Chu Mo's body abruptly stiffened, his steps halting at the entrance to his Cave Abode.
That was High Person Yuanbai's voice!
He had only just returned to his Cave Abode, yet the man had already noticed him. Had this High Person been keeping watch on his abode all along? But their abodes were several mountain peaks apart, an immense distance...
Chu Mo looked around. Nothing seemed unusual, and the man was nowhere in sight, but the voice he had just heard was unmistakable.
He drew a deep breath, suppressed his misgivings, and rode his Spirit Cloud toward High Person Yuanbai's Cave Abode.
High Person Yuanbai's Cave Abode stood amid numinous mountains and beautiful waters, wreathed in clouds and mist like an immortal realm. When Chu Mo arrived, the man was seated in a pavilion.
[Level 16 · High Person Yuanbai (green name)]
"This disciple, Chu Mo, pays his respects to you, High Person." He bowed respectfully, not daring to show the slightest negligence.
"Sit." Yuan Bai smiled and gestured. Only after Chu Mo cautiously sat opposite him did he drawl, "Boy, you left this, didn't you?"
As he spoke, he took out a Sound-Recording Talisman and placed it on the stone table.
Chu Mo's pupils flickered slightly. He recognized the Sound-Recording Talisman; it was the one he had left six months ago when he had no other choice.
"This disciple was indeed threatened by Jiang Yunya. I had no wish to disturb your secluded cultivation over such a private matter.
"But... he repeatedly invoked your name. This disciple was deeply alarmed and, left with no other recourse, rashly left that message. I hope you will forgive me."
"No, you did very well." Yuan Bai waved a hand and scoffed. "Work for the Upper Mound Commerce Association? Ha! Even a dog wouldn't go to a place like that!"
"..." Chu Mo was momentarily speechless, not daring to join in lightly.
"That Zhou Huan and I have some old grievances." Yuan Bai paid no mind to his silence and continued, "You have some sense, boy. You didn't agree to work for him."
"As for the Upper Mound Commerce Association, remember this: for every measure of kindness they give, they often demand everything you own in repayment. 'One measure of cause, a hundred measures of consequence'-that is their guiding principle."
Chu Mo's heart tightened, and he replied respectfully, "During the outer sect examination, this disciple was fortunate enough to receive your care, which allowed me to pass. I would never dare forget that kindness.
"This disciple knows good from bad. I could never listen to Jiang Yunya's beguilement and betray you."
"Mm, good." A smile appeared on Yuan Bai's face at those words. "Very sensible. Would you like to join my Hezhen Society?"
Chu Mo's heart jolted violently, but he dared not let any of it show on his face.
The Hezhen Society was another colossal force within the sect, with no shortage of figures such as Nascent Soul True Lords.
Compared with the Upper Mound Commerce Association, which the disciples hated enough to grind their teeth, the Hezhen Society enjoyed a far better reputation.
Join the Hezhen Society? He could hardly ask for more.
It was easy to enjoy the shade with a great tree at one's back. Had he already belonged to the Hezhen Society, how would Jiang Yunya have dared come straight to his door and threaten him?
Besides, a Foundation Establishment cultivator had personally extended the invitation. Could he possibly say no?
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, he immediately rose and bowed deeply. "I am honored by your regard, High Person. This disciple, Chu Mo, is willing to join the Hezhen Society and await your commands!"
"Very good," Yuan Bai said with a smile, clearly pleased by Chu Mo's decisiveness. Turning his hand over, he produced a Black Jade Token engraved with the words "Harmony Truth," a faint spiritual glow flowing across it.
"This is our society's Identity Token. With it, you may freely enter certain places within the society and exchange for cultivation methods and Divine Abilities. Keep it safe."
"Thank you, High Person."
"Now that you've joined our society, you're one of us." High Person Yuanbai smiled, then changed the subject. "As for your quarrel with Jiang Yunya, I'll give you two years to settle that karma yourself."
"This disciple understands." A sharp gleam flashed through Chu Mo's eyes. He had intended to kill Jiang Yunya anyway.
