Since they were forming a permanent team, they definitely needed an awesome name and also a team leader, so Lu Yaoyao’s group of four sat cross-legged on the grass, forming a circle as they brainstormed. Not far away, a stream flowed quietly, its crystal-clear waters carrying a faint trace of spiritual aura, while the cries of spiritual birds echoed from the mountains and forest across.
After a moment of mutual silence, Wen Zixing was the first to speak up: “I think we could be called… The Golden Annihilation Squad!” He proposed a very grand name. As a former chuuni1 boy from the era of the internet, who didn’t harbor dreams of making a mark on the world?
Chao Muxue frowned, “Too tacky. Totally not elegant.”
Lu Yaoyao nodded in agreement, “We cannot use that name.”
Wen Zixing scratched his nose.
Du Qianshan also shook his head in refusal; while the name was easy to remember, he preferred something less flashy and more literary.
So the group continued brainstorming, but they struggled to articulate a clear preference. After a while, Lu Yaoyao suggested, “Our names include ‘mountain,’ ‘snow,’ ‘road,’ ‘stars,’ and ‘person.’ Why not create a name from these elements?”
“Imagine us trekking to the summit of a snow mountain, gazing up at the stars.” Chao Muxue painted a scene.
The others visualized this scenery, finding it beautiful.
Lu Yaoyao had a spark of inspiration, “How about ‘Snow Mountain Stargazing Team’?”
It sounded good, beautiful, and full of meaning.
Chao Muxue hesitated, “But it doesn’t include Yaoyao and Dazhuang’s names.”
Du Qianshan tried incorporating their names, “How about ‘Great Tender Snow Mountain Stargazing Team’?”2
Lu Yaoyao waved her hand, “It’s enough that we understand the meaning; no need to be so explicit. That’s why it’s called a metaphor, right? Doesn’t gazing at stars imply the presence of people? And don’t you need a road to climb a mountain?” Most importantly, adding ‘Great Tender’ made the name too mouthful and ruined the poetic imagery.
Wen Zixing felt out of sync, “Are we going for something so poetic?” He preferred something more awe-aspiring, a name that could intimidate at first hearing.
“What is your opinion?” Lu Yaoyao wanted to make sure that they valued every opinion.
After much thought, Wen Zixing suggested, “How about ‘Dragon Slayer Team’?”
Du Qianshan nodded, “Are you thinking of slaying demon dragons?” That would be challenging. The scaled dragon clan of the demon race was infamous for their strength and sturdiness. A human cultivator must at least be in the Golden Core stage to have a chance against one scaled dragon.
“No, no,” Wen Zixing hurriedly clarified. He didn’t mean it literally — dragons were symbols of heroic feats in his previous world. How dare he take upon a real one?
“Then, how about ‘Dragon Dominance Team’?” He suggested a revision.
“Does anyone else have suggestions?” Lu Yaoyao inquired.
Chao Muxue and Du Qianshan shook their heads, finding both names acceptable.
“Let’s decide by voting!”
“Those in favor of ‘Snow Mountain Stargazing Team,’ please raise your hand.”
With Lu Yaoyao’s prompt, three hands shot up unanimously, and everyone’s attention shifted to the only person who hadn’t raised his hand – Wen Zixing.
Wen Zixing: “…”
Lu Yaoyao counted the votes, “Three votes.” She continued, “Those in favor of ‘Dragon Dominance Team,’ please raise your hand.”
Wen Zixing quickly raised his hand, then turned to look at the other three.
Du Qianshan hesitated but also raised his hand, whereas Lu Yaoyao and Chao Muxue purposely avoided making eye contact with Wen Zixing.
“Any more votes? If not, then voting is closed!” Lu Yaoyao declared definitively: “Three to two, ‘Snow Mountain Stargazing Team’ wins! From now on, that’s our team name!”
“…” Somewhat reluctant, Wen Zixing accepted the result of the democratic votes, deciding to go along with the name.
Next was deciding who would be the team leader. Chao Muxue was the first to speak: “I think Yaoyao would be the most suitable. What do you all think? Her cultivation is the highest, and she’s also very smart.”
Wen Zixing and Du Qianshan had no objections. They hadn’t considered who might be the leader, so they immediately agreed with Chao Muxue’s suggestion.
“So, it’s decided.”
Lu Yaoyao, who hadn’t had the chance to express an opinion: “???”
Initially taken aback, she accepted the role after a moment of thought, “Okay, I can do it.”
With two agendas smoothly resolved, Lu Yaoyao pulled out the details for the three missions they had just received, “Which one shall we start with?” She opened the discussion.
Chao Muxue picked up one of the scrolls and scanned the information, “Spiritual minks usually live in colder mountainous forests. The information about several locations where they’ve been spotted is included here…”
“There’s a Wind-Thunder Bamboo forest behind our sect…”
“As for the mission in Tianyan City…”
“The closest location where spirit minks have been sighted is the Cold Mountain Forest, which is the farthest among the three missions. Even if we hurry, it’ll take two days to get there,” Chao Muxue concluded.
Among them, only Lu Yaoyao, who was at the Foundation Establishment stage, could fly with a sword. The rest of them didn’t have sufficient cultivation and could only float, not fly. Lu Yaoyao contemplated the information and planned a route, “Let’s first go to the Wind-Thunder Bamboo forest to find the bamboo shoots, then to Tianyan City, and finally to Cold Mountain Forest. Once we complete all three missions, we’ll head straight back.”
“Alright.”
“No problem.”
They wasted no time and headed to the back mountain together. The sect’s back mountain had a particularly large area dedicated to training disciples, which included various trial grounds, such as the Wind-Thunder Bamboo Forest. As the name implies, the forest was filled with continuous thunder and fierce winds. Although different from the heavenly thunder cultivators faced during tribulation, Guiyuan’s disciples would come to this forest to temper their bodies once they reached a certain level of cultivation, and this was especially true for sword cultivators and artifact refiners.
Of course, Lu Yaoyao’s group was far from reaching the level needed to train here. The winds and thunder in the forest would be too harmful for them, but Wen Zixing had a lightning avoidance talisman. Wen Zixing had some talent for talisman drawing, and even at just the second level of the Qi Condensation stage, he could produce decent-quality talismans. However, for safety, he gave Lu Yaoyao and the others talismans drawn by his senior brothers, five each.
“A single lightning avoidance talisman can resist the Wind-Thunder for ten hours. We will definitely complete the task before the talisman is exhausted,” Wen Zixing said, then he added: “If we haven’t completed the task by then, we will leave the forest and discuss further.”
Everyone agreed.
< Previous | TOC | Advanced TOC | Next>
Wants more chapters?
Click this page for the status of sponsored chapters.
Click this page for advanced chapters TOC.
I’m surprised Lu Yaoyao’s team chose such a poetic name, but at least it’s better than the names Wen Zixing suggested, lol. I wonder if they’ll encounter any unexpected troubles on their first mission and how they’ll address them without practicing their cooperation beforehand.
Thanks for the chapter! 😀