The familiar walls of the Iron Wind Pavilion rose into view as I crossed the final bend in the road. My steps were lighter now, despite the dull ache in my muscles. The weight of the Spirit Marrow Grass and the harvested beast materials pressed against my waist, but I barely noticed.
This is it. My first mission completed.
The mission hall wasn't far from the entrance. When I arrived, several disciples were already inside, some boasting about their completed tasks, others arguing over mission rewards.
I made my way to the reception desk, where a middle-aged elder with graying hair sat behind a thick stack of scrolls. His sharp eyes lifted briefly to assess me before returning to his paperwork.
"Name?" he asked without looking up.
"Chen Yu."
"Mission scroll?"
I handed it over.
He scanned it quickly, then glanced at the pouch hanging from my waist. "Did you bring the Spirit Marrow Grass?"
"Yes." I carefully unwrapped the silver stalks and placed them on the table.
His brow lifted, faintly impressed. "They're fresh. Good work. Spirit Marrow Grass with this luster fetches the full reward."
He reached into a small storage ring and pulled out a bag of spirit stones, placing it on the table with a dull clink.
"Ten low-grade spirit stones. Standard mission reward."
My eyes widened. Spirit stones. Real spirit stones.
They were finally in my hands.
But I wasn't done.
I reached into my pouch again. "I also harvested these from the beast I defeated."
I placed the boar tusks and strips of thick hide on the desk.
The elder's expression shifted slightly. He inspected the items with a practiced eye.
"Steel-Tusk Boar… Young, but not bad for a first mission. I can offer you five more spirit stones for these."
"Deal." I quickly agreed.
He slid the additional stones across the table and made a quick note on my mission scroll.
"Good. Make sure you don't get overconfident just because you succeeded once," he warned flatly. "Many new disciples die on their second or third mission because they let their guard down."
I bowed quickly. "Thank you, Elder."
When I stepped out of the mission hall, I let out a long breath, the weight of tension finally easing from my shoulders.
Fifteen spirit stones.
It wasn't much to the sect's elite, but for me, it was a fortune.
As I walked back through the outer sect grounds, I couldn't help but feel the burning excitement rising in my chest.
This is my path now. My battle. My growth.
I wasn't sure where it would lead.
But I would walk it.
Step by step.