Free Web NovelChapter 145: Chapter 145: Selection
「The next day, the sun shone brightly.」
Shui Ziming, who had come looking for Bai Mo, found the two of them deep in a pleasant conversation.
"Junior Brothers, what’s all this...?"
He was a little surprised, his gaze falling on Bai Mo and Liu Ji, who were walking arm-in-arm.
Liu Ji greeted him with a smile.
"Ah, it’s Brother Shui. Have you finished with your tasks?"
"Thanks to the care of all our senior brothers, the spring scenery on Beast Taming Peak is always lovely. I was just enjoying a spring walk with Brother Bai..."
Shui Ziming raised an eyebrow, a hint of gratification rising in his heart.
"Excellent. This is how fellow disciples of our sect should be!"
"Says who?"
A rough, booming voice rang out, clearly laced with displeasure.
Bai Mo turned to see an unusually burly man approaching. His hair was barely an inch long.
His clothes were stretched taut, looking as if they would burst from his rock-like muscles.
When Bai Mo and Liu Ji met the man’s electric gaze, it was so intense it almost hurt, and they quickly looked away.
"If everyone’s so friendly, how are you supposed to motivate the sect’s disciples to cultivate? I’m afraid they’ll all just become lazy."
"The great matter of cultivation—how can you rely on just their pitiful desire for the Dao?"
"Junior Brother Shui, you’re wrong."
It was the first time Bai Mo had seen someone lecturing Brother Shui, and he couldn’t help but be amazed.
Shui Ziming remained noncommittal.
"The path of the Dao is filled with beautiful scenery. It isn’t just about fighting and killing."
"Why wear yourself out and make cultivation so complicated?"
The burly man sneered.
"You, Shui Ziming, since you set foot on the path of the Dao, haven’t you killed more than I have?"
With that, he didn’t argue further, turning his gaze directly to Bai Mo.
"Is this the junior brother you mentioned?"
Shui Ziming nodded.
"He is."
Bai Mo cupped his fists in salute.
"Bai Mo greets Senior Brother."
A glint suddenly flashed in the burly man’s eyes. He stared at Bai Mo for a moment before slowly nodding.
"Not too bad."
"I’ll wait for you at the Collection Pavilion. Don’t dally. If we wait for the old stubborn fools to come back, it’ll be a real hassle."
"I don’t have the patience for it."
With that, he turned and left.
Liu Ji watched the man’s burly figure retreat, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"Brother Shui, is that man the guardian of the Collection Pavilion, Zhu Minghua?"
"He is."
"I knew it," Liu Ji said. "He’s as burly as the rumors say."
"I also heard he’s a difficult person to get along with. I didn’t expect you to be familiar with him, Brother Shui."
Shui Ziming shook his head.
"Brother Zhu is a good person. It’s just that he’s guarded the Collection Pavilion for so long without interacting with people that he’s developed an eccentric personality."
Setting that aside, he was quite curious about Bai Mo and Liu Ji’s relationship.
Two short days shouldn’t be enough for a relationship to progress this far.
Could it be because of their shared business acumen?
Regarding this, Liu Ji explained, "It’s really that this junior brother’s ways suit our tastes."
The green horse that ate the Feeding Pill yesterday had already recovered. Its appetite was much better, and it had more energy than the day before.
Junior Brother Mo was so eager that he knocked on Liu Ji’s door first thing in the morning, inviting Bai Mo to come see as well.
"At this rate, this batch of green horses might even have a second spring."
That was Junior Brother Mo’s assessment.
After Liu Ji double-checked, he felt it was more or less true.
The two of them immediately had their eyes light up.
So, regarding the price previously discussed with Bai Mo, Liu Ji took the initiative and raised the offer.
The two parties reached a purchase agreement for 1,200 Spirit Stones, with only the written contract left to be signed.
"Junior Brother’s skill in creating Feeding Pills has reached such a level?"
Shui Ziming was surprised.
Bai Mo said humbly, "I’ve only dabbled a little."
Liu Ji, standing beside him, chimed in:
"Brother Bai’s prices are fair. He’s a true businessman, unlike those people from Pill Peak..."
He shook his head as he spoke, recalling his experience of going to them to request pills.
