C11 Shiver

Let's set aside the possibility of his own family causing trouble for Wang Yufei; even Wang Shaofeng's protective master, the venerable Old Withered Wood, might seek him out. Yet, Wang Yufei wouldn't be concerned in the slightest.

Handing over the remaining half of the spirit stone from his recent cultivation to Wang Xianglan, Wang Yufei calmly advised, "Don't worry about me; I can take care of myself. You should focus on awakening your innate talent. Once you do, you won't have to deal with people troubling you anymore."

But Wang Chunlan was adamant about not accepting any cultivation resources from Wang Yufei. She might not understand how Wang Yufei came to possess such resources, but she knew that the challenges and troubles he would face far exceeded her own.

"Brother, keep them for yourself," the young girl said, a hint of irritation in her voice. "Besides, next month is almost here, and I'll receive more cultivation resources. There's no need for you to worry about me."

Left with no other option, Wang Yufei reluctantly spent another point to assign Wang Chunlan a task: to simply go back to sleep. Surprisingly, the reward for such a straightforward task was three low-level spirit stones.

Wang Chunlan had hoped to spend more time with Wang Yufei, but the sound of the sect's mission prompt nearly brought her to tears of joy. She couldn't fathom why the sect would issue such a bittersweet task.

Just by sleeping, she would earn three low-level spirit stones. She knew that if others found out, they would be green with envy.

Unbeknownst to Wang Chunlan, all of this was Wang Yufei's doing. Within an hour, she had fallen asleep and successfully claimed her three low-level spirit stones.

Meanwhile, Wang Yufei earned another two points. Restless in bed, he realized that as the system, he could assign tasks to others at any time—there were no rules against nighttime missions.

A sly smile crept across Wang Yufei's face as he considered the injured Wang Shaofeng. Why not issue him a mission? After all, the more challenging the mission, the harsher the punishment for Wang Shaofeng would be.

"System, I need to issue a mission for Wang Shaofeng. But since he's injured, is the mission still valid?"

Wang Yufei now had the ability to assign missions to others, yet he hadn't fully grasped all the rules of the system.

"The mission can proceed," the system responded to the host. "As long as the recipient of the mission still draws breath, he must complete the task within the designated time or face punishment. However, you must establish the punishment rules first."

With the system's approval, Yufei was thrilled and promptly assigned Wang Shaofeng a mission.

"Mission recipient: Wang Shaofeng. Strength level: unknown. Awakened talent: Low-Level Vortex. Objective: Wang Shaofeng must slay at least two Level Eight Bloodthirsty Wolves within one hour. Mission reward: unknown."

"Mission penalty: Should Wang Shaofeng fail to complete the mission within one hour, his cultivation will be destroyed by the sect, and he will be expelled from the mountain. The mission is now active."

Yufei gazed at the gleaming golden metal panel before him, then lay down on his bed with an indifferent expression. He could easily picture the range of emotions playing across Wang Shaofeng's face at this moment—and his guess was spot on.

Ignoring the pain in his ribs, Shaofeng shakily rose from his bed. But due to the severity of his injuries, he collapsed to the floor.

"What's happening? I'm seriously injured, and the sect is still issuing me a mission to kill two Bloodthirsty Wolves? Isn't this just sending me to my death?"

It was absurd. Even a healthy Wang Shaofeng, a two-star Apprentice of Might, would find it challenging to confront two Level Eight Bloodthirsty Wolves.

Furthermore, Bloodthirsty Wolves differed from other demonic beasts; they could unleash their full power when close to death. At that point, a Level Eight Bloodthirsty Wolf could possess the strength of a Level Nine.

Considering Shaofeng's injuries, with several broken ribs, he was in no state to fight. "What are you all waiting for? Go to the Howling Peaks and kill two Level Eight Bloodthirsty Wolves for me. If you fail, don't bother returning."

Wang Shaofeng was acutely aware that he lacked the capability to complete the mission at hand. His only option was to pin his hopes on his underlings. Typically, he was expected to undertake the mission himself.

Exceptions did exist, however. Injured as he was, Wang Shaofeng could have someone else take on the mission in his stead, though the reward would be significantly less. At this point, Wang Shaofeng had no interest in the reward.

He urged himself to expedite the completion of this damned mission, if only to ensure that the sect elders wouldn't strip him of his powers and expel him from the mountain. That alone would be a stroke of luck.

Upon hearing Wang Shaofeng's orders to venture into the Howling Peaks and slay two eight-star bloodthirsty wolves, his lackeys were petrified, each falling to their knees before him.

"Brother Feng, you can't be serious, can you? The highest among us is but a four-star warrior. We might stand a chance against that good-for-nothing Yufei, but taking on two eight-star bloodthirsty wolves? That's a death sentence!"

"Exactly, Brother Feng. Please, have mercy on us. We have families to care for and came here just to earn our keep. We're not ready to meet our maker just yet."

The lackeys were in tears, practically clinging to Wang Shaofeng's legs, begging for mercy. Facing two Level Eight Bloodthirsty Wolves was a task more daunting than ascending to the heavens.

Wang Shaofeng let out a cold laugh. These were the same people who had claimed they'd go through fire and water for him. If he weren't so gravely injured and unable to harness his talents, he would have disposed of them already. Their cowardice was a disgrace.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Wang Shaofeng pondered seeking assistance from his mentor, the withered old man. It was then that he thought of his younger sister, Wang Xianglan, and his disdain for her surged. Despite their familial ties, her actions that day had deeply disappointed him. The memory of Wang Xianglan standing by as Yufei launched a sneak attack was still fresh in his mind.

Wang Shaofeng was painfully aware that his own ribs had been broken by Wang Yufei's grasp, and to add insult to injury, Wang Chunlan hadn't brought any medicinal herbs to tend to him tonight. He knew all too well that when Yufei was injured, Chunlan not only provided him with herbal treatments but even went so far as to channel her own spiritual energy to streamline Yufei's meridians.