Return to the Sect

Still, the difference between one full meal and being full every day ultimately made the choice for it.

The Spirit-Hidden Rat leaped onto Shen Mo's shoulder and rubbed its head against his cheek.

"From now on, you'll accompany me on this long road to immortality."

Seeing the giant rat's actions, Shen Mo's face lit up. He gently stroked its head with his palm.

With this matter settled, he had no regrets left.

He returned to his room, made sure he had packed everything he needed, and then left his cave dwelling.

By then, Chen Mengze had finished packing and was waiting outside her cave dwelling.

Seeing him with the Spirit-Hidden Rat on his shoulder, Chen Mengze asked in surprise, "It's actually willing to go with you?"

During this time, although Chen Mengze had come and gone early and late, she had still seen Shen Mo feeding the giant rat several times.

So she knew that he and the giant rat got along well.

However, she didn't know that the Spirit-Hidden Rat possessed the bloodline of an ancient species.

She also hadn't seen how the Spirit-Hidden Rat spat out a gift for Shen Mo after every meal of roasted meat.

She had assumed it was just an ordinary Gold-Devouring Rat.

"Mm."

Shen Mo nodded.

"Once we're back at the sect, if you want to take it as a spirit pet, you can go to Deacon Hall and obtain the method for the contract."

Chen Mengze glanced at the dazed Spirit-Hidden Rat and said, "Once you bind it with a Spirit Pet Contract, you'll have established a master-servant relationship for good."

"You'll be able to sense your spirit pet's location and condition at all times. You can also communicate with it mind-to-mind, allowing spirit pets that can't speak to talk to one another."

Spirit pets that accompanied cultivators and spurred them onward were often a crucial part of the cultivation journey for those at the bottom.

But most cultivators went their entire lives without finding a spirit pet.

That was because spirit beasts were often proud; even facing death, they wouldn't easily accept a human cultivator as their master.

Taming an awakened demon beast and making it a spirit pet required not only strength, but also a certain amount of opportunity and luck.

In Chen Mengze's eyes, the giant rat was just an ordinary Gold-Devouring Rat with little potential.

If the Gold-Devouring Rat had awakened its spirit, taking it as a spirit pet would have been a fine stroke of fortune.

Taking Chen Mengze's advice to heart, Shen Mo nodded. "Mm. Once we're back at the sect, I'll find a chance to visit Deacon Hall."

Chen Mengze added, "I only wanted to let you know that this is an option. But you should think carefully before signing a Spirit Pet Contract."

"Before reaching the Origin Core Realm, a cultivator can sign only one contract and bind a single demon beast as a spirit pet."

"Unless the demon beast you bound dies, once you've made a contract, you can't change it or sign a contract with another demon beast."

Having finished explaining, she glanced around with her lovely eyes and looked toward the cave dwelling. "Let's go first. Senior Brother Guo is still negotiating with the disciple taking over his duties, so it'll probably take him a while."

In truth, they wouldn't have to wait long for Guo Zhao to join them.

But Chen Mengze didn't want to travel with him.

Perhaps his sudden confession of his feelings a while ago had made her feel awkward whenever she saw him, so she only wanted to keep her distance.

"All right."

Shen Mo had, after all, received quite a few benefits from Guo Zhao. He had planned to honor his professional ethics, put in a good word for Guo Zhao, and insist that the three of them return to the sect together.

But seeing Chen Mengze's expression, he suspected that if he said they should wait for Senior Brother Guo, she would leave first.

Then he would have to make the journey back to the sect on foot by himself, so he swallowed his words and nodded.

"Hold on tight!"

She swept her sleeve, and a pale green longsword turned into a streak of light and slowly landed in front of them.

She stepped onto it first, then pulled Shen Mo up after her.

"Whoosh!"

Once they were on the flying sword, Chen Mengze formed a hand seal and sent it soaring through the sky.

Afraid the Spirit-Hidden Rat would fall, Shen Mo tucked it inside his clothes.

The sea of clouds stretched without end, with mountains and rivers below. The flying sword pierced the clouds and mist as it sped toward River-Facing Sect.

River-Facing Sect, mountain gate.

After a long journey, Shen Mo and Chen Mengze had finally returned.

They showed their Identity Tokens to the disciples guarding the mountain gate and entered without a hitch.

"Here's the reward I promised you."

Chen Mengze handed Shen Mo a bulging bag of Spirit Stones and said, "I'll go to Deacon Hall first and turn in this sect mission."

With that, she turned and left.

Shen Mo put the Spirit Stones into his Qiankun Pouch and headed toward the area where the Outer Sect disciples lived.

"I'm finally back."

After two months away from the sect, Shen Mo was in a rather good mood. "By my reckoning, the Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit should be ripe by now!"

As soon as he returned to his quarters, the first thing he did was shut the doors and windows and open his hidden cellar.

He checked on the Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit.

"Just as I thought! It's fully ripe!"

After climbing down into the cellar, he looked at the clump of spiritual soil on the Eight Immortals Table, covered by a Spirit-Suppressing Cover, and his heart leaped with joy.

The Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit growing in the soil had fully ripened, and the Thundercloud Pattern on its skin had grown clearer than ever.

He lifted away the Spirit-Suppressing Cover, and the fruit's fragrance immediately filled the cellar.

"Phew!"

Shen Mo took a deep breath and felt refreshed from head to toe. "Now I just need to build up my cultivation to the limit. Then I can eat it and break through to the Qi Gathering Realm!"

"Squeak, squeak!"

The Spirit-Hidden Rat, which had followed him in, was also tempted by the fragrance of the Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit.

It leaped onto the table, looking eager to try it.

"You can't eat this."

Shen Mo quickly put it into his Qiankun Pouch and said with a faint smile, "If you're hungry, I'll roast you some meat."

After he plucked the Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit, the branches and vines withered rapidly, and their spiritual energy dissipated.

Shen Mo put away the spiritual soil as well.

Then he roasted a leg of Red-Browed Deer for the Spirit-Hidden Rat, telling it to eat at home and not to run outside.

He himself left and headed to the area where Cao Ren lived.

By his reckoning, that fellow had been in seclusion for nearly four or five months.

Surely he ought to have come out by now.

Shen Mo didn't find Cao Ren at his residence. Instead, he ran into Cao Ren's father, Cao Shanyue.

"That boy's been in seclusion for three months, though he did come out once during that time."

Cao Shanyue began, "He failed his first breakthrough. He took some spirit pills to repair his foundation, then went into seclusion again ten days ago."

"He failed?"

Hearing this, Shen Mo couldn't help sighing inwardly.

Cultivators at the bottom like them, without an illustrious background or exceptional talent for cultivation to rely on, truly had to struggle with every step.

Luckily, I have Destiny!

Shen Mo thought to himself that before Cao Ren entered seclusion, his own cultivation had only been at the sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm. Now, he was close to perfection.

Who knew? Perhaps one day he'd advance to the Inner Sect even faster than Cao Ren.

Shen Mo knew it was all thanks to the Destiny Panel.

Though the Destiny Panel didn't offer ridiculous benefits like the web novels from his previous life—one slash for 999 damage or divine arts from checking in—it had indeed broadened his fate, improved his encounters, expanded his horizons, and raised his cultivation step by step.