Chapter 814 - Golden Carp
Liu Wuxie's three senior brothers unanimously supported his actions. Had it not been for their condition, they would've left the mountain to take on missions and earn resources.
Late at night, Jiang Le, Yu Zhibai, and Shen Rong's eyes brimmed with tears as they poured out Pure Yang Pills from the porcelain bottle. Liu Wuxie had given them ten pills each to heal their bodies and expand their meridians. They could even use the pills to restore their lost cultivation.
"Junior Brother, I won't forget this debt!" Their voices echoed from their huts as they consumed the Pure Yang Pills. The next moment, a powerful surge of energy erupted from their bodies, pushing them toward the True Profound Realm.
When they had joined the academy, they had all reached the pinnacle of the Nascent Transformation Realm. Although five years had passed without any progress, they had endured relentless torment, tempering their will to a level far beyond that of ordinary cultivators.
When dawn broke, Liu Wuxie emerged from his hut and looked at the other three huts with a faint smile. His senior brothers were amid their breakthroughs and had no time to see him off. Thus, he left Heavenly Gate Peak by himself, heading to Mission Hall.
The missions were randomly assigned, with no room for picking. Each mission carried a certain level of danger, designed to temper the disciples' adaptability and combat strength.
Before Liu Wuxie reached Mission Hall, he ran into disciples from the cavern, three courts, five institutions, and seven peaks. Most were new disciples, as most veteran disciples had ventured out to temper themselves.
Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy was merely a platform provided to them, and how high they could climb solely depended on their efforts. Some carved their own legends on this platform, and others faded into the background, vanishing without a trace.
"Isn't that Liu Wuxie? I heard that he claimed first place among the seven peaks!" Liu Wuxie drew attention wherever he went. His achievement of claiming first place among the seven peaks had spread among the new disciples.
"I even heard how he killed a True Profound Realm disciple!" many disciples whispered among themselves, not daring to raise their voices.
Liu Wuxie paid no heed to the murmurs in the surroundings and made his way to Mission Hall. There were no reception desks and only four shimmering light screens. Upon entering, one had to take out their medal to receive a mission from the light screens.
But he wasn't in a hurry and observed the other disciples instead. He saw how they placed their medals against the screen, and the light scream seemed to come alive like a swimming fish.
Small fish emerged from the light screen, each carrying a jade slip in its mouth. They delivered the slips to the disciples' hands.
Liu Wuxie was secretly astonished by this scene as those fish were manifestations of laws. He couldn't imagine how powerful one had to be to craft such an intricate system.
They looked like real fish, vivid in every way. Without careful observation, it was impossible to distinguish them from reality.
Upon receiving the jade slip, the disciple didn't stop and left Mission Hall without even glancing at it. Since missions were assigned randomly, there was no need to check immediately—they could review the details later.
One after another, more disciples placed their medals against the light screens as fish swam out to deliver jade slips continuously.
"Brother Liu, you're also here to receive a mission?" a familiar voice called out from behind.
"Brother Zhao!" Liu Wuxie turned around to see Zhao Chao, who patted his shoulder. The two had become acquainted during the fourth stage of recruitment. Liu Wuxie had given him a number fifty-seven token, allowing him to obtain a good result and enter the Myriad Phase Cavern. In a way, Zhao Chao still owed him a favor.
"Brother Liu, have you taken a mission?" Zhao Chao asked. Most missions had to be completed solo, unlike a sect where team cooperation was allowed.
Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy focused on nurturing individual strength without needing teamwork.
"Not yet. I just arrived. What about you, Brother Zhao?" Liu Wuxie replied, shaking his head. He noticed that Zhao Chao had reached the second-level True Profound Realm, and it seemed like every disciple who had joined the academy had made a breakthrough in their cultivation.
Mission Hall grew increasingly crowded. Most disciples had spent their initial days cultivating and participating in the new disciples' gathering, so now was the peak time for accepting missions after settling down.
Right then, Ning Hai and Ma Tianming entered the hall, and their eyes immediately locked onto Liu Wuxie. They were briefly shocked at the sight of him.
"Liu Wuxie, where's Hong Du?" Ning Hai asked. While he wasn't exactly a close friend of Hong Du, the latter had become his lackey after joining the academy. So, it was natural for him to ask about Hong Du's whereabouts after seeing Liu Wuxie.
Something was off that Liu Wuxie was here while Hong Du was nowhere to be seen.
"Shouldn't you be asking him that question instead?" Liu Wuxie replied with a shrug.
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"Brat, don’t think I won’t kill you!" Ning Hai snarled, his anger flaring. He had given Liu Wuxie a chance to show respect, yet the latter had the audacity to be so dismissive.
"You're welcome to try," Liu Wuxie replied. He showed no fear as his strength had drastically transformed after reaching the fifth-level Nascent Transformation Realm.
Ning Hai, though formidable at the sixth-level True Profound Realm, was no longer beyond Liu Wuxie’s ability to challenge. The tension between them thickened instantly, drawing the attention of nearby disciples, who watched with amusement.
"This Liu Wuxie really knows how to stir up trouble. It’s like he can’t go anywhere without causing a scene," someone muttered, their animosity toward him apparent.
