Free Web NovelChapter 155: Chapter 155: Celestial Principle Stone
The non-human sedan bearers covered nearly ten feet with each stride, moving with an air of chasing mountains and overtaking seas.
Catching up to the wolf-mastiff was a simple matter. They deliberately slowed their pace to travel alongside them.
It was a display of effortless ease.
Noticing Bai Mo’s curious gaze, the two non-humans even had the leisure to give him a slight nod.
Bai Mo knew at once he’d been rude and quickly offered an apologetic smile.
"Are you a senior brother from Broken Blade Peak?"
Xin Meng leaned halfway out of the sedan, his voice full of warmth.
Wei Xianxing sized him up.
"I am. And you are...?"
"I am Xin Meng, a disciple of the Jinyu lineage. My master is Ge Liangheng!"
Xin Meng said with a chuckle.
"We’re old acquaintances with Broken Blade Peak."
Realization dawned on Wei Xianxing as he glanced at the two non-human sedan bearers.
"So you’re his disciple. The Array Dao lineage... You all are certainly acting more and more like grand lords these days."
After saying this, he looked at Bai Mo.
"You two know each other?"
Bai Mo nodded.
"He is Brother Xin, whom I met in the Celestial Barrier Mountain."
A few junior brothers from Broken Blade Peak had once accepted the First Senior Brother’s invitation to go to the Celestial Barrier Mountain to lend a hand, and they had even requested to borrow a deacon’s treasure.
Wei Xianxing knew about this.
"He’s an Array Master, after all. It certainly won’t hurt you to associate with them."
"Ge Liangheng is fine, but his disciples have all sorts of styles, some of which are quite controversial. It’s nothing major, though."
Xin Meng paid no mind to Wei Xianxing’s slightly cold attitude.
The Jinyu lineage was full of Array Masters with a penchant for extravagance. Some of its disciples were even worse—arrogant and spoiled, constantly causing trouble.
They had clashed with disciples from Broken Blade Peak on several occasions, forging a private grudge between the two groups.
Only his master, Ge Liangheng, had deep ties to the deacons of Broken Blade Peak, so the two sides maintained a closer relationship.
"Brother Bai, you’re traveling with Brother Wei. Does this mean you’ve already joined Broken Blade Peak?"
Xin Meng asked Bai Mo softly.
After Bai Mo confirmed it, he said in surprise:
"I thought for sure you would join the Shouque lineage. Your temperament seems to be a perfect fit for them."
Bai Mo sighed.
"It was my honor to have received the favor of a senior brother from the Shouque lineage."
"However, my heart is set on the Alchemy Dao, so I had no choice but to decline."
Xin Meng’s expression turned empathetic. He understood Bai Mo’s predicament.
Loose Cultivators lack deep foundations. To obtain cultivation resources, they have to scheme and hustle relentlessly.
After joining the Xuandao Sect, one could normally rely on sect missions to make a living.
However, most of the stable income came from missions that required wielding a sword.
For Bai Mo, that path was clearly unsuitable, so his only option was to rely on the Alchemy Dao.
"If I hadn’t found success in the Array Dao, I’m afraid I would also be squandering my years away."
"When I think about it that way, Brother Bai’s situation and mine are not so different."
Xin Meng sighed wistfully.
"Joining Broken Blade Peak is actually a good fit. You can protect your own path that way. People like us don’t have many options."
Bai Mo was confused by all this, so he changed the subject and asked:
"Brother Xin, are you also headed for the Destiny Reading?"
At the mention of this, Xin Meng paused. He subconsciously tightened his robes, a hint of worry returning to his face.
"That’s right. Brother Bai, as a new disciple of Broken Blade Peak, you have the privilege of being tested directly by the elders."
"It’s different for us disciples from Jinyu Mountain. Every Destiny Reading is a huge affair. To avoid delays from the crowds, I have to go on ahead!"
He called out to his non-human bearers.
"Oh, right. Brother, are you staying on Broken Blade Peak now?"
Bai Mo quickly replied, "Right by Suspended Blade Cliff."
"Suspended Blade Cliff? That’s not a very good spot."
Xin Meng muttered, then said aloud:
"I’ll come visit you when I’m free!"
With that, his bearers put on a burst of speed, and the sedan vanished into the distance in moments.
Wei Xianxing’s expression was not pleasant.
"See that? The Array Masters on Jinyu Mountain are too used to a life of comfort. They’ve lost their edge."
