Jiang Family's True Yang Secret Technique

Wang Wenhai glared at Chen Rong, furious.

"Did you prepare in advance?"

At that, Chen Rong flew into a rage.

"Uncle Wang, if you have your doubts, by all means have someone from the Law Enforcement Hall investigate. The Alchemy Hall's rules haven't changed in all these years. Anyone recommended by an instructor or hall master receives support. Why would I need to prepare in advance?"

Chen Rong was usually gentle, but she was clearly angry this time.

And given her standing as an alchemist of the Chen Family, although her cultivation and seniority were inferior to his, she wasn't the least bit afraid of him.

"If this is about the Hundred Year Red Essence Fungus you offered as a prize, then you only promised it on the spur of the moment, Uncle Wang. How could I have known beforehand? Or do you think Aunt Chen would collude with Li Mo to deceive you over a single Hundred Year Red Essence Fungus?"

Though Wang Wenhai was furious, he had to admit that Chen Rong had a point.

He had only happened upon that Hundred Year Red Essence Fungus yesterday. He had planned to give it to Tao Ran directly after the assessment, but when he learned that Li Mo would be taking the assessment that day too, he decided to use it as a prize to make a name for himself and give his disciple a chance to shine. He hadn't expected it to backfire.

Still, he found it hard to believe that this was Li Mo's first time firing up a pill furnace.

"Master."

Tao Ran looked stricken.

"I really did lose this time, Master. I failed to live up to your expectations and cost you a Hundred-year-old Spirit Herb. I deserve to be punished."

Tao Ran dropped to his knees of his own accord, asking to be punished.

Seeing this, Wang Wenhai's face filled with concern. He hurried over and helped him up.

He genuinely liked this nominal disciple and had already chosen him as his successor. It wasn't just because their temperaments matched; they were both Divine Wood Physiques.

He had waited nearly three hundred years at the Lingmu Sect for another Divine Wood Physique to appear. Now, with his time nearly up, he had finally found a disciple who satisfied him completely.

"Haha! My good disciple, it's only a Hundred Year Red Essence Fungus. I'm not going to lose sleep over it!"

After saying this, Wang Wenhai took out a jade box. He revealed the Crimson Essence Fungus inside and handed it to Li Mo himself.

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

"I'm not a man who goes back on his word. I was rash just now, and I sincerely apologize to you both. Please forgive me, and don't take it to heart."

Hearing this, Li Mo hurriedly returned the gesture.

At the same time, he couldn't help but think more highly of the master and disciple.

Seeing this, Chen Rong's anger vanished in an instant. She returned the apology, her face full of remorse.

"I was too harsh just now as well. Please forgive me, Uncle Wang. I... sigh."

"Haha, Nephew Chen, don't blame yourself. I like your forthright nature. We can't let our hall become as foul and disorderly as the others. Those who make pills must guard against letting anger cloud their judgment. I'm a spirit-plant cultivator, used to roaming the fields; I can't stand all that beating around the bush."

With that,

the red-nosed old rascal left with Tao Ran.

Chen Rong turned to Li Mo.

"Uncle Wang is a decent man. You can rest assured of that. The Alchemy Hall has never taken part in the two factions' struggles, all these years. You can come here anytime to exchange insights with the alchemists, or work in the spirit herb fields to earn sect contributions. You can also apply for a private plot. The first year is free; after that, you'll be charged based on its size..."

Li Mo nodded respectfully.

"Yes!"

"As for this Hundred Year Red Essence Fungus, keep it safe for now. You can use it as the main ingredient in Qi Gathering Pills later, take it to the market at the foot of the mountain to trade for Spirit Stones, or barter it with other disciples..."

Chen Rong offered him advice for a long while. Li Mo listened carefully, deeply moved.

If the Lingmu Sect didn't require its Golden Core Stage cultivators to be the only ones who could take personal disciples, he would have wanted her as his master.

"All right, take these rewards home and focus on recovering. The Lightning Refining Method is a secret technique unique to you, but since it has such serious side effects, you'll need to be more careful from now on and do your best to find a way to counter them."

