The sky had completely darkened. The simple dormitory was unlit, with only the faint moonlight filtering in through the window.
Song Xunzhen was still sitting on the floor, her back against the door, tightly clutching the fifteen Low-grade Spirit Crystals. Their cold touch was a constant reminder of her dire reality.
She searched the original owner’s memories again and again, trying to find a way to quickly obtain Spirit Crystals.
The avenues for Outer Sect Disciples to acquire resources were extremely limited:
The Sect distributed fifty Low-grade Spirit Crystals each month, but because the original owner had poor relationships and low cultivation, her share was often docked, and she actually received even less.
Completing some menial tasks, such as cleaning or tending to medicinal fields, could earn a small reward of Spirit Crystals or Elixirs.
Or she could try her luck at the edge of the Misty Forest on the Sect’s periphery, gathering some low-level spiritual herbs to sell at the market.
Menial tasks were too slow, and with her current persona as the young miss of a Hidden Clan, running off to sweep floors and carry water would too easily arouse suspicion.
Go to the Misty Forest?
With the original owner’s paltry Qi Refining Third Layer cultivation, going there was no different from committing suicide.
Was she truly at a dead end?
No.
Song Xunzhen suddenly remembered there was one place she hadn’t been—the Sect’s Mission Hall.
It was where bounty missions issued by the Sect or individuals were posted. The rewards were relatively generous, but they usually came with a certain degree of danger and difficulty.
Due to her low strength, the original owner had never accepted any missions.
Perhaps she could go take a look?
What if there was a mission that didn’t require much strength, but was just niche or time-consuming?
Once this thought emerged, it could no longer be suppressed. It seemed to be the most feasible path at the moment.
She had to go to the Mission Hall and try her luck.
But before that, she needed to make sure she wouldn’t be surrounded the moment she stepped out of her dormitory.
Song Xunzhen took a deep breath and stood up, her legs a little numb from sitting for so long.
She fumbled her way to the bed and lay down in her clothes.
She needed to rest, but more importantly, she needed to think about how to handle the various situations she might encounter tomorrow.
The key to maintaining her persona was to say little to make few mistakes, to remain mysterious, and at the same time, to get her hands on Spirit Crystals for her first Top-Up and Draw Cards as soon as possible.
That night, Song Xunzhen slept very restlessly. Her dreams were filled with the cold gazes of the Enforcement Hall, the terrifying aura of the Divine Transformation Pressure, and the sound of Spirit Crystals vanishing with a clatter.
The next day, at the crack of dawn, Song Xunzhen’s eyes snapped open.
She listened carefully to the sounds outside. The morning was very quiet; most disciples were likely still cultivating or resting.
This was exactly the effect she wanted—to avoid the crowds as much as possible.
She quickly washed up and looked at herself in the blurry bronze mirror in the room.
The girl in the mirror had a pretty face, but it was pale, and her eyes held a trace of unconcealable exhaustion and anxiety.
This was not the state a young miss from a Hidden Clan should be in.
Song Xunzhen patted her cheeks hard, trying to make her complexion look a little rosier. Then she adjusted her gaze, attempting to make it calm and detached.
After practicing a few times, it was barely passable.
She straightened the half-new, half-worn Outer Sect Disciple robes she was wearing, a bitter smile on her face.
This outfit was another flaw in her cover, but she had no means to change it right now. She could only hope others would rationalize it as a requirement for her clan’s training to keep a low profile.
Pushing open the door, the cool morning air filled her lungs, slightly invigorating her.
She tried to avoid the main paths, choosing less-traveled side roads as she walked quickly toward the Mission Hall from memory.
Along the way, she did indeed encounter a few early-rising disciples.
Upon seeing Song Xunzhen, they all showed expressions of surprise, curiosity, and even awe. They stopped in their tracks from a distance, watching her and whispering among themselves or sizing her up furtively, but no one dared to approach and speak to her.
After a night of fermenting, the incident at the Enforcement Hall had clearly spread.
Although the details were likely varied, the core rumors—that Song Xunzhen had a Divine Transformation Stage guardian and might come from a major Hidden Clan—had probably taken deep root.
Song Xunzhen ignored their reactions, merely quickening her pace.
