The boy in the gray short robe was named Zheng Han. He came from an ordinary family and had entered the sect as a servant disciple in the same batch as Lin Yuan.
Zheng Han’s talent had been better than Lin Yuan’s previous self; he had now reached the 4th stage Qi Refining Realm. If he advanced one more level, he would likely become an outer sect disciple.
“You still have the nerve to smile? Do you even know what that mission is?” Zheng Han lowered his voice with a concerned tone.
“I heard they want you to go to the Fragrant Pill Pavilion as a pill slave. Do you know what that means? Every year, over a dozen pill slaves die there!”
Lin Yuan immediately wiped the smile off his face and feigned panic.
“Then what should I do? I don’t want to die!”
“I have five spirit stones here, take them and go beg that bastard Lai for mercy!”
Zheng Han pulled five pigeon-egg-sized spirit stones from his pocket and stuffed them into Lin Yuan’s hand.
Looking at the spirit stones in his palm, Lin Yuan smiled again and pushed them back.
“You need these spirit stones for your own cultivation. Don’t worry, I have my own way.”
He couldn’t take these spirit stones. If Lai Ren heard about this and refused to let him go to Fragrant Pill Pavilion, that would be a disaster.
He appreciated Zheng Han’s kindness, but he had to go to Fragrant Pill Pavilion no matter what.
Sure enough, before Lin Yuan even returned to his courtyard, a new servant mission appeared on his identity token.
Fragrant Pill Pavilion – Pill Testing
It seemed they knew he was doomed, so they even generously granted a half-month leave.
“Perfect timing to pick up a mission from the Mission Hall.”
Back in his room, he packed two sets of clothes and discreetly stuffed them into his storage ring when no one was around.
Then, without looking back, Lin Yuan left.
Fragrant Pill Pavilion belonged to the upper four courtyards. Once he went there, he would no longer be considered part of the Servant Quarters.
This place had nothing to do with him anymore.
He jogged all the way to Jade Resonance Peak, where the grand and majestic Mission Hall came into view.
Disciples bustled in and out, each radiating strong auras. Naturally, everyone who came here was at least an outer sect disciple with 5th stage Qi Refining Realm cultivation.
Servant disciples like Lin Yuan were rare.
Walking into the Mission Hall, he quickly found a suitable mission.
[Hunt and kill Green-Wolf Fiends of 6th stage Qi Refining Realm or higher. Collect wolf fur and wolf fangs. Realm Requirement: None. Spirit Stone Deposit: 3.]
All missions required a deposit and had time limits. If you delayed completion, it wasted the employer’s time and blocked other disciples from taking it.
“Hello, I’d like to take this mission,” Lin Yuan said politely to the disciple in charge of registration.
The disciple glanced at Lin Yuan’s servant robe and responded flatly, “Taking missions is good, but your cultivation’s too low. Better train more before coming back.” New chapters come out on g.com first.
“But this mission has no realm requirement. Why can’t I take it?”
“The Green-Wolf Fiend may appear to be 6th stage Qi Refining Realm, but it’s strong and travels in packs. Even an outer sect disciple should be warned. For a little servant like you, it’s suicide.”
Though his tone was blunt, the registrar still explained the danger.
So that’s how it is! Even after understanding the risk, Lin Yuan still wanted to try. The other missions either took too long or had realm requirements. This one was truly a rare opportunity.
“You really can’t wait to die, can you? Isn’t being a servant good enough for you?” the registrar snapped, clearly losing patience.
Just as Lin Yuan was about to insist again, a familiar voice came from behind.
“Register it for him.”
Turning around, it was the senior brother he had once met in the Martial Hall.
“Greetings, Senior Brother.” Lin Yuan cupped his fists in greeting.
Surprisingly, the registrar reacted even more strongly. He immediately jumped to his feet, visibly excited.
“Greetings, Senior Brother Yi!”
Senior Brother Yi waved his hand slightly, smiling. “I see this junior brother has confidence. Help him register. If anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility.”
“Yes, of course, since Senior Brother Yi says so.”
The registrar quickly accepted Lin Yuan’s identity token and began registering him for the Green-Wolf Fiend mission.
While he worked, Senior Brother Yi gave Lin Yuan a probing look, then finally asked, “Junior Brother Lin Yuan, have you been sleeping well lately?”
Lin Yuan’s heart stirred. He chuckled, “I tend to sleep deeply. Every night I rest very well.”
“Had any nightmares?”
“I’ve had quite a few, but I forget them by the next day.”
Hearing that, Senior Brother Yi’s eyes showed envy.
Pain on the body—he could endure.
But the nightmares…
Those were unbearable.
In his dreams, he was either being torn to pieces or sold into a brothel as a young servant. The worst part was how vivid they were. Even after waking up, the horror lingered.
At one point, he had a trauma response to men.
If he hadn’t spent half a year recuperating in the back mountain, he might’ve lost his mind.
Now hearing Lin Yuan was unaffected by nightmares, how could he not envy him?
“Good… very good. Once you master it, you must let me see it,” Senior Brother Yi said with a hint of bitterness.
Then a realization struck him.
The registrar had shown great respect, and Elder Song had once said the last person to cultivate the Seven-Slaughter Demon Blade was the inner sect disciple Yi Zimo.
Same surname… could this man be the former inner sect disciple, now core disciple of the Immortal Gate Sect—Yi Zimo?
The Immortal Gate Sect had seven peaks, each with only one core disciple. That meant there were only seven core disciples in the entire sect.
The weight of that status was unimaginable.
Lin Yuan had heard from others that all core disciples were at least peak Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators. If they weren’t busy consolidating their foundations to strengthen their Core Formation, they would’ve stepped into the Golden Core Realm long ago.
“Even a core disciple couldn’t master the Seven-Slaughter Demon Blade… good thing I can transfer the side effects.”
He laughed silently to himself.
Successfully registered, Lin Yuan left and headed straight for the back mountain.
The back mountain was connected to a chain of peaks. The closer to the sect, the safer it was. But walk far enough, and beasts became common.
Most were Qi Refining Realm minor beasts—perfect for training and gaining real combat experience.
Not far outside the designated sect boundary, a massive rabbit with glowing red eyes suddenly leaped from the underbrush.
“A Red-Eyed Giant-Toothed Rabbit. Its fur and fangs are worth something, at least.”
Since transmigrating, it was Lin Yuan’s first time seeing a true beast, and he couldn’t help but feel excited.
He’d heard that on Mystic Cliff Peak, where the Servant Quarters was located, there was also a Spirit Beast Courtyard filled with tamed monsters.
But that place was full of corruption. To get a job there, one had to bribe Lai Ren.
For now, beasts were just a rumor to him.
While he stood there marveling, the Red-Eyed Giant-Toothed Rabbit didn’t waste time.
Its strong hind legs pushed off violently, shooting it forward like an arrow. In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of him.
“Shadow Pursuit!”
At that moment, Lin Yuan finally made his move.
The long blade in his hand split into countless afterimages, like a thousand blades slashing all at once, enveloping the rabbit completely.
What was Shadow Pursuit?
To follow like a shadow, to hunt until death—that was the essence of its first form.
If he could comprehend true blade intent, this move’s power would become even more terrifying.