Chapter 392: Heaven-level Task

As the sun set, Li Qingchan arrived outside the cave dwelling.

In the setting sun, Li Qingchan's white robes were whiter than snow, and her exquisite face was as cold as ice. She exuded an aura that kept people at a distance, like a snow lotus on a cliff edge—beautiful to behold from afar, yet utterly out of reach.

She slowly walked into the cave dwelling, showing not the slightest interest in the Purple Source Cave dwelling. As a Saint Son, her own living and cultivation quarters were naturally far superior to those of Zhou Yuan, who was merely a newly promoted purple-band disciple.

Inside, she saw Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao, who were waiting for her.

"Why did you ask me to come?" she asked Yaoyao indifferently. It was clear she was here entirely because of Yaoyao; Zhou Yuan alone would not have been important enough for her to personally visit.

Zhou Yuan felt a bit awkward, as this kind of "pulling strings" request was truly difficult to voice.

Yaoyao, however, showed no subtlety at all. She stated bluntly, "I heard the sect issued a Heaven-rank mission, and you're the captain. I want you to take Zhou Yuan along so he can earn a 'Heavenly Merit.'"

Zhou Yuan's face flushed slightly upon hearing this.

Li Qingchan's beautiful eyes widened slightly in surprise, then she bit her lip, saying with slight annoyance, "You're really something! Heaven-rank missions are the most sought-after in the sect. Besides Zhao Zhu and me, there are only eight slots left, and the purple-band disciples from all the peaks are fighting tooth and nail for them. You actually want me to pull strings to get him a spot?"

Zhou Yuan gave an embarrassed smile.

Yaoyao propped her chin on her hand and glanced sideways at Li Qingchan. "Are you going to go back on your word about losing the bet?" she asked.

Li Qingchan's icy cold face flushed, and she quickly retorted, "We could have found another way! Heaven-rank missions are not for fun. Without sufficient strength, going would only be a burden, and if his performance is poor, he still won't get the Heavenly Merit."

Li Qingchan glanced at Zhou Yuan. "His performance in the purple-band selection was decent," she said, "but you should know that for this Heaven-rank mission, even Xu Yan might not be qualified."

Her implication was clear: Zhou Yuan had fought to a mutual defeat with Xu Yan only by pushing himself to the limit. If Xu Yan wasn't qualified now, how could Zhou Yuan possibly be?

Yaoyao listened, nodded, and repeated, "So you're going back on your word after losing the bet?"

Li Qingchan took two steps forward and slammed her hand heavily on the stone table in front of her. Her icy demeanor vanished, and her chest rose and fell slightly with annoyance. "Can't you say something else?!" she fumed.

Zhou Yuan, standing nearby, secretly clicked his tongue in amazement. To be able to infuriate the notoriously cold beauty of Cangxuan Sect to such an extent, Yaoyao truly had some skill.

Yaoyao covered her red lips with her hand and yawned. "Zhou Yuan isn't as useless as you think," she said. "Taking him won't be a burden. You're the captain of this mission, so it's only right for you to designate one spot."

Li Qingchan calmly replied, "Whether he's useful or not, I don't know. As for his looks, he's only passable. There are plenty of disciples in Cangxuan Sect who are better looking than him."

Hearing this, Zhou Yuan weakly interjected, "You can talk, but can you please not make personal attacks?"

However, no one paid him any attention.

The two beauties exchanged glances, not even sparing him a look.

Li Qingchan sat down nearby, her delicate brows furrowed. She knew that since Yaoyao had opened her mouth, she wouldn't back down easily.

"I should have known better than to make a bet with her," Li Qingchan thought with some annoyance.

Her flawless, jade-like face showed a range of emotions. After a while, she finally sighed helplessly. "Zhou Xiaoyao," she said, "you need to understand that simply tagging along and completing a Heaven-rank mission doesn't guarantee a Heavenly Merit. To earn a Heavenly Merit, one must ultimately receive the evaluation and approval of most participating disciples for the mission to be considered a success. So, even if I take Zhou Yuan along, if other disciples don't approve and report it to the elders upon returning to the sect, Zhou Yuan won't just miss out on the Heavenly Merit—he'll also be punished."

Yaoyao took a flask of wine from her Cosmos Bag, poured a cup for Li Qingchan, and said, "If Zhou Yuan's performance turns out to be that poor, then that's his own problem."

Although Zhou Yuan was merely a newly promoted purple-band disciple, far inferior in seniority to the veteran purple-band disciples, Yaoyao believed that when it came to actual ability, Zhou Yuan wasn't much worse than them.

Therefore, if Zhou Yuan's performance truly was poor, it could only be his own fault.

