Free Web NovelChapter 148: Chapter 148: Becoming Official
Beast Taming Peak truly lived up to its reputation as a place where one’s cultivation journey came to a dead end.
Aside from a few cultivators coming and going on daily business, there were no outside visitors.
Furthermore, it was currently the breeding season for Spirit Beasts, so trading was infrequent.
The peak was even more deserted.
Liu Ji and his junior brother went back to their old days of dealing only with Spirit Beasts.
This was mainly because Bai Mo kept to himself, rarely making an appearance.
If he hadn’t occasionally heard the faint sounds of washing from the room next door, Liu Ji would have thought something had happened to his junior brother.
This continued for nine days, until Shui Ziming’s arrival finally drew Bai Mo out of his seclusion.
Liu Ji, who was standing nearby, felt his heart jump the moment Bai Mo opened the door.
"Junior Brother, are you alright!?"
Bai Mo’s face was noticeably thinner than before. With dark circles under his eyes, he looked completely exhausted.
Bai Mo waved his hand and forced a smile.
"Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. I’m fine."
Shui Ziming also cast a surprised glance his way.
"I didn’t expect cultivating the Divine Thought Transformation Scripture to consume such an astonishing amount of vital essence."
Bai Mo gave a wry smile. There was more to the story, but it wasn’t the right time to explain, so he just said:
"Brother Shui, have you come today because the matter has been settled?"
Shui Ziming nodded.
"It wasn’t a difficult task to begin with. I just had the disciple in charge move it up on his schedule."
"You get some good rest. I need to help someone find something on Beast Taming Peak. In a couple of days, I’ll take you to see Broken Blade Peak."
Bai Mo agreed and watched as Liu Ji and Shui Ziming departed.
He returned to his room, a dull, throbbing pain still lingering in his mind.
Bai Mo was quite vexed.
Bolstered by the Fire Marrow Pills, he had worked nonstop for days, and as a result, his supply of pills was almost gone.
After endless attempts, he finally managed to grasp the so-called trajectory of Divine Thought.
He was even more surprised to discover that he seemed able to subtly stir the Divine Thought, so he attempted it many more times.
The results were less than stellar. Aside from eliciting a response from the Divine Thought—a faint tremor that displayed Bai Mo’s supposed "talent"—he gained nothing else.
’I should have known better than to try,’ he thought. ’What was the point of chasing that momentary thrill?’
If not for the Fire Marrow Pills, his body would have been completely spent long ago.
After two days of quiet rest, Bai Mo stopped meditating.
Nourished by the lingering medicinal effects of the Fire Marrow Pills, Bai Mo at least started to look like himself again, his spirits much improved.
"Not bad," Shui Ziming remarked when he saw him, having finished his own business. "Eat and drink well, and you’ll be back to your old self in no time."
Bai Mo looked abashed.
"The Divine Thought Transformation Scripture burns one’s essence, energy, and spirit to allow entry into the depths of the sea of consciousness in search of Divine Thought."
"I was too reckless and drained too much of my mental energy without realizing it."
But upon hearing this, Shui Ziming frowned and fell into a thoughtful silence for a moment.
"It shouldn’t have been this severe. Junior Brother, did you feel pressure while cultivating? Was there some kind of mountain-like barrier obstructing you?"
’If so, then it was a grave mistake for Bai Mo to choose this scripture,’ he thought.
’To feel like a mountain stands before you, preventing you from grasping its true meaning, proves that the scripture is incompatible with him!’
Bai Mo quickly shook his head.
"Please rest assured, Brother Shui. Though cultivating this scripture has been difficult, I have been making consistent progress."
"That’s good." Shui Ziming breathed a sigh of relief.
"Cultivators often get stuck on one path, unable to advance, and waste away their years. Even if they eventually succeed, they’re considered late bloomers."
"Only they can know the torment of such a path."
As he spoke, the two walked off into the distance.
The Demon Bear that had carried Bai Mo before ran over and respectfully crouched down, allowing them to climb onto its back. Then, it took off at a full sprint.
Leaving Beast Taming Peak, they entered another forest of stone pillars.
However, compared to the outer edges, there were far more open spaces here.
Bai Mo saw various types of plants rarely seen in the outside world, their leaves still glistening with morning dew.
Cultivators began to appear on the path, laughing and chatting. A few of them would occasionally stop to greet Shui Ziming.
