themonasnovels Chapter 59 Emerging from Seclusion
Chapter 59 Emerging from Seclusion
After undergoing a complete transformation in the Martial Tempering Pool, Liang Cheng immediately sensed the change in himself: his cultivation speed had increased by more than 30% compared to before.
In his excitement, he kept to himself and rarely went out. He spent all his time in his secluded courtyard, practicing swordsmanship during the day and tempering his body at night. He circulated the "Broken Wave Technique" to break through his acupoints, swallowing bottles of Qi and Blood Pills like candy beans and spending them like water.
A month later.
In the quiet room, Liang Cheng slowly finished his practice and exhaled a breath of stale air.
On the black iron token in his palm, the balance of contribution points was clearly 170.
A few lines of small print appeared before his eyes:
[Broken Wave Technique, Level 1: Minor Success (389/2500)]
[Stone Armor Technique (Iron Armor): Mastery (716/3000)]
【Whirlwind Blade Technique: Mastery (1124/2000)】
Their skills have greatly improved.
After his physical constitution was improved, his progress in the Broken Wave Technique and Stone Armor Skill increased significantly. As for the Gale Blade Technique, his strikes now had the momentum of surging waves, and it was becoming more and more compatible with the Broken Wave Technique. With each strike, nine layers of hidden energy burst forth with the blade, making it incredibly powerful.
"Time to go out and earn contribution points. I wonder what the difference is between receiving missions as a disciple of the Heavenly Abode?"
After washing up, Liang Cheng changed into a white robe with silver trim and cuffs, and went out.
Outside the gate, a servant disciple was already waiting in the courtyard. Upon seeing him emerge, he quickly bowed and said, "Senior Brother Liang, you've come out of seclusion."
"Um."
"In the past month, quite a few people have sent invitations to visit," the handyman disciple said, holding up a stack of name cards. "The Xu family, the Chen family, the Qiao family, and several chambers of commerce in the city have all sent people. Senior Brother Lu and Senior Sister Qin from Tianshe have also come twice."
Liang Cheng flipped through it casually without stopping.
The Xu family's post was politely worded, making no mention of past grievances, and instead sounded like that of old friends. Liang Cheng became wary, knowing that he was no longer powerful enough to make them bow down.
The invitation from the Qiao family was written by Qiao Zhi herself; the handwriting was neat, but the tone was somewhat stiff and awkward.
He put down the note and said, "Understood."
The servant disciple whispered again, "And there's Deacon Zhao Ming from the Foreign Affairs Hall. He's come five times this month, each time lingering outside the courtyard, too afraid to knock."
Liang Cheng paused in his steps.
Zhao Ming?
He seemed thoughtful for a moment, then quickly regained his composure: "I understand, thank you."
After saying that, he walked straight toward the Foreign Affairs Hall.
The handyman disciple was taken aback.
Brother Liang thanked him?
……
The main hall of the Foreign Affairs Hall remains bustling with people.
When Liang Cheng stepped in, the once noisy hall suddenly fell silent, and countless eyes fell on him.
He didn't look to the side and walked directly to the inner hall, where only disciples above the Heavenly Hall level were qualified to enter.
A series of hushed whispers came from behind:
"It's Senior Brother Liang! This is the first time he's appeared since he advanced to the Heavenly Abode, isn't it?"
"I heard he spent three full days in the tempering pool, and his physical constitution has probably improved again, perhaps even rivaling those geniuses from aristocratic families..."
"How long has it been? He entered the Martial Academy less than a year ago and went straight to the Heavenly Hall. It's really infuriating to compare people like this."
Liang Cheng acted as if he hadn't heard anything and was about to enter the inner hall when suddenly he felt a gaze fixed on his back.
He turned around immediately.
Behind the counter, Zhao Ming hurriedly bent down to organize the files, his fingers trembling slightly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Liang Cheng glanced at him, said nothing, and turned to continue walking towards the inner hall.
Zhao Ming froze, nearly dropping the file in his hand.
The inner chamber missions are indeed different; the starting reward is five hundred, which is incomparable to those outside, but the danger is much greater.
The inner hall was small, with simple and antique furnishings. The jade walls on the three sides shimmered with light. There were far fewer task items than in the outer hall, but the contribution points marked below each task were significantly increased.
Liang Cheng glanced at the jade disc:
[Guarding the North Mountain mine, three-month term, monthly salary of 3,000 points]
[Clearing out the fifth-tier monster Iron-Winged Bat King deep within Black Wind Ridge, estimated cost: 2000 points]
Escort the City Lord's Mansion's secret treasure to Golden Lake City. 5,000 points required. Requires a team of three or more, with at least one True Qi Realm cultivator leading the team.
