Free Web NovelChapter 154: Chapter 154: The Judgment of Destiny
Dawn was breaking.
The morning dew had not yet evaporated, gathering into beads on leaves and stems.
Bai Mo held a ceramic knife, scraping the dewdrops off and collecting them in an alchemy vial.
Some of the Spirit Beasts on Beast Taming Peak only enjoyed eating the fresh morning plants, losing their appetite by noon.
After observing them repeatedly, Bai Mo suspected it was because of the dew on the plants.
The Spiritual Qi within the Xuandao Sect was rich, so perhaps the dew had some unique properties. He could try using it to concoct a Feeding Pill.
In the distance, two figures were talking.
The muffled sound of their whispers reached him, and Bai Mo turned to see Shi Tong leading someone up the mountain.
Early in the morning, a few senior brothers from Broken Blade Peak were already practicing, swinging their weapons with focused intent, sending blasts of energy in all directions.
The two approaching figures were very cautious as they walked past.
Bai Mo stood up and glanced at the sun in the sky.
"You left before dawn?"
Shi Tong quickly replied, "I didn’t dare waste your time, Senior Brother."
"There’s no need to be so formal."
Bai Mo turned his gaze to the cultivator he had brought along.
His dark skin and the thick calluses on his hands, combined with a coarse-featured face, made him look far older than his actual age.
"I am Bai Mo. A pleasure to meet you, Senior Brother."
Li Zigeng returned the courtesy, and the two exchanged names.
With a flick of his hand, a round bundle appeared. The fact that he possessed a spatial storage item showed he had considerable means.
"Brother Bai, take a look. Although the herbs I have here can’t compare to those from Medicine Peak, they are still of excellent quality."
The bundle was unfurled, revealing the herbs within and releasing a bitter fragrance.
Bai Mo looked them over, picking through them slightly.
"They are indeed quite good. More than enough for Alchemy."
"But is your medicinal field lacking in fertility, Senior Brother? The leaves of this Blood Essence Grass are a bit small."
Li Zigeng gave Bai Mo a surprised look.
"The most useful part of Blood Essence Grass is its root, which invigorates the blood. I didn’t think many people cared about its other parts."
Bai Mo shook his head.
"Its leaves have an aphrodisiac and blood-enriching effect that the root cannot replace."
The aphrodisiac effect of this grass wasn’t actually very strong, weaker than many common herbs.
However, the Spirit Beasts on Beast Taming Peak were more receptive to this particular substance.
Li Zigeng didn’t understand the reasoning behind this, merely assuming the Alchemy Cultivator had his own considerations.
"In that case, I will swap out the portion of Blood Essence Grass. Do you have any other thoughts on the remaining herbs, Junior Brother?"
He was a disciple of Medicine Peak, so finding some herbs wasn’t a difficult task for him.
This convenience was much better than Bai Mo going to Medicine Peak to search for them himself.
Bai Mo negotiated with him for a long time before they finally settled on the quantities of the herbs.
He then took out fifty Spirit Stones and pushed them over.
"This is a deposit. Please be quick, Brother Li. It would be best if you could deliver them within the next two days."
Li Zigeng paused as he was about to take the Spirit Stones.
"Two days?"
Bai Mo nodded, a little surprised.
"You don’t have them in stock, Senior Brother?"
"I do, of course."
Li Zigeng flipped his hand over and put away the Spirit Stones.
"It’s just, aren’t you going to the cause-and-effect test in the next two days, Junior Brother?"
"It’s a biennial sect event, and it’s absolutely mandatory for new disciples!"
He had been in the outer sect for over a year and hadn’t been tested yet either, so he was paying close attention to it.
Bai Mo had never heard of this and quickly asked for more details.
"Could you please explain the details, Senior Brother?"
Li Zigeng naturally had no objection and stayed for another fifteen minutes before leaving with Shi Tong.
Bai Mo saw them to the door.
"I heard the test might be in the next two days. You should prepare early, Junior Brother."
Li Zigeng still had his medicinal field to tend to, and with the sun rising higher, he couldn’t afford any delay.
So he gave this one last piece of advice and departed.
Watching them leave, Bai Mo let out a breath. ’When will Brother Wei come looking for me?’ he wondered.
This so-called cause-and-effect test was a protective measure of the Xuandao Sect.
Under the Bone Mirror and the Destiny Gaze, the origins of any living being could be seen through.
For a newly joined cultivator like himself, having his origins inspected was a certainty.