Li Qingchan heard this, remained silent for a moment, and finally gave a slight nod.

"Alright, for your sake, I can help this time," she conceded. "However, this is all I can do. If his performance is very poor during the mission and he upsets other team members, I won't be able to help him."

"Deal." Yaoyao raised her jade cup.

Li Qingchan also picked up her jade cup, clinked it with Yaoyao's, and drained it in one gulp.

"Thank you, Senior Sister Qingchan," Zhou Yuan said with a smile, seeing this.

Li Qingchan responded with a hint of coolness. Even though Zhou Yuan had performed astonishingly in the purple-band selection, in Li Qingchan's eyes, he was still far from comparable to Yaoyao.

Therefore, to Li Qingchan, Zhou Yuan seemed to be relying a bit too much on Yaoyao's favor.

This made her uncomfortable because, in her eyes, besides their peak master, Yaoyao was the only woman in Cangxuan Sect who truly impressed her. If Yaoyao wished, she could shine brilliantly in Cangxuan Sect, instead of staying so low-key with Zhou Yuan and showing no interest in anything else.

Li Qingchan found it hard to understand why, given Yaoyao's excellence, she was so uniquely devoted to Zhou Yuan—even willing to actively seek her out now to help him obtain a Heavenly Merit.

This made her feel a little resentful.

"Don't thank me," Li Qingchan said. "Just focus on how not to be a burden during this mission. Otherwise, if word gets out in the sect after we return, you'll be the only one losing face."

Zhou Yuan could sense the coolness in Li Qingchan's tone, but he didn't mind. He simply nodded and asked, "Senior Sister Qingchan, could you please tell me about this mission?"

Li Qingchan pondered for a moment. "This mission will be led by me and Zhao Zhu from Sword-Coming Peak," she said. "I am the captain, and he is the vice-captain. There will be a total of ten people on this mission. Besides the two of us, the others are all top purple-band disciples from various peaks.

"The specific mission is to go to Black Flame Province in the Saint Continent. A volcano that had been dormant for ten thousand years recently erupted there, and the existence of 'Fire Marrow' was discovered within it, indicating a Fire Marrow Vein. This Fire Marrow is quite valuable. For those who cultivate fire-attributed Genesis Qi, it can enhance the quality of their Genesis Qi. Therefore, the sect has rated it as a Level 6 Genesis Vein."

Zhou Yuan's eyes narrowed. It was said that Cangxuan Sect classified various Genesis Veins and ore veins into nine levels, with Level 1 being the lowest and Level 9 the highest. Generally, a Level 7 Genesis Vein was already considered extremely valuable, enough to spark a small conflict.

And now, the reason for their deployment was a Level 6 Genesis Vein. No wonder it was rated as a Heaven-rank mission.

"This Fire Marrow Vein is not within the territory of the six major sects, so its ownership is difficult to determine. The news has already spread, and it's said that the three major sects—Sacred Palace, North Sea Dragon-Subduing Hall, and Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace—are all interested in competing for it. Additionally, some powerful local forces in Black Flame Province also want a piece of it. Their strength might not match the six major sects, but as local powers, they shouldn't be underestimated.

"After negotiations among the high-ranking officials from all parties, it was finally decided that each sect would send disciples to Black Flame Province to 'discuss' the distribution method for this Fire Marrow Vein. So, our mission this time is to intervene and secure our Cangxuan Sect's rights and interests over that Fire Marrow Vein," Li Qingchan said in a calm tone.

Zhou Yuan's pupils slightly contracted. He hadn't expected this Heaven-rank mission to involve the three major sects: Sacred Palace, Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace, and North Sea Dragon-Subduing Hall. The difficulty truly wasn't ordinary.

Facing a strategic resource of this level, there would inevitably be many conflicts. And the so-called 'discussion' would likely involve ruthless and bloody confrontations.

A Heaven-rank mission truly lived up to its name.

Li Qingchan looked deeply at Zhou Yuan. "This mission is very important," she said, "so if possible, I actually don't wish for you to participate."

Evidently, she still considered Zhou Yuan a burden for such a high-level mission.

Zhou Yuan naturally understood her meaning but could only give a wry smile, because he genuinely needed this Heavenly Merit.

"Senior Sister Qingchan, I don't think I'll hold anyone back," Zhou Yuan said seriously.

Hearing this, Li Qingchan's red lips curled slightly. She clearly didn't take his words seriously, assuming he was merely putting on a brave front. She then waved her hand, rose directly, and headed out of the cave dwelling.

"In five days, we will depart for Black Flame Province."

"If you insist on participating, I hope you won't disappoint me," she said. "Otherwise, upon returning to the sect, I will report your performance truthfully, and you still won't receive any Heavenly Merit."