Playing inventor in a cultivation world

The joint mission was to clear out a group of bandits based in a forest close to the Winter Peak.

There were small cities not far from this forest and they always complained about being assaulted by the bandit organization.

"Bandits? The sect is sending three inner court disciples to clear out mere bandits?"

Sera frowned as they walked, approaching the closest city.

"Indeed, that seems a bit too much."

Dera nodded, agreeing with her sister.

Fellin shook his head with a serious expression.

"What do you take the sect for? They’ve sent eight outer court disciples on this mission already, but none have returned."

This finally made them pause in alert.

"Eh? None came back?" Ariana’s voice rose in surprise.

Turning to her, Fellin nodded solemnly.

"That’s why the sect decided to send us. The disappearance and possible death of eight disciples in a bandit eradication mission is not trivial."

Closing her eyes, Dera sighed.

"Looks like this will be a very unpleasant journey."

Soon after, they arrived at Snowfolk City, one of the smaller cities close to the sect.

Upon seeing their uniforms, the guards welcomed them into the city with open arms, directly taking them to the City Lord’s Manor.

"We have been awaiting your arrival, esteemed guests."

The short, chubby City Lord greeted them with a warm, relieved smile.

At first, he was skeptical, seeing two outer court disciples. However, after spotting Fellin and the twins, he instantly became relieved.

Fellin nodded with a faint smile, as they were led into the man’s office.

After getting inside, the City Lord immediately began rummaging through his files, eventually picking out an old file.

"Hm?" Sera tilted her head curiously.

"Sigh. Although it is strange seeing another batch of children in my office, the fact that you are esteemed disciples of the Soul Cross Sect is a huge relief."

The man said with a smile, then passed the file to Fellin who was the oldest.

"This file contains all the atrocities committed by the bandit groups."

His expression was grave.

"If you visit the other cities, I’m sure they’d have a lot to say about them too."

Fellin frowned, then opened the file.

The four girls turned to look at him, watching as he frowned tighter the more he read.

"Is it that bad?" Ariana asked, feeling uneasy.

Fellin eventually finished reading and closed the book.

"This is no longer a case of bandits. It’s more like terrorists instead."

"Terrorists?" Dera gasped, then became confused. "What are terrorists?"

No one answered her, because Fellin had continued.

"Although it’s mainly theft and robbery, there are cases of abduction, rape, killings and many other evil vices."

He touched his forehead worriedly.

"This is honestly a grave matter."

The City Lord sighed wearily, then gave them a faint smile.

"I have prepared rooms for you, esteemed guests. You can rest there—"

"Ah?" Dera cut him off, her voice harsh. "We’re setting off immediately. I don’t know how evil they are, but I don’t feel comfortable knowing they’re still alive out there."

Head lowered, Sera whispered in agreement. "I’m also itching to kill..."

Ariana also looked determined, while Tamar simply had her usual poker face.

"Alright. You’ve heard them, City Lord. We’re heading out now."

Fellin said to the surprised man, a smile on his face.

"A-alright... I wish you safety and victory over the enemies."

Fellin nodded with a confident smile, then walked out of the office with his fellow disciples.

The moment they left, the City Lord collapsed into his seat, sighing tiredly.

"Eh... these hot-blooded kids. Anyway, just be useful and don’t die like the others. At least clear out the bandits before dying."

Meanwhile, Fellin and the others immediately left the city, heading northeast where the forest was located.

"What did they call the forest, by the way?"

As they jogged through the grasslands, Dera asked curiously.

This time, it was Tamar that answered her.

"It was usually called the Nightlight Forest, but now it is being called the Bandit forest."

Ariana was surprised. "How do you know that? You’ve been here before?"

Tamar nodded expressionlessly. "Yes. I’ve been in the forest before, with my grandmother."

Instantly, Dera’s eyes lit up. "Wahh! Tell me more."

While the girl tried to get as much information as she could from Tamar, Fellin was considering the graveness of the mission.

’A bandit group that can terrorize four cities... they’re clearly not small. Can we handle them?’

He took a look at his fellow disciples. They were all strong in their respective aspects, and he believed in their strength.

