Wei Shen spent his night at "The Quiet Gazelle Inn," not sleeping, but sitting in a meditative posture, his mind operating like a supercomputer, analyzing the information he had gathered. The goal was clear: the "Blue Flame Scroll" which would be up for bid at the "Silver Moon Auction" in a month. But the path to this goal required one thing he did not possess in abundance: wealth.
"Spirit stones… are the lifeblood of this world's economy," he thought coldly, sorting through the few spoils he had in his "storage bag." "The three hundred and fifty low-grade spirit stones I received are merely a drop in the ocean. An auction of this magnitude, with competitors like the 'Wang Family,' will require thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of spirit stones."
He considered selling some of his more precious spoils looted from the Fallen Leaf Sect, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Selling these resources wouldn't provide sufficient capital. "I must find another source of income," he resolved, "a fast, renewable source that relies on my current strength, not just on selling assets."
And here, the image of that boisterous tavern, the "Dragon's Goblet," and the image of those rough-looking mercenaries talking about missions, deeds, and rewards, returned to his mind.
"High-risk missions… high rewards," he thought, feeling this was the most logical and efficient path. "It's a direct investment of my current ninth-level Qi Condensation strength, to acquire the capital needed to invest in my future strength as a weapon forger. This is efficiency."
The next morning, Wei Shen exited the inn. He was no longer wandering randomly; his objective was clear. After curtly asking the innkeeper where "adventurers" gathered to accept missions, he was directed towards a massive building located in the eastern part of "Blackrock City," the noisiest and most dangerous district.
The building was made of raw black stone and dark wood. A huge sign was hung above it, carved with two crossed swords and a battle axe, and beneath it, written in large, clear words: "Adventurers' Hall."
When Wei Shen entered, he was struck by the noise and the smell. The main hall was vast, teeming with dozens, even hundreds of cultivators. Some were sitting around large wooden tables, drinking cheap beer and laughing loudly. Others were inspecting their weapons or arguing over the prices of materials. The vast majority were "Qi Condensation" cultivators of various levels, but Wei Shen, with his sharp senses, could feel a different aura of power emanating from a few individuals sitting in secluded corners—an aura that was heavier, more established. They were definitely in the "Foundation Establishment" realm.
The air was saturated with the smell of sweat, spilled beer, and roasted meat, and the faint scent of metal and dried blood.
Wei Shen ignored all of this. He paid no attention to the wary or curious glances that followed him as he made his way through the crowd. His new appearance—a handsome young man with a cold face and clean clothes—made him look out of place amidst these rough-looking mercenaries. But the cold, dangerous aura he unintentionally emitted made most of them instinctively avoid him.
He headed directly towards the farthest wall in the hall, where a massive notice board, the size of an entire wall, was covered with dozens of paper scrolls of different colors, each one representing a mission or a bounty.
He stood before the board, his eyes scanning the titles rapidly, analyzing and classifying. The missions were divided by difficulty, from "Iron-rank" (the easiest) to "Bronze-rank," then "Silver," and "Gold" (the hardest).
**Iron-rank missions:** These were mostly guard duties for merchant caravans or gathering common herbs. The reward was a few dozen low-grade spirit stones. "A waste of time," Wei Shen thought with contempt.
**Bronze-rank missions:** These involved hunting third or fourth-level spiritual beasts, or exploring some nearby caves. The reward was a few hundred spirit stones. "Slightly better, but still not enough."
**Silver-rank missions:** Here, things started to get interesting. These missions required hunting powerful fifth or sixth-level spiritual beasts, guarding important figures, or retrieving lost artifacts. The reward exceeded a thousand spirit stones and sometimes included some good healing pills.
**Gold-rank missions:** There were only three gold-colored scrolls hanging at the very top of the board, far from the reach of most hands. These were suicidal missions in the eyes of the majority.
As Wei Shen was reading, he overheard some nearby adventurers talking in low voices.
"Have you seen that? The 'Heart of the Magma Serpent' mission is still hanging there. It's been two months, and no team has dared to accept it after the 'Hammer Brothers' team failed."
"The Magma Serpent?" the other said with concern. "The one that lives in the 'Lava Caves' east of the forest? I heard it's at the peak of the ninth level of Qi Condensation, its scales are impenetrable, and its flame melts low-grade spiritual steel. You'd need a team of 'Foundation Establishment' masters at least to deal with it."
Wei Shen's eyes moved towards one of the three golden scrolls. The words were written in dark red ink, as if written in blood.
> **Gold-rank Mission:** Heart and blood of the 'Crimson Magma Serpent' required.
> **Location:** Depths of the 'Lava Caves' east of the forest.
> **Danger:** Extremely high. The beast is at the peak of the ninth level of Qi Condensation, possesses absolute fire defense, and the ability to launch rock-melting flames.
> **Reward:** Five thousand low-grade spirit stones, and three vials of medium-grade 'Bone Tempering Pills'."
Five thousand spirit stones. That was a large sum, possibly enough to compete in the auction. And the "Bone Tempering Pills" were very useful for strengthening the body before attempting to break through to the "Foundation Establishment" realm.
But the danger was real. A beast at the peak of the ninth level, his own current level, but it was a fire beast known for its defense and overwhelming offensive power. It would be an extremely difficult battle.
"High resistance to fire and normal attacks…" Wei Shen muttered to himself. "But what about my 'Blood Qi'? It's cold, corrosive, and venomous. It's the complete antithesis to this fiery beast's nature."
He saw an opportunity. A tactical opportunity. His unique power might be the key to defeating this beast that others could not.
Without any hesitation, with a calm and confident motion, he reached out his hand, bypassed the bronze and silver scrolls, and grasped that golden scroll that everyone else avoided looking at.
He tore it slowly from the board.
At that moment, a sudden silence fell over a large part of the boisterous hall. All eyes turned towards the lean, cold-faced young man who had dared to accept the suicide mission.
Wei Shen saw the looks of astonishment, mockery, pity, and disbelief in their eyes.
The guild supervisor sitting behind a nearby counter, a burly man with one arm, looked at him with wide eyes. "Young man… are you sure about what you're doing? This mission… it's killed cultivators much stronger than you."
Wei Shen didn't even look at him. He folded the scroll calmly and placed it in his pocket.
"The reward… I will return to collect it within three days."
He stated his sentence in a cold, clear voice, then turned and began to walk towards the hall's exit, cutting through the stunned crowd.
He left the hall, leaving behind a storm of whispers, questions, and bets on how long he would live before being turned to ash in the Lava Caves.
Wei Shen cared for none of it. His mind had already begun to lay the plan, to analyze every detail, to calculate every step.