Jian Feng received his orders and immediately left to contact Mo Su, relaying the Law Enforcement Hall's message.
On the other side, Mo Su had been waiting for Jian Feng's reply. The moment the messaging jade slip in his hand trembled, he grabbed it and read the contents. A faint smile glimmered in his eyes, but his expression remained serious.
He wasn't in the Heavenly Demon Palace handling official matters today. Instead, he was in his own cave abode on Moyan Peak, hosting Mo Yi and Mo Qi for a small gathering.
The two noticed Mo Su's expression. After exchanging a glance, both turned their sharp, curious gazes toward him.
Sensing their stares, Mo Su gave a deliberately casual cough before relaying Jian Feng's message.
"Tut tut! The Heavenly Sword Sect's luck really is something. You have to hand it to them. We've cast out so many stones without a single splash, and they've already captured one of those things." Mo Yi sighed in amazement.
"Mo Su, how are you planning to handle this?"
"I'll take Bi Shu over there myself. I want to see what this so-called 'blood insect' from the new insect race looks like."
"Oh? You're going personally?" Mo Qi's sharp, heroic features shifted slightly as she raised the question.
"This matter is important. I should go myself. Bi Shu was hunted before, so I'd rather escort her personally to be safe."
Mo Su's tone was all propriety and gravity. Mo Yi and Mo Qi shared the same unspoken thought: "Liar!"
"If you want to leave, you'd better ask Palace Master Mo Lie first. He's desperate to hand over power to you. Think he'll let you run off?" Mo Yi leaned back with folded arms, dousing Mo Su's plans with cold water.
Mo Su shot him a glance, noting the schadenfreude on his face, and replied calmly, "I've been having trouble suppressing the yin energy in my body lately."
Mo Yi ground his teeth. "You schemer!"
"As long as it works." With that, Mo Su rose and headed toward the Heavenly Demon Palace to discuss his trip with his master.
Mo Qi watched Mo Yi fume and stomp, her lips curving into a sly smile. With a flash of her eyes, she darted after Mo Su.
Left behind, Mo Yi finally realized what had happened and hurried to chase after them.
Heavenly Sword Sect's Law Enforcement Hall
After finishing her business, Jian Dan was about to rise and leave when Jian Li stopped her. "Junior Sister, don't rush off just yet. I have something to discuss with you."
Jian Dan had no choice but to sit back down.
Jin Liuli quickly served Jian Dan her favorite spirit fruits and tea, then went to organize jade slips with Qi Hua. She'd been absent yesterday while accompanying her aunt, so there was some work to catch up on.
"The tests for the new disciples just finished at noon today. Almost all passed the basic assessment. Overall, they're a promising group."
Jian Li sipped his tea, taking a brief rest while chatting with his junior sister about recruitment, a matter she had previously overseen.
"Yes. This time, any child from the mortal world who met the standards participated. We've basically gathered all cultivable children under fifteen."
"Jian Chong says if a child fails to guide spiritual energy into their body within three months after passing, they'll be reassigned to Miscellaneous Peak to grow spiritual grains and plants."
"Ha! Jian Chong is impatient, isn't he?"
"You can't blame him. With a sword hanging over his head, he wants to train usable disciples quickly. Which is why I'm asking for your help, Junior Sister." Jian Li smoothly shifted the topic toward Jian Dan.
"Senior Brother, just say it. What do you want me to do this time?" Jian Dan smiled knowingly.
"The body tempering decoction you prescribed for the children of the Young Disciples Hall before they drew spiritual energy into their bodies..."
Before Jian Li finished speaking, Jian Dan had already caught on and continued for him.
"You want this batch of disciples to all soak in the body tempering decoction, to improve their chances of guiding spiritual energy into their bodies and lay a solid foundation for future cultivation."
"Talking to you is so easy. You get it right away. Well?" Jian Li set down his teacup, tossing her a compliment.
"Don't flatter me, Senior Brother. Makes me nervous." With a casual wave, Jian Dan pulled out a blank jade slip from her storage bracelet and recorded the formula. She passed it to Liuli, who presented it to Jian Li.
"The children of the Tongzhi Hall are precious, and their bodies were nurtured by spiritual treasures from a young age. I tailored each prescription individually."
Jian Li examined the jade slip carefully, signaling her to go on.
"Disciples recruited from the mortal world haven't cultivated before, nor were their bodies nourished by spiritual treasures. Their bodies carry more impurities.
This prescription focuses on cleansing marrow and purging impurities while widening meridians. I also substituted several rare herbs with less costly alternatives so the sect saves resources without sacrificing efficacy. What do you think, Senior Brother?"
"Primary-grade Spirit Spring Water, Marrow-Cleansing Grass, Moonlight Algae, century-old Ganoderma..."
Jian Li studied the formula carefully. It was indeed solid.
"Looks like I came to the right person. This prescription is fine. I'll hand it to Jian Chong later to prepare. You shouldn't work for free. Do you want contribution points or a trip to the Treasure Pavilion?"
Jian Li made a generous offer.
"I'll hold onto the favor. When I need forging materials, I'll redeem it here. How's that?"
"Done."
"Senior Brother, take a look at this. It's my preliminary design. I already discussed it with Senior Sister Jian Jing, but we thought it still lacked something. Could you review it?"
Jian Dan handed over a design blueprint for the magic cube trial realm she intended to forge, explaining its mechanics and operational rules.
Jian Li nodded repeatedly, offering advice: "Why not place rewards in each trial level? For those under Nascent Soul, reward spirit stones, from low to high grade. For those above Divine Transformation, give spirit herbs, ores, and artifacts they'd find useful."
"Yes, that's more motivating. I could also set tiered rewards. For instance, clear the Qi Refining trial in one attempt to get three low-grade spirit stones. Clear it in three attempts, one stone. Fail three times, no reward, and the trial ejects you."
"Haha! Great minds think alike, Junior Sister."
"Then I'll follow your advice. With these adjustments, the difficulty increases. I'll refine it again later."
Jian Dan rolled up her blueprint, ready to leave and tackle the challenge anew.
"Alright, I won't keep you. And remember, if you need help, go to Meng Congjian. He has some top-notch artifact forgers under him."
"Thanks for the tip, Senior Brother." With a respectful salute, Jian Dan left the Law Enforcement Hall in a streak of light.
After she left, Jian Li summoned Jian Wu and instructed him to deliver the decoction formula to Jian Chong, adding a reminder:
"This formula is specifically modified for mortal-born disciples. It's unsuitable for those from cultivation families or already cultivating. Have people supervise its use carefully."
When Sect Master Jian Chong heard this, his steady face lit up with joy. He had been worried about meeting the standard for disciples achieving spiritual guidance within three months. Now, Hall Master Jian Li and Jian Lu Zūnshàng had delivered a timely gift.
With a wave of the Sect Master's hand, preparations began that day, and the new disciples would start soaking in the body tempering decoction tomorrow.
From then on, every disciple recruited from the mortal world by the Heavenly Sword Sect would undergo this treatment before drawing spiritual energy into their bodies. The tradition continued unbroken.