Yu Xuan returned to his temporary ho base, the familiar streets greeted him. Only one mission remained on his list now — just one last task before he could call the day a true success.
Opening up his dallion to check the mission details, he stared at the location and imdiately facepald.
"The Thorny Goats habitat is almost an hour away from town..." he muttered, exasperated.
Still, there was no helping it.
Before setting out, he figured he might as well refuel that is fulfill the desire of his stomach.
After all, his master had given him a generous number of sect points specifically to spend on food. It would practically be disrespectful not to eat well.
And so, with full conviction and a hungry stomach, Yu Xuan made his way back to UFC — Ultra Fried Chicken. There, he casually ordered another 3-piece combo. The aroma alone made him temporarily forget about the long walk ahead.
"This sauce is really good," he mumbled between bites, dipping the crispy at into the dark red glaze.
Once he finished his al, he wiped his hands and stepped outside into the cooling afternoon light. His gaze lifted to the horizon. If he left now, he could finish the mission before dusk. But another thought tugged at the corner of his mind — one he’d been toying with since his return.
The Arena.
Every major town had one: a local dueling arena where sect disciples could register and battle others at their cultivation level. It wasn’t just about ego or sparring — it was a path forward.
Disciples who ranked highly in the monthly leaderboards earned not only sect recognition but also valuable rewards. And if they stayed at the top long enough, they qualified for the annual Peak Tournant — an event hosted by the major peaks of the Heaven Immortal Sect.
Even better, those who dominated at the Peak Tournant were eligible to compete in the Inter-Peak Grand Tournant, a once in a decade event, known across the entire sect.
Yu Xuan had heard stories — rewards that could launch a disciple into stardom, rare techniques, divine materials, even personal guidance from the elders of the Ten Great Peaks.
He wasn’t dreaming about that yet, but planting his foot in the arena seed like a good idea.
"First, I should finish the goat hunt," he muttered to himself, adjusting his sleeves and stretching lightly. "Then, I’ll test myself in the arena. Nine months is plenty of ti to climb the ladder."
His eyes sparkled slightly at the thought. He wasn’t just here to complete missions. He was here to rise.
And step by step, he was starting to understand how.
***
Yu Xuan finally arrived at the location marked on his dallion for the Thorny Goats mission. It was a wide-open grassland, with gentle hills and tall grass swaying under the late afternoon breeze. On the surface, the scene looked peaceful — picturesque, even.
But then he saw them.
Dozens of Thorny Goats scattered across the field. A few were nibbling on grass quietly... but the majority were not.
Instead, they were engaged in their so-called "personal activities"— the kind that made Yu Xuan freeze mid-step and question his life choices.
"Maaaaaaahhhhhhhaaa!" ca one particularly loud bleat.
"Baaaaaaa — baaa — baaaa..." another followed, rhythmically, almost like a cursed chant echoing across the adows.
Yu Xuan’s face darkened imdiately.
"So this is why they’re called Thorny Goats..." he muttered under his breath, glancing at their distinctive horns — curved and lined with tiny natural thorns, like the one on flowers, perfectly matching their... enthusiastic nature.
These beasts weren’t just nad thorny — they were morally thorny, too.
Sighing deeply, he summoned a slender arrow from his storage ring. It shimred with a subtle spiritual luster, balanced for speed and precision.
Lifting it with [Telekinesis], Yu Xuan targeted a pair of the particularly distracted goats, their eyes locked with each other in what could only be described as mutual passion.
He aid.
Fwish.
The arrow zipped through the air in a blur of silver light — and pierced straight through one of the goat’s hearts. It collapsed instantly, the sound of its fall muffled by the grass.
Yu Xuan didn’t stop.
In swift succession, more arrows floated into the air, and more goats, caught mid-worldly indulgence — fell without realizing what had hit them. Their eyes wide open in surprise, they never even got to finish their... bleating.
Ten. That was the number required. He made it exactly ten, choosing the most oblivious ones to avoid triggering a stampede.
