Chapter 222: A Few Courteous Words, Mission Still Considered Complete

Since he was already on the way to the Vast Heaven Sect, Yu Xian no longer felt any urgency to rush.

He let the Cloud Egret fly at a steady pace, gliding freely through the sky. Meanwhile, he also used the journey to train the Little Phoenix Cat.

With the strength of his current physical body, even when the Little Phoenix Cat attacked him at full force, the pressure wasn’t too great.

At first, the Little Phoenix Cat held back because Yu Xian was its master—it didn’t feel comfortable going all out.

But as Yu Xian kept urging it to unleash its full strength, it gradually began attacking seriously.

And yet, as it slowly increased its speed, unleashing attacks that left behind blurred afterimages, it was shocked to discover that its master’s hands—like they could predict its every move—still blocked all of its strikes with ease.

This drove the Little Phoenix Cat mad with frustration, and at the same time, its master kept on lecturing it.

In a dense forest, Yu Xian stood motionless as his hands moved fluidly, parrying the flurry of strikes from the nearly invisible Little Phoenix Cat. His voice was calm:

“Your speed is good, but you keep aiming for my neck, my eyes—those are obvious kill zones. That intent is too blatant. Easy to guard against.”

“Oh, changing tactics now? Not bad. You’re trying to feint me out. But still too obvious. When you fight other beasts, spirit beasts, or even cultivators, you’ll likely only have one shot. Miss that, and it could be your life.”

“Hmm, very good. A little faster.”

“Faster. I’ve already adapted to your current speed. Why haven’t you adapted to my defense yet?”

“You’re starting to slow down.”

“Oh? You’re tired?”

——

“Meow!!”

The Little Phoenix Cat let out a sharp cry and stopped, panting heavily as it glared at Yu Xian, its eyes full of dissatisfaction.

It felt like its master was talking way too much, distracting it during the fight.

Yu Xian stood with hands behind his back, gazing at the exhausted beast and speaking flatly:

“If just some words make you feel annoyed, then what happens in real combat? When the enemy roars, screams, and makes noise—how will you keep your mind calm? Lose your focus, and you die.”

“Meow!”

The cat gave another cry, seemingly understanding, though its face still looked unwilling.

“Don’t be so stubborn. Keep training in your Phoenix Cat Secret Manual. Once you reach Tier Four, I might not be able to catch you anymore.”

Yu Xian said with a faint smile, then added, “But I’ll also be improving. If you fall behind, you’ll never escape the palm of my hand.”

“Meowww!”

The Little Phoenix Cat lifted its head with a challenging cry. It believed it would definitely surpass its master in the future.

Then it sat down to groom its fur.

Yu Xian let out a soft breath.

Training the Little Phoenix Cat was, in truth, training himself too.

At such speed, even he struggled to keep up initially.

But as they sparred more and more, he adapted—until he could block the cat’s strikes with ease, no matter how fast it moved.

Still, the cat was exhausted, and he wasn’t exactly relaxed either. This kind of rapid defense demanded extreme focus, sharp vision, and quick responses, placing a heavy burden on his physical form.

But as the master, he naturally had to appear calm and composed.

“Gaaah!”

Up in the sky, the Cloud Egret let out a joyful cry.

Yu Xian looked up and waved. “That’s enough. It’s fine to be happy, but don’t be so loud. Your voice can travel for miles. Tier-three Cloud Egrets are prey to many spirit beasts—and will attract greedy cultivators too. Come down.”

The Cloud Egret, sensing its master’s call, twisted its wings midair and gracefully descended, landing beside Yu Xian and rubbing its head affectionately against him.

Yu Xian smiled and stroked its head.

The Little Phoenix Cat watched with a strange look in its eyes, a hint of longing. It wanted to be close to its master like that dumb bird.

But… it felt shy.

It had the intelligence of a seven- or eight-year-old human child now.

Back when its mind was simpler, it had tried leaping onto Yu Xian’s shoulder—but got flicked off a few times. After that, it didn’t dare try again…

Blinking, it turned away and went back to grooming itself—though it was licking its fur a little too aggressively.

Yu Xian stroked the Cloud Egret’s head one last time, then leapt onto its back and looked at the Little Phoenix Cat. “Let’s go.”

“Meow!”

The cat meowed in protest and leapt into the air, waiting to be stored away.

But instead of sending it into the beast pouch, Yu Xian caught it and began smoothing its fur. “You need to train harder. You’ve got far more talent than the Cloud Egret. I dote on it more only because it’s dumb. If it doesn’t reach higher realms, even without illness or injury, it’ll still die of old age. A third-tier beast only lives seventy years or so. But you? You’ll live at least two hundred.”

The Little Phoenix Cat purred with eyes half-closed, clearly enjoying the strokes.

Hearing this, it opened its eyes and meowed softly in understanding.

Its master was right. How could this dumb bird’s bloodline compare to its own?

It had awakened phoenix blood—it was a remnant of ancient times!

No ordinary Phoenix Cat could compare. In the end, it would be the one to stay by its master’s side forever.

As for that dumb bird… its progress would slow over time, and its usefulness would fade. Then, naturally, the master wouldn’t bother with it anymore.

“Alright, go rest in the pouch.”

Yu Xian flicked the cat’s forehead gently. With just a soft gesture, the Little Phoenix Cat vanished into the beast pouch.

