Chapter 468: Chapter 415: Special Mission

"That concludes my explanation. Does anyone have any questions?"

Gan Xingquan finished his explanation and scanned the crowd.

After waiting a moment with no response, his expression turned serious. "There is one more thing. Within this mission to gather Spirit Pearls, there is also a special mission!"

"A special mission?"

The cultivators were all stunned by his words, their faces filled with surprise. Only Zhao Lin, Chao Duan, and a few others, who were already in the know, remained silent and composed.

Gan Xingquan continued, "In recent months, the Earth Dark Sect has grown incredibly arrogant. They have not only killed and injured many of our sect’s cultivators, but they’ve also dismantled two of our defensive formations at Di Tutan in an audacious attempt to seize our sect’s waters."

"This is something we cannot tolerate. We must teach them a lesson!"

"Therefore, we have increased the mission rewards. The merit points for killing a single Earth Dark Sect cultivator have been raised from two hundred to five hundred."

"But that’s not enough. As the saying goes, it’s rude not to return a favor. The Island Master has issued a special mission. It is very difficult, but the rewards are even more generous!"

He paused, holding up one finger. "Ten thousand merit points!"

The crowd gasped, stunned into silence by the number.

That was the price of a Foundation Establishment Pill!

A glint appeared in Du Zhen’s eyes as he subconsciously tightened his grip on the hilt of his Gold-Slaying Saber. Even Chang Jianqiu, who had kept his head bowed the entire time, abruptly looked up.

But as tempted as they were, they were also deeply puzzled. What kind of mission could possibly be worth such a high reward?

Xu Zhongyong couldn’t help but ask, "Elder Gan, what exactly is the mission?"

"Seize a pearl beach from the Earth Dark Sect!"

Gan Xingquan didn’t beat around the bush. "Seize one pearl beach for ten thousand merit points. If you have the ability to take two, that’s twenty thousand."

The cultivators exchanged uncertain glances, and a silence fell over the group.

They might encounter Earth Dark Sect cultivators while gathering Spirit Pearls, but that was a completely different matter from charging into enemy territory to fight.

In the former case, they would be on their own pearl beaches, with defensive formations they could rely on. They knew the terrain, and even if they couldn’t win, they had a chance to escape.

In the latter, the enemy would have the home-field advantage. The roles of attacker and defender would be reversed, which was tantamount to putting their lives on the line. The danger was on a completely different level.

Xu Zhongyong suddenly thought of a problem. "Elder," he asked, "as far as I know, occupying a pearl beach requires an Array Master to set up defensive arrays. Is anyone among us skilled in Arrays?"

Gan Xingquan smiled calmly. "You needn’t worry. We already have Array Masters."

Four Array Masters stood up and cupped their fists in salute to the crowd.

It was only then that everyone understood. ’No wonder those four are so young and lack a killer’s aura,’ they thought. ’They’re Array Masters.’

Du Zhen’s brow furrowed. He pointed at Zhao Lin and demanded, "Why are the Array Masters with him?"

The Array Masters were the key to capturing the pearl beaches. If those four were with Zhao Lin, it meant that once the mission succeeded, Zhao Lin would receive the most credit.

Gan Xingquan replied calmly, "Because Zhao Lin is the one leading this mission to seize the pearl beaches."

Du Zhen challenged him, unconvinced. "By what right?"

Gan Xingquan sneered. "By the right that two years ago, he killed fourteen cultivators from the Earth Dark Sect!"

At his words, the crowd was left speechless, their faces filled with utter disbelief.

They hadn’t expected Xu Zhongyong’s earlier story to be true, and that the man himself was standing right before them.

Zhao Lin knew this was his cue. He rose calmly and cupped his fists to the crowd. "Thanks to the Island Master’s favor, I will be leading this mission to seize the pearl beaches."

"You are all elites of the sect. If you don’t mind my humble self and are willing to strive for glory with me, I swear that if we succeed, you will be handsomely rewarded!"

His words were forceful and resonant. Gan Xingquan couldn’t help but nod to himself, a look of approval in his eyes.

’I didn’t know beforehand that there was an extra merit point reward for seizing the pearl beaches,’ Zhao Lin thought. ’But since Chu Hongtian arranged it this way, he must have his reasons.’

’The mission is daunting, so of course, the more help, the better.’

’The Earth Dark Sect isn’t stupid; they’ll definitely send stronger cultivators this time. A sneak attack with the Thunder Blade Skill is a trick that won’t work twice.’

’Besides, my original goal was just to get exclusive rights to the Spirit Pearls. As long as I can achieve that, I don’t mind sharing some of the merit points.’

The cultivators looked at one another, unable to make a decision.

The merit points were tempting, but whether they would live to claim them was another matter entirely.

Chang Jianqiu suddenly spoke up. "I’m in!"

After a moment’s hesitation, Du Zhen followed suit. "I’m in."

"Me too."

"I’ll join as well..."

With a cultivator at the Peak of Qi Refining taking the lead, two more people announced they would join.

Zhao Lin waited a moment before asking, "Anyone else?"

Xu Zhongyong gave a hollow laugh and said sheepishly, "I haven’t made up my mind yet. Can I decide later?"

Hearing this, another cultivator asked, "I haven’t decided either. Is it possible to join halfway through?"

’They’re just opportunists,’ Zhao Lin thought. ’If my side gains the upper hand, they’ll rush to join. If things go badly, they’ll find a place to hide and gather Spirit Pearls.’

’But that’s understandable. Mortals fear death, and cultivators fear it even more. They’ve traveled a thousand miles out to sea for fortune; self-preservation is naturally their top priority.’

He didn’t call them out on it, simply offering a faint smile. "Of course. The assault on the pearl beaches won’t begin until the second day at the earliest. We first need to take care of the majority of the Earth Dark Sect cultivators."

"You can join anytime you’ve made up your minds. However, the earlier you join, the greater your share of the merit points will be when the rewards are distributed. If you wait until the battle is already won before trying to swoop in and claim the prize, you’ll find there’s no such easy opportunity."

After a moment of silence, another cultivator asked, "If I don’t join the team but still kill an Earth Dark Sect cultivator, can I still get a share of the merit points?"

Zhao Lin looked at the cultivator and nodded. "That still counts as a contribution. Just make sure to keep proof of the kill."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.