Wudao Peak

Night fell.

Li Mo arrived at the Advanced Study Hall's main hall.

This time, he didn't see Uncle Ding Wei among the cultivators on duty, so he handed his task token to an unfamiliar uncle.

"Very good. That's ten sect contribution points in total, and they've been credited to your name. Here's your Spirit Stone payment for last month."

"Thank you, Uncle."

Although his payment was only one Spirit Stone, Li Mo still accepted it with delight.

Back in his dormitory, Li Mo opened his Storage Pouch and looked at the eleven Spirit Stones inside. He couldn't help hesitating. Should he use them to cultivate and raise his cultivation level?

After a long while, Li Mo gave up on the idea.

For one thing, after circulating the Greater Celestial Circuit in the Mystic Dream, his cultivation had already improved much faster than that of most disciples at the same level. He had now reached the late second layer of Qi Refining.

At most, it would take him another month or so to reach the third layer of Qi Refining. There were no assessments coming up soon, so he wasn't in a hurry to raise his cultivation level.

For another, he had other important uses for these Spirit Stones.

Even the lowest-quality alchemy furnace would cost at least several dozen Spirit Stones.

Besides, if he wanted to master a beginner-level Lightning Technique, he could spend Spirit Stones to ask an upper-year disciple at the Advanced Study Hall for guidance, or use them to buy a magical artifact. He would also need Spirit Stones to take a Flying Ship to other places. There were expenses everywhere.

To him, the two Spirit Stones he had spent on cultivation before had been an extravagant waste.

"I'm facing the problem of making money again."

Li Mo had once thought he'd come to regard money as dirt.

Now that he thought about it, he'd simply never broadened his horizons while he was in the Eighteen Mountains.

So he planned to find an upper-year student at the Advanced Study Hall tomorrow and learn a low-tier beginner Lightning Technique.

Just then,

Li Mo couldn't help wondering about something.

Why had Qin Yue, the deputy hall master of the Gathering Treasure Hall, acted that way?

Could she have done it on purpose, to win over unaffiliated disciples?

Li Mo turned the matter over in his mind for a long time, but never figured it out. Before he knew it, he gradually drifted off to sleep.

That night, he entered the Mystic Dream again. The dream still carried an ancient, desolate air, and nothing had changed much.

After circulating the Greater Celestial Circuit three times in the dream, Li Mo's magical power increased considerably. He then slowly woke up, yawned, and opened the wooden window. The morning sunlight fell on his face, filling him with warmth. Ma Ling happened to be outside.

"Li Mo, good morning!"

"Good morning."

Li Mo checked the time. It was already Chen Hour. After washing up a little, he opened the door.

"Come on, let's go get our duty assignments together."

"Huh?"

Li Mo was surprised, but followed Ma Ling to the hall at the sect office.

Niu Li and Yang Guang were already waiting there. When they saw Li Mo and Ma Ling arrive, they waved and greeted them.

The four gathered together.

Niu Li laughed. "Li Mo, you went on night patrol every day last month while the three of us practiced martial arts together. Ma Ling kept complaining that it wasn't any fun and saying how much better it would've been if you were there. So this time, we're claiming our duty assignments with you. Ow!"

Ma Ling's chubby hand smacked Niu Li on the back. He paid the price for running his mouth.

Yang Guang explained, "The upper-year disciples said that if we claim our routine duty assignments at the same time, there's a good chance we'll be assigned to the same group."

Li Mo couldn't help thinking of last month's routine duty. He'd nearly been dragged into the struggle between two acting sect masters, and the memory still left him shaken.

If he could carry out his duties with a few friends and look out for one another, that would be a good choice.

So he claimed this month's routine duty assignment with Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang, and afterward the four gathered together again.

Ma Ling looked at everyone, seeming a little nervous.

"I got a task in the Advanced Study Hall kitchen. I'm responsible for carrying water. What about you?"

Niu Li looked delighted.

"I got a task in the Advanced Study Hall kitchen too, but I'm responsible for chopping firewood!"

Yang Guang went on, "Me too! I'm responsible for sorting the dishes, though."

At last, it was Li Mo's turn. The other three all looked at him.

