The road is vague

Chapter 85 Paying Homage to the Ancestor
With the end of the final examination.

On the high platform.

As the deputy head of the Advanced Studies Hall, Han Mu stood up as per previous years' practice and delivered an impassioned and inspiring speech to everyone present.

Ye Qing still had an indifferent expression.

But from the corner of her eye, she kept glancing at Shi Yongjie, who was looking excited under the ring, and sneered in her heart.

after awhile.

Han Mu finished his usual speech and signaled Ye Qing that the most important award ceremony could begin.

"Next, let's present awards to the disciples who achieved outstanding results in this final examination. After the awards ceremony, everyone will be free to move around. Everyone, please gather in front of the main hall at noon tomorrow!"

"Yes!"

the other side.

As the champion of this graduation examination, Li Mo naturally attracted much attention.

"Congratulations!"

"Congratulations……"

The hall masters in the Jindan stage on the stage all congratulated Li Mo.

Li Mo accepted the reward for being the champion of this final examination, which was a crane cloak, a book, a jade bottle, a jade box, and a token, a total of five items.

But now is not the time to find out.

After the other disciples received their assessment rewards, Li Mo suppressed his curiosity and respectfully saluted the Jindan-stage hall masters on the stage. He was about to leave with the other award-winning disciples when Ye Qing from the training hall stopped him.

"Li Mo, please wait a moment. The others can leave."

After everyone dispersed, Li Mo looked at Master Ye with a puzzled look on his face.

Ye Qing smiled slightly.

"You are already a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage now, right?"

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Li Mo did not intend to hide anything and responded calmly.

"My disciple was lucky enough to establish his foundation two days ago."

Han Mu, who was standing by, heard this and continued to ask meaningfully.

"Your cultivation speed is so astonishing. Even if you have extraordinary spiritual roots, it would be difficult to establish your foundation within three years. Could it be that your master left you a pill that can help improve your Qi training?"

"Well, this disciple did not obtain the master's elixir, but obtained an exclusive elixir recipe. This disciple used it to exchange with the brothers and sisters in the weapon refining hall for a large number of elixir recipes that can help improve the cultivation level of the Qi training stage."

Upon hearing this, Han Mu was quite satisfied with Li Mo's answer.

The several Jindan cultivators on the stage glanced at each other secretly and said nothing more.

Ye Qing nodded, thoughtfully.

"I'm keeping you here for no other reason than to tell you that once Lingmu Sect disciples complete their foundation building, they can go to the Patriarch's Hall to receive the one-time reward that the sect gives out to Foundation Building cultivators. Also, you must change your clothing and waist badge promptly, lest Qi Condensation disciples see you and address you as peers, making a fool of themselves and thinking that we Qingming Mountain cultivators are barbarians and that Lingmu Sect disciples don't know etiquette."

Li Mo heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this. He thought it was a matter of the Piaomiao Transformation Technique.

"Yes."

He responded respectfully and left the platform.

Then Li Mo saw Ma Ling, Niu Li and Yang Guang still waiting for him in the Shenshu Square, so he asked for leave from the three of them, saying that he had to go to the Ancestral Hall first and would meet later.

"Okay, we'll wait for you. We'll probably be leaving tomorrow, and this might be our last gathering."

"come back earlier."

"it is good!"

On the way to the Ancestral Hall, Li Mo took the opportunity to take a look at the five prizes he had won.

First of all, this crane cloak Taoist robe is actually a top-grade magic weapon. It can not only resist the five elements spells, but also has the ability to resist cold and heat, change styles, and at the same time it can even activate the wind control technique to fly!
Li Mo was overjoyed.

This is actually a magical weapon that can fly, not the so-called levitation technique.

"Let's call it... Qingming Crane Cloak."

The Qingming Crane Cloak has such an effect, and its value is probably enough to rival some top-grade magic weapons. For cultivators in the Qi training stage, it is a treasure that is hard to come by at a high price.

Then Li Mo looked at the jade bottle again.

After he opened the bottle cap, he saw a foundation-building pill inside, which made him speechless.

Putting away the foundation-building pill, Li Mo opened the jade box.

Ten medium-grade spirit stones were neatly arranged. Li Mo was extremely satisfied. After putting them away, he looked at the metal token.

"Spiritual Spring Order?"

He was stunned for a moment, then suddenly thought of something.

"Could it be there?"

