"Then, as I am a party to this battle, shall we set it for three days hence?"
As this voice rang out, Li Xuan, Du Jing Tong, and the others all shifted their gaze and turned towards the source of the sound.
They saw five elders appearing outside the entrance of the wooden hall. The one leading them, with a smile on his face, was looking at Li Xuan, Du Jing Tong, and the others.
"We pay our respects to Elder Geng Tian."
On the square, nearly ten thousand people bowed in unison and shouted their greetings.
Li Xuan's heart stirred upon hearing this. So, this was Elder Geng Tian, who managed the disciples of the Wood Pavilion. The four behind him were also elders of the Wood Pavilion, though their status was naturally not as high as Elder Geng Tian's. Before arriving at the Wood Pavilion, Li Xuan had gained a general understanding of its structure.
The Tian Yi Pavilion was divided into five pavilions: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.
Jin Guangshuo Supremacy governed the Gold Pavilion.
The Wood Pavilion was governed by Mu Lan Xin Supremacy.
The Water Pavilion was governed by Chen Peng Supremacy.
The Fire Pavilion was governed by Zhang Chao Supremacy.
The Earth Pavilion was governed by Chen Yu Supremacy, whom Li Xuan had met.
Although the five Supremacies had their respective jurisdictions, they were not entirely engrossed in these affairs. At least, Li Xuan knew that Chen Yu Supremacy, in addition to governing the Earth Pavilion, also served in guarding the territories of the Tian Yi domain.
Therefore, within each pavilion, there was a Pavilion Master position to oversee its affairs.
Below the Pavilion Master, two Vice Pavilion Masters were appointed to assist in administrative duties.
Further down were the five Grand Elders. On the same level as the five Grand Elders were the two Hall Masters of the Dragon Battle Hall and the Tiger Perch Hall.
Beneath this hierarchical structure, five Great Commanders each managed a hundred teams. Below them, finally, was Li Xuan's current position of Commander.
To put it plainly, it was a role akin to a captain. While this level might not seem high, it was still superior to that of ordinary disciples, and the cultivation resources obtained were naturally more abundant. As long as one's strength was sufficient, the path to promotion would be rapid. The prerequisite, however, was the ability to successfully challenge the incumbent.
"You are Li Xuan, aren't you? Lord Mu had already spoken to us, so your month-long absence from duty is overlooked. Regarding what I just mentioned, are you two willing?"
Elder Geng Tian waved his hand and then, with a smile, looked at Li Xuan and Du Jing Tong.
"Everything is as Elder Geng deems fit." Li Xuan and Du Jing Tong bowed in unison and replied.
"Good, this matter is settled," Elder Geng Tian nodded slightly upon seeing their agreement. He then addressed the crowd, "Alright, let us proceed with the formal proceedings. Next, the five Great Commanders, please begin."
As Elder Geng Tian's words fell, five figures shot out from various directions and landed behind Elder Geng Tian. At this moment, the commanders of the respective teams also stepped forward, following their Great Commanders, and walked into the wooden hall.
Under Gong Han Feng's low instructions, Li Xuan also quickly followed one of the Great Commanders.
More than ten minutes later, Li Xuan emerged from the wooden hall. Seeing Qiu Jiu Qian and Gong Han Feng, along with the other seventeen team members still waiting on the square, Li Xuan smiled slightly and walked towards them.
"Brother Li, what's our next move?" Gong Han Feng asked directly as Li Xuan approached.
"We have a mission. Let's head back and discuss it," Li Xuan said with a smile, glancing at the team members who were also looking at him with curiosity.
"Alright!" Gong Han Feng and the others' faces lit up with joy and their expressions became considerably more relaxed. During the past month, without Li Xuan, their commander, present, they had enjoyed the treatment of Tian Yi Pavilion disciples, but they had not completed missions as required.
Moreover, with Li Xuan absent, they could not accept any missions. To gain battle merits was an impossibility. Now that Li Xuan had returned and successfully obtained a mission, it naturally reassured them.
A few minutes later, led by Gong Han Feng and Qiu Jiu Qian, Li Xuan and his team of twenty quickly arrived at a courtyard. Though not expansive, it was sufficient for the twenty of them to reside in. Furthermore, it was situated halfway up the mountain of the Wood Pavilion, so it did not feel too dilapidated.
"Brother Li, tell us, what is the first mission assigned to us?" Gong Han Feng asked immediately after entering the courtyard.
"Everyone, please have a seat." Li Xuan gestured for Gong Han Feng and the others to wait, then addressed the group. Now that these seventeen individuals were all members of Li Xuan's team, Li Xuan naturally regarded them as family.
Seeing Li Xuan's approachable demeanor, everyone exchanged surprised glances. After all, Li Xuan's confrontation with Du Jing Tong earlier had appeared quite forceful.
Fortunately, Qiu Jiu Qian and Gong Han Feng brought chairs and sat down as soon as Li Xuan finished speaking, prompting everyone else to follow suit.
"This mission is not difficult. We need to go to the Blood Gorge Cave to collect three hundred stalks of Narcissus Ice Grass and one hundred and fifty Heart-Piercing Ganoderma Fruits. The mission will be completed if they are returned to the pavilion within ten days."
"It is important to note that there are Blood Demons present in the Blood Gorge Cave. Their strength is rated at the early stage of the Divine Transformation realm. However, as long as we are careful and cautious, we should not disturb the Blood Demon." Li Xuan slowly revealed the details of the mission after everyone was seated.
In Tian Yi Pavilion, disciples of any of the five pavilions had to complete missions to earn the right to cultivate. The allocation of these missions was determined by each pavilion independently. The mission Li Xuan had received was undoubtedly one of the relatively simpler ones.
"Just collecting herbs, this mission seems relatively easy. Brother Li, your wager with Du Jing Tong is in three days. I think we should wait until after the duel to complete the mission," Gong Han Feng said after a moment of thought.
"The distance from here to the Blood Gorge Cave, round trip, is about a day. This leaves us six days to complete the mission. Brother Li, what do you think?" Qiu Jiu Qian agreed with a slight nod.
"That is acceptable. Speaking of which, this is the first time I am meeting everyone, and it would be rather inappropriate to go on a mission without getting to know each other first. So, for the next three days, everyone will cultivate here."
Li Xuan nodded in agreement, then stood up and tossed a jade pendant to Gong Han Feng. "The cultivation resources within this are for the team. I'll trouble Brother Gong to distribute them."
"Brother Li, this is the stake for your duel with Du Jing Tong. If you distribute it to everyone, and then, what if..." Gong Han Feng was taken aback and then stood up.
Although Gong Han Feng did not finish his sentence, it was easy to guess. If Li Xuan lost to Du Jing Tong and could not produce the stake, the embarrassment would likely be even greater.
The other seventeen individuals sitting also looked at Li Xuan with complex expressions, clearly thinking along the same lines as Gong Han Feng.
Li Xuan smiled slightly and then looked at them with a determined expression, "This battle, I, Li Xuan, will not lose!"