Chapter 182: The SunlightGlazed Flower
In the Grand Yan Sword Sect, within the Mission Hall.
Gu Mo submitted his mission, which earned him a bit of sect contribution points. Of course, slaying a Tier 1 demonic beast didn't come with much reward.
Naturally, Gu Mo didn't mind. With his true body serving as a powerful support system, resources were never a concern for him. What he truly lacked was a profound swordsmanship legacy.
To acquire such a legacy, he needed to demonstrate a level of talent and strength that was truly dazzling. With this in mind, Gu Mo turned and headed to the Grand Yan Sword Array, preparing to challenge the Sword Puppets once more.
"Greetings, Senior Brother!"
Seeing Gu Mo arrive, the outer and servant disciples standing outside the Grand Yan Sword Array all bowed respectfully. Their eyes were filled with envy—after all, Gu Mo had risen from being an outer disciple to an inner disciple.
Such a rise in status was a leap across class boundaries. Accomplishing this was no easy feat. Only a mere handful managed it each year, as most talented disciples were admitted directly as inner disciples from the start.
Outer and servant disciples were generally those with poor talent. For them to defeat five Sword Puppets and join the inner sect was unimaginably difficult.
Those few who did make the leap typically only succeeded after many years of arduous training in the outer sect—and by then, their potential was usually almost exhausted. Even so, the benefits of being an inner disciple remained a coveted dream for many outer and servant disciples.
Gu Mo smiled and nodded in greeting to each of them, then, under their watchful gazes, stepped into the Grand Yan Sword Array.
"Senior Brother Lin Wu just became an inner disciple, and he's already back to challenge the array again. Do you think he can defeat the sixth Sword Puppet?" As Gu Mo's figure disappeared, murmurs of speculation rippled through the crowd.
"Hmph, just a former outer disciple who lucked out and defeated five Sword Puppets to become an inner disciple—now he really thinks he's somebody." A few figures in inner sect robes scoffed from afar, their faces filled with disdain as they watched Gu Mo enter the array.
As disciples who had joined the sect directly as inner members, they instinctively looked down on anyone who had clawed their way up from the outer ranks.
This was Gu Mo's second time entering the Grand Yan Sword Array, and once again he was awestruck by the vast sword intent within it. However, compared to his first attempt, his cultivation had undergone a qualitative leap.
He crushed the early Sword Puppets with sheer brute force. Even the fifth puppet, which carried the concept of "sword momentum," was overwhelmed by the physical might of his peak Foundation Establishment body.
Only when he reached the tenth Sword Puppet did he begin to feel any pressure. This puppet had reached the Foundation Establishment stage and wielded extremely powerful sword intent.
"Not bad. Now this is worth my time."
Gu Mo observed the puppet before him. To become a true disciple of the Grand Yan Sword Sect, defeating the tenth Sword Puppet was the first threshold.
As the battle began, Gu Mo truly experienced the might of a sword cultivator. Though both sides were Foundation Establishment-level, Gu Mo's physical strength and spiritual power far exceeded his peer's—by over tenfold.
Yet the puppet, with its fearsome sword intent and exquisite sword techniques, managed to hold its own for over a dozen exchanges before finally being crushed by Gu Mo's overwhelming force.
That it had lasted so long despite such a disadvantage spoke volumes about its strength.
After defeating the tenth Sword Puppet, Gu Mo ended his challenge. Though he had the strength to go further, the level of ability he had revealed was already astounding—better to avoid overreaching.
As Gu Mo stepped out of the array, his ranking on the stone tablet shot up from 91st to 19th—earning him the qualifications to compete for true disciple status.
"Ah!!"
The disciples outside were shocked. Going from defeating the fifth puppet to the tenth in such a short time? That leap was staggering.
"This… how is this possible?!"
Even the inner disciples who had been waiting to mock him were visibly shaken—Gu Mo's current ranking had already surpassed theirs.
Gu Mo, however, felt no waves in his heart as he sensed the astonished stares around him. This was only the beginning.
He waited briefly outside the array. Sure enough, the same Golden Core elder who had previously recruited him to the inner sect appeared. With such a dramatic change in ranking, the sect was bound to take notice immediately.
