"Mmm… which mission should I choose?" Qing Xuanling brought a hand to her chin, staring intently at the mission board before her. "It has to be something sufficiently difficult…"

  Qing Xuanling stood in the Qing Clan's Mission Hall—a place where requests from clan members and outsiders were posted. Those who fulfilled them according to requirements could claim generous rewards.

  She hadn't visited this hall before simply because one needed to be at least at the third layer of Qi Refinement to accept missions. Lower cultivation levels offered little practical help regardless of circumstance.

  Moreover, cultivators at that stage typically focused solely on advancing their realm, rarely venturing out or wasting time. Not to mention—most rewards weren't extraordinary. Many requests offered bland compensation relative to the effort required. Most who came here sought to hone combat skills.

  Qing Xuanling was no exception. Since childhood, she'd learned the fastest path to advancement lay in life-or-death battles. Had she chosen secluded cultivation for two straight years, she likely wouldn't have even reached the second layer of Qi Refinement.

  Her only path forward was squeezing every drop of potential from her body by staring death in the face.

  Thus, she sought something genuinely perilous. She had no intention of following Madam Yechan's advice to focus solely on alchemy. She wanted the power to control her own destiny—and that of those around her.

  After some searching, she finally found a mission that satisfied her:

  [Mission: Investigate the cause of recent child disappearances in a village on the outskirts of Ziyu city. Clan-issued team mission. Reward: 100 contribution points OR a low-grade first-level artifact. Currently: one captain and four members enlisted. One final member needed.]

  Qing Xuanling frowned. She'd originally wanted a solo mission so Xuan Dan could remain outside studying the three high-grade pill recipes Alchemist Lin had given her. But the reward was too tempting.

  The Qing Clan was renowned for its mastery in artifact forging. Nowhere in Ziyu City produced superior artifacts. A Qing Clan low-grade artifact could easily rival a standard mid-grade one.

  '…My sword is already outdated—not even a spiritual artifact. And for the clan to offer such a generous reward… they must suspect something grave is happening. This is the perfect opportunity to refine myself.'

  She gritted her teeth. After several minutes of deliberation, she accepted the mission.

  She desperately needed battlefield refinement. Though the quantity of razor-sharp Qi she could generate had increased after her breakthrough, her control had grown coarser. She needed a real battle to correct that.

  She brought the mission slip to the counter and accepted it despite the staff's repeated warnings. After persistent insistence, they finally informed her the team would depart tomorrow at the city's south gate.

  Qing Xuanling nodded and immediately returned to Xuan Dan.

  "I assume you saw everything from inside, right? What do you think?"

  Xuan Dan nodded solemnly. "About Madam Yechan's body you couldn't stop staring at? Well, as always, it's inc—"

  "Idiot—I mean the mission and what to do with you!" Qing Xuanling snapped, face flushing crimson. "Should I bring you along or leave you in my room to study alchemy in peace?"

  Xuan Dan smirked but quickly turned serious. "Leave me. Those three pill recipes are complex. Even if you're gone a full week, I'll still have material to study—ingredients or not."

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Qing Xuanling nodded. "Alright. That's probably better. Incarnations would lose their purpose if I only dragged them along without letting them develop their own talents."

  Decision made, she packed essentials into her storaage pouch and went to inform Qing Wentian she'd be away again. She asked him to tell anyone seeking her that she was unavailable.

  Though entering others' rooms without permission was forbidden, one never knew what might happen. Discovering Xuan Dan would be… difficult to explain.

  Afterward, she returned to her chamber and studied alchemy with Xuan Dan. Though she'd wanted sword practice, Xuan Dan convinced her they wouldn't have time for it soon.

  Night fell. Qing Xuanling went to sleep, determined to be in peak condition for tomorrow.

  * * *

  At dawn, Qing Xuanling headed to the city's south gate. She wore the Qing Clan's classic crimson robes, her mortal-grade sword hanging at her waist.

  Exactly six o'clock. She'd expected to be first—but someone was already there. Surprisingly, an acquaintance.

  "Instructor Huan?!"

