"Everyone choosing to go there, how can it be meaningless?" Chu Lingwei noticed that many people were sizing her up from the moment she entered.
Lei Tao's words caught in his throat. He was just using an analogy.
"Even if there's something to be discovered there, so many people have already gone. By the time you get there, nothing will be left," Lei Tao said earnestly. "Think about it, doesn't that make sense?"
Chu Lingwei remained silent, looking at the tasks on the mission board. They were all similar to those at their Cultivation Academy: searching for spiritual herbs, immortal medicine, collecting organs of various spirit beasts, or some relatively special items.
"Fellow Daoist, what kind of mission are you looking to take? Perhaps we could travel together." Lei Tao appraised Chu Lingwei, noting her young age yet already being in the Spirit Wheel realm, suggesting considerable ability.
Lei Tao considered himself a good judge of character, having spotted Chu Lingwei the moment she walked in.
"I haven't decided yet," Chu Lingwei stared at the mission board. The tasks were relatively simple; the spiritual herbs and the like posted were things she already had in her spatial storage.
It seemed she was someone who lacked nothing.
From Chu Lingwei's brief response, Lei Tao immediately made up his mind about her.
People like her were precisely the kind who came to hone their strength, the very people they needed.
"The place we're going is further than the swamp. If you must go to the swamp, we can go there to take a look," Lei Tao pondered. He genuinely felt Chu Lingwei would be a good teammate, and spending a little extra time for her was no big deal.
Chu Lingwei glanced at Lei Tao, wondering if he was set on her joining his team or if he had other intentions.
"Where are you going? Let me hear it."
"We're going to the Bei Ming Valley, heading directly north, to catch some Bei Ming worms," Lei Tao quickly explained their objective. "This mission isn't difficult, it just might take a longer time. But don't worry, we'll split the rewards equally."
Bei Ming worms were a type of insect specifically used to feed certain spirit beasts.
Disciples who raised beasts, if they needed to feed delicate spirit beasts, would either catch the worms themselves in Bei Ming Valley or post a mission, requesting others to do it for them in exchange for payment.
Upon hearing Lei Tao's words, Chu Lingwei felt a pang of disappointment. She had hoped for a more interesting mission, but it turned out to be just catching insects.
"I'm not going."
She had finally found some free time and had things she wanted to do and understand.
Seeing Chu Lingwei refuse without even a second thought, Lei Tao felt a bit disappointed. As someone approached them, he had an idea. "Fellow Daoist, don't refuse just yet. Bei Ming Valley is a bit dangerous right now, which is why the rewards are so high. It's an excellent place for training."
Lei Tao was convinced that Chu Lingwei was a disciple from a sect out on a trial, hence she wouldn't be overly concerned about the rewards.
"I'm not going."
After searching for a while, Chu Lingwei finally found a mission that piqued her interest: to go to the swamp and kill swamp snakes.
"I intend to take this mission."
Lei Tao looked up and saw that the mission Chu Lingwei had chosen was indeed the swamp. It seemed her objective was clearly the swamp.
"Since you have your own ideas, I won't force you," Lei Tao quickly adjusted his mood and smiled at Chu Lingwei. "At least forty people have taken this mission, yet it hasn't been cleared. The swamp snakes must be numerous. Fellow Daoist, you must be careful. These snakes are venomous; you'll need antidotes."
"Thank you for the reminder, fellow Daoist." Chu Lingwei cupped her hands towards Lei Tao. She then went into the mission hall, paid five low-grade spirit stones, obtained an identification token, and officially accepted the mission.
The mission token was a wooden plaque. However, by injecting spiritual energy into it, one's ranking information within the mission hall, as well as the status of the mission, would appear on the plaque.
One could not take on another mission until the previous one was completed. To cancel an unfinished mission, a certain number of points had to be consumed.
Each completed mission would earn the reward from the issuer, and the mission hall would also grant some points, serving as a record of contribution. The higher the points, the more privileges one would receive.
"You're welcome." Lei Tao had followed Chu Lingwei the entire way, watching her obtain a mission token and accept a mission. He still felt a little disappointed.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, perhaps we could exchange a sound transmission charm. Maybe next time we go to the same place for a mission, we can team up then." Lei Tao took out his sound transmission charm from his storage bag and offered it to Chu Lingwei.
"Alright."
Chu Lingwei didn't refuse. After they exchanged sound transmission charms, they left the mission hall.
Looking at the people still continuously heading towards the mission hall, Chu Lingwei hesitated. Now that she had accepted a mission, could she avoid returning to the inn?
Otherwise, the innkeeper would surely send someone to follow her again tomorrow.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, have you not found a place to stay?" Lei Tao, who was about to leave, noticed Chu Lingwei standing by the roadside in a daze and asked.
"Yes, I left in a hurry and haven't found accommodation yet." Chu Lingwei looked up at the sky. "It's almost dawn. I should head to the swamp now."
Heading to the swamp in the middle of the night, Lei Tao almost wanted to give Chu Lingwei a big thumbs-up. She truly was unaware of the world's dangers.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, leaving the city in the middle of the night is very dangerous." Lei Tao, still thinking about potentially teaming up with Chu Lingwei in the future, pondered for a moment and said, "Why don't you come back to the inn where I'm staying? We'll make room for you. We can depart together tomorrow."
"Alright."
Chu Lingwei also wanted to see what Lei Tao's true intentions were.
"This way. Our inn is small, but it's relatively clean." Lei Tao led Chu Lingwei through almost half of Wang Tian City. As the area became more secluded, Chu Lingwei realized it was indeed exceptionally remote.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, don't worry, I mean you no harm. It's just that the accommodation is a bit out of the way," Lei Tao turned back, constantly explaining to Chu Lingwei.
"It's alright. For cultivators, having a place to stay is already good."
If Chu Lingwei hadn't sensed any malice from Lei Tao, she would have immediately prepared to fight.
"We're here."
Lei Tao arrived at the door of a very dilapidated courtyard and knocked forcefully. Footsteps quickly sounded from within.
"Brother Lei, did you find someone to team up with us?" A young boy, about thirteen or fourteen years old, opened the door.
"No."
Lei Tao shook his head awkwardly, motioning for Shi Tou to move aside, and invited Chu Lingwei in. "Fellow Daoist Chu, let's go inside."
"Thank you."
Chu Lingwei stepped into the courtyard and sensed that five people were living there. Their cultivation levels were not high; Lei Tao was the strongest, while the others were all in the Spirit Movement realm.