Qi Tian calculated that if Cai Zhenyu refused, he would go ask Guo Qing for help. Guo Qing was honest and easygoing, so he probably wouldn’t turn him down.
Unexpectedly, Cai Zhenyu’s expression darkened slightly, but he agreed without hesitation.
"Fine. I’ll take two hundred contribution points."
Qi Tian was a little surprised.
That easy?
That left only fifty points.
Zhuang Lili and Chen Er exchanged a glance.
Zhuang Lili spoke first.
"I’ll take thirty."
Chen Er smiled and waved his hand.
"Sure. I don’t care how much I get. Being able to team up with Senior Brother Cai and Senior Brother Qi is already the greatest honor I could ask for."
The distribution was settled.
Cai Zhenyu removed the mission jade token from the board and led the other three to the registration desk.
The Mission Hall disciple in charge of registration took the mission jade token and said,
"Waist tokens."
The four of them took out their inner-disciple waist tokens one after another and handed them over.
The Mission Hall disciple pressed each token onto a piece of jade on the desk. The jade lit up, displaying each person’s name, cultivation level, and some basic information.
When it was Qi Tian’s turn, the disciple took his token and pressed it down.
The words that appeared on the jade were—
"Qi Tian, third layer of Qi Condensation."
The disciple froze for a moment, then looked up and studied Qi Tian suspiciously.
"Third layer of Qi Condensation? You’re taking an elite mission?"
Chen Er quickly explained,
"Senior Brother Qi broke through to the seventh layer of Qi Condensation last night. He hasn’t had the chance to update it yet."
The Mission Hall disciple froze.
"Broke through last night?"
He instinctively looked at Qi Tian.
"After breaking through, you need to go to the Internal Affairs Hall to update the cultivation level on your waist token."
After saying that, he couldn’t help taking another couple of looks at Qi Tian.
Four minor breakthroughs in a single night?
Zhuang Lili was just as shocked. She hadn’t gone to join the crowd outside Tianyi Gate last night either, so she had no idea what had happened.
The Mission Hall disciple finally came back to himself. After confirming the identities and cultivation levels of all four, he returned their waist tokens one by one.
After leaving the Mission Hall, Cai Zhenyu did not lead them toward the mountain gate. Instead, he turned onto a side path to the west.
Zhuang Lili followed for a couple of steps before suddenly realizing where they were going. She hurried forward.
"Senior Brother Cai, don’t tell me you’re going to... the Beast Hall to rent mounts?"
Cai Zhenyu didn’t even turn around.
"It’s three hundred miles to Spirit Herb Mountain. Do you expect us to walk there? By the time we arrive, we won’t have the strength to deal with that leopard."
Zhuang Lili came to a halt, a troubled look spreading across her chubby face.
"But... renting a Windchaser Horse requires a hundred spirit stones as a deposit. I... I don’t have any."
Chen Er scratched his head beside her and gave an awkward smile.
"Senior Brother Cai, I just spent my spirit stones on pills last month. I’m a little short on cash..."
Cai Zhenyu stopped in his tracks.
He took a deep breath, as though suppressing something, then slowly turned around. His eyes settled on Qi Tian.
"What about you?"
Qi Tian spread his hands, completely unfazed.
"It’s only my second day in the sect. What do you think?"
"Three broke-ass disciples." Cai Zhenyu sighed in exasperation. "I’ll cover it for now. Remember to pay me back."
——
The Beast Hall was built on a wide stretch of flat ground halfway up the mountain. The area was enclosed by blackwood fences over a zhang high, with dozens of separate beast pens inside. The occasional cries of spirit beasts mixed with the sharp, musky stench of the animals.
A stone building stood in front of the hall. Inside were several long desks, with Beast Hall disciples on duty seated behind them, heads bent as they recorded their accounts.
"Four Windchaser Horses for one day."
Cai Zhenyu slapped his waist token onto the desk.
The Beast Hall disciple looked up at him.
"So it’s Senior Brother Cai."
His gaze swept over the other three before he lowered his head and worked the abacus.
"Four hundred spirit stones for the deposits. Two spirit stones per horse for one day. Four hundred and eight in total. Any damage to the horses will be compensated according to their value."
Cai Zhenyu calmly took out his waist token again.
"Deduct it from my contribution points."
The disciple took it and pressed it against a small jade tablet on the desk.
A faint glow spread across the jade tablet, and several lines of information appeared.
He checked the displayed contribution-point balance, then picked up a recording jade slip and entered the transaction.
After a moment, another line of light appeared on the tablet.
The four hundred and eight contribution points were deducted.
The disciple returned the waist token to Cai Zhenyu and nodded.
"Done. Four hundred and eight contribution points have been deducted. The deposit will be returned when the horses are brought back without damage."
Cai Zhenyu took his waist token.
"Bring out the horses."
The Beast Hall disciple turned toward the back and called out,
"Li Si! Bring out four Windchaser Horses!"
A moment later, a disciple led four Windchaser Horses out from behind the pens.
The horses were a deep blue-black from head to hoof, with cloud-like markings on their four hooves. They looked exceptionally fine-bred and spirited. Even when they saw strangers, they merely snorted and remained remarkably docile.
The four of them mounted and galloped down the mountain road.
At the mountain gate, the barrier of the sect-protecting formation had already closed. The section that had been opened yesterday for the Grand Opening Ceremony was now sealed off, with several disciples taking turns guarding the entrance.
The four raised their waist tokens and had their identities checked. The barrier rippled open, and they passed through one after another.
The four rode side by side, racing east along the main road. The Windchaser Horses were incredibly swift, the wind rising beneath their hooves as the scenery on either side blurred past.
Seeing that no one was speaking, Zhuang Lili decided to break the silence and turned to Chen Er.
"Isn’t the seal on Mount Qinglu supposed to open again in another month?"
Chen Er nodded.
"Should be."
Qi Tian’s gaze shifted slightly at those words.
"Mount Qinglu?"
Chen Er immediately explained,
"The seal on Mount Qinglu has existed for many years. About a hundred years ago, its power gradually began to weaken. Since then, every few years, there has been a brief period when the seal weakens enough for cultivators to enter."
Zhuang Lili picked up where he left off.
"There’s actually nothing particularly special about it. It’s just that the spirit beasts and spirit herbs inside haven’t been disturbed much over the years, so the ecosystem has remained remarkably well preserved."
"Whenever the seal opens, the sect sends disciples inside for training. If it happens to coincide with the Sect Competition, the competition is held inside Mount Qinglu."
Qi Tian listened in silence.
Mount Qinglu.
Next month, he would have a chance to enter and see what it was really like.
"What kind of qualifications are required to enter Mount Qinglu?"
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