This was Ming Qi's first Master's Mission. On one hand, he wanted to obtain the Yuan Jing from this, and on the other, he wanted to recapture the feeling of being a killer in his previous life.
In his previous life, killers simply took lives for money, unconcerned with the past, unpredictable about the future, unconcerned about good and evil, and without mercy.
This time, the Master's Mission seemed to offer only a passing resemblance to that of taking lives for money.
After examining a large number of them, Ming Qi was disappointed to find that the most common tasks were simply gathering herbs and mining, devoid of any technical skill. The occasional bloodshed involved killing a low-level demon beast or two, but ultimately, it was all about materials. These tasks offered no challenge at all, and clearly did not suit Ming Qi, a man accustomed to pushing his limits.
Ming Qi had not expected these sect disciples to be so interested in materials.
After considerable deliberation, Ming Qi finally decided, with a tentative attitude, to take down a sign.
Arriving at the door, he placed the sign on the table in front of the old man.
The old man looked up, his somewhat hazy eyes wide open, at Ming Qi, then at the sign on the table. A flicker of surprise crossed his face, but he said nothing. After completing his registration, he put the sign away and handed Ming Qi a document.
Ming Qi put away the document and turned to leave.
"Damn, that guy is so strong! He actually dared to accept a mission in the Valley of Despair. Is he afraid of dying?"
As soon as Ming Qi left, someone in the Trial Pavilion, who was selecting a mission from the sign, spoke to someone nearby in a strangled voice, as if he had been holding it in for a long time.
However, the person next to him clearly didn't share his gossip. He simply snorted disdainfully and turned to walk to the other wall, clearly not wanting to stand with this guy.
Tianqi Courtyard, Ming Qi's attic.
"Valley of Despair, one hundred Black Viper Gallbladders, deadline fifteen days, reward fifty low-grade Yuan Crystals."
The task's content, deadline, and reward were written at the top of the document, followed by a brief introduction to the Valley of Despair and the Black Viper.
"Hmm?"
After learning about the Valley of Despair and the Black Viper, Ming Qi spotted a striking line of text at the bottom.
Written in striking red font, it read: "If you can obtain the inner elixir of the Golden Viper King, you will receive an additional five mid-grade Yuan Crystals as a reward!"
Mid-grade Yuan Crystals!
At this point, Ming Qi wasn't particularly concerned with the Golden Viper King's true nature. What made him jealous were the five mid-grade Yuan Crystals!
After all, even for a congenitally powerful being, mid-grade Yuan Crystals were extremely valuable!
The mid-grade Yuan Crystals here were more than just one hundred low-grade Yuan Crystals. While the Yuan Energy contained in a mid-grade Yuan Crystal might not be as great as the combined Yuan Energy of a hundred low-grade Yuan Crystals, the Yuan Energy contained in a mid-grade Yuan Crystal was far more concentrated and pure, something that low-grade Yuan Crystals could not achieve!
Ming Qi was determined to obtain the mid-grade Yuan Crystal at all costs!
But Ming Qi quickly calmed down. A demon beast possessing an inner elixir was already a powerful fourth-level innate demon beast. With only the eighth level of acquired strength, defeating an innate-level demon beast was impossible.
Furthermore, while the demon beasts might not be particularly proficient in magical powers, their physical strength was unmatched by human cultivators of the same level. Therefore, to hunt an innate-level demon beast, one must at least have a superior strength level.
It seemed that obtaining this mid-grade Yuan Crystal would be extremely difficult.
Of course, Ming Qi's intense focus on that one mid-grade Yuan Crystal didn't mean he didn't care about the mission's original purpose and reward. After all, fifty low-grade Yuan Crystals was a considerable fortune, and among the outer disciples, few could easily spare dozens of them.
The Black-striped Viper, one of the many demonic beasts within the Valley of Despair, was considered relatively weak. However, as a Level 3 demonic beast, it shouldn't be underestimated.
However, judging by the data, most of the Black-striped Vipers resident here are in the early and middle stages of Level 3, equivalent to the seventh or eighth levels of the Acquired Realm. As for the peak Level 3 or ninth levels, those are extremely rare.
Once a Black-striped Viper reaches the peak of Level 3, it will enter deeper into the Valley of Despair and undergo a tremendous transformation. The black lines transformed into golden ones, and horns sprouted from its head. Once the transformation was successful, it transformed into the Golden Viper King, akin to a human cultivator breaking free from the constraints of the acquired realm and entering the innate realm. Once this realm is reached, the demonic beast awakens its spirit and intelligence, becoming more intelligent, and its inner elixir begins to condense within its body.
The mission Ming Qi had accepted included the additional task of obtaining the inner elixir of the Golden Viper King, essentially slaying the innate demonic beast.
"I'm not yet capable of killing the innate demonic beast, but I must give the Black Viper a try. It'll be a test!"
