Sage of Humanity

The Boulder Mountain Saber emerged from its sheath, and Lu Ye cut a small wound on his finger, using his own blood as a guide to write a name on the tracking disc, while contemplating the specific details of the mission target.

In the next instant, red light bloomed within the tracking disc, and the compass needle rapidly spun before suddenly freezing in place.

Glancing in the direction indicated by the needle, Lu Ye called out: "Let's go!"

Three figures darted through the Void, and merely two hours later, they stopped above a certain area of Gualiang Mountain.

At this moment, the needle of the tracking disc in Lu Ye's hand was spinning incessantly, which evidently wasn't due to a malfunction, but indicated that the target was right below.

Putting away the tracking disc, Lu Ye looked down but didn't notice anything obvious.

"Wait here." Lu Ye ordered, then swooped downward, descending swiftly.

Mental Consciousness spread out, carefully sensing.

Soon, he detected the presence of a living person hiding deep below, clearly the target of this mission, and he also noticed evidence of a Formation covering the nearby rock wall.

However, these formations appeared exceedingly crude to Lu Ye, indicating the target was not versed deeply in the Array Path.

Instead of rushing to act, he continued investigating the surroundings. Shortly after, he summoned Xiao Xinghe and Lin Yinxiu, who were waiting in mid-air, instructed Xiao Xinghe to guard this area, and took Lin Yinxiu to explore another direction.

The target of this mission evidently understood the logic of a crafty rabbit with three burrows, hence there was more than one entry and exit point for hiding, and all were extremely well concealed. A common True Lake Realm cultivator might not necessarily find them, but under Lu Ye's insightful probing, the extension direction of the underground passages naturally revealed itself.

Soon, Lin Yinxiu was also ready, blocking another entrance.

Only then did Lu Ye head toward the third exit, gently tapping Amber's head.

Yiyi flashed out.

There was no need for many words; Yiyi instantly understood Lu Ye's intention.

"Be careful." Lu Ye instructed.

"Mm." Yiyi responded crisply, her figure blurred as she slipped underground.

The night was thick, filled with incessant frog croaks and insect chirps.

Suddenly, a commanding voice from Yiyi's delicate mouth echoed from deep underground: "Law Enforcement Hall on duty, Chu Yue, your cover is blown, surrender quickly!"

Lu Ye found it amusing, almost picturing Yiyi's adorable appearance as she spoke such lethal words.

The young girl was clearly influenced by Warlord Geng. Last time when Lu Ye joined Warlord Geng on a mission, Warlord Geng shouted similar phrases.

Almost immediately upon Yiyi's declaration, violent spirit force fluctuations erupted from deep underground. Within Lu Ye's Mental Consciousness sensing, that fellow named Chu Yue, after attacking Yiyi, was frantically escaping in one direction.

And that direction was precisely where Lin Yinxiu was stationed.

He quickly rushed over.

Just upon arrival, a figure burst from a Formation-concealed hole, followed by Lin Yinxiu deploying an item from her hand.

It was a net-like treasure, and despite Chu Yue's vigilance, he was unable to resist, being securely ensnared by the net.

Though he continued to struggle and resist, Lu Ye had already stepped forward and delivered a kick.

With a booming sound, the kick firmly struck its target, causing Chu Yue, bound by the net, to slam heavily against a large tree, splitting it into two halves.

"Constrict!" Lin Yinxiu commanded sharply, and as spirit force surged, the net tightened briskly, rendering all of Chu Yue's struggles futile.

A long saber emerged from its sheath, resting against Chu Yue's neck. Lu Ye warned in a low voice, "Dare to resist further, and you will be executed without mercy!"

The Law Enforcement Hall of the Justice Department held the authority to execute mission targets, especially in cases of resistance, so even if Lu Ye killed the man here, it wouldn't be a problem.

Sensing Lu Ye's killer intent, Chu Yue finally obeyed, bound within the net, he looked up at Lu Ye and sighed heavily, showing a hint of acceptance: "In the end... they still came."

The sound of fluttering robes followed as Xiao Xinghe arrived, observing the situation, and relaxed.

Lu Ye gazed at the battle-weary Chu Yue and spoke calmly, "If you don't want to die, be obedient. If you exhibit any malicious act, I'll slay you on the spot, understood?"

"Having been captured, I harbor no intentions otherwise," Chu Yue nodded resignedly, "Entering the Penology Department might offer a slim chance at life. Resisting here only leads to death. I understand the gravity of the situation."

Lu Ye nodded subtly and returned the saber to its sheath.

The mission target was apprehended, and there was no need to linger further. Lu Ye called to his squad, and they embarked toward Haotian City overnight.

Chu Yue indeed had resigned himself to fate, showing no signs of resistance along the way, allowing Lin Yinxiu to bind him with the net-like treasure.

He spoke little, probably feeling there was little to converse about with the Law Enforcement Hall personnel.

Two days later, the group returned to Haotian City.

Now that the person was captured, he naturally needed to be escorted to the Penology Department.

The three parted ways, with Chu Yue being taken to the Penology Department by Xiao Xinghe and Lin Yinxiu, while Lu Ye headed directly to the Hunting Pavilion.

"Hmm?" The stout elder was surprised to see Lu Ye and commented, "Back so soon? Was the task..."

"Completed." Lu Ye returned the jade slip he had received from there before.