Holding his token, Li Mo said, "Looks like there really is something to it. I got a task in the Advanced Study Hall kitchen too, but I'm responsible for cooking."

"Haha!"

The four exchanged smiles.

After checking the time, they arrived at the kitchen early.

This time, the duty hours were divided into two shifts: Si Hour in the morning and You Time in the afternoon.

The workload had increased, but the hours had shortened. Li Mo now understood why the meals on Qingming Mountain were so plain every day.

For one thing, the cultivators on the mountain didn't indulge in the pleasures of the palate. For another, the disciples assigned to kitchen duty had wildly varying levels of skill.

Only plain meals could keep the flavor consistent.

After the four arrived at the kitchen, more than a dozen others filed in.

One upper-year disciple seemed to be in charge there and began directing everyone.

"Those carrying water, line up over there. Those chopping firewood, over here. Those washing dishes, stand..."

Once everyone had lined up in good order, Li Mo suddenly spotted Zhang Guoyin among the people in his group.

"Elder Zhang, you're responsible for cooking too?"

"Li Mo, looks like we'll be carrying out our duty assignments together this month."

Zhang Guoyin stood beside Li Mo, chuckling. Four people in total had been assigned to cook. Besides Li Mo and Zhang Guoyin, there were also a man and a woman.

The kitchen supervisor was assigning tasks to the disciples chopping firewood and carrying water, so the four cooks introduced themselves to one another and got acquainted.

After Li Mo and Zhang Guoyin had introduced themselves, the only female disciple began her introduction.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Lü Cuicui. This is my first time on cooking duty, so please look after me."

"Hm?"

The last male disciple gave a surprised little sound.

"My name is Zhao Dongpu. I don't mind making plain meals, but your name is Lü Cuicui. Are you from the Lü Family, one of the four great Aristocratic Clans?"

Hearing that, Li Mo couldn't help thinking of Lü Ci and Lü Song from the Gathering Treasure Hall. His expression shifted slightly.

Lü Cuicui nodded in acknowledgment.

"Yes. I know many unaffiliated disciples have a problem with disciples from Aristocratic Clans, but please don't misunderstand. Our Lü Family has always led by example and devoted itself to the Lingmu Sect. We've never abused our position or sought personal gain."

Li Mo quietly studied the girl named Lü Cuicui.

She wore her hair in two neat buns. Her brows were curved like willow leaves, her eyes bright and lively, and her lips red against her fair face. She had a delicate, charming look, and wore an unassuming blue-green crane cloak.

When she spoke about the Lü Family, her expression was especially earnest, as if she were determined to lead by example. She seemed quite innocent.

Seeing that, the three men didn't feel it was appropriate to say much more.

Then came the busy part of the day.

It had to be said, plain meals were incredibly easy to make. All they had to do was rinse the grains a little, put them in water, add some coarse salt, and wait for the water in the pot to boil. That was it.

After that came tea and vegetables. Those were boiled too, and required no skill at all.

But they had to prepare food for several hundred people, making it hard physical labor. Zhang Guoyin, who was getting on in years, could barely keep up.

"Let me do it!"

Thanks to his martial arts training, Li Mo had excellent stamina. He volunteered to take over Zhang Guoyin's task of cooking the vegetables.

"Well... thank you so much."

Zhang Guoyin sighed, then turned to Li Mo and thanked him sincerely.

Lü Cuicui looked surprised.

"Li Mo, have you practiced martial arts before?"

At her words, Zhao Dongpu, who was brewing tea and tending the fire, also looked at Li Mo.

Li Mo nodded, but he couldn't sense any trace of martial arts training in Lü Cuicui. He couldn't help furrowing his brow slightly.

"Mm. Do you practice martial arts too?"

Lü Cuicui didn't hide anything. She smiled and explained.

"Not me. But some disciples from Aristocratic Clans can't cultivate until they come of age, and many aren't interested in learning alchemy, talisman-making, artifact-refining, the Puppet Technique, Runes and Restrictions, and things like that. So their elders make them practice martial arts. It strengthens their bodies, for one thing, and gives them something practical to learn, for another."

Her explanation confirmed some things Li Mo had heard before.

