Chapter 13 - First mission

"What brings you here today master?" Long Ren asks while sipping on his cup of water.

"Today, you will be taking on a mission from the Clan's Pagoda. You're almost rank 3 but you haven't even gone to the academy once! I don't understand how you can stay cooped up inside and not get bored but since you're showing progress, I've let you be, but you still need experience.

A cultivator who does not have experience can't really be called a real cultivator!"

Hearing Xing Lao's request, Long Ren can't really say no to it, as there's really no reason not to go on a mission. He was also already feeling quite stale just staying in his house most of the time, exercising around his compound, and all that.

Getting some fresh air and a new experience surely won't hurt. Right? Right…?

"Oh, and also, it's about time for you to choose your fighting style. As I've said before, I mainly use the double-edged sword to fight, but you can choose your weapon as you see fit. I will handle the rest."

After Xing Lao said his piece, they packed up their things and left for their clan's pagoda to look for some missions.

While on the road to the pagoda, both of them were attracting a lot of attention.

As expected of a world where the strong rule over the weak, everyone looked at Xing Lao with reverie and respect.

Most of the clan's cultivators recognize every high-ranking member of the clan (Long Ren not included) to show their respect and avoid any trouble should they accidentally meet them.

While everyone was looking at Xing Lao with respect, the same could not be said for Long Ren.

Humans are naturally jealous creature, and when they see someone they do not recognize receives something they thought only they were worthy of having, they'd look at the said person with jealousy.

Being the only personal disciple of a Grand Elder would produce many benefits, unattainable by most. Many benefits they were willing to steal from Long Ren.

But well, most of them don't have the guts to do anything, as it was pretty obvious what the consequences would be if they ever acted on their impulse.

As Long Ren had never gone out with Xing Lao before this past year, no one in the clan, bar some curious people, knows of his face and only knows of his dorm's location and name.

But now, most people know of Long Ren's face, so trouble might come, maybe. But that's a story for another day.

Reaching the mission section of the pagoda, Long Ren looked up at a part of the enormous mission board, the part for lower-ranked disciples, ranked 1 to 5.

[Collecting ten batches of rank 2 Shadowgrass in XX forest.]

[Wash Elder XY's pet Cannon Bull…]

[Hunt 10 Rank 1 Goblins' ear, tongue, and teeth…]

…

There are about 50 ranks 1 to 2 missions posted on the mission board, all of them having unique requests and rewards, most of them in the shape of Merit clan Points and the local world currency, Bronze and sometimes Silver coins.

(A/N: the standard 1000 bronze = 1 silver, 1000 silver = 1 gold, 1000 gold = 1 diamond…etc,)

After contemplating for a while, Long Ren decided to take the mission:

[Eliminate ordinary Bandit Group near Yan Mountain.

Recommended Rank 1, 2-man group

Rewards: 100 Merit Points

Difficulty: 1-Star]

After confirming with Xing Lao, Long Ren went to the center of the pagoda to accept the mission. A clan cultivator was managing the counter.

This is also one of the requests that can pop up on the mission board, to be a worker for the clan, and it's the most sought after as it is safe, and the rewards are usually higher than average.

The acceptance process went smoothly, and so they both started preparing for Long Ren's first mission.

The reason Long Ren accepted this mission is to train himself. To train himself for the cruel ways of this world. By accepting this mission, Long Ren had agreed to take human lives, something he had never thought of doing before.

But, as a certain space purple potato said before, It is inevitable.

Sooner or later, Long Ren will have to dirty his hands for various reasons, and he'd rather be prepared to do it when it matters than be wishy-washy and possibly endanger his life.

Xing Lao also knew Long Ren had never killed before, therefore this is the perfect mission for him.

As a rank 2, almost rank 3 cultivator, Long Ren is dozens of times stronger than the average human. Even steel weapons non-cultivators use won't be much of a danger for Long Ren.

Call it pride of cultivators if you will, but cultivators will never lose to non-cultivators 999 out of 1000 times. And the reason non-cultivators could even stand a chance is due to their numbers, but it only applies when the cultivator is lower ranked

Higher ranked cultivators can massacre hundreds, even thousands with but a flip of their hand. Such is the way of this cruel world. Mortal lives…they don't matter much.

Eliminating a group of ordinary bandits posed literally 0% chance of Long Ren dying.

"There's a black stone about this big, with this rune engraved onto it inside your treasure chest, take it and leave it in your storage ring. When your life is somehow in danger, it will directly produce a strong shield, releases my aura, and teleports you to a random safe location 10 km away. That should be enough to deter most from ever plotting against you ever again.

I won't be accompanying you tomorrow as that balding chin potato tasks me with some things to do. Good luck on your first mission, and may the StarForce be with you!" Xing Lao gave his piece and saluted, to which Long Ren saluted back, holding his cringe from showing on his face.

'I can never get used to this salute…ugh.' Long Ren smiled wryly while seeing Xing Lao's fleeting back. The balding chin potato Xing Lao was talking about was the Clan Master, Xing Ping.

He is called balding not because of his balding hairline, but because of his small, sorry excuse of a beard, said by Xing Lao himself.

Well, whose beard is better than whose is of no concern to Long Ren. He proceeds to go back to his home and took the teleportation runestone Xing Lao talks about.

Looking at the rune, Long Ren could feel massive amounts of spatial elements hovering around it. It is one of the better items Xing Lao provided for him. He took it out and several items, laid them on his futon and started cultivating.

After he is done, he took a long and quiet dip in the tub and prepared himself for his journey tomorrow. He felt slightly sick at just the thought of taking someone's life. But, he will not cower away, not now.

He cleared his thoughts and resolved himself even further, removing unnecessary thoughts about whether it is right or wrong. It is never wrong because if he's strong, then he's right, well, to an extent.

The fine line between right and wrong is very jumbled up in this messed up world.

Killing someone is OK, as long as they're of lower standing and power than you.

But killing someone to absorb their power is considered heresy…

Getting into a relationship with someone who could not think for themself yet is fine.

But getting into a relationship with someone below your standing is wrong.

Where does it start, and where does it stop.

Long Ren does not know, but what he does know is that he needed to dirty his hands with blood as soon as possible to live his serene and quiet life in this new, dangerous world.