According to legend, there is a magical spring on Qingming Mountain, which gushes out from the core center of the spiritual vein of Qingming Mountain.

If ordinary people take a bath in it once, they can get rid of all diseases and strengthen their body.

If a monk soaks in it once, it can withstand the hard work of several months of training and improve his training qualifications to a certain extent.

However, it is said that this spring is used to accumulate foundation and is rarely open to the public except for the purpose of giving birth to true disciples of the Patriarch's Hall in the Foundation Establishment Period and quickly improving their cultivation to the peak of the late Foundation Establishment Period.

“So that’s how it is!”

Li Mo never expected that the accumulated power of this spiritual spring was actually used to reward the champion of the annual graduation examination, and he immediately showed his excitement.

As he was getting closer to the Ancestral Hall, he hurriedly looked at the last reward.

"Sword Heart Technique."

Li Mo muttered to himself and quickly flipped through the pages.

Due to time constraints, Li Mo only had time to glance over a few pages. He knew that this was a secret sword technique that could make the mind and sword one after mastering it.

"stop!"

"This is the important place of the Patriarch's Hall, no one is allowed to approach!"

These two gatekeeper boys are obviously not disciples of the training hall.

Upon hearing this, Li Mo hurriedly saluted.

"I am Li Mo. I have completed the foundation building process and have come to claim the one-time reward given by my master to those who have completed the foundation building process."

"Oh?"

One of the gatekeepers looked surprised when he heard this.

"If that's the case, then what sect are you from? Who is your captain? Why didn't you come with us to pay your respects to the Sect Leader?"

Another gatekeeper boy said, "Release the foundation-building spiritual pressure. We need to verify it."

Li Mo nodded after hearing this, and first released the spiritual pressure of a foundation-building cultivator. Seeing that the two did not move at all, he felt a chill in his heart, and then withdrew the spiritual pressure and responded.

"I am a third-year disciple of the Advanced Training Hall. After the final examination, I came here on the orders of Hall Master Ye Qing. I am not accompanied by a captain."

"what?"

"You treat us like three-year-old children, haha!"

The two gatekeepers laughed for a while, but when they saw that Li Mo remained calm, they gradually became serious.

"Are you really from the training hall?"

"It's true."

After the two looked at each other, one of them took Li Mo's badge and quickly ran into the ancestral hall.

About half an hour later.

Led by the gatekeeper boy, an old man walked out of the ancestral hall and looked at Li Mo.

When Li Mo saw this person, he immediately bowed and paid homage.

"Disciple Li Mo, greetings to the Acting Sect Leader!"

This person was none other than Chen Shouyi of the Chen family, one of the two acting leaders of Lingmu Sect.

Li Mo had met him once when he was a gatekeeper in Jubao Hall. Wang Zhu was almost involved in the conflict between the disciples of the aristocratic families and the independent disciples. In the end, it was Chen Shouyi who spoke on behalf of the head of the sect, and Lu Song stopped pestering him.

However, Chen Shouyi obviously didn't remember Li Mo.

"Nephew Li Mo, please come in!"

After a while.

Li Mo followed Chen Shouyi, knelt down respectfully in front of the two statues in the ancestral hall, and took the incense and candles handed to him by Chen Shouyi.

"These two ancestors are the first generation of our sect's founder, Lingmu Zhenren, and the second generation, Jiedou Zhenren."

Upon hearing this, Li Mo inserted the incense sticks into the incense burner and paid homage.

"Disciple Li Mo pays homage to Grandmaster Lingmu and Grandmaster Dongtou. May the spirits of the two Grandmasters in heaven bless our Lingmu sect to produce numerous talented people, pass on the torch, enjoy eternal peace, and prosper forever."

"very good."

After a while.

Chen Shouyi took Li Mo away from the ancestral hall.

"Master Qingling has been in seclusion for ten years. Otherwise, according to custom, it should be the Master himself who brings you to the Ancestral Hall for worship. Now, I, the Acting Master, can only do it for you. Haha, follow me."

Next, Chen Shouyi took out a set of chess pieces, two beast-shaped puppets, hundreds of spirit stones, and a token and handed them to Li Mo.

"This flag formation can create a colorful psychedelic formation, powerful enough to trap cultivators at the twelfth level of Qi training. It can be used to protect caves and mansions. You can open a cave around Qingming Mountain or occupy an abandoned one. These two beast-shaped puppets are masterpieces of the Lu family. They are both at the seventh level of Qi training and can be used for daily cave care. These five hundred spirit stones are a one-time subsidy from the sect. This is your new waist badge. With it, you can access the second floor of the Hidden Merit Pavilion and copy any two spells..."

