"Senior Brother Kong?"
Liu Zijin called out in surprise upon seeing the newcomer. At the same time, all the Blue Heart Hall disciples who had been about to disperse instantly focused their gazes on this heroic senior brother who had suddenly descended from the skies.
"Senior Brother Kong?"
A Blue Heart Hall disciple in the crowd murmured to himself before suddenly widening his eyes.
"Could it be that Spear Armybreaker - Kong Annan from Water Mirror Hall?"
"Spear Armybreaker? What's that about?" several disciples nearby asked curiously.
"You don't know about this? Three years ago, Senior Brother Kong went to the Huailin region to train. On the way, he suddenly encountered a chaotic battle. To protect fleeing civilians, he charged alone into the enemy ranks with his Tiger-Head Gold-Carved Spear, took the enemy general's head, threw the army into disarray, and bought time for the civilians to escape. That's how he earned the title Spear Armybreaker."
"So impressive!"
The disciple's eyes shone with admiration as he looked at Kong Annan.
"Of course! Senior Brother Kong is definitely one of the most outstanding disciples our Heart Returning Sect has produced in the past two years. I'd only heard stories before - never thought I'd see him in person today. Truly heroic and extraordinary."
Hearing the hushed discussions about him, Kong Annan smiled and cupped his fists toward the crowd.
"Greetings to all junior brothers of Blue Heart Hall. This unworthy one is indeed Kong Annan of Water Mirror Hall."
The Blue Heart Hall disciples immediately bowed and called out, "We pay our respects to Senior Brother Kong!" After saluting the surrounding disciples again, Kong Annan turned to Liu Zijin.
"Junior Sister, aren't you going down the mountain for your trial in two days? Shouldn't you be preparing in your hall? What brings you to Blue Heart Hall?"
Before Liu Zijin could answer, Fang Qiuyao spoke up first: "We came to find that... huh? Where did he go?" Fang Qiuyao looked at the spot where Jiang Beiran had been standing with confusion, wondering how such a big person could disappear so suddenly.
Just as she was about to ask the other Blue Heart Hall disciples if they'd seen Senior Brother Jiang, Liu Zijin pulled her behind and bowed to Kong Annan.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Kong. Qiuyao and I just came to take care of some business and were about to return. May I ask why Senior Brother has come here?"
"Oh, me? I... I was just passing by when I sensed junior sister's presence, so I came down to check."
"Is that so? Then if Senior Brother has matters to attend to, please don't let us delay you. Qiuyao and I were just about to return to our hall too."
"Actually, I was planning to return as well. We can go together."
"Very well, let's go together then."
Liu Zijin nodded, then glanced one last time at where Jiang Beiran had been standing before turning to leave. Meanwhile, Jiang Beiran, who had slipped away long ago, had already arrived at the entrance of Blue Heart Pavilion.
"Whew... as expected of a junior sister who can trigger an Earth Grade, Mid Tier option. Truly terrifying."
The moment Kong Annan had landed, while everyone's attention was focused on him, Jiang Beiran had left that troublesome place at a speed no one could perceive. The reason he'd run away so quickly was because he'd suffered greatly from similar situations before! ...
The Heart Returning Sect had a rule that all disciples must follow: every two months, they must go down the mountain for a trial mission. First, this prevented disciples from holing up on the mountain all day, knowing nothing of human affairs beyond cultivation.
Second, it helped raise the sect's reputation locally - in simple terms, it was about building the Heart Returning Sect brand. For example, some heroes might do good deeds without leaving their names, but Heart Returning Sect disciples couldn't afford to be so modest.
If a Heart Returning Sect disciple eliminated a group of bandits, the deed had to be spread far and wide so everyone in the region would know it was the Heart Returning Sect who had wiped out the bandits.
When Jiang Beiran first learned of this rule, he couldn't help but admire how well the Heart Returning Sect handled things - no wonder they recruited so many new disciples every month. After receiving their trial missions, most disciples would find like-minded fellow disciples to form teams. Most importantly, they needed an Iron Seal to lead them.
In the Heart Returning Sect, if you'd stayed for a full year, that meant you'd gone on at least six trial missions. This marked you as a mature disciple of the sect, and from then on, you had a new obligation: every two months, you must serve as an Iron Seal to lead newer disciples on their trial missions.
Thus, being an Iron Seal was a thankless job that required serving as both bodyguard and babysitter for new disciples. On Jiang Beiran's first trial mission, Lu Bogui had been his Iron Seal, leading him to drive away a vicious beast that frequently attacked villages. It had been almost effortless.
After all, once you mastered the Heart Returning Technique, your strength already far surpassed ordinary people's - dealing with lions and tigers was child's play. This peaceful life continued for a year. The great suffering Jiang Beiran had endured began when he became an Iron Seal himself.
That time, he led a team of five - three male disciples and two female ones. One of the junior sisters was extremely pretty with a wonderful personality, which drove the three male disciples crazy with their attempts to impress her. But this junior sister kept showing obvious favor toward Jiang Beiran, who gave her an immense sense of security.
This made the other three male disciples intensely jealous. On their return journey, the junior sister mustered her courage to take out an embroidered handkerchief and confess to Jiang Beiran - right in front of the other four disciples! This sent the three male disciples into absolute rage!
How did Jiang Beiran know they were furious? Because three options appeared before his eyes: [Option 1: Accept the junior sister's confession directly. Reward: Hundred Birds Pay Homage to Phoenix (Earth Grade, High Tier)] [Option 2: "Junior Sister, my focus is entirely on cultivation right now - I'm not considering romantic relationships."
Reward: Four Symbols Palm (Earth Grade, Low Tier)] [Option 3: "I'm sorry, I only see you as a younger sister." Reward: Coiled Dragon Ring (Yellow Grade, Mid Tier)] Reading these options left Jiang Beiran completely stunned. This was the first time none of the options offered basic attribute points as rewards!
Even the worst option gave a Yellow Grade, Mid Tier item! 'Men... are truly creatures ruled by their lower halves!!!' Screaming inwardly, Jiang Beiran tearfully chose option three and rejected the junior sister with "I only see you as a younger sister."
But far from being discouraged, the junior sister firmly declared she would make him see her differently someday. This made Jiang Beiran realize why there were no basic attribute point options - because this was a death trap! No matter how he answered, those three male disciples would come to hate him!
But no matter how frustrated Jiang Beiran felt, once he made his choice, the corresponding mission appeared: he had to either resolve the three junior brothers' hostility toward him or kill them. 'I'm completely screwed!' After reading the mission details, Jiang Beiran roared internally once more.
(End of Chapter)