"You did this all by yourself?" the middle-aged man couldn't help but ask, his surprise evident.
It was truly beyond his expectations. In just a few short days, Zhang Yuanji had brought back a hundred Fire Demon heads. To say that Zhang Yuanji accomplished this alone was hard for him to believe.
"The task is complete. The contribution points should be awarded now, right?" Zhang Yuanji smiled slightly, avoiding a direct answer.
"Yes, according to the difficulty of the task, you will receive one thousand contribution points," the middle-aged man replied after a long look at Zhang Yuanji.
One thousand contribution points!
Zhang Yuanji felt a rush of excitement. A thousand contribution points could be exchanged for a lot of valuable items.
"I'll take another five-star mission. Let's go with 'Hunt Down Tang Zhentian,'" Zhang Yuanji said after scanning through the options.
"That mission is no joke," the middle-aged man said sternly. "It's not comparable to hunting Fire Demons."
The Fire Demon hunt, compared to this new task, was still relatively simple. But Tang Zhentian was a peak five-star Martial God. He had killed many Martial Gods from Yuanming Peak and had been placed on a wanted list. Bringing back his head would earn five thousand contribution points!
"The previous people who took this mission all died," the middle-aged man warned, his eyes fixed on Zhang Yuanji.
Even though he didn't know how Zhang Yuanji managed to kill all those Fire Demons, hunting down Tang Zhentian was a completely different challenge. In fact, it was more than difficult—it was very likely that Zhang Yuanji would die.
"No matter," Zhang Yuanji replied calmly, "I'm taking this mission."
With Boundless now in his possession, his confidence had skyrocketed. He also felt that he was on the verge of breaking through to the four-star Martial God realm.
And it hadn't even been that long since his last major breakthrough!
"Suit yourself, but you know the rules—if you don't complete the mission within the time limit, you'll face penalties," the man reminded him.
"The time limit is three months."
"Three months is more than enough," Zhang Yuanji said with narrowed eyes, speaking with assurance. He was confident that within three months, he could advance to the five-star Martial God realm. If he could kill more powerful beasts or Martial Gods along the way, his power would increase even faster.
After accepting the mission, Zhang Yuanji promptly left the area.
"There's something strange about Zhang Yuanji..." the middle-aged man muttered as he watched him leave.
He had a clear impression of Zhang Yuanji's previous strength, which was quite ordinary. But now, his swift completion of such a challenging task was beyond anything he had expected. What had happened to Zhang Yuanji?
…
Zhang Yuanji left with a spring in his step and headed straight for the exchange pavilion located at the center of another mountain peak. The exchange pavilion was a place where one could trade contribution points for various valuable items.
The exchange pavilion was massive, with countless Martial Gods constantly coming and going from the entrance.
Zhang Yuanji spent all the contribution points he had earned, purchasing a large quantity of pills designed to enhance his strength.
Returning to his cave dwelling, Zhang Yuanji eagerly laid out his newly acquired pills.
"This is the first time I've managed to exchange for so many pills," he murmured, his eyes narrowing in satisfaction as he gazed at the treasure before him. His eyes gleamed with excitement. Having more contribution points meant he could now afford pills he never could have before.
Wasting no time, he opened the bottles and began swallowing the pills like they were candy.
Sitting cross-legged, Zhang Yuanji began absorbing the energy from the pills. Holding Boundless during the process drastically increased the rate at which he absorbed the pills' energy.
Time passed quickly.
When Zhang Yuanji opened his eyes again, he could clearly feel that his ability to absorb the pills' energy had dramatically increased.
"This sword... it's just too powerful!" he exclaimed.
"This guy seems to be on the verge of breaking through," Ye Fan remarked as he watched Zhang Yuanji cultivate.
Sure enough, after cultivating for an entire day and night, Zhang Yuanji slowly opened his eyes.
If one looked closely, a distinctive mark had appeared on his forehead—an overlapping pattern of three designs that had appeared before, but now a fourth pattern joined them.
These were divine marks, unique to Martial Gods. A four-star Martial God's most notable characteristic was possessing four overlapping divine marks.
These divine marks endowed Martial Gods with even greater power. Each mark provided different enhancements depending on its nature.
"Power Mark... My strength has increased significantly!" Zhang Yuanji said, barely able to contain his excitement.
He had advanced to the four-star Martial God realm and even gained the Power Mark, which had further amplified his strength.
"Hahaha!" Zhang Yuanji laughed heartily, filled with joy. Ever since obtaining Boundless, everything seemed to be going his way.
"Who's there!?" Suddenly, Zhang Yuanji's eyes shifted, sensing someone nearby.
"Tsk tsk, Zhang Yuanji, I heard you completed a five-star mission?" A sinister voice echoed through the air.
Looking toward the source of the voice, Zhang Yuanji saw several figures approaching.
"Zhao Yanlin," Zhang Yuanji spat coldly.
This was someone he had a long-standing grudge with from within the sect.
"I didn't expect you to break through to a four-star Martial God," Zhao Yanlin said coldly as he stared at Zhang Yuanji.
In the past, Zhang Yuanji had only been a three-star Martial God, and after a conflict, Zhao Yanlin had taught him a lesson. Although the sect elders had intervened, punishing both of them equally according to sect rules, Zhao Yanlin had never let go of the grudge.
Now, hearing that Zhang Yuanji had completed a five-star mission and exchanged for a large number of precious pills, Zhao Yanlin had come to confront him.
"Heh."
"You think I'd stay stagnant like you?" Zhang Yuanji sneered.
In the past, he might have feared Zhao Yanlin. But now, after everything he had gained, Zhao Yanlin no longer posed a threat.