Beiyan Chapter Ten: A Request

Mo Hao stepped out of the main hall, drawing countless astonished glances, yet he paid them no mind. It was rare for him to venture to the outer gate, and he wished to take the opportunity to explore the other training grounds there. The outer gate was surrounded by nineteen peaks, with a low-lying area in the center housing the inner gate, where the sect leader and many inner gate disciples trained.

As for the Golden Core elders, they remained indifferent to worldly affairs, seldom lingering within the sect. They likely only appeared when the sect faced a crisis. Each of the nineteen peaks contained halls where disciples could train and exchange items. Mo Hao approached a passing cultivator to inquire about the way, then flew straight to the summit of one of the peaks, inspecting each hall in turn.

The outer gate truly was the most concentrated gathering place for inner sect cultivators. Not only did each peak have facilities for alchemy and artifact forging, but every location was also guarded by cultivators. The peaks soared like bamboo shoots piercing the clouds, and the spiritual energy there rivaled that of the external affairs training chambers where Mo Hao had practiced.

Entering the alchemy room, Mo Hao marveled at the myriad of pills available for exchange. There were dozens of varieties, including the Glowmist Pill he had seen in the external affairs alchemy room. Pills that increased mana, healed wounds, or restored spiritual power were countless, truly dazzling to behold. Unregistered pill formulas could be exchanged for a large number of contribution points. If one provided alchemical ingredients, they could craft pills for a small contribution fee, though the success rate depended on the individual. However, some important pills were not available for alchemical crafting.

Mo Hao then visited the artifact forging pavilion. Like the alchemy room, contribution points could be used to purchase various magical artifacts. He saw several mid-grade artifacts for sale, but their prices were astronomical, numbers that seemed unattainable. Unlike the alchemy room, the artifact pavilion also accepted spirit stones in exchange for artifacts. By providing raw materials, one could commission a master forger to craft an artifact.

In the world of cultivators, whether forging artifacts, refining pills, or the more esoteric arts of talisman creation and formation arrays, these skills were highly revered by all. Most cultivators devoted themselves wholly to cultivation, leaving little time for such crafts. Yet cultivation could not proceed without them. Thus, although many alchemists and forgers were not highly advanced in cultivation, their status often exceeded that of some cultivators.

Some cultivators would rather offend those stronger than themselves than antagonize alchemists or forgers. Alchemists could manufacture countless pills that enhanced magical power and cultivation, but they could also concoct deadly poisons that could kill mortals instantly and drain cultivators’ mana—a truly treacherous power.

Mo Hao pondered that if he could obtain a defensive artifact from the forging pavilion, his upcoming journey down the mountain would be much safer. With this in mind, he quickly examined some low-grade defensive artifacts. Even the most basic, called the Scattered Gold Umbrella, cost thirty spirit stones. Offensive artifacts required only about a dozen spirit stones for exchange.

Noticing the scarcity of defensive artifacts, Mo Hao sighed. These items were rare and precious, especially since the sect encouraged disciples to venture out and trained them by raising the spirit stone cost for artifacts. Counting his resources, including this month’s stipend and a recent gift from Han Qing, Mo Hao barely had thirteen low-grade spirit stones, making defensive talismans and the like out of reach. Though talismans were single-use items, their crafting was as difficult as alchemy, and their defense capabilities surpassed some defensive artifacts. None could be exchanged with only thirteen spirit stones.

Feeling at a loss, Mo Hao reflected that among his acquaintances within the sect, only Feng Xing and Han Qing came to mind. Han Qing had recently left for Hanzhong City, unreachable for now. He wondered if Feng Xing, a senior brother in external affairs, was still within the sect. Feng Xing likely knew more about the matter than Han Qing, or else he would not have taken the risky mission to Wraith Beast Mountain.

Although risky, Mo Hao had noticed a trace of confidence in Feng Xing on New Year's Eve. Usually, cultivators eliminated in the grand competition returned home with their heads hung low, as reentering the outer gate was difficult. Typically, one had to defeat mid-ranked outer gate disciples to regain entry. Otherwise, eliminating disciples only to replace them with external affairs disciples would be meaningless. This harshness was designed to cultivate the best inner disciples.

From what Mo Hao saw, Feng Xing was unwilling to be ousted by the Void Sword Sect and was determined to reenter the outer gate. This thought gave Mo Hao a slight worry, as he had little contact with Feng Xing, who was certainly stronger and more resourceful than himself. Though Mo Hao and Han Qing were sworn brothers, he resolved to remain cautious when venturing out, not as carefree as when with Han Qing.

Mo Hao infused his spiritual power into the Cold Paulownia Sword. It had been several days since breaking through to mid-Condensation stage, and as his cultivation stabilized, he grew more adept at wielding the sword. His flying speed was modest, but the ability to traverse sky and earth was a dream for many—especially for a boy just over ten years old like Mo Hao.

Besides focusing on mastering the Cold Paulownia Sword, he reflected on the scar-faced woman he had encountered earlier that day at the Armor Hall. She had seemingly scanned him with spiritual sense, an unsettling sensation as if his entire being had been stripped bare. When one breaks through from Condensation to Foundation Establishment, they can condense the Sea of Consciousness into a spiritual sense—something Mo Hao envied. He had read in the Hundred Treasures Tome that spiritual sense served as a cultivator’s second set of eyes, capable of detecting danger. Some strange spiritual sense techniques could even attack others’ Sea of Consciousness, making defense difficult.

Lost in thought, Mo Hao soon arrived at the foot of the mountain. He looked back up at Ren Peak. His small figure was insignificant against the towering, cloud-piercing mountain. After lingering a while, he flew toward the external affairs mountain gate. Upon reaching the main hall, an elder informed him that Feng Xing was currently drinking with some mortal disciples within the external affairs mountain.

Mo Hao smiled slightly. Feng, it seemed, was quite the wine connoisseur. He had heard Feng was elated within the external affairs mountain gate, yet troubled over something and wanted to seek Feng’s counsel. After a long search, Mo Hao finally found Feng Xing, who was happily drinking with three disciples and composing poetry to admire the moon.

“Senior Brother Feng, what a refined mood you have!”

“Oh? Junior Brother Mo, you’re here! Sit, sit! Why the worried brow? Tell your senior brother about it.”

Feng Xing warmly invited Mo Hao to join them, bidding farewell to the three disciples.