Yun Hao was still feeling puzzled.
Although Lin Xian had already explained what the beam of light meant, he was still somewhat confused.
He had not accepted any mission, had he?
“Elder Lin, this light beam is…?”
Lin Xian slowly stood up.
His dry old hands were gently holding two smooth, round beads that he had taken out at some unknown time.
He walked over to Yun Hao’s side and said,
“You’ve been in Proud Sword Sect for nearly two months now, right?”
“Yes, Elder Lin. It’s almost two months.”
Yun Hao nodded.
From the day he first set foot on Proud Sword Sect’s mountain until today, more than fifty days had already passed.
It was indeed close to two months.
Lin Xian saw that Yun Hao had been carefully counting the days and did not drag things out.
There were some things that should be told to Yun Hao as he continued to grow.
Moreover… his own time was running out.
This time when Yun Hao returned, it was time to take that final step.
“Every disciple of Proud Sword Sect must complete a mission after joining the sect. Outer sect disciples are required to accept missions every six months. These are mandatory.”
“Inner sect disciples only have one mandatory mission upon first joining the sect. After that, missions are optional. You can choose to accept them or not. You only need to complete one within two years.”
After Lin Xian said this, Yun Hao roughly understood.
He had been at Proud Sword Sect for nearly two months now, so the time for his first mandatory sect mission had arrived.
Seeing that Yun Hao had more or less understood, Lin Xian continued,
“There aren’t many inner sect disciples who joined at the same time as you. Including you, there are only a few people. This time you will likely be carrying out the mission together with outer sect disciples. You can relax a bit. There’s no need to be too nervous.”
Hearing Lin Xian’s comforting words, Yun Hao felt some of his tension ease.
Then, under Lin Xian’s guidance, he injected his spiritual power into the sect token.
The jade token slowly floated up from his hand after receiving Yun Hao’s spiritual power. It emitted a soft white light, and a few lines of small text appeared in the air.
(Eleventh day of the eleventh month. Assemble at the main mountain gate. Mission requirement: Independently slay five Miye Deer at the early Qi Refining stage within the Black Beast Mountain Range. Bring back their antlers as proof. Remember this well!)
Lin Xian silently memorized all the information.
He knew the Black Beast Mountain Range. It was one of the main training grounds for Proud Sword Sect disciples.
The strongest demon beasts inside were only at the Dao Integration realm and hid deep within the mountains. As long as one did not provoke them, there would generally be no danger.
The outer areas of the mountain range mostly contained small demon beasts at the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages.
If Yun Hao was careful, this mission should be completed smoothly.
He looked at Yun Hao, who was still lost in thought, and reminded him,
“Although you have already reached the mid Qi Refining stage, you must be cautious about everything when outside the sect. Especially when slaying demon beasts, you need to be extra careful. Watch out for their desperate counterattacks before death!”
Yun Hao snapped out of his daze after Lin Xian’s reminder.
He saw the serious expression on Lin Xian’s face and his heart sank slightly.
Although his strength was higher than those demon beasts, Elder Lin was right. He still needed to be careful.
He nodded gently to Lin Xian.
“This disciple will firmly remember Elder Lin’s warnings and will be cautious in all matters.”
Lin Xian felt slightly reassured seeing that Yun Hao had taken his words to heart.
However, a trace of hesitation appeared on his face.
This was Yun Hao’s first time going down the mountain for training.
In the past sixteen years, Yun Hao had never really interacted with others, nor had he ever truly fought and killed demon beasts.
Although Lin Xian had often sparred with him over the past month, those were only practice matches.
He had almost no experience in life-and-death battles…
After hesitating for a moment, he ultimately handed the two smooth beads he had been holding to Yun Hao.
He was still somewhat worried.
There were simply too many unexpected situations that could occur when one was outside alone.
Yun Hao was his last hope. He could not afford any mishaps.
Yun Hao looked at the beads Lin Xian was offering and felt puzzled.
He stared at Lin Xian with a confused expression. What did this mean?
“This is your first time leaving the sect for training, and you lack experienced knowledge. I’ll give you these Hunyuan Pearls. They can block one attack from a Nascent Soul cultivator on your behalf and even counterattack the opponent, but the effect only works once.”
“After using them, your speed will increase greatly. Remember, if you encounter danger, do not try to fight head-on. You must know when to escape. As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood.”
Lin Xian was still afraid something might happen to Yun Hao.
After all, Yun Hao was already half his successor and the person Lin Shengyu had feelings for. He really did not dare to take the risk.
“Elder Lin, this…”
Just as Yun Hao saw how precious the beads were and was about to refuse, Lin Shengyu, who had been silent beside him, spoke up.
