Cultivation is Creation-Chapter 167: Beast Wave Defense - ’My’ Home

I stared at the mission tablet in my hands, reading and re-reading the requirements as if they might somehow change. They didn't.

Mission: Beast Wave Defense - Floating Reed Village and Surrounding Areas

Rank: Dangerous

Cultivation Requirement: Qi Condensation Stage 6 or higher

Additional Requirements: Minimum group size of 3 members

Reward: 2000 contribution points per participant

Time: Departure in one hour

"Master," Azure's voice held a note of concern, "your heart rate is still elevated."

"I'm fine," I muttered, even though we both knew that was a lie.

My home – or rather, the original Ke Yin's home – was in danger. The fact that I technically wasn't the same person who grew up there didn't seem to matter to whatever part of me was currently trying to punch through my chest.

I forced myself to take slow, measured breaths. Panic wouldn't help anyone. I needed to think this through logically.

The good news was that I met the cultivation requirement. Stage 6 Qi Condensation wasn't impressive by sect standards, but it was enough to qualify, even if it was only barely. The bad news was everything else. I needed a group, and not just any group – people I could trust to watch my back in what was guaranteed to be a chaotic situation.

Well, trust was perhaps too strong a word in this world.

My first thought was Wei Lin and Lin Mei, but... no. Wei Lin was still at Stage 5, and Lin Mei's talents lay more in herb cultivation than combat. Besides, I couldn't justify putting my friends in danger that they were not prepared for just because I was feeling sentimental about a village I'd never actually lived in.

"Perhaps," Azure suggested, "we should focus on finding suitable teammates before collecting the Moonlit Dew Flower? The village's situation seems more time-sensitive."

He had a point. The flower would still be there waiting to bloom after the beast wave passed. Assuming, of course, that the spatial fluctuations in its valley didn't decide to rearrange the local geography. Again.

I made my way toward the corner of the mission hall where the higher-ranked disciples tended to gather. It was easy to spot them – they were the ones who actually looked relaxed, confident in their ability to handle whatever missions they chose to accept.

"That one's plotting to abandon their weakest member at the first sign of trouble," Azure commented as I looked around at the different groups. "And those three are already arguing about how to split the rewards."

"You know," I muttered, "your ability to read people is simultaneously impressive and depressing."

"I merely analyze facial expressions, body language, and vocal patterns to determine—"

I couldn't help but smile though as Azure went on. I turned my focus back on finding a suitable group.

Three disciples in particular caught my attention. They were studying the same mission board I'd just left, their conversation drifting over as I approached.

"...could clear out most of the beasts before they reach the village," the tallest one was saying. He had the kind of face you'd expect to see on recruitment posters – strong jaw, clear eyes, and an expression of perpetual noble determination. "The terrain naturally channels them through the valley pass."

"Assuming they follow the expected route," one of his companions pointed out. She was shorter, with practical short-cropped hair and what looked like burn marks on her sleeves. "Beast waves don't always behave logically. Remember what happened at Green Lake?"

"Don't remind me," the third member of their group groaned. He was lean and wiry, with the kind of nervous energy that made him seem like he was vibrating slightly. "I still have nightmares about those giant mosquitos. Who knew they could breathe fire?"

Green Lake? Mosquitos? So, they have experience with beast waves, that was always a plus in my books.

I cleared my throat politely. Three pairs of eyes turned to regard me with varying degrees of interest.

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"Yes?" the tall one asked. His tone wasn't unkind, just... distant. The way you might speak to a particularly ambitious ant that had wandered into your path.

"I couldn't help but overhear you discussing the beast wave mission," I said, keeping my voice steady. "I was wondering if you had room for a fourth member?"

The nervous one actually laughed. "An outer disciple? Look, kid, this isn't some herb gathering trip. We're talking about actual combat."

I remained calm, even as I noticed details about their cultivation levels. The tall one was at the ninth stage of Qi Condensation – impressive for someone who hadn't broken through to the Elemental Realm yet. The woman was at stage eight, and the nervous one... ah. Stage seven. No wonder he felt threatened.

"I'm aware," I replied mildly. "I'm also a Level Two formation expert." I held up my guild token, letting them see the verification patterns shimmer in the light.

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That got their attention. The female cultivator's eyes widened slightly, while the leader leaned forward to take a closer look.

"Level Two?" The Stage 7 cultivator's voice dripped with skepticism. "At your age? With your cultivation level?"

"Chu Feng," the leader's voice held a note of warning. "Be polite to our junior brother." He turned to me with a warm smile. "I am Liu Chang. These are my companions, Su Yue and Chu Feng.”

