"May I know how to address you, senior?"
Chu Fengmian asked as he looked at the elderly servant before him.
This servant appeared ordinary, but Chu Fengmian could tell that the spiritual power emanating from him was no less than that of any of the three Hall Masters.
In terms of strength, he was fully capable of contending with Zhi Lingtian.
Faced with such a formidable person, Chu Fengmian naturally did not dare to be arrogant in his presence.
"The servant’s name is Chen Zou. If the young master does not mind, you may directly call me by my name,"
Chen Zou said with a smile.
"That’s fine, I shall address you as Old Chen from now on,"
Chu Fengmian said respectfully.
In front of Zhi Lingtian, Chen Zou was a servant, but in front of Chu Fengmian, he was a true strongman.
A strongman worthy of Chu Fengmian’s respect.
"Young master is too polite,"
Chen Zou said, smiling as he observed Chu Fengmian. He could tell that Chu Fengmian’s demeanor was genuine.
Most disciples from major forces tend to be extremely arrogant, but Chu Fengmian’s character somewhat endeared him to Chen Zou.
"Young master, currently the master is dealing with some matters in the academy and is quite busy, so I shall stand in for the master and teach the young master a few things,"
Chen Zou said slowly as he looked at Chu Fengmian.
"While the young master has indeed become a disciple under the master, the master’s teaching method is unlike that of the typical elders and Hall Masters."
"The master does not restrict or intervene in the young master’s actions but only provides sufficient resources for cultivation."
"Since the young master has just entered the academy, you may not know some rules. All Inner Sect Disciples need to complete a task upon their entry."
"A task?" Chu Fengmian asked, puzzled.
Within the Wusheng Academy, there are indeed some tasks, but they are usually assigned to Outer Sect Disciples, not Inner Sect Disciples.
Chen Zou said, smiling.
"This task is actually just a minor test to silence those sect elders who complain about Inner Sect Disciples idling."
"Inner Sect Disciples only need to complete one task upon entry and they are not obliged to take on tasks afterward, provided they contribute to the sect; those old sticklers can’t really gossip then."
He understood the implications in Chen Zou’s words.
Although Inner Sect Disciples are meant to focus solely on their cultivation without being bothered by tasks, they still consume resources from the academy. If they don’t contribute at all, some stubborn old men would grumble.
So, to prevent trouble, there is an unwritten rule that Inner Sect Disciples must take and complete a task upon entry.
As long as they contribute to the sect, those old stubborn ones won’t have much to say.
"The master has always disdained dealing with such issues, but for the young master’s peace, it is better to undertake a task, which I have already selected for the young master,"
Chen Zou said as he handed Chu Fengmian a jade slip.
"This task, although somewhat dangerous for the young master, can certainly be accomplished."
"This task is also chosen by the master, serving as a test for the young master. By the time the young master completes this task, the master should have returned,"
Chen Zou said, examining Chu Fengmian.
"This task has a time limit of one month; if the young master has not returned after one month, the master will expel you from the sect. Please remember this clearly."
"Thank you for the reminder, Old Chen,"
Chu Fengmian nodded and said respectfully.
This reminder should have been added by Chen Zou himself, as it was not in the character of the sage Xuan Bei to take the initiative to remind Chu Fengmian.
However, with a one-month deadline, as long as the target was not overly difficult, Chu Fengmian was confident he could easily solve it.
Chu Fengmian took the jade slip and opened it.
In it, there was only a faint sentence.
In the Northwest Desert where bandits were rampant, Chu Fengmian was to help King Ping Sha eradicate all the bandits in one fell swoop.
"Eradicate the bandits?"
Seeing this task, Chu Fengmian frowned.
Bandits were widespread in the Northwest Desert. They lived within the desert and often came out to plunder the cities around the desert, then escaped back into it.
Originally, these were just a bunch of bandits. Some strong warriors from the Martial Sheng Country chose to suppress and exterminate them.
However, over time, these bandits had not been exterminated. On the contrary, their numbers had grown.
They had developed into a force of ten thousand and had even established a new nation within the country, becoming a nation within a nation.
It was then that the strong warriors of Martial Sheng Country had no choice but to report the matter to the Martial Sheng Academy, asking them to send someone to deal with these bandits.
In the vast and boundless desert, ordinary martial artists also had no way to deal with these bandits.
"This test my master has set for me is really not low,"
Chu Fengmian muttered to himself, looking at the reward written on the jade slip.
This eradication of the bandits offered a reward of two thousand Contribution Points.
Typically, the tasks from the Martial Sheng Academy usually had around a hundred or two hundred Contribution Points, and the more difficult ones only had about a thousand.
This task, with a reward of two thousand Contribution Points, you can imagine the difficulty.
However, these bandits were extremely ferocious one by one, and Chu Fengmian killing them could indeed be seen as a good deed that punished evil and promoted good.
"Then Chu will set out now,"
The sooner this task was resolved, the better. Chu Fengmian also did not want to delay any further.
"By the way Old Chen, where can these Contribution Points of the sect be exchanged for items?"
Chu Fengmian suddenly stopped and asked Old Chen.
He had now earned a considerable amount of Contribution Points during the assessment, and now that Chu Fengmian needed to complete the task, he could exchange those Contribution Points in advance for some useful things.
A task personally selected by the sage Xuan Bei would undoubtedly be challenging, and Chu Fengmian also had to make thorough preparations.
"Exchange Contribution Points?"
Hearing Chu Fengmian’s words, Chen Zou was momentarily startled and then laughed.
"It seems this old man forgot that the young master also has a considerable amount of Contribution Points."
"These Contribution Points can be exchanged at the upper-level Contribution Hall."
Chu Fengmian nodded and then, with a long stride, left without hesitation.
"This young man is not bad,"
Watching Chu Fengmian’s departing figure, Chen Zou’s eyes revealed a hint of profundity.
"But this task, I wonder if this young man can complete it. Maybe the master has set his test a bit too difficult."
"This task is not as simple as it seems."
After murmuring to himself, Chen Zou continued, beginning to clean the courtyard.
With the map of the internal parts of Martial Sheng Academy recorded in the identity badge, Chu Fengmian quickly made his way to the front of the upper-level Contribution Hall.