"Of course, not everything can be treated as a task. The three types of tasks mentioned all have one premise: to uphold the righteous path."
"By coincidence, Brother Man Gu has found a task suitable for us. It's something he can't complete alone, so he called us both."
Man Gu nodded, saying little, showing a humble demeanor like a gentleman.
"When are we leaving?" Lu Yang asked.
"How about tomorrow morning?" Meng Jingzhou suggested.
This was just what Lu Yang wanted. He wanted to exchange some items at the task hall before they set out. He felt a bit restless with his contribution points sitting idle.
...
"Ice-cold gourd: the water inside cools quickly, providing a refreshing experience. It's the best choice for those who enjoy drinking cold water, costing three contribution points."
"Multi-functional folding knife: includes an ear scoop, nail clipper, marker, compass, and more. A must-have for outdoor trips, costing ten contribution points."
"Floating Tower Dragon Blood Knife: once a magic tool of a demonic cultivator, it uses dragon blood to unleash its bloodthirsty nature, while the Floating Tower Buddhist method suppresses its ferocity. It can slice through flesh and bone as easily as reaching into a bag. The knife has now been completely cleansed of demonic energy, and its ferocity has been thoroughly suppressed, though its sharpness is slightly reduced. It costs three hundred contribution points."
"Fragment of the Mo Ke Heart Method: left behind by an ascetic after self-immolation, this fragment is suspected to be the original heart method. The original version cannot be verified, but this fragment can help calm the mind and quickly enter meditation. It costs one thousand five hundred contribution points."
Lu Yang looked through several items but found nothing suitable, so he asked the senior brother on duty.
"Senior Brother, I'm going out for training tomorrow and want to buy some self-defense tools. Do you have any recommendations?"
The senior brother was tall and burly, with a face full of roughness, looking like someone who would be taken down by a righteous hero.
The senior brother glanced at Lu Yang, found him unfamiliar, and soon realized Lu Yang was a newly recruited junior brother. Thinking about finally being called 'senior brother' made his expression soften a bit. After so many years, he was no longer at the bottom among the disciples.
"How many contribution points and spirit stones do you plan to use?"
"Three hundred contribution points, no spirit stones."
"My surname is Li, with the single name Dan. You can call me Brother Li. Since you are at the early stage of foundation building, the items you can use won't be very high-level, so you won't need too many contribution points."
Li Dan looked fierce but was actually a very warm-hearted guy.
Brother Li skillfully scrolled through the exchange list, introducing various protective items: "Heart Guard Mirror: worn on the chest, it can withstand one full-force strike from a peak foundation-building cultivator. It costs two hundred contribution points."
Just as Lu Yang was considering whether to buy one for protection, he heard a timid voice say, "Lu, Junior Brother, you actually don’t need to buy the Heart Guard Mirror here. The pastries from the cafeteria can also withstand a full-force strike from a peak foundation-building cultivator, and they’re even cheaper."
The voice got quieter and quieter, almost like a mosquito buzzing. If Lu Yang hadn’t been at the foundation-building stage with sharp senses, he wouldn’t have heard it clearly.
"Sister Zhou Lulù?" Lu Yang was surprised; he didn’t expect to run into Sister Zhou here.
When he first joined the Asking Dao Sect a month ago, he spent a lot of time in the scripture hall and would ask Sister Zhou Lulù whenever he had questions. After being confined to Tianmen Peak for training by Yun Zhi, he hadn’t seen her again, and a whole year had passed in the blink of an eye.
"Sister." Brother Li Dan, who was just one year ahead of Lu Yang, had to address Zhou Lulù as sister.
"Yes, it’s me." Zhou Lulù spoke, visibly nervous. She had just completed a task and came to exchange for rewards when she happened to run into Lu Yang.
"You two continue looking. I just wanted to make a small suggestion, nothing else." Zhou Lulù tried to reduce her presence, stepping back, planning to wait until Lu Yang finished exchanging before she did her own.
Neither of them paid her any more attention.
"This is the Mountain-Crushing Hammer. When struck down, it creates a shockwave that can disrupt an opponent's formation or spell. It has a certain counter effect against formation and talisman cultivators. However, cultivators skilled in formations and runes are usually calm and collected, and can adjust their rhythm even when faced with disruption, so the effectiveness of the hammer is greatly reduced. It costs two hundred seventy contribution points."
Lu Yang nodded; this was also a good item. He might encounter opponents who use formations or runes.
Zhou Lulù whispered again, "The fried dough sticks from the cafeteria can have a similar effect."
The two pretended not to hear.
"Brother Li, do we have any small gadgets here that can be used to ambush others?"
Brother Li said seriously, "Junior Brother, do you know that the Asking Dao Sect is a prestigious sect?"
"So?"
"You should ask that kind of question quietly."
Lu Yang understood and nodded.
Brother Li scrolled down the list, quickly finding items to introduce: "This is the Shattered Jade Needle. It's as fine as a cow's hair and becomes extremely sharp after being infused with spiritual energy. It can pierce through barriers, but it’s difficult to master and requires a lot of practice, and it’s quite expensive."
"This is the Mysterious Door Nail. When facing a strong enemy, you can catch them off guard and throw it at their seven orifices to win unexpectedly. It’s easy to use and reasonably priced."
Lu Yang nodded; this item was indeed not expensive and could be considered a great deal.
"The rice from the cafeteria is better than this," Zhou Lulù reminded from the side.
Brother Li could no longer tolerate Zhou Lulù’s whispering. He suddenly turned around, startling her.
Zhou Lulù looked down, not daring to meet Brother Li’s fierce gaze. She meant no harm, but the cafeteria's food was really useful, and she wanted to recommend it to Lu Yang but felt shy.
Seeing Zhou Lulù like this, Brother Li understood she meant no malice and softened his tone: "Sister Zhou, I know you’re from Hundred Refinements Peak, but you can’t harm the new junior brother just to promote your peak!"
"And Lu Junior Brother, think about it: besides being affordable and durable, versatile, and usable as both a weapon and food, what other benefits does the cafeteria food have?"
Lu Yang: "…"
Aren't those benefits enough?
Brother Li thought for a moment and realized that aside from the fact that the food didn’t look suitable for combat, it really had no drawbacks.
"How about Sister Zhou takes Lu Junior Brother to the cafeteria for a look?"
Zhou Lulù’s eyes lit up, and she quickly pulled Lu Yang toward the cafeteria.
Lu Yang found that Sister Zhou had an incredible grip and he couldn’t break free. He also had no idea what realm she was in.
"Sister Zhou, are you from Hundred Refinements Peak?"
Hundred Refinements Peak, under Elder Wu, was responsible for both refining tools and the cafeteria, and most of the time, those two functions were one and the same.
Zhou Lulù replied, "Yes, I’m a disciple of Hundred Refinements Peak."
"But I see you often reading in the scripture hall, and the books you read aren’t about refining tools?"
Lu Yang couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Shouldn’t disciples of Hundred Refinements Peak study refining tools?
(End of Chapter)