’It doesn’t matter. We’ll simply have to do our best. If it doesn’t work, we can always retreat.’

Very soon, they arrived at the Nightlight Forest, and Dera finally realized why it was previously called that.

"Ohh! Look at the black leaves!"

The girl shouted excitedly, skipping around.

Indeed, the entire forest was made up of trees with black leaves. They glistened under the sunlight, looking enchanting and captivating like glass shards.

"Don’t get distracted. The forest is full of its own danger as well."

Tamar warned, her hand already placed on the hilt of her sword.

The others immediately became alert, their expressions hardening as they walked deeper into the forest.

"How do we see signs of the bandits?" Sera asked, "I’m not sure they’ll come out to greet us."

Fellin smiled mysteriously, then stopped.

He crouched and pressed his hand to the ground, taking a deep breath.

The leaves rustled in the distance, and he remained still for a few minutes.

"What’s he doing?"

Ariana got curious and asked the twins.

Sera glanced at her, then pursed her lips.

"Brother Fellin was an orphan raised by a hunter, so he’s quite adept at tracking movements. This is a special skill he learnt."

At that moment, the white-haired young man opened his eyes, then looked east.

"Signs of large movement towards the east. Probably around half an hour ago. Let’s move."

He immediately got up and headed towards the east.

Meanwhile, Tamar remained tactical and asked.

"What if we’re merely following the trails of spirit beasts?"

Leading the team, Fellin shook his head with a fragile smile.

"No. I’m sure of it. We’re following human trails."

Hearing this, Tamar nodded, then fell silent.

The five of them moved through the forest quickly, weaving between trees and navigating under Fellin’s lead.

Suddenly, the young man paused abruptly, causing Dera to slam into his back.

"Ugh."

The girl groaned, but Fellin couldn’t pay attention to her at the moment.

"We’re surrounded. And there are traps too."

Instantly, everyone’s expression became tensed.

"What do we do?" Ariana asked nervously, her brows furrowed.

She had already unsheathed her sword, much like Tamar.

Fellin didn’t panic. Instead, he calmly folded his hands behind him and said.

"Why are you still hiding? Show yourselves."

From the trees surrounding them, figures dressed in dark brown robes emerged, their heads and lower faces covered.

"Inner Court disciples... I can see why you look so confident."

One of them said, unsheathing a knife from his belt.

Fellin looked at him coldly, his smile gone.

"Will you take me to your hideout, or we have to kill every one of your underlings?"

Another one of the bandits got enraged and stepped forward.

"You bas—"

Before he could even complete his sentence, Sera had dashed towards him. A sickle appeared in her hand, and she immediately sank it into his heart.

The man collapsed instantly, dead.

Their leader’s eyes widened, but he looked determined.

"In that case, let bury you all here."

Without hesitation, he dashed at Fellin, his movements augmented by the wind.

The white-haired disciple yawned and brought out a metal fan from his storage ring.

He snapped it open, then threw it at the bandit approaching him.

A gust of frosty wind blew towards the man’s exposed eyes, temporarily blinding him.

He managed to block the metal fan’s blades, but ended up losing his pinky finger as a result.

Tamar, Ariana, and Dera had also attacked, using ice and earth elements to strike the enemies.

Unfortunately for the bandits, there were no high-level cultivators among them.

Most of them were at the Initial Beginner Stage, with only a few at the Core Beginner Stage.

It was obvious that their talents were very low.

They immediately fell under the assault of the girls, while Fellin kept the last man alive.

"Finally ready to tell us where your headquarter is?"

He asked, grabbing the armless man by his collar.

Surprisingly, despite being injured and almost dead, the man remain stubborn.

"Ptui! Do you think you bunch of kids can threaten me? You’re still too green."

"Oh?" Dera smiled wickedly, holding a sickle in her hand.

She slowly approached him, her face lit up by an unsettling smile.

Tamar immediately pulled Ariana and turned back.

"Don’t look."

Ariana frowned but complied, even going as far as to cover her ears.

The next moment, a guttural scream echoed in the forest, scaring birds away.