Both the Martial Dao and the culinary arts required comprehensive mastery.

If one simply reinvented the wheel in isolation, it would take a thousand years of practice to reach the Legendary Realm. Only by drawing on the strengths of others could one more quickly achieve a transcendent state.

The author of *Fierce Fire, Sizzling Oil* was very likely a legendary-level Divine Chef.

But so much time had passed that they had been forgotten by the world.

Bai Yuan needed to raise his skill in *Fierce Fire, Sizzling Oil* to the master level, then merge it with his other arts to reach the Legendary Realm.

His reinforcement points were running low again.

The Divine Mansion Sect had many good places for grinding mobs, but unfortunately, they were restricted. Some required the status of an Inner Sect Disciple, and others were only accessible to True Disciples.

Although Dong Wanjun had promised Bai Yuan the status of an Inner Sect Disciple, the Martial Hall was blocking the process. As long as he wasn’t officially registered, it didn’t count.

He would have to wait for Old Dong to return to the mountain to sort things out.

...

"Junior Brother Bai?"

Fang Ya heard a knock at the door. Opening it, she saw Bai Yuan, whom she had only met a few days prior.

News of Bai Yuan’s recent exploits had already spread throughout the Thirteen Peaks of the Divine Mansion Sect.

The story of how Dong Wanjun had accepted him as an Inner Sect Disciple, only to be blocked by the Martial Hall, had also been unearthed.

The other twelve peaks could refuse to recognize him as an Inner Sect Disciple, but on Wan Jun Peak, Bai Yuan was the real deal.

"Senior Sister Fang, how does one accept the sect’s bounty missions?"

Bai Yuan asked.

He didn’t know many people in the entire Divine Mansion Sect. With You Shengnan and Xiongshan both away on missions, Fang Ya was the only acquaintance he had left on the mountain.

Fang Ya beamed. "I’m heading to the Merit Hall myself, so I can show you the way."

Of course, that was just an excuse.

After learning of his status as an Inner Sect Disciple, she had decided she wanted to befriend him.

The gap between Inner and Outer Disciples was enormous. One was treated like a birth child, while the other couldn’t even be considered an adopted one. Their difference in status was immense.

The fact that Wan Jun Peak had fifty Outer Disciples but only a mere three Inner Sect Disciples made this disparity clear.

Bai Yuan replied, "Then I’d be grateful."

He understood her intentions.

As for Fang Ya, the first disciple he’d met in the Divine Mansion Sect, his impression of her was quite good. She seemed to have a chivalrous spirit.

The Merit Hall was where disciples of the Divine Mansion Sect went to accept bounty missions.

The Xuan Yang Dynasty ruled the world alongside the great sects, and the Divine Mansion Sect’s influence reached every corner of Huanglong Prefecture.

The Divine Mansion Sect could handle matters the Government Office handled, and it could also handle matters the Government Office couldn’t.

If the Huanglong Prefecture Magistrate’s Office encountered a difficult problem, it would request the Divine Mansion Sect’s assistance. The Merit Hall would then post a mission for disciples to handle.

The Merit Hall was immense, the foremost of all the sect’s halls. It had three floors, and the bounty missions on display were incredibly diverse.

"Jianghu bandit spotted in Yanggu County. Reward: Three merit points."

"The Huanglong Prefecture Patrol Office needs a skilled hand to assist in the investigation of a dismembered body on the city outskirts. Reward: Two merit points."

"An octogenarian took six women to bed in one night. Suspected demonic influence. Reward: Five merit points."

...

’That old lecher’s got some serious stamina!’

Bai Yuan thought with admiration. ’If I ever meet that old master of the carnal arts, I’ll have to ask him for a pointer or two.’

The Merit Hall categorized bounty missions into four levels of difficulty: A, B, C, and D.

The first floor was mostly for C-rank and D-rank missions, which could be accepted by Inner Sect Disciples, Outer Disciples, and even servant disciples.

The second floor held the B-rank missions, and only True Disciples and Elders were qualified to go up.

As for the A-rank missions on the third floor, those were, of course, reserved exclusively for the Peak Masters of the Thirteen Peaks.