Without wasting a second, he swept the bodies into his space ring. The goats were still warm. The mission’s description had said "limbs intact and minimal damage," and his thod had ensured just that.
He dusted his robes, gave the field one last disdainful look, and turned away.
"This place is cursed," he muttered. "Definitely not for children. Or the faint of heart."
Behind him, the remaining goats hadn’t even noticed their fallen kin. Most were still engaged in... compromising positions. Others were cheering, bleating, or chasing each other around in bizarre rituals that Yu Xuan refused to analyze further.
"They really have no sha," he said aloud, shaking his head. "Well, I guess they’re safe. Cultivators won’t co hunting in a place that feels like the scene of a scandal waiting to happen."
He thought of a certain Clan elder’s private collection of spirit beasts and suddenly felt a strange connection.
At least these guys don’t have to worry about being caught on a crystal-recording formation... unlike a certain CEO back on Earth. And even if they were caught they were goats and to them the most important thing was their worldly affairs.
And with that, Yu Xuan left the morally questionable field of Thorny Goats behind, the final mission complete.
Now, all that remained was returning to town, he had to report his mission completion to a certain monk, who was definitely not worried that her inner peace would be disturbed by soone and then she would need to engage in worldly affairs, it was just talking to a real person but because the monk was introvert, this was a challenge.
***
Xuan’s Chronicles: My Ordinary life. [continued from Chapter 63]
After poking the blue koi for a bit longer, because really, who could resist? — I finally left it alone and made my way toward the back mountain.
On my way, I saw several elders flying on their swords, moving at lightning speed. My eyes sparkled with envy.
I could already picture it: , soaring through the skies with my robes fluttering in the wind, looking all mysterious and powerful.
I could even hear the junior clan disciples down below whispering:
"So cool..."
"I want to be like Young Master..."
Ah, the dreams.
Leaving those thoughts aside, I snuck into the back mountain. As I arrived at the familiar yet still slightly mysterious forest, I saw floating rocks suspended in the air around .
Even though such things were normal in the cultivation world, I still found them amazing every single ti.
As I walked past a tree I rembered well, it sneezed — yes, sneezed — and puffed a cloud of pollen at . Thankfully, I nimbly dodged it. Guess it rembered too.
I continued exploring the forest, venturing into areas I hadn’t seen before, not even during my last visit with my sister.
Soon, I ca across a very familiar sight: the apologetic rock turtle. I owed it an apology for our last encounter. But then — an evil idea struck.
Hiding behind a tree, I activated [Telekinesis], lifted the odd little turtle gently into the air, and spun it 180 degrees. The once-peaceful turtle was now staring blankly at the sky, utterly confused.
It let out a pitiful little whimper. I chuckled.
...Until the sky darkened behind .
A towering shadow lood over . Slowly, I turned my head and ca face to face with a much, much larger turtle, easily ten tis my size — with ancient, intelligent eyes that bore straight into my soul.
From her look, the mother turtle knew what I did.
I instinctively fell to my knees and began profusely apologizing like my life depended on it (because it probably did).
Trying to fix my karma, I rushed over to the little turtle. Seeing its hurt expression, I actually felt bad. I pulled out a few sweets from my pouch — my precious candies and offered them. Its face lit up instantly. I sighed in relief.
The mother turtle was still watching.
I just hope the little turtle does not get any teeth problems, otherwise I would be blad.
To seal the peace, I rubbed the little turtle’s head a few more tis. It let out a soft purring sound — yes, turtles purr in this world. Don’t question it. I gave it so extra candies and whispered, "We’ll et again."
Then I turned and walked away as calmly as possible... thankful that all my limbs were still attached.
Going deeper into the forest, I stumbled upon sothing, or soone — I thought was a hallucination.
Standing there, regal and silent, was a nine-tailed fox. Its fur shimred like pure snow, and its golden eyes stared directly into mine.
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