I Pick up a Lost Godhood-Chapter 43 - 41: Making a Score

The Thunder Pool’s Double-headed Wind Thunder Roaring Python mission was ranked seventh on the mission difficulty list, two places higher than that mission from Lingyin Hall.

Wang Meng smiled. "Just got lucky. What are the rewards for this mission?"

Ma Tian’Er finally came to her senses. "Um, this was posted by Elder Zhou of the Holy Hall. We need to deliver this Inner Core to the Main Hall to find out, but as long as Elder Zhou is satisfied, the reward will definitely be substantial."

"I see. If it’s going to take some time, put it in a jade bottle with one whole Fish Scale Grass and three slices of Snow Ginseng. No more, no less."

Wang Meng said.

Ma Tian’Er nodded earnestly. "Don’t worry!"

"I’ll leave it to you, then. Let me know if you hear anything."

"Yes, Senior Brother!" Ma Tian’Er was incredibly excited. ’For Wang Meng to so casually entrust such an important item to her... this was the greatest show of trust!’

She decided to personally deliver the Inner Core to the Main Hall.

After Wang Meng left, the other girls instantly erupted into a commotion, surrounding Ma Tian’Er and chattering away as they stared fixedly at the Inner Core.

"Oh my god, it’s huge! I’ve never seen an Inner Core this big in my life!"

"Yeah, this couldn’t be from that monster in our Thunder Pool, could it? I heard even the Elders were helpless against it. That creature is incredibly cunning; it hides from the strong and preys on the weak!"

None of the girls could figure it out. Truthfully, they were all dying to ask, but prying into someone else’s secrets was considered extremely impolite in the Holy Hall; even a master wasn’t supposed to casually probe into a disciple’s affairs.

’Luck?’

’Could anyone really be that lucky? Whoever killed a monster like the Wind Thunder Roaring Python would never have just left the Inner Core behind. Besides, looking at him, he hardly seems strong enough to be the one to luckily stumble upon it.’

In truth, Wang Meng really had just lucked out this time. The vicious battle he had prepared for never even took place.

After collecting two more bags of Spirit Valley seeds, he prepared to clear more land to use as fodder for the Spirit Rhinoceros.

In its non-combat state, the Fifth Transformation Spirit Rhinoceros didn’t look any different from an ordinary Little Demon Level one; it didn’t stand out at all, though it was quite strong.

With this helper, Wang Meng became a supervisor, letting Xiaoben work for its own keep.

The Spirit Rhinoceros cleared land much faster than Wang Meng. It would dig its horn into the ground and RUMBLE back and forth. Surprisingly, the Spirit Rhinoceros seemed to be enjoying the work.

Wang Meng’s job, meanwhile, was just to help scatter the seeds and then use the Wind Cloud Technique to sprinkle some water.

The task of guarding the Spirit Field was left to the Spirit Rhinoceros. Wang Meng returned to Thunderlight Hall; he had been busy with all this for over half a month and figured Zhang Xiaojiang must have taken care of things by now.

Hearing that Wang Meng had returned, Hu Jing and Zhang Xiaojiang both rushed over. As usual, they met at Hu Jing’s place; after all, a girl’s room was bound to be cleaner and cozier.

Wang Meng’s room was too spartan, and Zhang Xiaopang’s... well, it was a pigsty.

"Brother Meng, you’re finally back!" Zhang Xiaopang hurriedly poured ten Middle-Grade Spirit Stones and ninety Low-Grade Spirit Stones from his pocket. "Plus a thousand Holy Hall Contribution points! Brother Meng, we’ve struck it rich!"

Wang Meng smiled. "Look at you, so easily impressed. What was the word from Lingyin Hall?"

"Haha, it was incredible! When they heard I’d arrived, Li Tianyi, Mingren, and a dozen of Lingyin Hall’s strongest disciples were all there to meet me. You have no idea how intimidating it was. But I just steeled myself, puffed out my chest, and strode right in. In my entire life, I’ve never had such a grand reception, never felt so important!"

