Lassim’s eyes narrowed as he absorbed the disciple’s words. The Endless Sun Sect’s sudden aggression was a problem, but the timing was curious as the timeline didn’t match up with how long he’d spent in Ava’s God Trial.
"Wait," Lassim said, holding up a hand to halt the disciple’s explanation. "You’re saying these attacks started the day after the Lightning Sect sent its disciples into the God’s Trial? That was only a month ago?"
The disciple nodded, wincing slightly as he adjusted the sling around his arm. "Yeah, the timing was almost too perfect. A lot of our strongest disciples were sent away for the trial, leaving us spread thin. That’s when the Endless Sun Sect made their move."
"And you said it’s because they implemented a reward system? What could they possibly be giving away that’d make the cultivators so crazy?" Lassim pressed, his mind racing.
"The Endless Sun Sect’s Sect Master announced it right when the attacks started. They’ve started giving out something called ’Sun Drops,’ a special resource that speeds up the cultivation of their disciples by over fifty percent. From what I’ve heard, these Sun Drops are extremely effective for those with Day elemental affinity.
They’ve been using it to incite their disciples into attacking us and taking over our territories. It’s like their Sect Master is trying to start a full-blown sect war to take over our hegemony in the Southern Continent."
Lassim frowned, piecing together what the disciple was telling him. The Sun Sect’s disciples were essentially being bribed with a powerful cultivation resource, making them far more aggressive and willing to fight.
It was no wonder the Lightning Sect was struggling—between the suddenness of the attacks and the allure of the rewards, the Sun Sect was pushing hard for dominance.
"So the Endless Sun Sect is using these Sun Drops to motivate their disciples," Lassim mused aloud. "And they timed their attacks perfectly to catch us off guard, knowing we’d be weakened after sending so many disciples to the God’s Trial."
"That’s right," the disciple confirmed. "It’s been a nightmare trying to hold them off. We’ve been taking heavy losses, and the sect is stretched thin. No one knows why the Endless Sun Sect decided to start acting this way, but it’s clear they’re not going to stop until they’ve taken over our territories—or we push them back."
Lassim nodded. He couldn’t help but feel a little urgency to try and help, even though his own feelings toward the sect were complicated.
He hadn’t been with the Lightning Sect long enough to develop a deep attachment to it yet, and his experiences so far had been mixed at best. At best he felt a strong detachment from it, if he was being honest.
Between the rude interactions and random punishment when he first arrived, to being treated so much lesser as a sect servant, and even now he was forced to have literally the pantheon of Gods interfere with his journey so he could advance since the sect had decided to not help him.
Even his latest self-developed technique was just that, self-developed. Sure he used the other Spirit Ascension spirit warriors in the Lightning Sect for inspiration, but thinking about it, he probably could have hired anyone to allow him to do the same elsewhere. Nothing in his time in the sect had really made him feel any attachment to it.
But the idea of sitting idly by while his fellow disciples, especially when those friends he’d made in the sect servant quarters, were under attack didn’t sit right with him either.
"Thanks for the information," Lassim said, standing up from where he had been crouching beside the injured disciple. "I’ll see what I can do to help I suppose."
The disciple nodded, his expression weary but grateful. "Be careful out there, if you join the war missions. The Endless Sun Sect isn’t messing around."
Lassim gave him a curt nod before turning and heading toward the Mission Hall.
The first step was to see what war missions were available. He still had two months before he was allowed to take the rank assessment, so if the sect was indeed under siege, there would be no shortage of tasks needing to be done to pass the time.
Besides, the merit points from war missions would help him build up enough resources to attend next year’s God’s Trial with better preparation.
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The Endless Sun Sect had practically declared war, and if he played his cards right, this conflict could be an opportunity to resume his quick advance through the levels and stages of his cultivation, and also his notoriety within the sect; even if he was still stuck as an initiate.
With these thoughts in mind, Lassim made his way to the Mission Hall.
As he entered, the usual hustle and bustle of disciples discussing and choosing their next missions or exchanging beast caresses and esoteric herbs for merits had been replaced by a more urgent, almost frantic energy.
The hall was packed with disciples of all ranks, and even Sect Elders, all gathered around the new large mission boards that dominated the room.
Lassim pushed his way through the crowd, moving closer to the boards to get a better look at the available missions.