  She stared in surprise at the middle-aged man who'd overseen her last field exercise. Instructor Huan regarded her with momentary confusion before a scar-lined smile spread across his weathered face.

  "I wondered why you'd vanished from field exercises lately—but it seems you've finally broken through." His smile held genuine praise. "You took longer than I expected… but congratulations!"

  Qing Xuanling couldn't help but smile back. Instructor Huan's appearance was fearsome—broad face etched with scars, aggressive demeanor. Even his smile felt threatening to most. But to her, it felt strangely refreshing.

  "Hehe—all thanks to Instructor Huan's care and the other elders' guidance." She meant it.

  The field exercise instructors had always gone out of their way to find demonic beasts precisely at her limit. Without that effort, she likely wouldn't have defeated the Emerald Python—and might have died in that cave.

  The two chatted while they waited. A full hour passed before the remaining four team members arrived: two women and two men appearing near thirty. Qing Xuanling glanced at them—all at late-stage Qi Refinement.

  She was mildly surprised. While mid-stage cultivators were common in the clan, late-stage numbers dropped sharply. A formidable barrier existed between the sixth and seventh Qi Refinement layers. Anyone at late-stage was considered elite.

  The four inspected Qing Xuanling and frowned upon noting her low-stage cultivation.

  "Don't rush to complain without reason," Instructor Huan interjected firmly. "Her cultivation may be low, but her combat prowess is reliable. I vouch for it."

  The team members raised their eyebrows. Their frowns softened into curiosity.

  One woman stepped forward with a smile. "How about we depart immediately and introduce ourselves along the way? I believe we're all eager to complete this mission swiftly for the reward."

  The others exchanged glances and nodded.

  * * *

  Alchemy Hall

  Qing Tanwung, Hall Master of Alchemy, sighed heavily as he emerged from his cultivation cave—a privilege reserved solely for hall masters and above.

  He was an wrinkled elder with a straight back, disheveled hair, and a strong medicinal scent clinging to him. Although he usually had a faraway look in his eyes, today his brow was deeply furrowed.

  'What is this sudden demand?! Raise an apprentice under eighteen into a grandmaster alchemist in two years?!'

  He'd nearly erupted in rage when upon receiving the communication talisman—ready to spit in the face of whoever issued such folly—until he saw the sender was an elder.

  He rubbed his face, worried.

  The true intention of the order was merely to cultivate one first-rank alchemist. Yet even that seemed impossible. Most youths prioritized cultivation to reach mid-stage Qi Refinement quickly—the clan even encouraged it.

  Those beginning alchemy were typically eighteen to twenty. In two years, the youngest in the hall would be twenty or twenty-one.

  "Sigh… Must I pray for the heavens to drop an alchemy prodigy into my path?"

  At that moment, an elder with withered eyes and a wine gourd in his waist approached, face brightening at the sight of Qing Tanwung.

  "Hall Master! Incredible news!" Elder Gong beamed proudly. "A sixteen-year-old girl recently took the alchemist examination—and passed with ease!"

  Qing Tanwung froze, then lunged forward, gripping Elder Gong's shoulders tightly, eyes blazing. "What did you say, Elder Gong?! A sixteen-year-old passed the alchemist exam effortlessly?!"

  Elder Gong trembled under the intensity but nodded meekly.

  "Find her—now! I must speak with that girl immediately!"

  Qing Tanwung roared outwardly while inwardly praying:

  'If an alchemy prodigy appears simply because I mentioned it… Wouldn't it be better to simply wish for progress in my cultivation directly?! Perhaps this will trigger my breakthrough to Foundation Establishment! Or… might a young lady suddenly take interest in me…?'

  Radiant with hope, he awaited the prodigy's arrival—only to be stunned to hear that she was not currently in the clan.

  Worse, he nearly collapsed discovering she'd accepted an extremely dangerous mission likely tied to demonic cultivators. He nearly overturned the entire clan in panic by that.

  Because of this, Qing Xuanling's name once again echoed through the clan—not with mockery this time, but with genuine curiosity.