Bai Feifei, due to her cultivation being sealed, has completely withdrawn from the top ten core disciples.
Lan Yuer, Tantai Lingzi, Leng Hao, Ling Xiao, and Dai Yuling are ranked in the top five.
Since Yue Ren, Ming Tian, and Meng Yuan were all killed by Ling Xiao, Shangguan Lei luckily took the sixth position.
The seventh and eighth positions are held by the original two core disciples.
Zhao Zhi is ranked ninth, and the tenth position is taken by Li Zonghao.
Judging from the latter five, the strength of the top ten core disciples seems weaker than before.
However, looking at the top five, the situation is quite the opposite; the strength of the current top ten core disciples is only stronger than before, without any weakening.
Having secured fourth place, killed Ming Tian, and sealed Bai Feifei’s cultivation, Ling Xiao’s plan is ninety percent complete.
Only Tantai Lingzi remains to be dealt with.
Nevertheless, he is already quite satisfied.
Tantai Lingzi will have to be killed sooner or later, as he and that woman are now irreconcilable enemies, with no possibility of reconciliation.
When he and Wu Xiang left the Death Tower, many disciples were still discussing the rankings of the top ten core disciples.
“What a pity, it seems Ling Xiao doesn’t plan to continue challenging, otherwise, he could probably take first place without any issue, right?”
“Yeah, although we couldn’t see clearly what happened inside, that terrifying wave of true essence was definitely close to the Heavenly Realm, so powerful.”
“Sigh, it seems we’ll have to wait for the results of the Four Sects Martial Arts Competition to know Ling Xiao’s true strength.”
“Indeed, I bet our Moonlight Sect will shine brightly at the Four Sects Martial Arts Competition this time.”
Ling Xiao could no longer hear such discussions. Having obtained the status of a core disciple, he now had to fulfil his promise to Master Baiyun. He planned to take Bai Feifei to the Divine Sword Sect.
“Brother Wu, that’s the situation. Bai Feifei’s cultivation is practically gone now, so I doubt Chang Yueli would fall out with you over her. I plan to take her to see Master Baiyun, to settle this matter.”
Inside Wu Xiang’s sect master residence, Ling Xiao sat face-to-face with him, with no distinction of rank.
To Ling Xiao, Wu Xiang was still the same helpful, straightforward senior brother from before.
“Leave this matter to me. If you have any other issues, just tell me, and we’ll handle them together,” Wu Xiang said with a smile.
“Well, there is indeed something else. I need to make some ‘Purple Lightning Shocking World’ scrolls, which require a lot of materials. I also need to refine some top-grade True Essence Pills, which also need a lot of materials. Could you help me issue sect missions for these?”
Ling Xiao wasn’t shy about asking.
For such trivial matters, doing them himself would be too time-consuming. Assigning them as sect missions not only allows sect disciples to gain experience but also creates opportunities for them to earn spirit stones, so why not?
As he spoke, he directly handed Wu Xiang a list, saying, “Whatever you can gather from this, I’ll take it all!”
“So much! This is worth quite a bit. Do you need me to cover some low-grade spirit stones for you?” Wu Xiang asked.
“No need for that. At my current stage, low-grade spirit stones are of little help for cultivation, just ordinary currency. I have at least a million low-grade spirit stones on me, so just go ahead and issue the missions. I won’t let the sect lose out because of me,” Ling Xiao said with a smile.
What he gained in the Moonlight Pagoda wasn’t just what appeared on the surface; he had far more spirit stones, but since low-grade ones were of such low quality, the Moonlight Pagoda didn’t even bother mentioning them.
“Alright, in that case, leave it to me. I’ll personally handle this matter and won’t let you down,” Wu Xiang nodded.
To Wu Xiang, Ling Xiao wasn’t just the future hope of the Moonlight Sect but also his lifesaver, so his attitude toward Ling Xiao was always exceptionally good, without question.
Whatever Ling Xiao asked him to do, he generally wouldn’t refuse.
“There’s nothing else for now, but I’ll be heading to Tianfeng City this time, and it might take a while. Is that alright?” Ling Xiao asked with a smile.
“Of course, no problem. You’re a core disciple now, with the same status as an inner sect elder. Being away for a year or two is fine, but the Four Sects Martial Arts Competition is coming up soon, so you’d better return before then, or I’ll be in a tough spot,” Wu Xiang said with a laugh.
“Don’t worry, that’s a given. I also plan to use the Four Sects Martial Arts Competition to gauge the strength of the other sects,” Ling Xiao nodded. “By the way, are there any missions near Tianfeng City I could take on? Since I’m heading there, I might as well complete some for the sect and help you out.”
“There actually is one!” Wu Xiang frowned. “There’s a high-difficulty mission, close to level ten! Only a half-step Heavenly Venerable could possibly complete it. Since Lan Yuer and Tantai Lingzi have no plans to take missions right now, if you want it, it’s yours.”
“A level ten difficulty? Interesting. What’s the task?” Ling Xiao asked.
“The task itself is quite simple, just gathering information. But since Tianfeng City is near the Holy Dynasty’s border, the chances of encountering danger are very high, so you must be careful,” Wu Xiang cautioned. “This mission was issued by the Northern Han Kingdom. It’s said that a mysterious force has appeared in the seas near Tianfeng City. Although this force hasn’t yet posed a threat to the Northern Han Kingdom or the Holy Dynasty, its mysterious nature is unsettling, so someone needs to investigate.”
“In the sea?”
“Yes, their activity is in a certain sea area, though the exact location is hard to pinpoint. You should know that the Beast King Palace and the Sword King Sect have also sent people to investigate, but they all mysteriously disappeared and never returned,” Wu Xiang added. “If you encounter danger, I hope you won’t act rashly. Staying safe is the priority!”
“Haha, Brother Wu, I don’t have many talents, but escaping is something I’m quite good at. Don’t worry, no matter what it is, I’ll drag it out into the open!” Ling Xiao laughed. The thought that this force was near the Divine Sword Sect’s territory in Tianfeng City made him anxious. Whether friend or foe, he had to find out, or it might be too late if something happened.
“Remember, you don’t need to engage. Just gather as much detailed information as you can!” Wu Xiang added.
He knew Ling Xiao well, a battle maniac who sometimes fought recklessly, so he had to remind him in advance.
“Got it!”
Ling Xiao said he understood, but inwardly he chuckled. If possible, he’d naturally take action and wipe out that so-called mysterious force. Why keep it around?
Before leaving the sect, Ling Xiao went to see the Moon Lady.
“You’re really something, kid, even taking down the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. I was a bit surprised when I heard,” the Moon Lady said with a smile, feeling a hint of fondness for Ling Xiao.
