Zhou Ge was uncompromisingly impartial and had long been known as the "Iron-Faced Yama."
He always punished disciples who violated sect laws severely. Almost every disciple who had fallen into his hands paled at the mere mention of him; one could even say their grievances filled the air.
But Zhou Ge acted according to the rules, so no one could object. With the Discipline Hall's master firmly backing him, he was all the more impossible to offend.
What had gotten into him today?
He had actually made an exception and let Night Pot Boy off.
He had even politely called him Junior Brother Lin?
Could it be...
Some people looked at Zhou Ge, saw that his expression was as cold as ever, and smacked their lips.
Perhaps there was only one explanation left.
The two had known each other for a long time.
And... they were on fairly good terms.
But wasn't Lin Mo just Night Pot Boy, who had only recently been promoted to Outer Sect Disciple?
If Li Yibo and those Servant Disciples and Outer Sect Disciples had known Lin Mo had someone backing him, how would they have dared pick a fight with him?
They couldn't make sense of it. They truly couldn't.
Lin Mo was equally lost in a fog.
Still feeling a trace of disbelief, he arrived at the Spirit Plant Courtyard in a daze and sat on a reclining chair, trying to digest what had just happened.
A voice in his heart was telling him something.
Perhaps this matter wasn't so simple.
But since he couldn't figure it out, he stopped dwelling on it. At least he hadn't lost anything for now.
Others would assume Zhou Ge had let him off because they knew each other well.
But Lin Mo understood that if he really had connections to someone who ranked among the important figures even within the Inner Sect, how could he possibly have spent three years as a Servant Disciple?
He kept feeling as though he had been caught in a whirlpool without knowing anything about it, and that he was nothing more than an insignificant insect within it.
That feeling made him deeply uncomfortable.
Liu Xianzong had arrived early and knew nothing of what had just happened. Seeing Lin Mo looking distracted, he ambled over and asked, "What are you spacing out for? Did something happen?"
Lin Mo shook his head, only saying that he was in a bad mood today, then headed toward his spirit field.
"Strange. What's gotten into this kid?"
Liu Xianzong muttered to himself, then went back to working with Qin Sang Sang.
Over the past few days, he had noticed that Qin Sang Sang was becoming increasingly adept at the Spirit Plant Courtyard's work. She could already work as quickly as an ordinary disciple.
That hardly matched her thin, frail appearance.
After finishing his work, Lin Mo finally figured things out.
Not the reason behind what had happened earlier, but the fact that even if he was caught in a whirlpool, there was no way for him to struggle free. The best thing he could do was work hard to improve his cultivation.
That was what happened when one's cultivation was weak.
One could only leave oneself at others' mercy, like meat on a chopping block.
Just then, Liu Xianzong came running over with a peculiar expression.
He had probably heard about what had happened that morning and naturally wanted to ask Lin Mo about it. Yet once he reached him, he didn't know what to say.
"Senior Brother, don't ask. Even if you do, I don't know either."
Lin Mo spread his hands and gave a bitter chuckle.
After a moment of surprise, Liu Xianzong burst out laughing and patted Lin Mo on the shoulder.
"Whatever happened, it's good that you're safe."
They had barely exchanged a few words when Wang Qiuru, the female steward in charge of the Spirit Plant Courtyard, actually came in person.
She took Lin Mo's hand and seemed reluctant to let go, saying she would give him one of the best spirit fields and assign him two... no, three Servant Disciples.
Far too many people wanted to forge a connection with Zhou Ge, but normally they had no opportunity.
Faced with Steward Wang's enthusiasm, Lin Mo hastily refused, flustered.
He had no objection to getting a better spirit field.
But he certainly didn't want Servant Disciples following him around, much less three of them!
"Steward, all the spirit plants here have already sprouted. Let's leave changing fields aside for now."
Having Liu Xianzong for company was quite nice, too. Even switching to the best-quality spirit field would only provide a limited boost to his spirit plants.
He would be better off giving them another dose of diluted spirit spring water.
Steward Wang had been too focused on talking earlier. Only after hearing this did she turn to look at Lin Mo's spirit field.
The next instant, her mouth fell open in astonishment.
As the Spirit Plant Courtyard's steward, Wang Qiuru naturally had some expertise in this area.
Lin Mo had only been a Spirit Plant Farmer for two months, yet all the spirit plants he had sown had already grown into established plants, even putting out flower buds and developing further.
Under normal growing conditions, they would need at least three or four months to reach this stage!
What was going on?
"Little Lin, did... you grow these?"
Wang Qiuru was thoroughly astonished.
Lin Mo smiled at just the right moment and nodded. "Yes, Steward Wang."
"I don't know why, but my spirit plants seem to grow especially quickly. I don't understand what's happening either."
"I'm still studying it. If I change fields or let Servant Disciples look after them, I'm afraid something might go wrong and all my efforts would come to nothing, so... thank you for your kindness, Steward."
Lin Mo politely declined.
By now, Wang Qiuru had forgotten their earlier conversation. She hurried over to the golden coin grass, formed a spell seal with both hands, and examined it.
She found that the plants were exceptionally vigorous.
She couldn't help clicking her tongue in wonder.
"Steward Wang, I was just talking to Junior Brother Lin about this a few days ago. Do you think he might have some Special Physique that makes his spirit plants grow nearly twice as fast?"
Liu Xianzong stepped forward and spoke, proving himself a true friend to Lin Mo.
Wang Qiuru thought for a moment. When she raised her head, her eyes were shining.
If he really had a Special Physique, that would be extraordinary.
Even across the entire Azure Cloud Sect, only the sect master's chief personal disciple had one.
And his was a Special Physique of the lowest grade. Even that had been enough for the sect master to declare, "The Azure Cloud Sect will shine for another three hundred years!"
That alone showed how powerful Special Physiques were.
Even if Lin Mo's Special Physique wasn't suited to combat, it would still be immensely useful.
Could a dragon be about to rise from her own Spirit Plant Courtyard?
"Little Lin, what kind of spiritual root do you have?"
Wang Qiuru asked another question.
Lin Mo smiled softly, his expression barely changing.
"A five-spirit root."
This had once been the source of his deepest insecurity.
An inadequate family background could be overcome through hard work.
But if his talent was lacking, there truly was nothing he could do.
Now, however, he held the Treasure Gourd. Not only could it provide him with nearly limitless cultivation resources, it could also gradually improve his spiritual root.
With that being the case, what was there to feel inferior about?
In Wang Qiuru's eyes, however, his composure carried an entirely different significance.
It felt as though she had only truly met this young man today.
Dimly, she seemed to recall something. Old Cui had apparently mentioned that this boy was no ordinary person and asked her to look after him a little.
"So that's how it is..."
At this thought, Wang Qiuru nodded, her expression extremely grave.
When judging a cultivator's potential, their spiritual root was the foremost factor.
But a spiritual root alone could not set a cultivator's entire life in stone.
A Special Physique was naturally one of the exceptions.
The sect master's personal disciple only had a four-element spiritual root, yet with his Special Physique and the Azure Cloud Sect's preferential allocation of resources, he was certain to become a Golden Core True Lord in the future—and one of the most terrifying combatants among them.
That was why the sect master had said the Azure Cloud Sect's brilliance could endure for another three hundred years.
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