"Thank you, Acting Sect Leader!"

Li Mo saluted respectfully again.

As for small things like changing clothes, you just need to take your badge to apply, it’s a piece of cake.

Less than half an hour later.

Li Mo walked slowly back to the Shenshu Square.

Ma Ling, Niu Li and Yang Guang have been waiting for him here for a long time. If it were in the past, they would have dispersed long ago, but today is different from the past. This may be their last gathering in three years, so they naturally cherish it very much.

"Ha ha!"

Yang Guang was the first to see Li Mo, and he waved and laughed. He had gained a lot in the past few days and was in a really good mood.

"You're finally back. Let's go, eh?"

At this time.

Yang Guang noticed the crane cloak worn by his uncle, who was in the Foundation Establishment stage, on Li Mo. Not only were there many patterns of flowers, birds, fish and insects on it, but the collar and cuffs also had black textures added, making it look much more dignified and elegant. He was stunned for a moment.

Ma Ling and Niu Li also looked over and were stunned.

"What are you doing?"

Yang Guang's eyes were dull, and he almost couldn't help but call out "Master Uncle" several times.

After Li Mo came in front of the three people, he turned around as if to show off, and then smiled slightly.

"How about this, does it fit me?"

When Niu Li reacted, he immediately looked horrified.

"Li Mo, you're crazy! You're wearing clothes that are against etiquette and law. If you're seen by the people in the Law Enforcement Hall, you'll be whipped!"

Snapped!
Ma Ling slapped Niu Li hard on the back, looked at Li Mo and took a deep breath.

"Disciple Ma Ling, greetings to Uncle Li!"

Niu Li and Yang Guang finally reacted and hurriedly bowed to greet him.

"I've met Uncle Master!"

Li Mo felt mixed emotions when he saw the three of them like this.

"Cultivators are judged by their level of cultivation. This is both a cultivator's joy and a cultivator's pain. I hope that this will not create any estrangement between us in the future. Within the sect, I am your uncle, and outside the sect, we are still friends."

Upon hearing this, Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang looked at Li Mo with extremely complicated eyes.

Although they were moved, they no longer felt relaxed as before.

"Let's go!"

"it is good……"

The four of them strolled around the back mountain until the afternoon, and then had a hearty meal at the market at the foot of the mountain. It was not until the evening of the 10th hour that they returned to the dormitory and said goodbye reluctantly.

Ma Ling was sitting next to Li Mo, and she suddenly stopped before entering the house.

"Li Mo."

"Huh?" Li Mo seemed to have a premonition of this and deliberately slowed down his pace before entering the house. He knew that Ma Ling would definitely explain to him why they had to go to Sihaitang.

"My two uncles, one aunt, my father, and my mother are all middle-level members of the Zhanghe faction. Because they chose the wrong side during the power transfer of the Zhanghe faction, our family was suppressed and our situation became increasingly difficult, so we are preparing to leave Muzhou."

The Zhanghe School is one of the two major secular martial arts schools in Muzhou.

The highest realm of these secular martial arts sects is the Innate Realm, which is comparable to a weak cultivator in the early stages of foundation building. It is already the pinnacle of mortal martial arts cognition and can be called a martial arts master.

"I don't know when we'll see each other again, so take care of yourself."

"You too."

As Ma Ling entered the room, Li Mo also returned to the house.

He sat on a wooden bench and looked at the flower garden outside the window. He couldn't calm down for a long time. His three-year enlightenment and training life as a disciple had come to an end. He was a little dazed for a moment.

Before, he didn't think there was anything wrong.

Only at this moment did he realize that he had adapted to the comfortable life here, and was about to part with those familiar faces, and his heart was filled with reluctance.

"Ugh."

Li Mo carried the "Damage Like a God" and a small vegetable in a pocket and walked towards Lu Tianyou's room.

"Uncle Master!"

"Greetings, Uncle Master..."

People kept bowing to him along the way, whether they were first-year disciples, second-year disciples, or third-year disciples, all showed respect.

Only a few people suddenly realized that the person coming was Li Mo, and they looked incredulous.

At this time.

There was a noise coming from the corridor ahead, which made Li Mo turn around and look.

