Tales Of The Exiled Immortal

CHAPTER 10

(A Week Later)

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours, hours into days

It had been a week since Rain entered seclusion, drowning himself in cultivation, completely detached from the outside world, focused on one thing, shattering and reforging his Dantian again and again

Each destruction was harder than the last, each reconstruction more demanding, and more violent but now, finally, he had succeeded in breaking through the ninth and final layer and now, he was reforging it

Rebuilding it into what it was always meant to become

A terrifying energy fluctuation surged from him, the air thick with Qi, spiritual essence from over five hundred meters away tore through the sky, pulled by an invisible force straight into his body

Rain’s presence had become a void, a black hole absorbing everything without mercy, insatiable and unstoppable

Commotion erupted around the dorm, disciples startled, some frozen at their thresholds, sensing the pull, but none of them dared to come close, none of them brave or stupid enough to interrupt whatever was happening inside that room

They could feel it

Something monstrous was being born inside

And then, slowly, after an hour of wild energy devouring everything in reach, the fluctuations began to settle, the raging current of Qi dying down bit by bit until silence reclaimed the space

Rain’s eyes opened sharp, cold, and calm

He was done

His cultivation had taken a massive leap forward, he was now a late stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator

He clenched his fist, flexed his limbs, and checked his body, letting the familiar surge of raw power ripple through his veins, then stood

Power was one thing, but stagnation was death

He knew better than anyone that no matter how strong he became, it meant nothing if he didn’t keep sharpening himself

Experience in battle, instincts, reactions... those couldn’t be gained by just sitting down and meditating

He would need to start cultivating his martial techniques again, and most of them he couldn’t use at this stage, not yet

Some required higher realms, some needed a stronger soul

Still, there were others he could tap into and new ones to master, he didn’t need to repeat his former path, not when he had a whole arsenal of experience and options at his fingertips

"Let’s go get a mission first," he muttered, brushing the thoughts aside and heading into the bathroom

Some minutes later, he stepped out, dressed in a fresh black robe, hair neatly tied, aura sharp and composed, but beneath that calm was coiled dominance

Without wasting a breath, he headed for the mission hall

The mission hall was where all tasks in the sect were gathered, ranging from herb collection to beast subjugation, escort duties, assassinations, even realm exploration

Disciples would pick missions based on their cultivation level, but every mission still required final approval from the hall master

After completion, they’d return with proof and get rewarded with sect points, valuable currency exchangeable for pills, manuals, weapons, anything needed to grow stronger

The moment Rain stepped into the Mission Hall, the air shifted, heads turned, conversations halted and every gaze zeroed in on him and it was not in awe, but in thinly veiled disbelief.

An outer sect disciple here?

Most of the outer disciples never bothered with missions, not because they lacked courage, but because they were shackled. No access to the sect library. No martial techniques. No cultivation manuals. Nothing but the meager monthly resources tossed their way like scraps to mutts. With such limitations, they chose instead to retreat into quiet cultivation, trying to make do with the little the sect allowed them.

But Rain wasn’t like the rest.

He walked through the hall like he owned it, his eyes cold, pace steady, back straight. He didn’t even flinch at the whispering crowd or the curious looks. As far as he was concerned, they didn’t exist.

Let them stare, let them whisper but they didn’t matter.

He made his way to the mission board and stood before it in silence, arms crossed. His sharp gaze swept through the notices pinned across the board.

Most of them were out of reach.

Core Spirit Realm minimum. Mandatory spirit arrays. Team of four required.

Things he could handle, if the elder in charge didn’t bar him for his low cultivation stage.

Still, he scanned patiently and calculating.

Then one mission caught his eye.

“Hunt down the Thunder Fang Boars terrorizing Bo Village. Reward: 50 Sect Points.”

Rain's lips curled slightly. That was it. Exactly what he needed. Not too ridiculous, not too easy but perfect for his current strength and goals.

He reached out and plucked the mission slip from the board, turning toward the elder’s desk, only to pause when a light, melodic voice rang out behind him.

“Hey, junior brother.”

Rain stopped, shoulders stiffening slightly.

He turned, eyes landing on a female disciple wearing the robe of an inner sect member, the embroidered crest gleaming proudly on her chest. Her long black hair was tied in a neat ponytail, and her face was adorned with a gentle smile but her eyes held calculation.

“Can I help you?” Rain asked, voice clipped, not bothering to hide the disinterest in his gaze.

The girl’s smile grew. “I’ve been watching you since you entered, and I noticed you don’t have a mission partner. That particular mission requires a minimum of two people.” She tapped her chin lightly, pretending to think. “Why don’t we team up and complete it together?”

The smile on Rain’s face vanished. He was about to decline, but something caught his eye.

He looked down at the mission slip in his hand.

Minimum: Two participants. Maximum: Ten.

Tch.

He clicked his tongue softly.

She was right.

He glanced around the hall again, just to confirm what he already knew, no one else would even consider going on a mission with him. Jasmine was the only one in the entire sect who treated him like a human being, but she was way above this level. Asking her to join would be an insult.

The others? Ha. Trash. They’d never look past his reputation long enough to stand beside him.

Which meant he had no real choice.

He could reject her offer, walk away, and settle for some bottom-tier errand mission. Or... he could bite the bitter fruit and accept.

Besides, he had more reasons for wanting to leave the sect grounds than just hunting boars.

His fingers tightened around the paper.

“Fine,” he said at last, lifting his gaze to meet hers. “We’ll form a temporary team. We’ll go together.”