"Mhm, you can be at ease. I heard from Elder Ma Li, he won't be able to come because of 'that matter', so we can go ahead and start without him. What do we have first on the agenda?" The leader of the Ma tribe, Ma Xia, nodded his head in acknowledgment as he sat down in the main seat.
He had an ordinary-looking face. His expression was always dull and plain, as if he didn't possess a single drop of emotion. His hair was black, short, and messy, connecting with his beard that framed the rest of his face. Both his hair and beard had the occasional white strand, giving him an air of maturity and wisdom.
He wasn't ugly, per se, but you couldn't call him handsome either, he was just... ordinary. But unlike his looks, his talent and strength were unmatched by all but a few in this region of the world.
"At the far northeast of our border with the Desolate Desert," the Ma tribe was situated at the far eastern edge of this region of the world. In the far west lay the Jin tribe, whose territory bordered that of the Shui tribe. The Lin tribe, meanwhile, was located between the Shui and Ma tribes. The Desolate Desert was due east of the Ma tribe and consisted mostly of wild, unclaimed territories, interrupted only by the occasional Rockmen tribe settlement.
The borders of each tribe were not as straightforward as they might seem, complicated and chaotic due to the constant conflicts among the four tribes. The Jin and Shui borders were particularly entangled, wrapping around each other in some areas and shrinking in others. In contrast, the Ma tribe's border with the Desolate Desert was the most straightforward, following the natural shape of the terrain and ending precisely at the desert's edge in every direction due east.
"We found a den full of Devouring Salamanders. Their size is alarming. The one who reported it was a captain overseeing three squads. His second squad leader stumbled upon it during a hunting mission with his squad. The crazy fuckers were chasing a 'Hundred-Edge Dog' and were even planning..." The elders recognized the speaker as the Mission Hall Elder, and they frowned as he began to speak.
"Ahem…Elder Ding Xiang, please get to the point…" someone interrupted Ma Ding Xiang, and the rest of the elders seemed used to it.
"Ah… I did it again, didn't I? Sorry, sorry... What I was getting at is, because it was just a small team and they didn't dare venture too deep into the cavern, all they managed to see were three Devouring-Mind Salamanders. So we're not sure how big the pack actually is. It's really rare for a wild beast group to go unnoticed for such a long time and develop to this extent. Speaking of which, last year there was also…" Ma Ding Xiang began to ramble again, only to be interrupted once more.
"…Devouring-Mind Salamanders...they are comparable to Rank Three Gu Masters...so we need to at least send a main team..."
After graduation from the academy, every student was required to register with the mission hall immediately and be assigned to a team to begin going on missions. If they didn't receive offers from any teams, the mission hall would recommend them to one that needed members until they were accepted.
That was the only realistic way to earn primeval essence stones outside of administrative work in the tribe's various positions. But if those paid well enough to sustain a Gu Master's cultivation needs, why would anyone risk their life on missions? Besides, there were only a limited number of such positions, and they weren't easy to secure.
Almost all of the tribe's Gu Masters joined teams and took on missions. Even trivial ones provided much more income and benefits than ordinary administrative roles.
To form a team, one needed connections and talent. The former was essential, as the minimum requirement for a team was five members. As for the latter, to become a team captain, one needed to be a Rank Two Gu Master and complete 365 missions within a year, without any help from other Rank Two or stronger Gu Masters.
That is to say, to become a team captain, as long as you had four friends willing to join you, all you needed was to reach Rank Two and spend an entire year doing nothing but missions, alone or with only Rank One Gu Masters. But even ambitious Rank Two Gu Masters weren't that reckless or willing to pursue such a grueling advancement route. Instead, they chose the safer, more attainable position of squad leader.
The squad leader role was the highest position in a team aside from the team captain. Not every team had one, only the larger teams did, like the one Ma Ding Xiang had just spoken of.
That team had over 15 members, divided into three squads with at least five Gu Masters each, allowing them to take up to three missions at once.
To qualify as a squad leader was a bit easier than as a team captain. One only needed to complete 200 missions within a year after advancing to Rank Two.
