Chapter 62: The Events of the Past

—

“I’m here to submit a mission,” Xu Shen said calmly.

At the mission department counter in the Xinhuo Guard headquarters, the receptionist glanced at the pile of seventy or eighty corpse worm tails Xu Shen had brought and froze in shock.

Looking at the gray-masked man in front of him, the receptionist couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly. “Ming, the mission only required fifty tails. Bringing extra won’t get you many additional exchange points.”

Despite his words, the receptionist’s heart skipped a beat. A Core Solidification late-stage cultivator killed this many?

Among the pile, there were even several tails emitting faint third-tier energy. Could this guy be hiding his true cultivation level?

—

“It’s fine. Just exchange what you can,” Xu Shen replied nonchalantly, waving his hand.

The receptionist shook his head and leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. “If I were you, I’d keep the extras and sell them on the underground black market. You could make a decent amount of money.”

Xu Shen raised an eyebrow, surprised by the suggestion. After a moment of thought, he nodded and put away the surplus tails. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” the receptionist said with a grin as he began processing the fifty tails for submission.

—

“By the way,” Xu Shen said suddenly, as if remembering something, “can rare items also be exchanged for points? I found something interesting in the mountains.”

The receptionist’s expression turned serious. “What kind of item?”

“Material for rune engraving,” Xu Shen replied casually.

Hearing this, the receptionist’s demeanor shifted entirely. “Are you serious? Materials like that are incredibly valuable.”

“Yes, I can tell,” Xu Shen said with a slight nod.

“Hold on a moment,” the receptionist said before quickly typing on his terminal. It seemed he was contacting someone.

—

A few minutes later, an elderly man with white hair rushed into the room, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Where is it? Let me see it!” the old man demanded impatiently.

“And you are?” Xu Shen asked cautiously.

“This is Elder Mo Yu, one of Xinhuo Guard’s senior rune engravers and an expert in material appraisal,” the receptionist explained.

“Enough with the introductions! Show me what you’ve got!” Mo Yu interrupted, waving his hand dismissively as he looked at Xu Shen expectantly.

—

“Uh… here?” Xu Shen hesitated.

“Oh, right! Follow me,” Mo Yu said hurriedly, grabbing Xu Shen by the arm and dragging him toward another area.

Caught off guard by the old man’s strength, Xu Shen’s eyes flickered with curiosity. This guy’s cultivation level must be quite high.

Mo Yu led Xu Shen to what appeared to be a laboratory. Behind a transparent glass wall was a treatment table surrounded by an array of pen-like tools of various sizes.

“Alright, kid, where’s the item?” Mo Yu asked impatiently.

Xu Shen hesitated briefly before pulling out a piece of material he had prepared earlier. It was Phantom Wood, a resource useful for enhancing wood-based runes.

The moment Mo Yu saw the colorful, creepy-looking piece of deadwood, his eyes lit up. He snatched it from Xu Shen’s hand and began examining it like an excited child with a new toy.

“What is this? I’ve never seen anything like it! Does Xia Nation even have wood-based materials of this quality?” he muttered to himself as he turned the piece over in his hands.

Breaking off a small fragment, Mo Yu placed it into a specialized research device nearby.

Xu Shen stood silently, watching as Mo Yu worked.

—

Half an hour later, Mo Yu finally looked up, his face filled with astonishment.

“Where did you find this?” he asked, staring intently at Xu Shen.

“I picked it up on a cliff in the Hengduan Mountain Range,” Xu Shen lied smoothly.

“Is this all you have?”

“Yes.”

“What a pity… what a pity…” Mo Yu muttered, shaking his head with a look of regret.

—

“This material… I’ve never seen anything like it before,” he said solemnly. “But I can confidently say that among all wood-based rune materials in Xia Nation, none can compare to this.”

“The wood energy contained within is extraordinary!”

“Kid, how about selling it to me? I’ll give you 20,000 exchange points for it,” Mo Yu offered eagerly.

Xu Shen blinked in surprise. “Is that allowed?”

“Of course! Only rune engravers like me can fully utilize something like this. If you turn it in officially, you’ll only get about 10,000 points.”

“But if you sell it to me directly, you’ll earn double.”

—

Xu Shen narrowed his eyes slightly. “You’re not planning to resell it to someone else, are you?”

“You brat! How dare you accuse me of such things!” Mo Yu exclaimed indignantly, his face turning red. “I’ve dedicated my entire life to Xinhuo Guard! I’d never do something so dishonorable!”

He took a deep breath before continuing earnestly. “With this material, I might become Xia Nation’s third Destruction Realm Rune Engraver!”

—

Studying Mo Yu’s expression carefully, Xu Shen decided he was being sincere. After a moment of thought, he nodded in agreement.

