The Fairness Society

Wang Wenhai glared at Chen Rong, annoyed.

"Did you prepare in advance?"

Chen Rong bristled at his words.

"Uncle-Master Wang, if you suspect me, feel free to have the Disciplinary Hall investigate. The rules of the Alchemy Hall haven't changed in years. As long as one receives a recommendation from an instructor or the Hall Master, they will be cultivated. Why would I need to prepare in advance?"

Chen Rong, usually gentle, was clearly angered this time.

Given her status as an alchemist in the Chen Family, she didn't fear him despite his higher cultivation and seniority.

"If you're talking about the prize for that Hundred Year Red Essence Fungus, that was a last-minute promise from you, Uncle-Master. How could I have known beforehand? Or are you suggesting that Aunt-Master Chen would collude with Li Mo to trick you for that Hundred Year Red Essence Fungus?"

Although Wang Haiwen was angry, he had to admit Chen Rong had a point.

He had only obtained the Hundred Year Red Essence Fungus yesterday. He originally intended to gift it directly to Tao Ran after his assessment. But upon learning that Li Mo was also being assessed today, he thought of using this method to gain some renown and put his disciple in the spotlight. He never expected it to backfire.

However, he still found it hard to believe this was Li Mo's first attempt at the furnace.

"Master."

Tao Ran's face was filled with sorrow.

"I truly lost this time, Master. I've failed your expectations and caused you to lose a hundred-year-old spirit herb. I am guilty."

Tao Ran knelt voluntarily to accept punishment.

Seeing this, Wang Wenhai's heart ached. He quickly helped him up.

He genuinely liked this registered disciple and had already decided to pass on his legacy to him. This wasn't just because their personalities meshed well, but also because they both possessed the Divine Wood Physique.

He had waited nearly three hundred years in the Lingmu Sect for another Divine Wood Physique to appear. With his lifespan nearing its end, he had finally found a disciple who satisfied him completely.

"Haha, good disciple, it's just a mere Hundred Year Red Essence Fungus. This old man doesn't care about it!"

After speaking, Wang Haiwen took out a jade box, revealing the red essence fungus within, and personally handed it to Li Mo.

Then, he surprisingly turned to Chen Rong and Li Mo, his expression solemn.

"This old man is by no means a man of his word. I was rash just now. I sincerely apologize to both of you. Please be understanding and don't take it to heart."

Li Mo hastily returned the courtesy.

At the same time, he couldn't help but look up to the master and disciple.

Chen Rong's anger instantly vanished, and she returned the courtesy with a look of guilt.

"My tone was a bit harsh just now, Uncle-Master Wang. Please forgive me. I... sigh."

"Haha, Nephew-Disciple Chen, you don't need to blame yourself. This old man likes your straightforward personality. Our hall shouldn't be like other halls, filled with chaos. Alchemists must avoid getting worked up. I, a cultivator of spiritual plants, am used to walking in the fields. I dislike all that scheming and manipulation."

With that, the old man with the red nose, a mischievous spirit, left with Tao Ran.

Chen Rong turned to Li Mo.

"Uncle-Master Wang's character is quite good; you can rest assured about that. For many years, the Alchemy Hall has always stayed out of the conflicts between the two factions. You can come here anytime to exchange insights with the alchemists here, or work in the spirit herb fields to earn sect contributions. You can also apply for a private plot of land. The first year is free, and then it's charged annually based on area..."

Li Mo nodded respectfully.

"Yes!"

"As for this Hundred Year Red Essence Fungus, keep it for now. You can use it as the main ingredient for a Qi Gathering Pill later, or exchange it for Spirit Stones in the market below the mountain, or trade it with other disciples..."

Chen Rong gave him many instructions. Li Mo nodded, remembering them all, and felt touched.

If not for the Lingmu Sect's rule that only cultivators at the Golden Core Stage could take personal disciples, he would have wanted to become her disciple even as a registered disciple.

"Alright, take these rewards and go recuperate. The Lightning Refining Method is your exclusive secret technique, but since this method has such significant negative side effects, you should be more careful in the future and try to find some solutions."

