Free Web NovelChapter 40: Chapter 40: Foreign Affairs Hall
"Stop!"
Three disciples in dark gray martial robes blocked the alley entrance, the hems embroidered with the character for "Earth." The leader, a square-faced youth, glanced over the white robes worn by Liang Cheng and Yun Jinghong, which were marked with the character for "Human," and his lips curled into a sneer.
"New here? Don’t you know the rules?" the square-faced youth asked, crossing his arms. "Newcomers from the Human Dormitory have to hand over fifty percent of their monthly Contribution Points to pay tribute to the senior brothers from the Earth Dormitory. It’s an old tradition at the Martial Arts Academy."
Yun Jinghong didn’t even bother to look up. "Move."
"Oh? Quite the tough guy, are you?" the tall, thin disciple on the left sneered. "Do you have any idea who our Senior Brother Liu Meng is? He’s ranked forty-ninth in the Earth Dormitory! He could deal with a rookie like you..."
Before the disciple could finish speaking, Yun Jinghong stepped forward, his fingers straight as a sword, and lunged.
CHINK!
Yun Jinghong sidestepped the tall, thin disciple, his fingers piercing the brick wall behind him and leaving a hole three inches deep.
The tall, thin disciple froze on the spot. He hadn’t even had time to react.
Liu Meng’s expression changed. "You dare to attack? Don’t you know the Martial Arts Academy rules forbid private duels between disciples?"
Yun Jinghong remained unfazed. "Which is why I didn’t attack *him*. If you continue to block my path, we can take this to the fighting ring."
Liu Meng’s eyes darted about for a moment before he broke into a grin. "Fine. Junior Brother Yun, you’ve got some skill. But the Martial Arts Academy rules only grant new disciples a three-day protection period. After that, we’ll see what you’re really made of in the ring."
He turned to leave with his lackeys, but added as he passed Liang Cheng, "As for you, kid... after I’m done with Yun Jinghong, I’m coming for you."
Liang Cheng hadn’t said a single word throughout the confrontation. After bidding Yun Jinghong farewell, he returned to the Quiet Chamber area. The door to the adjacent room opened and Li Mu poked his head out. "Senior Brother Liang, are you alright? That was Liu Meng from the Earth Dormitory. He’s known for extorting new disciples..."
Liang Cheng nodded. "I’m aware."
Li Mu hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice. "I’ve heard it’s best for new disciples like us, the ones without any backing, to stick together.
A few senior brothers who also came from coastal towns formed the Fishermen’s Gang to watch each other’s backs. Senior Brother Liang, would you be interested in joining...?"
"There’s no need," Liang Cheng cut him off.
Li Mu opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.
After closing the door, Liang Cheng sat cross-legged on his bed.
’Fifty Contribution Points is half a month’s worth of resources. If I hand them over this time, they’ll demand a hundred next time. In the struggle of the Martial Dao, you can’t yield a single inch.’
’The fighting ring...’ His gaze fell upon the Academy Rules Book.
He flipped to the section on the fighting ring: Both parties would wager Contribution Points, and the winner would take all. While crippling or killing an opponent was forbidden, accidents were another matter.
’In other words, as long as it wasn’t a deliberate murder, the Martial Arts Academy wouldn’t intervene over a few broken bones.’
Liang Cheng closed the book and began to consider how he could earn Contribution Points.
...
「The night passed uneventfully.」
Early the next morning, Liang Cheng arrived promptly at the training grounds east of the Human Dormitory.
Dozens of disciples were already in the middle of their morning training. The air whistled with the force of their punches and flashed with the light of their swords. In the central fighting ring, two disciples were locked in combat, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers shouting encouragement and placing bets.
Liang Cheng paid them no mind and focused on practicing his Gale Saber Technique. An hour later, the lines of text in his vision changed.
[Gale Saber Technique: Beginner Level (170/200)]
’Now that I have my Transformation Force Cultivation and have reached the Perfection stage in three other Cultivation Techniques, practicing the Gale Saber Technique is yielding twice the results with half the effort.’
Just then, Li Mu came over and handed him a list of tasks he had copied down. "Senior Brother Liang, even the simplest cleaning jobs have twenty people fighting over them..."
Liang Cheng took the list and glanced over it.
The tasks were divided into three tiers:
Low-Tier: Miscellaneous tasks. 5-20 Contribution Points. Highly competitive.
Mid-Tier: Support tasks (sparring partner, herb gathering, Town Guardian, etc.). 30-100 Contribution Points. Requires a certain degree of strength.
High-Tier: Hunt missions (Demon Beasts, wanted criminals). 150+ Contribution Points. Extremely high risk, requires leaving the academy grounds.
Liang Cheng’s eyes scanned the list. ’Low-tier tasks have a poor payout. High-tier tasks require leaving the grounds, and the risks are hard to manage.’
