Seizing Destiny From Heavens Hands

Chapter 207: Shen Mo Has Some Distance Left Before He Can Be My Rival

Jade Cauldron Sect, Elders' Pavilion

At this moment, there were three people on the second floor of the Elders' Pavilion.

The Second Elder, Yang Qiye, sat at his desk, handling documents sent from various places.

Behind him stood a young man, wearing a crimson robe, with a cold expression.

On the carpet in front of them lay Xu Ziqiang, collapsed on the floor.

"Second Elder, you must seek justice for me!"

"That audacious Shen Mo dared to cut off my legs!"

"This wasn't just an attack on me; it was clearly a slap in your face!"

Xu Ziqiang wept bitterly, his tears and snot streaming onto the carpet, leaving a shiny, damp stain.

Yang Qiye's expression was ice-cold. "That damn Shen Mo… truly infuriating. Does he really think he can act with impunity just because he's become an Elder of the Tenth Peak?"

Then his expression softened as he smiled gently. "Ziqiang, go back and rest well. Once your legs heal, I'll still need you to serve me."

Hearing this, Xu Ziqiang was overwhelmed with gratitude.

The Second Elder hasn't given up on me!

"Yes! I swear, I'll serve the Second Elder with my life!"

Two disciples entered, one on each side, and helped Xu Ziqiang out.

Once they were gone, Yang Qiye's face immediately returned to its usual dignified expression.

"Yan'er, what do you think?" he asked coolly.

The young man standing next to Yang Qiye was none other than Ye Yan.

With a cold gaze, he replied, "If he stands in our way, then he should be eliminated."

Yang Qiye laughed heartily, "You're still the same, always resorting to killing."

"Remember, sometimes, attacking the heart can be more effective than taking a life."

"Besides, this Shen Mo is a young prodigy like you. We can't just act against him."

Ye Yan's eyes glinted, "A young prodigy?"

Hearing this term piqued his interest.

Yang Qiye nodded, "Intelligence from Xuanjiang Prefecture has arrived. The most powerful sect there was once the Divine Sword Sect, a branch of the Shangqing Sect."

"Recently, the old master of the Divine Sword Sect, Yao Yunluo, entered the Nascent Soul stage and held a Nascent Soul celebration, inviting all the sects in Xuanjiang to attend, intending to unify the prefecture during the event."

"Then Shen Mo appeared. He, too, is in the Nascent Soul stage."

"Both are newcomers to the Nascent Soul stage, with Yao Yunluo having entered slightly earlier."

"Yet Yao Yunluo was effortlessly suppressed by Shen Mo."

Ye Yan said calmly, "He's just a Nascent Soul cultivator from a small place, lacking a solid foundation. Even among newcomers, there's still a significant gap."

Yang Qiye nodded slightly, "You're right about that."

"However, according to intelligence from Xuanjiang, each time Shen Mo has advanced to a new major realm, it has been a flawless advancement."

"As for the grade of his Nascent Soul, no one knows yet, but many speculate it's at least a seven-lotus soul."

Ye Yan's gaze intensified.

"So, are you tempted to test your skills against him?" Yang Qiye smiled faintly.

Ye Yan nodded, then shook his head. "He's someone worth noting, but he's still some distance from being my rival."

"By comparison, a young man in black whom I encountered near Cangjiang the other day is even more worthy of being a rival."

Yang Qiye raised an eyebrow, intrigued, "Oh? Who is this person, to earn such high regard from you?"

Ye Yan said nothing more.

Yang Qiye chuckled and didn't press further.

After a pause, he added, "By the way, there are ten blue serpent herbs over in Dragon Snake Mountain. Don't leave them there. In a few days, bring them back, and give three to your senior brothers; the rest are yours."

"Thank you, Master," Ye Yan nodded.

Dragon Snake Mountain

In a small cottage.

Though Huang Caiying was young, she was diligent.

Soon, she had tidied up the cottage until it was spotless.

From now on, this would be Shen Mo's new residence.

While the cottage was drafty in winter and leaked in summer, making it uncomfortable year-round, Shen Mo didn't mind.

If he became preoccupied with improving his residence's condition instead of focusing on his cultivation and beast mastery, it would only distract from his true purpose.

"Honorable Elder, I'll go prepare some food," Caiying said before leaving.

Huang Caiying bowed to Shen Mo before leaving.

Once she was gone, Shen Mo took out several sets of array flags from his storage ring.

Among them were formations for concealing presence, alerting intrusions, emitting poisonous smoke, and soundproofing.

These had been obtained after he killed Lü Xinyue, the master of the White Harmony Sect, some time ago.

Shen Mo carefully placed the array flags in concealed spots around the cottage.

Only then did he feel it was truly secure.

From his understanding of life's uncertainties, Huang Bayi didn't have much lifespan left, and Huang Caiying was merely an innocent child.

Yet Shen Mo still instinctively set up these arrays.

It wasn't to guard against them but rather to defend against any potential threats from the Yuding Sect.

"Finally settled. Now I can refine the Dan Crown."

Seated cross-legged on the bed, Shen Mo took out the Yin Evil Pearl extracted from a Yin corpse.

Several days had passed since then.

However, the surface of the Yin Evil Pearl still exuded ominous energy and a chilling coldness.

As soon as he brought it out, the air temperature dropped considerably, and even his breath condensed into frost.

Shen Mo remained unfazed, holding it in his palm and channeling spiritual energy.

Within less than a quarter of an hour, he had completely melted it, turning it into a dark, fog-like substance.

He wrapped the fog in his spiritual energy and guided it down into his dantian.

Next, he used his spiritual energy to retrieve fragments of his golden core, which lay submerged in the ocean of spiritual power.

He tossed these fragments into the Yin Evil energy.

From here, there was no need for further control; the golden core fragments began to transform on their own.

Gradually, they formed a crown-like shape.

The color shifted from the red of the golden core fragments to a white Dan Crown, and an hour later, it turned green.

Seeing the changing color of the Dan Crown, Shen Mo pondered.

"Dan Crown quality is categorized by color, with five grades: white, green, blue, purple, and gold."

"White is the lowest, and gold is the highest."

"The Yin Evil Pearl is indeed an ideal choice for refining the Dan Crown. A single fourth-tier Yin Evil Pearl can elevate the Dan Crown to green quality."

"However, even more Yin Evil Pearls will be required from this point onward."

Shen Mo nodded slightly.

With a thought, the green Dan Crown floated above his Nascent Soul.

He immediately sensed a subtle change in his Nascent Soul's mystical abilities.

Previously, he could only use it once every three days; now, it could be activated approximately every two and a half days.

"Good. Next, I'll claim the opportunity to transform my Nascent Soul into a Grand Core."

Shen Mo left the cottage, flying through the air, and soon arrived at a lake on Dragon Snake Mountain.

This lake, too, was divided into various sections by fencing.

The most numerous inhabitants were green-eyed pythons.

There were also various demonic beasts, including frogs, turtles, and fish.

Shen Mo strolled around and soon found the smallest fenced area.

Inside were ten large, entirely green fish swimming around.

They were the yixianqing, long since tamed by the Yuding Sect and classified as spirit beasts.

These ten yixianqing were of mediocre quality, which was why they were kept here on Dragon Snake Mountain.

The better-quality ones resided in the lake of the Heng Tai Mountain Range, tended by designated caretakers.

To put it bluntly, their treatment was better than that of the outer sect disciples.

Shen Mo glanced at them. These ten yixianqing were practically identical, and no one would notice anything amiss about them at a glance.

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