According to rumor, the person in the Divine Mansion Sect who had completed the most A-rank missions was none other than Bai Yuan’s master, Old Dong.

"Junior Brother Bai, since this is your first bounty mission, it would be safest to pick some of the easier D-rank missions. The merit points are lower, but at least you won’t get yourself killed."

Fang Ya’s fingers flicked through the wooden plaques that hung like a sea of stars from the beams and pillars of the Merit Hall.

Cultivation Techniques, medicinal pills, and weapons from the Divine Mansion Sect could all be exchanged for merit points.

For example, the Cultivation Techniques in the Shaking Light Pavilion of the Instructor Hall all cost just one merit point. By conversion, one merit point was essentially equivalent to three hundred taels of silver.

Even disciples from wealthy families would take on bounty missions to hone their skills.

As a result, the Merit Hall was always the most crowded place in the Divine Mansion Sect.

Bai Yuan quickly chose his mission.

He reached out and plucked a small wooden plaque from before him.

Fang Ya glanced over curiously.

"Suspected demon activity causing injuries in Jiuqu Creek. Investigation required."

It was a mid-to-low C-rank mission.

Common people viewed demons as catastrophic beasts, but they were nothing unusual to a Martial Artist. After breaking through the Yijin Pass, a Martial Artist had more than enough power to fight one.

However, most demons used bizarre and unpredictable methods, so a fair number of Divine Mansion Sect disciples still died at their hands each year.

Fang Ya mentally nodded in approval.

’This choice is pretty safe for Junior Brother Bai,’ she thought. ’Given his feat of dismantling hundreds of mechanical puppets in a single night, an ordinary demon would be no match for him.’

"The Divine Mansion Sect’s bounty missions usually involve coordination with someone from a Government Office. The contact person and location are carved on the wooden plaque."

Fang Ya explained, anticipating his next question.

Bai Yuan looked down at the wooden plaque in his hand.

Sure enough, the information she mentioned was carved upon it.

"Junior Brother Bai, if the mission turns out to be more difficult than you expected, you can always abandon it. There’s no need to push your luck."

Fang Ya urged with a serious expression.

The Merit Hall wasn’t infallible. They could only judge a mission’s difficulty based on intelligence from the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office. Although the people making these judgments were experienced and rarely made mistakes, disciples still died every year from misjudged mission difficulties.

One of her close friends had died precisely because the Merit Hall had misjudged a mission’s difficulty; she was torn to shreds by a Tiger Demon, and they couldn’t even recover a complete body. She didn’t want Bai Yuan to suffer the same fate.

Bai Yuan nodded. "Thank you for the warning, Senior Sister."

’With my current strength at the Strong Organ Pass, I’m at least ninety percent confident I can handle a C-rank mission,’ he thought. ’And with my skills as a Demon Hunter, a typical demon is no more than a two-swing problem.’

He had chosen this mission for a reason.

He could earn merit points, gain reinforcement points, and add another demon to his Ten Thousand Demons Painting.

Compared to catching criminals, killing demons was clearly more rewarding.

Fang Ya also picked a mission.

It was a low C-rank mission to apprehend a fugitive wanted by the Court.

She wasn’t so greedy for merit that she’d recklessly accept a mission beyond her abilities. A Martial Artist needed to be bold, but not suicidal.

With both Bai Yuan and Fang Ya having chosen their missions, they turned and left the Merit Hall.

Simply taking down a wooden plaque was enough to accept a mission. It didn’t matter if you couldn’t complete it; you could just hang the plaque back up.

Fang Ya’s mission was located within Huanglong Prefecture City, while Bai Yuan’s was in Jiuqu Creek, over a hundred li away.

However, before heading to Jiuqu Creek, he first had to visit the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office to get more detailed intelligence from the Demon Slayer Guard.

Even though Bai Yuan was a Demon Hunter, the Jiuqu Creek area spanned at least a ten-li radius. Finding a demon in the deep mountains without a lead would be incredibly time-consuming; clues would make things much easier.

Fang Ya’s mission was a Court bounty, which meant she inevitably had to deal with the Patrol Office, so she also needed to go to the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.

And so, the two of them descended the mountain together and headed for Huanglong Prefecture City.