The Mission Center

After setting the mission to fuse the two techniques, three days have passed, now considering that it was past midnight— four days have passed. Ja Sun had his moment of loss in composure and every time, it will be because of an S-rank mission. If possible, he would be willing to go to the extreme to accomplish it.

But what now?

He could use the two techniques simultaneously, but he realized that the external and internal shock forces generated by the two techniques cancel each other out eventually. The mix of the technique was only as good as a massaging technique.

"Troubled?" Ah Yin didn't open her eyes. She sat on the luxurious crimson bed and inquired calmly.

"At least, you're progressing," Ja Sun mumbled, slightly envious. Ah Yin did reveal the strange situation when she focused on blue silver grass. It actually refined her perception and control which assisted in gaining more control over her attacks.

Opening her eyes, she looked at Ja Sun for a moment and stood up.

"Let's practice. I've had enough cultivation for the day."

"Oh, great! Pity training," Ja Sun rolled his eyes but he still stood up and explained, "I'm trying to mix two techniques. One produces external shock waves, and the other produces internal shock waves. I could really use a sparring partner but the effects of the technique are not known."

"Hmm, understood," Ah Yin entered into a fighting stance. Seeing this, Ja Sun spoke up, "I will use spirit energy only over my hands. Meanwhile, you can use spirit energy to protect your body."

"I'll act when I need to," Ah Yin replied coolly and Ja Sun slowly walked forwards. Entering into his usual stance in front of Ah Yin, he suddenly struck forwards. Instead of palm, he had his index and middle finger extended and he struck a point over the back of her hand.

Ah Yin failed to feel anything but still remained cautious and began dodging Ja Sun's blow and at times counter-attacking. Despite her lack of expertise in close combat techniques, Ah Yin wasn't a stranger to fistfights and could hold her own. After all, this was a spar without Ja Sun going for the vitals or Ah Yin striking with her Martial Soul.

*Thud*

*Thud*

*Thud*

They continued to fight while locking gazes with each other. Knowing that he wasn't getting anywhere, Ja Sun momentarily forgot about the mission and focused on the reward of his past year in front of him. From a cold and reluctant individual to a warm and extremely petty individual, in Ja Sun's eyes, Ah Yin's response to his existence had simply developed too greatly.

Ah Yin raised her hand, unintentionally giving Ja Sun an opening and he instantly knocked a few points down the length of her palm. Instantly, Ja Sun's and Ah Yin's eyes widened simultaneously.

Both of them stopped.

At the next moment, Ah Yin rushed to the washroom and in the next few breaths, the sound of her vomiting echoed. Meanwhile, Ja Sun gazed at his hands. He didn't achieve the fusion of the technique, of course. But the moment he struck the first time, his external and Ah Yin's internal shock force bursted simultaneously!

'I have been trying to balance the two shock forces and as result... it cancels out... but this path seems even more overbearing. Causing both the shock to burst at once. Of course, it's not possible right from the start. Internal shock needs to be guided to the desired location carefully and then...

Bam!'

Ja Sun's eyes glittered.

*Uwoooghhhhh!*

Ah Yin didn't seem to share the sentiment.

"Hurry up! I want to practice more!" Ja Sun shouted impatiently as Ah Yin gritted her teeth. It was her own fault to act sensibly and responsibly around the freak!

---

Ja Sun covered his black eye with the mask and walked out. His mind continuously thought over the situation. However, at the moment, he had another task, too.

Balak City had a higher level of the Branch of Spirit Hall. Honestly, Ja Sun never tried to learn much about the classification of the branches. In larger cities, of course, the quality of the branch of Spirit Hall will be higher. This branch was controlled by a Spirit Sage but most of the affairs were handled by lower lever clergy of the ranks of Cardinals that represented the strength between 6 and 7 spirit rings.

The Spirit Hall of Balak City was the only infrastructure that was not built using the same uniformity. Instead, the hall was a grand palace with glimmering golden pillars surrounding the entrance. The long steps were guarded by the personal temple guards of the Hall and Ja Sun needed to show the blood token before he was granted entry.

