The Final Curtain Call

Suddenly.

A Spirit Talisman descended from the sky, landing in front of Li Mo, floating silently in the air.

Ma Ling was greatly surprised.

"Sound transmission talisman?"

High-level cultivators could make sound transmission talismans autonomously seek out the spiritual energy of friends within a small range. After a moment of stunned silence, Li Mo reached out and took the talisman, channeling some magical power into it.

Immediately, the voice of Chen Rong Shigu appeared within the talisman.

"I have already recommended you to the sect for an alchemy assessment."

With just one sentence, Li Mo's eyes lit up.

Every year, besides the unified combat assessment, there were also some more secretive professional assessments. However, to participate in these assessments, a recommendation from a relevant high-level cultivator was required.

Li Mo was merely a rogue disciple, while Chen Rong was a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Chen family, one of the four great families.

He had initially held only a sliver of hope, but he never expected to actually receive her recommendation!

This meant he would soon enter the view of the sect's middle and upper management, potentially being cultivated as a seed of potential. Even without any talent for alchemy, he could still tend to spiritual herbs in the Alchemy Hall and secure an inner disciple position.

Because, as Li Mo knew.

Anyone who participated in these specialized assessments, even without achieving a ranking, would generally receive relevant basic supplies afterward.

For example, after a talisman-making assessment, one would receive talisman paper and spirit brushes. After an artifact refining assessment, one would receive an artifact refining furnace and spirit ores. And after an alchemy assessment, one would receive an alchemy furnace and pill recipes.

These past few months.

Although Li Mo had learned to control Spirit Fire, distinguish the medicinal properties of spiritual herbs, and the various precautions for alchemy in Chen Rong's lectures, and had watched Chen Rong refine so-called plague-dispelling pills, blood replenishment pills, and sleep-inducing pills up close, he had never personally attempted alchemy.

These types of pills were entry-level for alchemists.

From this, it seemed.

This so-called alchemy assessment was merely a formality for the sect to identify disciples with a more serious attitude towards their chosen profession, a way to pay attention to them.

Subsequently, the sect would further differentiate positions based on the development of these selected individuals.

Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang looked at Li Mo with envious eyes.

"That Chen Rong Shigu is truly a good person!"

"Sigh, if I had known earlier, I would have studied alchemy too. Growing spiritual plants is fine, being a farmer on the mountain is also fine. At the very least, after graduation, I could have become an inner disciple."

Li Mo chuckled and put away the sound transmission talisman.

A few days later.

As time entered Evening Moon, the cultivators of Lingmu Sect also welcomed their holiday. Many people were discussing how to spend the next ten-odd days of vacation, with the vast majority choosing to return home to visit their families.

Wang Feng actually brought Ye Xuan and Zhu Yidan to visit Li Mo.

"Li Mo, want to go play in Yuan City?"

Facing Wang Feng's invitation, Li Mo was greatly surprised.

"Yuan City is in Jingzhou. Even by flying ship, it would take more than half a month, right? No, probably over a month. Is there enough time?"

Wang Feng heard this and chuckled.

"Don't you know? From Lingmu Sect to Yuan City, there's a teleportation array service every Evening Moon. Actually, all sects have teleportation services to Yuan City every Evening Moon, used to allow the sect members on rotation in Yuan City to arrive quickly. It only costs ten Spirit Stone. This is a strategic construction supported by the royal military. If you want to visit, the teleportation fee is on me."

From Wang Feng's words, this kind of teleportation service only operated during Evening Moon, seemingly because maintaining it was quite costly. This was equivalent to a national-level public service facility, similar to the flying ship routes that Lingmu Sect maintained in the prefectural cities within its jurisdiction, costing only one Spirit Stone per ride.

Li Mo felt tempted for a moment.

But then he thought of the danger he would face during Evening Moon and his previous plans. He ultimately shook his head, sighed, and decided it was safer to hide within the sect.