Further ahead, they saw a cluster of pavilions standing by the shore of a large lake.
The shimmering light on the water made the lacquer on the wooden pavilions seem especially vibrant.
"This is a gathering place for outer sect disciples that has grown into a market square. You can come take a look in your spare time, Junior Brother."
The two of them arrived at a square pavilion with a pointed roof. Inside, a cultivator was propping his head up with one hand, looking drowsy.
The sound of their footsteps only startled him awake when they walked inside.
"Ah, Eldest Brother! What brings you here!?"
The cultivator quickly composed himself and greeted them enthusiastically.
"Heh heh, you know how it is... sleepy in the spring. Please don’t mind me."
Shui Ziming had Bai Mo take out his Token and hand it over.
"This is Junior Brother Bai Mo. He has been promoted from a Daoist Child to an outer sect disciple."
The cultivator took the Token in surprise.
"This is quite rare. I wonder what this junior brother did to earn such an opportunity?"
Shui Ziming said, "He’s from Immortal Arrival City, which is near the Celestial Barrier Mountain range. A lot has been happening over there recently."
As soon as he said that, the cultivator understood.
"Please wait a moment, you two."
He turned and lifted the curtain to a back room. After a moment, he reemerged, carefully holding an object.
He unwrapped the brocade cloth, revealing a moon-white Token adorned with many silver specks.
"Here you go, Junior Brother Bai. This is your proof of status as an outer sect disciple."
"You must take good care of it."
Bai Mo accepted it solemnly. The Token felt warm and smooth in his hand, like jade.
Clearly, the wood it was crafted from was no ordinary material.
"How could I dare be careless with a sect credential?"
The cultivator casually retrieved the brocade cloth and nodded with a smile.
"This item isn’t cheap to make. If you lose it, you’ll have to pay quite a few Spirit Stones for a replacement."
"Some disciples who go out lose their Tokens all the time. One has already paid nearly a hundred..."
Bai Mo was still in a bit of a daze as they left the pavilion.
Daoist Child and outer sect disciple—though it seemed like a single step, the difference between them was as vast as that between heaven and earth.
A Daoist Child had no obligations, whereas an outer sect disciple had to perform mandatory sect duties.
The difference in their treatment alone was enough to show who was favored and who was not.
"Outer sect disciples have many rules to follow, but as long as you complete your sect duties, the rest is manageable."
"You can learn the details on your own another time."
Shui Ziming then changed the subject.
"I’m taking you to Broken Blade Peak."
"For one, you’ll be borrowing their grounds for cultivation. For another, you should go and see if you want to officially join them."
’I really should pay a visit to Broken Blade Peak,’ Bai Mo thought.
Regarding the fifty merit points to his name, aside from Shui Ziming speaking on his behalf, Guo Lingjun—the guardian of Immortal Arrival City—had also put in a good word, giving face to Broken Blade Peak.
Only because of this had Bai Mo been able to view the Divine Thought Transformation Scripture.
The summit of Broken Blade Peak was not at all close to their current location.
Even with the Demon Bear as transport, it took the two of them over four hours to reach their destination.
The Demon Bear hesitated at the foot of the peak, seemingly in fear.
Left with no choice, the two had to proceed up the mountain on foot.
"It’s Brother Shui! To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit today?"
"Brother Xu has been looking everywhere for a sparring partner. We don’t dare face him, so you’re the perfect person to step up..."
The atmosphere here was a world apart from that of Beast Taming Peak.
There was an endless stream of cultivators coming and going.
It was easy to identify the disciples of this peak.
Most of them wore dark cyan robes and exuded a thick, martial killing aura.
Visiting cultivators who lacked a strong foundation often felt oppressed and uncomfortable, becoming somewhat timid in their presence.
As Bai Mo passed a disciple from Broken Blade Peak, he felt waves of intense pressure wash over him, making it hard to breathe.
With a wave of his sleeve, Shui Ziming dispelled the oppressive aura the Broken Blade Peak disciple was unconsciously releasing.
"The disciples of Broken Blade Peak are accustomed to fighting on the front lines, so the oppressive aura they cultivate is quite extraordinary."
Shui Ziming glanced at Bai Mo, who had just breathed a sigh of relief.
"What’s more, very few of them are weak, and they’re all willing to put their lives on the line. Disciples at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer or higher are a dime a dozen here."
