Ascension of the Immortal Asura

The Mission Hall was an averaged size building with five floors. The entrance to the building was quite large at over a dozen yards wide, allowing for maximum foot traffic.

Upon arriving at the Mission Hall, John spotted a bustling crowd of both disciples and Elders entering and leaving. Hundreds streamed in and out by the minute, showing just how popular the Mission Hall was.

John gazed at the building for a moment before he entered it, upon which a buzzing atmosphere filled his ears. The sounds of disciples excitedly discussing missions with their peers and Elders explaining missions filled the interior. It was incredible lively inside, and it was only the first floor.

The first floor had missions for those below the Heaven Tribulation Realm, while the floors above focused on harder missions. Upon thinking about the mission difficulty and payout for a moment, John strode towards the back of the first floor, which was where the staircase to the next floor resided.

He reached the steps and proceeded upward without any hassle, slightly surprising him.

'Hmm, I figured there would be an Elder stopping those below the Heaven Tribulation Realm from entering. I guess not.'

John arrived on the next floor, and while the atmosphere was slightly less lively due to less disciples being on the floor, it was still quite boisterous. The floor was rather simple, and seemed to be divided into two sections.

To his left was a massive mission board over a dozen yards tall and wide, upon which thousands of missions were posted. To his right were dozens of tables with an Elder seated behind each table. Short lines were formed at each table as those who had completed their missions gathered to hand them in and claim their rewards.

John inspected the other disciples on the floor, as it was his first good look at the older disciples of the sect.

'According to what Thunderzen said, the oldest disciples of the sect are twenty one, at which point they graduate to other roles within the sect. Hmmm, the highest cultivation I see here from a disciple is middle Heaven Tribulation Realm. I wonder if there are any disciples with higher cultivations?'

John inspected the other disciples for a moment before he strode forward towards the mission board on his left. His appearance caught the attention of a few other disciples, who noted his low Meridian Forging cultivation.

However, they did not disparage him, and instead ignored him as they focused on their own tasks.

John nodded his head in silent approval at the actions of the other disciples.

'I had half-expected the other disciples to mock me and ask if I was lost, but it seems as though this sect has raised level-headed disciples who focus on themselves more than others. As expected of Thunderzen, but I wonder how someone like Thunderfist was able to accomplish such a thing…'

When John thought of Thunderfist, he was slightly perplexed as to how someone as unique as him was able to run a sect as large as this one. However, such matters did not concern him, and so he pushed such thoughts aside as he arrived before the mission board.

Thousands of missions were posted, ranging from missions that a half-step Heaven Tribulation expert could accomplish, to those that would challenge even the strongest of Peak Heaven Tribulation cultivators.

John considered taking one of the more difficult missions for a moment, before he decided against such an idea.

'Taking a harder mission might pay more contribution points, but that will also take me longer to accomplish, and I only have six days until the Thunder Realm opens. I should take an easier beast slaying job, so I can add some beast blood essence to my reserves before I enter that realm. Besides, accomplishing a peak Heaven Tribulation mission as a Meridian Forging expert is far too eye catching, and may cause some questions to arise about me.'

John knew he had to remain low profile for the meantime, at least until he raised his strength to a level that he could protect himself at all times.

A slight sigh escaped his lips upon thinking about his temporary lifestyle of laying low as he reached out and grabbed a mission slip from the board.

'Mission: A pack of ten Early Heaven Tribulation beasts have been terrorizing a small village located six hundred miles east and killing livestock and villagers. Beast type is currently unknown. Kill these beasts and bring back their heads as proof.

Reward: One Thousand Contribution Points'

John read over the missions briefly before he decided to choose the beast slaying one.

'This one will work. I can travel six hundred miles in a few hours, and the difficulty seems rather easy, so I'll go with this.'

John stored the mission slip in his spatial ring, removing it from the active mission pool. He quickly left the mission hall and returned to his house to gather resources for the trip, before he ventured out.

Flying was prohibited inside the sect unless one was an Elder, and so John walked a few dozen miles to the entrance of the sect. The beautiful scenery of the sect passed him by slowly as John took in the flowers, crystal blue streams, elegant bridges, and grandiose buildings, before he eventually arrived at the front gate of the sect.

The gate was several hundred yards tall, and several dozen yards wide. Guards were stationed on both sides of the gate to inspect all who entered, while those who left could do so freely.

John walked out of the gates and glanced at the long line formed to enter the sect. The line was over a mile long, and seemed to consist of traders and travelers looking to enter the sect for business purposes.

Boom!

Free from the flight restrictions, John pressed off the ground and shot into the sky. His body sailed rapidly through the air as he flew towards his distant mission location.