“Senior Brother, there are many unexpected dangers once you leave the sect. None of us will be by your side. In an emergency, no one may be able to help you. These Hunyuan Pearls are just insurance. Please accept them.”
After saying this, Lin Shengyu’s expression clearly became downcast. Her small face carried a trace of bitterness.
“My own situation… Senior Brother, you’ve seen it yourself. It was because I was too careless and fell for the demonic cultivator’s trap…”
Seeing his junior sister willing to expose her own scars just to persuade him to accept the Hunyuan Pearls, Yun Hao could no longer refuse. He could only silently accept the pair of beads, not wanting to disappoint Lin Shengyu and the others.
After this matter, the previous casual conversation could no longer continue.
Yun Hao now needed to return to Sect Master Peak to prepare for the upcoming sect mission, and Lin Xian understood the importance of the matter. He did not try to keep him and simply watched as Yun Hao stood up and slowly left.
Just as Yun Hao had bid farewell to Lin Xian and his junior sister and was about to leave the cave residence, Lin Shengyu suddenly ran over to him.
“Senior Brother!”
She called out with a hint of shyness and unease. She stuffed a light purple brocade pouch into Yun Hao’s hand, squeezed his hand tightly, and then, as if unable to control herself, gently hugged him. Leaning close to his ear, she whispered softly,
“Senior Brother, keep this brocade pouch safe. You must be careful in everything…”
Yun Hao looked at Lin Shengyu before him and felt a warm current flow through his heart. He gently stroked his junior sister’s small head and said,
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Once I complete the mission, I’ll come see you right away.”
“Mm…”
After saying goodbye to his junior sister, Yun Hao finally left.
…
Lin Shengyu stood at the spot where Senior Brother had left, staring blankly in that direction.
It was as if as long as she kept looking, her beloved would appear before her eyes again.
“Did you still give him that brocade pouch?”
Lin Xian’s voice came, but Lin Shengyu acted as if she hadn’t heard it and continued standing there.
This was not the first time.
Every time Yun Hao finished suppressing the demonic poison for her and left, she would stare blankly in the direction he had gone and remain like that for half a shichen.
Only after Yun Hao’s presence in the air had completely dissipated would she be willing to return.
It was as if only in this way could she feel proof that Senior Brother had really been here, and that it wasn’t just a dream.
Seeing his granddaughter so completely captivated by Yun Hao, Lin Xian could not help but sigh.
Although he was very happy that Lin Shengyu could accept Yun Hao, he still felt as if he were giving away his most precious treasure. And he was doing so for free.
Although Lin Xian was happy, he had never forgotten Lin Shengyu’s greatest rival — Luo Shuiling.
He was a little worried that his granddaughter would become lost in this tenderness and not even know how she had lost in the end.
“Yu’er, Grandpa still needs to remind you of one thing. Yun Hao… is not someone only you care about. Luo Shuiling… is your greatest obstacle.”
Lin Xian’s words pulled Lin Shengyu out of her gentle thoughts and forced her to face the somewhat cold reality.
She pursed her lips, and the figure that stood in her way appeared in her mind… the person Senior Brother currently admired — Luo Shuiling.
If this had been a month ago, she would not have had the confidence to compete with Luo Shuiling.
But after Yun Hao had relentlessly dispelled the poison for her more than ten times, she was no longer the same.
She slowly exhaled, and her small face gradually filled with determination.
The originally lifeless eyes that had been in front of Yun Hao now shone brightly with a spirited light.
With her back to Lin Xian, she felt the incredibly abundant spiritual power Senior Brother had left inside her body and her fully healed and reconstructed meridians. She slowly raised her head and gazed at the clear blue sky.
Under Yun Hao’s special physique, her body had almost completely recovered. Her meridians had been reconstructed, and her eyesight had been restored.
This was also why she had been able to make that purple brocade pouch during this past month.
The reason she continued pretending to be blind was to receive more of Senior Brother’s care and to grow closer to Yun Hao.
She had not even told Lin Xian about this. She knew her grandfather’s remaining time was limited, and she wanted to find the most suitable opportunity to confess everything to him and tell him there was no need to worry about her anymore.
The dejection that had filled her heart a month ago was long gone, replaced by an incomparably firm conviction.
Don’t worry, Grandpa. I will definitely make Senior Brother willingly marry me.
She was unwilling to share Senior Brother with anyone else, especially someone who did not know how to cherish feelings. She was selfish.
Lin Xian looked at his granddaughter, who was now full of fighting spirit, feeling both gratified and worried. He said silently in his heart,
Don’t worry, Yu’er. No matter what, Grandpa will fight for your greatest happiness!