Chapter 519: Experience Mission
The azure clothed middle aged man looked left and right in the remote alley for a while before stepping up into the sky.
"Where is he?" The azure clothed middle aged man frowned. "This is the third time already.... Could it be that he's noticed me?"
Right at this moment, an awe-inspiring howl of the wind sounded out from behind him, it caused the azure clothed middle aged man's face to go grim, and his mind became strained.
At the same time, he heard an indifferent voice sound out from behind him.
"Are you looking for me?" Duan Ling Tian stood in the air as he looked with a calm expression at the middle aged man that turned around slowly, and he asked indifferently.
This azure clothed middle aged man was precisely the ninth level Void Prying Stage martial artist that was following him earlier.
"Duan Ling Tian, you really did notice me." The azure clothed middle aged man gasped when he saw Duan Ling Tian.
"Who exactly are you?" Duan Ling Tian wasn't surprised that the azure clothed middle aged man knew him, and his gaze abruptly became fierce.
"Little Gold, be ready to annihilate him at any moment." Duan Ling Tian's voice transmission entered into the little gold mouse's ears in a timely manner.
"Squeak squeak~" The little gold nodded, then raised her claws and a spirit sword that emitted a sharp aura appeared.
It was precisely the grade four spirit sword that Duan Ling Tian had refined for her!
The azure clothed middle aged man seemed to have noticed Duan Ling Tian's hostility and he said with a bitter smile, "Don't misunderstand... I'm a member of the Dragon and Phoenix Academy! It's the Vice Dean that instructed me to protect you from the shadows."
"A member of the Dragon and Phoenix Academy?" Duan Ling Tian frowned. "Do you have proof?"
With a raise of his hand, a command token had appeared. "You ought to recognize this command token, right?"
Duan Ling Tian looked at the command token.
Duan Ling Tian had a slight impression of this command token.
"The command token of Dragon and Phoenix Academy workers is similar to this command token..." Duan Ling Tian confirmed the azure clothed middle aged man's identity.
He was a friend and not an enemy!
"Okay." After Duan Ling Tian confirmed the azure clothed middle aged man's identity, he nodded before slowly descending from the sky.
When he saw Duan Ling Tian leaving, the azure clothed middle aged man followed him down.
But he hadn't even followed him through a few streets before being shaken off by Duan Ling Tian.
"What assignment did the Vice Dean give me? This Duan Ling Tian has shaken me off repeatedly, is there any meaning in following him?" The middle aged man laughed with bitter helplessness.
The night slowly arrived, and Duan Ling Tian returned to the academy on time.
The academy's rule was that a student had a chance to go out once a month, yet they weren't allowed to spend the night.
After he returned to the Inner Hall and walked into his room, Duan Ling Tian sat down cross-legged.
He consumed a Void Condensing Pill and started cultivating...
Nine Dragons War Sovereign Technique, Lightning Wyrm Form!
The Void Condensing Pill that Duan Ling Tian refined had a purity above 90% and it was far from something an ordinary Void Condensing Pill could compare to.
Under the assistance of the Void Condensing Pill and relying on Duan Ling Tian's natural talent that was at the limit, the speed the Origin Energy in his body advanced had practically arrived at an astonishing degree!
The boundless Origin Energy ceaselessly flashed about within Duan Ling Tian's body.
"According to this speed, it won't be long before I should be able to break through to the second level of the Void Prying Stage." Duan Ling Tian thought to himself.
Three days later.
Dawn, Duan Ling Tian was roused from his sleep by the clamorous noise outside.
"Duan Ling Tian!" Duan Ling Tian heard someone calling out to him.
He opened the door and walked into the courtyard, and he noticed that the person who was calling out to him was Ji Feng.
"Is there something you need?" Duan Ling Tian asked.
"Duan Ling Tian, the academy has issued missions for us to gain experience and tempering... Look, everybody has headed to the square at the center," said Ji Feng.
Only now did Duan Ling Tian notice that none of the group of Inner Hall students remained, and he was only in time to see numerous figures that moved into the distance.
