Chapter 260
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Chapter 260: Task Reward: The Grand Elder’s Favor
Xiong Li was still trying to figure out what was going on when several Golden Core disciples from the Hidden Spirit Sect showed up nearby.
“Hey, Senior Brother~” the disciples greeted him.
“What’s the occasion? Why is everyone gathered in Stone Domain Fairy City?” Xiong Li had a feeling there was something fishy going on.
Just then, one of the sharper disciples stepped forward and said, “I think I’ve got an idea.”
The Golden Core disciple used the light shadow technique to project a map of Stone Domain Fairy City and the surrounding area.
“Brothers, take a look. All the fairy cities where we’ve got tasks have something in common. Have you noticed?”
Xiong Li’s eyes lit up, as if he’d caught onto something.
“Stop beating around the bush and just say it,” another disciple snapped impatiently.
The Golden Core disciple smirked at his fellow disciples and began, “All these fairy cities are within the territory of the Joyful Union Sacred Land.”
“You’ve all been to Joyful Union Fairy City, right?” the Golden Core disciple asked, sharing a knowing grin with the others.
“You’re talking about the Hero’s Tomb lineage in the Joyful Union Sacred Land,” Xiong Li suddenly interjected.
“Senior Brother, you’re sharp! You nailed it right away,” the Golden Core disciple said, buttering up Xiong Li before continuing, “Brothers, our Hidden Spirit Sect has always emphasized the balance of yin and yang, and we encourage disciples to find their cultivation partners.”
“So, I’m guessing this task is just a cover. The real goal is to bring back a female disciple from the Hero’s Tomb lineage,” the Golden Core disciple concluded.
As soon as he finished speaking, all the Hidden Spirit Sect disciples received a message.
“Ultimate task for the first-generation disciples of the Hidden Spirit Sect: Find a cultivation partner who likes you and bring them back to the sect.”
“Task reward: The Grand Elder’s favor.”
The disciples’ expressions turned odd as they read the task on their communication artifacts.
This task seemed… a little too involved.
Then, everyone received a message from Grape, containing detailed intel on the Hero’s Tomb in the Joyful Union Sacred Land, along with tips on how to approach the female disciples from the Hero’s Tomb. It even included light shadow images of past female disciples.
“Isn’t focusing on the path to immortality enough? Why do we need partners?”
“Other sects have rules against this kind of thing. Why are we the exception?”
“To be fair, the female disciples from the Hero’s Tomb are pretty good-looking.”
“Yeah, even though the Joyful Union Sacred Land has a bad rep, the Hero’s Tomb lineage is still respectable.”
The group quickly split into two camps: one focused solely on their immortal cultivation, with no time for romance, and the other open to the idea of finding a partner.
As the debate heated up, Qian Bing stumbled over, looking like he’d been through the wringer.
“Hold on, Brother Xiong, I’ve learned my lesson,” Qian Bing said quickly, seeing Xiong Li raise his fist again.
Xiong Li lowered his hand.
“Brothers, I’ve missed you all so much!” Qian Bing said cheerfully.
“Did you all see the task the sect just sent out?”
“Hero’s Tomb has such wonderful female disciples. Since the sect has issued a task for us to bring one back, shouldn’t we hurry up? What if someone else gets to her first?” Qian Bing laughed as he spoke.
“Wan Bing, weren’t you uninterested in matters between men and women before?” asked a disciple.
“That was just because there weren’t any opportunities in the sect. All the senior sisters and junior sisters didn’t seem to care at all,” Qian Bing replied.
“So now you’ve changed your mind?”
“Actually, having a cultivation partner is quite nice, especially since the reward for this task is the Grand Elder’s favor.”
“Don’t you all want that?” Qian Bing asked curiously.
Only then did everyone remember that this task had a reward attached.
Immediately, excitement sparkled in their eyes, and those who thought partners would only affect their cultivation began to waver.
“Right? You brothers are all of marriageable age, and there are suitable ones right here. Isn’t this a win-win situation?”
Listening to Qian Bing, everyone’s minds started to race.
“Time is tight, and the task is heavy. Brothers, I must take my leave,” Qian Bing was the first to depart.
“Take care, brothers, I’m going to complete the task.”
“I’ll go too.”
Before long, Xiong Li was left alone in the wilderness.
At that moment, Xiong Li waved his hand and summoned Zhuang Ling from the palace artifact issued by the sect.
He took Zhuang Ling to an inn in the fairy city.
After leaving a puppet to take care of Zhuang Ling, he left the city once more.
In the Hidden Spirit Sect, Xu Fan observed the opportunities arranged by Ou Tao and smiled, saying, “It seems the disciples are not resistant to arranged marriages.”
“Fulfilling one’s parents’ wishes and the matchmaker’s words is the mainstream in this world.”
“The view on fairy and mundane relations among the Hidden Spirit Sect disciples hasn’t shifted yet, so they aren’t very opposed to this,” Grape’s reply satisfied Xu Fan.
“You’re right,” Xu Fan said with a smile.
At that moment, Xu Gang arrived at Xu Fan’s courtyard.
“Let’s go see how my son is feeling,” Xu Fan suggested.
“That little rascal didn’t inform me or Master and just decided to bond with a female cultivator. How disrespectful!” Xu Gang exclaimed.
“Lingtai is only having a mundane wedding ceremony with that girl. Whether it’s a formal marriage or not, why are you in such a hurry?” Xu Fan waved his hand calmly.
“That doesn’t matter; he should have informed us first,” Xu Gang insisted.
“Lingtai grew up under my care. If he didn’t notify us, there must be a reason.”
“We’ll wait for him to explain when he gets back.”
“Recently, I see you practicing your fire spells; your temper seems a bit high. Do you want me to cool you down?” Xu Fan mentioned, seizing the opportunity to teach a bit more while he could still handle his disciple in a fight.
Realizing he had upset Xu Fan, Xu Gang quickly laughed, “Haha, my temper isn’t that bad; please don’t misunderstand, Master.”
“Good. Go back to practicing; I’ll keep an eye on Lingtai. Nothing will happen,” Xu Fan assured him.
“Understood, Master.”
Xu Gang said as he returned to his own mountain peak.
Looking at the nine dragon shapes of different colors at the top of the sect’s grand formation, Xu Fan sighed, “Now that my disciple’s marriage isn’t settled, my grandson’s marriage is also becoming a tricky matter.”
Long before Xu Lingtai got involved with that female cultivator, Xu Fan had sent someone to the Information Organization to investigate her. They discovered that she had been blocked by the Heavenly Machine, and no amount of spirit stones could uncover her information.
At that moment, Xu Fan knew his grandson was in trouble.
Countless stories of poor boys climbing up to high-status young ladies flashed through Xu Fan’s mind.
“Forget it; my grandchildren will find their own fortunes. Besides, I’m not jealous,” he thought.
Xu Fan had once taken a divination for Xu Lingtai, the reading called: “Fire-Bathed Mandarins of Life and Death.”
It meant a fifty-fifty chance between life and death.
At that moment, in a hidden fairy city, Xu Lingtai looked inexplicably toward the direction of the Hidden Spirit Sect.
“Master Ancestor, it seems I’ve caused you some trouble,” Xu Lingtai said.
He had originally thought she was just an ordinary female disciple from the sect, but he never expected her background to be so significant.
