Chapter 6: The Mission

On a dark and stormy night, when murder and arson run rampant, atop a distant hillside, a scar-faced man with a tiger-head broadsword, dressed in tattered clothes, asked a burly companion beside him, “Boss, shall we strike now?”

The leader gazed greedily at the several horse-drawn carts filled with crates in the camp. Yet he calmly replied, “Why rush? These soldiers don’t look ordinary. Though few in number, we must not be careless. Wait a bit longer. Let the brothers behind us prepare. We’ll strike once they’re all asleep.”

“Understood, Boss!” Although the scar-faced man was just as eager to loot immediately, he held back out of respect for the leader’s authority and waited patiently.

Suddenly, the voice of a system sounded in Wang Yu’s mind as he was about to put down his military manual and rest: “Ding, mission generated. Do you accept the task, host?”

“Accept,” Wang Yu replied without hesitation, though curious about this sudden mission. With a task comes reward.

“Ding, Mission One: Eliminate the assassins and survive the immediate crisis. Success Reward: One divine-level summoning card. Failure Penalty: None.”

Seeing the words “none” for penalty, Wang Yu sighed inwardly. Of course, there’s no penalty—if he fails, it means he’s dead, so punishment is irrelevant.

Still, this mission hinted at serious trouble ahead.

“Ding, Mission Two: Successfully reach the Great Azure Academy. Success Reward: One random skill and 100 summoning points. Failure Penalty: None.”

“This journey won’t be peaceful,” Wang Yu murmured to himself.

“System, use a random summoning card for a martial summon!” he commanded.

Among the five random summoning cards from his beginner’s pack, two focused on martial prowess—one on internal martial arts, summoning martial artists from the Jianghu; the other on external martial arts, summoning battlefield generals like Zhao Yun.

He had already summoned Zhao Yun with one card and now could call forth a master of internal martial arts.

The generous reward for the assassination mission indicated the threat was serious. Such a high difficulty earned a lavish reward.

“Ding, summoning commencing. First: Shi Zhixuan, Martial Power, Half-step Celestial.”

Shi Zhixuan, a character from “Twin Dragons of the Great Tang,” was one of the eight top masters of the Demonic Sect, known as the Evil King, with a dual personality. He led the Huajian and Butian factions within the sect and stood at the pinnacle of strength.

Beyond martial skill, Shi Zhixuan was also a great intellect. Under his alias Pei Ju, he served the Sui dynasty as a strategist in the Western Regions, skillfully dividing the powerful Turkic steppe empire and altering the Central Plains’ long-standing weakness since the Wei and Jin eras.

He elevated the immortal seal technique to philosophical heights and ultimately overthrew the Sui dynasty.

“Ding, second summon: Zhang Sanfeng, Martial Power, Celestial.”

Zhang Sanfeng is a frequent figure in many wuxia worlds, his strength varying across novels but always among the elite, often the very top.

“Ding, third summon: Li Xunhuan, Martial Power, Grandmaster.”

“Little Li Flying Dagger never misses.” Even those stronger than him would fall victim to Li Xunhuan’s flying daggers. For example, Shangguan Jinhong, a peerless warlord, had many chances to kill Li Xunhuan but lost because he wanted to test the myth of “Little Li Flying Dagger never misses.”

Wang Yu admired this “Little Li” but did not want to summon him.

He was a good man, but on the path to world domination, Wang Yu knew shadows and darkness were inevitable. Such a person was unsuitable—at least not now.

“Ding, fourth summon: Ye Kai, Martial Power, Grandmaster.”

Another “Little Li Flying Dagger,” like his master Li Xunhuan, Ye Kai was righteous, compassionate, and a beacon of humanity’s light. But again, not fitting as a subordinate.

For anyone aspiring to conquer the world, such people are better as friends, not followers.

Once you enter this game called the world, your outward brightness will inevitably be stained with countless shadows.

Even if the first ten summoned were all loyal, Wang Yu would not choose them. Different ideals mean inevitable conflicts, even without betrayal.

“Ding, fifth summon: Ling Donglai, Martial Power, Celestial.”

Starting sword training at ten, studying the Book of Changes at fifteen, mastering it by thirty to glimpse the path of Celestial beings.

In the universe, none could rival him.

He traveled the world—from the kingdoms of India to Persia and Europe, up to Russia—seeking wise men, yet found none worthy to debate with. Returning frustrated, he realized the Way of Heaven cannot be borrowed. He secluded himself in the Ten Absolute Passes for nine years, achieving enlightenment, resolving his last knot, and transcending.

Ling Donglai, a legendary figure from Huang Yi’s wuxia novel “Shattered Void,” is revered as the supreme grandmaster. Never directly depicted, he is known only through tales, akin to Jin Yong’s Sword Demon, Dugu Qiubai. He is considered one of the strongest in Huang Yi’s series.

“Ding, host please remove two characters.”

“System, remove Li Xunhuan and Ye Kai. Summon from Shi Zhixuan, Zhang Sanfeng, and Ling Donglai.”

“Looks like luck is on my side!” Wang Yu breathed a quiet sigh.

This time, the odds of summoning another divine-level figure were high. Even if he didn’t get the divine-level Zhang Sanfeng or Ling Donglai, he would at least have the top-tier celestial-level Shi Zhixuan.

Even summoning Shi Zhixuan wouldn’t be a loss—his intellect matched his martial skill.

With proper cultivation, Shi Zhixuan might even ascend to true celestial level in the future.

“Ding, congratulations host on acquiring…”