"Let's forget it. Chen Rong Shigu recommended me to participate in this alchemy assessment, so I need to prepare well."

"Oh?"

Ye Xuan, standing behind Wang Feng, looked at Li Mo with surprise upon hearing this.

Because of Wang Feng's connection, she knew Li Mo, but they weren't close. Now, hearing that Li Mo was going to participate in an alchemy assessment, she couldn't help but look at him with new eyes.

"Chen Rong Shigu's alchemy skills are extraordinary. You must cherish this hard-won opportunity since she noticed you."

Ye Xuan had finished her three-year advanced studies the year before last. She was now nineteen years old, at the seventh level of Qi Condensation, and held a position in the Supervision Hall. She was considered a peripheral disciple, not highly valued within the Ye Family.

Li Mo smiled slightly upon hearing this.

"Naturally."

Zhu Yidan sighed when she heard this.

"Zhao Xiaonan is also planning to stay here to cultivate, hoping to break through to the third level of Qi Condensation. She's working so hard. Unfortunately, as cultivation deepens, the final competition is still based on a comprehensive ability of wealth, talent, comprehension, and opportunities. Personal perseverance is only one part of it."

Then, she seemed to have an idea and looked at Li Mo with bright eyes.

"You guys can have a good chat when you have time."

As far as Li Mo knew, among the first-year disciples, only about half had broken through to the first level of Qi Condensation and reached the second level.

Someone like Zhao Xiaonan, who had reached the peak of the second level of Qi Condensation and was preparing to break through, was already considered very outstanding.

At least Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang were only hovering around the mid-stage of Qi Condensation Layer 2.

Seeing this, Wang Feng felt it wasn't appropriate to continue inviting Li Mo. After offering some encouragement, he left with his cousin Zhu Yidan and Ye Xuan.

Immediately after, Ma Ling also smiled and approached Li Mo.

"I'm planning to go home. My home is at a horse farm fifty miles outside Anle City, not far from the Zhanghe Sect. Do you want to come? If we travel at a gallop, we can get there in two days."

The Zhanghe Sect was a secular martial arts sect in Muzhou, standing alongside Chanyu Temple.

Li Mo's eyelids twitched violently.

Ma Ling had a very straightforward personality. They had been together for almost a year, and she naturally considered him a good brother. However, he could tell that Ma Ling didn't just want to be brothers with him. But he found it difficult to develop romantic feelings for Ma Ling; she wasn't his type.

"I'm truly sorry, I plan to prepare for the alchemy assessment. You know, Senior Aunt Chen Rong recommended me."

Ma Ling looked disappointed.

She wasn't good at hiding her emotions. After walking two steps away, she turned back.

"Do you like Lü Cuicui?"

Li Mo was dumbfounded. Only Ma Ling could ask such a thing.

After a moment of silence, Li Mo, wanting to dispel Ma Ling's romantic intentions and thinking she didn't interact with Lü Cuicui much, silently nodded without saying anything further.

Ma Ling pouted, her expression a little wronged.

However, it was hard to feel pity for a Tiger Girl like her making such an expression, as Li Mo suspected she wanted to beat him up.

"Oh."

Ma Ling wiped away her tears with her chubby hands.

"There are still two years. I'll wait for you to change your mind. I'm leaving."

Li Mo watched her receding back and sighed softly.

In the following days, Li Mo continuously tried to break through the bottleneck of Qi Condensation Layer 3 to reach Layer 4. After several failed attempts, he became a little restless. It seemed there really was such a major bottleneck.

One day.

Zhang Guoyin arrived at Li Mo's dormitory with a pot of wine.

The old man chuckled and opened two lotus leaf packages, revealing fried beans, dried plums, pig's head meat, and baked pumpkin.

"Li Mo, would you like to have a few drinks with this old man?"

Due to a previous task in the mess hall, Li Mo and Zhang Guoyin were somewhat familiar with each other. They occasionally chatted during their free time, but they had never drunk and talked like this before.

