Chapter 460: Accepting the First Mission

Arriving at the mission office, Lu Sangjiu browsed through the tasks that no one had accepted yet.

Most of them required materials from the bodies of demon beasts.

However, there were many types of demon beasts she had never heard of; they were probably unique to the Immortal Spirit Realm.

She chose a mission that matched her level and accepted it, planning to earn some Spirit Stones first.

It was a mission posted by a small team recruiting an offensive-type Earth Immortal to hunt a Weaving Flame Beast together. The team already had three people and needed one more Earth Immortal to be more confident.

The mission offered a down payment of ten top-grade spiritual stones, with the remaining ten to be paid upon success.

Twenty stones for one mission. The location wasn’t far, and the trip would only take about two or three days. It seemed quite reasonable.

After accepting the mission, Lu Sangjiu quickly met the team leader.

He was an Earth Immortal who looked like a middle-aged man. He sized Lu Sangjiu up and seemed relatively satisfied, so he introduced himself, "My name is Xue Rang. I’m an Earth Immortal Level Sword Cultivator."

Lu Sangjiu, currently disguised as a young male cultivator in the other’s eyes, replied politely, "My name is Lu Xin. I’m an Earth Immortal and a Magic Cultivator."

Xue Rang nodded. "We have two other companions. Let’s all meet and discuss things. If there are no issues, we can set out tomorrow."

Subsequently, Lu Sangjiu met the other two members of the team, a man and a woman.

The man’s name was Feng Yulin, a Medical Cultivator.

The woman’s name was Fang Ling’er, a Beast Tamer.

"The fire poison of the Weaving Flame Beast is very potent. Having Mr. Feng here ensures our safety. Ling’er, on the other hand, understands the habits of various demon beasts. If we unexpectedly encounter other demon beasts, we’ll be better able to handle them with her around."

After speaking, Xue Rang pointed to himself. "As for me, I’m a Sword Cultivator, so I’ll be the main damage dealer."

"Mr. Feng and Ling’er aren’t strong in combat, so to be safe, we need one more person to coordinate with me. Mr. Lu, you should be up to the task, right?"

Lu Sangjiu nodded calmly. "I am."

’Hmm... I should be, right?’

To be honest, having just arrived in the Immortal Spirit Realm, Lu Sangjiu was not yet familiar with anything here. She had never fought anyone, so she didn’t have a good grasp of her own abilities.

But since she needed to earn a living right now, she had to say yes whether she could do it or not. And she had to say it firmly, without letting anyone see her lack of confidence.

The two parties quickly reached an agreement and arranged to meet at the city gate the next morning to depart.

Lu Sangjiu had sold off most of her belongings. Now she had to go restock on some Elixir Pills and talismans suitable for her level.

She went in with a net worth of twenty-three top-grade spiritual stones and came out with only ten left.

’Sigh... I’m getting poorer and poorer. I really miss the days when I wasn’t short on money.’

’But it’s fine. As long as I work hard, I’ll be able to earn Spirit Stones!’

Constantly hyping herself up, Lu Sangjiu returned to the inn and cultivated all night. After consuming half of the ten top-grade spiritual stones in her possession, the sky finally brightened.

’This is... absurd. Is my cultivation really this wasteful with Spirit Stones now?’

Staring at the pathetic five top-grade spiritual stones in her hand, Lu Sangjiu suddenly felt that trying to support herself by taking missions seemed rather unrealistic...

But she had already accepted the mission, and she wasn’t one to go back on her word, so she still went to the city gate as agreed to wait for the others.

After meeting Xue Rang and the others, she finally received her payment of ten top-grade spiritual stones, bringing her total back up to fifteen. She felt a small sense of relief.

Weaving Flame Beasts often appeared near volcanic lava, so their destination was a volcano.

The journey wasn’t too long. Half a day of Sword Flight brought them to the foot of the volcano.

As soon as she arrived, Lu Sangjiu felt the temperature rise. The lower half of the mountain was a normal forest, but the upper half was completely bare, with no vegetation.

The Weaving Flame Beasts lived on the upper half.

At the foot of the mountain, Lu Sangjiu saw other cultivators coming and going, but everyone wore a cold expression, wishing they could be a million miles away from each other. No one initiated any conversation.

So, Lu Sangjiu could only follow obediently behind the three of them, speaking little and listening much, trying to learn as much as she could about this world.

The group used Sword Control to fly directly to the upper half of the mountain. The moment they landed, they felt the scorching heat rising from the ground.

It forced all of them to raise their protective shields to block out the heat.

"Besides the Weaving Flame Beast, other demon beasts like to live in this kind of place. If you see one, don’t attack rashly. Wait for my command to decide whether to engage."

"Otherwise, if you rashly provoke a High-level Demon Beast, you won’t even know what killed you."

Lu Sangjiu nodded in agreement. The group then proceeded cautiously, searching for any sign of a Weaving Flame Beast.

Soon, they discovered their first demon beast: a Fire Eagle.

Its Level was comparable to an Earth Immortal cultivator. It was a solitary demon beast, so it was safe to attack.

After Fang Ling’er gave her assessment, Xue Rang decisively issued the command, "Prepare to attack!"

This was Lu Sangjiu’s first time fighting since her Demonic Qi and Spiritual Energy had merged. She had some trouble controlling her strength.

Moreover, she was a little afraid of others discovering her uniqueness, so she held back her power somewhat when she attacked.

After a few attacks, her blows seemed somewhat weak and ineffective, causing Xue Rang and the others to glance at her frequently.

Lu Sangjiu felt a little awkward. After the Fire Eagle was surrounded and killed, she could only apologize, "Sorry... It seems I didn’t contribute much."

Xue Rang said with a stern face, "Mr. Lu, you’re getting paid to do a job. Slacking off like this isn’t good."

"This time it was just a Fire Eagle. Next time, if we encounter a more powerful demon beast, you could get everyone killed!"

This was the first time Lu Sangjiu had been so seriously accused of holding the team back, and she felt genuinely embarrassed.

But she couldn’t just say she was afraid to go all out, so she could only apologize awkwardly, "Sorry, I’ll try harder next time!"

’Right. Next time, I’ll know I can unleash a bit more power!’

That was what she was thinking, unaware that the other three were currently conversing via Divine Sense.

Fang Ling’er: "He doesn’t seem very capable."

Feng Yulin: "Could he be hiding his strength?"

Fang Ling’er: "That’s not how you hide your strength. Xue Rang scolded him so harshly, and he didn’t even dare to talk back."

Xue Rang: "And... I’ve been observing him. He seems very cautious, constantly surveying his surroundings. His demeanor is a bit like someone who just ascended from a Lower Realm."

"From a Lower Realm?" Fang Ling’er’s tone immediately relaxed. "Then we have even less to worry about. Cultivators from the Lower Realms generally don’t have any powerful Cultivation Techniques. They’ve just ascended and can’t keep up with anything. They’re very easy to deal with."

Xue Rang grunted in agreement. "Then it’s decided. When we encounter the next demon beast, we’ll launch a sneak attack on him during the fight."

Feng Yulin: "No problem. He should have some treasures on him. I’m really looking forward to it!"