"Ye Xunhuan, that's enough, stop talking!"

It turned out to be Zhao Huaxue's voice.

Li Mo couldn't help but stop and look towards the bamboo forest. He saw Ye Xunhuan pulling Zhao Huaxue and constantly expressing his love for her. He seemed to have recreated the image of Shi Yazhou.

"Huaxue, listen to me, I'm sincere. Heaven and earth can verify it, the sun and the moon can testify to it. Why don't you want to believe me?"

Ye Xunhuan kept blocking Zhao Huaxue's way.

"Be with me, I am a disciple of the Ye family, as long as you are with me..."

"Stop talking!"

In the past three years, Zhao Huaxue has experienced similar things many times.

Ye Xunhuan is not the first, nor will she be the last. The monks of the Goddess Palace can use this to play with many monks at their fingertips, but she is not a monk of the Goddess Palace. She does not master the same Taoist magic, and the Yuan Yin Qi in her body cannot be regenerated. She only has one chance.

"Why don't you just kill me? I, Ye Xunhuan, am willing to die in your hands."

When Zhao Huaxue saw Ye Xunhuan in such a posture, she was immediately filled with disbelief.

"You...you, you are a slut!"

"Cough cough!"

Even Li Mo, who was just there to watch the show, couldn't stand it anymore.

It was dark at the moment and one could only use the light from the mountain protection formation to distinguish. When Zhao Huaxue saw that it was Li Mo, she showed gratitude to Li Mo. But then she thought that Li Mo had seen her ugly appearance, and she felt ashamed and angry, so she took the opportunity to leave quickly.

Ye Xunhuan looked at Li Mo angrily.

"Li Mo, don't think you're so great just because you got first place in the final exam. Stay out of our Ye family's business, or I'll make you pay for it one day!"

"How dare you speak disrespectfully to our uncle!"

Li Mo's voice was indifferent.

"you……"

Only then did Ye Xunhuan notice Li Mo's clothes.

Then he thought about how he was obsessed with lust during the day and had been harassing Zhao Huaxue. In just a short moment, he missed the game between Jiang Sheng and Ye Fuhu. He was extremely upset and later heard people talk about it as if it were a miracle.

He suddenly woke up.

Although he is cunning and does evil things in his daily life, he is quite aware of the current situation and can bend and stretch himself.

So Ye Xunhuan actually knelt down with a "bang".

Even though Li Mo was about to say something harsh, after seeing this scene, his eyes widened and he instinctively took a step back.

"you?"

"Uncle Li, you are so magnanimous. I was confused for a moment and said those rebellious words. I am despicable and filthy, I am shameless and vulgar, I..."

Ye Xunhuan actually punished himself in front of Li Mo.

This really opened the eyes of Li Mo, who had never seen the world, and made him realize the oppression brought by the identity of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Hmph, if you dare to do this again, I will not let you off easily!"

"Yes!"

Li Mo continued walking towards Lu Tianyou's room.

Ye Xunhuan didn't breathe a sigh of relief until Li Mo was completely gone.

Just as Ye Xuan said, although he is a member of the Ye family, he is not taken seriously. He usually relies on his good relationship with disciples from other aristocratic families to bully individual disciples, but he would never dare to offend the uncle master who is in the Foundation Establishment stage in the sect.

Ye Xunhuan glanced in the direction where Zhao Huaxue left, then finally sighed and walked in another direction.

Now he wished he could leave the sect immediately and never see this Uncle Li again.

dong dong.

Li Mo's spiritual sense could sense that Lu Tianyou was in the room, so he stood outside the door and knocked gently a few times.

"Who is it?"

"I."

After hearing Li Mo's voice, footsteps were heard in the room. Lu Tianyou came and opened the door.

Li Mo smiled and raised his hands, revealing the spirit wine and side dishes.

Lu Tianyou was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and smiled helplessly. He stepped aside and motioned Li Mo to come in.

After Li Mo walked into the room, he placed the Da Meng Si Shen Xian on the table, then gently untied the lotus leaves, revealing the fennel beans and roast chicken inside.

"Hurry up and close the door! If someone from the Law Enforcement Hall sees us, we'll be in trouble."

Upon hearing this, Lu Tianyou hurriedly closed the door.

Sudden.

Lu Tianyou noticed the clothes on Li Mo and couldn't help but be stunned.

"What are you doing?"

"How about it?"

