Chapter 737 - Taking on Missions

The Heavenly Bastion Peak and the three other main peaks could only accept the outcome begrudgingly.

After all, they needed a reason to cause a scene.

They couldn’t claim that their disciples wanted Chen Fan dead and expected him to just stand still without resisting.

As news of the Little Demon Realm spread, Chen Fan sent the True Martial Academy into an uproar.

Even those Invincible Legendary realm old timers of the High Elder Council had heard of Chen Fan, showing just how influential he had become.

Of course, the world didn’t revolve around Chen Fan forever.

As time passed, the stir caused by him slowly faded.

The True Martial Academy was full of geniuses, and the competitive pressure was huge. Without continuous improvement, one quickly fell behind as others advanced.

Chen Fan’s feats in the Little Demon Realm and the clash between the two peaks were merely moments of excitement in the students' rigorous cultivation journeys. Once the excitement passed, they returned to their routines.

A sense of urgency gripped many, especially the older disciples.

They had people pressing them from above, and Chen Fan’s generation of peerless talents was already catching up to them, so they couldn’t afford to relax.

Thus, it did not take long before the storm raised by Chen Fan and the Peerless Peak gradually subsided.

Everyone focused on cultivating.

The Peerless Peak was as desolate as ever, cold and cheerless.

At a cliff, Chen Fan was facing the sea of clouds, breathing in and out.

The Demon Hunting Competition was now behind him. Now his goal was to raise his cultivation in preparation for the True Martial Assembly, also known as the Summit Martial Meet, in three years.

All disciples of the True Martial Academy would take part in it. Even the other superpowers of the eastern continent would send representatives.

In the recent competition, Chen Fan had faced mostly rookie disciples. However, in three years, he would contend with the entire True Martial Academy. While he wasn't weak, he currently ranked only among the middle-lower tiers in the academy.

However, Chen Fan still felt confident. He could already fight against fifth and sixth-level Heavenly Star realm experts now. Who could say how strong he would be in three years?

He believed that he would be invincible in the Heavenly Star realm by then.

He also had no lack of cultivation resources, so that wasn’t a limiting factor.

He had hell ores and the cultivation resources he received from placing first in the Demon Hunting Competition.

Feeling a strong sense of belonging to Peerless Peak, Chen Fan appreciated that Huang Wuji, Di Chen, and the others had put everything on the line, clashing with the Law Enforcement Hall to protect him. So, he didn't keep his success with the hell ores a secret from Huang Wuji and the others.

The Peerless Peak was his second home now. Huang Wuji and the others were his family.

Naturally, he wouldn’t hesitate to support his family.

Huang Wuji was already in the Lesser Legendary realm, so the hell ores were crucial for his advancement.

Although the True Martial Academy had hell ores, their availability was limited, requiring a significant amount of merit points to acquire them.

Chen Fan had close to a thousand pieces of hell ores. He had spent fifty pieces of them to advance to the Heavenly Star realm and gave Huang Wuji two hundred pieces.

He also gave Di Chen and the others some hell ores after refining away their demonic qi and demonic will, allowing them to comprehend the power of laws within. That would help them lay a solid foundation for advancing into the Legendary realm.

Huang Wuji could kill the Lesser Legendary realm Elder Mingde with peak Manifestation realm cultivation because he had already comprehended the power of law.

Huang Wuji and the others were both shocked and thrilled by Chen Fan’s abilities. They couldn't believe that he could refine away the demonic qi and demonic will in the hell ores.

At the same time, they were excited about the prospect of using the purified ores to gradually grasp the power of laws, making their future paths much easier.

Of course, they did not pry deep into Chen Fan’s secrets.

After all, they were all monstrous geniuses, and each of them had fortuitous encounters unknown to others.

Time passed by like a blur, day after day went by, not stopping for anyone.

Soon, a year had passed.

In the Heavenly Star realm, it was common for cultivators to remain at a particular level for years, even decades.

At this point, the increase in true primeval was not the sole factor in advancing cultivation; the strength of one’s Martial Dao Will played an equally crucial role.

However, strengthening one’s Martial Dao Will was a slow, deliberate process that required deep comprehension, with no shortcuts available.

Chen Fan had spent a good chunk of the last year comprehending and enhancing his Martial Dao Will. His efforts paid off as he reached the third level.

Chen Fan exhaled a mouthful of turbid qi. Looking at the tumbling sea of clouds, he couldn’t help but sigh. “Enhancing my dao will sure is difficult.”

Although advancing a level in just one year was impressive, he felt it was still somewhat slow.

Not content to remain idle, Chen Fan decided to go out to train. He decided to complete the various academy missions to train himself.

Countless disciples came in and out of the True Martial Academy’s Merit Hall, selecting missions that suited their interests.

Chen Fan walked straight in, where several neatly arranged tables featured disciples of the Merit Hall, all at least in the Heavenly Star realm. Some were even supervised by a Manifestation realm expert. These individuals were all tasked with managing the academy's missions.

The Merit Hall was similar to the Law Enforcement Hall in that they were both very important halls and would likewise recruit some disciples.

In the True Martial Academy, the Merit Hall held immense influence that wasn’t any inferior to the Law Enforcement Hall. They were both giant organizations, responsible for rewarding and punishing disciples.

If the Law Enforcement Hall being in charge of the punishments was the stick, then the Merit Hall being in charge of rewards was the carrot. Unlike the notorious reputation of the Law Enforcement Hall, the Merit Hall was generally viewed in a much more favorable light.

Chen Fan walked up to a table, where a peak Heavenly Star realm expert presided. His aura was withdrawn, with his immediate surroundings changing in thousands of ways. He was not far off from reaching the Manifestation realm.

“This junior brother, what mission do you want to take?” asked the expert.

Although it was very difficult to tell a person’s age from their appearance, there were still ways to infer some clues.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

This young man was clearly under a hundred years old and had already reached the peak of the Heavenly Star realm—a true genius among geniuses.

“Is there any mission suitable for a sixth or seventh-level Heavenly Star realm?” Chen Fan asked.

The peak Heavenly Star realm disciple looked up, surprise evident on his face. “Junior brother, you’re only at the third level. Taking on a mission of such difficulty seems a bit unwise.”

His tone was not condescending; rather, he was offering a kind reminder. After all, missions often came with significant risks, and fatalities were not uncommon.