"Let's go!" Duan Ling Tian nodded, then brought along the little gold mouse as he followed up to the other Inner Hall students with Ji Feng.
Within Dragon and Lake Academy, besides the Inner Hall and Outer Hall occupying a vast area, the square at the center occupied an extremely vast area.
Presently, many people had gathered at the square at the center.
Eight Inner Hall students stood at the foremost of these people, and the others were all Outer Hall students.
Unlike the Inner Hall students that were brimming with energy and vitality, all the Outer Hall students had bleak and dim expressions, and they seemed as if they were malnourished.
Obviously, this was related to the food and drink they normally received.
Inner Hall students received fine wine and delicacies for every meal, and it could be considered to be godly enjoyment.
Whereas Outer Hall students only had rice soup and a mantou for every meal, and it was simply the difference between heaven and earth when compared with the treatment of the Inner Hall students.
"It's Duan Ling Tian!" Someone exclaimed in surprise, causing the gazes of the group of Outer Hall students to shoot at Duan Ling Tian, and their gazes were filled with burning admiration.
Duan Ling Tian was a legendary figure of the Azure Forest Imperial Kingdom's younger generation.
When before Duan Ling Tian, it was difficult for them to have the heart to compare themselves with him, and there was only reverence in their hearts.
Of course, a small amount of Outer Hall students had gloomy expressions.
These people were precisely the comparatively outstanding disciples of the Azure Forest Tri-Sect that were recommended to the Dragon and Phoenix Academy.
"Liu Yue?" Duan Ling Tian's gaze was quickly attracted by a figure.
The young woman before him wasn't unfamiliar to him.
A long time ago, before the Seven Star Sword Sect was annihilated, and before the Azure Forest Tri-Sect existed, he'd seen this woman at the Martial Competition of the five great sects that was held by the Demonic Lotusblade Sect.
The former Snow Moon Sect's Leader's personal disciple, Liu Yue!
When Duan Ling Tian looked at Liu Yue, Liu Yue was looking at Duan Ling Tian as well.
Liu Yue had a complicated gaze.
That day during the Martial Competition of the five great sects, Duan Ling Tian had defeated Saber Young Master, Long Yun, and it caused her to feel a wave of helplessness.
At that time, she'd secretly resolved that she would surely surpass Duan Ling Tian one day!
However, when she arrived at the academy and heard of Duan Ling Tian's strength, that heart of hers that compared herself with Duan Ling Tian shattered into bits.
She knew that it would be difficult for her to surpass Duan Ling Tian in her entire lifetime!
"Liu Yue, when my Seven Star Sword Sect was annihilated that day... If I'm not wrong, you and the few people beside you were there at the time and had even killed many people of my Seven Star Sword Sect." Ghastly coldness appeared on the corners of Duan Ling Tian's mouth, and his voice transmission pierced into Liu Yue's eardrums.
He might have no impression of the other Azure Forest Tri-Sect disciples, but Liu Yue and the few disciples by her side were all elite disciples of the Azure Forest Tri-Sect. When they joined the fray that day, countless Seven Star Sword Sect disciples had died at their hands.
A debt of blood must be repaid in blood.
So long as he found an opportunity, he would absolutely not let Liu Yue and the others off.
Whereas Liu Yu's face went pale when she heard Duan Ling Tian's voice transmission, as she was able to discern the killing intent contained within Duan Ling Tian's voice.
A trace of coldness emerged in her heart for no reason.
Ji Feng who saw Duan Ling Tian stopping to stare at Liu Yue and had recognized Liu Yue's identity as a Azure Forest Tri-Sect disciple was able to sense the smell of gunpowder between the two...
Suddenly, a figure appeared within Ji Feng's field of vision.
"Duan Ling Tian, Vice Dean Chi has arrived." Ji Feng reminded Duan Ling Tian.
Duan Ling Tian returned to his senses and nodded before heading towards the other Inner Hall students.
He utterly didn't take Liu Yue seriously.
