Shen Mo had a hunch about Chen ngze’s thoughts. Fortunately, for a cultivator, the pursuit of the Immortal Path always cos first. If one has no desires, one can naturally achieve a state of purity and few wants. Moreover, unlike ordinary mortals with short Lifespans, if they could accompany each other for hundreds or even thousands of years, wouldn’t that be another form of "Dao companion"? He hadn’t deliberately avoided Chen ngze. If catching up with him beca her obsession, it might not necessarily be a bad thing! As long as Chen ngze’s Path Heart remained clear, and she didn’t beco frustrated or let it affect her own cultivation because of "unfulfilled desires," then everything else was trivial. From what he could see, her cultivation progress wasn’t slow, and her Path Heart wasn’t clouded. The slight estrangent she showed was probably due to her consideration for Zhao Lingyin’s feelings and the opinions of other Sect Disciples.
「...」
"You’re already the Supre Elder of the sect, and you’re still calling Senior Sister. Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at by others?"
After welcoming Shen Mo into her cave mansion, Chen ngze made a cup of spiritual tea for him. The tea’s fragrance mingled with the steam, reflecting her increasingly translucent and exquisite face, making her seem like a figure from a painting. Her cave mansion was filled with a vast amount of Dark Ice from the Extre Northern Zone; even the tables, chairs, and bed were crafted from it, resembling a thousand-year-old ice cellar. It seed only the spiritual tea was hot.
However, with Shen Mo’s cultivation level, he was already impervious to cold and heat, so he didn’t mind the ice-cellar-like environnt. He plopped down onto the icy chair, picked up the teacup, and took a sip.
Then, breathing out the fragrant, warm air from the tea, he said casually, "The stronger one is, the less one is bound by those rules and restrictions.
"Otherwise, if we constantly burden ourselves with shackles, becoming less and less Carefree... what’s the point of all our hard cultivation?
"Never mind calling you Senior Sister; if you were willing, what would be wrong with calling you Master?"
Shen Mo’s words, seemingly lighthearted, were actually his way of telling Chen ngze not to care too much about what others thought; they should just interact normally.
If anyone actually dared to mock him to his face, Shen Mo would personally teach them the aning of a "patriarch’s dignity." If he truly wanted to press the issue, he could even rely on his Soul Curse to ensure the Sect Disciples wouldn’t dare harbor a single disrespectful thought towards him. Of course, Shen Mo wouldn’t actually do such a thing. Except in certain situations, Shen Mo was generally lenient towards weaker creatures whose cultivation was far inferior to his.
To put it more bluntly, the opinions of the weak, whether praise or criticism, were of no consequence to the strong.
"Really?"
Chen ngze rolled her eyes at him and said disgruntledly, "You didn’t say that just now. You said there were many passing disciples nearby and that rumors would spread, and so on."
"If I hadn’t used that excuse, how else could I have enjoyed the spiritual tea you made?"
Shen Mo smiled faintly, drained the teacup in one gulp, and then took out two bottles of Elixir, handing them to Chen ngze.
"This bottle of Three Emperors Marrow Pill was personally refined by Lingyin. She asked to give it to you.
"This is a Grade V Elixir. Its effects are quite remarkable, and its dicinal properties are relatively mild. It’s an excellent choice whether used to assist in cultivation or to recover Mana when your Dantian is depleted during battle.
"The other bottle contains Grade IV Dragon Tiger Formless Pill. While it doesn’t restore as much Mana as the forr, it’s more comprehensive.
"After taking this pill, a good deal of your Vitality, soul, and Mana will be restored. You’ve likely taken it before, so you should know its specific effects. Just use it as you see fit when the ti cos!"
And that wasn’t all. He then took out a thick stack of talismans of great variety, each with its own distinct effect.
After explaining them one by one to Chen ngze, Shen Mo further asked if her magic treasure suited her, if she had any difficulties with the magic and martial arts she cultivated, and if The Big Dipper Array was effective enough.
