For the past few days, Shen Ke’er’s harvest had been next to nothing.
She had initially thought that gathering spirit beast meat and spiritual herbs in the Great Continent Mountains would be an easy task.
But from the very first day, she realized just how wrong she was.
Inside the valley, towering trees blocked out most of the sunlight, leaving her surrounded by shadows.
Her vision was poor, the atmosphere was oppressive, and the path ahead was covered in thorny brambles.
It was almost impossible to walk through.
Using her Foundation Establishment cultivation, she slashed her way forward, hacking at the dense thorns as she progressed.
But the gloomy, stifling environment of the valley wore on her nerves.
After only a short distance, she was already struggling to endure it.
However, she had boasted so confidently in front of Jia Ling—
If she turned back now, she would absolutely be mocked.
If word spread throughout Qingzhu Peak, her reputation would be ruined.
Yet, she had barely walked a short distance into the valley before the roars of demonic beasts echoed around her.
The beasts weren’t particularly powerful, but due to her neglect of training in favor of indulgence, each battle left her exhausted.
Every single kill required her to expend her full strength, and she suffered numerous injuries.
After days of struggling in the outermost parts of the valley, her harvest was pathetically small—
Not only were the spirit herbs and beast meat of poor quality, but there was barely any to begin with.
If she ventured deeper, the demonic beasts would only become stronger and more frequent.
She couldn’t help but wonder—
How had Lin Mo managed to go so deep into the valley, harvesting the finest spirit herbs and spirit beast meat?
The truth was now undeniable—
She simply did not have the ability to survive in the Great Continent Mountains.
Let alone return with a full harvest.
Going back was humiliating—but it was better than dying here.
With this realization, she finally decided to turn back and leave the mountains.
Her return journey was anything but smooth.
Somewhere along the way, she became lost in the valley.
By the time she finally found the exit, she was blocked once again—
A monstrous, spider-like demonic beast stood in her way.
Another desperate battle ensued.
Every defensive artifact that Lin Mo had previously given her was now completely used up.
Only by exhausting all her resources did she barely manage to survive.
Dragging her wounded, exhausted body, she staggered forward, leaving the Great Continent Mountains behind.
She had only walked a few steps before an unnerving sensation spread across her entire body.
Her veins burned, as if ants were gnawing at her from the inside—
The pain was unbearable.
Within moments, dark, web-like poison veins began to spread all over her body, tracing along her blood vessels.
Her vision blurred—
And then, everything went black.
She collapsed unconscious.
As soon as Lin Mo stepped out of seclusion, he spotted Qu Ruyan sitting in the pavilion nearby, boredly fiddling with her fingers.
The moment she saw him, she sprang to her feet.
“Senior Brother Lin! You’re finally out!”
Watching the bouncing girl rush toward him, Lin Mo rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
“Didn’t I tell you all not to come looking for me unless it was important?”
“But I do have something important!” Qu Ruyan beamed. “I want more lollipops!”
“That counts as ‘important’?”
Lin Mo was truly speechless.
This little foodie really had nothing but snacks on the brain.
Thinking it would be easier to just give her some candy and send her off, he used the system to roll another gacha draw.
However, this time, he didn’t get lollipops.
Still, he handed the new candy to Qu Ruyan and shooed her away.
“Go do whatever you need to do. Stop hanging around my courtyard.”
Qu Ruyan eyed the candy curiously.
“What’s this? It looks different from last time.”
“QQ candy.” Lin Mo replied offhandedly.
“QQ candy? What kind of candy is that?”
“Eat it and find out.” Lin Mo felt like tearing his hair out.
Why does this girl ask so many questions?!
Following his instructions, Qu Ruyan opened the package and popped a piece into her mouth.
Her eyes instantly lit up.
“Wow! Senior Brother, this candy is soft and bouncy… and it bursts with juice!”
Now I get why it’s called QQ candy!”
“Yes, yes. Now go back to your own peak and play.”
“If I finish these, can I come back for more?”
“The supply is limited. You’d better eat them slowly, or even if you come, there won’t be any left.”
It wasn’t that Lin Mo was stingy with two hundred regret points—
But if Qu Ruyan finished them too fast, she’d keep running back to his courtyard, and he’d never have any peace.
After thanking him sweetly, Qu Ruyan obediently returned to her peak.
Just then, Gu Zi came rushing over.
“Senior Brother! Master is calling for you!”
Lin Mo headed toward Master Yuehua’s residence, curious about what she wanted.
He already knew about Qingzhu Peak’s situation.
Surely, a Nascent Soul cultivator like Master Yuehua wouldn’t be shameless enough to ask her disciple for spirit stones, right?
When Lin Mo arrived outside the residence, he saw Master Yuehua seated in the courtyard, talking with Ye Kai.
Her gaze was warm, and her mood seemed particularly pleasant.
Soon after, she personally handed a sword to Ye Kai.
The blade was entirely black, its heavy sheen reflecting a cold glint under the sunlight.
Lin Mo couldn’t tell its exact grade, but Liuli Sword could.
With a tone full of disdain, it remarked—
“That sword is only low-grade Spirit Treasure level.”
Lin Mo recalled that, in the original host’s memory, Master Yuehua had only given Shen Ke’er a Mortal Treasure.
Now, she was openly favoring Ye Kai.
Lin Mo had no interest in eavesdropping, so he walked in openly and saluted.
“Master, you called for me?”
Upon seeing Lin Mo, Master Yuehua’s eyes lit up.
“Mo’er, it seems you’ve successfully reached Core Formation. What grade is your core?”
If he had a fifth-grade or even sixth-grade core, it would greatly boost her prestige in Qingling Sect.
Seeing that Lin Mo remained silent, she assumed his core quality wasn’t high.
Though she felt a little disappointed, she consoled him:
“It’s alright, Mo’er. You’re still young. To reach Golden Core before thirty is already an incredible achievement! With nearly two centuries of lifespan ahead of you, you have a great chance at reaching Nascent Soul!”
Saying this, she took out a longsword from her storage ring and handed it to him.
“This sword is called ‘Zi Qing.’ It was my most beloved weapon during my Core Formation years. Do you like it?”
Liuli Sword scoffed proudly:
“Hmph! It’s just a high-grade Spirit Treasure. Not even worth a toe of mine!”
Lin Mo nearly laughed.
You have toes?
Ye Kai, standing nearby, could tell that the sword being given to Lin Mo was of higher quality than his.
Hearing that Master Yuehua was giving it to Lin Mo, his voice turned sour.
“Senior Brother Lin is truly fortunate. Master is gifting you such a fine sword. You should treasure it.”
Master Yuehua, noticing the jealousy in his tone, smiled and reassured him—
“This is a gift for your senior brother’s Core Formation. If you work hard in cultivation, I will craft a sword for you as well.”
Ye Kai’s eyes darkened.
“If only… I could cultivate like Senior Brother Lin…”
The mention of Ye Kai’s condition made Master Yuehua feel guilty.
She continued comforting him—
“Kai’er, don’t worry. I will definitely find a way to cure you.”
Liuli Sword sounded almost excited.
“Take me out! Show your master! You don’t need her sword!”
Lin Mo smirked.
“You just love showing off, don’t you?”
But in truth, he was thinking the same thing.
“No need.”
With a cold expression, Lin Mo refused outright.
“I don’t need this sword. You should give it to Junior Brother Ye instead.”