As far as he was concerned, an Azure Forest Tri-Sect disciple that had only stepped into the Half-step Void Stage yet was unable to occupy a spot in the Dragon and Phoenix Academy's Inner Hall, was unable to be of any threat to him.
When Duan Ling Tian walked into the ranks of the Inner Hall students, he was able to notice two sharp gazes looking at him at the same time.
The owners of the two gazes were respectively the Flute Fairy, Zi Yan, and Flame Young Master, Zhang Yan.
"Duan Ling Tian, I hope you don't disappoint me in the competition between geniuses ten months from now... At that time, not only will I use Force, I'll even use a spirit weapon. I'll use my entire strength to battle you!" Zhang Yan's voice transmission entered into Duan Ling Tian's ears, and it was filled with traces of fierce hostility.
"I'll take you on to the end!" Duan Ling Tian shrugged and was indifferent.
Meanwhile, the group of Outer Hall students saw Vice Dean Chi Ming as well, and they discussed animatedly.
"I wonder what sort of experience mission the academy would issue to us."
"No matter what it is, I'll do my best... Supposedly, if we're able to obtain sufficient mission points, we're even able to exchange grade six spirit weapons, Earth Rank martial skills, and even high grade medicinal pills and spirit fruits."
"Hehe... I never considered the competition between geniuses when I came to the Dragon and Phoenix Academy in the first place. My objective is to obtain mission points and exchange it for the things I want."
"Yeah, there are supposedly only five spots for the competition between geniuses, and it isn't something we can interfere in."
...
The group of Outer Hall students whispered in discussion, and it was all heard by Duan Ling Tian.
"Mission points? Exchange grade six spirit weapons, Earth Rank martial skills, and even high grade medicinal pills and spirit fruits?" Duan Ling Tian came to a sudden understanding.
No wonder the various powers of the Azure Forest Imperial Kingdom recommended so many people to the Dragon and Phoenix Academy.
So it turns out that most of the powers weren't interested in the martial competition, but this!
They didn't have any thoughts towards the Martial Competition of the Ten Dynasties, what they really cared about was that the mission points of the Dragon and Phoenix Academy was able to be exchanged for various prizes.
Whereas the mission points were obtained from experience missions.
"There're even spirit fruits? I wonder what spirit fruits...? It would be great if it's a spirit fruit that can improve Spiritual Force, or perhaps a spirit fruit that is able to advance the cultivation of a Void Prying Stage martial artist." Duan Ling Tian was dreaming in his heart.
"Silence!" Meanwhile, the academy's Vice Dean Chi Ming had arrived before the group of students, and he shouted out in a loud voice.
After the group of students went quiet, Chi Ming said, "In the next half a month, all of you will leave the academy and go complete an experience mission!"
Experience mission!
Everyone including Duan Ling Tian had held their breaths.
They were all curious what sort of experience mission it would be.
Chi Ming continued and said, "Recently, a band of formidable bandits of unknown origin have appeared in the Blackwind Ridge that's east of our Azure Forest Imperial Kingdom's Imperial City."
"Many small towns and villages surrounding Blackwind Ridge have been tormented and have been tragically plunged into misery and suffering. Your mission is to be responsible for wiping out these bandits and allow the small towns around Blackwind Ridge that survived to avoid suffering the same fate!" Chi Ming finished speaking with a single breath.
"Bandits?" Duan Ling Tian's face sank slightly.
When he was gaining experience and tempering himself before, what he loathed the most were bandits.
Those bandits were utterly devoid of a conscience, and would frequently annihilate an entire town or village.
So every time he encountered them, he would teach them a lesson.
"So it's bandits." Chi Ming's words caused many people to heave a sigh of relief.
As far as they were concerned, how strong could mere bandits be?
There was no lack of existences at the Void Prying Stage amongst them.
Wasn't killing a few bandits extremely easy?
"Hmph!" Chi Ming seemed to have discerned the thoughts of this group of students, and he grunted coldly. "Don't look down on these bandits... According to my knowledge, there are no less than 10 existences at the Void Prying Stage amongst these bandits!"