"Yes."

Li Mo put away the pill furnace, the Plague-Avoiding Pill recipe, the remaining spirit herbs, and the Spirit Stones.

His divine sense had already been injured by the Ephemeral Lightning Tribulation. Now, the Lightning Refining Method had also thrown his qi and blood into disarray. His injuries had only worsened; he would need a good long while to recuperate.

Fortunately, this Hundred Year Red Essence Fungus would go a long way toward easing his worries about Spirit Stones.

He could also use the time he spent recovering to consider how best to make use of the herb.

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

After the graduation assessment, the third-year disciples were quickly assigned to their halls and began their careers there. They could only apply to change positions after reaching Foundation Establishment or making a major contribution to the sect.

Of course,

it was much easier to apply for a position in the Supervision Hall, Four Seas Hall, or Scattered Leaves Hall.

The former first-year and second-year disciples had now advanced to the second and third years, respectively, and began a new stage of their discipleship. The next class of first-year disciples wouldn't arrive from the various prefectures and counties until after the Dragon Boat Festival in May. They would first spend three months training at the Enlightenment Hall.

The Flower Festival had arrived.

All things had sprung back to life. People ventured out to enjoy the spring sunshine, while orioles sang and swallows danced, filling the air with youthful energy.

The young cultivators on Qingming Mountain also made plans to go out together. They traded their crane-feathered robes for silk jackets and skirts, gathering in small groups to stroll through the flower fields at the foot of the mountain and enjoy the glorious spring.

Wang Feng, Ye Xuan, Zhu Yidan, Zhao Xiaonan, Li Mo, Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang made a clearing amid the sea of flowers, then sat down on the ground, their faces bright with smiles.

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

"Anyone want to play grass fighting?"

The others perked up at the suggestion.

It was a simple game popular among children in Muzhou. Each player took a stalk of foxtail grass and crossed it with their opponent's, pulling until one stalk snapped. Whoever's grass broke lost and had to find another stalk to play again.

Everyone picked their own foxtail grass and started fighting them, having a grand time.

Li Mo had grown up scrambling through piles of medicinal herbs as a Traveling Doctor, so he knew a thing or two about plants. He won round after round.

After they'd played for a while,

Ma Ling, unable to get the hang of it, kept losing. She grew a little annoyed.

"This is a children's game. I'm out of practice. Who wants to play pitch-pot?"

Wang Feng and Niu Li were both interested.

Ma Ling saw that Li Mo was still happily playing grass fighting with Zhao Xiaonan, his enthusiasm undiminished, and was immediately overcome with jealousy.

"Li Mo, are you playing or not?"

"Huh?"

Li Mo looked helpless at her words.

"All right, count me in."

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

Zhu Yidan then looked at Ma Ling and sighed helplessly.

The rules of pitch-pot were simple too. You set a long-necked pot or jar at a distance, then took turns throwing arrows or similar branches at its mouth. Anyone who got one in won.

The four of them each found a branch they liked and started throwing.

Ma Ling had a natural talent for it. She won again and again, cheering excitedly each time.

Defeated by her, Wang Feng, Niu Li, and Li Mo—the three boys—were fired up to win. They looked frustrated and unwilling to accept defeat, clamoring for rematches one after another.

"Fine!"

Ma Ling planted her hands on her hips, looking supremely pleased with herself. "Then let's make it interesting. Whoever loses gets their forehead flicked. Deal?"

"Bring it on!"

"Watch me nail this one..."

Good times always passed in a flash.

Before they knew it, it was already late afternoon. After gathering their things, they headed back up the mountain to the sect.

As they walked and chatted, they gradually got to talking about Jiang Sheng, the first-year disciple with the best score in this year's assessment.

Yang Guang asked, puzzled, "I keep hearing that he has what they call the Three Yang Physique, the perfect body for cultivating the Jiang Family's True Yang Secret Technique. What does that mean?"

The others exchanged glances before Ye Xuan sighed.