"Excellent, excellent!"
The Golden Core elder's gaze lit up as he looked Gu Mo over. Even he was surprised by Gu Mo's sudden explosion in power.
"Come with me. The Sect Master wishes to see you."
After a few words of praise, the elder led Gu Mo toward the sect's main peak. It was clear that his meteoric rise had drawn the attention of the sect leader.
"Greetings, Sect Master!"
In the grand hall atop the main peak, Gu Mo finally met the strongest person in the Grand Yan Sword Sect—the one and only Nascent Soul Sword Sovereign: Xuan Tianhen.
"You've formed your foundation? Seems your fortune is not small."
The sect leader looked like a harmless old man, but no one dared underestimate this early Nascent Soul sword cultivator. Once he drew his sword, even mid-Nascent Soul experts would retreat. If he had time to lay down a sword array, he could slay a mid-Nascent Soul opponent outright.
Such was the terrifying might of a sword cultivator—especially one who cultivated the Grand Yan Sword Codex.
"Yes!" Gu Mo bowed deeply. Since he had chosen to display his strength, he didn't hold back, allowing the Sect Master to sense the Golden Core energy hidden within his body.
This was the ace up his sleeve he intended to reveal.
"How interesting. You have Golden Core energy in your body, and it's astonishingly compatible with you—almost as if you cultivated it yourself." Xuan Tianhen's sharp gaze pierced into Gu Mo's dantian and noticed the unique energy within.
It wasn't rare for low-level cultivators to stumble upon higher-tier power through some fortuitous encounter, but for that power to be so perfectly compatible was unheard of.
Moreover, at the core of that Golden Core energy, Xuan Tianhen sensed something else—Immortal Force, something only Nascent Soul cultivators possessed.
Golden Core energy combined with Immortal Force—this was essentially a youthful version of an Immortal Golden Core.
Had the energy been incompatible, it might have been dangerous, potentially harmful to Gu Mo's foundation. But with this level of perfect compatibility, it could very well become the catalyst for his future breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.
At that moment, the Sect Master's expression changed. He now looked at Gu Mo with newfound intensity—for Gu Mo now had a real shot at becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator.
The Grand Yan Sword Sect had never fully recovered from the calamity it suffered thousands of years ago. Currently, Xuan Tianhen was its only Nascent Soul sword cultivator, and his remaining lifespan was limited. If no new Nascent Soul sword cultivator emerged before he passed, the sect would be stripped of its status as a major sect.
He had already been nurturing a personal disciple with even greater natural talent than Gu Mo, one who had reached the 28th level of the Grand Yan Sword Array.
Yet even that disciple, for all his talent, might not have a better chance at becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator than Gu Mo—who now held the power of Immortal Force.
"Junior Brother, come. I'll take you to receive your true disciple privileges." The Golden Core elder's tone had changed. Now that Gu Mo had formally become the Sect Master's personal disciple, even the inner sect elders had to treat him with deference.
"Thank you, Senior Brother," Gu Mo replied with a calm smile.
Just as he had expected, given the sect's current situation, as long as he showed enough potential, he would receive the attention he deserved.
Although not officially a true disciple yet, Gu Mo was already enjoying all the benefits. Soon, he would begin studying the core legacy of the sect—the Grand Yan Sword Codex.
And this time, he wouldn't be deciphering it alone. He would have the guidance of a Nascent Soul Sword Sovereign.
The news of Gu Mo becoming the Sect Master's personal disciple quickly spread through the sect, causing a wave of disbelief, then endless envy and jealousy.
Especially among those who had also defeated the tenth Sword Puppet—if they had similar strength, why had the Sect Master chosen only Gu Mo?
"At the upcoming tournament, I'll definitely test Lin Wu's strength for myself." In a sword cultivator sect, strength was the only way to command respect—and defeat was the fastest way to shut critics up.
And in such a sect, minor tournaments were held yearly, and major ones every three years—they were common occurrences.
As the disciples gossiped about Gu Mo's sudden promotion, a secret message was quietly sent from the Grand Yan Sword Sect. It ended up in the hands of a small, obscure sect.