’With my Transformation Force Cultivation and three techniques at the Perfection stage, a mid-tier task is the most prudent choice. I can earn points quickly without revealing the full extent of my abilities too soon.’
He put the list away, having already made up his mind.
"Li Mu, where do you go to accept these tasks?"
"The Foreign Affairs Hall. You just have to accept a task and get it registered."
"Alright, thanks."
Liang Cheng strode off. Li Mu called after him, "Which task are you planning to take?"
But Liang Cheng had already vanished around the corner.
The Foreign Affairs Hall was a large, blue-tiled building with a constant flow of people coming and going. As Liang Cheng stepped inside, he was met with a wave of clamor.
To the left was a mission board where dozens of yellow paper slips were densely posted, completely covering the wall. A number of disciples were gathered in front, pointing and talking amongst themselves.
To the right, three Steward Disciples sat behind a long table, handling registrations.
Liang Cheng walked straight toward the mission board.
"Buying Tier Two Demon Cores, ten points each..."
"Sparring partner for Senior Brother Zhang of the Earth Dormitory. Thirty points per day. Must have high endurance..."
"Escort merchant caravan to Qingshi Town. Five days for two hundred points..."
His eyes scanned quickly over the listings, finally settling on one in the middle of the board:
"Escort for Elder Huang of the Alchemy Room into West Mountain to gather herbs. Three guards required. Prerequisite: Transformation Force Cultivation. Reward: One hundred fifty points per day, plus a bonus Elixir upon successful refinement of the herbs. Schedule: Depart in three days, mission duration two days."
’The requirements are suitable, and the reward is high.’ Liang Cheng immediately memorized the mission number and headed for the registration desk.
A disciple with a scarred face was in line ahead of him, arguing with the Steward. "On what grounds are you refusing me this escort mission?"
The Steward, a young man with narrow, triangular eyes, slowly flipped through a ledger. "Li Kui, last month you took an escort mission, abandoned your client halfway through, and fled back here. You were docked fifty reputation points for it. According to the rules, anyone with a reputation score below sixty cannot accept off-campus missions."
"That was an accident!" the scarred man retorted, his face filled with anger.
"Next."
The narrow-eyed Steward waved him away without a second glance.
Li Kui shot the Steward a vicious glare, then bumped into Liang Cheng’s shoulder as he stormed off. "What are you looking at, rookie?" he snarled.
Liang Cheng ignored him and stepped forward, presenting his Identity Jade Token. "I’m here to accept Mission Number Seventeen, the herb-gathering escort."
The narrow-eyed Steward glanced at him, then at the Jade Token. "Newcomer from the Human Dormitory? Early-stage Transformation Force..." He flipped through his ledger. "This mission is already full. We have our three people."
Liang Cheng frowned. "It’s not marked as full on the board."
"It just filled up," the Steward said, closing his ledger. "Pick a different one."
Liang Cheng glanced at the ledger by the Steward’s hand. The ink of the last entry was still wet, and there was clearly one spot left.
"The third name slot is empty," Liang Cheng stated calmly.
The narrow-eyed Steward’s expression darkened. "I said it’s full, so it’s full. What, is some newcomer trying to make a scene?"
Many people in the hall turned to look.
Liang Cheng stared at him. "The rule states that a mission closes once it has three members. If it isn’t full, a Steward has no right to prevent a disciple from accepting it."
"Rules?" the Steward sneered. "Around here, my word *is* the rule. Keep running your mouth, and see if I don’t dock your Contribution Points."
The atmosphere grew tense.
"Zhao Ming, are you giving the new disciples a hard time again?"
A gentle voice came from a side door. A middle-aged, clean-shaven man in a green robe emerged, his aura subdued. The narrow-eyed Steward’s expression changed instantly. He scrambled to his feet and bowed. "Master Chen."
The green-robed man took the ledger and glanced at it before turning to Liang Cheng. "You wish to accept this mission?"
"I do."
"Early-stage Transformation Force... your Cultivation is a bit weak," the green-robed man mused. "Elder Huang’s missions are known to be perilous. We lost two disciples on one last year. Are you sure you want to accept?"
"I’m sure."
"Very well." Master Chen picked up a brush and wrote Liang Cheng’s name in the empty space. "Three days from now at 7:00 AM, assemble at the entrance to the Alchemy Room. If you are late or withdraw from the mission, you will be penalized double the Contribution Points."
"Thank you, Master." Liang Cheng accepted the stamped mission token. The narrow-eyed Steward, Zhao Ming, looked livid but didn’t dare say a word.
As Liang Cheng turned to leave, Zhao Ming sneered under his breath, "Kid, West Mountain isn’t some training ground. Be careful. You might have the life to accept the mission, but not to make it back."
Liang Cheng didn’t break his stride, ignoring him completely. Zhao Ming’s expression grew even fouler. He stared at Liang Cheng’s back, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists.
’That kid... he needs to be taught a lesson.’
