Chapter 11: A Target on His BackThe moon had disappeared beyond the horizon, and the first rays of dawn painted the sky in hues of gold and crimson.

    Xiao Li stood alone in the empty courtyard, his mind replaying Xue Yue’s words from the night before.

    "You are connected to an existence that the heavens themselves fear."

    The meaning behind those words lingered in his thoughts, but he knew one thing for certain—

    If what she said was true, then his enemies were far greater than just the Xiao Family or the Azure Kingdom Royal Academy.

    "Interesting."

    A small smirk formed on his lips.

    "Then let them come."

    No matter what forces lurked in the shadows, he would be ready.

    Elsewhere, in a secluded hall deep within the Academy, a group of Inner Court disciples gathered.

    Their leader, a black-robed young man with piercing silver eyes, sat at the head of the room, his aura cold and oppressive.

    "Xiao Li…" he muttered, tapping his fingers against the table.

    To his left, a muscular youth scoffed.

    "Just another arrogant fool."

    A slender woman in violet robes smirked.

    "No. He’s dangerous. He broke the Spirit Measuring Tablet. Even the Headmaster took notice."

    The silver-eyed man’s gaze darkened.

    "Then we must act before he grows any stronger."

    A hooded figure stepped forward.

    "Should we eliminate him?"

    The silver-eyed youth smiled coldly.

    "No. That would be too simple."

    He leaned forward, his voice dripping with malice.

    "We’ll make sure he learns what happens to those who don’t know their place."

    Later that morning, a large crowd of Outer and Inner Court disciples gathered at the Academy’s Grand Hall.

    An elder stood at the front, his hands behind his back.

    "As part of your training, you will be assigned missions. These will test your combat abilities, teamwork, and survival skills."

    A massive stone board hovered in the air, covered in glowing inscriptions.

    The elder waved his hand, and several missions appeared, ranked from low to high difficulty.

    ???? Iron Rank Missions – Basic herb gathering, escort tasks

    ???? Silver Rank Missions – Hunting minor spirit beasts

    ???? Gold Rank Missions – Subjugation of rogue cultivators

    ???? Platinum Rank Missions – Only for Inner Court and Core Disciples

    "As new disciples, you may choose any Iron or Silver Rank mission."

    The disciples murmured among themselves, scanning the board.

    "Let’s just pick an easy one."

    "No point in taking risks so soon."

    "I heard the Silver Rank missions have rewards. Maybe we should—"

    Then—

    A cold voice cut through the chatter.

    "I’ll take this one."

    The crowd turned to see Xiao Li standing before the mission board, his finger pointing at a Silver Rank mission.

    The elder raised an eyebrow.

    "A bold choice. Are you certain?"

    Xiao Li smirked.

    "Why wouldn’t I be?"

    The elder nodded and waved his hand.

    "Then your mission is set."

    A golden scroll floated toward Xiao Li.

    [Mission: Eliminate the Black Fang Bandits]

    [Location: Misty Cloud Forest]

    [Objective: Destroy the bandit hideout and retrieve the stolen resources]

    [Difficulty: Silver Rank]

    The crowd gasped.

    "The Black Fang Bandits?! They’re notorious for ambushing cultivators!"

    "Even Inner Court disciples struggle with them!"

    "Is he insane?!"

    But Xiao Li simply took the scroll and turned away. Sear?h the N?velFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "This should be entertaining."

    As Xiao Li left the Grand Hall, two figures watched him from the shadows.

    One was the silver-eyed youth from the hidden faction.

    The other was Zhao Wu, his face filled with resentment.

    "So he’s taking the Misty Cloud Forest mission?"

    The silver-eyed youth smirked.

    "How convenient."

    Zhao Wu clenched his fists.

    "I don’t care what you do. I just want him dead."

    The silver-eyed youth nodded.

    "Consider it done."

    Deep in the Misty Cloud Forest, a trap was already waiting.

    And Xiao Li was walking right into it.