The moment Ja Sun entered, the feeling of grandeur and imposing will of the infrastructure disappeared. This place was filled to the brim! Spirt masters communicated with hushed whispers and walked along. Some of them exited but most of them walked straight towards the end of the hall.

Of course, the branch had various facilities— Spirit Energy Measuring Tool, Soul Awakening Stones, Healing Chambers, and much more. But this was precisely the reason why the major area for this war was set up in the entry hall of the branch itself; to limit spirit masters from entering other facilities without permission.

A large counter, with the upper space separated by a thin crystal partition, was erected which divided the hall into two unequal halves. There were three masked men behind the counter. A few spirit masters would inquire things and then they would be given a slip through the thin space between the counter and the crystal partition. Many Spirit Masters returned these folded slips and would return with a ponderous expression.

Some even looked gloomy and filled with worry.

Walking towards one of the men behind the counter, Ja Sun inquired softly, "How may I understand the process of acquiring missions and retrieving rewards?"

The masked man wore a white habit decorated with golden embroidery. Even his mask was plain and golden that revealed his dark eyes.

"This is the mission center. The Missions are divided into individual, two-man, and group missions. The group missions must contain at least three spirit masters and cannot exceed a group of eight members.

You make up your mind and select a mission counter. This is the individual mission center, in the middle is the two-man mission center and finally, the one on the right end is the group mission center. Once the mission is given, it will not be retracted and the corresponding tokens will be marked.

Once the tokens are marked, the mission must be completed at the appropriate time. Desertion will make the governing spirit masters of Heaven Dou City and Spirit Hall to hunt down the offending spirit master.

Once the mission is completed, the item requested by the mission should be brought back and with a letter of accomplishment, the spirit master may enter the Merit room to have their merits updated and retrieve rewards.

If you wish to repeat the information in the greatest of detail, enter the briefing room."

Ja Sun nodded and located the briefing room after a few short inquiries. It was a plain room with a young girl handing out a booklet to all interested parties.

Reading through the book, Ja Sun's expression turned stranger still.

This was simply a massacre. At first, he thought that the two kingdoms will try to hide it but basically, this was a strangely concocted deathmatch of some sort.

The tokens once bounded with blood keeps the Jade Mother updated not only on the status of the holder, but also their cultivation ranks. Meanwhile, the mission centers each have an essence tool to access the chunk of Jade Mother.

So, the actual process starts by identifying the spirit rank of the volunteer, and then the mission is given out based on ranks.

For instance, in the individual mission center, if Ja Sun gave his token then his mission will be focused on tackling the opponent rank 2 grandmaster.

How the spirit hall ensures that the ranks do not get messed up?

Easy.

Since the Spirit Hall manages the mission, it means that the Silvers Branch and the Balak Branch were coordinating and making sure that only the toughest of the two similarly titled spirit master survives.

Hence, a deathmatch.

But Ja Sun had seen the rewards. They were enticing enough for the risk.

This method of combat also presented a problem.

If Ja Sun takes a mission alongside Ah Yin, the higher limit of the mission will turn into the title of Spirit King.

And there would be a chance that the opponents have two spirit kings while their side will only have an Ah Yin.

Once a spirit master familiarizes with the rules, he or she would easily see that the war was a ruse. The focus was placed on the spirit masters and considering that the rewards including the conferring of nobility, the intention of the major players seemed easy to guess.

This might just be the most elaborate interview for an unknown job.

'The only way to take part in this war is by separating and applying for individual missions alone,' Ja Sun thought. But he wasn't feeling anxious. The ability to take missions depended on themselves.

Slowly, he walked out of the Spirit Hall and began making his way towards the Rising Jade Inn.

The political situation behind this war did not interest him in the least bit. Conspiracies arise and fall at the whims of a human heart. He wouldn't even be surprised if he later found out that the condition of winning the war did not include assassinating the prince of the Silvers Kingdom.

He then began to recall the feeling.

Guiding the shock force was merely a step forward. Not only was this method inefficient, but it was also fraught with weaknesses.

