Chapter 20: The Hall of Missions

“Junior Sister, stop!”
A figure in white stepped in front of Bai Feiyu, shouting sternly at Ziyan and intercepting her attack.
“Senior Brother, move aside! Today I must take this arrogant fellow with me!”
Ziyan bellowed, her whole demeanor bristling with anger, clearly very dissatisfied with Bai Feiyu.
“Junior Sister, I said stop!”
Seeing Ziyan’s stubbornness, the young man in white barked once more. At his command, her momentum vanished; in front of her senior brother, she had no choice but to restrain herself.
Bai Feiyu watched all of this in silence. To be honest, though he was somewhat at a disadvantage against Ziyan right now, he was not worried.
He knew that as long as the fight dragged on, he would remain undefeated. Unless the opponent’s cultivation far surpassed his own, only then could they truly threaten him; otherwise, given time, he was certain he could turn the tables.
After calming Ziyan, the young man in white turned around and offered Bai Feiyu a gentle smile.
“Junior Brother, forgive us. Junior Sister Ziyan has a fiery temper, but she means no harm...
Our Eagle Alliance is not unreasonable. Everything Junior Sister said before is true. Our reputation within the Gui Xu Sect is considerable. If you don’t believe us, you’re welcome to ask around.
The only reason she acted so forcefully is because she values your talent. That’s simply her way. Please don’t hold a grudge...
You may take your time to consider. We respect your choice, but know that the gates of Eagle Alliance are always open to you!”
The young man’s words were courteous enough, so Bai Feiyu nodded and let the matter drop.
“Thank you, Senior Brother. I will certainly give your words due consideration, but...
I hope you won’t hold out too much hope. It’s not that I think poorly of Eagle Alliance, but I truly have no intention of joining any alliance at this time.
I promise you, if the day comes when I do wish to join one, I will think of Eagle Alliance first.”
With that, Bai Feiyu cupped his fists politely.
“Very well, I won’t trouble you further.”
The young man nodded, then added, “My name is Liu Qing. If you ever run into any trouble, you can find me in Eagle Alliance.
We treasure talent, and if you ever find yourself facing a problem you cannot solve, Eagle Alliance will never stand idly by!”
With these words, Liu Qing led Ziyan away from Bai Feiyu’s courtyard.

At that moment, the faces of the disciples outside were frozen in utter astonishment.
In all these years, they had never seen Eagle Alliance treat anyone so courteously.
After all, everyone knew Eagle Alliance was the most sought-after group; people scrambled for a spot, so who would ever refuse them?
Even if one could only enter as a servant, to serve tea and pour water for their geniuses, it was still a great opportunity.
Alas, such chances never fell to ordinary disciples.
Yet now, this newly arrived junior brother had attracted the personal attention of two Eagle Alliance members.
Senior Sister Ziyan even threatened to drag him away by force.
And yet, despite all this, the junior brother still did not join Eagle Alliance.
His thoughts were simply unfathomable—what kind of alliance could possibly catch his eye?
After Liu Qing and Ziyan departed, the others gradually dispersed as well.
Not even the so-called “flyweight alliances” dared bother Bai Feiyu any longer.
If he wouldn’t even spare Eagle Alliance a glance, how could their own humble groups interest him?
Lingering here would be pointless—a waste of time. Worse, if they annoyed him, he might thrash them for their trouble.

...

Somewhere within the inner sect.
Ziyan pouted all the way, visibly displeased. She glared at Liu Qing and asked,
“Senior Brother, why did you stop me? Why wouldn’t you let me bring him back?”
Clearly, she was still brooding over what had happened, feeling that Liu Qing’s intervention had damaged Eagle Alliance’s reputation.
If word got out, people might say Eagle Alliance was afraid of Bai Feiyu.
Hearing her complaint, Liu Qing chuckled softly.
“Junior Sister, you’re still too young. Bai Feiyu is proud—he’s not like ordinary geniuses.
If you dragged him here by force, he’d never yield, nor would he be awed by Eagle Alliance’s strength. He’d never become truly loyal to us.
For now, we must let this matter rest. As for Bai Feiyu, if he ever wishes to join an alliance, he’ll consider Eagle Alliance first. Our alliance is the true haven for prodigies. You needn’t fear anyone else luring him away, for he is a man of pride.”
Ziyan fell silent, thoughtful at Liu Qing’s explanation.

...

After sending everyone away, Bai Feiyu tidied up briefly, then set off for the Inner Sect’s Hall of Tasks to take on some assignments.
Lately, he’d been focused solely on cultivation, and with all the recent commotion of alliances vying for him, much time had been wasted.
In Gui Xu Sect, becoming an inner disciple came with a strict rule: every inner disciple was required to complete at least one task per year.
Now, Bai Feiyu wanted to take on a few tasks to earn some spirit stones.
If nothing else, he needed to venture out. He couldn’t just stay in the sect, picking up attributes.
After all, collecting attributes required constant fighting, which in turn meant making enemies. As a newcomer, it would not do to offend too many people right away.

Inside the Hall of Tasks, a crowd of inner disciples was gathered, poring over the assignments posted there.
Spirit stones were the main resource for cultivation in Gui Xu Sect, and to earn them, one had to contribute to the sect by completing tasks.
Some tasks were extremely dangerous, but the rewards matched the risk; the easier ones offered much less.
Upon entering, Bai Feiyu registered with an elder and received a task token, which would record his assignments.

“So soon after becoming an inner disciple, you’re already taking on tasks?”
The elder gave Bai Feiyu a surprised look. Most inner disciples waited until the last possible moment to accept their mandatory task.
After all, when one first joined, their cultivation was usually quite modest—no one wanted to risk themselves right away.
“Yes. Since I’ve become an inner disciple, I should seize the opportunity to train hard, so that I can strive to become a core disciple in the future!”
Bai Feiyu replied with an easy smile.
Seeing his confidence, the elder sighed and advised,
“Young man, I suggest you take your time. Don’t think that just because you’re an inner disciple, you’re already impressive.
Most of the tasks here are beyond your current abilities.”
...