The Cloud Egret soared happily once more, though it didn’t understand the conversation—only its master’s emotions.

With the cat stored away, Yu Xian sat cross-legged and began circulating his breath.

The journey remained uneventful. When the Cloud Egret got tired, he let it rest and trained the cat. When it recovered, they flew again toward the Vast Heaven Sect.

After thirty-seven days of travel, the massive Xiao Kunlun Mountain—where the sect was based—rose into view.

Yu Xian stowed the Cloud Egret and stepped into the mountain gate. Once he entered the Inner Sect and reached the waist of the mountain, he headed straight for the Mission Hall.

—

The Inner Sect Mission Hall of the Vast Heaven Sect

This was where Foundation Establishment disciples came to accept and complete sect missions in exchange for contribution points.

Sometimes even powerful Qi Condensation disciples could attempt these missions, such as those Lu Clan brothers from the Tianyuan Sword Sect, who had once taken Foundation-level missions while still at Qi Condensation stage.

But for most Qi Condensation disciples, it was the usual grunt work—mining, crafting basic materials, gathering herbs, raising spirit beasts, and so on.

That’s just how the cultivation world worked.

If you couldn’t make it in one sect, you wouldn’t succeed in another—especially in larger ones where competition was fiercer.

Yu Xian looked at the busy Mission Hall, then stepped inside.

Seven demonic cultivators had died—but he didn’t bring their heads.

He wasn’t sure how the sect would handle that.

But it didn’t matter. Even if he didn’t get the reward, he wasn’t too concerned.

Inside the grand hall, Foundation disciples came and went. Cultivation levels ranged from early to peak Foundation Establishment.

There were over three hundred Foundation disciples here—since many from other sects had fled here after the war, and the Vast Heaven Sect already had over a hundred of its own.

Yu Xian, at mid-Foundation level, didn’t stand out. Everyone was busy.

Some were turning in missions, others picking up new ones.

In the front of the hall floated a massive formation that looked like a silk screen, with tasks listed across it. Dozens of disciples were browsing.

Nearby was a side hall for submitting completed missions.

Yu Xian glanced at the task board, then turned and walked into the side hall.

Five counters were actively taking submissions. Yu Xian walked up to the empty one and respectfully greeted the Foundation late-stage disciple there.

The disciple looked up and returned the greeting. “You’re here to submit a mission?”

“Yes.”

Yu Xian handed over his mission scroll. “I’m a new member of the Pill Division. This mission was assigned to me, and after two months of effort, I’ve eliminated the evil cultivators. Please verify.”

“You’re one of the three brought in from the former Medicine King Valley, right?”

The man recognized him immediately.

Yu Xian smiled. “Yes, I came with Master.”

“Oh, an alchemist from Medicine King Valley. They’re all skilled.”

Yu Xian responded humbly, “You flatter me. Skills come from practice. The Pill Division here is excellent too. Now that I’m part of the Vast Heaven Sect, there’s no need to mention the past.”

The man nodded and reviewed the scroll.

As he read, his brows furrowed. “All seven evil cultivators—dead?”

Yu Xian nodded.

“They were all early Foundation stage?”

“Yes.”

Yu Xian answered smoothly, knowing that exaggerating the mission’s difficulty might raise doubts.

“Well done, junior.”

Though still surprised, the elder disciple accepted it.

He then asked, “Did you bring their heads?”

Yu Xian sighed, “I did kill them, but things got chaotic. I didn’t bring the heads back.”

“No other tokens?”

Yu Xian frowned. “Four storage bags were destroyed. I brought three back, but I destroyed some of the contents due to… filth. Only a few artifacts remain. Are those enough?”

The man was stunned. “Destroyed? Just some artifacts?”

He eyed Yu Xian skeptically.

“Alright, junior. I’ll consider this mission completed—but I can’t give you the 20 contribution points. If the higher-ups ask, I can’t cover for that.”

“No problem at all.”

Yu Xian was relieved. “Thank you for understanding. This is my first task in the sect, I’ll be more careful in the future. As long as it’s marked complete, I’m fine without the points.”

The man chuckled. “I’m not the nitpicking type. Alright, I’ll log it as completed.”

Yu Xian smiled, “Thank you. If you ever need any pills under tier-four middle-grade, just come find me at the Pill Division—I’ll refine them for you. My name is Yu Xian.”

“Oh, nice. I’m Zhang Yanhui. Feel free to come to me when submitting missions in the future. That is, if I’m on duty. We rotate every six months.”

“No problem at all. Cultivators prioritize cultivation, after all. I’ll take my leave.”

Zhang nodded. “Go ahead. I’ll mark this as done.”

Yu Xian left the Mission Hall smiling.

To think he could really complete it—even without the reward—it was still worth it.

As the saying goes: courtesy earns goodwill. A little respect goes a long way.

Now that the mission was done, he wouldn’t have to take another one for two years.

That was a privilege of being in the Pill Division.

Only ordinary Inner Sect disciples were required to complete at least one mission per year.

Otherwise, the sect would assign one forcibly—and failure would lead to expulsion.

Now, with two years of freedom, Yu Xian could finally dedicate himself fully to cultivating every technique, spell, artifact, and insight he possessed.

He made his way back to his residence, feeling lighter than ever.