Recalling the demons Li Zigeng mentioned who had their origins exposed, Bai Mo understood the necessity of this event.
’I suppose disciples who often go out to battle other sects must really appreciate this cause-and-effect test, then?’
After all, the Cultivation Realm was filled with countless methods for plotting against others. It wouldn’t be surprising for someone to have a malicious technique planted on them if they weren’t careful.
Just as he was thinking this, he saw Wei Xianxing rushing over, muttering and cursing under his breath.
The moment he saw Bai Mo, he shouted:
"Brother Bai, hurry up and get ready! There’s a huge event at the sect, I’ll take you there!"
Bai Mo didn’t have much to pack, so he asked directly:
"Is it about the cause-and-effect test? I can leave right now!"
Wei Xianxing let out a surprised "Huh?"
"You know about it?"
"Never mind. I’ll explain on the way. Let’s go!"
...
Once again, Wei Xianxing’s Red-Eyed Wolf Mastiff carried the two of them as it sped down the mountain.
"We should have gotten the news a few days ago. The sect has special messengers to inform all the peaks."
"The one assigned to inform Broken Blade Peak was a newly promoted inner sect disciple. That bastard is still nowhere to be found."
Wei Xianxing let out a frustrated breath.
"To look down on our Broken Blade Peak like this... the senior brothers in the inner sect definitely won’t let him off easy!"
Seeing the urgent look on his face, Bai Mo quickly tried to comfort him:
"Doesn’t the test start in two days? Don’t worry, Brother Wei..."
But Wei Xianxing slapped his palm down. The Red-Eyed Wolf Mastiff yelped in pain and broke into a mad dash, leaving the various Stone Peaks of the stone forest behind them.
"You don’t understand, Junior Brother. This ceremony has a formal name: Severing Fate’s Logic!"
"If a great fortune manifests on someone and it’s noticed by the Sect Elders, with their guidance, we disciples can seize the opportunity and easily obtain a fortuitous encounter!"
Wei Xianxing’s face filled with envy.
"It’ll be a sea of people, packed beyond belief."
Bai Mo hadn’t heard about this from Li Zigeng. He wasn’t sure if Li Zigeng didn’t know or if there was some other reason.
"Are you rushing now because you want to get a spot near the front, Senior Brother?"
Wei Xianxing scoffed.
"Line up for what?"
"In previous years, it’s always been disciples from our Broken Blade Peak who managed security at the Severing Fate’s Logic ceremony."
"We’ll find one of our senior brothers and get ourselves tested before it even starts."
He shot Bai Mo a meaningful look.
"Think how much trouble that’ll save us."
Bai Mo nodded happily.
He had a lot on his plate, so finishing this early meant he could get back to his own business sooner.
He could see that the number of cultivators in the stone forest was increasing.
The Red-Eyed Wolf Mastiff leaped and bounded, overtaking a few cultivators who were traveling at a leisurely pace.
Its steps quickened, and it left another group of hurriedly leaping cultivators in its dust.
At this speed, reaching Mirror Lake by early morning tomorrow would be no problem.
While Wei Xianxing was there, Bai Mo remembered a few things he didn’t understand about the *Mixed Fighting Qi*.
"Senior Brother, there are some parts of the Cultivation Technique I’m confused about..."
Wei Xianxing was surprised that he had started learning this technique first, but then he remembered it was the easiest one to get started with and felt it made sense.
He immediately began to speak with great confidence.
When it came to guiding a newcomer, especially a junior brother he had personally recruited, Wei Xianxing didn’t hold back.
"If I weren’t afraid of startling the Wolf Mastiff, I’d demonstrate it for you right now!"
Bai Mo listened attentively, constantly cross-referencing what he heard with the contents of the manual, and gained a great deal of insight.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Just as the two were getting into the swing of their discussion, they suddenly heard a series of dull thuds.
They ignored it and continued their conversation.
They thought the noise would fade after a moment, but instead, it grew more rapid and seemed to be getting closer.
Wei Xianxing became furious and turned, ready to curse someone out.
But Bai Mo grabbed him, his eyes shining.
"It’s Brother Xin, Xin Meng!"
In a moving sedan chair in the distance, Xin Meng was pulling back the curtain, waving and calling out to Bai Mo repeatedly.
His sedan bearers were, shockingly, two large-footed non-humans, their bodies crimson all over with muscles like solid rock.
The two tall non-humans strode forward, effortlessly catching up to the Wolf Mastiff.
Wei Xianxing couldn’t help but stare.
