The next morning, Ling Xiao strolled out of his school. He walked alone through the bustling streets of the Imperial Capital, planning to check out the Adventurer's Guild.
The Adventurer's Guild, also known as the Mercenary Guild, was an organization that spanned the entire continent.
Joining the Adventurer's Guild was simple. For the price of a single Silver Coin, you could get an Adventurer's Medal. If you were establishing a team, the captain had to be a Mad Sword Master or higher, which at least guaranteed a certain level of safety for the team. If you were just joining a team, you would receive a Mercenary Badge.
Whether you were part of a team or an individual, you had to accept quests from the Adventurer's Guild to level up. Upon completion, the Adventurer's Guild would provide a corresponding reward based on market rates. The higher your level, the more advanced the quests you could accept.
Of course, it wasn't impossible to accept a quest above your level. However, the higher the quest's level, the greater the difficulty and the higher the chance of failure. Furthermore, to prevent people from maliciously accepting quests they couldn't handle, any quest not completed within a certain time frame would automatically be marked as a failure. This would result in a loss of personal credit, which heavily impacted one's ability to level up. Consequently, very few people attempted quests above their level.
Permanent teams all had their own titles, such as the Fierce Tiger Mercenary Corps. Large corps even had their own banners. They were divided into nine ranks, from the lowest, rank nine, to the highest, rank one. A mercenary organization like this could rival the army of a small country in strength, and even a nation like the Lanyue Empire wouldn't provoke them lightly.
The larger corps were strictly disciplined and had well-developed organizational structures.
There was another type of team: a temporary adventurer party formed for the convenience of a specific quest.
For example, if someone needed to go to the Vendia Snow Mountain to complete a quest for Four-horned Antelope Hides but felt they weren't strong enough, they could post a notice to form a temporary party. They would recruit other adventurers who were also heading to the snow mountain for quests, helping each other out. After all, the strength of a united group is far greater than that of an individual. These teams didn't receive official recognition, but their strength lay in their freedom and flexibility.
This was exactly the kind of team Ling Xiao was looking for.
The area outside the Adventurer's Guild was incredibly lively. There were temporary and permanent teams recruiting members, as well as many merchants who had set up stalls. They sold everything from essential tools for wilderness adventuring to all sorts of strange and curious trinkets. The air was filled with a constant stream of shouts and hawking, creating a bustling scene.
Ling Xiao first took an interested stroll through the stalls. 'Maybe, by some stroke of luck, I'll find the Heart of the Earth Dragon and Stone Bamboo Grass here,' he thought. 'That would be one less medicinal ingredient to search for.' Unfortunately, despite looking everywhere, he couldn't find them. He did, however, spot a few herbs that were considered very precious in the Cultivation Realm and could be used to refine various Elixirs. But since they were of no help to him at the moment, he didn't pay them much mind.
Seeing Ling Xiao's noble attire, the merchants clearly identified him as a young master from a wealthy family and were exceptionally enthusiastic toward him. Ling Xiao, being rather indifferent by nature, quickly found their fervor overwhelming. He retreated from the stall area and began to look at the recruitment notices for temporary adventurer parties.
After searching for a long time, he finally spotted a sign in a very inconspicuous corner inside the Adventurer's Guild. It read: "Seeking friends for a quest to the Vendia Snow Mountain. Must be strong!"
The sign was held in the arms of a tall young man who, likely from a long wait without anyone showing interest, was leaning against the wall and dozing off.
Ling Xiao found this rather amusing. He went over to a service window and, after paying the one Silver Coin registration fee, was given an Adventurer's Medal by the receptionist. Ling Xiao smiled and asked, "Excuse me, where can I accept a quest?"
Since not many people were applying to become new adventurers, the receptionist was relatively free. Seeing that Ling Xiao, despite his youth, had a calm and steady demeanor and was dressed in fine clothes, she took him for a child from a noble family out for some fun. She smiled gently and said, "Based on your current level, you can accept some of the simpler quests. Is there anything specific you'd like to do? For example, escorting a certain young lady, or perhaps finding a lost pet?"
Ling Xiao shook his head and asked, "Are there any quests for the Vendia Snow Mountain?"
The receptionist was taken aback. "Heavens, what would you be doing in a place like that?" she said, astonished. "The Vendia Snow Mountain is ranked at the very top of the ten most dangerous places! It's home to Magical Beasts from Tier One all the way to Tier Nine. Young man... if you don't absolutely have to, I'd advise you not to go. It's too dangerous."
Ling Xiao gave a slight smile. "Thank you, but please, I'd still like you to check for quests there. I want to temper myself!"
The receptionist immediately saw Ling Xiao in a new light. 'To think this young man is actually a powerful Martial Artist!' Her attitude instantly became more deferential. "Sir, please wait a moment. I'll check for you right away."
As she spoke, the receptionist pulled a large, heavy notebook from under the desk and began flipping through it, muttering to herself, "Retrieve a Jade Seal of the Ancient Andes Royal Family from the lair of the Frost Giant Dragon, Nikola... That's just ridiculous. An egg of a Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon... Heavens, what kind of idiot posted this quest?" The receptionist picked through the listings, her eyes finally landing on one. "A Crystal Core from a Tier Two or higher ice-elemental Magical Beast from the Vendia Snow Mountain... Hmm, this one will work!" She looked up at Ling Xiao. "A Crystal Core from a Tier Two or higher ice-elemental Magical Beast. How about it? I think this one is pretty good. Someone once got really lucky and even found a Crystal Core from a dead Tier Two Magical Beast!"
Ling Xiao nodded. "Thank you, that one will be perfect!" He accepted the quest and then turned to walk toward the young man holding the sign.
"Good luck!" The receptionist smiled as she watched Ling Xiao leave.
The young man was still dozing. Ling Xiao stepped forward to tap him on the shoulder, but just as he raised his hand, the young man, who had been snoring lightly just a moment ago, suddenly opened his eyes. He grinned at Ling Xiao and said in an honest-sounding voice, "Friend, are you heading to the Vendia Great Snow Mountain for a quest?"
Ling Xiao nodded. The young man immediately stood up, looking pleased. He scratched his head and chuckled good-naturedly. "Finally! So few people take quests for the Great Snow Mountain. My name is Gaia, haha."
Ling Xiao chuckled lightly. "Ling Xiao."
"Right. Brother Ling Xiao, what quest did you accept?" Gaia asked casually as he led Ling Xiao outside.
Ling Xiao sized Gaia up. He felt that although the young man seemed simple and honest, his strength was quite impressive. However, Ling Xiao's own cultivation level was too low at the moment for him to discern Gaia's rank. He answered with a light laugh, "To find a Crystal Core from a Tier Two or higher ice-elemental Magical Beast."
"Oh, right! I've taken that quest before. The reward is pretty good," Gaia said with a simple smile. "My quest is for a Crystal Core from a Tier Three ice-elemental Magical Beast."
"You're a Great Sword Master?" Ling Xiao asked, a little curious. Only those at the Great Sword Master level or higher could hope to barely hold their own against a Tier Three Magical Beast. And if it was a ridiculously powerful Tier Three flying Magical Beast like the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon, even a Mad Sword Master would flee as far as they could!
Gaia scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "I just became a Tier One Great Sword Master," he said with a laugh. "I'm just trying my luck this time. And tempering myself, I guess!"
Ling Xiao nodded. 'The Adventurer's Guild is truly full of hidden masters,' he thought. 'To think I could randomly find someone with the cultivation of a Great Sword Master. Judging by his age, Gaia is probably only twenty-five or twenty-six. Although he's not as good as my older brother, Lingzhi, he's still exceptionally talented among the younger generation!'