A rare sight was in front of the Qing-Yun Sect’s doors: both the sect master and all four chief elders were waiting for the disciples’ return. Sect Master Chen Xuanhua had already received word that the Qing-Yun disciples had successfully completed the mission and would arrive at the sect doors within just a burn of incense, and so he’d invited all four chief elders to wait here together with him.

　　The four chief elders wore four different expressions. Elder Tie Rukuang was all smiles, and his black beard quivered nonstop. The pale and beardless face of elder Xiao Shanhe was as cold as ice, with both eyes lowered and his lips sealed shut. The scholarly Shuwen Valley’s chief elder looked rather helpless. As for the red-robed Chief Elder Qin’nyao, she was calm as she looked towards the sky in a way that made it impossible to tell what she was thinking.

　　Although the disciples had not yet arrived, the elders had already heard of the mission’s results. It was surprising to say the least, and they all individually double-checked multiple times to make sure this wasn’t actually a mistake.

　　In the previous years—whether it was a training mission or a duel between the valleys—it was always Shanhe Valley who took first place, Danxia Valley who took second, and then the Shuwen and Duanzhen Valleys who fought over third and fourth. This was only natural considering the two core disciples—Xiao Jianming and Xu Linyun—both made quite an obvious difference that could not be overlooked. They thought the results would be similar this time around as well, yet the disciples of the four valleys had given them a huge surprise.

　　Among the forty-one Qing-Yun disciples that had left for Mount Desolation, twenty-eight would be returning with the mission’s successful completion. Put simply, thirteen disciples had lost their lives. Furthermore, among those who were still alive, a good dozen or so disciples had been injured, with four of them so wounded they would no longer be able to practice cultivation from today onwards. If it was considered in this manner, it could be said the death count had reached seventeen—being unable to practice cultivation was as good as being dead.

　　The most surprising of all was that the valley with the fewest deaths was actually Duanzhen Valley. There were ten disciples left, with only one death and one with a lost limb—counting simply, they’d lost just two people.

　　Next came the Danxia disciples. One had broken sect rules and was captured, one had died, and another was heavily wounded—three people lost.

　　As for the Shanhe and Shuwen Valleys, their losses had been much greater. Shanhe Valley had sustained five deaths and one heavy injury. Shuwen Valley had six deaths and one heavy injury and—including Pi Junzi—only four people total had returned unharmed.

　　If it was just about how many lives each valley had lost, there wouldn’t be much interest. This mission was meant to test these disciples and was dangerous, after all, and it wasn’t really possible to get through a mission like this without death. However, when the resources obtained from each valley was brought up, it was a bit too frightening….

　　Based on the rough entries in the jade booklet, the Duanzhen Valley’s gain was more than the Shanhe and Shuwen Valleys’ combined! Even in comparison to the rather decent gain the Danxia disciples obtained, there was still a good thirty percent more!

　　Elder Tie Rukuang was left overjoyed, and his lips had been curled upwards the entire day. “That little bastard, I knew he had some skills!” He smiled as he looked towards the flying spirit vessel slowly closing in.

　　The other elders did not want to speak to him, and instead mentally rolled their eyes at his words. ‘Who was it that immediately regretted his decision after the disciples left? Who was it that stood atop the Yunyin Summit every day to look out towards Mount Desolation, fearing that all his disciples would never return…?’

　　Sect Master Chen Xuanhua looked to Tie Rukuang and smiled. “Linyun has already sent me a message and said the child named Fang Xing performed exceptionally well. He helped Linyun kill the Fiery-Scaled Serpents, demonstrating that his battle prowess seems quite extraordinary; he rescued sect disciples being attacked by a Foundation Stage beast, showing he places importance on those within the same sect; and he drove away intruders from another kingdom, showing he’s clever with tactics. For this mission, the highest contributor was him without a doubt. Esteemed chief elders, I would like to promote him to be a core disciple. What do you all think?”

　　Each word was astonishing. In all these years, the Qing-Yun Sect had only had two core disciples, and now there was going to be another?

　　Although a bit dazed, Tie Rukuang soon smiled. “I say why not? If that little bastard became a core disciple, he’d definitely bring glory to our Qing-Yun Sect!”

　　“You mean ‘bring ruin to the Qing-Yun Sect’s reputation’!” Xiao Shanhe suddenly spoke. “Although the boy contributed greatly to the mission, he also cut open a Danxia disciple over a pellet, took the Illusory Soulgrass all for himself, and took the Shanhe disciples’ storage sacks without returning them…. Even when it came to driving away the foreign cultivators, he stooped to ransom. Do these things not deserve punishment?”

　　The atmosphere surrounding the chief elders immediately grew tense.

　　Sect Master Chen Xuanhua’s expression was unchanged, however. He smiled to the other two chief elders and asked, “What do you think?”

　　Shuwen Valley’s chief elder could only sigh. “Contributions must be rewarded, but wrongdoings must also not go unpunished. This is best decided by the sect master!”

　　Such remarks were just as good as saying nothing at all, but Chen Xuanhua did not seem to mind and looked towards Chief Elder Qin’nyao. She appeared a little troubled before finally answering, “I’ve heard the boy brought great assistance to my valley, but he also opened up the stomach of one of my disciples over a pellet, which is a little too presumptuous. I don’t know whether he should be rewarded or punished, so I won’t pay any mind to him for now. As for this matter, Sect Master, it will be up to you!”

　　Hearing this, Chen Xuanhua could only smile. “In that case, I already have an idea!” Yet, despite saying he already had an idea, he didn’t actually reveal what it was.