Ming Qi made up his mind, gathered the stack of materials, and began to prepare. After all, the Valley of Despair was over a thousand miles from the Azure Sky Mountains, where Azure Sky City lay. The round trip, including the mission time, would likely take at least half a month.
By noon, everything was packed up, and Ming Qi double-checked the leaf of the Azure Travel Divine Tree he'd been given upon entering the Azure Travel Sect, ensuring it was completely intact.
The Valley of Despair is extremely far from Azure Sky City, and without a means of transportation, it's absolutely impossible to reach.
During dinner, Ouna asked Ming Qi about his daytime activities, and Ming Qi briefly recounted his mission to the Valley of Despair.
The very mention of this mission immediately shocked everyone present.
They were all veteran disciples of the Biyou Sect, and they naturally knew the dangers of the Valley of Despair. It was teeming with demonic beasts, a dangerous terrain, and even harbored a significant number of innate demonic beasts. Rumor has it that it was once a place where a lost ancient beast-taming sect raised materials for refining medicines and artifacts.
However, the Valley of Despair seemed to be a small place. After exploration by numerous Biyou Sect experts, no major secrets or direct connections to the ancient beast-taming sect were discovered, so no further attention was paid. However, the numerous demonic beast herbs, rare artifacts, and exotic stones found there became a favorite of many Biyou Sect cultivators.
Therefore, for a period of time afterwards, sect disciples would often venture into the Despair of Antiquity, hoping to gain some opportunity.
"Monster beasts abound there, and even innate monsters hide. Junior Brother Ming, be extremely careful,"
Ouna said.
"Don't worry!"
Ming Qi took the wine in front of him and drank.
Except for Ming Qi, none of the Tianqi Academy members drank alcohol; they usually only drank tea.
Among the Biyou Sect's leaders, alcohol is considered detrimental to one's vitality, especially for cultivators, and is therefore taboo.
Smelling the strong aroma of alcohol, Ouna frowned. "Junior Brother Ming, you should drink less."
Ming Qi nodded, knowing that Ouna was concerned for him. His fondness for alcohol was, after all, a relic of his past life; lonely people often dislike wine. Although he knew that drinking was harmful to cultivators who hadn't reached the state of free will, his love for it seemed to be ingrained in his soul, impossible to erase.
The next day, Ming Qi set out early, bringing his dire wolf along.
Although the Biyou Divine Leaf could fly, he still needed the dire wolf to travel through the mountain forests, saving considerable time.
This was Ming Qi's first time outside the Biyou Sect since joining it. Months had passed, and the weather was still unbearably hot.
Flying the Divine Leaf, Ming Qi followed a pre-planned route toward the Valley of Despair.
The Valley of Despair lay west of the Bikong Mountains, approximately a thousand miles away. At his current speed, it would take a day to reach the destination.
Ming Qi carefully calculated the time and determined he had ten days to stay outside.
Although the Divine Leaf was magical, it was, after all, a low-level spiritual object and not very fast. As dusk fell, Ming Qi realized that his progress was several hours slower than he had expected, but this didn't significantly impact his plan.
Controlling the Divine Leaf to land, the outline of a town appeared before Ming Qi.
According to the map, the town was called Qinglong Town, boasting a long history and a long-standing myth.
Ming Qi knew that if he went north through Qinglong Town, about three or four hundred miles, he would reach the entrance to the Valley of Despair.
Leaving the dire wolf outside the town, Ming Qi gave some instructions and headed towards it.
Entering Qinglong Town, the bustling bustle of the city washed over him. Qinglong Town was quite prosperous, and at first glance, it rivaled even Santai Town, protected by the Biyou Sect.
Clearly, Qinglong Town held its own unique secrets.
Arriving in the town, Ming Qi strolled through the streets, taking in the familiar atmosphere. It was dusk, the lights just coming on, and the taverns and attics lining the streets were bustling with activity. The night market scene was clearly visible and quite beautiful.
Ming Qi randomly picked a clean, pleasant tavern, ordered a fine wine and a few exquisite side dishes, and enjoyed himself quite comfortably.
Unfortunately, the good time and good wine were short-lived. After just a few drinks, the street suddenly erupted in chaos. The sound of chaotic footsteps mixed with the shouts and cries of the crowd reached his ears.
Ming Qi frowned, thinking the wine wasn't going to be good.
But he didn't move, simply looking up toward the commotion. Unexpectedly, this sight shocked him greatly!
Not far away, a group of people, all wearing purple dresses, were walking down the street. They were surprisingly beautiful young women!
With their slender waists and heroic demeanor, they were undoubtedly disciples of the sect.
Seeing these beautiful women wasn't surprising to Ming Qi. What surprised him was that the leader of the group was Zi Yuan, the girl he had met outside Santai Town!