Because of the major bottleneck, Li Mo had to stay within the mountain gate during the Hai hour. Seeing others happily returning home to visit their families, and thinking of himself being alone and friendless, he was in a bad mood.

Upon hearing the invitation, he didn't refuse and started drinking with Zhang Guoyin.

"Did you go down the mountain?"

"Mm, I went for a stroll during the day."

Seeing Zhang Guoyin's leisurely demeanor, Li Mo couldn't help but lower his voice.

"If the Disciplinary Hall saw this, we'd be punished for indulging our appetites on the mountain. Aren't you being too conspicuous?"

Zhang Guoyin, however, shook his head and chuckled.

"This old man has his ways, you don't need to worry."

Seeing this, Li Mo didn't ask further.

Ever since Zhao Siman died, he had also taken to drinking. As they drank, they talked about their past experiences.

When Li Mo learned that Zhang Guoyin's wife, two sons, grandson, and granddaughter had all died in the Zhanghe flood, and that he had no lingering attachments, he came to Anle City to make up for childhood regrets. To his surprise, he discovered he actually possessed spiritual roots, which made him fall silent.

Subsequently, Li Mo also shared some of his past experiences with Zhang Guoyin.

The old man also let out a long sigh upon hearing this.

Time unknowingly passed until the Hai hour.

Zhang Guoyin, already three parts drunk, slowly stood up. He waved his hand, stopping Li Mo, who intended to help him.

"Becoming a cultivator has this one good thing: you can always see yourself clearly. I'm very happy to have talked so much with you tonight. To be honest, those days when you voluntarily took over my shifts, I saw my eldest grandson in you. What a pity, alas."

As he spoke, he actually took out a Storage Pouch from his embrace and handed it to Li Mo.

Li Mo, three parts drunk, looked up with confusion.

"Take it. This old man won't be needing it anymore. After much thought, it's best to leave these things to you."

Hearing this, Li Mo had a faint premonition, and his drunkenness instantly cleared.

"How much time is left?"

"Heh heh, it should be within these two days."

Zhang Guoyin walked towards the door with his hands behind his back, looking up at the great formation's light screen on Qingming Mountain.

"I was sixty-four when I learned I had spiritual roots, but alas, fate cannot be defied. My family was poor back then, and to be filial and considerate of my father, I advised him not to waste Silver. I regret it too late."

With that, Zhang Guoyin shook his head and left Li Mo's residence.

"Life is like a play, it always has a curtain call. I hope you will do your best from now on and seize the opportunities before you, unlike this old man who lived with lifelong regret."

Li Mo stared blankly at Zhang Guoyin's retreating back for a long time.

Only when Zhang Guoyin had completely disappeared from sight did Li Mo return to his room and sit down again.

He slowly opened his Storage Pouch. Inside were five Spirit Stones, along with some silver fragments and copper coins.

The next day.

News of Zhang Guoyin's death from old age spread throughout the entire Advanced Study Hall. Many senior disciples even came to join the crowd, and the two hall masters of the Advanced Study Hall were alerted.

After all, such an event was rare in the Advanced Study Hall, perhaps occurring only once every few hundred years.

"A disciple of the Advanced Study Hall actually died of old age within the Advanced Study Hall?"

This was truly unbelievable.

Because such an incident was extremely rare, the two hall masters discussed it and ultimately decided to bury Zhang Guoyin in the graveyard behind the mountain. He would likely be the cultivator with the lowest cultivation level in that graveyard.

Li Mo followed the entire process. He placed the fresh flowers he had picked from the foot of the mountain before Zhang Guoyin's tombstone.

Zhao Xiaonan noticed his somewhat dejected demeanor.

"I didn't expect your relationship to be so good."

Li Mo said in a low voice, "Last night, he came to drink with me. Before he left, he told me his time was near. I can't imagine what it feels like for a person to know their end is approaching."

