Chapter 27: Compulsory Mission

Early in the morning, such a huge commotion arose; on the mountain peak, Zhao Zhengping, who had just returned, also walked out of the cave dwelling with a puzzled look.

Looking down from above, he saw multiple streams of disciples forming a black torrent rushing down the mountain foot, his heart full of doubt.

At that moment, inside the cave dwellings on the left and right, Xu Jie, Liu Shuang, and Lu Youyou also rushed out.

「Damn it, are these guys up this early? 」

Compared to Zhao Zhengping's puzzlement, Xu Jie, seeing the situation, directly cursed aloud and then without hesitation rushed out.

Already a step behind, any further delay would surely mean missing breakfast; these damned fellows, do they not cultivate at all? Rushing to the dining hall this early, they're practically trying to work people to death.

On the other side, Liu Shuang and Lu Youyou were not willing to fall behind; almost at the same moment Xu Jie set off, the two girls also rushed out.

「Junior brother, junior sister............ 」

Just as he opened his mouth to greet them, in the blink of an eye Xu Jie and the others vanished; Zhao Zhengping watched this scene, standing there dumbfounded.

For a moment, he only felt that Divine Sword Peak was so unfamiliar, and these disciples—could they all have gone mad or what?

The sky had just begun to lighten; the dining hall's gate was still closed, yet outside it was already crowded with people.

A rough estimate put the number at over two thousand.

For a spot, everyone refused to yield to each other, yet quite consciously, no one disturbed Ye Zhangqing.

After waiting until the time, once Ye Zhangqing opened the courtyard gate, the line was already extremely long; leading the way were Hong Zun, Xu Jie, Lu Youyou, Liu Shuang, and others, followed behind by Qian Youcai.

There were also some newly arrived stewards or elders.

「Everyone, you all came quite early. 」

Smiling, he greeted everyone; in response, Xu Jie urged.

「It's not early anymore; we've waited half a Shíchén—can Junior Brother Ye Zhangqing start the meal? 」

Waited half a Shíchén? Hearing that, Ye Zhangqing's mouth twitched slightly—was it necessary to come so early?

But Xu Jie also had his difficulties; it's entirely because these guys are all fiercely competitive—if they didn't come early, they'd probably miss out on a spot.

Today's breakfast is a new dish: soup-filled buns with millet porridge.

【Soup-filled buns, consumption can slightly enhance Línglì.】

【Millet porridge, consumption can slightly cure hidden ailments.】

They still had special effects; as the disciples who secured seats ate the soup-filled buns one by one, the courtyard instantly filled with the sounds of inhaling and exhaling.

「So hot. 」

「Delicious. 」

「Refreshing. 」

One bite in, the rich broth burst in the mouth; that fresh flavor was in no way inferior to braised noodles.

Moreover, it can aid cultivation—absolutely superb.

They made a thousand servings of breakfast; those disciples who failed to get a spot, watching others eat, were longing with eyes strained.

This is a new dish, after all—they haven't tried it yet; smelling that rich aroma, their hearts felt like a cat's scratching.

「Senior brother, let me taste one, just one will do. 」

「Ah, okay, okay, but I have a mission to go out on today, and I can't easily get out of it; if I don't fill up on breakfast................ 」

「I'll go in place of senior brother. 」

「Good junior brother. 」

「Senior Brother Chen, after thinking it over, I believe you're someone worthy of trust, so I've agreed to become your dao partner—could you give me................ 」

「Oh, then let's talk after I finish eating. 」

「After eating, still talking nonsense. 」

For a bite of this food, many disciples went to great lengths; some managed to taste it, while others could only watch enviously from the side.

Meanwhile, Ye Zhangqing leaned against the kitchen door, watching the crowd wolfing down their food and full of envy.

A thousand servings of food is already Ye Zhangqing's limit; any more would be too exhausting.

So, Ye Zhangqing has decided that henceforth each meal will provide a thousand servings, first come, first served.

A thousand praises per meal, three meals a day, that's three thousand—this rate of increase is already not slow.

Just as the crowd wolfed down their breakfast, an Immortal Crane flew in from the horizon, without landing, and directly tossed a token into Ye Zhangqing's hand.

This is the token from the Main Peak Mission Hall; seeing it, Ye Zhangqing froze for a moment, then realized—damn, he'd forgotten to do this month's compulsory mission.

Disciples of the Dao Yi Sect, whether inner sect, outer sect, or menial disciples, have a compulsory mission each month, at least one to complete.

Completing missions also brings benefits: one can earn Sect Points to exchange for techniques, martial skills, elixirs, weapons, and so on.

Anyway, anything within the Dao Yi Sect can be exchanged for Sect Points, making them equivalent to the sect's internal circulating currency.

Ye Zhangqing had previously awakened the system, then been busy raising his cultivation, and thus forgot about the compulsory mission.

Now the time has passed, the Main Peak Mission Hall directly assigned Ye Zhangqing a mission, having the Immortal Crane deliver it, and this cannot be refused.

Activating the token, a light curtain appeared, and the mission's content also appeared before Ye Zhangqing.

It's not complicated, after all, menial disciples' missions are generally simple.

Not far from the Dao Yi Sect lies a small town called Joy Mountain Town; recently, a half-demon is said to have appeared there, and the mission requires investigating this matter clearly.

It is a one-star mission; do not kill it, but if one can slay it, according to that creature's cultivation, there will be a corresponding Sect Points reward.

The Dao Yi Sect's missions are ranked from low to high as five stars; a one-star mission is the most basic.

It appears to pose little danger, merely an inspection task, with the target being only a half-demon.

However, for menial disciples, the sect wouldn't assign overly difficult tasks; basically they are all one-star missions.

However, seeing the Mission Hall token in Ye Zhangqing's hand, many disciples present reacted strongly.

「Junior Brother Ye Zhangqing, you haven't done this month's compulsory mission yet? 」

Someone spoke up asking; hearing that, Ye Zhangqing laughed helplessly.

"Busy cooking every day, I forgot for a moment."

Hearing this, many disciples simultaneously had the same thought.

Junior Brother Ye Zhangqing has to go out on a mission, and it's an investigative one; going and coming back will take at least several days, which means they won't be able to eat Ye Zhangqing's cooking for several days?

Now nobody wants to do it.

But this compulsory task is after all a sect rule; not to mention menial disciples, even Xu Jie and Liu Shuang, who are inner disciples, must complete the compulsory task.

Gazes fell upon Ye Zhangqing, and no one knew who had said it.

"Junior Brother Ye Zhangqing, I'll go with you."

Junior Brother Ye Zhangqing is only at the Body Refining realm; going alone would inevitably delay things; if Outer Sect and Inner Door Disciples accompanied him, it would be much simpler.

Just a mere half-demon; not to mention scouting, even killing it outright is a matter of flipping a hand; by the time we finish it off quickly, it won't delay anyone's meal.

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately gained the support of many disciples.