The deployment began almost immediately.
After Guardian Zhao's announcement, the various teams within the Cloud Mist Market Training Center were divided and dispatched toward different regions under Lin Family authority.
The initial results were surprisingly effective.
Several groups of robber cultivators that had grown bold due to the recent chaos were quickly rooted out.
Within only a few days, multiple hideouts were discovered.
Several battles erupted.
A handful of Foundation Establishment robber cultivators were identified and eliminated.
The effect was immediate.
Many of the remaining criminals vanished overnight.
Those who had previously acted openly suddenly became cautious.
Some fled.
Some hid.
Others simply disappeared entirely.
Fear spread far faster than orders ever could.
Still—
Everyone understood this was merely a side effect.
The true objective of the deployment had never been the robber cultivators themselves.
The Lin Family controlled vast territories throughout Dragon Yuan Province.
Cloud Mist Market was only one among many resource hubs.
Trade routes.
Mining settlements.
Small markets.
Spirit herb gathering stations.
Numerous locations required manpower.
And with the recent influx of cultivators heading south, unrest had begun appearing everywhere.
The family's orders were simple.
Restore stability.
Suppress disturbances.
Protect trade.
Maintain authority.
Every completed assignment rewarded mission points.
The more dangerous the mission, the greater the reward.
Naturally—
The moment the reward list became public, the entire Training Center erupted.
...
Within one of the mission halls.
A massive jade board stood in the center.
Dozens of martial artists and cultivators surrounded it.
Even Foundation Establishment experts occasionally stopped to examine the available rewards.
Whispers filled the room.
Most people's attention wasn't focused on the missions.
It was focused on the rewards.
Specifically—
The pills.
One item in particular drew countless gazes.
Gang Condensation Pill.
A Rank-2 medicinal pill.
Capable of increasing the success rate of breaking through from Innate to Xuan Gang.
Even more importantly—
It could also assist Xuan Gang martial artists in filling already opened acupoints.
To many martial artists, this was practically a treasure.
The path from Early Xuan Gang to Mid Xuan Gang required opening acupoints.
The path afterward required filling them.
Both processes consumed tremendous amounts of time.
The Gang Condensation Pill reduced that burden considerably.
Unfortunately—
Its price was equally terrifying.
9,500 mission points.
The number alone caused many people to grimace.
Yet nobody complained.
The demand for such a pill far exceeded the available supply.
Beside it was another reward.
One that drew even more attention.
Acupoint Opening Pill.
Rank-2 High Grade.
Capable of assisting martial artists in opening acupoints.
The moment many Xuan Gang martial artists saw it, their breathing unconsciously quickened.
Every martial artist knew the dangers involved in opening acupoints.
A single mistake could lead to permanent damage.
In severe cases—
The acupoint could collapse entirely.
Destroying future progress.
The Acupoint Opening Pill greatly reduced those risks.
Naturally—
Its price reflected that value.
19,000 mission points.
Exactly double the Gang Condensation Pill.
The number caused countless people to sigh helplessly.
Too expensive.
Yet worth every point.
The pricing alone revealed the relationship between demand and supply.
The Acupoint Opening Pill was simply rarer.
Much rarer.
...
The martial artists weren't the only ones staring at the reward list.
Foundation Establishment cultivators had their own targets.
Several rewards caused even them to become excited.
Rank-2 Spiritual Artifacts.
High-grade defensive talismans.
Rare cultivation resources.
And perhaps most importantly—
A Peak Rank-2 cultivation method.
The moment that reward appeared, discussions immediately exploded.
Most independent Foundation Establishment cultivators faced the same problem.
Inheritance limitations.
Many cultivation methods only reached High Rank-2.
Some stopped even earlier.
Reaching Foundation Establishment wasn't difficult compared to progressing afterward.
Without a superior inheritance, cultivation became increasingly difficult.
A Peak Rank-2 cultivation method could support cultivation all the way toward Peak Foundation Establishment.
For many people—
That was an opportunity worth risking their lives for.
As a result, mission participation surged dramatically.
...
Meanwhile.
Lin Sheng stood before the mission board.
His expression remained calm.
The surrounding discussions entered one ear and left through the other.
His gaze moved steadily through the available assignments.
After several moments—
He selected one.
Foundation Establishment Mid Stage.
Wanted.
Responsible for multiple attacks on merchant caravans.
Estimated strength: Mid Foundation Establishment.
Reward: 5,800 mission points.
The mission wasn't particularly remarkable.
Nor was the reward.
Yet it was suitable.
Lin Sheng accepted the mission and left without attracting much attention.
Many people merely glanced at him before returning their focus toward the reward list.
Only a few recognized him.
And those people wisely remained silent.
...
Three days later.
The mission was completed.
A remote valley.
The remains of battle still lingered.
Broken trees covered the ground.
Scorch marks stretched across the surrounding cliffs.
The corpse of the target lay several dozen meters away.
Nearby—
Lin Sheng stood quietly.
His robes showed slight damage.
A shallow burn mark remained visible on one sleeve.
Apart from that, he appeared unharmed.
The battle itself had ended quickly.
The troublesome part came afterward.
As defeat became inevitable, the Foundation Establishment cultivator had chosen a desperate option.
Self-detonation.
More accurately—
Detonating his magic weapon.
The resulting explosion had far exceeded normal Foundation Establishment attacks.
Even Lin Sheng had been forced to take it seriously.
Fortunately—
His physique remained absurdly powerful.
Combined with his defensive barrier, the explosion failed to inflict meaningful damage.
Still—
The impact had left a slight mark.
A rare occurrence.
Lin Sheng lowered his gaze toward his arm.
The faint redness had already begun fading.
His recovery ability was astonishing.
Within another day, even that trace would disappear.
"Desperate people are always the most troublesome."
The thought passed briefly through his mind.
Then he collected the mission proof and departed.
...
Back at Cloud Mist Market.
The mission points were quickly credited.
Lin Sheng's total rose once more.
Not enough.
Still far from enough.
Inside the mission hall, several martial artists were currently discussing the reward list.
One person stared at the Acupoint Opening Pill and sighed.
"Nineteen thousand points."
"I might need years."
His companion laughed bitterly.
"Years if you're lucky."
"Those things disappear the moment they're restocked."
Another martial artist joined the conversation.
"Forget the Acupoint Opening Pill."
"I'm aiming for the Gang Condensation Pill."
"Only nine thousand five hundred points."
The others immediately looked at him.
"Only?"
The man coughed awkwardly.
"...Relatively speaking."
Laughter erupted.
Yet nobody truly mocked him.
Because everyone understood.
Compared to nineteen thousand points—
Nine thousand five hundred really did seem affordable.
At least in comparison.
...
Elsewhere.
Within his residence.
Lin Sheng sat quietly.
The mission completion had earned him a respectable amount of points.
Yet his attention wasn't focused there.
Instead—
His consciousness descended into his mind.
The Starry Sky Visualization Method continued operating.
The Yellow Origin Diagram rotated steadily.
Compared to several weeks ago, the changes had become increasingly obvious.
The yellow-orange star he visualized now appeared far more complete.
Far more stable.
The assistance provided by the Chip had proven invaluable.
Using fragments of knowledge from his previous life, he had gradually refined the visualization.
The results spoke for themselves.
The Yellow Origin Diagram had already reached eighty percent completion.
Only twenty percent remained.
Yet—
The closer he approached completion, the slower progress became.
Every percentage required significantly more effort than the previous one.
Lin Sheng wasn't surprised.
The White Dwarf Stage had behaved similarly.
The final portion was always the most difficult.
His attention shifted briefly toward the surrounding mental landscape.