"His cultivation has advanced really quickly. I remember he was only at the first-level Nascent Transformation Realm when he had just joined the academy!" Many people noticed the change in Liu Wuxie's cultivation, and it had only taken him half a month to reach the fifth-level Nascent Transformation Realm.
"So what? He's still trash without reaching the True Profound Realm. Even if he managed to reach the True Profound Realm by luck, he's still dead either way. Too many people want to kill him." Some of the spectators gloated as if they could already see Liu Wuxie's downfall.
The tension grew as Liu Wuxie's words further provoked Ning Hai. After all, no one dared to show such disrespect to him among the new disciples. Though he hadn't claimed first place in any of the four stages, he was still second—a position of great prestige.
"I'll grant your wish since you wish to die!" Ning Hai said, stepping forward and unleashing his aura over Liu Wuxie.
Liu Wuxie didn't back down and channeled his aura, his true essence manifesting into a blade ready to strike at any moment.
"Let's all take a step back. We're all new disciples, and we should be united. Since we're here to accept missions, let's do that and go our separate ways," Zhao Chao intervened and stepped between them to stop the tension from rising further. After all, both sides would suffer losses if this matter escalated further.
"Brother Liu, let's endure it for now. It's unwise to fight Ning Hai at this moment," Zhao Chao said, sending a discreet transmission to Liu Wuxie, urging him not to act recklessly. While he knew Liu Wuxie was strong, Ning Hai wasn't weak either, and he could sense that the latter was giving off a powerful artifact's aura.
If they were to fight with their lives on the line, Liu Wuxie might suffer.
Liu Wuxie naturally understood, but he would have no choice but to fight if he were forced into a corner.
"Brother Ning, let’s leave it at this. There will be plenty of opportunities for us to spar in the future," Zhao Chao said, cupping his fists. Being a fellow disciple of the Myriad Phase Cavern, he believed Ning Hai would give him some respect.
Ning Hai took a deep breath, suppressing the murderous intent in his eyes. "Brother Zhao, I’ll let this go since you’ve stepped in. But he has to tell me—where is Hong Du?"
As a True Profound Realm expert, attacking someone at the Nascent Transformation Realm would only tarnish his reputation. If he truly wanted to kill Liu Wuxie, he would do it in secret.
Besides, Zhao Chao’s intervention complicated matters. While Ning Hai wasn’t afraid of Zhao Chao’s strength, his status was another matter entirely.
Zhao Chao was the son of the Nine Profound Sect's sect master and held a high status.
Not many were aware of his true identity, but Ning Hai knew well. The Profound Cloud Sect and Nine Profound Sect were neighboring sects, their shared "Profound" in name signifying their common origins from the Profound Spirit Mountain Range.
"I've already made myself clear—if you want to know where Hong Du is, go ask him yourself. Don’t come questioning me," Liu Wuxie replied, his voice calm yet firm. Since Hong Du was Ning Hai's lackey, it was a joke that the master would turn to others for answers.
Besides, Ning Hai had abandoned Hong Du without hesitation that day, prioritizing his reward over his lackey’s life. And now, he had the audacity to ask where Hong Du was?!
"Brother Ning, could Hong Du have taken on a mission? He is, after all, at the True Profound Realm. Don't tell me you suspect that Brother Liu killed him?" Zhao Chao said, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm.
Everyone knew Liu Wuxie's current cultivation. Although he could kill cultivators at the True Profound Realm, doing so without leaving any trace was an entirely different matter. So, if Hong Du had been killed by Liu Wuxie, some evidence would have been left behind.
Since Ning Hai had no proof, it was clear that Hong Du’s death had nothing to do with Liu Wuxie.
"Brat, I'll remember this. Let's see how long you can keep up with your arrogance," Ning Hai said after failing to obtain helpful information. He wasted no time and turned to the light screens.
After all, there would be plenty of opportunities to deal with Liu Wuxie in the future. Now that the pure yang energy had transformed him, Ning Hai believed his talent would soon surpass Liu Wuxie’s.
But unbeknownst to him, Liu Wuxie had stayed in Auspicious Cloud Cave for two days.
Ning Hai approached a screen and took out his medal, placing it against the light screen. The next moment, a massive catfish swam out from the screen with a jade slip in its mouth and handed it over to Ning Hai.
Following him, Ma Tianming did the same, and a catfish also gave him a jade slip.
"Brother Liu, should we go as well?" Zhao Chao dragged Liu Wuxie to the light screen, allowing the latter to go first.
When Liu Wuxie took out his medal and approached the light screen, an invisible force descended as a massive golden carp swam out. It was huge and full. The scale on its forehead shimmered with a faint crimson glow that caught the attention of everyone nearby.
"What's going on? A carp? Could it be that a legendary mission has appeared?" Legendary missions were known for their difficulty. But the rewards were also high.
Ning Hai had yet to leave the hall when his expression darkened upon seeing Liu Wuxie summon a golden carp. He had only managed to summon a catfish, while Liu Wuxie had summoned a carp, making him look instantly inferior.
After all, catfish thrived on filth, with their bodies filled with impurities.
"Brother Liu, I don't know if you're lucky or unlucky," Zhao Chao said with a wry smile.
It would be a blessing for those who were strong to summon a golden carp, but for someone weaker, it was no different from sending them to their deaths.
"Is there an issue with the mission?" Liu Wuxie asked, noting the peculiar gazes from the surroundings.