I Just Wanted to Live, but I Somehow Became Better Than the Main Character

The Foundation Establishment Realm was the entry point for cultivators, and there were commissions of various levels. Of course, the lowest-level tasks weren’t that low leveled- there weren’t commissions for things like finding cats or dogs. The highest leveled tasks weren’t that high either- they at most included tasks like hunting some Foundation Establishment 10th layer spirit or specter beasts, and wiping out mountain bandits, and those even required them to form teams.

Each commission was evaluated by professionals in the Missions Department, so there usually weren’t any major oversights.

Ye Yong was publicly known to be at the 10th layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, so he was able to take on all commissions available on that board. However, upon a quick glance, he felt that these Foundation Establishment Realm missions wouldn’t be able to test his abilities- they were too easy.

“Can I have a look at the Crystallization Realm missions?”

“This…” The manager hesitated. She wanted to allow Ye Yong but also didn’t want him to overestimate himself and take on missions beyond his capabilities. It would be one thing if he failed to complete them and got injured, but it was possible he could lose his life…

“May I, sister?” Ye Yong’s use of “sister” broke through the manager’s defenses.

It won’t hurt to let him just have a look. I’ll just advise him against accepting it later.

With a nod from the manager, Ye Yong approached the Crystallization Realm mission board.

From the time Ye Yong entered the Missions Department, everyone’s attention had been on him. As soon as they saw Ye Yong heading towards the Crystallization Realm board, senior sisters at the Crystallization Realm Realm volunteered themselves, offering to assist him in completing the missions. Senior sisters at the Golden Core Realm did the same, even offering to let Ye Yong take all the contribution points after completing the commission.

Ye Yong hadn’t even looked at the commission yet, and they were already trying to recruit him for their team and let him hug their thighs. However, if he wanted to test his abilities, Ye Yong would have to accept solo commissions- there couldn’t be others present.

Politely declining the senior sisters’ kindness, Ye Yong carefully examined the locations of the missions. 𝗳r𝐞ew𝚎bn𝚘ve𝚕.c𝗼𝗺

The specifics of the commission weren’t as important to Ye Yong as the location. This was because he was avoiding dangerous zones and the activities zones of criminal forces.

Soon, Ye Yong found a commission to hunt down a specter beast near a village.

The Black Armor Bull, amount: one, cultivation level: Small Specter First Layer, equivalent to the first layer of the Crystallization Realm for a human cultivator.

In the world of Emperor Within New Emperors, animals and beasts were divided into divine beasts, immortal beasts, spirit beasts, specter beasts, demonic beasts, and livestock.

Needless to say, livestock were what mortals raised and ate, and they were no different from animals on Earth.

As for divine and immortal beasts, their names alone indicate what they are and how rare they were.

Spirit, specter, and demonic beasts were relatively common. So, what were the differences between them? In short, spirit beasts were cultivators immortal among animals; specter beasts were animals that inherently possess demonic energy or somehow got in contact with demonic energy later, and specters were the final evolution of specter beasts; demonic beasts, on the other hand, were specter or spirits beasts that have gone berserk, brimming with malevolent aura and focused solely on slaughter.

The Black Armor Bull was an aggressive and formidable specter beast, with tough hide and powerful attacks. At the same level, it was difficult for human cultivators to break their defenses one-on-one unless they possessed formidable weapons or were born with supernatural strength.

This kind of high defense tough guy was perfect as a punching bag, it and it wasn’t in one of the dangerous areas.

However, Ye Yong didn’t take this commission; instead, he tore off the adjacent one for gathering herbs.

“You are only at the 10th layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, and there are often Small Specter Realm Specter Beasts appearing in the Peaknet Forest, so even gathering herbs carries some danger…” The manager didn’t want to hurt Ye Yong’s confidence, so she gently suggested, “How about a Foundation Establishment Realm mission?”

“As a descendant of the Ye Family, I have quite a few defensive artifacts. Please rest assured, sister.”