This feeling of being gawked at like a monkey made her very uncomfortable, but it also indirectly confirmed that she was safe for the time being.
The Mission Hall was located in a large hall at the junction between the Outer and Inner Sects.
It was still early, so there weren’t many people inside, just a dozen or so scattered disciples examining the Mission Jade Wall.
Song Xunzhen’s arrival immediately caused a small commotion.
Almost everyone’s gaze instantly focused on her. The chatter ceased, and the atmosphere became somewhat subtle and tense.
The disciple-in-charge of registering missions also looked up. Seeing it was her, a flash of surprise and caution crossed his face.
Song Xunzhen sighed inwardly and steeled herself, walking to the massive Mission Jade Wall.
The jade wall shimmered with light, and lines of mission information scrolled continuously.
[Collect ten stalks of ten-year-old Heart-Clearing Grass. Reward: Five Contribution Points or five Low-grade Spirit Crystals.]
[Assist the Elixir Room in tending the earth fire for three days. Reward: Ten Contribution Points, one Qi Condensing Pill.]
[Clean the West Mountain Beast Pen. Reward: Twenty Contribution Points.]
[Investigate the source of abnormal sounds in Black Wind Cave (Warning: Low-level Demon Beasts may be present). Reward: Two hundred Contribution Points or two hundred Low-grade Spirit Crystals.]
Most of the missions had meager rewards, required special skills, or carried a certain degree of risk.
The investigation mission with a two-hundred-Spirit-Crystal reward was tempting, but the warning about Demon Beasts made her pass on it immediately.
She read through them one by one, her heart growing heavier.
Was there really no mission suitable for her current situation?
Just as she was about to give up, her gaze swept over an inconspicuous corner at the very bottom of the jade wall. There was a newly refreshed mission there, its color appearing somewhat dim:
[Wanted: Intact Moonlight Moss. Unlimited quantity. Reward per piece: One Low-grade Spirit Crystal. Issuer: Manager Zhao of Hundred Herbs Pavilion.]
Moonlight Moss?
Song Xunzhen searched the original owner’s memory.
It was a very low-level Spiritual Plant that usually grew on damp, shaded rock walls where moonlight could reach.
Because it contained a faint amount of Moon Essence, it was used to refine certain niche Elixirs or cultivate special spiritual herbs.
Gathering it required patience, its uses were not widespread, and few people bothered to collect it specifically. The price was also very cheap, one or two Spirit Crystals per piece at most.
But the quantity was unlimited!
Most importantly, Song Xunzhen remembered that about half a month ago, the original owner, feeling depressed, had gone to a remote waterfall in the back mountains to clear her head. She seemed to have seen a large patch of silver-glowing moss on the rock wall behind that waterfall!
She hadn’t paid it any mind at the time, but thinking back now, it was highly likely to be Moonlight Moss.
That patch of moss was quite large. If she collected it carefully, she could get dozens or even a hundred pieces. That would be dozens or hundreds of Low-grade Spirit Crystals, enough for her to draw cards once.
Her heart began to pound wildly, and the light of hope was rekindled.
She suppressed her excitement, walked up to the registration disciple, pointed at the mission, and said in the calmest voice she could muster, “Senior Brother, I’ll take this mission to collect Moonlight Moss.”
The disciple was stunned, clearly not expecting this person of the hour to accept such a trivial and low-paying mission.
He gave Song Xunzhen a strange look but didn’t ask any questions. He skillfully registered it: “Name, Song Xunzhen. Mission number seventy-nine. After you’ve collected it, deliver it directly to Manager Zhao at the Hundred Herbs Pavilion for redemption.”
“Thank you, Senior Brother.”
Song Xunzhen nodded, took the small wooden box for holding spiritual herbs that the disciple handed her, and turned to leave the Mission Hall quickly.
She had to hurry and get her hands on that patch of Moonlight Moss in the back mountains before more people noticed her.
Walking out of the Mission Hall, the morning sun was already a bit dazzling.
Song Xunzhen tightened her grip on the small wooden box and headed for the path leading to the back mountains.
This time, her steps were noticeably lighter, filled with a clear goal and hope.
Her first pot of gold was at the back mountain waterfall