Gu Shenzhi slightly raised his head and murmured to himself, “In the end, I still couldn’t beat her, not even once!”
“The old man sees that Master Gu hasn’t truly lost in this situation. It’s simply a draw,” Mo Zhe comforted from the side. “You’re just barely twenty, while Patriarch Bai has traveled far and wide, leading the Lingjian Sect for years. Compared to her, isn’t it only natural that you didn’t win?”
Gu Shenzhi nodded slightly but said no more. Yet, deep down, he scoffed at the idea of a draw. Victory handed to him by others could never truly be called victory.
The two quickened their pace, weaving through the maze-like inner courtyard of the Mo Mansion, then cutting into a secluded winding path. After about half an hour, they finally reached the location of the treasure vault.
Here, the vegetation was lush and thriving, with streams gently trickling by. Anyone entering for the first time would probably think they had left Yunhai City and entered the wild mountains beyond the city walls.
Between steep cliffs, clouds and mist swirled, concealing a narrow plank road. Every ten zhang along this path stood a pavilion built from redwood, each guarded by a Nascent Soul master.
The defenses were formidable—worthy of being the forbidden grounds of the Mo family.
Mo Zhe led the way, holding the elder token of the Mo Mansion. Only then did the Nascent Soul cultivators slowly retreat to make way for the two.
Recognition of the token, not the person, was the Mo family’s longstanding rule.
High above the hundred-zhang cliff hung a massive stone door, from within which faint spiritual fluctuations emanated. An old man in black robes stood guard, gripping twin dragon iron staffs, the last line of defense for the treasure vault.
“Nascent Soul perfected—no, he should be a half-step into the Transformation stage!” Gu Shenzhi thought in surprise. The Mo family truly had a deep foundation. Though not as terrifying as the Four Great Sects, they utterly crushed second-rate sects.
“This is Mo Yao, the Offering. By seniority, I should call him my granduncle. He is also the strongest in the Mo Mansion,” Mo Zhe explained.
Upon hearing this, Gu Shenzhi immediately cupped his hands respectfully. “I have long admired Offering Mo Yao’s demeanor. To meet you today is truly an honor.”
Though he had only learned of Mo Yao’s existence a few seconds earlier, this did not stop him from expressing his “admiration.” Whether or not the other had heard of him, offering polite words first could never be wrong.
Mo Yao nodded and said, “At least you know some etiquette.” Then he carefully sized up the white-clad youth before him.
The next moment, his pupils suddenly dilated. His expression was initially excited, but quickly returned to calm as he said coldly, “This young man should not be a descendant of our Mo family, right?”
“And why do you say that?” Gu Shenzhi looked up at the black-robed elder and smiled lightly.
“With your innate talent and root bones, you are no ordinary person, even far surpassing most prodigies. If you were one of the Mo family’s younger generation, even if this old man had secluded himself for years, I would have heard of you.”
Elder Mo Zhe stepped forward slowly. “Offering Sir’s eyesight is as sharp as ever. This Master Gu Shenzhi has done the Mo family a great favor. After discussion with the other elders, we have permitted him to enter the treasure vault and select three items.”
“Very well. Since he has done us a favor, and this is the decision of our elders, this old man will not object.”
With that, Mo Yao swung his twin dragon iron staffs, striking the stone wall three times with tremendous force. A loud boom sounded as the vault’s door opened.
“Master Gu is wise and reasonable. I won’t say more. You have half an hour to choose any three treasures,” Mo Zhe said casually, showing considerable generosity as he looked at the white-clothed youth.
Inside the cave, Gu Shenzhi immediately opened his heavy pupil eyes and began a rough search. He was soon shocked to find the vault stretched a thousand zhang deep, filled with all kinds of treasures. For ordinary cultivators, even a whole day wouldn’t suffice to find a single satisfactory spiritual treasure, let alone half an hour.
Furthermore, there were concealed small spaces inside, like secret realms, separated from reality by half an hour at most. Not only would choosing treasures be difficult, but wandering inside might mean losing the way out.
The Mo family really wasn’t being polite—they intended to trap him here. But chances were high he would disappoint them.
Next, he unleashed his divine sense and combined it with his heavy pupil technique.
Before long, Gu Shenzhi found what he wanted. After a few afterimages flashed, he disappeared without a trace inside the vault.
Mo Zhe stood before the vault door, gazing down at the mountain view with a proud expression. It would be extremely lucky if Gu Shenzhi managed to pick a few Xuan-grade spiritual treasures. Such a cost was negligible to the Mo family.
Yet, after just forty-five minutes, the white-clad youth strolled out, calm and unhurried, showing no hint of regret or attachment.
“Master Gu, why are you leaving so soon? There’s still plenty of time left. Won’t you continue to choose more?” Mo Zhe asked.
“Eh, your treasure vault contains countless items, vast and dazzling. I simply picked three things at random and came out,” Gu Shenzhi replied with slight melancholy.
Seeing his demeanor, Mo Zhe’s earlier worries settled. He feigned consolation, “It’s alright. At least you gained something. I’m just curious—what three treasures did you pick?”
“A strand of spiritual breath, a sword manual, and a precious pearl,” Gu Shenzhi answered.
Hearing this, Mo Zhe subtly gave a glance to Mo Yao, who silently nodded in confirmation.
As the direct guardian of the treasure vault, Mo Yao’s divine sense was connected to the entire vault. If anything was missing, he would sense it immediately.
Since he gave his approval, it proved Gu Shenzhi hadn’t taken anything extra.
“Well then, I wish Master Gu a safe journey. This old man will not see you off any further.”
Gu Shenzhi bowed and cupped his hands in gratitude, then rode his sword away. Inside the Mo family vault, he had taken a Heavenly Dao spiritual breath, a sword residual manual, and a Heavenly-grade restorative spiritual pearl of the Yi Wood attribute.
He had almost taken the three most valuable treasures from the vault, yet the Mo family’s second elder, ever hospitable, had not made things difficult for him but rather comforted him not to lose heart.
Truly, I’m overwhelmed!
Afterward, Gu Shenzhi flew his sword deep into the wilderness. This free time before leaving the mansion was the perfect opportunity to condense the Heavenly Dao Sacred Nascent Soul.
His cultivation had reached the completion of the Nascent Soul stage. Recently, he had swallowed a Sacred Fruit. Now, with the Heavenly Dao spiritual breath, all preparations for breaking through the Nascent Soul realm were complete.
In a hidden cave within the forest, Gu Shenzhi sat cross-legged, his hands naturally resting on his knees, and his Qi sinking into his dantian, ready to absorb the nearby Heavenly Dao spiritual breath.
A sacred and ethereal aura slowly seeped into his meridians, an unbearably itchy sensation like ants gnawing at his flesh. His meridians were being reshaped. After this hardship, he would be reborn anew.
Inside his dantian, his true spirit was rapidly consumed, merging with the external Heavenly Dao spiritual breath to form a mysterious whirlpool. At the whirlpool’s center, an infantile spiritual body was taking shape.
Gradually, the aura around the white-clad youth became evasive and unfathomable.
When Gu Shenzhi opened his eyes again, a beam of light shot upward. Within a hundred-li radius, all the spiritual energy was absorbed into his body, nourishing the newborn Nascent Soul.
At this very moment, the Heavenly Dao Sacred Infant was complete!
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