"Yes."

Li Mo put away the alchemy furnace, the Elixir Recipe for the Plague-Avoiding Pill, the remaining spirit herbs, and the Spirit Stones.

His spiritual sense had already been injured by the ethereal lightning tribulation, and now his qi and blood were in disarray due to the Lightning Refining Method. It was a case of one injury compounding another, and he needed a period of good recuperation.

Fortunately, this Hundred Year Red Essence Fungus greatly alleviated his worries about Spirit Stones.

He could also take advantage of this recovery period to carefully consider how to best utilize this spirit herb.

The seven-day year-end assessment at the Lingmu Sect's Advanced Study Hall concluded successfully.

After their graduation assessments, the third-year disciples quickly completed their hall assignments and began their careers. They could only apply for position transfers after advancing to the Foundation Establishment Realm or making significant sect contributions.

Of course, the requirements were much more lenient for those applying for positions in the Supervision Hall, Four Seas Hall, or Scattered Leaf Hall.

The former first-year and second-year disciples had now been promoted to second-year and third-year disciples, respectively, beginning a new chapter in their disciple careers. Only after the Dragon Boat Festival in May would the new batch of first-year disciples be sent from the various counties and prefectures, and they would first undergo three months of cultivation in the Enlightenment Hall.

The Flower Festival arrived.

Everything was reviving. People went on spring outings, birds sang, and the air was filled with youthful vigor.

The young cultivators on Qingming Mountain also made plans with friends, shedding their crane-feathered robes for silk shirts and skirts. They strolled in groups through the sea of flowers below the mountain, enjoying the beautiful spring scenery.

After Wang Feng, Ye Xuan, Zhu Yidan, Zhao Xiaonan, Li Mo, Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang cleared a space in the sea of flowers, they all sat down on the ground, their faces beaming with smiles.

Zhu Yidan casually plucked a foxtail grass and smiled at everyone.

"Who wants to play grass fighting?"

Everyone's interest was piqued.

This was a popular children's game in Muzhou. Two people would each hold a foxtail grass, cross them, and exert force. The one whose grass broke was the loser and had to find a new one to continue the match.

So, everyone found foxtail grass and began to play, enjoying themselves immensely.

Li Mo, having grown up among various medicinal herbs as a Traveling Doctor, had some experience with this and won several rounds of grass fighting.

After playing for a while.

Ma Ling, unable to grasp the technique, kept losing and became a little annoyed.

"This is a childhood game, and I'm not very good at it anymore. Who wants to play 'pitch-pot'?"

Wang Feng and Niu Li both expressed interest.

Ma Ling saw that Li Mo was indifferent, engrossed in a grass-fighting match with Zhao Xiaonan, and felt a pang of jealousy.

"Li Mo, are you playing?"

"Huh?"

Li Mo looked helpless.

"Alright, count me in."

Zhao Xiaonan, who had been happily playing grass fighting with Li Mo, looked slightly disappointed. She turned and happened to see Zhu Yidan looking at her, and she shook her head silently.

Zhu Yidan then looked at Ma Ling and sighed helplessly.

The rules of pitch-pot were also simple: a long pot or jar was placed at a distance, and players would take turns throwing arrows or similar branches into the pot. Those who got their projectile into the pot won.

After the four found suitable branches, they began to play pitch-pot.

Ma Ling had a natural talent for this, winning multiple rounds consecutively and cheering excitedly.

Wang Feng, Niu Li, and Li Mo, who were defeated by her, were spurred on by their competitive spirit. They looked annoyed and unwilling to accept defeat, eagerly demanding rematches.

"Fine!"

Ma Ling put her hands on her hips and said proudly, "Then let's add some stakes. Whoever loses gets flicked on the forehead. Do you dare?"

"Bring it on!"

"Watch me throw..."

Good times always pass quickly.

In the blink of an eye, it was the afternoon, the hour of Shen. Everyone packed their belongings and headed towards their sect on the mountain.

As they walked and chatted, they unconsciously began discussing Jiang Sheng, the top-ranked disciple in the first year during the year-end assessment.

