Chapter 906: Fighting for the Mission
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Su Yu smiled. “Your kindness is much appreciated, but I have my own things to consider. Please help me to reply to Elder Jing. Ask her to pardon me, as I believe that her adoration has been misplaced.”
He continued, “I’m afraid that I’m rather slow-witted, and I’ll be unable to break through the bottleneck to the Almighty level. As such, I might ruin her reputation in the faction, which is why I’ve decided to reject her invitation.”
Su Yu’s words were gracious and self-effacing. Upon hearing them, Shangguan Yunque’s mouth hung open. He couldn’t understand what Su Yu was thinking.
Previously, Su Yu had rejected the Left and Right Palace Masters, and now, he was rejecting an apprentice recruitment by Elder Jing! This was an opportunity that many students of the Red Blood Palace couldn’t even imagine, but when it came right to Su Yu’s doorstep, he had rejected without a second thought!
He tried to advise him to reconsider, but Su Yu had already made up his mind. So, Shangguan Yunque sighed and bid him farewell, then sent a message to his younger sister, reporting this surprising matter.
On the following morning, a soft, timid voice sounded from outside Su Yu’s door. The voice was filled with excitement, “Senior Brother Su!”
Su Yu opened his eyes, and immediately, delight was written all over his face. He pushed open the door to find a round-faced young girl at his doorstep, looking shy and bashful. Her snowy eyes were blinking rapidly, revealing that she was very nervous.
“Yingying.” Su Yu was surprised to see that the young girl at his door was none other than Yuan Yingying, who he had not seen since they had parted ways at the recruitment assessment!
Like Situ Yan, she was recruited because of her talent, and ever since that time, he had not seen either of them.
“Uncle Su! Oh, I mean… It should be… Senior Brother Su.” Yuan Yingying winked at him mischievously.
She was alluding to the fact that, back then, Su Yu had used the identity of an older grandfather to take advantage of Yuan Yingying by using his seniority.
“Haha! Come in and sit.” Su Yu invited her inside to reminisce about the old days.
Upon hearing that Yuan Yingying had come to bring him to Master Ghost, Su Yu was rather shocked. “Yingying, do you mean to tell me that you’ve become Master Ghost’s student now?”
This truly surprised Su Yu. Back then, he had thought that Yuan Yingying was recruited by some elixir master from the Elixir Production Division of the outside sanctum. Now, he realized that it had been Master Ghost!
Since she was Master Ghost’s student, she had a high reputation, which protected her from the maltreatment of the Almighty students of the inner sanctum. After all, they knew that if they provoked Master Ghost by messing with his student, they would suffer severe consequences.
“You were really fortunate to attain such a position, so now I can put my mind at ease. Even if you’re alone in the faction, no one will dare to bully you.” Su Yu felt relieved.
He then looked at her curiously and asked, “Yingying, how’s your elixir-refining going so far?”
Yuan Yingying hung her head low. She was happy to be reunited with Su Yu, yet she felt very shy around him at the same time.
She replied, “My master said that I’ll be able to succeed in refining fourth-grade spiritual elixirs with another year of hard work.”
Su Yu nodded and smiled in approval. That was a fast improvement on her part, and once she could refine fourth-grade spiritual elixirs, she would be considered one of the rare top-grade elixir masters in the Blessed and Heavenly Lands. At that time, she would be able to stand on her own two feet!
“Wow! Yuan’s Family Master must be proud of you,” Su Yu said with a smile. “But… Since Master Ghost is waiting, let’s get going. We can talk more on the way.”
Yuan Yingying nodded, but then shook her head a moment later. “Hold on! The two people at Demon Mountain must be summoned too.”
Su Yu nodded quietly, then said, “I’ll go with you.”
At that moment, Bing Wuxin was practicing with her sword in the yard. She stared coldly at Su Yu as he walked up with Yuan Yingying, the pair of them chatting merrily.
She sneered. “I thought you’d be sad for quite some time, but you seem to be happy with your new lover…”
Yuan Yingying felt bad instantly, and she turned and stared at Su Yu. “What is she talking about? Does Senior Brother Su have a lover in the outside sanctum?”
Su Yu cast an indifferent look at Bing Wuxin, then shook his head. He didn’t want to waste time explaining anything to Bing Wuxin.
