"Right. I broke through the day before yesterday and went straight to Deacon Palace. I found Deacon Ma and completed my status upgrade. Now I'm a bona fide Inner Sect disciple of River-Facing Sect!"
Caressing the Inner Sect token in his hand as if he couldn't bear to put it down, Cao Ren boasted, "Once you enter the Inner Sect, you've truly entered River-Facing Sect's core territory."
"That really wasn't easy. Congratulations, congratulations." Shen Mo smiled and offered his congratulations.
"It certainly wasn't." Cao Ren nodded, then patted Shen Mo on the shoulder. "If you ever strike it rich, don't forget me."
"We forged our friendship in the Inner Sect. Now that I've become an Inner Sect disciple, naturally I won't forget you."
"When I do, I'll set aside any spare cultivation resources for you. You should work hard at your cultivation, too, and try to make it into the Inner Sect as soon as you can."
"Mm. I broke through to the Qi Gathering Realm on this trip, too. Once the gathering's over, I'll go to Deacon Palace and update my Identity Token."
Shen Mo reacted calmly, merely nodding as he replied offhandedly.
"You broke through? You reached the Qi Gathering Realm?"
Cao Ren's face stiffened. His boastful smile froze, replaced by an utterly incredulous expression.
"Mm. I had a lucky encounter. It's nothing worth mentioning."
Seeing his expression, Shen Mo smiled faintly.
"That can't be. You're pulling my leg!"
He had known Shen Mo for years and had some idea of his cultivation aptitude.
That guy had been stuck at the fifth level of Body Tempering for years. Even with help from an Inner Sect elder, he'd only reached the seventh level of the Qi Gathering Realm by relying on Qi Gathering Pills. He should still have been