I bowed again, this time more formally. "This junior brother Ke Yin greets Senior Liu Chang.”

"Senior Brother," Chu Feng cut in. "We don't need dead weight. His cultivation level is barely—"

"Sufficient for the mission requirements," Su Yue interrupted smoothly. She gave me an appraising look. "And formation skills are exactly what we need. The beasts will be coming from multiple directions – having someone who can set up proper defensive arrays could make the difference between success and failure."

I kept my expression humble, but internally I was already analyzing their group dynamics. Liu Chang was clearly the diplomatic leader, Su Yue the practical strategist, and Chu Feng... well, every team needs someone to prove wrong, I suppose.

"What's your combat experience?" Liu Chang asked.

"I can handle up to Stage 6 beasts solo," I replied. "My formation skills are primarily defensive and support-oriented, but I can contribute to offensive operations when needed."

"Formation combat is different from real combat," Chu Feng muttered, but his objections were starting to sound more reflexive than genuine.

"True," I acknowledged. "But beast waves are different from regular combat as well. They require a combination of approaches – defensive formations to protect civilians, mobile strike teams to handle immediate threats, and coordination between different cultivation styles."

Liu Chang nodded approvingly. "You've clearly given this some thought. What made you interested in this particular mission?"

Here it was – the moment to either lie or tell a version of the truth that wouldn't raise too many questions. There was no reason to lie so I opted for the latter.

"Floating Reed Village is my hometown," I said simply. "I have... family there."

Understanding flickered across Su Yue's face, while Liu Chang's expression softened slightly. Even Chu Feng’s scowl lessened a fraction.

"Well," Liu Chang clapped his hands together, "I say we give him a chance. Any objections?"

"Several," Chu Feng muttered, but he didn't voice them out loud.

Su Yue just nodded. "The more the merrier. Besides," she grinned, "it'll be nice to have someone around who can actually explain what they're doing instead of just yelling 'watch out' and throwing fireballs."

"That was one time," Chu Feng protested. "And it worked!"

"It worked on the beast," Su Yue agreed. "It also worked on my favorite sword and half my hair."

As they bickered, Liu Chang led us toward the mission registration desk. The process was surprisingly straightforward – we each pressed our identification tokens to the mission tablet, which recorded our names and cultivation levels. A small bell chimed with each successful registration. I made sure to repeat the process for the Moonlit Dew Flower retrieval mission.

"Right," Liu Chang said once we were officially a team, "we leave in one hour. Everyone get what you need and meet at the south gate. And Chu Feng?"

"Yeah?"

"No experimental techniques this time. I mean it."

Chu Feng muttered something that might have been agreement or might have been anatomically impossible suggestions about where Liu Chang could put his opinions on experimental techniques.

As the group dispersed, I found myself with exactly one hour to prepare for what was probably going to be the most dangerous mission I'd attempted in either of my lives. No pressure.

"Master," Azure's voice was thoughtful, "I've been analyzing our new teammates."

"And?"

"Liu Chang appears to be the most stable, both in terms of cultivation and personality. His energy flows are remarkably smooth for someone at the ninth stage. Su Yue shows signs of specialized fire cultivation – probably a flame heart technique based on the residual energy patterns. As for Chu Feng..."

"Let me guess – unstable energy patterns matching his personality?"

"Actually, no. His core cultivation is quite solid. The nervousness appears to be largely artificial – a facade rather than his true nature."

That was... interesting. And potentially concerning. Why would someone pretend to be less stable than they were? Was he trying to make others underestimate him? Or was there something else going on?

Questions for later. Right now, I needed to focus on preparations for what appeared to be a simple mission.

A beast wave threatening a village – dangerous, yes, but pretty straightforward. The kind of thing sects dealt with regularly.

But I'd been in this world long enough to know better. Nothing was ever that simple in a cultivation world. If it looked simple, that just meant you weren't seeing all the pieces yet.

Maybe I was being paranoid. Maybe this really was just a standard beast wave defense mission. Maybe we'd go in, set up some formations, fight off some spiritual beasts, and return to the sect with a nice pile of contribution points.

But somehow, I doubted it.

In my admittedly limited experience, when things started going wrong in a cultivation world, they tended to go wrong in spectacular ways. And with my luck? This "simple" mission would probably end up involving ancient burial grounds, sealed demon lords, or some poor protagonist's breakthrough moment.

I really hoped I was wrong about that last one. I'd had quite enough of getting tangled up in protagonist plots.