CHAPTER 80: CHAPTER 80: IS THERE A MORE CHALLENGING TASK?

Ever since his Iron Sand Palm reached Great Achievement, Shen Changqing had stayed in the Demon-Subduing Division for nearly half a year. During this period, he had been exclusively researching the Hundred Battles Knife Technique and the Snare Trampling Gang Step. Meanwhile, Shen Changqing also went to the Scripture Pavilion and thoroughly memorized another martial art called the Willow Catkin Body Technique.

As expected, after he fully memorized the Willow Catkin Body Technique, text appeared on the panel indicating that both the Snare Trampling Gang Step and the Willow Catkin Body Technique could be fused. However, due to a shortage of Slaughter Value, he had not been able to fuse them. Similarly, the Iron Sand Palm and the Mountain Splitting Palm Technique were also restricted for this reason.

Shen Changqing wasn’t overly anxious about the shortage of Slaughter Value. Although the Great Qin was plagued by Demon Evil, and acquiring Slaughter Value wasn’t difficult—merely slaying a few Demon Evils would naturally yield it—he was not in a hurry. With his current strength, Shen Changqing was confident that no Demon Evil below Fiend Level could match him. However, the world was vast, and there were many powerful Demon Evils. Neither Ghostly Level nor Resentment Level Demon Evil were considered particularly strong. Moreover, even though he was confident against Demon Evil below Fiend Level, he couldn’t guarantee he would emerge unscathed if there were too many.

Shen Changqing was well aware that in this world, no powerful individual could claim to be invincible. Even a Defender Envoy might fall at the hands of Demon Evil. Although his own strength wasn’t bad, if he roamed carelessly, he might die at the hands of Demon Evil. Especially since he had recently destroyed a stronghold of the Eternal Alliance, it was very possible he was already on their hit list.

Under these circumstances, Shen Changqing would not venture out recklessly. Only when he had improved his strength to a point where he could advance no further would he go out to hunt Demon Evil and collect Slaughter Value.

The previous three months, coupled with the recent half a year—nearly nine months in total—had allowed his strength to increase significantly. His Hundred Battles Knife Technique had reached the pinnacle of the third layer, not far from the fourth. As for the Snare Trampling Gang Step, it had reached the fifth layer and was close to breaking into the sixth. In the meantime, Shen Changqing had also consumed and digested the bottle of Pulse Condensation Pills he had exchanged for, thereby opening several more meridians. Although this didn’t lead to a breakthrough in his Heavenly Martial Gang Qi, it did make his True Qi somewhat more potent.

It’s been almost ten months since I returned from the last mission, and my year of rest is almost over. Even if I continue to cultivate diligently for another two months, there won’t be any major breakthroughs in my martial arts. Given this, it’s time to consider undertaking missions. Shen Changqing contemplated.

Nearly ten months of secluded cultivation, and even though his Realm had not broken through, his foundation had strengthened significantly. If I were to fight the me from ten months ago, I’m fairly certain I could defeat my former self without paying too great a price.

If I have the chance, I could try sparring with a Grandmaster, but it’s too risky— Shen Changqing shook his head slightly. After briefly tidying up, he made his way to the Demon Slaying Hall.

Upon arriving at the Demon Slaying Hall, as he was a Yellow Rank Demon Hunter, he went to the Yellow Rank annex. The Yellow Rank Hall was similar in layout to the Hall of Merits and the Treasure Repository Hall. It had several partitioned windows where Demon Hunters were either accepting or submitting their missions.

Approaching an unoccupied window, Shen Changqing presented his Identity Token.

"Yellow Rank Demon Hunter Shen Changqing, here to accept a mission."

"Mm," the man at the window, an old man with a scar on his face and a rather fierce demeanor, acknowledged. He took the Identity Token, examined it carefully, recorded the name on a piece of paper, and then returned the Token.

"There are quite a few missions available here now. You may look them over." As he spoke, the old man handed a booklet to Shen Changqing.

Shen Changqing took the booklet and flipped it open. Turning to the first page, he saw the recorded content.

"Vicinity of Moon City, South Nether Prefecture: Demon Evil activity. Preliminary estimate: around twenty fatalities. Demon Evil strength: mid to late Ghostly Level. Quantity: one. Reward: two Merit Points!"

Shen Changqing understood that missions awarded Merit Points. Most missions within the Demon-Subduing Division offered Merit Points; the assessment missions for Trainee Demon Hunters were an exception and provided none. The reason was simple: Trainee Demon Hunters had just joined the Demon-Subduing Division. Almost everything was provided by the Division, and the trainees themselves contributed very little. Even if Trainee Demon Hunters executed missions during their time in the Division, those tasks were, strictly speaking, not particularly difficult and didn’t significantly benefit the Division financially. Therefore, the assessment tasks for Trainee Demon Hunters were equivalent to repaying the Demon-Subduing Division for its initial investment in them. However, from Yellow Rank Demon Hunter onwards, every mission awarded Merit Points, including the assessment missions for promotion at each stage.