Chen ngze watched him silently, then suddenly broke into a smile, "You already asked this a while ago, didn’t you?
"Don’t worry, I’m confident I can secure the position of chief core disciple.
"You’re so openly gifting Elixirs and talismans, and even using Secret Techniques to help nurture the spirituality of my magic artifact...
"If your friends Cao Ren and Lu Ming found out, they’d probably harbor resentnt and accuse of bewitching you!"
Shen Mo chuckled lightly, dismissing the idea.
"Relationships naturally have degrees of closeness; how could I be an exception to that?
"Back then, if it weren’t for you and Uncle Chen looking after , I probably would have left the mountain much earlier. I might have died in a demonic calamity or ended up devoured by the Soaring Serpent along with my wife and children.
"Besides, they have their own opportunities and fortunes; I don’t need to worry about them.
"If they were to harbor resentnt towards us over this, thinking I’m playing favorites and neglecting them... well, with such a mindset and breadth of heart, they likely wouldn’t get far on the path of cultivation. They certainly wouldn’t be able to journey with for thousands or tens of thousands of years!"
Hearing him speak this way, an almost imperceptible glint flashed through Chen ngze’s clear, bright eyes.
Afterwards, Shen Mo took the magic sword nad "Returning Snow" from her. He activated his Skill, Spiritual Wisdom, to enhance its spirituality.
This Spirit Sword, as clear and transparent as a cicada’s wing made of thin ice, cried out "Father!" ecstatically the mont it was in Shen Mo’s hands, showing clear affection.
This sword was also forged by Shen Mo himself long ago. Chen ngze had used the Yin-Yang jade disk to condense precious nectars, trading them with the dark ice creatures in the Extre Northern Zone for a considerable amount of top-grade Forging materials. Coupled with her good Luck, a Sword Spirit was born within it the mont it was forged.
It wasn’t surprising at all that the Returning Snow Sword Spirit, like the Demon Slaying Sword Spirit, regarded him as its biological father.
Once Shen Mo’s Big Dipper Sword, Green Cloud Umbrella, and other top-grade magic artifacts successively developed gnosis, he’d probably have another batch of "children."
He gently flicked the sword’s body with his fingers, soothing the Returning Snow Sword Spirit a little.
Then, waves of Dao Rhy emanated from Shen Mo’s fingertips—formless, insubstantial, colorless, and soundless. Even more powerful cultivators would find it extrely difficult to detect any trace of it, even if they ticulously probed with their five senses and spiritual sense.
Chen ngze, standing to the side, could only feel the Returning Snow Sword Spirit’s joy and a newfound liveliness; she couldn’t discern anything else.
Only when Shen Mo withdrew his Skill did she exhale a stream of frosty white light, taking the Returning Snow magic sword back into her Dantian to continue nurturing it.
"Alright. Everything’s settled. I’ll head back first." Shen Mo stood up, his breath misting in the air as he spoke to Chen ngze. "You should continue to regulate your breath. I’m afraid you’ll have to face several fierce battles in a few days.
"I also need to make a trip to the Longevity Hall to discuss the procedures and rules for this grand competition with Patriarch Yuan and Patriarch Zhou."
Chen ngze nodded, seeing Shen Mo out of her cave mansion.
Upon returning, she sat cross-legged on the icy bed. She took out one of the Dragon Tiger Formless Pills Shen Mo had given her, crushed it between her teeth, swallowed it, and once again entered a state of cultivation.
「...」
Ti flew by, and soon, the day arrived to compete for and determine the rankings of the core disciples.
The venue chosen for this contest was a mountain range not far from Chong’a Mountain. This way, if any ergency occurred at the sect, Shen Mo, the other two Supre Elders, and a group of high-ranking mbers could all promptly return.
The Sect Disciples who heard this news flocked to the competition grounds early, scrambling to occupy higher ground on the mountaintops that offered broader vantage points, all to get a better view of the impending fierce contest!
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