The transaction was completed quickly, leaving Mo Yu grinning from ear to ear as he carefully stored the Phantom Wood like a priceless treasure.

—

“Kid,” Mo Yu said suddenly, turning back to Xu Shen. “You’re a rune engraver too, right? Interested in learning from me?”

As one of Xinhuo Guard’s elder engravers, Mo Yu was well aware of every rune engraver under their banner—including Ming, the masked contractor who didn’t stay at headquarters.

“No thanks,” Xu Shen replied curtly before walking away.

Mo Yu stood there for a moment, stunned by the rejection. Then he chuckled softly and stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“He’s got quite the attitude… just like a proper rune engraver should.”

—

“I’d like to exchange all my points for treasured items,” Xu Shen said at the counter.

“Are you sure?” the receptionist asked, looking at him curiously.

“Yes.”

Without further questions, the receptionist began processing the request. Shortly after, two large boxes were brought over.

—

“You had 33,000 exchange points in total,” the receptionist explained. “That’s enough for 42 treasured items—all accounted for here.”

His tone carried a hint of envy as he added, “You must be loaded to spend so much on foundational resources for kids.”

Xu Shen nodded and waved his hand, storing the boxes in his bracelet.

—

“Anything else you need?” the receptionist asked with a smile that could only be described as reverent. To him, Ming was practically a walking treasure trove—this single transaction had been one of the largest all year!

“About earning points through major contributions—what are the criteria?” Xu Shen asked. During the Changbai Mountain incident, he had earned just over 10,000 points. He wanted to know what actions could yield even more.

—

“Criteria?” The receptionist scratched his head before replying seriously: “To be honest, those opportunities are usually reserved for Tongyou Realm cultivators and above.”

“People at that level don’t grind points through missions—they take on high-stakes challenges instead.”

“For example: repelling ghoul hordes or eliminating dangerous individuals like members of the Moon Cult.”

“The evaluation process is complicated. My advice? Wait until your cultivation is higher before pursuing that route.”

Xu Shen nodded thoughtfully—it was more or less what he had expected. Such opportunities required not just strength but also timing and luck.

—

The receptionist continued mumbling to himself: “Speaking of major events… did you hear about what happened in Southern Ridge City recently?”

“The Cheng family’s old master was nearly killed during his birthday celebration.”

“What?!” Xu Shen’s voice dropped to an icy whisper as he stared at the receptionist intently.

“The old master—Cheng Huang—barely escaped with his life,” the receptionist explained. “The attacker is believed to be Yan Gui from the Yan family—missing for years!”

“They say Yan Gui is only at Flame Mastery… but somehow managed to almost kill Cheng Huang!”

“Two Flame Pillars have already been dispatched to track down Yan Gui, but there’s been no news yet.”

Xu Shen felt his vision blur momentarily as anger and disbelief surged within him. That old man… didn’t he say it might take years before he acted? Why now?!

His thoughts raced as he recalled seeing Yan Gui’s mountain-patterned rune with flames—a clear indication that he hadn’t broken through yet. How could someone at Flame Mastery nearly kill a Yinshen Realm expert?

Has he been hiding something all along?

Noticing Xu Shen’s dazed expression, the receptionist assumed he was overwhelmed by the story and sighed sympathetically.

“It’s shocking, isn’t it? Yan Gui was once revered within Xinhuo Guard—his status rivaled that of Flame Pillars!”

“In fact,” he added conspiratorially, leaning closer, “some say previous generations of Flame Pillars were all his students.”

“But then… things fell apart.”

“What happened?” Xu Shen asked quietly.

The receptionist glanced around nervously before lowering his voice further: “Don’t tell anyone I told you this—but I’ve heard some rumors.”

“They say Cheng Huang and Yan Gui were once close friends.”

“But Cheng Huang grew greedy and betrayed Yan Gui over something valuable. That betrayal led to their fallout.”

“The Yan family was wiped out overnight while Yan Gui was away. When he returned… well…”

“He went mad and tried to annihilate the entire Cheng family—but was stopped by several Flame Pillars and allied families.”

—

“There wasn’t enough evidence to convict Cheng Huang,” the receptionist continued. “But that day… many people died—including some Flame Pillars whose bodies were shattered in battle.”

“Afterward, Yan Gui disappeared—and Xinhuo Guard issued a bounty on him under pressure from Cheng Huang and others.”

“And now… after all these years… Yan Gui is still alive.” The receptionist shook his head in disbelief.

—

“But wait,” Xu Shen interjected. “If Yan Gui was weaker back then… how did he manage to shatter a Flame Pillar’s body?”

The receptionist shrugged. “From what I’ve heard… those Flame Pillars were once his students. They probably held back out of respect—or guilt.”

“But even so… Yan Gui’s ability to fight across realms is legendary.”