Two Merit Points for a mission might seem a little low. But one also had to consider that when slaying Demon Evil, the aura of the Demon Evil captured by the Pure Spirit Jade Pendant could also be exchanged for Merit Points. So, strictly speaking, one mission could yield three or four Merit Points in total. A bottle of Pulse Condensation Pills cost only six Merit Points, so earning three or four Merit Points per mission was already considered a generous reward.

Nevertheless, Shen Changqing only glanced at this mission before skipping it. A Demon Evil at the early to mid-Ghostly Level simply wasn’t worthy of his attention. There was no need to choose such an easy mission, especially since he was finally going out on one. As a Martial Artist at the peak of the Innate Realm, undertaking missions as a Yellow Rank Demon Hunter already gave him a significant advantage. If I choose such simple missions, who knows how long it will take to accumulate enough Slaughter Value?

He turned to the second page. It also had a detailed mission description; unfortunately, like the first, the difficulty of this second mission was much the same. He quickly flipped to the third page. After some time, Shen Changqing closed the booklet and handed it back.

"What? Didn’t find a suitable mission?" the elder asked, his expression peculiar. He had seen Shen Changqing flip through more than half of the booklet yet fail to find a mission to his liking. The elder knew the missions listed weren’t too difficult; any Yellow Rank Demon Hunter should have the confidence to complete them. But to claim one hundred percent certainty of completion was, of course, impossible.

When did the Demon-Subduing Division get such a timid Demon Hunter? He doesn’t even dare to undertake missions like these. He’ll hardly have any prospects in the future, the elder sighed internally. In his eyes, Shen Changqing was the type who wouldn’t survive long. Too cautious and timid. He’ll likely face a higher chance of dying on future missions. Caution is good, but excessive caution is detrimental.

Just as the elder was feeling resigned, Shen Changqing spoke.

"Are there any more challenging missions? The ones I’ve seen here seem very ordinary. As the one managing mission postings, you must be quite familiar with the current missions of the Demon-Subduing Division, sir."

I can’t be bothered to flip through them one by one; it’s more straightforward to just ask.

"Eh—you think these missions are too easy?" The elder was momentarily stunned. He then scrutinized Shen Changqing carefully, as if trying to reacquaint himself with the young man before him. Many came here daily to accept missions, but those who complained about the missions being too low-level were few and far between. Every one of those few had tremendous confidence in their own strength.

Gathering his thoughts, the elder pondered. After a long pause, he looked up at Shen Changqing.

"If you’re looking for a mission with a higher difficulty level, there is indeed one. I’m just not sure if you’re confident enough to take it on."

"Please tell me, sir," Shen Changqing said.

"In Jincheng of Great Wilderness Prefecture, Demon Evil have appeared. According to intelligence, the Demon Evil causing trouble there was initially assessed to be at the early to mid-Ghostly Level, so it was assigned as an assessment mission for Trainee Demon Hunters. However, the Heavenly Inspection Guard later sent word that there might be signs of Demonfolk from the Eternal Alliance active in Jincheng, suggesting a possible Eternal Alliance Stronghold there. This significantly increased the mission’s difficulty," the elder explained, flipping to the last few pages of the booklet and glancing at the information before continuing.

"An Eternal Alliance Stronghold?" Shen Changqing’s brow raised slightly. Any Eternal Alliance Stronghold possesses considerable strength. If there truly is one there, it would indeed be a significant matter. Yet, he didn’t interrupt, allowing the elder to continue.

"But—" The elder paused before continuing. "You must understand that any Eternal Alliance Stronghold will have Innate Realm Demonfolk, and possibly even Demon Evils above the Ghostly Level hidden within. Normally, only Profound Rank Demon Hunters are qualified to take on such missions. However, since the presence of an Eternal Alliance Stronghold isn’t one hundred percent confirmed, and dispatching several Profound Rank Demon Hunters for an unconfirmed situation would be a waste of resources, the mission’s difficulty was lowered to Yellow Rank."

When the elder finished speaking, Shen Changqing asked, "What would I need to do?"

"If you accept this mission, it consists of two parts. First, you are to watch over the Trainee Demon Hunters as they complete their mission. You may intervene to protect them if their lives are in mortal danger. If all the Trainee Demon Hunters return safely, you will be awarded an additional two Merit Points. However, there’s a condition: unless Demon Evils appear that are beyond the scope of their mission, you must not help slay any Demon Evil. If you violate this, not only will you receive no Merit Points reward, but you will also be penalized two Merit Points," the elder explained at length, then continued.

"The second part of the mission requires you to investigate and confirm whether an Eternal Alliance Stronghold truly exists in Jincheng. Although the Heavenly Inspection Guard has strong intelligence capabilities, they lack combat strength, necessitating the support of a Demon Hunter. Completing this part will grant you three Merit Points. Combined with the first part, that’s a total of five Merit Points."

Hearing this, Shen Changqing understood the specific details of the mission. Immediately, other questions came to his mind.

"What if I were to eradicate the Eternal Alliance Stronghold?"