Yang Guang asked, puzzled, "I keep hearing people say he has the so-called Three Yang Physique, a perfect constitution for cultivating the Jiang Family's True Yang Secret Technique. What's that all about?"

After exchanging glances, Ye Xuan sighed.

"The four great families of the Lingmu Sect each have their strengths. The Jiang Family's artifact refining is unparalleled, owing to their various secret techniques for controlling fire and refining gold."

Ye Xuan's expression became reminiscent.

"I heard my mother say that thirty years ago, after our sect's Nascent Soul ancestor, Zhenren Quanzhi, achieved Liberation by Violence in Zhongshan Country, our sect fell into a slump. Everyone was in a panic, feeling like the sky was about to fall. At that time, the head of the Jiang Family, in order to revitalize the sect, decided to pour all of the Jiang Family's resources into refining a replica of a Heaven-Piercing Spirit Treasure to awe the surrounding regions."

Ye Xuan sighed at this point.

"But the process was not smooth. A few years later, the Jiang Family head's grand mansion instantly turned into ruins, engulfed in a sea of fire. A large number of artifact refiners in the sect perished, further worsening the sect's predicament. Afterward, it was rumored among the Jiang Family that the head of the Jiang Family, before his death, had transmitted a divine message stating that only an artifact refining master with the Three Yang Physique could successfully forge that supreme treasure."

According to the Spirit Reflection Sword Manual.

Artifact refining can be divided into four levels: Magical Artifact, Dharma Treasure, Heaven-Piercing Spirit Treasure, and Heaven-Might Supreme Treasure.

The so-called replica Spirit Treasure should be an item between a Dharma Treasure and a Heaven-Piercing Spirit Treasure, seemingly already the top-tier treasure in the current Shan Hai Realm. From Ye Xuan's words, it was clear that the Jiang Family's so-called True Yang Secret Technique was closely related to that unrefined treasure.

This means Jiang Sheng is also an artifact refiner?

"So that's how it is."

Although the people present didn't have a concrete concept of this replica Spirit Treasure, they knew that Jiang Sheng was a disciple meticulously cultivated by the Jiang Family. Achieving such an excellent result of being in the top sixty-four in the assessment meant his future achievements would be limitless.

Yang Guang had initially wanted to ask about Ye Yimeng but ultimately held back.

"What about your Ye Family? What are you skilled at?"

Li Mo smiled and said, "If it's inconvenient to answer, then forget it."

"There's nothing to hide. Our Ye Family is the bloodline of the sect's founder, Real Person Lingmu. The reason we've been able to pass down through the years isn't because we inherited a unique technique, but because of the protection of our sect's Divine Tree Myriad Birds and Mountain-Guarding Sacred Bird."

Ye Xuan smiled slightly.

"The Divine Tree Myriad Birds are spiritual birds that many Outer Sect disciples rent. The Supervision Hall also rents a large number of them annually for private business at the flying boat post stations. The Mountain-Guarding Sacred Bird is said to be a Celestial Rainbow Bird. I haven't seen what it looks like myself, but I know it possesses a miraculous talent for continuous self-nirvana and potential for improvement. It can transform into myriad birds and blend in with them. It comes from a place called the Eastern Ridge, outside the Central Land, where there are reportedly many Demon Beasts."

"Demon Beasts?"

Li Mo couldn't help but think of the ethereal Demon Core. Could it be related to this region outside the Central Land?

The ethereal dreamscape was punctuated by roars, clearly unusual and likely a form of warning.

As the group chatted animatedly, Yang Guang suddenly pointed ahead.

"Isn't that Zhao Huaxue up there?"

Everyone looked.

Zhao Huaxue was walking alone, head down. On such a joyous day, she appeared remarkably solitary, leaving the others exchanging bewildered glances.

"Zhao Huaxue!"

Ma Ling, ever straightforward, called out loudly.

Zhao Huaxue turned. After a slight hesitation, she approached, maintaining her cool composure, though a hint of fatigue shadowed her eyes. She stood before them like a lone lotus, self-possessed.

"Hello."

