With the entry of the new disciples, the Task Hall was exceptionally lively, packed with a sea of people.
Following the map in his Sword Order, Hong Yu found the magnificent hall without much trouble.
"Hurry over! The tasks for new disciples have been posted! Everyone, go get yours with your Sword Order!"
A loud voice rang out amidst the din.
Mingling with the crowd, Hong Yu followed along.
Even though they had all been uniquely blessed Celestial Pride Sons in their respective cities, they had to learn to act with their tails between their legs here in the Cyan Nether Sword Sect. After all, even in the Outer Sect, the combat strength of these Outer Disciples was far greater than that of secular experts at the sa level.
They ford an orderly queue, and one by one, the people at the front used their Sword Orders to receive their Sect tasks.
"Holy crap, you got guard duty at the dicine courtyard? That's an aweso assignnt! I hear it has a lot of perks!"
"Of course! Don't you know who I am? My uncle's son is the thirtieth-ranked genius on the Outer Sect's Earth List. He already put in a good word for !"
"You're amazing! Can I follow you from now on?"
"Of course you can!"
The new Outer Disciples chattered amongst themselves.
All sorts of tasks erged. So people got lucky or had backdoor connections, receiving assignnts like guarding the dicine courtyard, watching over the Scripture Pavilion, or distributing stipends. Of course, there were also new disciples from ordinary backgrounds who got stuck with terrible tasks, like cleaning the latrines for a month or fertilizing the vegetable garden.
Not only were these tasks grueling, but they also ca with zero perks.
Many new disciples tried to cozy up to those with connections, hoping to curry favor and receive so pitiful handout!
Hong Yu watched coolly from the back, shaking his head inwardly. 'No matter where you go, there are always backdoor connections and nepotism!'
From his observation at the back of the line, he also discovered how the Sect tasks were divided.
For example, tasks like guarding the dicine courtyard or the Scripture Pavilion would earn twenty points after a month. As for the hard, dirty, and tiring Sect tasks, completing a month's worth would only get you ten points. Hong Yu couldn't help but feel a little expectant. 'What will my task be?'
Before long, it was finally Hong Yu's turn.
The Outer Disciple in charge of assigning tasks was a thin-faced youth of about twenty-four or twenty-five, with cultivation at the Peak of the Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm. Hong Yu's eyes were as sharp as an eagle's; he could see that the disciple's life force was as vibrant as a rainbow, not even inferior to so at the Half-Step Earth Soul Realm.
'Sect disciples truly are uniquely blessed!'
"Na!"
The thin-faced youth said indifferently.
Hong Yu smiled amicably. "Hong Yu!" As he spoke, he presented his Sword Order.
"Hong Yu?"
The thin-faced youth paused, raising his eyes to look at Hong Yu. A strange look flashed in his eyes before he said flatly, "Your task is to go to the valley behind Cyan Cliff Peak and chop down Beard Iron Trees. You need to chop one hundred Beard Iron Trees every month. If you complete it, you'll get thirty points. If you fail, three months of your stipend will be deducted."
"Deduct my stipend? Why is there no penalty for anyone else?" Hong Yu frowned.
He had been observing from the back for a long ti and had never heard of any penalties for failing to complete a task.
The thin-faced youth sneered contemptuously. "It's a Sect rule. If you don't like it, you can choose to give up the task."
"You..."
Hong Yu's expression darkened.
He saw the look of fearless confidence in the thin-faced youth's eyes and instantly understood. 'This guy is deliberately targeting .'
With a grim face, he accepted the task.
The mont he turned around, he heard the thin-faced youth's disdainful snort from behind him. "Offend the Four Kings and still expect a good task? Pfft..."
"The Four Kings again."
Hong Yu clenched his fists, suppressing the anger in his heart.
But then a doubt arose in his mind. The reward for his task seed much higher than the others. 'If the Four Kings want to deal with , why would they arrange a task with such a high reward?'
He opened the Scroll and his expression changed instantly. The hand holding the task Scroll trembled, and furious flas danced in his eyes. "This is too much..."
Written clearly on the task Scroll was: Beard Iron Tree, a Tier One Spirit Wood, with hardness comparable to a Mortal Level Lower Grade Primordial Weapon.
The hardness of a Mortal Level Lower Grade Primordial Weapon!
Hong Yu didn't even need to see the Beard Iron Tree to imagine how difficult it would be to chop down.
"Huh? Isn't that Hong Yu?" A figure flashed out of the crowd and appeared before him.
The newcor's face showed a trace of excitent.
Hong Yu was taken aback. "You're Cao Bo?"
Cao Bo was one of the youths from Shishui City who had been selected for the Cyan Nether Sword Sect along with him.
Hong Yu vaguely rembered Yun ngyao ntioning that Cao Bo had co looking for him during his closed-door cultivation, wanting to travel to the Cyan Nether Sword Sect together. However, since Hong Yu was in seclusion, Cao Bo had to leave first. The two of them hadn't really interacted before, so there was no bad blood. In fact, it gave Hong Yu the feeling of eting an old friend in a new place.
Cao Bo grinned. "Yeah, I thought you wouldn't rember !"
"Haha, when did you arrive at the Sword Sect?" Hong Yu asked with a smile.
Cao Bo said, "I arrived ten days ago. I wanted to travel with you, but you were in seclusion."
"I was cultivating at the ti," Hong Yu said. "Have you gotten your Sect task yet?"
Cao Bo shook his head. "Not yet. I was in line to get my task when I saw you, so I ca over to say hi." As he spoke, a puzzled look appeared on his face. "With your talent and strength, you should have entered the Inner Sect directly. Why are you in the Outer Sect?"