　　Xiao Shanhe’s expression was not the best, but it wasn’t exactly gloomy, either. “We do not know where that Foundation Stage beast came from, and there is no evidence of it either, which is fine. As for that group of foreign cultivators, however, there was evidence from their storage sacks relating to their identity. They are likely people belonging to the Myriad Beasts Sect of the Bohai Kingdom, and the grudge between our two sects is likely set in stone now. What shall we do about this, Sect Master?”

　　Sect Master Chen Xuanhua was still smiling as he replied, “Bohai Kingdom is lacking in cultivation resources, and the Myriad Beasts Sect is just a small sect. Amongst everyone in their sect, it is said only their sect master is in the Foundation Stage’s mid tiers, and I’ve never heard of any cultivation masters from there. Even if the grudge has been set in stone, so what? It was their disciples who came past the borders and were discourteous to our disciples first. Even if they were disadvantaged this time, they would not dare to speak of it out in the open!”

　　Xiao Shanhe lightly groaned when he heard this, clearly unamused. “To give the sect a powerful enemy, this definitely calls for a punishment!”

　　Sect Master Chen Xuanhua lightly creased his brows at this.

　　However, Tie Rukuang gave a cold laugh. “Is this really giving the sect a powerful enemy? They were the first ones to act aggressively towards our disciples, and do we really want our pupils to hand over all their storage sacks? Is our Qing-Yun Sect that weak?”

　　Xiao Shanhe coldly replied, “Even if the aim was to not show weakness, all we had to do was force them to retreat. There was no need to hold their sect master’s daughter as ransom, and not only that, to hurt her face, to slap her, and also kill her Mahn slave? I saw the sect master of Myriad Beasts—Ying Shihou—when I was young. He’s not someone to swallow his pride and anger; he’ll definitely seek to avenge them!”

　　“Even if what he did was a bit too much, I still think it was done well!” someone suddenly interrupted. As the rest looked up, it was revealed to be Shuwen Valley’s chief elder, the one who looked like a scholar. “They crippled one of my pupils—Shen Lo—and Fang Xing then killed that Mahn slave; in a way, this is avenging our Shuwen Valley. I may not care much about the other things, but as for this, I will have to support his action. It was well-killed and well-beaten!”

　　The Shuwen Valley Chief Elder was not aware of everything that had occurred. He was only clear with what had happened on the surface and didn’t know Shen Lo had been crippled to such a degree thanks to Fang Xing’s actions. He believed Fang Xing had seen the Myriad Beasts disciples crippling Shen Lo and had thus killed Xiongnu for vengeance, and so was actually grateful towards Fang Xing for what he’d done.

　　It would be interesting to see how much blood the crippled Shen Lo would spit out from anger if he found out about his esteemed shifu’s misunderstandings….

　　Xiao Shanhe was still hesitant. Just as he was about to speak more, Qin’nyao suddenly interrupted, “They’re back!”

　　As the chief elders lifted their heads, a giant spirit vessel suddenly appeared at the edge of the sky. Flying closely to the spirit vessel was a black eagle, a golden crow, and a white crane, making the scene rather pleasing to the eye.

　　As the group arrived at the entrance, all of the Qing-Yun disciples came out one after another while the three atop their mounts descended as well. The disciples of all four valleys stood in front of their respective chief elders and bowed.

　　“We have returned from the mission! It is a pleasure to meet you, esteemed sect master, esteemed chief elders!” the Qing-Yun disciples spoke in unison after bowing.

　　The chief elders looked at the disciples in front of them, each with their own thoughts on the matter. Only Tie Rukuang was openly laughing and filled with pride.

　　Sect Master Chen Xuanhua swept his gaze across all of the disciples and took a quiet step forward. His voice was loud and clear, audible both inside and outside the sect as he made an announcement:

　　“The path of cultivation is not easy, but sharpening yourself against the grindstone is not a bad thing. Any gains can be distributed freely amongst yourselves, as there is no need to hand it in to the sect. Based on the performance during this mission, the top ten disciples will also be given an extra reward from the sect. Furthermore, the top three will directly be given the opportunity to enter the Hall of Heaven’s Tribute alongside Xu Linyun and Xiao Jianming!”

　　Such words initially left the disciples surprised, but they were quickly overjoyed.

　　For ten people to get extra rewards meant over a third of those who’d returned would be rewarded. Then there was the fact three people would become a pupil at the Hall of Heaven’s Tribute, a position that was heavily sought after.

　　Once he’d finished speaking, Sect Master Chen Xuanhua looked at Fang Xing, who stood expressionlessly in front of the Duanzhen disciples. “Fang Xing, I have already received word. You contributed greatly to this mission by saving the other disciples, which merits reward. However, not only did you contribute positively, there were also mistakes, and such mistakes merit punishment. Reward and punishment do not counter each other here, and so—from tomorrow onwards—you will go to the Valley of the Hidden Dragon to carefully reflect on your misdeeds.”

　　The Qing-Yun disciples all looked at Sect Master Chen Xuanhua in confusion. Fang Xing was perhaps the person who’d contributed the most to the mission, yet the sect master hadn’t even thought twice about sending him into confinement? Even Fang Xing wanted to say something, but Wu Xiangtong had tugged on his sleeve as a signal to not act too hastily.

　　Indeed, once Chen Xuanhua had finished speaking, he paused before slowly continuing, “Once the year of confinement is finished, I shall make an exception and promote you to become the third core disciple of our Qing-Yun Sect. Are you willing?”

　　The Qing-Yun disciples were even more surprised upon hearing this, and they immediately began to chatter amongst themselves without regard for the sect master and chief elders’ presence.

　　Chief Elder Tie Rukuang let out a loud laugh and placed his hand atop the head of the still-dumbfounded Fang Xing. “Why not give the sect master your thanks?”