Ever since meeting Senior Sister Yun Ruo, Jiang Hao had felt the urge to appraise anyone who stood out.
He always felt they were spies.
Soon, the appraisal results for the junior brother before him appeared in Jiang Hao's mind.
[Han Ming: True Disciple of the Heavenly Sound Sect's Heartbreak Cliff. Exceptional aptitude. Eighteen years old, Foundation Establishment Early Stage. Favored by the spirit of mountains and rivers.]
A True Disciple? His status is higher than mine, Jiang Hao reflected.
Fortunately, there was no rule here requiring him to address True Disciples as senior brothers, or things would have been awkward.
However, the sect seemed to have the Top Ten Chief Disciples. Once someone joined their ranks, most people had to change how they addressed them.
Although the other man had exceptional aptitude and was favored by the spirit of mountains and rivers, Jiang Hao did not particularly care.
As long as he was not an undercover agent, Jiang Hao could remain relatively at ease.
These days, every undercover agent who approached him had a clear objective. He could not shake them off.
If every undercover agent were like Liu Xingchen, he would not mind having a few more around.
Although they would all eventually turn on him, he only needed to grow stronger than them before that happened.
After all, however viciously they turned on him, they could never compare to that woman.
Besides, he would not have to worry at all about dragging them into trouble.
"Senior Brother Jiang, my name is Han Ming. I hope you'll offer me plenty of guidance," Han Ming said politely, then asked with curiosity:
"I heard you're nineteen this year, Senior Brother?"
"Yes." Jiang Hao nodded.
"I hope I can surpass you someday, Senior Brother," Han Ming said with a smile.
"You will." Jiang Hao nodded.
The other man was a genuine genius, whereas in their master's eyes, Jiang Hao had only reached this level through luck.
"I'll show you around, but you don't need to come here often. I can take care of the place.
"You'd be better off focusing on your cultivation," Jiang Hao said with good intentions.
As a True Disciple, Han Ming did not need to come here. Doing so would only waste his time.
Their master had most likely brought him over just to familiarize him with the place.
"Thank you, Senior Brother." Han Ming was all smiles.
Jiang Hao nodded and spent some time showing Han Ming around the Spirit Medicine Garden.
"Have you been helping tend this place all along, Senior Brother? Doesn't it waste your time?" Han Ming asked, sitting beneath the roof of the simple wooden hut.
"It's not too bad," Jiang Hao said slowly.
Han Ming disagreed:
"I feel that spending time here does nothing for your cultivation. I want to become one of the strongest people at Heartbreak Cliff-no, in the entire sect. I want to become one of the Top Ten Chief Disciples."
Jiang Hao did not discourage him. Smiling, he said earnestly:
"Then I wish you success soon, Junior Brother."
"Senior Brother, how long do you think it'll take me to surpass you?" Han Ming asked again.
"Probably within the next few years," Jiang Hao answered without hesitation.
Under normal circumstances, that was exactly what would happen.
In a few years, Han Ming would advance to the middle stage, while Jiang Hao would still appear to be in the early stage.
Unless he had another fortuitous encounter he could openly reveal.
Afterward, Han Ming left. It seemed he had only come to make Jiang Hao acknowledge that he had greater potential.
Jiang Hao merely smiled at that.
Others did not want to stay here because there were no tremendous benefits to be had, but he was different. He could obtain plenty of bubbles.
Leaving would cost him dearly.
The white bubbles might not look valuable, but they made a considerable difference. Small gains added up.
Since learning the Concealment and Control Method, he could feel himself improving every day.
He probably heard that I reached the early stage of Foundation Establishment at nineteen and wanted to come see for himself.
There's no danger for now. In a few years, he probably won't pay any attention to me anymore.
Jiang Hao mused silently.
Then he began checking the spirit herbs around him and tending to them.
At noon, he set up a stall and sold some talismans.
In the afternoon, he returned to his residence and continued drawing talismans.
Occasionally, he also read the secret manual to become more proficient and deepen his understanding.
The next day.
[Cultivation +1] [Cultivation +1]
After collecting two bubbles, Jiang Hao headed to the Spirit Medicine Garden to collect more.
[Spirit +1] [Spirit +1] [Strength +1] [Vitality +1]
At noon.
Jiang Hao sold some more talismans.
He now had one hundred and thirty-five spirit stones and wanted to use them to buy a seed, though he did not know what kind to buy.
However, he had not refrained from buying one yesterday because he lacked spirit stones, but because his divine ability was unavailable. He wanted to appraise it before buying.
That way, he would at least know something about it.
The Snow Lotus Pavilion.
The sect's largest seller of spirit herbs.
It sold spirit herbs and medicinal pills.
Some of its spirit herbs came from Heartbreak Cliff. Jiang Hao had received orders from it before.
"Looking to buy seeds?" A uniformed attendant with twin ponytails looked at Jiang Hao and asked politely:
"What kind would you like, Senior Brother?"
"Something difficult to grow, not because of the environment, but because of the spirit herb itself," Jiang Hao answered.
"What's your price range?" the attendant asked.
"Around a hundred spirit stones," Jiang Hao said.
"A hundred? That's enough for a good seed. We have one that's just right for you, Senior Brother." The attendant gestured invitingly:
"Please come inside, Senior Brother."
A customer spending a hundred spirit stones was not a particularly big spender, but among Foundation Establishment cultivators, it was respectable enough.
A short while later.
At the seed counter, Jiang Hao saw a snow-white seed resting quietly inside a box.
"A Snow Lotus Seed. It grows into a top-grade spirit herb used for healing and improving cultivation. It grows best in snowy terrain, but it can still grow elsewhere.
"It will just grow a little more slowly.
"The price is ninety-nine spirit stones.
"Would this meet your requirements, Senior Brother?" the attendant asked after her introduction.
Appraise. Jiang Hao activated his divine ability.
He trusted his divine ability's results more.
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