The captain and squad leaders enjoyed certain benefits granted by the tribe, beyond receiving a larger cut from completed missions. These included privileges such as choosing a Gu worm from the tribe's storage after completing a set number of missions, or receiving a sum of primeval essence stones, among other rewards. Such advantages made every rank two envy them and motivated others to work harder in hopes of advancing and enjoying the same benefits.
Yet, nearly all Rank Two Gu Masters in the Ma tribe, or any tribe really, chose to remain ordinary team members. There were different unofficial ranks among them, but those were minor and determined by the team captain or squad leader. They weren't officially recognized by the mission hall like the roles of team captain or squad leader were, and their benefits were way lower compared to them. Even if it looked easy on paper to do 200 missions in a year, real-life circumstances made it a different matter.
Completing 200 missions wasn't a lot for an average team to accomplish in a year. In fact, it was about the average number completed by the worst teams. But that was under the leadership of a capable and talented team captain. For an average Rank Two Gu Master without help from the captain, squad leader, or other Rank Two members, trying to complete that many missions was practically suicide.
And even if they had the ability and courage to take on that many missions in a year's time, they could still end up failing if their team members abandoned enough missions on them. Unless they spent significant time together and built some trust, most Rank One Gu Masters weren't exactly eager to help. So usually, without the right connections, Rank Two Gu Masters, who were strong and talented enough, would spend a year or two with a team or squad to gain their trust and secure their support.
Beyond the roles of team captain and squad leader, the next step up the ladder was none other than tribe elder. Becoming an elder was both easier and harder than the previous two roles. The only qualification needed was advancement to Rank Three.
...
In the past, some elders disliked this rule and attempted to change it with an absurd argument: "With our current rules, even if a mortal found a way to advance directly to Rank Three, we'd have to promote them immediately to elder. I think we should reconsider our rules." Despite how ridiculous it sounded, the claim held some weight and was seriously debated for a time.
"Hmm, I see your point. If we start promoting such individuals as elders and then a situation arises that requires elder intervention, like a war with another tribe, these newly advanced 'mortal elders' would be a burden. They wouldn't even know how to use Gu worms properly, let alone basic killer moves…" Some added more rational concerns, but the tribe leader at the time interjected.
"If a mortal finds a way to advance directly to Rank Three, I won't make them an elder… I'll make them the new tribe leader!" The elder who had raised the issue was stunned for a moment but when he thought more carefully about it he frowned.
His intentions were clear. He didn't truly care about the strength of newly advanced elders or the tribe's well-being. He simply wanted to make it harder to become an elder so that fewer people would share in the benefits. 'And it wouldn't really affect the tribe's overall strength. We'd still have the same number of Rank Three Gu Masters, just fewer elders to enjoy the associated privileges…' But as he thought more deeply, he frowned, realizing the tribe leader's words carried a deeper meaning.
'Besides the obvious sarcasm, and the fact that if such a method to advance instantly truly existed, it would actually benefit our tribe tremendously...If we did that… If we really went through with making it harder for Rank Three Gu Masters to become elders, they'd look at us and… and see the privileges we're enjoying. 'Our privileges!' they would think, not even considering that some might leave and join other tribes as external elders, that would actually be the better outcome. No, some would stay and have children and grandchildren… But their resentment wouldn't disappear. It would be passed down to their descendants… And after enough generations, our Ma tribe…' He didn't dare think further. From that day on, he never brought up the topic again and was always the first to dismiss it when others did.
...
All in all, it was surprisingly easy to become an elder. You can't advance to rank three because your talent is insufficient? Then stop dreaming about it!
In the Ma tribe, there were about fifteen such people who managed to break through that barrier and turn their red steel primeval essence into the much more condensed and powerful white silver primeval essence.
A tribe elder would take on an administrative role for most of the year, supervising the tribe's administrative branch to ensure everything ran smoothly without obstacles. Outside of that, their real responsibility was to lead the main teams of the tribe.
As there were only fifteen elders, there were only fifteen main teams in the Ma tribe. Normally, each team would have only one team captain and up to five squads. But with a rank three elder overseeing and supporting them, a main team could have up to five team captains, each of whom was also allowed five squads under their command, for a minimum of more than 130 members under the control of one elder. Despite the majority being rank one Gu Masters, it was still a formidable force.
