Chapter 329 - 55: Accepting the Mission

Chapter 329: Chapter 55: Accepting the Mission

Chen Ye read through the missions one by one, an almost imperceptible frown creasing his brow. These Yellow Level missions were clearly meant for new disciples to gain experience, and all the rewards were pitifully low.

Thus, Chen Ye turned his attention to the missions labeled as Profound Level.

"Profound Level Middle Grade Mission: Clear the reef area west of Black Water Lake of the mutated ’Water Scale Demons.’ Reward: 100 Contribution Points."

"Profound Level Low Grade Mission: Venture into the lakebed caverns and map the distribution of ’Fluorescent Mushrooms.’ Reward: 95 Contribution Points."

"Profound Level Middle Grade Mission: Investigate the ’Ghost Ship’ sightings. Reward: 120 Contribution Points."

Chen Ye’s Divine Thought swept slowly over the Merit Hall’s glowing screen, finally settling on the mission involving the Water Scale Demons.

One hundred Contribution Points.

The number wasn’t particularly high, but it wasn’t low, either. It was, at the very least, more than ten times better than those Yellow Level missions.

More importantly, the mission was located in Black Water Lake, which was practically his home turf. He could advance or retreat at will. Even if an unexpected situation arose, his familiarity with these waters would make escape easy.

Furthermore, the mission involved hunting a Demon Beast, which was the perfect opportunity to test his current strength.

He had returned from the Sword Dao Realm and broken through three successive realms in a single night. Although he could feel the immense surge in his power, he had yet to test it in actual combat.

This group of Water Scale Demons would serve as the perfect whetstone for him.

Having made up his mind, Chen Ye withdrew his Divine Thought from the Jade Scroll with a mental flicker. He opened his eyes and looked at Li Qingyan, who stood respectfully to the side, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

"Use your Identity to accept this mission," Chen Ye said, pointing to the task he had just selected.

Li Qingyan followed his gaze, and her face instantly paled when she saw the three words: Water Scale Demon.

"Master, these... these Water Scale Demons..."

"What? Is there a problem?" Chen Ye shot her a look.

His gaze made Li Qingyan’s heart tremble. She quickly lowered her head but still forced herself to explain, "Master, a single Water Scale Demon isn’t strong—its power is roughly equivalent to a Qi Nourishing Early Stage Cultivator. But they always travel in packs, numbering from dozens to hundreds, or even thousands."

"Once they form a large group, they become incredibly difficult to handle. There are records of casualties even among teams of disciples who attempted to exterminate them in the past. Given your current Cultivation, isn’t facing them a bit too risky?"

Her words weren’t born entirely of concern, but more so of fear.

Her life was now bound to Chen Ye’s. If he were to die, the Enslavement Brand on her Divine Spirit would activate, and she would surely die as well.

She had just barely managed to escape the vortex of the Sect’s internal strife with her life intact; she had no intention of dying now for some unknown reason.

Chen Ye naturally saw her fear, but he offered no explanation.

’There was no point in saying more about certain things. Once he acted, she would understand.’

"This is my decision. You only need to carry it out," Chen Ye’s tone left no room for argument. "Or do you believe you have the right to question me?"

Li Qingyan trembled. "I wouldn’t dare! I was merely concerned for your safety, Master. Since you are confident, I will do as you command."

"Very good." Chen Ye nodded. "Go prepare a boat—the fastest and best one available. Also, compile all the intelligence you have on the Water Scale Demons and bring it to me."

"Yes, Master!" Li Qingyan didn’t dare waste another word. She immediately accepted the mission with the Jade Scroll, then bowed and withdrew, scurrying off to prepare the boat and the requested materials.

As he watched her retreating figure, Chen Ye’s expression was as calm as still water.

’He had his reasons for wanting to use Li Qingyan’s Identity to accept the mission.’

’First, his current Identity was that of the Sinful People, which meant he wasn’t qualified to accept Sect missions at all.’

’Second, he didn’t want to attract the attention of the Blood Lotus Sect yet. After all, one of the Sinful People with no background suddenly displaying a Talent for Cultivation and possessing strength far beyond the norm would be far too conspicuous. It would inevitably attract unwanted trouble and scrutiny.’

’And he had far too many secrets, none of which could withstand close examination.’

’Using Li Qingyan’s Identity, however, made things much more manageable.’

’She was originally an Inner Sect Disciple of the Blood Lotus Sect, and although she had been demoted, her Identity was still valid.’

’Having her accept missions and redeem resources would make everything seem perfectly reasonable. Meanwhile, he could remain perfectly hidden behind the scenes, quietly amassing a fortune.’

’It wouldn’t be too late to step into the limelight once he was powerful enough.’

’This was the most prudent and safest strategy.’

Before long, Li Qingyan returned.

She was highly efficient. She had not only prepared a fast boat but had also brought back a detailed report on the Water Scale Demons.

"Master, the boat is ready, and we can depart at any time. Here is the information you requested," Li Qingyan said, handing a Jade Scroll to Chen Ye.

Chen Ye accepted the Jade Scroll and sent his Divine Thought inside, quickly scanning its contents.

The information in the Jade Scroll was incredibly detailed, covering everything from the Water Scale Demons’ appearance, habits, and weaknesses to their likely habitats and past battle records.

"Mutated Water Demon: Violent temperament, with tough scales and sharp claws and fangs. Carries a water-based poison. Unaffected by ordinary Swords and Sabers. Its weakness is a Reversed Scale located three inches below its abdomen..."

"Gregarious, possesses rudimentary intelligence. Known to use their numerical superiority to form an Array. The core of the Array is typically the largest member of the pack with the densest Demon Qi—the Demon King..."

"Prefers to eat flesh and blood. Extremely sensitive to the aura of living creatures..."

Chen Ye read through each entry, his confidence growing.

These Water Scale Demons certainly sounded more troublesome than ordinary Demon Beasts, but to him, they didn’t constitute a genuine threat.

While his Divine-Seeing Grandmaster physique couldn’t be said to be impervious to all poisons, it could at least grant him immunity to most of them.