### Chapter 9: A-Ranked Mission
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Thousand Bird City is not just an iconic floating city but also a legendary cultivation sect in the world of Xianxia.
Since its launch, Thousand Bird City has attracted many players with its unique floating properties.
It’s not just the main city hovering in the sky; the outer district below is brimming with countless buildings where NPC residents and players mingle, each fulfilling their roles, making Thousand Bird City even more bustling and alluring.
At the peak of this floating city lies a Daoist temple that looks like a paradise, where only those who are Inner Door Disciples and above can set foot. A multitude of Outer Door Disciples are spread out in the floating city and below in the outer district, tirelessly practicing day in and day out, hoping to one day stride proudly into the city’s core area.
However, events unfolding within Thousand Bird City cast a shadow over the Daoist temple.
Gongsun Ding kneels in the main hall of the temple, facing a middle-aged man with a long beard, flanked by two elders who, by the standards of the cultivation world, are at least 200 years old.
Behind Gongsun Ding are another nine Inner Door Disciples also kneeling.
And standing tremblingly at one side of the main hall is Tang Tong, the first eyewitness to the hidden boss, who miraculously escaped punishment.
Though he looks scared out of his mind, inside, he’s as happy as a clam.
After all, this place isn’t somewhere he could just waltz into whenever he wanted, and this is also the first time players have set foot in the core area of Thousand Bird City.
So, he quickly opened up his live streaming room to attract some traffic.
However, he cleverly changed the title to “Thousand Bird City Elders Discuss How to Deal with Cold Moon Witch,” tricking loads of players into clicking in.
The NPCs obviously have no idea that the terrified Tang Tong is pulling off such a stunt; the atmosphere is incredibly tense, and Li Ying Tian, the Sect Leader of Thousand Bird City, looks particularly stern.
After a long pause, Li Ying Tian finally speaks up.
“Gongsun Ding, do you know your crime?”
Gongsun Ding’s hands are pressed to the ground, his head knocking against it with a hefty thud, “Disciple knows his crime! Please punish me, Sect Leader! No complaints here!”
“And where is the crime?”
Gongsun Ding dares not use any powers to protect himself while knocking his head; he’s really ramming it down. After just seven or eight knocks, a few drops of bl**d ooze from his forehead.
But he doesn’t dare wipe it off, and upon hearing the Sect Leader’s question, he hurriedly replies, “Three crimes, my lord! First, after finding the trace of that demoness, I didn’t gather my fellow disciples immediately but selfishly sought to claim all the credit for myself.
Second, I underestimated her power. If I had given it my all from the start and not let her use the Black Snow transformation, I could’ve captured her long ago.
Third, I lost our sect’s most precious mythical beast, which she abducted to become her mount! This has severely damaged our sect’s reputation. I deserve to d*e a thousand deaths!”
Gongsun Ding finishes and then resumes his noisy head-knocking.
The viewers in the live stream go wild in the comments:
“Wow, he’s a head-knocking master; that head of his is like a rock!”
“Looks like the laws of Thousand Bird City are strict. Did you see Gongsun Ding’s body trembling the whole time?”
“Yeah, no wonder! Thousand Bird City is one of the top ten Xianxia sects in the world of ‘Xian Dao,’ and its floating city is a stunning sight in the game world. Honestly, how many people joined Thousand Bird City just to see the floating city?”
“Right! My wife dragged me here to check out the floating city. I originally wanted to join the Demon Sect and enjoy the wild life, but now look at me—a miserable Outer Door Disciple, doing all the chores alone, chopping wood, fetching water, cooking, then taking my wife to watch the sunset at night. My dreams of villainy are crumbling!”
“LOL, you’re killing me here!”
As Tang Tong scanned the comments in the live stream, he struggled to suppress his laughter.
He couldn’t show any signs of mockery in front of these NPC big shots; he didn’t want to end up dead!
So, he endured the sheer agony and eventually averted his gaze from the stream, managing to save his own neck.
Li Ying Tian coldly stated, “Now you realize the severity of the situation, but it’s too late, isn’t it? Here I am, the mighty Thousand Bird City, and not only did we fail to subdue a demoness slaughtering Outer Door Disciples in our territory, but we also lost a precious mythical beast. What will our sect do in the eyes of others if word gets out?”
Gongsun Ding suddenly raises his head, “Please, Sect Leader, give me a chance! I promise not to slack off again and will bring the demoness’s head to your desk!”
Li Ying Tian sighed, “This demoness has an unclear background and unpredictable movements; she’s probably already out of Thousand Bird City by now. In this vast world, where will you go to sift through the seas for a needle?”
Gongsun Ding lowers his head, speechless.
The main hall falls silent, with only the sound of bl**d dripping from his forehead hitting the floor.