"Each of the Lingmu Sect's four Aristocratic Clans has its own strengths. The Jiang Family's weapon-forging is second to none, thanks to all their secret techniques for controlling fire and refining metal."

Ye Xuan's expression turned reflective.

"I heard from my mother that thirty years ago, when the sect's Nascent Soul Grand Ancestor, Quanzhi Zhenren, underwent Liberation by Violence in Zhongshan Country, the sect plunged into decline overnight. Everyone panicked, and the whole place seemed on the brink of collapse. The Jiang Family's head at the time decided to devote the clan's entire foundation to restoring the sect's strength. With the sect's full support, he planned to forge an imitation of a Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasure, to awe the world in every direction."

At this, Ye Xuan sighed.

"But the process didn't go smoothly. A few years later, the Jiang Family head's immense cave dwelling was reduced to rubble in an instant and swallowed by a sea of fire. A large number of the sect's weapon forgers died as a result, worsening the sect's plight even further. Afterward, someone from the Jiang Family revealed that, before he died, the head had sent a message with his divine sense: only a weapon-forging grandmaster with the Three Yang Physique could forge that supreme treasure."

According to the Spirit Reflection Sword Manual,

weapon refining could be divided into four levels: magical weapons, magic treasures, Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasures, and Heavenly Might Treasures.

The imitation spirit treasure was presumably something between a magic treasure and a Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasure. It seemed to be one of the highest-grade treasures in the entire Shan Hai Realm. From what Ye Xuan had said, the Jiang Family's True Yang Secret Technique was closely connected to the unfinished treasure.

So Jiang Sheng was a weapon forger too?

"I see."

Although those present didn't have a concrete idea of what an imitation spirit treasure was, they knew that the Jiang Family was sparing no effort to cultivate Jiang Sheng. His outstanding performance in this assessment, where he made it into the top sixty-four, meant his future achievements would surely be limitless.

Yang Guang had wanted to ask about Ye Yimeng, but in the end he held back.

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

Li Mo asked with a smile, "If you'd rather not say, that's fine."

"There's nothing to hide. Our Ye Family is descended from Lingmu Real Person, the founder of the sect. We've been able to carry on for all these years not because we inherited some exclusive craft, but because the sect's divine tree, Myriad Birds, and its guardian sacred bird protect us."

Ye Xuan smiled faintly.

"Myriad Birds is a spirit bird that many Outer Sect disciples rent. The Supervision Hall also rents a large flock every year for private Flying Ship station services. As for the guardian sacred bird, I've heard it's a Rainbow Bird. I've never seen what it looks like, but I know it has the miraculous ability to improve its potential by undergoing rebirth on its own. It can transform into any bird and mingle among them. It came from a place called the Eastern Ridge, beyond the Central Plains. I hear there are many demon beasts over there."

"Demon beasts?"

Li Mo couldn't help thinking of the Ephemeral Demon Core. Could it be connected to this region beyond the Central Plains?

And every time he entered the Mystic Dream, he heard waves of beastly roars. That was clearly no ordinary thing; it was likely some kind of hint.

Just as the conversation was getting lively, Yang Guang suddenly pointed ahead.

"That person up there looks like Zhao Huaxue, doesn't she?"

At his words, everyone looked over.

Zhao Huaxue was walking alone with her head lowered. On such a happy, beautiful day, she seemed particularly lonely. The others couldn't help exchanging glances.

"Zhao Huaxue!"

Ma Ling was the sort who never overthought things, so she called out to Zhao Huaxue loudly.

Zhao Huaxue turned to look. After hesitating briefly, she walked over, still cool and quiet, though her eyes looked a little tired.

She stood before them like a solitary lotus, blooming in quiet splendor.

"Hello."

Li Mo had seen her plenty of times, but this was the first time he'd heard her speak from such close range.

Ma Ling asked, surprised, "Why are you here alone? So many people like you. Didn't any of them ask you to spend the Flower Festival with them?"

Everyone was speechless at her question.