Zhao Xiaonan was a little surprised upon hearing this.

Li Mo drifted back to his dormitory and sat alone for a long time.

Before he knew it, it was Hai Time (9-11 PM) again. He looked at the tables and chairs in the living room, and time seemed to rewind to last night, sitting opposite Zhang Guoyin and drinking heartily.

"Life is like a play, it always has a curtain call."

Li Mo slowly closed his eyes.

The spiritual energy from the heavens and earth in all directions continuously converged towards Li Mo.

Gradually.

A faint sound of crackling electricity could be heard in the air within the room. Li Mo was actually circulating the Greater Heavenly Cycle within his room, and there were signs of a breakthrough. Fortunately, although circulating the Greater Heavenly Cycle indoors was dangerous for Advanced Study Hall disciples, it was much safer than during the Enlightenment Hall period because they were in single rooms with locked doors, and they were aware of the rules and regulations.

Time passed.

When Li Mo opened his eyes again, the sky outside was already bright.

After he regained his senses, he looked inward at his Dantian and found that his vortex of Magical Power was now tinged with wisps of lightning, with electric light constantly flashing.

"Qi Refining Layer Four."

After the incident with Zhang Guoyin, Li Mo had gained profound insights.

He was not satisfied with his cultivation breaking through to Qi Refining Layer Four, because he knew this was a trivial matter in life. It would not extend his lifespan or change his destiny.

Only by becoming a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator would his lifespan be greatly extended, reaching one hundred and twenty or even one hundred and fifty years. If he was skilled in health preservation, it might even be longer, temporarily escaping the crisis of dying from old age.

Next, Li Mo went to the training ground on the mountainside and cast the Lightning Ball Technique and Palm Lightning spells one after another.

"My Magical Power has indeed increased significantly, and the destructive power of the spells has also greatly improved."

There was no need to elaborate on Palm Lightning.

Lightning Ball Technique was a low-grade lightning-attribute spell that Li Mo learned from Shen Yun after mastering Palm Lightning, spending another four Spirit Stones. It had the characteristics of long-range attack, fast projectile speed, and paralysis and burning, but its destructive power was far inferior to Palm Lightning.

It could only be used for sneak attacks or against ordinary people.

"I'm at Qi Refining Layer Four now, and with my martial arts foundation, although the chance of getting into the top one hundred is slim, I can strive for the top two hundred. I currently have twelve Spirit Stones, so I can try to learn another intermediate-grade spell from her."

Li Mo had entered the Advanced Study Hall in August and earned income from his daily rotation tasks in September. During this period, he had earned five Spirit Stones. Coupled with the ten Spirit Stones he had previously obtained from Vice Hall Master Qin Yue of the Treasure Gathering Hall, and the five Spirit Stones left by Zhang Guoyin as inheritance, he should have had twenty Spirit Stones in total.

However, he had spent eight Spirit Stones learning Palm Lightning and Lightning Ball Technique from Shen Yun, and now he had twelve Spirit Stones left.

Li Mo found Shen Yun again according to the address.

"You really know how to pick your timing."

Upon learning of Li Mo's intention, Shen Yun could not help but show a helpless expression.

"The year-end assessment is in a few days. How can I have time to teach you spells!"

Li Mo sighed in a low voice upon hearing this.

Fortunately, Shen Yun suddenly thought of something, her eyes flashed, and she seemed to be deep in thought.

"However, I can introduce you to a more powerful lightning spiritual root disciple. His name is Tian Fen, and he is already at Qi Refining Layer Nine. He is one of the most powerful disciples in this batch!"

Qi Refining Layer Nine was already the limit for many Advanced Study Hall disciples' three years of cultivation.

According to Shen Yun, only about one-fifth of the disciples in her batch had reached Qi Refining Layer Seven or above, and only a handful had reached Qi Refining Layer Nine.

One of them was this rogue cultivator named Tian Fen.