Chapter 305: Fire Li Sect Branch Hall Remnant
Suddenly, Xiao Chen’s gaze focused on a particular contract. This Black Rank contract was clearly different from the others.
Behind the black heading, there were an additional five black stars. The five stars indicated the difficulty of the mission. Within Black Rank missions, this was the highest.
The hardest difficulty mission Xiao Chen had done in the past two months was only three stars. These missions required Xiao Chen to use seventy percent of his strength before completing them with difficulty.
However, the reward for a five-star mission was very generous. It was three thousand contribution points.
What attracted Xiao Chen’s gaze was the name of the requester on the contract. It was Duanmu Qing from the Dongming Province’s Duanmu Clan!
The contents of the mission were not clearly explained. It only stated that it was an escort mission and requested a cultivator below Martial King.
Back when Xiao Chen first saw this mission, he did not hesitate and immediately took it.
Whether it be the reward or the mission’s requester, Xiao Chen was very interested in them. With the Duanmu Clan’s strength, they actually needed to make a request from the Heavenly Saber Pavilion. This escort mission was definitely not simple.
Furthermore, the condition of this request was interesting. The person who took the mission could not be a Martial King or above.
Xiao Chen figured out the implication very quickly. The destination of the escort must have a barrier preventing Martial Kings and above from entering.
“This is interesting. This mission might contain an unexpected surprise.” Xiao Chen properly set aside the contract and smiled faintly. He said, “I should rest for a night and continue my journey tomorrow.”
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Dongming Province, Sishui Prefecture’s Capital City, Duanmu Clan, Main Official Courtyard:
As one of Dongming Province’s two great Noble Clans, the Duanmu Clan’s residence took up several hundred hectares of land, of which there were numerous pavilions and courtyards.
At this moment, an ice-cold girl sat on a wooden chair in the main hall. Her gaze was incredibly frosty; just one look would cause one to feel chilled to their bones. This was the Duanmu Clan’s Queen—Duanmu Qing.
Occasionally, a servant would rush in. These people did not dare slight Duanmu Qing at all. The moment they arrived, they immediately kneeled on the ground.
“Reporting to Miss, Ji Changkong of the Nanling Province’s Ji Clan has arrived. He is waiting in the front yard.”
“Hua Yunfei of the Dongming Province’s Hua Clan has arrived. He is waiting in the front yard.”
“Chu Chaoyun, First Disciple of the Misty Sword Sect has arrived. He is also waiting in the front yard.”
“Mu Yanxue, Second Disciple of the Night Spirit Palace has arrived. She is waiting in the front yard.”
“Ying Xiao, Royal Clan’s Guiyi Marquis has arrived. He is also waiting in the front yard.”
There was a total of ten people reporting before they came to a stop.
Each name reported was a name of great influence the Great Qin Nation. They were the people with outstanding talent within the younger generation. Today, they were all actually gathered at the Duanmu Noble Clan.
If an outsider knew of such a situation, he would definitely be greatly startled. He would wonder what was going on? The Duanmu Clan actually gathered all the young geniuses within the Great Qin Nation.
Duanmu Qing slowly stood and asked, “Aside from Mu Chengxue, who is in closed-door training; is there anyone who has not arrived?”
A middle-aged woman at the side of the hall said, “Aside from him, only the Heavenly Saber Pavilion’s Murong Chong remains. Furthermore, I have heard that the Heavenly Saber Pavilion has treated our invitation as a mission and distributed it out, treating it as nothing.”
Duanmu Qing’s expression did not change. She said indifferently, “There is no need to bother; Murong Chong has already left the Heavenly Sabet Pavilion. They are probably not able to send anyone decent. They likely intend to send someone over casually.”
After Duanmu Qing spoke, she took a few women with high cultivations and headed for the front yard.
Before Duanmu Qing reached the front yard, she felt several strong auras rushing into the sky, not giving way to each other. They participated in an invisible battle in the sky; the sky even changed colors.
The people who had arrived were all outstanding talents. Naturally, they would not allow others to suppress them. They released these auras deliberately.
A hundred people sat in the front yard, separated into different corners. The people from Dongming Province sat in one corner; the people from Nanling Province took a different corner, as did the people from Xihe Province. Finally, the people from the Royal Courts took another corner.
Of the hundred people, the weakest was a Superior Grade Martial Saint. Of which, many had comprehended states. They could easily kill a regular Martial King.
It was very silent in the front yard. However, there were many hidden conflicts under this silence. All of the heirs of the noble clans measured their opponents.
“Dong! Dong! Dong!”
The sound of footsteps echoed; it was Duanmu Qing walking in. The woman beside her revealed a smile and said in a soft voice, “Thank you, everyone, for giving the Duanmu Clan face and coming as agreed.”
A young man in purple robes, sitting in the south end of the front yard, laughed strangely twice. He said, somewhat disrespectful, “Haha, I am not showing the Duanmu Clan face; I am merely here for my own fortuitous encounter.
“Cut the crap! Duanmu Qing, tell us what exactly is going on with the Fire Li Sect Branch Hall Remnant. Tell us all clearly; I believe everyone here today is here for their fortuitous encounters.”
[TL note: Fire Li Sect: The Li here refers to a particular direction of the Eight Trigrams. The attribute of Li is fire.]
The person who spoke was Sun Wei. He was the heir of the Sun Clan, one of Nanling Province’s two noble clans. He was quite strong, but Mu Chengxue and Ji Changkong’s fame suppressed his own. Hence, few knew about him.