"It's nothing. You should go get your task first!" Hong Yu said with a noncommittal smile.
Seeing that Hong Yu didn't want to elaborate, Cao Bo didn't press the matter. "Alright then, I'll go get my task first. Wait for here, there's sothing I want to discuss with you!"
"Go ahead!"
Hong Yu nodded.
Cao Bo returned to the queue.
'The Cao Family is just a small family in Shishui City. This Cao Bo is the first disciple from the Cao Family to enter the Cyan Nether Sword Sect. He's a lone wolf, just like !' Hong Yu thought, feeling a sense of kinship with a fellow sufferer.
While he was waiting, Cao Bo's angry voice suddenly ca from behind him. "On what grounds are you swapping my task with his?"
"Damn it, Cao Bo, don't be an idiot when I'm being nice. I'm telling you to swap tasks, you should feel honored," a gruff voice followed.
"Wang ng, you're going too far! My task is to guard the dicine courtyard, and yours is to fertilize the vegetable garden. Why on earth would I swap with you?" Cao Bo roared angrily.
"Wang ng?"
Hearing the familiar na, Hong Yu was also taken aback.
Both Cao Bo and Wang ng had fought their way out of the Shishui City clan tournant. Wang ng had even participated in the ambush against him with Lin Hai. It was just a pity that the kid had escaped so fast that Hong Yu couldn't kill him. He hadn't seen either of them during the Entry Test, but to think he'd run into them both in the Task Hall.
"Shit, you're swapping today whether you like it or not!"
Wang ng's tyrannical voice rang out.
The sounds of a scuffle imdiately followed...
"Rolling Stone Fist!"
Wang ng's heavy, powerful strike chopped down toward Cao Bo.
He was a mighty Half-Step Earth Soul Realm cultivator, while Cao Bo was only at Mid-Stage Essence Realm Cultivation. The gap between them was huge; this one blow was enough to seriously injure Cao Bo.
'Sigh... we ca from the sa city, after all. I should help him out,' Hong Yu sighed softly.
His figure moved like a thunderous blur. Using the mysterious and profound Seven Star Step Technique, he instantly passed through the crowd and appeared between the two combatants.
A vicious glint shone in Wang ng's eyes. His heavy fist was just about to land when it suddenly stopped, frozen in mid-air. An imnse force from his fist pushed back, completely blocking his strike. Wang ng froze. Lowering his gaze, he saw a handso youth in a Sword Robe, who had casually raised a hand to catch his Iron Fist.
"H-Hong Yu?"
The color drained from Wang ng's face.
Even after a month, he could not forget the shocking scene of Hong Yu slaying one prodigy after another. It had tornted him like a nightmare for the entire month. He had even been deliberately avoiding Hong Yu since arriving at the Cyan Nether Sword Sect, never imagining they would finally et.
Hong Yu raised an eyebrow, grinning to reveal a set of pearly white teeth. "Wang ng, long ti no see!"
"..."
Wang ng's eye twitched. He really wanted to curse out loud: 'Long ti no see, my ass! Who the hell wants to see a walking disaster like you?'
But he didn't dare!
Forcing a stiff smile, Wang ng said awkwardly, "L-long ti no see."
"We're both from Shishui City. There's no need to be so aggressive, don't you think?" Hong Yu said with a gentle smile.
"I..."
Wang ng was about to say sothing harsh, but he suddenly felt an imnse force from his fist, as if Hong Yu was about to crush it. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he was inwardly shocked by Hong Yu's terrifying strength. The muscles on his face twitched as he nodded repeatedly. "Right, right, you're absolutely right..."
"So, do you still want to swap tasks now?" Hong Yu asked, narrowing his eyes.
Wang ng shook his head frantically. "N-no, I won't swap, I won't swap..."
"That's more like it. We're all old acquaintances; we should keep things civil and prosper together!"
Hong Yu released his grip and patted Wang ng's shoulder, speaking with a wide grin.
Wang ng nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, though he wanted to cry but had no tears. 'Oh, Cangtian! Oh, Earth! I, Old Wang, am a mighty Half-Step Earth Soul Realm expert, a genius ranked among the three prodigies of Shishui City! Why did you let run into such a jinx? How can I, Old Wang, ever show my face again?'
'Keep things civil and prosper together?'
'Prosper my ass!'
A stampede of a thousand curses galloped through Wang ng's mind...
Hong Yu nodded in satisfaction, helped Cao Bo up from the ground, and dusted him off. "Let's go!" he said with a smile.
"Yeah!"
Cao Bo nodded vigorously.
His gaze toward Hong Yu now shone with gratitude and admiration. A Celestial Pride Son who was humble, level-headed, and approachable—this was his new impression of Hong Yu. Before, when he'd sought out Hong Yu, there had still been a sense of distance; he had simply been looking for a powerful backer. After this scene, Hong Yu's image in his heart had undoubtedly risen to a whole new level.
An idol!
Gazing at the youth walking ahead of him, little stars were already twinkling in Cao Bo's eyes.
Fortunately, Hong Yu didn't notice this, or he might have started to wonder—'Could this Cao Bo be gay?'
After leaving the Task Hall, the two exchanged the locations of their residences and parted ways. Having just received their Sect tasks, they had to go carry them out as soon as possible.
Hands in his pockets, Hong Yu whistled an off-key tune as he made his way to the massive valley behind Cyan Cliff Peak.
He followed the directions on the task Scroll to the area of the Beard Iron Tree Forest he was responsible for. But when he saw the forest before him, even though he had been ntally prepared, he couldn't help but curse out loud...
"Motherfucker..."
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