Chapter 19: The Patrol Mission (1)

Sect Defense Mission.

Ever since the war with the Crimson Flame Sect had begun and other sects had entered the fray against the Black Desolation Sect, the sect had tightened its defenses. With so many forces seemingly eyeing them, the sect had issued numerous missions to its disciples to strengthen its defenses.

Unfortunately, things had not gone as planned. Most disciples were far more interested in participating in offensive operations than staying behind to guard the sect.

In the end, the sect had no choice but to begin issuing mandatory Sect Defense Missions.

Gu Yuan had hoped that his years of work at the forge would be counted as a contribution to the sect, making him exempt from being selected for such missions.

Clearly, he had been too optimistic.

After remaining silent for a moment, Gu Yuan said, "Senior Brother, I was planning to enter seclusion and break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm."

The Mission Hall disciple seemed to look at him in a new light after hearing this. After all, he was someone who had remained at the peak of Qi Refinement for years.

"Even if you break through, you’ll still have to complete the mission. But I can delay the date for you."

"Well, then please do that." Gu Yuan immediately agreed.

If he had to complete the mission regardless, it was obviously better to do so as a Foundation Establishment cultivator rather than someone at the peak of Qi Refinement.

...

Back at his house, Gu Yuan did not immediately begin cultivating.

Instead, he first checked his Spiritual Root.

After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, the Orb of Creation was supposed to begin enhancing it. The effect was subtle enough to go unnoticed from day to day, but nearly a year had now passed since his breakthrough, and the improvement had become apparent.

His cultivation speed had not doubled, but undoubtedly, it was faster.

That was naturally good news, but what Gu Yuan looked forward to even more was the day his Spiritual Root actually transformed and advanced to the First Grade.

That transformation would be far more important.

Unfortunately, it seemed he would still need quite some time before reaching that point. Gu Yuan wasn’t disappointed.

Steady progress was what mattered most.

He began cultivating, adjusting his routine to account for the fact that he would not go to the forge for some time. His days were now divided between cultivation and practicing the Heaven Rend Saber Technique.

During the day, he practiced his saber. At night, he cultivated.

Following this cycle, Gu Yuan spent an entire month in seclusion before he finally adjusted the cultivation realm displayed by the black jade ring from the peak of Qi Refinement to the First Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

After that, he returned to the Mission Hall and received the details of his assignment. As it turned out, it was a team mission to patrol the outer sect’s perimeter.

Gu Yuan’s expression darkened.

It might not seem like it, but patrol missions had one of the highest fatality rates among the sect’s defensive missions.

Why? Because no one was stupid enough to attack the Black Desolation Sect head-on through the sect gates. If an enemy intended to attack, they would usually find some way to infiltrate the sect first before making their move.

"Can I request a different mission?" Gu Yuan asked.

"No, you can’t. I already helped you once by delaying the date of your mission, and a second time by changing your position from an ordinary member to team leader."

The Mission Hall disciple was clearly unwilling to make any further concessions.

Gu Yuan exhaled slowly. He didn’t argue and simply nodded.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

With that, he made his way toward the designated gathering point.

"Fuck! Why are you so late?"

That was the greeting that welcomed him.

Looking at the irritated man who had shouted at him, Gu Yuan’s expression remaining unchanged. Instead of answering, he simply released his cultivation, allowing the pressure of the Foundation Establishment Realm to descend upon him.

As the team leader of this mission, he had no intention of allowing his team members to underestimate him or disregard his authority. It was better to set things straight from the very beginning.

The outer sect disciple, Xu Liang, immediately felt the weight of that pressure. His expression changed at once, and he quickly bowed.

"Please forgive me, Senior Brother!"

Xu Liang begged for mercy, and Bai Qing, who was standing nearby, couldn’t hold herself back any longer.

"Pfft, hahaha! That’s hilarious."

Gu Yuan remained silent. He simply withdrew his aura and stood there waiting.

His team consisted of four members besides himself, but one was still missing.

He didn’t have to wait long.

Before long, another man finally arrived.

He had an unkempt appearance and a gloomy aura that seemed almost at odds with the other outer sect disciples around him.

From his appearance and the first impression he gave, Gu Yuan expected Xu Liang to pick on him.

Yet Xu Liang remained silent... had he learned his lesson? While wondering about that, Gu Yuan carefully evaluated the final member of his team.

In terms of cultivation, the man was at the Seventh Stage of Qi Refinement, the same as Xu Liang.

But Gu Yuan was certain that the two were only equal in cultivation. In terms of actual strength, this man was the strongest among his three team members.

The killing intent hidden beneath his shabby appearance might have escaped the notice of others, but it did not escape Gu Yuan’s senses.

"I’m Gu Yuan. I have just reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, and I’m still an outer sect disciple like the rest of you. Even so, I’ll be leading this mission. Does anyone have any objections?"

He introduced himself clearly and waited.

"Naturally, no one has any objections," Bai Qing said with a smile, suddenly moving closer and clinging to his arm. "I mean, it’s only natural that the most handsome man should be the leader, right?"

Gu Yuan glanced down at her.

The moment she noticed his expression, Bai Qing coughed awkwardly and released his arm, taking a step back.

With that settled, the team of four, led by Gu Yuan, began patrolling the perimeter of the outer sect.

Gu Yuan remained careful throughout the patrol. Even though everything around them appeared calm and peaceful, he never allowed himself to lower his guard. They were responsible for watching over the outer perimeter of the sect, and that meant a moment of carelessness could cost them their lives.

The day passed quietly.

The only sounds breaking the silence were Bai Qing’s occasional chatter and Xu Liang’s increasingly irritated grumbling whenever he told her to shut up.

Eventually, Gu Yuan stopped beneath a tree.

"Let’s rest here for a while before we continue."

He sat down and closed his eyes, immediately beginning to meditate.

He had barely settled into his cultivation when he sensed someone approaching.

Gu Yuan opened his eyes.

Bai Qing was standing in front of him, with upper body lowered, and her full breasts dangling as she deliberately displayed the deep valley between them.

"Senior Brother Gu~ do you want me to help you relax?" she asked in a coquettish voice.

"No. Get the fuck away."

His answer was so cold and direct that Bai Qing’s smile froze.

"I-I understand..."

She quickly retreated.

Gu Yuan closed his eyes again and returned to his meditation. But only moments later, his expression changed. He opened his eyes and turned his gaze to the side.

He couldn’t see through the bushes, but through his senses and the sounds coming, the situation was obvious... those three were doing it together.

Gu Yuan’s expression darkened.

He was disgusted by the whole thing and immediately considered blocking his senses. Unfortunately, they were still on a patrol mission. He could not afford to cut himself off from his surroundings, not when an enemy could potentially appear at any moment.

Nor could he simply order them to stop. This was the Black Desolation Sect, after all. Such behavior between disciples was hardly unusual.

So Gu Yuan could only sit beneath the tree, maintaining his meditation while trying his best to ignore the sounds of Bai Qing being taken by the other two.

It was proving considerably harder than he had expected.