Martial Saint with Passives

The Main Affairs Pavilion was where Jiang Che had previously gotten his Identity Token.

It was also the place to accept missions.

After Jiang Che presented his Inner Courtyard Disciple Identity Token, the young daoist responsible for reception brought out several wooden plaques.

Various different missions were written on them.

’Guard the Medicinal Herb Garden, watch over the fishery, escort cargo, patrol the forest...’

Jiang Che looked them over one by one.

Most of them required the Bone Forging Realm, and some were even restricted to those at the Refining Organ Realm or higher.

Only three missions were available to those at the Force Integration Level.

In the end, Jiang Che settled on a mission to patrol a forest.

This was a vast forest belonging to the Cangyun Sect, named Golden Leaf Wood. It contained many precious medicinal herbs and was also home to farmed High-Tier Exotic Beasts.

It was open to the Force Integration Level, and the pay wasn’t bad—fifty gold a month.

Although it wasn’t quite enough to purchase subsequent True Skills.

But it was enough for daily Cultivation resources, sect dues, and other expenses.

Furthermore, the hours weren’t long and its location near the Cangyun Sect meant he would have time to practice his skills.

The only catch was that it mostly required night patrols.

But Cultivators have high-quality sleep and don’t need to rest as long as ordinary people.

Besides, he could substitute some sleep with meditation and cultivation, so it posed no problem.

”I’ll take the Golden Leaf Forest patrol,” Jiang Che said, picking up the wooden plaque for that mission.

”That mission...” The young daoist assisting him hesitated.

”What’s wrong with it?” Jiang Che asked.

”It’s... nothing. You can take it,” the daoist said with a smile.

A thought struck Jiang Che, and he took out a silver ingot, pressing it into the man’s hand.

”Brother, please be frank with me.”

The daoist glanced at the silver, hesitated for a moment, then accepted it.

”That forest... has been a bit strange lately,” he said in a conspiratorial whisper.

”Strange?”

”Yes. The patrolmen say they keep hearing strange sounds from the forest at night, like the roar of some enormous beast. They’ve also found massive footprints! They look human, but they’re several times larger. No matter how they search, though, they’ve never been able to find the beast itself,” the daoist said, lowering his voice.

”A giant? A wildman?” Jiang Che paused, taken aback.

”No one knows what it is.”

”Has anyone been injured or killed? Any losses in the forest?” Jiang Che pressed.

”No, nothing like that,” the daoist said, shaking his head.

Jiang Che hesitated. The other missions, however, either had Realm restrictions, were too time-consuming, or didn’t pay well.

This one was by far the most suitable.

”It’s fine. I’ll take this one.”

Jiang Che had made up his mind.

He possessed [Omen] and [Invisibility].

Besides, his Qinggong was exceptional.

If he really did run into something, he was confident he could escape.

”Alright, I’ll register you for it then.”

...

The Golden Leaf Forest was situated in a valley at the junction of Cangyun Mountain and Tiger Head Mountain.

It was named Golden Leaf Wood after the maple-like trees with golden leaves that grew there.

Jiang Che arrived at the forest to report for duty that same day.

The patrol captain’s name was Xiang Wei. He was a burly, full-bearded Martial Artist in his forties, at the Bone Forging Level.

”From Yunhai Courtyard?” Xiang Wei asked, frowning. ”Looks like you just broke through to Force Integration, right?”

”That’s right,” Jiang Che replied calmly.

’Getting into the Inner Courtyard right after reaching Force Integration... another one of those Noble Family Members who got in through connections,’ Xiang Wei thought, displeased.

These Noble Family Members might have a decent Realm, but their actual combat skills were abysmal. They only knew how to run from danger and would never risk their lives.

Normally, Xiang Wei would never have accepted someone like that.

But because of the ”Big Footprint” incident, very few people were willing to come, and the patrol was critically short-staffed.

Xiang Wei had no choice but to accept him.

He then briefed him on his assigned patrol area and work schedule.

And so, Jiang Che began his days of patrolling the forest.

...

「Night fell.」

Xiang Wei was leading a patrol team, standing guard near the Blood Amber Flower Field.

The Blood Amber Flower was a core ingredient in the crafting of the Primordial Marrow Pill, making it unbelievably precious.

These flowers only matured once every five years, and the current crop had just reached its peak.

In a few days, the Sect would send people to harvest them.

This also made it the most likely time for thieves to try and steal them.

Suddenly, a strange sound echoed from the distance.

It sounded like the howl of a wolf and the roar of a tiger, yet it matched no known beast.

”That ’Big Foot’ is back!” Xiang Wei said, frowning.

”Big Foot” was the name they had given the monster that frequently appeared in the forest.

Because it always left behind giant footprints, the patrol team had nicknamed it ”Big Foot.”

They had tried to catch it several times but had always come up empty. To this day, no one had laid eyes on its true form.

Xiang Wei listened carefully, pinpointing the sound’s direction. Suddenly, his expression changed.

”Damn it, that’s the Iron-Horned Deer Garden!”

Iron-Horned Deer Meat was a Top Grade Exotic Beast Meat, making it extremely precious.

It took a full ten years for a single deer to mature enough for slaughter.

The deer were incredibly difficult to breed, and females only gave birth to a single calf at a time.

The entire Cangyun Sect had only a little over twenty of them.

The loss of even a single one would be astronomical!

If ”Big Foot” ate even a few of them...

A cold sweat trickled down Xiang Wei’s back.

’I think Jin Hao and Shi Chen are on guard duty at the Iron-Horned Deer Garden today...’

’That’s not good. Neither of them have reached the Bone Forging Realm. They might not be strong enough to protect the deer!’

Xiang Wei decided he had to go see for himself.

”You all guard the Blood Amber Flowers! I’m going over there to see what’s happening!”

With that, Xiang Wei grabbed his saber and used his Qinggong to race toward the Iron-Horned Deer Garden.

Before long, Xiang Wei arrived at the Iron-Horned Deer Garden.

There, he saw two patrol members sitting on the ground, apparently injured.

And on the ground was a trail of massive footprints!

”Jin Hao! Shi Chen! What happened? Was ’Big Foot’ here? Are the Iron-Horned Deer all right?!” Xiang Wei demanded urgently.