Li Mo, standing beside Ma Ling, was mortified. His toes nearly curled into the soles of his shoes. This Tiger Girl was far too blunt—she had no sense at all.

Zhao Huaxue answered frankly, "I turned them down."

"But spending the Flower Festival alone is so lonely. Why don't you join us? It's much livelier when we're all together. We were all in the same Enlightenment class, after all. Oh, right, this is Ye Xuan, Wang Feng's fiancée..."

At that, Zhao Huaxue looked at Ye Xuan.

"You're from the Ye Family?"

Ye Xuan noticed that Zhao Huaxue's tone wasn't very friendly. Wang Feng quickly whispered a few words in her ear.

Once Ye Xuan understood what was going on, she looked helpless.

"Ye Xunhuan's been spoiled rotten by his family. Did he threaten you?"

Zhao Huaxue replied coldly, "He said that if I refused, he'd make sure I stopped getting assignments from the sect and couldn't carry out my regular sect duties."

Li Mo, Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang, all casual disciples, were instantly furious when they heard this.

Li Mo was particularly incensed.

He had watched Wang Zhu go from a cheerful, guileless person who talked about the Great Dao of boogers to someone depressed and irritable, driven to swear vengeance against Aristocratic Clan disciples forever by the immense mental pressure of Lü Song's intimidation, bullying, and punishment. He loathed this kind of thing.

"Him?"

Ye Xuan rolled her eyes.

"He's all talk. Never mind the regular duty rosters—he might have some influence in a few halls, but those assignments are temporary tasks issued by Inner Sect disciples and Foundation Establishment elders to second- and third-year disciples. He wouldn't even know who to talk to."

As a disciple of an Aristocratic Clan, Ye Xuan knew exactly who had real power and who didn't.

Some things looked mysterious and unfathomable to outsiders, but insiders understood how they really worked.

"The Ye Family is huge. We have at least two or three hundred Qi Refining Stage disciples. Even if a few Ye Family elders showed favoritism, they wouldn't pick that guy. I'm still stuck grinding away in the Supervision Hall! I go up the mountain every day, study blueprints, search for spirit veins, and get chewed out all the time. That little brat's only at the third level of Qi Refining, yet he's throwing his weight around in the sect as if he can do whatever he wants. I... I'm going to complain to his father tomorrow!"

As Ye Xuan spoke, her eyes actually welled with tears, as if she'd suffered some terrible injustice.

Zhao Huaxue was taken aback.

But she could tell that Ye Xuan was also quite unhappy with Ye Xunhuan. Not all these Aristocratic Clan disciples were so shameless after all, and her hostility faded. She nodded silently.

At that moment,

Wang Feng suddenly looked thoughtful. "There's a third-year disciple named Zhao Liang who might be able to help you."

"Zhao Liang?"

Li Mo remembered him, of course.

He had lost to this man in the year-end assessment. From the way Wang Feng said it, the man was not only strong but had connections too?

Wang Feng noticed Li Mo's questioning gaze and explained helplessly.

"There's an organization among casual disciples called the Fairness Society. I hear they have someone backing them. He invited me to join once, but look at my position now: I'm the Ye Family's son-in-law. How could I possibly agree, right, my dear Xuan'er?"

Ye Xuan rolled her eyes. This was no secret to her.

Yang Guang looked surprised.

"Then why didn't they invite me?"

"Maybe they didn't think you were qualified to join yet."

At that, Li Mo fell thoughtful.

The Fairness Society?

It sounded like they united casual disciples to resist oppression by Aristocratic Clan disciples. Could that have been what Deputy Hall Master Qin Yue of the Gathering Treasure Hall had been hinting at?

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

But with Deputy Hall Master Qin's Golden Core Stage cultivation, she shouldn't have been wasting her energy on something like this. What use could a few Qi Refining disciples possibly be to her?

Right.

The struggle between Aristocratic Clan disciples and casual disciples at the Lingmu Sect seemed to have been going on for quite some time. If he widened the time frame a little, it all made sense. This was simply a longstanding tradition.