Chapter 6: Silver-Level Mission

The entire Heavenly Ultimate Hall resembled a small city, with all the amenities such as restaurants and even martial techniques for sale, especially the basic ones. Titus arrived at a weapons shop. "Do you need anything?" The shopkeeper greeted him immediately. "I want to buy a blade," Titus said. "Please follow me, guest. We have some excellent blades inside," the shopkeeper cordially invited him, leading Titus into the shop where various types of blades were displayed. Titus scanned the blades and shook his head at each one. They were all quite ordinary. Seeing Titus's expression, the shopkeeper couldn't help but say, "Guest, aren't you satisfied with these blades? Please wait a moment. I'll get you a better one." With that, the shopkeeper went inside and returned with a long sword. This sword had a deep blue hue throughout its body, and Titus recognized it as being made of high-quality tempered iron. The workmanship was decent, and it had good flexibility, making it an upper-class weapon among ordinary ones. Of course, it was far from being a spiritual weapon. Spiritual weapons were extremely rare to find, and even when they were available, their prices were exorbitant, making them unaffordable for most martial cultivators. After receiving the sword and weighing it in his hand, Titus found it suitable and couldn't help but ask, "How much is it?" "Twenty gold coins, non-negotiable," the shopkeeper replied. "So expensive..." Titus furrowed his brow slightly, but finally took out twenty gold coins to buy the sword. Looking at the remaining six silver coins in his bag, Titus sighed. The martial arts cultivation path required not only considerable talent, but also a considerable amount of wealth. Without money, one couldn't even afford a decent weapon. Titus sheathed the tempered iron sword and walked out of the shop. At that moment, a young girl in azure attire approached. “Xenos, what brings you here?” The girl in azure, upon seeing Titus, expressed her surprise and delight. “It’s been a while, junior Yates,” Titus greeted her with a smile. The girl, named Raelyn Yates, joined the Heavenly Ultimate Hall a year after Titus. She had journeyed with him on several missions before, so they shared a good rapport. “Xenos, you’ve entered the Inner Sect. How is it there?” Raelyn asked curiously. “I’m not in the Inner Sect anymore. I’ve returned to the Heavenly Ultimate Hall,” replied Titus. “Returned to the Heavenly Ultimate Hall?” Raelyn was initially puzzled, but as she noticed the attire of the Heavenly Ultimate Hall’s Outer Sect that Titus was wearing, she was taken aback. When she sensed Titus’s faint Sea of Qi aura and saw that his cultivation was only at the Seventh Level of Qi Refining Stage, she surmised what had befallen him. Usually, when Inner Sect disciples return to the Outer Sect, it’s because they’ve been crippled in a conflict with others. “Xenos, who was so cruel to you? Tell me, and when I join the Inner Sect, I will avenge you,” Raelyn said, filled with righteous indignation. “No need, I will avenge myself,” Titus replied, shaking his head. Raelyn wanted to say more, but seeing the determination in Titus’s face, she knew better than to press further. She was aware of Xenos’s stubborn nature; he wouldn’t divulge anything if he didn’t wish to. “Xenos, if there’s anything I can help you with, just ask,” Raelyn offered. “Thank you. I’ll let you know if there’s a need,” Titus nodded. Just then, a voice called out from behind, “Jenior Yates, we need to get going. We don’t have time to waste here.” Three Outer Sect disciples were standing there, all with substantial cultivation levels, the weakest being at the Eighth Level of Qi Refining Stage, with the leader even at the peak of this stage. “Senior Gunner, we’re short one person for our mission. How about asking Xenos to join us?” Raelyn quickly suggested to the young man at the peak of the Eighth Level of Qi Refining Stage. The mission’s reward was substantial, and Raelyn hoped that by including Titus, he could earn a share, which could be used to procure healing elixirs to speed up his recovery. “Yates, if you want to invite someone else, I have no objections. But to bring a cripple for this escort mission, I’d advise against it,” Gunner said coldly, casting a disdainful glance at Titus. “The once-fifth ranked Titus of Heavenly Ultimate Hall, now reduced to such a pitiable state.” “I won’t allow you to speak of Xenos that way!” Raelyn defended him. “Yates, let’s not be rash. Go on without me. I don’t want to hold you back,” Titus interjected. “If Xenos isn’t going, then I’ll give up the mission,” Raelyn said resolutely. “Yates, don’t be foolish. This is a Silver level mission. If we give it up, we might not get such an opportunity again,” Gunner urged anxiously. Missions from the Heavenly Ultimate Hall were scarce; only a few hundred were issued each month, mostly Bronze level. These were snapped up instantly upon release. If even Bronze level missions are like this, not to mention the rare Silver level missions. Titus was surprised to learn that Raelyn had secured such a mission, recalling that in his three years at the Heavenly Ultimate Hall, he had only heard of Silver level missions being issued four times. “Senior Huo, let’s just include Xenos. We’re short one person anyway,” a slightly plump Outer Sect disciple suggested. “An extra hand won’t help much, but it won’t slow us down either,” another older female disciple added. Gunner gave a disdainful snort and didn't pay any further attention to Titus, merely casting a disgruntled glance in his direction. “Xenos, this is senior Isaac Lee, and this is senior Zoey Brooke," Raelyn cheerfully introduced the other two Outer Sect disciples to Titus. Titus nodded slightly. Isaac and Zoey also nodded in greeting. Although it was their first time meeting Titus, they had heard of his name. Titus, who had once ranked fifth among the Outer Sect disciples of the Heavenly Ultimate Hall and recently entered the Inner Sect, only to be expelled and return to the Outer Sect, had gained some reputation. Isaac and Zoey felt sympathetic toward Titus for his recent experiences. “The mission I’ve taken is simple. We just need to travel to Red Moon Camp, a hundred miles away, and bring back a prepared carriage and goods within twenty-four hours. The reward is 20,000 Sect contribution points, which we’ll split equally,” Raelyn explained. "20,000 contribution points? That's a lot!" Titus looked surprised. He had taken copper-grade missions in the past, but those typically offered no more than five or six hundred contribution points. Earning two to three thousand contribution points in a year was considered quite good. This was based on Titus's previous status as the fifth level Outer Sect disciple of the Heavenly Ultimate Hall. For other disciples, they wouldn't even have the chance to earn that many contribution points. Silver-grade missions indeed came with generous rewards. It was no wonder Outer Sect disciples were all trying to find ways to obtain them. “Although the reward is generous, the journey to and from Red Moon Camp requires us to pass through the Cloud Mist Mountains, known for its magically transformed beasts. We must be cautious,” Raelyn added. “Why bother explaining? In case of trouble, he won’t be of any help and might even slow us down. Let’s not waste more time and get going,” Gunner said impatiently. Despite Gunner’s arrogant and disrespectful demeanor, his high cultivation level made him crucial in case of any trouble. To ensure the success of the Silver level mission, Raelyn and the others chose not to argue with Gunner.