Given what Sun Wei said, it was not strange for Duanmu Qing to be able to gather all these outstanding people of the Great Qin Nation. So, it was the temptation of a fortuitous encounter.
In the situation of all these geniuses having the same starting line, the number of fortuitous encounters they had would affect how far they could go, whether they could stand out from the crowd.
There were many people here who had experienced fortuitous encounters. The benefits they had received were unforgettable. It was impossible for them not to show up, even if they did not want to.
According to stories, the Fire Li Sect was the last sect that knew how to make a complete Secret Treasure after the Tianwu Dynasty collapsed. Then, it mysteriously vanished from the river of time,
Not to mention finding the method to forge Secret Treasures, simply just finding a few-high grade Secret Treasures would raise their strength significantly.
Other than that, they might even find the unique Martial Techniques of the Fire Li Sect. This would greatly raise their strength. Ten thousand years ago, the Fire Li Sect’s existence was greater than the Holy Lands. The Martial Techniques of that sect would not be simple.
Duanmu Qing looked coldly at Sun Wei, immediately chilling him. Then, she said indifferently, “When everyone is here, naturally, I will speak about it.”
This look flustered Sun Wei. He quickly circulated his Essence and force that chill from his heart.
Ji Changkong, who was not far away, said, “Who else has not arrived yet? The Heavenly Saber Pavilion’s Murong Chong?”
A servant ran in quickly and said, “Reporting to First Miss, the Heavenly Saber Pavilion’s representative has arrived.”
Duanmu Qing said softly, “Invite him in.”
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After arriving at the Duanmu Noble Clan’s residence, Xiao Chen handed over his mission contract. Soon, he was led into the residence. From a far distance, Xiao Chen could feel all sorts of auras clashing in the front yard.
While Xiao Chen waited, he sent out his Spiritual Sense like a wave. Everyone in the front yard appeared in his mind immediately.
Xiao Chen withdrew his Spiritual Sense and smiled, “Guiyi Marquis, Ji Changkong, Hua Yunfei, Duanmu Qing, Chu Chaoyun, Mu Yanxue…there is so many familiar people here.”
Aside from these people, Xiao Chen was also surprised to see Yun Kexin here. Other than them, he did not recognize the others. However, based on their uniforms, he could guess who they were. If they were not from the three great sects, they were from the noble clans. Everyone here was, at the very least, a Superior Grade Martial Saint.
Every disciple of the noble clan brought two or three subordinates. This mission is probably different from what I imagined. It is definitely not a simple escort mission.
Xiao Chen collected his thought and smiled. Let’s take it step by step. I will just adapt as the situation changes. I can use this opportunity to understand their strengths better.
Without waiting for too long, the person who led Xiao Chen in passed on Duanmu Qing’s words, “Young Master Ye, the First Miss invites you in.”
Xiao Chen nodded and calmed his emotions. Then he slowly walked in.
“Xiu!”
The moment Xiao Chen stepped in, he felt countless gazes fired at him. Some gazes were that of disdain, some of misgivings, and some were of undisguised mockery.
Xiao Chen maintained a calm expression and looked at everyone’s faces. He did not discover any strange expression on Ji Changkong and the rest, so he relaxed.
However, Chu Chaoyun’s reaction somewhat surprised him. He took a glance at him and ignored him. Then, he closed his eyes and rested.
When Xiao Chen felt Yun Kexin’s gaze, he nodded at her slightly. He discovered that her cultivation had broken through to Superior Grade Martial Saint in a short period.
It looked like Yun Kexin had already fully comprehended the Roaming Dragon Incantation.
Suddenly, from within the crowd, Sun Wei laughed loudly. He pointed at Xiao Chen and said, “What a joke. Duanmu Qing, you made us wait for so long for this trash? He is just a Medial Grade Martial Saint. How can he be fit to fight for a fortuitous encounter with us?”
Duanmu Qing was also mildly surprised. She did not expect the Heavenly Saber Pavilion to be so half-hearted. Even if Murong Chong did not come, it should not be difficult for them to send a peak Superior Grade Martial Saint.
“In the Heavenly Saber Pavilion, aside from Murong Chong, where can you find a worthwhile opponent? Just go back to where you came from,” Only of the Royal Clan disciples from the Royal Courts mocked.
Dongming Province’s Hua Yunfei also laughed coldly, “Just a Medial Grade Martial Saint. Even if he went, he would just go to die. Duanmu Qing, you can’t be inviting such a person, right?”
The matter of Xiao Chen defeating Murong Chong was only known to some people in the Xihe Province. Word had not spread on a large scale yet.
Of those present, aside from the Shi Clan’s Shi Feng, Mu Yanxue, Yun Kexin, and some others, no one knew Xiao Chen’s true strength.
However, when they saw these people mocking Xiao Chen, they said nothing. They simply remained quiet and watched the situation unfold.
Sun Wei revealed a grim expression and said in a low voice, “You are still not scramming? In that case, don’t blame me for making a move.”
“Sou!”
A strong wind blew violently in the front yard, causing all the fallen leaves to fly into the air. Sun Wei leaped up and passed through countless fallen leaves, sending a punch towards Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen maintained an extremely calm expression. There was neither joy nor grief in his heart. He saw Sun Wei flying at him quickly and casually waved his hand.
All the lightning-attributed Spiritual Energy in the air immediately gathered into a ball of blazing purple fire. It appeared from nowhere and shot towards Sun Wei.