"Xuan Tianhen has taken on another personal disciple. This one needs to be watched. If an opportunity arises, eliminate him." A cold voice echoed from the underground chamber of that small sect.
"Yes, sir!"
Several voices replied in unison before fading into the shadows.
"It's been thousands of years, and now the Grand Yan Sword Sect shows signs of rising again." The icy voice reverberated through the darkness.
Thousands of years ago, the sect had nearly broken into the ranks of the top-tier sects. Had their Nascent Soul Sword Sovereign succeeded in his breakthrough to the Soul Transformation stage, the sect would've ascended for sure.
Fearing the disruption of balance between righteous and demonic sects, the three great demonic sects had launched a sneak attack during that breakthrough, causing it to fail and shattering the Grand Yan Sword Sect's dreams of advancement.
Since then, the demonic sects had been watching them closely, ready to eliminate any emerging prodigies.
The Grand Yan Sword Sect's inheritance was second to none. If they produced a Soul Transformation expert, they would reclaim their place at the top.
So the three demonic sects had been waiting and watching—and whenever a prodigy emerged, they would act.
Previously, one disciple had already been marked for elimination. Now, with Gu Mo, there were two. Two monstrous talents appearing at once—that was the true cause of alarm.
But they would never allow the Grand Yan Sword Sect to rise again.
Centuries of covert work had woven a web of spies and saboteurs deep within the sect—even Sect Master Xuan Tianhen was unlikely to detect them all.
In Shennong Valley…
"No wonder it nearly became a top-tier sect. This Grand Yan Sword Codex truly is profound." As Gu Mo's avatar began practicing the sect's core legacy, his true body naturally received all the insights as well.
He couldn't help but marvel at how exquisite the Codex was—easily matching the nameless sword manual he'd acquired earlier.
Moreover, the two complemented each other perfectly: the Codex specialized in sword formations, while the nameless manual represented the orthodox path of the lone sword cultivator. Each could be applied to different combat scenarios.
Splitting off a portion of his mind to continue studying the Codex, Gu Mo's main body used wood-element arts to arrive at the Contribution Hall.
This was where disciples could exchange contribution points for treasures. Having recently refined a large number of top-grade Vein-Expanding Pills, Gu Mo had accumulated significant contributions. Today, he planned to trade them in.
But not for techniques, secret arts, or farmland upgrades—he was after a type of spiritual plant: the SunlightGlazed Flower.
He had only learned of its existence in the sect's archives after consulting with his grandmaster. The SunlightGlazed Flower was a Tier 3 spiritual plant that absorbed Sunlightand condensed it into Sunshine Essence.
To Gu Mo, this "Sunshine Essence" was essentially a downgraded version of Sun Essence. It was the perfect cover for where his Sun Essence came from.
Although Sun Essence was much more advanced, by planting enough SunlightGlazed Flowers, he could claim that he refined Sun Essence from their condensed Sunshine Essence. As long as he didn't produce too much at once, no one would suspect a thing.
However, the flower was notoriously difficult to cultivate. In its early stages, it needed regular infusions of solar energy just to survive—a requirement that shut down most spirit farmers from even attempting it.
But for Gu Mo, that was no obstacle. After all, what could be more saturated with solar energy than Sun Essence itself?
Publicly, he could claim to have acquired a treasure imbued with solar energy. Then, upon discovering the flower, he used that treasure to nurture it. It was a perfectly reasonable explanation.
"You're certain you want to exchange for the SunlightGlazed Flower?" asked the elder overseeing the Contribution Hall, confirming again. After all, the sect only possessed a few of these rare plants. If they were given to a disciple who couldn't care for them, it would be a serious waste.
"I am. I recently obtained a treasure infused with solar energy, so I'd like to give the flower a try," Gu Mo explained.
In Shennong Valley, spiritual plants were valued far more than other treasures. If a disciple wanted to exchange for rare plants, the sect would always question them closely—to avoid seeing such precious specimens ruined by inexperience.
"You've got quite the fortune, young one," the elder remarked with a nod. A treasure infused with Solar energy wasn't just good for raising the SunlightGlazed Flower—it would also drastically boost the growth of countless other plants.
(Show your support and read more chapters on my Patreon: [email protected]/psychopet. Thank you for your support!)