“I believe Senior Brother Su.” Upon seeing Su Yu shaking his head, Yuan Yingying believed him from the bottom of her heart, and her face shone with splendor once again.
“Greetings, Senior Sister Bing. I came by the order of my master to bring you to meet him,” she then announced.
Bing Wuxin nodded, then shot a cold glance at Su Yu. “Call Gongsun Wuxie, then we can all go together.”
Before long, Gongsun Wuxie, who had just crawled out of bed, was hauled out by Bing Wuxin. Shortly thereafter, they all hurried toward the inner sanctum.
Right then, Shangguan Qing-er arrived at Elder Jing’s house as well. Elder Jing was over 50 years old, but she had taken good care of herself. Her skin was smooth and lustrous, and her only flaw was that her make-up was rather thick!
Two beautiful students followed behind her. They were very respectful toward her, and when she was reading, they kept silent and dared not make a sound.
The house was so quiet that the sound of a needle falling onto the ground was clearly audible. Shangguan Qing-er came inside and kept quiet as well, as she did not want to disturb Elder Jing as she was reading her book.
The people of the inner sanctum all knew that Elder Jing was the hardest to serve among the elders. This was mainly because she was overbearing and bad-tempered, and regardless of whether a person was her student or not, she would rebuke anyone she felt displeased with!
“You’re here. Well… What did he say?” Elder Jing seemed to have sensed their return early on, and she immediately put down the book and asked them this question from afar.
With that attitude, she didn’t seem to be entrusting Shangguan Qing-er with a task, but taking her for granted instead!
Shangguan Qing-er grumbled inwardly, but appeared calm on the surface as she said, “Su Yuxian asked to be pardoned for having to reject your offer, but he’s worried that he isn’t competent enough to be your student. He says he is very sorry.”
Elder Jing was unhappy to hear such news. “Didn’t you tell him about my power? I’m no ordinary elder from the inner sanctum!”
Shangguan Qing-er replied, “My elder brother is a good friend of Su Yuxian’s. He can verify that Su Yu certainly understands your position, as well as the pros and cons involved in becoming your apprentice.”
Elder Jing still did not let it go, but seemed to become even unhappier. “In that case, he is looking down on me, then? Humph! An unimportant student of the outside sanctum… Just because he’s made some contributions in Tianya City, now becomes so prideful? Ridiculous!”
Upon hearing Elder Jing’s rude remarks, Shangguan Qing-er dared not argue, but could only sigh silently.
“Go and order Su Yuxian to come see me! I want to ask him in person!” Elder Jing was clearly frustrated.
She wasn’t Su Yu’s superior, yet she was ordering Su Yu to come to her. This showed just how domineering she was!
Right at that moment, the two students behind her exchanged a glance, then one of them mustered up enough courage and said, “Please don’t be angry, master, but Master Ghost has invited you to exhibit a few sets of defensive formations to those who are going on that mission, so I’m afraid that there isn’t enough time.”
Upon hearing that, Elder Jing became very grumpy, and she turned and glowered at the both of them. “Do I need your reminder? You two wait for Su Yuxian right here! Do not let him leave before I return!”
——
Along the way, Yuan Yingying and Su Yu chatted together happily. Yuan Yingying talked about her experience working under Master Ghost. Apparently, her master appreciated her talent very much, so her life was peaceful and regular.
Whenever Su Yu shared with her about his adventures, she found them to be rather thrilling. Yuan Yingying looked shocked whenever she heard all of the ups and downs that Su Yu had gone through.
They were so immersed in their conversation, it was as if no one else was around them. This was only somewhat true, as Bing Wuxin and Gongsun Wuxie were lagging far behind them.
“Humph! Sister Wuxin, look at him! He’s always showing off around girls!” Gongsun Wuxie said angrily. She was clearly displeased with Su Yu.
Bing Wuxin didn’t like what she was seeing either, and she thought… Is Su Yuxian really someone who forgets the old once he gets something new?
“Just let him be,” Bing Wuxin said, without showing any emotions.
Before too long, they arrived at Master Ghost’s house. There was a colossal elixir cauldron standing right in front of it.
When they came near it, heat waves came rolling toward them, making their skin scalding hot. Gongsun Wuxie, Bing Wuxin, and Yuan Yingying immediately started using their Vital Energies to protect their bodies.
Su Yu was the only one who took no action. It was as if his skin wasn’t scalded by the heat at all.