"How can anyone achieve greatness on their path with an attitude like that? Junior Brother, you must not follow their example!"
He said resentfully:
"The only reason we even acknowledge them is that Ge Liangheng still takes his disciples to explore ancient ruins, showing his desire to seek the Dao is not yet dead. Otherwise, we wouldn’t give them the time of day!"
...
By the time they reached the foot of Celestial Justice Peak, the stars and moon were shining brightly.
Bai Mo looked up, feeling that the stars here seemed even more brilliant.
He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but there seemed to be more stars in the sky than usual.
A forest of stone pillars was arranged all around them.
Wei Xianxing pondered for a moment, chose a spot, lit a bonfire, and sat down right where he was.
"The stone pillars here are secretly arranged according to the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams. Junior Brother, don’t wander off. We’ll just make do here for the night."
Bai Mo agreed. He wouldn’t have dared to move about recklessly anyway.
The other day, when Brother Shui had brought him here, they had only waited outside the stone pillars for about fifteen minutes before leaving.
When asked for the reason, Shui Ziming had only said that Celestial Justice Peak had no intention of taking new disciples.
"The elders have likely retired for the night. You should get some rest. We’ll head over early tomorrow morning."
After speaking, Wei Xianxing closed his eyes and began to feign sleep.
Bai Mo said, "I understand."
However, he immediately sat down cross-legged and began to slowly circulate the techniques of the Divine Thought Transformation Scripture.
Not daring to toy with the Divine Thought in his mind again, Bai Mo only tried to sense its trajectory.
In just a moment, Bai Mo perceived its true trajectory from the unseen.
He withdrew from that state and sensed his physical body. Seeing that he hadn’t consumed much vital energy, joy bloomed in his heart.
’Sure enough, in this place, Divine Thought doesn’t seem so hard to grasp!’
Wei Xianxing opened his eyes. His gaze swept over this new junior brother of Broken Blade Peak, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.
’He hasn’t lost his drive. Only someone like this can be called a disciple of Broken Blade Peak.’
By the next morning, a cold dew had settled. After cultivating all night, Bai Mo only felt a sense of emptiness in his body.
There was none of the previous feeling of his vital essence and spirit being completely drained.
"Brother, my method for cultivating Divine Thought benefits greatly from being here. Do you know why that is?"
Bai Mo asked, chewing on a large mouthful of Demon Beast meat.
The Red-Eyed Wolf-Mastiff had left before dawn and returned with the leg of some unknown beast.
Wei Xianxing thought for a moment and said:
"I’ve heard the energy here is different. If it weren’t so difficult to gain entry, many of our sect brothers would be fighting tooth and nail for a spot to cultivate here."
"Is that so?"
Bai Mo was greatly surprised.
’An energy that can directly empower Divine Thought is a rare thing in this world!’
"Do you know the specifics?"
Wei Xianxing tore off a mouthful of meat.
"Hah, I’m just a crude fellow. How could I explain it clearly?"
"If you really want to understand, you’d have to ask the Cultivators on Celestial Justice Peak."
He pointed toward the unremarkable-looking Celestial Justice Peak, where one could faintly make out overgrown forests and little sign of human life.
"The disciples on Celestial Justice Peak number no more than ten, and the mountain itself isn’t well-maintained."
"On the days of the Destiny Reading, when the senior brothers go up the mountain to stand guard, it feels like we’re trekking out into the wilds."
Bai Mo asked curiously:
"Then what do those senior brothers live on?"
"A Cultivator’s training always requires resources."
Wei Xianxing paused.
He had chanced upon disciples from Celestial Justice Peak a couple of times when it wasn’t a Destiny Reading day.
They were grimy and unkempt—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them wild men. They looked as if they had been wandering the mountains for more than three months.
Even more extreme, some would sit in meditation for two years straight and earn high praise from their sect brothers for it.
’Do Cultivators like that ever actually try to earn Spirit Stones?’
He frowned, then suddenly remembered something.
"Right! I almost forgot."
"The energy here can fuse into the ore. It’s said to be highly sought after by weapon forgers and blacksmiths."
"The ore itself has no name, but some Cultivators named it the Celestial Principle Stone, and it sells for a high price."
He gave Bai Mo a meaningful look.
"With a name that grand, how could it not command a high price?"
"That group of destitute, ascetic Cultivators don’t normally produce anything, and they have sect privileges that exempt them from service and chores."
"If it weren’t for the Celestial Principle Stone supporting them, they wouldn’t even be able to survive!"
