The Mo Household

As Mo Wen trained diligently day and night, his proficiency in his Cultivation Methods rose at a speed beyond ordinary people's imagination. In turn, that increase shortened the time he needed to cultivate. This mutually reinforcing cycle kept Mo Wen in excellent form, and his progress could only be described as advancing by leaps and bounds.

The days were peaceful, he had no shortage of resources, and his strength grew with each passing day. Mo Wen loved this quiet yet fulfilling life, and his fear of being too weak had diminished by more than half.

Mo Wen had no intention of setting foot outside Red Leaf Market before reaching Foundation Establishment.

Time flew like a white colt glimpsed through a crack, gone in an instant. Before he knew it, more than five months had passed.

"Huh, I'm a year older!"

Mo Wen looked at his status panel and let out a long sigh.

Host: Mo Wen

Talent: Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence (reap what you sow; effort will always bring rewards!)

Age: (58/104)

Spirit Roots: Four Spirit Roots (wood 36, metal 27, fire 23, water 9)

Cultivation: Seventh Layer of Qi Refining (217/1000)

Cultivation Methods: Azure Wood Instruction (minor mastery 492/5000), Sun Essence and Moon Radiance Life-Praying Technique (entry 1645/10000), Hundred Transformations Heart Scripture Qi Refining Chapter (proficient 458/500)

Law Techniques: Wood Shield Technique (minor mastery 1329/5000), Fireball Technique (proficient 438/500), Geng Metal Finger (minor mastery 271/5000)

Talisman Dao: First-Tier Middle-Grade (624/5000)

"Before I knew it, it's been almost ten months since I transmigrated to this world! I wonder if my family in my old world will think of me today?"

"Today counts as my birthday too, so I should celebrate somehow. How about a meal of Spirit Cuisine?"

Come to think of it, Mo Wen had heard rumors about Spirit Cuisine several times already. Now that he had no shortage of Spirit Stones, he naturally wanted to try it for himself.

The Merry Tower was the most famous Spirit Cuisine restaurant in Red Leaf Market. Its signature dishes were "blood deer stew" and "little fish-dragon soup." The blood deer stew was made with a freshly matured blood deer as its main ingredient, refined with eighteen kinds of mountain delicacies and spirit ingredients. It was said to be "unrivaled in freshness and flavor"!

The little fish-dragon soup, on the other hand, had only one ingredient: first-tier superior-grade dragon whisker fish. The dish relied entirely on the ingredient's own flavor. Simmered through three stages using twelve methods of controlling the flame, it tasted exquisite, and everyone who tried it sang its praises.

Since Mo Wen had finally ventured out, he naturally chose the finest things to enjoy. As soon as he entered the Merry Tower, he ordered both signature Spirit Cuisine dishes and a bottle of "drunken flower shade."

Drunken flower shade was a spirit wine produced in Hundred Flowers Valley. Its fragrance was so refreshing that drinking it was like stepping into a field of flowers. What won particular praise was that no matter how much of it one drank, it would only leave one pleasantly tipsy.

Before long, the food and wine were brought to the private room. Alone, Mo Wen had no need to worry about anything. He drank his drunken flower shade and savored the delicious dishes, truly "enjoying himself to the utmost"!

Just as he was enjoying his meal, a sudden commotion broke out outside. Mo Wen frowned and continued with his food and wine. He had never been one to join in the excitement, so why would he meddle in other people's affairs?

Then a sudden shouted curse caught his attention.

"Mo Qingshi, who are you trying to impress, pretending to be such a big clove of garlic? Your Mo Household's ancestor is about to pass away, and whether you can even hold on to Jingxiu Mountain is still up in the air. Yet you dare run your mouth in front of me!"

"Chen Kun! You dare slander my ancestor? I'd say you're tired of living!"

"..."

Mo Wen cared about nothing else, but he was interested in the matter of the Mo Household's ancestor being near death. The Mo Household of Jingxiu Mountain was the cultivation lineage his body's original owner had come from.

The Mo Household was renowned for its Talisman Dao and had established its lineage on Jingxiu Mountain over two hundred years ago. In that time, it had produced three Foundation Establishment High Persons. Two had already fallen on their Dao Paths, and only Ancestor Mo Yifeng remained in the world, though he was in his twilight years.

When Mo Wen left the lineage, Ancestor Yifeng had already been nearly two hundred years old. Thirty years had passed since then, and he was indeed approaching the limit of his lifespan. Generally speaking, Foundation Establishment cultivators had a theoretical lifespan of two hundred and forty years, but most found it difficult to live past two hundred and twenty because of hidden injuries.

After reaching Foundation Establishment, Ancestor Yifeng had obtained a life-extending fruit through a fortunate coincidence, adding twenty years to his lifespan. That was how he had lived until now.

"By my reckoning, Ancestor Yifeng is already two hundred and twenty-four. No matter how long he can hold on, I'm afraid he has ten years at most. If the Mo Clan can't produce another Foundation Establishment High Person before his lifespan runs out, the Mo Household won't be able to keep Jingxiu Mountain."

Mo Wen had no particular feelings for the Mo Household, nor had he thought of saving it. He was, however, very interested in its talisman inheritance.

As a member of the Mo Household, the original owner had known many of the lineage's secrets, especially those concerning the Talisman Dao.

The Mo Household's talisman inheritance was of a very high level and included a small amount of knowledge about third-tier talismans. A prodigy with exceptional talent in the Talisman Dao could potentially draw third-tier talismans at the Foundation Establishment level.

"I wonder if I can break through to Foundation Establishment within ten years. If I can, I could use the original owner's identity to make plans for the Mo Household's talisman inheritance."

"It looks like I'll need to keep an eye out for information about the Mo Household for a while."

At that thought, Mo Wen lost his appetite. Hearing that the argument outside was still going, he pushed open the door and walked out.

Besides its private rooms, the Merry Tower had a hall that could seat dozens of diners. At the moment, two groups were arguing loudly in the hall, while two restaurant attendants stood to the side, trying to break it up.

After listening for a moment, Mo Wen learned that five Mo Household members had come this time, led by none other than Mo Qingshi.

Mo Qingshi was young, around twenty-five or twenty-six, and his cultivation was at the Qi Refinement Sixth Layer. For Mo Qingshi to have reached that level at such a young age, there could only be two reasons: either he was quite talented, or he had an extraordinary background.

Seeing that the other Mo Clan members deferred to Mo Qingshi, Mo Wen judged that the young man's father must hold a high position in the Mo Household.

Since its first ancestor had established its foundation on Jingxiu Mountain, the Mo Household had passed down through seven generations. In the early days of the lineage, its members had been few, and no generation characters had been set. Only from the fourth generation onward had the Mo Household assigned its descendants the eight generation characters, "Great Dao, forever verdant; everlasting prosperity for all ages."

By that reckoning, Mo Wen belonged to the "Chang" generation, and while he was in the lineage, his name had been Mo Changwen. After leaving, however, he had dropped the "Chang" and changed his name to Mo Wen.

Mo Wen's current position was rather awkward, and he had no intention of revealing his connection to Mo Qingshi and the others. His main reason for coming out was to learn something about the Mo Household's current situation from the diners watching the commotion.

Sure enough, after making some deliberate inquiries, Mo Wen did obtain some information about the Mo Household.