"What I need now are not sparring partners. But dummies..." Ja Sun's expression glittered.

He wanted dummies and Balak City was filled with them. Any corner her turned to, what Ja Sun saw wasn't living humans anymore. But dummies.

---

"Mmgh, Brother, do we really need to do it here? You always find these dingy places... I want to be in the comfort of a warm bed and quilt!" A dark-haired woman protested with a pout while a middle-aged man with pronounced jaws gave a wolfish grin. His hand spreading over the woman's body as he couldn't help but mutter.

"Little Yun, it just feels so much more exciting here. Think—"

Before the man could complete his words of kink, a strike on the back turned him unconscious and before the woman could even react, a hand clasped over her mouth and a visible, milky shock wave passed through the white-gold gauntlet. The woman's eyes rolled back and she fainted, too.

Looking around and finding nothing but trash, Ja Sun kicked the man's body once again. Exhibitionism should be done tastefully, in front of others. What's the point of doing it in such a trashy place?

With a scornful expression, Ja Sun pressed eleven points on the man's body and placed his palm over his chest, feeling the currents move. The moment a tremor reached the man's chest, instead of destroying the body, Ja Sun forced the shock force out from behind and his eyes glittered.

He was on the right path!

"Let's try and introduce shock while striking the points but this time, the shock doesn't begin until enough internal shock is accumulated..."

Ja Sun began to try out various strategies.

Once he gets his theory done, he will finally be able to fuse the two techniques into one!

---

Once he returned to the Red Concubine's Entrance, he revealed the situation to the Ah Yin and her expression took for worse.

Once the missions were given, they had to be completed so each mission needed to be undertaken with utmost preparations and there is no reason to forget that their opponents would value their life equally.

And due to this, her initial response to the rewards dampened quite a bit, even making her feel unwilling to take the risk. In a way, Ja Sun could understand it. Only 19-years-old and already a Spirit King. Her talent was something probably hard to see even in the Spirit Hall so needlessly taking risks, she can decide to continue cultivating and tempering herself through practice.

"And, alone, I may not necessarily win against another Spirit King because of the difference in rank and cultivation approach. If we take missions together then the danger is even more severe," Ah Yin pointed the obvious flaw in their current partnership. If she had been rank 60, she could have trumped the opponents with her spirit energy. Not only that, if Ja Sun moved along her and they were matched against two stronger opponents, they might as well forfeit their lives.

"What if you go on a mission and I follow you silently?" Ah Yin inquired.

"If we can think it then the two kingdoms, the empire, and the spirit hall can think it, too. I think the tokens work as a locator. The moment they realize a foul play, we might be attacked even before we can reach the destination," Ja Sun shrugged.

"Then?" Ah Yin frowned.

"Then it's up to you. I will take part in individual missions. We still have some time and who knows, I might even reach the title of Spirit Elder. By that time, if you reach rank 52... or 53, that's better."

"Sigh, even I was attracted by the rewards," Ah Yin chuckled bitterly.

Aside from nobility, other rewards included spirit rings of any beast they wanted under the corresponding merit points, herbs that are said to cultivate body and spirit, and even weapons and armors that can use spirit energy. Not only that, the top rewards included one spirit bone. Just this reward itself ensured the entry of Spirit Emperors for the Rank 6 Spirit Masters may not necessarily have spirit bones!

"Well, let's train. I've got a greater insight so you won't be vomiting today," Ja Sun smiled and beckoned Ah Yin but the woman shook her head.

"I'm busy."

"Doing what?"

"Cultivating."

"I see... well, I'm going out then. Maybe hit the local talents," Ja Sun turned as Ah Yin opened her eyes.

"Local talents?" She inquired curiously.

"Training is a form of relieving stress. Of course, since I cannot train, I will relieve stress in a different form. Want to join me? There are plenty of men in the business, too." Ja Sun offered with a generous expression, "Alas, most of them are ordinary men so they cannot boast stamina as great as mine."

Ah Yin slowly stood up and nodded, "Let's go. I have never visited such a place before."

Smilingly, Ja Sun raised his thumb as the duo exited the Inn.

***

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