He quickly noticed that the usual categories of missions—ranging from herb gathering to beast or bandit hunting—had been pushed to the side.
Instead, the most prominent postings were related to the conflict with the Endless Sun Sect. Each mission was marked with clear indicators of the danger level and the cultivation power required to undertake them.
As Lassim scanned the missions, he realized that they were organized by combat level rather than disciple rank.
This was unusual; typically, all the missions he’d taken so far were categorized based on a disciple’s rank within the sect, but the current crisis seemed to have forced a change in how tasks were allocated. It made sense to Lassim though—combat capability was far more important in a war situation than official rank and politics.
Lassim’s eyes moved over the different sections, each one divided by the recommended cultivation level required:
**Spirit Transformation Level Missions:**
- **Escort Mission:** Protect and escort injured disciples back to the sect or outpost locations within the Southern Territories.
Lassim noticed these missions were marked as crucial but moderate in difficulty, requiring vigilance and readiness to fend off potential ambushes.
- **Supply Line Defense:** Guard the sect’s supply lines. Please visit the clerk for the most current map and supply line locations in need of assistance.
He knew these were crucial to maintaining the sect’s operational capabilities during the conflict, requiring the disciple to be constantly on alert. But the current difficult ranked as low on the parchment’s categorization.
- **Reconnaissance Mission:** Gather intelligence on enemy movements and strategies. This mission demand stealth techniques and the ability to operate behind enemy lines without being detected.
Lassim read the last line stating that candidates wishing to undertake this mission had to submit a known technique list and demonstration before the clerk would assign the mission.
His eyes then moved on to the category of missions more suitable to his current level.
**Spirit Ascension Level Missions:**
- **Outpost Assault:** Take down an established Endless Sun Sect outpost near the Lightning Sect’s borders.
These missions were labeled as high-risk and described as involved intense combat against well-organized enemy forces. Depending on the outpost’s power and the candidate’s strength, this was up to the individual to be a solo mission or with a team.
- **Rescue Operations:** Several territories have been captured by the Endless Sun Sect. Retrieve captured Lightning Sect disciples from enemy territory that are being held hostage for undisclosed ransom amounts.
The special notes mentioned that these missions required penetration deep into hostile areas to extract prisoners under constant threat.
- **Command and Coordination:** Assist in leading and coordinating multiple smaller units in battle.
These missions noted a need for both combat prowess and the ability to manage and strategize in the heat of battle. It said priority would be given to disciples with previous team leading experience.
And then the last one they caught his eyes was a parchment with a black border to it.
- **Assassination:** Target and eliminate key figures within the Endless Sun Sect’s ranks.
There was a large warning of death on the parchment. These were among the most dangerous missions, requiring precision, power, and the ability to strike quickly and disappear. Next to the black mission parchment was an array listing various unfamiliar names, presumably Endless Sun Sect members, and their cultivation levels.
He could choose a name and say it to a clerk for the target’s details if he wished to undertake one of these missions.
Lassim’s gaze lingered on the Spirit Ascension level missions, noting the variety and difficulty.
While the assassination missions could allow him more one-on-one battles, the Outpost Assault mission caught his eye in particular.
It was labeled as high-risk, requiring a disciple with significant combat ability, a defensive technique if solo, and a strong offensive capability.
All of which he had and his fighting style so far preferred damaging large areas with [Hydroburst], defending himself with [Aegis] or others with [Grand Aegis] and just the natural ability to strike multiple swaths of enemies at once with his halberd as suiting himself to this mission.
His eyes honed back on to the mission parchment.
The outposts that he could target were listed next to the mission and showed where each outpost was that the Endless Sun Sect had established near the border of the Lightning Sect’s territory.
There was one that he noticed was not only listed as a critical strategic location for the Endless Sect’s assault into the Lightning Sect’s territories in the southern region, but he believed it was definitely within his capability to take down.
There was only a Spirit Ascension stage, level 9 leader protecting it. Lassim’s combat power was surely far into the Spirit Transcendent stage at this point by his estimation, especially since it was Spirit Transcendent 2 or so previously before the breakthrough. He didn’t know how far it was in strength, but he could find out later anyways.
