Chapter 20: Accumulating Resources

Lin Xiaoyu thought for a moment and said hesitantly,

“I’ve heard… that the sect has a Mission Hall. Completing missions earns contribution points, which can be exchanged for resources.

And… there’s the annual sect tournament. The top rankers get rich rewards. And…”

“The Mission Hall?” Chen Ping’s eyes lit up.

How did I forget about that!

The Qingyun Sect indeed had a Mission Hall that issued all kinds of tasks, ranging from gathering spiritual herbs and hunting demonic beasts to escorting merchant caravans and exploring ruins.

Completing these missions rewarded contribution points, which could be exchanged for spirit stones, medicinal pills, dharma treasures, and other resources.

Although the reward for a single mission might not be very high, if he could complete some high-difficulty ones…

Or perhaps take on a large volume of missions to let the small rewards pile up, he might just gather enough resources.

“There is also the Cultivation Tower,” Lin Xiaoyu added.

“I heard that setting records in the Cultivation Tower also yields rewards.”

Chen Ping nodded, a plan forming in his mind.

“Alright, starting tomorrow, we will split up,” he said.

“You will go to the Cultivation Tower to train, engage in life-and-death combat, and accumulate experience. I will go to the Mission Hall to take on missions and earn resources.”

“But Master,” Lin Xiaoyu said, looking a little worried.

“Won’t it be too dangerous for you to take on missions all by yourself?”

Chen Ping laughed. “Silly girl, I am the lord of a peak, after all. My cultivation… cough, anyway, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

Although he was only at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, his true combat power was comparable to a Great Perfection Nascent Soul cultivator.

As long as he did not run into old monsters at the Divine Ability or Grotto-Heaven realm and above, protecting himself would not be an issue.

“Alright, consolidate your cultivation tonight. We will begin our move first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, Master!”

Lin Xiaoyu returned to her room to cultivate.

Chen Ping stood alone in the courtyard, gazing at the stars in the night sky as myriad thoughts raced through his mind.

Heavenly Dao Qi Refining Great Perfection…

Although this task was arduous, once completed, Lin Xiaoyu’s foundation would become incredibly solid.

And as her master, the hundred-thousand-fold feedback he would receive would likely be beyond imagination.

System, Chen Ping called out in his mind.

If Xiaoyu really cultivates to the thirty-sixth layer of Qi Refining and then achieves a perfect Foundation Establishment, what level of feedback will I receive?

【Every time the disciple breaks through a layer of Qi Refining, the host will receive corresponding feedback. If the disciple reaches Heavenly Dao Qi Refining Great Perfection and achieves a perfect Foundation Establishment, the host will receive:

Grand Dao Source Empowerment, thirty-six types of Law Fragments, Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment Insights, and… one opportunity for Heavenly Dao Blessing.】

Chen Ping’s heart jolted.

Grand Dao Source Empowerment!

Thirty-six types of Law Fragments!

Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment Insights!

And even a Heavenly Dao Blessing!

These rewards were simply heaven-defying!

“Let’s do this!” Chen Ping made up his mind.

No matter how difficult it was, he had to help Xiaoyu complete this task.

However, the resource issue was indeed a major hurdle.

The resources provided by the Sect Master were far from the tenfold amount required by the system.

Even with the contribution points earned from the Mission Hall, it would likely be difficult to gather everything in the short term.

Unless…

A sharp gleam flashed across Chen Ping’s eyes.

Unless he could find some fortuitous opportunity, or… use extraordinary means.

Returning to his room, Chen Ping took out paper and brush and began to plan:

First, Lin Xiaoyu would train in the Cultivation Tower to earn some rewards and gain combat experience, preparing for future life-and-death battles.

Second, he would go to the Mission Hall to take on high-paying missions and earn contribution points.

Third…

Chen Ping paused, then wrote down two words on the paper: Ruins.

The Southern Region, where the Qingyun Sect was located, had been a flourishing land of cultivation civilization in ancient times, leaving behind countless ruins.

Some of these ruins hid staggering wealth.

If he could explore one or two ruins, he might be able to obtain a massive amount of resources all at once.

Of course, ruins also meant danger.