The elixir cauldron stood before a stone house that had been built from large rocks that were a fiery red color. The house was rather shabby, and it was hard to imagine that this was the dwelling place of the best elixir-refining master of the entire Red Blood Palace.
The temperature surrounding this place was even higher, and now, even the Vital Energies were scorched to the point where they were sizzling!
“Eh… Brother Su… How come you’re not affected by the heat?” The way Yuan Yingying addressed him became affectionate again. She had noticed that Su Yu did not even open his defensive Vital Energy in the face of such heat.
This scene also attracted Bing Wuxin’s and Gongsun Wuxie’s attention, and they marveled at Su Yu in secret. They could feel the vicious heat of the flames, even through the barrier of their Vital Energies, yet Su Yu remained totally unscathed.
“I know a little bit about fire’s profound meaning.” Su Yu smiled.
Gongsun Wuxie was angry when she heard this. She thought that Su Yu must have acquired this advantage in the Desolate Evil Jungle. When she recalled being captivated while Su Yu was gaining benefits on the outside, she became even more emotional.
“Humph! Must be deep and profound, huh?” Gongsun Wuxie said, still feeling aggrieved.
Bing Wuxin wasn’t that surprised to hear this. “The fire’s profound meaning… If one attains the level of mind-heart synchronization, they can then regulate the fire element at will! This means… The rumors are real!”
She fixed her gaze on the fire element around Su Yu, which had automatically just floated an inch away from his body. The scene her momentarily speechless.
They then stepped into the stone house. There were many people inside already, including three middle-stage Almighty of different ages, who were sitting and engaged in a conversation. Three other middle-stage Almighty youths stood at the side.
“Master, they’re here,” Yuan Yingying announced as the small group entered the house and greeted the red-faced elder at the center.
The red-faced elder nodded and smiled at Su Yu and the others, his focus then resting on Bing Wuxin. “Since you’re here, then you can begin discussing who’s best suited to execute the mission.”
Su Yu could not help but look at the three Almighty Divine Masters at the side, the lowest of whom was a fifth-grade Almighty, and the highest being a sixth-grade Almighty! He figured that these students must be the elites in the faction.
It seemed like, even though the mission was high-risk, it was still a huge attraction for the students of the inner sanctum who had yet to collect their first 4,000,000 merit points.
“There’s only one mission, and based on the faction rules, only one person can accept it. But, the mission has an additional condition… The one attempting to execute it is allowed to bring two others for assistance!” the red-faced elder announced.
He then continued, “Once the mission is completed, the merit points will go to the one who first accepted the mission. Then, they will decide how much their assistants get.”
Su Yu and the five others were in deep thought as they listened. In other words, regardless of who personally accepted the mission and how it was accomplished, the one who would be receiving the merit points would be the one who accepted the mission. In that case, accepting the mission on one’s own was clearly the smartest choice, if possible.
“Haha, old Ghost. I think that you’d better talk about the specifics of the mission first. Then, you can let them decide if they still have the guts,” a long-bearded elder on the red-faced elder’s left-hand side said.
The red-faced elder, who was obviously Master Ghost, nodded. “Alright, but you have to keep the details of the mission a secret! In this mission, you have to kill the seventh-ranking on the top-ten wanted list of the Blessed and Heavenly Lands!”
As Master Ghost announced this, there was a huge amount of hatred and murderous intent in his voice. Upon hearing that, Su Yu’s and the others’ eyes shone brightly.
“A seventh-ranking wanted criminal? Could it be one of the Three Great Wandering Martial Artists of the Blessed and Heavenly Lands… Mo Yang?” Su Yu was familiar with Mo Yang’s name, as earlier on, at the Mysterious Heavenly Divine Pavilion, he had interacted with Mo Yang’s student, Heiyue Langjun.
Mo Yang’s cultivation had reached the Almighty level long ago, and he was now a third-grade Almighty. In a great faction like the Red Blood Palace, this seemed to be quite ordinary. But, in fact, he was a remarkable figure among the wandering martial artists, and as such, he was known as one of the Three Great Wandering Martial Artists.
Su Yu immediately felt that something was wrong. He wondered… How come a martial artist with such a relatively low cultivation hasn’t been killed, even after being hunted for ten years? Plus, during the last mission’s attempt, he even ended up taking the lives of two fourth-grade and fifth-grade Almighties!
