“Follow me.”

Snapping out of her shock, Zhuo Hongyi led him toward the Golden Core level mission board. Compared to the crowded areas for Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment, this section was sparsely populated. The few disciples gathered here were either Personal Disciples from various halls or seasoned veterans among the Inner Disciples.

Han Lie’s arrival in coarse hemp clothes immediately drew curious stares. However, most observers wisely refrained from picking fights or taunting him once they saw who was accompanying him. Even if some late-stage or perfected Golden Core disciples considered Zhuo Hongyi’s own cultivation average, no one—unless they were brain-damaged—would deliberately provoke a high-ranking officer of the Law Enforcement Hall. Getting targeted by her department was a headache no one wanted.

Interestingly, several female Golden Core disciples didn’t look at him with disdain, but with admiring glances.

“Junior Sister? What are you staring at?” one senior brother asked.

A gorgeously dressed fairy-like disciple was staring dreamily at Han Lie, her mind wandering into intimate fantasies, until her senior brother waved a hand in front of her face. Snapping back to reality, she hastily averted her eyes, blushing. “Ah? Nothing, Senior Brother…”

Despite her denial, she couldn’t resist stealing another glance out of the corner of her eye. That old servant disciple looks so ruggedly handsome, she thought. It turns out I actually have a thing for that type!

As for the admiring gazes? Han Lie had grown accustomed to them long ago.

His eyes scanned the board, searching for tasks that were relatively easy but offered high rewards. He quickly realized this was wishful thinking; if such tasks existed, they would have been snatched up the moment they were posted.

“How about this one?”

Just as he was hesitating, Zhuo Hongyi plucked a mission token from the board.

【Mission: Sunset Mountain Range, No. 3 Mine Vein. Sun Moon Sect harassment has become increasingly frequent. Proceed to suppress and cleanse the area.】

【Rewards: 1,000 Spirit Stones per Foundation Establishment disciple killed. No upper limit.】

【Rewards: 30,000 Spirit Stones per Golden Core disciple killed. No upper limit.】

“That works, but…” Han Lie frowned slightly, expressing his confusion. “Isn’t the reward gap between the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core targets a bit extreme?”

Zhuo Hongyi explained, “That’s standard. Since this is the Golden Core board, the sect assumes the participants possess at least Golden Core cultivation. For a Golden Core cultivator, killing a Foundation Establishment disciple is as easy as crushing an ant. One thousand Spirit Stones for a few seconds of work is actually quite generous!”

“Makes sense.” Hearing the logic, Han Lie nodded.

Since it was his first official mission, it was better to pick something straightforward. He would cull the Foundation Establishment ranks when he saw them and hunt the Golden Core enemies when they appeared. Unless he ran into someone beyond the late Golden Core stage, he had nothing to fear.

“Come, let’s register.”

She led him to the hall counter where mission assignments were processed by a Law Enforcement Hall disciple named Li Qian.

“Sister Hongyi, are you taking this mission?” Li Qian asked, looking up.

“Greetings, Fellow Daoist. Actually, This Senior is the one taking it,” Han Lie volunteered.

“You?” Li Qian looked Han Lie up and down, shaking his head. “A mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator taking a Golden Core mission? Besides, you’re a servant disciple. According to sect rules, you aren’t qualified to accept missions from this hall…”

Without a word, Han Lie produced the token issued to him by the Elder Council.

The moment Li Qian saw the token, his tone shifted instantly. “I see… but your cultivation is still insufficient. Setting aside the task of ‘cleansing’ the Sun Moon Sect, with your current level, it’s questionable if you can even return alive. Why not consider a Foundation Establishment mission if you’re short on Spirit Stones?”

He spoke politely only because of Zhuo Hongyi’s presence. Under any other circumstances, he would have laughed in the face of a Foundation Establishment junior trying to take a Golden Core task.

“Junior Brother Li, Han Lie is the primary acceptor, and I am his teammate,” Zhuo Hongyi intervened. “You don’t need to worry about his safety. Just register the mission, please.”

Li Qian’s eyes widened. He had heard the rumors about the two of them but had never expected them to be true. He didn’t dare ask further and hurriedly processed the registration.

“Thanks, Captain Hongyi. Otherwise, This Senior would have found it quite troublesome to get past the paperwork,” Han Lie said as they exited the hall, expressing his sincere gratitude.

She waved her hand with a smile. “It was nothing.”

“Do you usually accept sect missions as well?” Han Lie asked.

“When I’m short on Spirit Stones, of course,” she replied seriously. “Although my position provides a decent stipend, sometimes it isn’t enough. I take missions to earn a little extra on the side.”

“I see…” Han Lie nodded thoughtfully.

“That reminds me…” Zhuo Hongyi finally voiced the doubt gnawing at her. Even though he was concealing his true aura and she couldn’t discern it herself, the physical change was too obvious. “Little old man… are you already at the Golden Core Stage?”

Han Lie didn’t answer directly. He merely offered her a knowing, mysterious smile that made the answer clear enough.

“You guy…”

She let out a long breath, her face a mask of pure shock. “If it weren’t for your age, given your recent cultivation speed, you’d be more than qualified to be the sect’s Holy Son!”

Obtaining confirmation left her utterly speechless. Who could have imagined that less than a year ago, when they first met, he was still at the fourth layer of Qi Refining? In less than twelve months, he had skyrocketed straight to the Golden Core Stage. There was only one word to describe such terrifying speed:

Freak!

She could guess that he must have encountered an incredible fortuitous encounter—something powerful enough to allow an old servant nearing the end of his lifespan to turn his fate around. But since he didn’t volunteer the details, she wasn’t about to pry.

“This Senior doesn’t deny that,” Han Lie said, lacking any modesty. If he had activated the Pure Yang Sacred Body in his youth, forget being a Holy Son—even the position of the Heavenly Void Sect’s Young Master would have been his for the taking.

“Well then, let us depart.”