Ancient restrictions, guardian beasts, and even the covetous eyes of other cultivators…

“It seems I need to make some preparations,” Chen Ping muttered.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Xiaoyu prepared breakfast.

Master and disciple sat opposite each other, eating.

“Xiaoyu, how much do you know about the Cultivation Tower?” Chen Ping asked.

Lin Xiaoyu set down her bowl and chopsticks, thinking back carefully.

“I’ve heard the senior brothers and sisters mention that the Cultivation Tower has twelve floors in total.

They correspond to the six major realms: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Divine Ability, and Grotto-Heaven.

Each realm is divided into normal floors and extreme life-and-death floors.”

“On the normal floors, illusory enemies of the same realm will appear in numbers one to three times your own. Clearing them yields basic rewards.

The extreme life-and-death floors require fighting across major realms, and the number of enemies is at least three times.

It is exceptionally dangerous, and one must pay a significant amount of spirit stones just to enter.

But if you can clear it, the rewards are extremely generous.”

Chen Ping thought to himself… It seems this is designed for super-genius disciples.

Fighting across one or two minor realms was something many talented disciples could achieve. But fighting across a major realm, and against multiple enemies at that, was something only peerless geniuses could do.

“What about the life-and-death combat?” Chen Ping asked again.

“The Cultivation Tower has a life-and-death arena mode where you can battle other disciples or challenge the illusory enemies inside the tower.

I heard… the injuries sustained in the life-and-death arena are real, and death is a real possibility. That is why many disciples do not dare to try it lightly.”

Life-and-death combat also yielded substantial rewards.

Chen Ping nodded. This was exactly what he wanted.

Without the pressure of life and death, how could one break through their limits?

“Good. Go to the Cultivation Tower today and start challenging from the first floor.

Remember, do not rush for speed; aim for stability.

Lay a solid foundation on each floor before pushing to the next.”

“Yes, Master!”

“Also,” Chen Ping said, taking out a jade talisman and handing it to Lin Xiaoyu.

“This is a transmission jade talisman. If there is danger, contact me immediately.”

“Thank you, Master!”

After breakfast, the master and disciple went their separate ways.

Lin Xiaoyu headed toward the Cultivation Tower, while Chen Ping flew toward the Mission Hall.

He did not ride a sword; in fact, he did not even have a flying sword.

Although the Azure Frost Sword given by the Sect Master was good, he was not yet accustomed to using swords.

Chen Ping simply activated the 《Grand Dao Evasion Technique》, his figure moving like the wind as he swiftly traversed the mountain forests.

An hour later, he arrived outside the Mission Hall.

It was a grand, azure hall. The plaza outside bustled with noise, and a steady stream of disciples filed in and out.

As Chen Ping walked into the hall, he immediately drew the attention of many onlookers.

“Huh? Isn’t that Peak Master Chen of Luoxia Peak?”

“What is he doing here? If I remember correctly, Peak Master Chen hasn’t taken a mission in twenty years.”

“Probably running low on spirit stones. I heard he took in a disciple with the Heaven-Detested Physique, so he’s probably struggling to get by…”

“Keep it down. I heard his disciple killed Song Tou with a single punch yesterday…”

Whispers broke out all around.

Chen Ping ignored the chatter and walked straight to the mission wall.

The wall was covered in notices for various missions, categorized into four ranks based on difficulty: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow^[1].

Yellow-rank missions were the simplest, usually involving gathering spirit herbs or running errands like delivering letters. The rewards ranged from 10 to 100 contribution points.

Mystic-rank missions were slightly harder, requiring tasks like hunting low-tier demonic beasts or escorting caravans. The rewards ranged from 100 to 1,000 contribution points.

Earth-rank missions were far more dangerous, often involving exploring ancient ruins, hunting mid-tier demonic beasts, or tracking down evil cultivators. The rewards ranged from 1,000 to 10,000 contribution points.

Heaven-rank missions were the most dangerous, and typically only cultivators at the Nascent Soul realm or above dared to accept them.

The rewards started at 10,000 contribution points and could even include rare treasures like magical artifacts or cultivation techniques.

Chen Ping’s gaze swept across the Heaven-rank mission section.