"Master! I want one too!" Dai Yuzhu pouted playfully and acted coquettishly toward Shui Huanmeng.
"This golden lantern flower is extremely difficult to cultivate. I'm afraid this is the only one in the entire Xuanming Sect. If you really want one, ask your Sixth Senior Brother to try cultivating it for you."
"Master, I was only joking. I brought a gift for Junior Sister too!" Dai Yuzhu chuckled softly, then retrieved a delicately patterned box from her storage pouch.
"I know our Junior Sister lacks for nothing, so I couldn't think of anything to give her at first. I came across this Soundbox at a small auction—it can record zither music and human voices. Consider it a trinket for amusement."
"Thank you, Senior Sister. I really like it." Chen Jinshu smiled faintly. This Soundbox was more than just a simple toy. She had once read about similar items in the sect's armory records.
This device could record all kinds of sounds in the world. The duration of recordings depended on the quality of the artifact. The one her Senior Sister gifted her was a high-quality Grade-1 artifact, likely able to preserve sounds for a year or two.
One by one, other senior brothers and sisters also presented gifts to Chen Jinshu.
She quickly found her hands full, though these gifts were slightly less grand than the ones from her initiation ceremony. Still, they offered much amusement and utility—like a puppet that could clean automatically, or a beautiful hairpin from her Third Senior Sister.
Half an hour passed. Chen Jinshu and her seniors sat drinking tea and chatting idly in the hall. Their Master, Shui Huanmeng, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up. In truth, the disciples were already curious about what she was going to announce. But Shui Huanmeng had deliberately held off, stoking their anticipation.
"This will be a training opportunity for all of you—and a chance to see the world outside."
"The Xuanming Cave Heaven is still closed, and some elders estimate it may take another six months to open. But no one knows for sure. Meanwhile, several nearby regions have reported demonic corruption of spirit beasts, resulting in civilian casualties."
"As such, the Sect Leader has tasked each elder with leading a team of disciples to various towns to eliminate these corrupted beasts."
"This is the responsibility of all elders—and not one we can shirk!"
As she spoke, Shui Huanmeng swept her gaze across the group, gauging their reactions. But this mission was more than simple beast extermination. She would also be investigating the root cause of the demonic energy leakage.
The spiritual vein beneath the sect was still tightly suppressed; it couldn't be the source. That left only one possibility—remnants of the Demonic Sect were causing trouble outside. Multiple towns had already suffered attacks. Every elder had been assigned a region.
"We await your orders, Master!" Zheng Shaosi spoke first, followed by the others in unison.
"Good. I'm glad my teachings weren't wasted." Shui Huanmeng's face softened slightly upon seeing their united spirit.
"This mission will earn you contribution points and other rewards," she added. "We've been assigned to Guhe City, in the east. It's a town where immortals and mortals coexist—though the surrounding population is mostly mundane…"
She began to explain the details of the mission and what they needed to watch out for.
Everyone quietly memorized her instructions.
"Jinshu, your cultivation is still the lowest. Make sure to stay close to your senior brothers and sisters so they can protect you in dangerous situations." She gave a gentle reminder to Chen Jinshu.
"I understand, Master."
"Very well. Since you're heading out, I've prepared something for you."
She took out a set of black identity tokens. "These are linked tracking tokens. I hold the master token and can track each of your locations. The sub-tokens can also sense each other—but don't stray more than a thousand miles apart, or the signal weakens."
She handed the tokens to each disciple. Chen Jinshu examined hers carefully. Although it was black, the token's surface was etched with intricate lines and as smooth as jade.
"Keep it safe. You'll need it to support one another in emergencies."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"You depart in seven days. Use this time to prepare what you'll need."
…
Half an hour later, after hearing additional instructions from Shui Huanmeng, the group left one by one. Before she left, Shui Huanmeng called Chen Jinshu back to ask about the Three Melodies Sword Rhythm.
Chen Jinshu admitted she had developed it from sword techniques she had observed. Hearing this, Shui Huanmeng's expression brightened, her eyes gleaming with admiration. She then offered further guidance about musical cultivators and cautioned Jinshu on points to watch during her future duels.
"Who would've thought there were so many flaws in my match against that peak Qi Refining opponent…" She reflected on her battle with Feng Lingchuan—it had the most issues.
She could've easily caught him off guard by using her musical illusions to trap him in a hallucination, then anticipated his ear-sealing counterattack to let her melody still take effect.
Shui Huanmeng's brief analysis gave her a new perspective. She now had a deeper understanding of how to combine her musical techniques in battle.
Soon, she arrived at the Frost Pool Herb Garden. The root repair of the spiritual vine had gone better than expected, though transplanting it was still not viable. The regrowth elixir she planted in her storage realm still needed three to four months. She hoped to finish brewing it before the Cave Heaven opened.
Next, she visited the Affairs Hall to claim her rewards from the outer sect tournament and her Moon Cleansing Pool token.
"Junior Sister! Keep that token safe. If you lose it, there's no replacement," the steward cautioned as he handed her a white token.
"Understood. Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother! Also—I'd like to claim the reward for fifth place."
"It's ready. Pick what you want."
With a wave of his hand, more than twenty Grade-2 spiritual tools appeared before her, glowing in various colors that dazzled her eyes.
Her gaze locked on a particular icy-blue sword.
"Senior Brother, may I examine that ice-blue one?"
"Great eye! That's the Ice Will Sword, the only ice-element spiritual sword here. Although it's ice-type, it's compatible with all spiritual roots—just with varying effects."
Chen Jinshu nodded after hearing the description. She was choosing this sword for her Sword Spirit. After all, she had gained valuable sword techniques from it—like the decisive Nineteen Phrases of Falling Notes—and intended to use it through her Golden Core stage.
"By the way, which of these is a flying spiritual tool?" She currently had only a Grade-1 flying tool gifted by her uncle, which was no longer adequate for her growing cultivation.
For her, a flying tool was more important than any other reward—especially since they would soon hunt demonic beasts in Guhe City. Flight was her best chance to escape in a crisis.
"There are two—Gale Gourd and Cloud Piercer Shuttle. Both are similar. Just choose the one that feels right to you."