Lin Mo was truly furious.
From the memories of the original host, he knew that managing Qingzhu Peak had always been his responsibility.
Shen Ke’er had been carefree since childhood—never involving herself in sect affairs.
What did she know?
The spiritual fields were the foundation of Qingzhu Peak.
The entire peak, from senior disciples to juniors, relied on the spiritual fields for food and cultivation resources.
The spiritual rice and herbs grown there sustained them all.
For the younger disciples who had yet to reach Foundation Establishment, a stable diet was essential.
Yet Shen Ke’er was completely blind to this.
She didn’t notice the declining crop yield, nor did she see that his own Ice Spirit Fruit tree had been ruined by pests.
All she saw was Yuan Li kneeling pitifully at the gate, nursing internal injuries, begging for mercy.
She didn’t care about the cause—only the consequence.
And now, she was scolding him without even considering the full picture?
All because of Ye Kai?
Hah.
So this was the so-called dear little junior sister that the original host had raised with his own hands?
Shen Ke’er finally realized that Lin Mo wasn’t joking.
His threat was real.
Her face flushed red, then turned pale.
If he actually broke her other leg, she wouldn’t just lose face—
She wouldn’t even be able to leave the sect to train with Ye Kai anymore!
Seeing the genuine danger, she immediately shut her mouth.
Without another word, she grabbed Ye Kai’s arm and left in silence.
As soon as they were out of sight, Ye Kai resumed his usual tactics—
Sowing discord between Shen Ke’er and Lin Mo.
But Lin Mo?
He couldn’t care less.
A few days passed.
Lin Mo noticed that all the junior disciples of Qingzhu Peak had started avoiding him.
There was a hint of fear in their eyes whenever they looked at him, and they kept their distance.
When he ran into Gu Zi, the junior disciple finally explained the reason.
“Senior Brother Lin, after what happened with Yuan Li… everyone in Qingzhu Peak is afraid of you now.”
“They’re saying you’re violent and merciless. They fear that if they make even a small mistake, they’ll end up just like Yuan Li.”
Lin Mo didn’t need to think hard to figure out who was spreading these rumors.
His ‘good’ junior brother, Ye Kai, had to be behind it.
But did Lin Mo care?
Not in the slightest.
He simply responded with a calm ‘Mm’ and moved on.
Then, he asked Gu Zi, “And what about you? Aren’t you afraid of me?”
Gu Zi shook his head.
“If I had never played that guessing game with you, Senior Brother, maybe I would’ve been like them—keeping my distance.”
“But…”
Gu Zi’s gaze was firm, filled with conviction.
“I don’t know all the details, but I trust you. If Yuan Li was punished, it must be because he made a serious mistake.”
Lin Mo smiled—this time, genuinely.
He hadn’t had many interactions with Gu Zi before.
After all, Gu Zi was just an outer disciple.
Yet, this junior—someone he barely knew—understood him better than the junior sister he raised for eight years.
Without saying much, Lin Mo casually tossed a pill to Gu Zi.
Gu Zi caught it and examined it with confusion.
“Senior Brother Lin, what is this?”
“Foundation Establishment Pill,” Lin Mo said indifferently. “It’ll stabilize your cultivation and make breaking into Foundation Establishment much easier.”
This pill wasn’t particularly useful to Lin Mo.
But for Gu Zi, who only had four spiritual roots, it was an invaluable treasure.
Having four spiritual roots was only slightly better than having five, but it was still considered a poor aptitude for cultivation.
With exceptional techniques or resources, a four-root cultivator might reach Foundation Establishment by age forty.
But for most, that was the limit—they would never reach Golden Core.
However, with this Foundation Establishment Pill, Gu Zi could cut down his cultivation time by over a decade.
Even with poor talent, he could reach Foundation Establishment before thirty and become an inner disciple.
And if fate was kind, he might even form a Golden Core someday.
Of course, that was unlikely.
Without an abundance of resources or methods to enhance his aptitude, his Golden Core quality would be mediocre at best—probably not beyond third-grade.
After all, one’s spiritual roots determined their ceiling.
No matter how hard a low-talented cultivator worked, they could never compare to a Heavenly Spirit Root genius who barely had to try.
Gu Zi’s legs trembled upon realizing the value of the pill.
“Senior Brother… this is too much. I can’t accept this! I haven’t done anything to deserve such a priceless treasure!”
Lin Mo spoke calmly.
“It’s not for free. From now on, you’ll stay by my side and handle my daily affairs.”
Gu Zi hesitated.
“Senior Brother, I…”
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.
“You’re unwilling?”
Gu Zi immediately dropped to his knees and bowed deeply.
“I accept! I am willing!”
Following Lin Mo was an opportunity.
It meant access to resources, guidance, and a future far brighter than being just another nameless outer disciple.
He had hesitated only because he felt unworthy.
But now that Lin Mo had given him this chance, he would grasp it with both hands.
After all, cultivation was defying the heavens.
One’s fate had to be fought for.
After explaining a few tasks to Gu Zi, Lin Mo was summoned by his master, Yuehua.
He wasn’t surprised at all.
Inside Yuehua’s residence, the decor was simple and elegant, without any excessive ornamentation.
But Lin Mo immediately noticed that he wasn’t alone.
Ye Kai was already there, waiting.
Ye Kai carefully handed over a cup of freshly brewed spiritual tea.
“Master, I specially bought these tea leaves for you from the city yesterday. I searched for a long time and heard that they have a calming and focusing effect—perfect for your cultivation.”
Yuehua took the tea but sighed.
“Kaier, your focus should be on cultivation. You must reach Golden Core as soon as possible to live up to your late father’s expectations.”
Though her words sounded like a reprimand, there was no harshness in her tone—only concern.
Ye Kai’s expression dimmed, his eyes filled with sorrow.
“Master… you know my situation…”
Yuehua’s gaze softened slightly.
It wasn’t entirely Ye Kai’s fault that he didn’t cultivate diligently.
As a child, he had been poisoned by villains, and the Gu poison had damaged his aptitude, causing his meridians to shrink.
Whenever spiritual energy flowed through his body, it brought searing pain.
Before Ye Kai’s father passed away, he had entrusted Yuehua with the responsibility of curing him.
However, even after a full year, she hadn’t found a suitable solution.
Just as Lin Mo stepped into the main hall, Yuehua immediately noticed him.
“Lin’er, you’re here?”
Her voice remained as cold as ever, giving away no emotion.
Lin Mo bowed respectfully.
“Disciple Lin Mo greets Master!”
Ye Kai also bowed this time—but Lin Mo ignored him completely.
This guy rarely ever paid Lin Mo respect, yet now that they were in front of their master, he suddenly put on an act?
His scheming mind was crystal clear.
Yuehua seemed to notice this as well, her voice calm yet pointed.
“Lin Mo, as Senior Brother, you should strive for harmony among your fellow disciples.”
Lin Mo caught her meaning but chose not to respond.
She then continued.
“I heard about Yuan Li’s punishment. Since you have already disciplined him, allow him to remain at Qingzhu Peak and continue managing the spiritual fields.”
Just then, a system prompt rang in Lin Mo’s mind.
【Warning! The host is about to experience a major life-threatening event. ‘Huang Liang’s Dream’ has been automatically activated!】
As the system finished speaking, Lin Mo felt his entire body pulled into another dimension.
A new scene unfolded before him—
A glimpse of what was about to happen.