"Zhang Xiaopang, get to the point!" Hu Jing, who was standing to the side, couldn’t help but smile. During the days Wang Meng had been away, this guy had repeated the story over and over every time she saw him, to the point that Hu Jing could probably recite it from memory.

"Hehe, Li Tianyi recognized me at a glance. Can you believe it? That bastard actually remembered who I was! You should have seen their eyes when he confirmed it was me; it was like they were trying to strip me bare. But I stood my ground and refused to be intimidated. What a joke! They were all losers who’d been beaten before. What was there for me to be afraid of!"

Hu Jing was exasperated. She knew Zhang Xiaojiang had been bottling this up for a while. For someone with his personality, not being able to brag about such a glorious moment to everyone he met was truly a remarkable display of restraint.

"Go on," Wang Meng said patiently. ’Zhang Xiaopang had so few ambitions and joys in life; it would be inhumane to take this from him too.’

"So, the situation was this: faced with their gazes, sharp as daggers, I remained perfectly calm, a cold sneer pulling at the corner of my mouth!"

"You were probably just twitching from fright."

"Jingjing, we may be close, but I’ll have to ask for damages if you keep slandering me like that!"

Zhang Xiaopang said smugly, "When they asked about you, I told them you’d meet them at the grand tournament in two years, and that I was just there today to collect the reward for that mission. You should have seen their faces; they were all dumbfounded. Seriously, what’s with those people? Don’t experts need to eat? Don’t experts ever run out of money?!"

"Don’t tell me they agreed that easily."

"You’re brilliant, Brother Meng! This huge reward isn’t a small amount for Lingyin Hall, and you could see how much it pained them. But you know, Li Tianyi and Mingren didn’t say a word. Especially Mingren. Even though he’s an opponent, I think there’s a certain refined, heroic quality to him. Mingren said right then and there that I could take the things, but I had to give him a reason. And that’s when we get to the best part!"

Zhang Xiaopang immediately grew serious, a masterful look on his face. "I gave Li Tianyi a cool glance, my eyes like the wind, and said, ’My brother says, "Two years is enough time for you to learn one more sword move."’"

Zhang Xiaopang swallowed hard, holding back a spray of spittle. "As soon as I said that, the others’ eyes blazed with fury. They looked like they were about to jump me. Brother Meng, I was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice! But right at that moment, Li Tianyi’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. He stared at me so hard, it was like he wanted to eat me alive. And Mingren—yeah, it was Mingren who stopped the others."

"Heh. Did Li Tianyi say anything?"

"He did. Li Tianyi’s final words were that this is a death pact between you two, and he’ll see you there, come hell or high water!"

Zhang Xiaojiang said, "Brother Meng, what did you mean by ’learn one more sword move’? Is it some kind of Spell? How could it frighten Li Tianyi so badly? And you won’t believe it, Mingren himself politely escorted me out afterward. It made me look so important!"

Wang Meng smiled. "It’s nothing. Li Tianyi’s Sword Technique is incomplete. The man is quite formidable, though. It looks like I’ll actually have to take this seriously. Don’t let this get out."

"Don’t worry. I could tell Mingren was hesitant and wanted to say the same thing. We’re the two titans of the Holy Hall, big shots! Why would we need to use a trivial matter like this to make a name for ourselves? Hmph! We’ll settle things at the grand tournament!"

Zhang Xiaojiang was really getting into his role, exuding the domineering aura of a world leader.

"Master Zhang, if we happen to run into Lingyin Hall, we’ll leave Mingren to you. I’m sure someone who’s merely fourth on the individual rankings is no match for you," Hu Jing teased.

Zhang Xiaojiang raised his arm high, itching to make some bold declaration. But then he remembered Mingren’s calm and collected demeanor, as deep as an Abyss, and the legends of the Nine Heroes of the Holy Hall. And so, Master Zhang very wisely decided against it.

(Author’s Note: Today from 3:00 to 4:30 PM, there will be a Skeleton Q&A session on NetEase. Everyone is welcome to join the fun! http://t./chat/kuloujingling?f=)