They made their way back across the expansive courtyard toward the direction of the mission hall.
After arriving, Elder Qin led him to a section of the hall which listed the missions tailored to the abilities of most Initiate Rank members.
Here, Elder Qin explained Lassim’s new responsibilities and the mission hall system as it pertained to Initiate Rank disciples.
"As an Initiate Rank disciple, you are required to take on one mission every three months," he explained. "Failure to complete a mission within the timeframe will result in punishment and possible demotion back to servant rank. Since you’ve already been demoted once, your next time period as a servant will likely be doubled or even tripled. Do your best to not let it come to that."
Lassim listened intently and nodded in confirmation to the Elder’s warning. The stakes were higher for a repeat offender, but he was hopeful that he wouldn’t cause any issues again.
He decided it was best to get the mission out of the way early so that he could dive into the sect’s library and focus on advancing to Spirit Ascension as soon as possible. If he could find an easy mission to complete, that’d the best.
The mission boards in front of him were filled with various tasks, each detailing the requirements and rewards.
Lassim’s eyes scanned the options until one caught his attention. A mission to join a team of other Initiate Rank disciples, led by a Nove Rank disciple, to investigate and potentially resolve the issue of bandit attacks on caravans heading to the sect from the southern side of the desert.
"This one," Lassim said, pointing to the mission description.
Elder Qin nodded, "Very well. Let’s go register it and then show you to your quarters where you can gather your things and prepare to depart. That team will be briefed tomorrow morning according to the details on that sheet."
Lassim and the Elder took a moment to head to a counter and register as a participant for the mission. With his mission registered, Lassim felt a surge of determination. He was eager to prove himself and tackle this challenge head-on.
Seeing his enthusiasm, Elder Qin couldn’t help but sigh and comment, "Don’t get too excited. The Novice Disciple is most likely weaker than you but you must remember they are the team leader and you have to follow all of their orders. Also, even if you complete missions early, the Sect Master still has the lock on your disciple status.
You won’t be allowed to take the advancement tests until 6 months pass at each rank. It’s better to pace yourself."
"Alright. I understand. Thank you for your advice Elder Qin," Lassim replied.
As he turned to leave, Lassim overheard a conversation between two senior disciples about the upcoming dimensional trial, sparking his interest.
"Participants for the trial will be selected soon," one disciple said. "I heard that a disciple from last time found a secret Lightning pool that held a heavenly Lightning rune in the middle of it! He absorbed it and was able to advance from peak Spirit Transformation all the way to Spirit Ascension 3! The rewards in that dimension really are great. I hope I’ll be lucky this time."
The other disciple laughed, "You?! You’ll probably spend the entire time getting chased by the thunderbirds like last time!"
"Hey! They only chased me for two days because I accidentally stepped on their nest thinking it was a rock ledge. I didn’t even break any eggs, but they were so angry. Ah, I don’t even want to think about that. Let’s go get something to drink since I don’t have any lectures today."
The duo debated which restaurant to go to as Lassim and Elder Qin exited. Lassim’s heart raced with excitement.
The dimensional trial sounded like the perfect chance to find powerful esoteric resources for his cultivation if he participated.
However, as if seeing the wheels turn in Lassim’s mind, Elder Qin informed him, "Don’t even think about it. You haven’t earned the right to participate yet. Only Novice Disciples and higher are allowed to join the trial once they accumulate enough merit points. You’ve got at least 6 months before you rank up, and the next trial after that isn’t for another year or so.
Just focus on ranking up and accumulating merit points."
Disappointed, Lassim could only acquiesce. At least he had something down the road to look forward to as a long term goal for merit points. He still needed to read the booklet and understand how they worked and what they could be traded for, but he’ll study up after he gets back from the mission.
Elder Qin then guided him to the Initiate Rank quarters. The Initiate Rank quarters were a stark contrast to the military barrack-style housing of the servant residence.
It was also in a new part of the sect that he hadn’t visited yet before. He realized that the servant residence was fairly isolated by comparison when considering how many shops and cafes were literally next door to the Initiate Rank building.
Each room was single occupancy, offering a bed, a separate shower and bath, and a jade meditation mat placed near the window of the room.
Lassim marveled at the improved conditions, the sense of privacy and comfort a welcome change.
Elder Qin commented, "Whelp, it’s better than where you were but if you’re shocked already, you’ll be amazed at the higher-ranked rooms. They’re even better, equipped with mana gathering arrays that direct concentrated lightning mana from the storm into the rooms."
Lassim looked forward to getting one of those rooms in the future, but that was still quite a bit away.
"Good luck on your mission, and I believe we’ll see each other again in six months for the next rank up. At that time, you’ll need to complete the rank up tests, which will be completed in the grand hall you first visited when you arrived. You’ll be able to find me there when it’s time. Farewell." Elder Qin stated as he left Lassim to his own devices.
Lassim was excited for the mission ahead. The journey to Initiate Rank was just beginning, and he was ready to face whatever challenges came his way in this first challenge.
He spent the rest of the day meditating and focusing on his bonds with Mary and Zaphy before heading to sleep.
The next morning, Lassim rose early, his mind clear and focused.
He made his way to the meeting point for the mission briefing at the Sect Master’s statue.
As he approached, he noticed the other team members, 5 initiate ranks and the one novice ranked leader, eyeing him curiously. Some looked surprised, while others seemed a bit confused.
Lassim overheard snippets of their conversations.
"Isn’t that the new guy who took down Kaito?"
"Yeah, but why is he in such a low rank? Shouldn’t he be an Outer Sect disciple with his level of power?"
"Maybe he got demoted? Must’ve been punished or something."
Lassim chose not to explain, not feeling close enough to his new team to share his circumstances.
He was quickly greeted by the novice disciple, who introduced himself as Darian, a Spirit Transformation level 3 disciple and the mission leader. Darian’s sect robe was purple with light gray accents, signifying his Novice rank which was just a tier higher than the dark gray for initiates.
"Welcome," Darian began, his presence commanding respect. "As you read in the mission brief, our target is to investigate and resolve the issue of the bandit attacks on our caravans from the southern side of the desert.
These bandits have been stealing the few Elemental Spirit Stones the caravan leaders have and assaulting our new disciples that are bringing several years worth of supplies to enter and live at the sect. It is our priority to put an end to this."
"We will first head south and will begin the first half of our plan; a scouting mission. We’ve carefully timed the start of this mission to coincide with a group of new spirit growth stage disciples coming from a town on the southern border of the endless desert. We know that the bandits typically attack the caravans at around day 6 of their journey into the desert, around the halfway mark.
For some reason or another, a member of the bandits has knowledge of the routes every time. We’ve tried changing the directions they come from but they know where they’re coming from every time."
"We can settle the matter of who the leak is later, but our first priority is the bandits. With our group’s speed, we should be able to arrive a day earlier to the approximate halfway point. That will hopefully put us in a position to ambush the bandits. Follow my directions at all times and if you have any questions, now is the time to ask."
Lassim listened intently, committing the plan to memory.
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No one had any questions or concerns as the leader seemed quite capable and explained everything and even used a map to show where they were headed.
Then, without further delay, they headed off quickly through the sect gate towards the south.