Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

Upon returning to the Star-Picking Hall, Ye Xuan submitted twenty Thunder Sandalwood trees, earning a total of ten merit points.

His current merit points on the Holy See Register are 16.

Arriving at the second floor of the Star-Picking Hall, this is where the sect officially sells information. Compared to many rumors, it may not be as comprehensive, but it is more accurate.

Compared to the first floor, the layout here is simpler, consisting only of a circular wall with countless tokens hanging on it.

"Different types require different merit points; disciples can view the information as needed..."

After looking around, Ye Xuan's gaze fell on the wall in the southeast.

Fang Zhengge, Foundation Establishment Completed, Formal Outer Disciple

Tang Zhao, Foundation Establishment Completed, Formal Outer Disciple

By selecting a wooden plaque marked "Outer Disciple," and paying just 1 merit point, one can freely view the basic information of all outer disciples.

"In the outer sect of the Holy Sect, there are two paths to be chosen after being promoted to a formal disciple."

First, one must accept specific monthly assessment tasks; second, one must reach the Golden Core stage in cultivation.

According to Zhao Wusheng's memories, even for those born with the extraordinary talent of longevity, reaching the Golden Core realm is extremely difficult.

Every year, the outer sect of the Holy Sect has hundreds of registered disciples, but no more than ten can reach the formal standard through pure cultivation.

Those who reach the required cultivation level and are promoted to formal disciples can directly enter the inner sect.

Therefore, without exception, all the formal disciples like Fang Zhengge, who were still in the outer sect, were promoted through assessment tasks.

As of today, the Holy Sect's outer sect has twelve formal disciples and four hundred and seventy-three registered disciples.

Ye Xuan descended the stairs at a leisurely pace and returned to the first floor where he received his missions. The missions from the outer gate were divided into A, B, C, and D, from highest to lowest level.

The main disciples accepted were of the "C" and "D" levels. For example, cutting down sandalwood in the back mountain was a common "D" level task.

The "A" and "B" levels are naturally the choice for most formal disciples, and the monthly assessment difficulty for registered disciples is roughly at the B level.

"In other words, regardless of the cultivation level of the registered disciples, as long as they can complete a Rank B mission, they can be promoted."

Does this include help from others? It seems not; almost all tasks do not stipulate that the disciple must complete them alone.

Standing in front of the mission wall on the first floor of the Star-Picking Hall, Ye Xuan's gaze slowly swept over the hanging wooden plaques.

Tier D missions are the most fixed, but also the most varied in content.

[Dingzi 73: Sweep fallen leaves along the mountain path, one achievement per week]

[Dingzi 81: Caring for the seedlings in the spiritual field, making progress every three days]

[Ding-character 95: Transporting alchemical waste, one point of merit every five days]

These tasks are tedious and time-consuming, with meager rewards, but they are the main source of livelihood for most of the registered disciples.

Ye Xuan's gaze continued upwards; there were significantly fewer Level C missions, and the writing on the wooden signs was much more prominent—

[Category 12: Hunt down a Tier 2 Earth Dragon with intact scales and armor, reward 30 merit points]

[Chapter 19: Collect ten Crimson Flame Grass plants, roots intact, reward 30 merit points]

[C627: Maintain the mountain gate formation, 10 merit points daily]

The tasks here clearly involve both risks and rewards, but they are still within the capabilities of a few registered disciples. For example, the task of hunting a third-tier earth dragon, which Fang Zhengge invited him to join, would be classified as a Class B task.

Further up, the wooden plaques for Rank B missions gleamed with a faint silver light; there were only about a dozen of them.

[Class B, 3: Hunt down a Tier 3 Earth Dragon, one Gold Crystal, reward 100 Merit Points]

[Level 6: Clear out the evil spirits in Black Wind Valley. You must bring back the core of the evil spirit. Reward: 200 merit points]

[Level 9, Item B: Investigate the strange activity of the spirits in the back mountain and record the details in the bronze mirror. Reward: 500 merit points!]

Ye Xuan's gaze fell on the wooden plaque with the inscription "Yi Zi Jiu" (乙字九). "Strange activity of spirits in the back mountain?"

As he was pondering, a slightly familiar voice came from behind him.

"Junior Brother Zhao is also interested in Rank B missions?"

Ye Xuan turned around and saw that Tang Zhao was already standing behind him, his anger from noon seemingly having subsided.

"Just looking."

"It's good to take a look; everyone needs goals."

Tang Zhao stepped forward and stood beside him, looking up at the gleaming silver wooden plaques.

"For registered disciples to advance, completing a Rank B mission is an unavoidable hurdle. However..."

He changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of warning:

"The mortality rate for mission B has consistently remained above 50% for many years."

Especially those like the character "乙" (Yi) in the ninth position, who are exploratory, often die mysteriously.

Ye Xuan didn't speak, but listened quietly.

Tang Zhao ignored his reaction and continued speaking:

"The strange spirits in the back mountain have been stirring for three months. During this time, six registered disciples have accepted this task. Guess what happened?"

"I guess they all died in the back hill."

Ye Xuan's answer clearly surprised Tang Zhao. "Oh? Could it be that Junior Brother Zhao knows the inside story?"

"No, how could someone like my senior brother, who spends all his time in the back mountains, understand?"

Tang Zhao had a half-smile on his face; how could he not tell that this kid was mocking him?

After a moment of silence, he took a deep breath and continued:

"A generous reward will surely attract brave men."

This one run earns 500 merit points. Junior Brother Zhao is so talented, don't you want to give it a try?

After saying that, Tang Zhao quietly left, just as he had come.

"Five hundred points... isn't out of the question."

Ye Xuan roughly knew about the strange activity of the ghosts in the back mountain. After returning to his cave to rest, he went to the dense forest in the back mountain alone as night approached.

At this moment, on the outskirts of the dense forest, Tang Zhao and his disciples were preparing to return when the two happened to meet.

Seeing the silver wooden plaque hanging from Ye Xuan's waist, he rubbed his eyes sharply and said:

"You accepted this mission?!"

What he said during the day was, of course, a provocation. Although he hoped Ye Xuan would accept the task, he had never considered it.

Rumors about the "Nine of the B" have been circulating among the outer sects for a long time, and recently the rewards have increased again. Everyone knows the dangers involved.

Tang Zhao had thought that his junior brother was indeed talented, but he never expected that he was actually a fool.

"Willing to risk your life just to show off? I, Tang Zhao, admire that!"

Ye Xuan ignored his words and continued walking deeper into the dense forest.

He arrived at the edge of the clearing when the surrounding light grew dimmer and dimmer, until he could not see his own hand in front of his face.

Concealing his presence completely, Ye Xuan hid behind a sandalwood tree, waiting for the two to arrive.

After an unknown amount of time, two familiar figures walked from the same direction as expected.

"Isn't it said that a generous reward will surely bring forth brave men...? We've already raised the points to 500, why hasn't anyone come yet?"

"These registered disciples have really become intelligent. Should we ask the Star-Picking Hall to adjust their points back?"

The person holding the black cloth bag felt that the behavior above was somewhat like trying to hide something obvious.

"It's none of our business, why should we care?"

The other person was more easygoing; after all, they only received a fixed monthly salary, so there was no need for them to work themselves to the bone.

"If you find it, grab it; if you don't, forget it. With your talent, you really want to keep going?"

His words were somewhat joking, but the man with the black cloth bag sounded rather angry.

"No, if I wanted to let things take their natural course, why would I even come to the Holy Sect?"