Li Mo smiled and said, "My new clothes."

Lu Tianyou was not stupid. When he saw Li Mo like this and recalled Li Mo's performance, he immediately reacted.

"Disciple Lu Tianyou, greetings to Uncle Li!"

"You."

Li Mo poured Lu Tianyou a glass of wine and pulled him over.

"It's just the two of us, and you're still talking about uncle? Does an uncle go to his nephew's house to drink? Sit down quickly. From now on, when we're outside the sect or when it's just the two of us, keep calling me Li Mo!"

Lu Tianyou, who had been in a state of lethargy, was now fully awake.

He took the wine glass handed to him by Li Mo and drank it in one gulp.

Then the two looked at each other and smiled.

"Li Mo, when did you establish your foundation? For a disciple of the Advanced Training Hall to establish his foundation, God, I simply can't imagine it. This is truly incredible!"

"Two days before the final exam, I planned to try it out, and unexpectedly it worked."

Li Mo tore off a chicken leg for Lu Tianyou, and the two of them started to eat the chicken leg with a smile.

"Does the hall master know?"

"Yes, I understand. When the awards were presented, it was Hall Master Ye who asked me to go to the Ancestral Hall to receive the waist badge, as well as some subsidies and rewards for Foundation Establishment cultivators."

"Tsk, tsk."

Lu Tianyou showed self-mockery on his face.

"From now on, I will have someone to rely on when I am in Lingmu Sect."

Li Mo naturally heard his self-mockery, laughed along, and didn't say much.

"Since you're a Foundation Establishment cultivator now, can you tell me about the changes? I heard that the mana of a Foundation Establishment cultivator is in liquid form in their dantian. Is this true?"

"indeed so."

Li Mo nodded in response.

"As for the changes after building the foundation, the most obvious one is the change in mana and spiritual power. Compared to the time when I reached the great perfection of the twelfth level of Qi training, it increased three or four times almost instantly. In addition, my physical condition has changed, which seems to be related to my lifespan..."

As Li Mo spoke slowly, Lu Tianyou became more and more engrossed in listening.

Before I knew it, it was late at night.

Both of them were a little drunk. Li Mo stretched and leaned back in his chair.

"What are your plans for the future?"

"Let's take one step at a time."

Lu Tianyou also leaned back in his chair, his eyes slightly confused.

"I'm currently at the sixth level of Qi training. I'm likely to be assigned to the outer hall, so we'll see each other less often in the future."

Lu Tianyou also struggled.

But unfortunately, his family can only be considered moderately wealthy in Anle City.

When he was in the first grade of the training hall, he asked his parents for help in order to improve himself. In the end, he took out three thousand taels of silver notes from his family, which was more than three hundred spirit stones. However, he was still defeated by Ye Fuhu afterwards.

Two years later.

Lu Tianyou was able to get support of thousands of taels of silver from his family every year, but this almost emptied the Lu family's assets, forcing them to live frugally and cut back on expenses.

He has to face the difficulties of life and is no longer the heartless and carefree young master.

until late at night.

Li Mocai said goodbye to Lu Tianyou and walked towards his dormitory.

Li Mo, who was a little drunk, suddenly noticed that there was a person standing in front of his dormitory door.

He froze for a moment.

It was not until he confirmed with his divine sense that this person was actually Lu Cuicui that Li Mo sobered up instantly.

"Cui Cui, why are you here?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Cuicui looked towards Li Mo.

It was already late at night and her vision was very blurry. Only after she confirmed that the person coming was Li Mo did she jog over.

"that……"

Lu Cuicui hesitated.

"My mother told me to choose between the Guardian Hall and the Law Enforcement Hall tomorrow. I haven't made a decision yet. Brother Li, which hall will you choose?"

Li Mo opened his mouth. He knew why the other party came and what was in the other party's mind.

"I want to choose the Special Service Hall."

Upon hearing this, Lu Cuicui was stunned and couldn't believe it.

"You are going to take up a position in the outer sect?"

Li Mo nodded.

"Yes, my master, Lu Qi, is the head of the Special Service Hall, and becoming an inspector of the Ministry of Destiny is my dream."

Lu Cuicui's face looked a little ugly.

"I...my brother and mother both told me to choose an inner sect. I'm afraid I can't serve in the outer sect."

She spoke as softly as a mosquito, bit her lips lightly, and slowly lowered her head.

(End of this chapter)