Again with “sister”, which made the manager very happy. She thought about it. Considering the Ye family’s background and Ye Yong’s status as a genius, the elders would certainly provide him with many lifesaving treasures. As such, she stamped the mission, approving it. “Be careful and don’t force yourself. There will be another chance if you fail the mission. Safety is the most important thing.”

“Thank you for your concern, sister.”

“Oh my, don’t call me ‘sister’ all the time. My daughter is several years older than you. Should I have her accompany you? She’s at the middle stage of the Crystallization Realm, so she should be able to provide some help.”

“No need, I can handle it myself.” Ye Yong finally realized why the manager was looking at him strangely- it wasn’t because she was looking at a potential husband, but rather, she was looking at a potential son-in-law.

Ye Yong had already memorized the location of the Black Armor Bull’s extermination. The reason he took the herb-gathering mission instead was because he felt that people would tail him.

Even if the follower was acting out of concern for his safety, how could Ye Yong test his strength with someone else present?

Cultivators have excellent vision. When Ye Yong tore off the commission, everyone had seen it and thought that he was going to Peaknet Forest. No one could have guessed that Ye Yong, a scheming little boy, was actually going to Azure Lodge Village for the Black Armor Bull, which was thousands of kilometers away.

This move was a classic example of pretending to hit the East and actually hitting the West.

After Ye Yong left, as he had expected, the cultivators who were originally selecting missions began to stir.

“Ah, I suddenly feel so tired. I won’t take any commissions today.”

“Yeah, let’s go back.”

Before long, many of the cultivators left with similar excuses.

The intentions of the female cultivators were understandable- Ye Yong was just the perfect Daoist couple. As for the male cultivators, their goals were simpler- to assist him in crucial moments and butter up to Ye Yong.

Not all male cultivators disliked Ye Yong. Setting aside his talent, just his family background was enough to attract people to become his lackeys.

If someone says they have no ambition, they will say that the others were too egoistic and unwilling to lose face. After all, face could not buy a future.

Now that Ye Yong was still growing, it was a good time to build relationships with him. In the future, when he becomes a Music and Art Saint, it would be much more difficult to make connections with him. Being a follower of a saint was better than being an ordinary cultivator, as even a dog standing next to the spotlight would receive attention, but not a person standing in the dark, away from the light.

…

Ye Yong, who left, didn’t know that some male cultivators had followed him. If he knew their thoughts, he would surely lament that he really was destined to be a villain, because only villains attracted lackeys and followers.

If he was the protagonist, male cultivators would generally try every means to eliminate him upon finding out his talents- the legendary “this child cannot live”. Although there were those who would help the protagonist, their numbers were pitifully small.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one had followed him yet, Ye Yong used his Earth grade movement technique to the fullest, swiftly rushing towards the Heavenly Luo Sect’s mountain gate, not even bothering with a flying tool because he was faster running.

However, using Earth grade movement techniques at the Foundation Establishment Realm consumed massive amounts of spirit energy. If it weren’t for his 8th spiritual vein, he would have exhausted himself after a few minutes.

Arriving at the gate at his fastest speed, Ye Yong was directly allowed passage without any obstruction. Many sects were like this- leaving was easy, but entering required examination.

After leaving the sect gate, Ye Yong used his movement technique to sprint for a while until he felt it was enough. Just as he was catching his breath, looking at the vast sky and earth, the flowing rivers nearby, and the towering mountains in the distance, he suddenly felt a bit bewildered.

This was his first time going out alone ever since he transmigrated.

Moreover, he didn’t go out much previously. When he went out to go to the Qin Family to break off the engagement and went out to buy things in Cheng Ying City, he was with a carriage driver. After that, he took an airship with Wu Xue and the younger generation of the Ye Family to the assessment site, and then he took an airship to the Heavenly Luo Sect.

And that was it.

Although he had read the novel many times and was familiar with the plot and the novel, being in the world in person made everything feel so unfamiliar and fresh.