“However, since we have so many Outer Door Disciples, we can deploy their strength. If we cast our nets wide, once we locate the demoness, Thousand Bird City can regain its lost face. But during this period, you must practice diligently—no slacking off! If you let that demoness beat you again…”
Gongsun Ding “thuds” his head against the ground again, “Disciple is willing to take my own life to appease the heavens!”
In the live stream, “If that head-knocking master keeps this up, the floor is going to be blown apart.”
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t worry about that unlucky Gongsun Ding; Thousand Bird City just released a new mission.”
“What mission? I don’t see anything in the system interface.”
“I’m dizzy! You have to go to Thousand Bird City to accept the mission. Do you think this is a card game?”
“LOL, I’m in Thousand Bird City! Just touch the notice board, and it counts as accepting the mission. I just accepted mine; wait… what the hell? An A-Ranked mission? It’s an A-Ranked mission!”
“A-Ranked mission? No way! This must be the first A-Ranked mission released since the launch!”
“Thousand Bird City notices: Cold Moon Witch (for accuracy, that’s the name the players gave her) has committed numerous atrocities, killing over a hundred Outer Door Disciples and refusing our sect’s good intentions to surrender, even stealing a mythical beast. Henceforth, we issue an A-Ranked mission: any player who can provide the Cold Moon Witch’s exact location will receive the following rewards: one five-thousand experience pill and exemption from Inner Door assessment.”
“I’m choking! The rewards are too generous, and you only need to tell Thousand Bird City where the Cold Moon Witch is—no fighting necessary!”
“Exactly! Five thousand experience is enough to level from one to ten, plus a free pass into the Inner Door! d*mn, who on earth will get such good luck?”
“Hey, hey, hey? Why did the audience in the live stream suddenly drop by half?”
“Are you dumb? They all went to accept the mission in Thousand Bird City!”
“d*mn, these guys are quick! I want to go too!”
Moments later, Tang Tong awkwardly watched the viewer count plummet, but he still had to maintain a serious expression, as the meeting seemed far from over.
“Tang Tong.” Li Ying Tian’s gaze fell on him.
Tang Tong hurriedly knelt on the ground and respectfully called out, “Sect Leader.”
“Good. As the first Outer Door Disciple to encounter the demoness, you need to write down every single skill she used word for word—no details left out, understood?”
“Yes, I understand.”
Li Ying Tian said, “Very well. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you’ll never lose a battle. If you do well on this, you can go directly to the Inner Door to train.”
Upon hearing this, Tang Tong was overjoyed.
After dying once and losing half his experience, he thought he’d need to suffer for a while longer before qualifying for the Inner Door, but now the Sect Leader directly offered him the chance. How could he not be thrilled?
The sect meeting wrapped up here.
However, the Inner Door Disciples who were still kneeling didn’t get up right away. It wasn’t until the Sect Leader and the elders left the main hall that they slowly rose to their feet, their bodies stiff from kneeling, taking a while to return to normal.
Originally, Gongsun Ding’s staunch follower, Luo Xiu, didn’t come forward to help him up this time. Instead, he walked away with a cold face, and everyone clearly heard him curse under his breath, “d*mn!”
Little did Tang Tong know the inner rivalries among these Inner Door Disciples. He glanced at Luo Xiu leaving, then at Gongsun Ding still kneeling, deciding to help the Master Brother up.
It was only when he approached that he was horrified to see a large pool of bl**d accumulated in front of Gongsun Ding.
“Master Brother, are you alright?”
Tang Tong exclaimed, rushing forward to support Gongsun Ding’s arm and help him up gently.
Gongsun Ding didn’t refuse Tang Tong’s kindness.
When Tang Tong helped him to a nearby chair for some rest, Gongsun Ding’s expression turned slightly dejected.
“Do you know? The Sect Leader didn’t immediately punish me by demoting me from the position of the chief disciple; it probably disappoints many people.”
Tang Tong suddenly felt some sympathy for him.
“Right after I confirmed the demoness’s whereabouts, I wanted to signal you all, but for some reason, my fireworks wouldn’t ignite. To prevent her from escaping, I had no choice but to intercept her alone.”
Tang Tong asked in surprise, “Then why didn’t you report this to the Sect Leader just now?”
Gongsun Ding shook his head, “Saying so would only make me sound slick and evasive about responsibility. Besides, I indeed underestimated her; my defeat wasn’t unjust.”
Tang Tong never expected that the seemingly powerful Inner Door Disciples of Thousand Bird City would have such in-fighting, making him feel a bit disheartened.
Gongsun Ding glanced at him and forced a smile, “Wherever there are people, there’s rivalry. Even cultivators are no better than ordinary folks when it comes to seeking fame and fortune. So when you get into the Inner Door, don’t think that just focusing on your practice is enough. When a tree stands tall, it will attract the wind. Do you understand?”
Tang Tong felt he understood a bit, but mostly he was baffled.
It seems that even the path of cultivation in this game is full of unknowns and challenges, but isn’t that what makes “The Way of Inquiry” so appealing?