"Our elders say that a solid foundation in martial arts can help you earn better results in the year-end assessments during your first two years at the Advanced Study Hall. And if you can master the basic martial arts, it can also greatly benefit your cultivation later on."

Li Mo suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

He remembered that after mastering Three-Way Swordplay in Anle City, his spiritual sense had improved dramatically. Even his sensitivity to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had increased a little.

Could that be the great benefit she was talking about?

After Si Hour, the morning meal ended.

Everyone who had been busy in the kitchen for an hour could finally get some rest.

Ma Ling, Niu Li, Yang Guang, and Li Mo gathered together again. Exhaustion was written all over their faces.

"Practice martial arts?"

"Let's go!"

Li Mo went with the three of them to a secluded spot near Wudao Peak in the back mountains to practice martial arts. They didn't disperse until more than half an hour later, after they'd practiced to their hearts' content.

Ma Ling invited Li Mo to go see the spirit birds at Sacred Tree Plaza, but Li Mo turned her down, saying he had to study Lightning Techniques.

Wudao Peak in the back mountains was divided into three parts.

One was Wudao Peak's main summit, where Qi Refining disciples practiced their techniques.

Another consisted of the many low peaks branching off Wudao Peak, where the sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators carved out private cave abodes.

The last was what people called the back mountains: an unbroken stretch of scenic mountain ranges that surrounded Qingming Mountain and Wudao Peak. It was said that the Lingmu Sect's Jindan Hall Masters and Jindan Offerings had already claimed them all.

After wandering around Wudao Peak alone, Li Mo was about to head to the Advanced Study Hall when he saw his new friend Lü Cuicui by herself, studying something. His curiosity stirred, and he walked over to greet her.

"Fairy Lü, what are you doing here?"

When Lü Cuicui heard him, she saw it was Li Mo and visibly relaxed.

"Oh, it's you. I thought it was my brother. You startled me. If he saw the puppet I made, he'd never stop making fun of me."

"A puppet?"

Li Mo grew even more curious.

When he moved closer, he saw a crude, ugly wooden contraption doing somersaults on the ground.

"Is this the Puppet Technique?"

Li Mo could hardly believe his eyes.

The thing in front of him was so ugly it looked like a broken stool with a head stuck on it and a turtle shell strapped to its back. But it could actually follow Lü Cuicui's instructions. That really was amazing.

Lü Cuicui blushed, looking embarrassed.

"Sorry you had to see that."

Li Mo realized he'd reacted poorly and hurriedly waved his hands, afraid she'd misunderstood.

"No, no, Fairy, you've got it wrong. This is my first time seeing the Puppet Technique. I think it's amazing. It really is amazing."

Lü Cuicui looked a little taken aback.

"Isn't Anle City full of Wooden Oxen and Flowing Horses?"

"Huh?"

Only after Lü Cuicui explained did Li Mo understand that the Wooden Oxen and Flowing Horses he saw everywhere in Anle City had evolved from the Puppet Technique. He hurriedly explained that he'd grown up in a small town and had never seen a Wooden Ox or Flowing Horse before.

"I see."

Lü Cuicui gave the matter some thought.

"I've heard that the farmers down below work terribly hard, as do the laborers in the ore mines. If Wooden Oxen and Flowing Horses could replace them, they wouldn't have to work so hard."

As far as Li Mo knew, many of Gan Kingdom's wealthy prefectures had already accomplished what Lü Cuicui described.

"Unfortunately, even though the Lingmu Sect is skilled in the art of puppetry, we're not the best in Gan Kingdom. The puppets of the Shenji Sect and the Puppet Sect are truly unrivaled. The Zai Zao Sect in Lu Country and the Wangu Sect in Ling Country are also exceptionally skilled in the Puppet Technique."

Hearing that, Li Mo's thoughts stirred.

He knew there were twelve great sects in Gan Kingdom. Not counting the Tu Xing Sect, which had betrayed them a hundred years ago, he already knew of the Lingmu Sect, the Sacred Cauldron Sect, and the Heavenly Talisman Sect. Now he'd heard of the Shenji Sect and the Puppet Sect as well, but he still didn't know the names of the remaining seven.

Lü Cuicui seemed kind-hearted. He might as well ask her about them.