……
The tasks above start at least at 500 points, but they either take too long or aren't cost-effective. Liang Cheng's gaze finally settled on an inconspicuous task:
[Accompanying Master Huang to the Thousand Miasma Valley to gather herbs for three days, reward: 2,000 points]
[Requirements: Excellent physical fitness and a high tolerance for toxins]
"It's Old Huang again..." Liang Cheng recalled the danger of gathering herbs in the Western Hills last time. This old guy's missions were always for life-risking money.
Two thousand points are enough for him to exchange for a batch of resources. More importantly, although Old Huang has an eccentric temper, he never skimps on rewards and pills. Moreover, he is highly skilled in alchemy, and he might need to ask him to help refine pills in the future.
"That's it."
Liang Cheng reached out and peeled off the quest bar; a crimson rune flashed, indicating that he had accepted the quest.
He turned and walked toward the side door of the inner hall, where a black-robed deacon stood guard.
"Senior, I accept this mission." Liang Cheng handed over the mission slip and identity token.
After verifying the information, the black-robed steward recorded it and handed back the token: "Meet at the entrance of the alchemy room at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow. Elder Huang will not wait for anyone."
"Thank you, senior."
Liang Cheng put away the token and walked out of the inner hall.
The outer hall remained noisy, but the noise subsided once he stepped outside.
Zhao Ming was still standing behind the counter. When he saw Liang Cheng come out, he quickly lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the file.
Liang Cheng glanced around, but didn't stop walking, and went straight out of the main hall.
……
Early the next morning, Liang Cheng headed towards the alchemy room.
The familiar smell of medicine and burnt aroma still lingered in the courtyard of the alchemy room.
After Liang Cheng knocked on the door, an impatient voice came from inside: "Who is it?"
"Disciple Liang Cheng has accepted the mission from Thousand Miasma Valley and has come to pay my respects to Elder Huang," Liang Cheng said calmly.
There was a moment of silence inside, then the door creaked open a crack.
Old Huang poked his face out, his small eyes scanning Liang Cheng up and down, even sniffing the air and squinting.
"Went to soak in the martial arts tempering pool?" Old Huang snorted, opened the door, and said, "Come in, I have something for you."
Liang Cheng followed Elder Huang into the alchemy room, which was still messy. In the center, the alchemy furnace was emitting wisps of smoke. Elder Huang pulled a dirty leather bag from a wooden shelf in the corner and threw it to Liang Cheng: "Here."
Liang Cheng took it; it was heavy in his hand. Inside was a bag full of dark red gravel, emitting a pungent and rusty smell.
"Red Blood Sand, for external use. Sprinkling it on wounds can stop bleeding and reduce bruising. It also has some effect on poisonous insect bites." Old Huang rubbed the medicinal ash on his hands. "In the Thousand Miasma Valley, there are more poisonous insects than grass. Carry it for self-defense."
"Thank you, Elder Huang." Liang Cheng tied the leather pouch around his waist.
"Don't thank me too soon," Old Huang turned around and stared at him. "This time we're going to pick the Corrupted Heart Lotus, which grows in the deepest poisonous pool of the Thousand Miasma Valley. That thing is ten feet in circumference, and its poisonous gas is solidified. If you get even a trace of it, even a peak Transformation Realm expert will have their lungs and internal organs rotted through."
He paused, his small eyes gleaming: "But if your physical strength is truly formidable, combined with my specially made antidote pills, you'll have a 60-70% chance of withstanding it. So, kid, tell me honestly, just how far have you progressed in your physical strength training?"
Inside the alchemy room, the air was thick with the aroma of medicine.
Liang Cheng remained silent for a moment, then raised his right arm, a thought forming in his mind.
Beneath his skin, a faint dark black hue appeared, like cast iron, with a subtle metallic texture. He flicked his finger and gently tapped the iron pestle beside him.
"clang--"
The clear, metallic clanging sound echoed in the alchemy room, and a distinct fingerprint was clearly left on the surface of the pestle.
Old Huang's eyes lit up, and he burst into laughter: "Good! Tough enough!"
The laughter stopped abruptly. He lowered his voice, his tone unusually serious: "But kid, the Corrupted Heart Lotus is guarded by a companion demon beast, a green-scaled venomous python, at least at the peak of the fifth rank. I can't say for sure if your physical abilities can withstand it."
Liang Cheng's expression remained unchanged: "Since this disciple has accepted the mission, I will naturally do my best."
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear." Old Huang nodded in satisfaction and tossed over a small jade bottle. "Inside are three miasma-avoiding pills. Take one before entering the valley; it will last for two hours."
"Disciple understands."
"Let's not delay, let's set off."
As Liang Cheng put away the jade bottle and followed Elder Huang out of the alchemy room, the sun rose on the horizon, and the sky was filled with red clouds.