Thinking, he decided to target this particular outpost. If he did, he could earn a reward of nearly 2000 merits, as its destruction would be a significant blow to their enemy. His current merits were roughly around only 500, so it’d be a massive boost.
"[This might be a good test to get comfortable with my new stage if we do a quick attack catching them off guard,]" Lassim thought, considering the mission.
Deciding to go with this, he turned away from the board and approached the clerk at the nearest available counter. A stern-looking woman who was busily organizing scrolls behind a counter glanced up as he approached, her quill poised over a parchment.
"Name and rank?" she asked.
"Lassim, Initiate Rank," he replied.
The registrar finally glanced up, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied him. "First mission? This late into the war?" She sighed with a bit of disappointment at this cowardly disciple finally deciding to join after over a month. "If you’re here for war missions, you’ll need to confirm your cultivation level."
Lassim nodded, "I’ve just advanced to the Spirit Ascension Stage, Level 1."
The registrar’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Spirit Ascension? At initiate? What…" she repeated as she dug through the records on her array system to find his name. "That’s... a fast jump since you only recently joined the sect and you’re so young to boot.
I’ll need to update your records immediately."
She quickly jotted down the information, her demeanor more respectful, but she had a tinge of sadness as she saw the restrictions placed on his advancements in sect rank. She also saw a restricted message from the Sect Master that made her frown, but she continued, "With your new cultivation level, you’ll have access to the higher-tier war missions.
Are you already familiar with how they’re organized? Have you chosen one yet?"
Lassim nodded. "I’m interested in the Outpost Assault mission. The assault on the Thornbush location. It looks like a good challenge for me to complete solo. Before you ask, I’ve got a strong defensive ice technique and an active healing technique that can be used for endurance battles if I take too many hits. Both should keep me safe enough."
The registrar’s approval was evident in her expression. "Are you sure? That mission will be crucial in weakening the Endless Sun Sect’s hold on our territory and the leader is Level 9 in your same stage. Let me see… Ah, here in your file it says you’ve already fought head to head in a duel against an outer sect disciple and won when they’re Spirit Transcendent stage.
Oh, and you did that at peak Spirit Transformation? What kind of monster are you?" She eyed him wearily, "I’d say your file says you are more than capable for the mission before you had advanced, so it should be fine…. I guess. I’ll go ahead and record your participation and update the mission board accordingly."
As she noted down the details, Lassim couldn’t help but feel surprised at how detailed the records on her were within their files. At least it made him accepting the mission easier without having to prove himself.
The merit points from this mission would be substantial, and if he could complete enough of them, it would put him in a much stronger position within the sect for next year’s God’s Trial. Perhaps he could even find a way to reconnect with his former Sect Servant comrades in some other missions. He planned to go see how they were doing after he returned again.
He was just too eager to try and see what his current power was like.
But beneath that drive for his former roommates, was still the lingering sense of detachment.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Lassim knew he was doing this more for his own advancement and testing where he stood than out of loyalty to the sect. The Lightning Sect had given him little reason to feel a deep bond with it, and the idea of fighting for its survival didn’t exactly fill him with passion.
After the clerk finished updating his records, she handed him a token that marked his participation in the Outpost Assault mission. "This will confirm your assignment. Be careful out there, Lassim. The Endless Sun Sect isn’t pulling any punches."
Lassim took the token and nodded. "I will. Thank you."
He turned and left the Mission Hall, his thoughts already shifting to the task ahead.
He was now a Spirit Ascension cultivator and felt ready to face whatever challenges lay in his path. The ability to fly with his newly enhanced body would make traveling to the outpost much easier too, so he was eager to test the limits of how fast the sky travel would allow him to go.
As he stepped out into the courtyard, Lassim took a deep breath, feeling the gaseous mana within him flow effortlessly. The sensation of weightlessness was exhilarating, and with a single thought, he lifted off the ground, rising into the air with ease.
He glanced back at the sect grounds below before he turned his gaze toward the horizon, where the Endless Sun Sect’s outpost lay.
"[Whatever happens to the sect,]" Lassim thought, "[I’ll just make use of them to my benefit myself and come out the other side of this stronger. If the Lightning Sect benefits from it too, then so be it.]"
With that resolve, he set off, flying towards the south, ready to destroy and dismantle the Endless Sun Sect’s outpost.