CHAPTER 71
Secret High Order: Declaring War On One's Self.
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Lu Xie sighed in disappointment.
She hadn't just been curious; she was hoping for something easy that she could claim to earn resources quickly. But alas, First Grade Missions were First Grade for a reason.
The Holy Gan Valley.
With Alia's memories of that place, the name sounded surprisingly eerie.
>>>>>>>>>>>~^~<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Kush Heavenly Realm~
The Hall Of The Subservient~
According to Alia's memories, that place was nothing holy as its name suggested. It was a hellscape. There were too many horror stories circulating everywhere about disciples wandering in and coming out as vegetables, sometimes literally—or not coming out at all.
There where too many unknowns in that place, with some possessing dreadful power to transform the flesh body into trees or petrification.
Some termed it as a place where "Life met Spirituality, and Spirituality met the Forces of Nature."
In simpler terms, It was a chaotic death trap.
However "the greater the danger, the greater the benefits." Although the place was frighteningly scary people would still rush in like moths to flame, seeking fortuitous encounters. Which many have been lucky to find.
After identifying exactly what kind of place the Holy Gan Valley was, Lu Xie simply gave up.
This was a mission that would require a full squad of elite Yogis to even attempt. Unless it were an elder or above the whished to complete such mission. Lu Xie was a far cry from the other six in terms of raw power.
'They are at least three years older than me,' she justified mentally. 'I am but a baby in this vessel that has hardly began cultivating.'
"Don't be so gloom! This First Grade Mission will remain open for six months," Lela said, patting Lu Xie's back with a little too much force. "With your legendary talent, you should become sufficiently powerful enough to at least... barely join an expedition team with a few elders to protect you before it ends. You can use it to gain experience of the world outside."
Lu Xie replied "You are exaggerating my potential,"
'You mean being babysitted by elders while I play run away princess.' Lu Xie added dryly, easily seeing through the sweet coating of sarcasm.
"Hahaha! I wouldn't even be surprised if you surpassed me in a year!"
Lela laughed at her own joke. The idea of this little "genius" surpassing a Demoness like her was clearly the funniest joke she had cracked all day.
"Why don't you pick a Grade Five Mission? Like this one."
Trisha suddenly pointed at a row of words at the very bottom of the board. The ever-efficient maidservant had spotted a task so simple even a Marefolk could complete it blindfolded.
>MISSION: Collect ten tons of the Nightshade Udumbara Flower.
>REWARD: 50 Contribution Points With Benefits.
Lu Xie lamented at the difference between the First Grade missions and the Fifth Grade mission.
> 500,000 Contribution Points, 10 High-Tier Pure Natural Energy Stones With Benefits.
Vs
>50 Contribution Points With Benefits.
The fifth grade mission was although simple. Too simple. However it required extreme stamina, as one would have to walk several kilometers to gather ten tons of those tiny, weightless white flowers. It was manual labor.
"Great choice, Trisha!" Lela beamed. "You can accompany Alia and use this as an opportunity to stroll around the gardens."
"Let us go register."
Lela urged the trio back into the Hall of the Subservient.
"You are back, Demoness Menlela?"
The White-Eyed Elder who had just attended to them regarding the stipend was now surprisingly sitting at the registration desk.
"Yes," Lela answered. "My apprentice wishes to register."
"Just you? Or are there other team members?" the Elder asked, eyeing Lu Xie with half-disbelieving eyes.
"Don't interrogate her too much. It is just a Grade Five Mission of picking up some cheap flowers," Lela cut in, murdering the interrogation before it could be born.
"Haaa... I see. Forgive my imprudence."
The Elder bowed his head.
"You are free to register for any mission you like or see fit. Please write your name, disciple rank, the mission, its grade, and the name of other team members if any."
He gestured to a large, leather-bound book open on the desk.
Lu Xie stepped forward. She pulled out a coal pen from a plethora of writing tools lying disorganized on the desk.
She blocked the view with her body, hunched over the book.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
She quickly scribbled her intentions, closed the book with a heavy thud, and turned around with a bright, innocent smile.
"Done."
She left the hall once more, Lela and Trisha trailing behind her.
Not long after Lu Xie left, another disciple came to register for a mission. The White-Eyed Elder gave the standard instructions. But when the disciple looked at the page to find a blank spot, he gasped in shock.
"Elder... look at this!"
The Elder leaned over, annoyed. "What is i—?"
He froze. He rubbed his eyes. He looked again.
Then, he nodded his head exasperatedly. "She really is crazy."
~Nightfall — The Seventh Courtyard~
By nightfall, new scandalous news had reached every anthill within the Coven. The gossip mill was spinning so fast it threatened to catch fire.
"Did you hear? The Seventh Yogi is suicidal!"
"She thinks she's a God! Just because she's a Quadruple Honorary Pass talent."
"I bet she dies in a week."
People who were envious of her were quick to distort, slander and criticize Lu Xie.
Lu Xie, however, was oblivious to the chaos she had caused. She had just retired to her room, feeling utterly drained.
Lela had dragged her everywhere. From one hall to another, playing dress-up. She had even bought Lu Xie a new set of clothes and expensive cosmetic products out of her own pocket, refusing to touch Lu Xie's stipend. It was exhausting being a doll.
Finally feeling the warm, thousand-thread embrace of her duvet, Lu Xie sighed softly. The temptation to procrastinate, to sleep for three days straight, was overwhelming.
But she couldn't. Time was of the essence.
She thought back to the registration book.
She had done something ridiculous.
Beneath the entry for the Grade 5 Flower Picking Mission, she had added a second line.
>Mission: Acquire Ten Fuji Drops and Great White Gadher's Apple from the Holy Gan Valley.
>Applicant: Yogi Lu Xie.
>Mode: Solo.
She had registered for the suicide mission.
The reason? To push herself.
Lu Xie knew her own nature. Only such extreme means would push her to her limit. Without a blade hanging over her neck, she would happily slack off.
Registering for the First Grade Mission was a declaration of war against her own self. It was a goal she had to achieve within six months.
"I am too weakly insignificant right now, dancing in the palms of the unknown as a pawn on a chess board" she whispered to the ceiling. "Playing around won't save me. Only by growing stronger can I flip the board and escape these schemers and probably return back home to the Nine heavenly realms."
But there was one insignificant problem.
Lu Xie sat up, frowning.
"How do I go about it?"
The energy and cultivation system of this world was complex—alien, even to her. Even with Alia's memories, her understanding was fragmentary.