Li Mo had seen her many times, but this was his first time hearing her speak up close.

Ma Ling asked, surprised, "Why are you alone? So many people like you, didn't they ask you to spend the Flower Festival together?"

The others were speechless.

Li Mo, standing beside Ma Ling, felt a pang of awkwardness so intense his toes curled inside his shoes. This Tiger Girl was too direct, utterly thoughtless.

Zhao Huaxue replied calmly, "I didn't agree."

"Then won't you be lonely spending the Flower Festival alone? Why not join us? It'll be much livelier together. We were all in the same beginner class. Oh, right, this is Ye Xuan, Wang Feng's fiancée…"

Zhao Huaxue looked at Ye Xuan.

"Are you from the Ye family?"

Ye Xuan sensed a slight edge in Zhao Huaxue's tone. Wang Feng quickly whispered a few words in her ear.

Understanding the situation, Ye Xuan's expression turned helpless.

"Ye Xunhuan is truly spoiled by his family. Did he threaten you?"

Zhao Huaxue stated coldly, "He said if I didn't agree, I wouldn't be able to take on sect commission missions in the future, and even my regular sect duties would be difficult."

Li Mo, Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang, all rogue disciples, felt their anger surge upon hearing this.

Li Mo, especially.

He had personally witnessed Wang Zhu transform from a simple, happy soul discussing trivial matters into a depressed, irritable individual, vowing eternal enmity with the aristocratic disciples under the immense mental pressure of Lü Song's intimidation, harassment, and punishment. This incident made him detest such behavior even more.

"Him?"

Ye Xuan rolled her eyes.

"He's bragging. For daily duties, maybe he can influence a few halls, but commission missions are assigned by inner disciples and elders at the Foundation Establishment stage. They're for second and third-year disciples. He wouldn't even know who to talk to."

As an aristocratic disciple, Ye Xuan knew the true capabilities of individuals.

What seemed mysterious to outsiders was clear as day to those within.

"The Ye family is huge. There are at least two to three hundred disciples at the Qi Refining Stage. Even if a few Ye family ancestors showed favoritism, it wouldn't be his turn. I'm still stuck in the Supervision Hall, working on the mines, looking at blueprints, finding spirit veins, and getting scolded constantly! He's just a brat at Qi Refining third layer, yet he's acting so outrageously in the sect! I… I'm going to tell his father tomorrow!"

As Ye Xuan spoke, tears welled up, as if she had suffered a grave injustice.

Zhao Huaxue was taken aback.

However, she could tell Ye Xuan was also quite displeased with Ye Xunhuan. Not all aristocratic disciples were as shameless as some. Her initial hostility began to dissipate, and she nodded silently.

Just then.

Wang Feng said thoughtfully, "There's a third-year disciple named Zhao Liang. He might be able to help you."

"Zhao Liang?"

Li Mo remembered him.

He had lost to Zhao Liang in the year-end assessment. If Wang Feng's words were anything to go by, this person was not only strong but also had powerful backing?

Sensing Li Mo's questioning gaze, Wang Feng explained helplessly.

"Among rogue disciples, there's an organization called the Fairness Society. I heard they have support from higher-ups. He invited me to join before. But what's my status now? I'm a son-in-law of the Ye family. How could I possibly agree? Right, my dear Xuan'er?"

Ye Xuan rolled her eyes. This was hardly a secret to her.

Yang Guang was stunned.

"Then why didn't they invite me?"

"Perhaps they don't think you meet the membership qualifications."

Li Mo pondered this.

The Fairness Society?

It sounded like an organization to unite rogue disciples against the oppression of aristocratic disciples. Could Qin Yue, the Vice Hall Master of the Treasure Gathering Hall, have been hinting at this?

Had Wang Zhu also joined this so-called Fairness Society?

But with Vice Hall Master Qin's Golden Core Stage cultivation, she shouldn't be wasting her energy on such matters. What use could a few Qi Refining Stage disciples be to her?

Right.

The conflict between aristocratic and rogue disciples in the Lingmu Sect had been ongoing for years. If one broadened the timeframe, it made sense. This was just routine.