"Go. Send your Divine Sense into the token to learn how to use it. If you encounter any difficulties, you may bring it and seek me out," High Person Yuanbai said.
"Yes."
Only after returning to his own Cave Abode and reactivating its restrictions did Chu Mo relax a little.
He eagerly took out the token and, following High Person Yuanbai's instructions, slowly sank his Divine Sense into it.
In an instant, a flood of information poured into his mind.
It listed numerous cultivation methods, spells, secret arts, pill formulas, and talisman manuals by category, along with introductions to certain rare curios and treasures and ways to obtain them through exchanges.
The Five-Element Escape Art, the Comprehensive Guide to a Hundred Implements... the dazzling array of methods left Chu Mo overwhelmed.
Yet when he saw the number of Spell Coins required to redeem them, he could not help inwardly clicking his tongue.
[Five-Element Escape Art: requires eight hundred Spell Coins...] [Comprehensive Guide to a Hundred Implements: requires one thousand two hundred Spell Coins...]
"These prices... they're only a tiny bit more 'affordable' than the sect's Scripture Repository. At least the access requirements really are much looser..." Chu Mo grumbled.
Even Divine Ability methods that only inner sect Foundation Establishment cultivators could redeem in the Scripture Repository were available here to Qi Refining disciples with enough Spell Coins.
"Wait! Since the Hezhen Society's exchange requirements are lower, what about information on Heavenly Registers and Dao Registers?"
Chu Mo's eyes lit up, and he immediately began searching the token's information for entries related to Foundation Establishment.
Sure enough, he soon found what he was looking for:
[Foundation Establishment Essentials: Part One: three hundred Spell Coins] [Foundation Establishment Essentials: Part Two: eight hundred Spell Coins] [Introduction to the Heavenly and Dao Registers: one thousand Spell Coins]
At the sight of those prices, the corner of Chu Mo's eye twitched slightly.
All his assets, including the reward from his recently completed mission, amounted to only a little over five hundred Spell Coins. He could not even afford the Introduction to the Heavenly and Dao Registers.
"Looks like I need to earn more Spell Coins."
After a little consideration, he chose the most basic option, Foundation Establishment Essentials: Part One.
The payment method was rather peculiar. Once he selected the entry and confirmed the payment of three hundred Spell Coins, the Black Jade Token in his hand actually grew slightly warm and generated a suction force.
He hurriedly took out the corresponding number of Spell Coins and brought them near the token. The coins vanished as though dropping into water.
He sank his Divine Sense into the newly acquired Foundation Establishment Essentials: Part One, and a torrent of information poured into his sea of consciousness.
Foundation Establishment was not merely a matter of accumulating magical power and breaking through a realm. At its core lay "receiving the register."
Only by bearing a Heavenly Register or a Dao Register could one open a Dao Mansion within the void and achieve a leap in the level of one's existence. From then on, magical power would replenish itself, and one's lifespan would greatly increase.
There was, however, a fundamental difference between Heavenly Registers and Dao Registers.
Dao Registers originated from the manifested Daos of the present age's [Dao Integration Realm] cultivators. For those bearing a Dao Register, the path ahead had already been paved by a Dao Venerable. Proceeding step by step was comparatively secure, but they would also be influenced by that Dao Path.
Heavenly Registers, by contrast, were condensed by Fuli Heaven. Those bearing a Heavenly Register faced an unknown path and had to explore it themselves. The dangers were immense, but they might also forge a path entirely their own.
"So that's how it is..." Understanding dawned on Chu Mo. No wonder information on superior Foundation Establishment was so scarce within the sect.
It was not merely a question of access, but also concerned the choice of one's path.
He continued reading. Foundation Establishment Essentials: Part One also mentioned that, whether one bore a Heavenly Register or a Dao Register, an exceptionally solid foundation was essential.
The accumulation built up during Qi Refining was crucial. The three aspects of essence, qi, and spirit had to advance in tandem and reach perfection. Otherwise, the Dharma Estate would collapse, leaving the cultivator dead and their Dao extinguished.