substantial basis, so they cautiously used "rumored" to describe their relationship for now. Nonetheless, even this tidbit was enough to leave many of Jiang Fairy's ardent admirers heartbroken. ... "No way, absolutely no way!" "My dear Jiang Jiang would never be seduced by that scoundrel of the Heavenly King Sect!" "Fairy Jiang! Please, leave your love in the Zoastral Sect!" "......" On the expansive white square in front of the Boundless Palace, intermittent cries of despair could be heard. Occasionally, voices of female disciples would retort. "You admire Fairy Jiang, but there's no need to belittle Feng Chaoyang, is there? He's the model of an ideal—hardworking and kind-hearted!" "Yeah, at nineteen, he's already the strongest contender for the top post of the Heavenly King Sect. When will you sour lemons ever catch up to even half of his accomplishments?" "......" Chu Liang found all the noise rather irksome, indifferent to the shared sorrows of the crowd. He calmly traversed the square. The four main halls of the Zoastral Sect bordered this immense plaza. Apart from the "Disciplinary Hall," which oversaw the sect's regulations, there were the "Sword Transmission Hall" responsible for magical weapons, the "Protection Hall" focused on divine abilities and spells, and the "Alchemy Hall" dealing with pills and talismans. These three halls displayed numerous items for sale, purchasable by Zoastral disciples using sword tokens. After completing several tasks, Chu Liang had saved up twenty sword tokens. While insufficient for any magical artifacts or tomes, it was enough to buy some elixirs to assist his cultivation. He went to the Alchemy Hall and purchased four "Soul Gathering Pills" meant for the Divine Intent Realm. With these pills aiding him, he believed he would soon break through to the mid-stage of the Divine Intent Realm. Compared to other disciples, he could save all his sword tokens to exchange for elixirs, which was a substantial advantage. Leaving the Alchemy Hall, he proceeded to the Sword Exchange Pavilion. The work of slaying demons and beasts could not be stopped. With the White Tower in hand, he must make full use of its powers. It wouldn't do to always rely on Old Chen for task selection, so this time he decided to choose on his own. In the grand hall of the Sword Exchange Pavilion, several jade boards hung high, the task listings constantly changing. The board for the Divine Intent Realm, in particular, was filled with numerous tasks that were dizzying to behold. Hardly glancing around, he heard someone shout, "Gathering immortality flowers! High reward, short of one Divine Intent practitioner, leaving immediately! Led by a Golden Core Realm senior, absolutely safe!" "Gathering immortality flowers..." The one shouting was a young disciple dressed in luxurious black attire, with bushy brows, bright eyes, and an aura brimming with vitality. Behind him stood three other disciples—two men and one woman—clearly indicating they were a team. Immortality flowers... Chu Liang pondered briefly. He wasn't entirely certain where these flowers were to be collected. However, he knew that tasks requiring a team generally indicated higher difficulty or encounters with numerous demonic creatures. Tasks with abundant demons meant valuable opportunities. He took the initiative to approach them, smiling, "Hello, may I join you?" Although he wasn't acquainted with these individuals, being fellow disciples of the Zoastral Sect meant they were like family, leaving no room for hesitation. "Hey?" The black-clad youth grinned with delight upon hearing this, immediately pulling Chu Liang closer. "That's great! Let's quickly secure the task. I'm Lin Bei, what's your name?" "Chu Liang." "Brother Chu, let me tell you, this task is in high demand." With the team complete, Lin Bei went ahead to formally accept the task slips for everyone and returned to distribute them. Handing a slip to Chu Liang, he enthusiastically inquired, "Brother Chu, we're from Jade Sword Peak. Which peak are you from?" Chu Liang replied, "I'm from Silver Sword Peak."