The chubby elder was stunned: "You're quite lucky."

He was naturally aware of the difficulties of those tasks. He originally thought that Lu Ye and his team would need at least ten days to half a month to complete the mission, with a significant chance of failure. Yet, unexpectedly, it was done in less than five days.

Excluding the time spent on traveling back and forth, the efficiency was quite extraordinary, with luck being exceptionally favorable.

"Senior, how much battle merit can one usually earn from such a task?" Lu Ye asked.

"Around fifty thousand points or so," the chubby elder replied.

Lu Ye's eyelid twitched at this; this task had earned fifty thousand battle merits, while the tracking disc alone cost thirty thousand, meaning five days of effort yielded a mere twenty thousand battle merits...

Even needing to be divided among three people.

The harvest was truly meager.

It's worth noting that when he crafted Explosive Fire Spirit Stones, he could earn five thousand battle merits a day.

However, some things couldn't be measured solely by his standards. For other True Lake Realm cultivators, such a harvest was actually quite decent.

His battle merits came easily, but for Xiao Xinghe, the third senior brother, acquiring battle merits was not as simple, so some things were difficult to calculate.

"Let's take another one!" Lu Ye spoke up.

The chubby elder had no objection, then brought out the jade slips for the previous tasks. Lu Ye briefly examined them and casually chose one before leaving the Hunting Pavilion.

Turning left, within a hundred zhang, he directly entered the hall of the Justice Department.

Qian Wudang raised his eyes and looked over, equally surprised: "The Hunting Pavilion and the Penology Department have both reported. This mission was completed well."

"Sir, I have a request on this visit."

"Speak first and let me hear," Qian Wudang immediately became cautious.

Last time, Lu Ye requested him to sign a hand order for free personnel deployment, resulting in Liew Yuemei almost being beaten to death by Veteran Thang. With such a previous lesson, Qian Wudang was extremely alert to Lu Ye's so-called requests.

"For the battle merits earned from future missions, I won't take a single bit; they will all be distributed to the other members of the team."

Qian Wudang was surprised: "Not a single bit?"

Lu Ye nodded: "Can this be done?"

He knew that the distribution of battle merits was not Qian Wudang's decision to make; it was Heaven's Augury's operation. But since people like Qian Wudang and Nian Yuexian held high positions, they had a certain degree of interference ability.

Take the previous defensive battle at Gushan City as an example; if Nian Yuexian hadn't reported to Heaven's Augury, he wouldn't have gotten that grand battle merits.

"There should be no problem," Qian Wudang nodded slightly, looking at Lu Ye, "Taking care of your subordinates is commendable, but for yourself..."

"As you know, I don't lack battle merits, and now as my cultivation increases, the efficiency of crafting Explosive Fire Spirit Stones will gradually improve. It's still quite easy for me to earn battle merits in the future."

"That's true," Qian Wudang agreed with Lu Ye's reasoning.

Which True Lake Realm cultivator can steadily earn over two hundred thousand battle merits a month?

If it's true as Lu Ye said, with his cultivation increasing, and the efficiency of crafting Explosive Fire Spirit Stones enhancing, he will earn more battle merits in the future.

"Very well, I'll agree to this, and naturally, I'll petition Heaven's Augury, but the outcome is not for me to decide."

"Thank you then, sir. I take my leave."

Without rushing back to his small courtyard, Lu Ye went to Heaven's Augury Hall again and spent some merits to buy a spirit ark that could accommodate seven or eight people.

He then returned to the Hall of Battle Merits and exchanged for a tracking disc.

Upon returning to the small courtyard, Xiao Xinghe and Lin Yinxiu had already returned. Seeing Lu Ye come back, they both came to greet him.

Lin Yinxiu cheerfully said, "Captain, captain, I gained nearly thirty thousand battle merits from this mission!"

For someone her age, this was the first time she had earned so much from her efforts, and it was also the first time she obtained battle merits, so she was naturally quite delighted.

Xiao Xinghe was somewhat puzzled: "Junior brother, was there a mistake in handing out the battle merits? Why is it so much?"

Although he didn't quite understand the operations on the Law Enforcement Hall's side, in his original estimate, earning ten thousand battle merits for this mission would have been quite decent, possibly not even that much; how could there be nearly thirty thousand?

"This type of task had been delayed for too long, so even though it's not very difficult, the reward is quite substantial, and the battle merits were distributed by Heaven's Augury, so it's impossible to be wrong," Lu Ye casually made up an explanation.

In his heart, he marveled at the high efficiency on Qian Wudang's side, and clearly, Heaven's Augury also granted his petition, distributing the battle merits from this mission equally to Xiao Xinghe and Lin Yinxiu.

This was exactly what Lu Ye desired.

Xiao Xinghe still had some doubts, but after thinking it over, he agreed with what Lu Ye said. Battle merits and achievements were allocated by Heaven's Augury, so there couldn't be mistakes or omissions, thereby easing his mind.

"Captain, when will we execute our next mission?" Lin Yinxiu asked expectantly.

Having experienced a smooth mission, she couldn't help but grow fond of the feeling of running around for her cultivation resources, something she had never felt before in her life.

Previously, all her cultivation resources were arranged well by Qian Wudang, so she actually didn't need to do anything, merely focus on cultivation, even on the Spirit Stream battlefield.

As for the Cloud River battlefield... she had simply never been there.