All fifteen teams were under the direct command of the tribe's leader, who had to be at least a rank four expert in addition to possessing other qualities. However, as the Ma tribe had another rank four powerhouse, five of those teams were delegated to him once he had successfully advanced some time ago.
And those fifteen teams under the leader represented just the minimum, referring only to the main teams. This didn't take into account other large teams that hadn't managed to join one of the main units. In actuality, the total number was over twenty teams, with at least eighty team captains and many more squad leaders.
So, sending a main team just to investigate wasn't a small matter. After some discussion, Ma Xia decided, "We will send Elder Fen Bao and Elder Kai Zhu to investigate the situation and take appropriate action if necessary. If the situation proves more dangerous, you may retreat and wait for reinforcements. Your lives are more important to the tribe." He spoke sincerely, though his expression remained as plain as always.
"Yes, tribe leader!" Both Ma Fen Bao and Ma Kai Zhu answered in unison.
"Since this matter is already settled, I'd like to shift our attention to the reappearance of the Mindless Wasp…" someone brought up, causing Ma Chen Renshu to frown.
...
"Chen Huan, we need to talk outside…" Ma Rue Bu hadn't even finished his sentence when he heard someone entering the room.
"Hahaha, Ma Rue Bu, why are you in such a hurry? Didn't little Huan and Elder Ru Da inform you I was coming to see you today?" a voice called out from just behind the curtains, which parted to reveal two figures.
Ma Rue Bu was familiar with one of them, the one who had just spoken. His wrinkled face showed his age, yet his emerald eyes and short green hair gave him a revitalized look, like an old tree beginning to regain life. He was an elder of the Lin tribe, a rank three expert, and the grandfather of Lin Chen Huan.
The other man, though not personally known to Ma Rue Bu, was someone he had seen before at the academy. The figure before him looked so aged one might mistake him for a walking corpse. His hair was brown, nearly rotten in appearance like spoiled apples. No one would believe this withered man was no more than thirty-two years old. Eventually, Ma Rue Bu recognized him as the academy elder of the Lin tribe, Lin Lou.
"Greetings to the esteemed elders!" Lin Chen Huan and Ma Rue Bu, who had tried to get out of bed but was stopped by Lin Chen Ning, greeted them with cupped hands as they bowed slightly.
"Be at ease; we aren't here for official matters. I've brought Elder Lin Lou with me today to lend you a hand. What do you think, Rue Bu?" Lin Chen Ning got straight to the point, gesturing toward Lin Lou, who nodded at Ma Rue Bu but said nothing, as if waiting for his response.
'...Seriously? Lend me a hand? Is that how someone your age jokes... and I already made up my mind just a moment ago anyway...'
"Then I'll leave it in Elder Lin Lou's hands..." He cringed slightly but continued after a short pause, "...and thank you in advance. As for the payment..." He didn't finish before Lin Chen Ning interrupted him.
"Haha, good! Good! You don't need to worry about such trivial matters, Rue Bu. Your well-being is more valuable than any amount of primeval essence stones." Ma Rue Bu wasn't sure if he was laughing at his choice of words or simply pleased with the answer.
'...I doubt someone as skilled and busy as Lin Lou would come here just for primeval essence stones. Heh, I wonder what benefits you had to offer to get his help. But regardless, I'll accept this little gift gratefully...' he mused, considering what Lin Chen Ning might have sacrificed to bring Lin Lou here.
"I'm going to prepare my healing killer move now. Once I'm ready, I'll give you a warning, it will hurt a little, so keep that in mind." Lin Lou's words were short and precise, offering no explanation of the move's effect or mechanics.
"Don't worry, Rue Bu. In our alliance, only about three people can heal this kind of injury. Elder Lin Lou, though he doesn't like to boast, is one of them. And he's not even specialized in healing. His talent truly amazes us; every time he unveils a new killer move, it's more brilliant than the last..." Lin Chen Ning continued praising Lin Lou, but Ma Rue Bu had already stopped paying attention. Lin Lou gave him a look and nodded—he was about to begin.