Immortal Taoist

After spending a few minutes admiring the beautiful scenery, Meng Lin bid farewell to Xiaojie and walked around for a few minutes before taking out a talisman from her robe.

Injecting a small amount of qi into it she said. "Feng Yue, you live in the Leopard Garden right, do you have a moment? I have a proposition for you," Meng Lin said.

"Meng Lin?" Almost immediately a blank voice replied back through the talisman.

****

The next day, Meng Lin sat down at a luxurious table, admiring the intricate designs that adorned the restaurant.

She is currently sitting in one of the most known restaurants in the Martial Arts Division, Golden Lotus Restaurant, a three story building with complex architecture, and intricate decorations that stretch from the ground floor all the way to the roof.

The walls were painted with ornate patterns and the ceiling was adorned with luminescent stones with crystals that sparkled in the light.

As she looked around, she saw that the tables were made of the finest wood and the chairs were softly padded with velvet cushions.

Meng Lin smiled as she realized that this floor must be quite expensive seeing as she was the only one sitting here, it was her first time at a place like this and she couldn’t help but think as to what led her here.

Yesterday, Before they parted ways Yue Feng recommended this restaurant as a place to meet, and she didn’t think much about it at the time as she was in a hurry, but now.

She couldn’t help but have a weak smile as she didn’t think it would be like this, she was running low on spirit stones so something like this seemed a bit out of reach for her.

As she sat there, seemingly waiting for something, she couldn't help but hear the gossip of a few diciples down below.

On the second floor of the restaurant was the gossip of a few diciples that talked as they ate.

"Really, something happened in the Leopard Garden?"

"Yes, you didn’t hear that Lu Xuan and Feng Yue almost had a fight!”

"What could it be about?"

"I don’t know however, the entire Leopard Garden is on lockdown now, Lu Xuan isn’t letting anyone in."

Meng Lin couldn't help but shake her head in disapproval, it appears that she really can’t understand Lu Xuan.

“Why was she so stubborn? It’s just a branch, it’s not like the entire tree was taken” Meng Lin muttered to herself.

“You’ve gone and made her furious, and that’s all you can say” a voice was heard from behind her, causing Meng Lin to turn around.

Appearing before her was Feng Yue, and with the usual expressionless face, she said in a deep voice, “You better not let her find out, if she does, you apologize immediately”

Feng Yue came forward to seat before continuing.

“then again, it’s not like she will let it go, she is too prideful and arrogant for that”

Meng Lin nodded, understanding where Feng Yue was coming from, she had heard that Lu Xuan was the type of person who had a hard time letting things go.

"But why do I need to apologize?" Meng Lin asked, a bit reluctant. "I didn't do anything wrong."

Feng Yue smiled. "Yes, technically, it’s not a part of her courtyard so she had no right to care about it”

"Anyways, i came for another matter altogether” Feng Yue continued.

Meng Lin looked up in surprise. "Oh? What's that?"

Feng Yue leaned backwards, her thoughts a mystery, “how about we eat first”

Meng Lin nodded, realizing that Feng Yue was probably going to be talking about an important topic.

They ordered their food in silence with the the hustle and bustle of the restaurant in the lower floors.

Looking at the food in front of her Meng Lin felt her appetite appear and she realized that she was more hungry than she had thought, without further thought she began to dig in.

Raising an eyebrow at the delectableness of the food she ate, Meng Lin felt pleasantly surprised.

As they ate, Feng Yue finally spoke up. "I want to ask for your help."

Meng Lin raised her head from her meal. "My help? With what?"

"Have you been hearing about the 6th star mission going around the sect” Meng Lin nodded.

“I would like to invite you to join in on the completion of the mission”

Meng Lin’s gaze hardened as she realized the seriousness of the situation. Putting down the tableware she asked “What kind of mission is it exactly?”

Feng Yue leaned in closer. “We need to retrieve an artifact of the sect deep in the nether cloud domains of the south.”

“As you may or may not know, the Nether Cloud Domain is a completely separate dimension that opens once every 10 years”

“The last time it was open, Han Li, our sect prodigy at the time ventured within with one of our three sect artifact in hand”

“sect artifact?” Meng Lin interrupted, her interest piqued, having no memory of such a thing. "What is it?"

Feng Yue stopped for a moment before answering. "It's a weapon. A weapon that was forged by our sect's founder and imbued with his spiritual imprint”

Meng Lin’s eyes shone with admiration. “That weapon must be powerful then” she naturally knew of what a spiritual imprint was, its a small consciousness that lingers for centuries, teaching whom ever it deems worthy.

"I see," Meng Lin said “ if it’s so precious, why would the sect not just send the strongest cultivators to retrieve it”

Feng Yue sighed. "Unfortunately, only those with a bone frame below the age of 30 can enter, so the sect can only post it as a mission since it matches the age of Foundation Establishment diciples”

Meng Lin thought about the situation before asking an important question.

“What is this Nether Cloud Domain, why did the sect prodigy go there, and what kind of dangers are we facing?"

Feng Yue leaned in with her hollow eyes and started to explain.

"The Nether Cloud Domain is a place filled with rare resources and treasures with unknown mysteries. It is said that the dangers include ancient demonic beasts, poisonous plants, and most importantly, other cultivators from other sects who are willing to kill for the treasures that lie within."

"But why did Han Li go there?" Meng Lin asked, still curious.

Feng Yue paused for a moment before continuing. "Han Li went to retrieve a rare material for his own cultivation, but he also had a personal mission to complete. He was searching for a way to cure his master's illness, and he believed that the Nether Cloud Domain held the answer."

Meng Lin listened attentively, taking in all of the information. She knew that going on this mission would be dangerous, but the opportunities far outweighed the risks, it was too tempting to resist.

Plus the strength of those there will not be of a higher realm, and if there are any then with the items that she has, she was confident in at least ensuring her own escape.

"Alright I'm joining!" she exclaimed, having made her decision.

Feng Yue smiled. "Good, I knew you would be interested. We’ve already gathered a team of cultivators”

“We” Meng Lin asked, a bit confused by the way Feng Yue was addressing.

“Yes, the sect wouldn’t allow us to participate if we don’t have a cultivator at the Gold Core Realm with a bone frame under 30.”

“And since we don’t have that we have to wait for a week, he can surly get it done in the next few days” Feng Yue said ambiguously with a smile as she didn’t plan to stay for long.

Standing up, she said “when the Nether Cloud Domain opens in two weeks is when we set off, see you then”

Feng Yue left Meng Lin who nodded back, feeling excitement and nerves building up inside her.

This mission would be her chance to experience an explosive growth and gain valuable experience in the cultivation world.

“Miss ” a waiter, a young girl at the early stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm came over to Meng Lin’s table, interrupting her from her thoughts.

"Excuse me, miss, but the payment for this floor's meal is due," the waiter said, causing Meng Lin to feel a bit awkward.

Feng Yue had left without paying.