Rise of The Demon General

Amon didn't go into cultivation after arriving home. He took out a stack of papers from his space ring and put it on a table. The papers contained information about his current faction members. They were information Xin Wuming had collected based on his request. It contained information about each member's cultivation level, affinity, learned arts, temperament, background, and notable experiences.

Amon sifted through the stack of papers, which was a lot considering there were around eighty members in his faction and Amon had requested the information to be as detailed as possible.

Even though he was just spending a little time on each paper, all the information was committed to his memory.

While he was still reading, he heard a call from outside, "Student Lin Mo, this is Lao Zen, I brought tutor Li Shi with me. May we enter?"

The barriers not only prevented students from trespassing but also the tutors. It was an enchanted formation similar to the one Amon encountered below the pyramid inside White Cloud Sect's secret dimension, only less complex and weaker. Lao Zen could force his way in with his cultivation level, but of course, he preferred not to do that.

Amon was wondering what the head tutor of this academy was visiting him for. Could it be because of the disturbance he had caused earlier today? But wasn't his punishment already given?

He tidied up the papers and store them back in his space ring. He then went to the entrance and used the mechanism there to set the barrier to allow these two tutors to enter.

Lao Zen and Li Shi came into the house then. The two looked around the room. Amon had redecorated the interior with some furnishings. A part of the floor was even walled off, that was where Amon had made a room for his alchemical experiments.

"You have been busy," Lao Zen remarked.

"It didn't take long to renovate this place," Amon replied.

"I ain't talking about this house, kid," Lao Zen said. "You are here only three weeks, and you have already made a ruckus that gives our head security a headache. There haven't been mass fights in this academy for decades, and I heard you are the instigator."

"I throw the first punch, but they instigated the conflict by detaining my friend."

"By friend, I'm sure you mean your underling," Lao Zen said. "We have heard about your faction. Pretty bold of you to make the sixth faction when you have none of the wealthy clans' descendants supporting you. But, we are also interested in seeing how far you can go. The kingdom is looking for someone who can lead as well as fight. If this faction of yours can survive the three terms you study here, then you will prove to be a valuable asset that is worth recruiting."

"What makes you think I want to join the kingdom?" Amon asked.

"Hahaha," Lao Zen laughed. "We will see. But my advice to you, student Lin Mo, for your own sake, do not reject too many offers."

Amon nodded. "I don't believe you come here just for a chat?"

"We are not," Lao Zen replied. "Do you remember me saying that you might get offers for tasks due to our high expectations from your accomplishments?"

"This is one of those?" Amon asked.

"This is one of those," Lao Zen confirmed. "Li Shi here will explain to you about the offered mission. Before she does, please remember again my advice just now about not rejecting too many offers."

"Thank you, tutor Lao Zen," Li Shi said. Then to Amon, she said, "Student Lin Mo, I guess this is the first time we talk directly."

"I enjoy listening to your lecture," Amon said. Li Shi was the tutor that delivered the lecture in theory class that touched on historical subjects.

"That's very nice of you to say. I hope you are not saying it just for civility," Li Shi said with a smile.

"I ain't civil," Amon replied.

Li Shi turned to Lao Zen, to which Lao Zen just shrugged.

"I still have many things that need taking care of. What is this mission you want to offer?" Amon asked.

"I see that you are a direct person," Li Shi said. "Very well, in that case, I will go directly to the main point. I want you to join my team to go investigate a recently excavated ancient site."

"Ancient site?" Amon asked.

Li Shi nodded. "It is a ruin of an ancient clan, or probably even the past ruling dynasty before our kingdom, Echos. It has just recently been found by a local clan. Luckily, we received the news of this finding before this local clan caused too much damage to the ruin with their intention to plunder the place for valuables. A garrison from the kingdom had been sent to secure the site. As the kingdom's chief archeologist, I have been tasked to investigate the place."

"What's my role in this? Why do you need a freshman student in this archeological mission?" Amon asked.

"Because of your achievement in the third exam," Li Shi answered. "You see, this ruin is nothing normal. Despite it being millennia old, one of its enchanted formations was still active. I figure it must be one of its defense mechanisms that activated when the local clan tried to force their way in. The formation generated a strong mental pressure within the ruin. Everyone that goes in will be assailed by a headache. The deeper one goes in, the stronger the formation applies pressure to the mind."

"I see...," Amon said. "In this case, the local clan that discovered the ruin should not have ventured in too far. Any treasures stored within should still be intact."

"We are not there to plunder its treasure. It is to study the ruins. The knowledge it contained is more valuable than any treasure," Li Shi uttered.

"In that case, you won't mind if I take any treasure that I find inside the ruins, will you?" Amon asked.

Li Shi went quiet upon hearing. She didn't know what to say. Lao Zen laughed instead, "Haha, I told you he is an interesting one, didn't I?" He then turned to Amon, "To answer your question. No, you can't keep any treasure inside the ruins. Any treasure found within belongs to the kingdom. There will be a second team that will go in to search the place for treasures, but not until Li Shi here cleared the ruins for them to enter. Any knowledge contained within the ruins might be lost once this second team entered. As for the first team, anyone aside from Li Shi will have to give their space rings to be checked before entering. The same procedure is done before leaving the site. Anything not belonging to you will be confiscated by the kingdom."

"I see," Amon said without any expression. This was the same case as when he entered White Cloud Sect's secret dimension, which meant there was still a chance for him to keep something from inside the ruin.

"So, let's say I can enter the ruin because I can withstand the mental pressure. What am I doing inside? I'm not exactly knowledgeable about ancient history," Amon said.

"You will be my eyes and ears in case you can enter the deeper part that I can't," Li Shi replied. "I will give a limited-range communication device. You can use that device to describe to me everything that you see inside."

Amon knew about such a device. Madam Lin had one as well.

"What is the grade of this mission? How many academic points does it grant?" Amon asked.

"Five stars," It was Lao Zen who answered. "Upon completion, you will be granted a minimum of 5,000 academic points. Some extra points are possible if Li Shi here deemed you worthy of them."

'5,000 academic points. It is more than a normal five-star mission,' Amon thought. A normal five-star generally rewarded around 3,000 academic points. These ruins must be very important for them to give out a reward so generous.

"I've heard about your situation. Although I think An Guan was a bit too harsh in giving out the punishment, security is his department, I have no say in it. Since you have a debt and a penalty for your academic points, I strongly suggest you accept this offer. It's not every day you can find a mission that provides such a generous sum of academic points. One that is up your alley, even. Any other students might not be able to carry out this task, but with your mental power, you should have no problem. It's an easy earning."

​ Amon pondered Lao Zen's words.

"When is the mission and how long will it last?" Amon asked.

"Our departure schedule is two months from now," Li Shi answered. "For how long, I can't say. Studying excavated ruins might take up weeks or even months."

"Won't my study be affected if I am absent from the academy for too long?"

"Five-star mission normally takes a long time to complete," Lao Zen replied. "That's why the minimum requirement is for a student to only do one such mission in a year. Don't worry, if the task is not yet done after three months, you are allowed to return. You will still be considered as having completed the mission. If we still need your help, we will extend the offer as a new mission, so you can get double the academic points. As for the studies you missed during the mission, any theory classes are recorded. You can go to the information center to request a viewing. You will need to provide the details of your mission, though. Only theory classes missed during missions will be provided with viewing. The same case with the sparring session that takes place every three months. As long as it is due to missions, the tutor can reschedule the sparring sessions."

"All right, I'm in," Amon said. "Where should I go on the day of departure?"

"Go to the mission center and report there. Someone will then take you to the gathering point."