"Brother Bai’s price of two Spirit Stones... compared to the Pill Peak disciples, it’s not even a fraction of theirs."
Liu Ji chuckled.
"The Spirit Beasts under my care have never had Feeding Pills of this quality. It’s a good time for a change of pace."
Shui Ziming wasn’t interested in business matters; he only needed to know the gist of the situation.
He led Bai Mo away.
Liu Ji called out from behind:
"Brother Bai, go on ahead! When you get back, I’ll tell you about the method to get a Spirit Beast’s cheek pouch."
Beast Taming Peak and the Collection Pavilion were not too far apart, only a half-day’s walk.
There was a flat, open space behind it, filled with flowers and Spirit Grass and surrounded by a winding stream. The area was exceptionally quiet, making it a suitable location for the Collection Pavilion.
The empty area in front could also be used by Cultivators to practice their Cultivation Techniques.
Originally, this place was also suitable for a racecourse, and the land itself belonged to Beast Taming Peak.
However, the disciples of Beast Taming Peak weren’t competitive enough and couldn’t win against an elder whose fists were law.
When Bai Mo arrived, he saw many disciples coming and going, all engrossed in the ancient books they held.
Some were even muttering to themselves with fanatical expressions, looking rather unhinged.
"Junior Brother, don’t make any noise here."
Shui Ziming explained, "These disciples are all Cultivators who have taken on miscellaneous sect tasks. Upon completion, they are allowed to come here and read."
The so-called Collection Pavilion was just a three-story tower.
In front of the entrance stood a locust tree, and beneath it, Zhu Minghua was lying on a chair, feigning sleep with his arms crossed.
Many disciples passing by him subconsciously lightened their steps.
Just as Bai Mo approached, Zhu Minghua opened his eyes.
He pointed to the entrance, gesturing for Bai Mo to go in himself, then looked at Shui Ziming.
"Your cultivation has grown much deeper. My Spiritual Sense can’t detect you unless you’re within thirty feet."
"After you achieve your breakthrough, you and I will have a match."
Shui Ziming ignored him, simply gesturing for Bai Mo to enter the tower.
Bai Mo wanted to listen to their verbal sparring, but unfortunately, he wasn’t given the chance, so he had no choice but to obediently walk into the tower.
The interior was unadorned and very simple, built only to be sturdy.
Bai Mo walked up the stairs, passing disciples who were going up and down.
Following Shui Ziming’s instructions, Bai Mo didn’t stop, heading straight for the third floor.
On the first two floors, more than ten Cultivators were crowded together, searching for their desired techniques.
From time to time, there were polite whispers asking others to make way.
Bai Mo’s gaze swept over the books in their hands, and he saw they were all killing methods of some kind.
Once he reached the third floor, there were fewer Cultivators.
With only four or five people, there was no need to take the books outside to read. Each person occupied a corner, reading quietly and intently.
Seeing Bai Mo come up, a couple of them glanced over, looking somewhat surprised.
"Junior Brother, what kind of Cultivation Technique are you looking for?"
A Cultivator leaning lazily against a bookshelf asked in a gentle voice.
Bai Mo cupped his fists toward him.
"It’s a Cultivation Technique of the Divine Thought type. I would ask Senior Brother for guidance."
The man sighed, slapped his forehead, then stood up and walked away, pointing to where he had been.
"It’s right here."
Bai Mo nodded and looked at the spot where the man had been.
Several ancient texts were lying there haphazardly.
The *Sword and Axe Divine Method*, the *Silk-Reeling Cocoon-Peeling Divine Nurturing Method*, the *Peaceful Spirit Scripture*...
Bai Mo was very curious about them, but he didn’t actually pick them up to look.
There were restrictions on them, so they couldn’t normally be read.
His fingers slid along the shelf, and Bai Mo quickly found a book titled *Divine Thought Transformation Scripture*.
He took out his sect Token and tapped it against the book. An invisible force rippled out.
With a light flick of his hand, the Cultivation Technique manual flipped open.
The pages were densely packed with descriptions of the technique, with almost no illustrations—just pure text.
A normal person would probably feel dizzy at first glance.
However, Bai Mo had read many Pill Books, so he wasn’t bothered by it.
After only a couple of glances, his mind was completely immersed.
