I offered sacrifices to the gods

The voice was clearly calm and indifferent, but when it reached Lin Mo's ears, it felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and an extreme chill surged up from the soles of his feet.

At that moment, he felt as if the person standing behind him had become an endless abyss, about to swallow everything about him.

dong dong!dong dong!

In that instant when his heart started racing, Lin Mo reacted immediately.

The abbot may have already made up his mind about this matter, but he cannot make it public.

But to say that I've never seen it would be too fake.

Soon, Lin Moqian chuckled and said, "Master, are you talking about that madman nailed to the stone wall? So his name is Chen Guan. It seems he's been locked up in the Evil Water Cave for too long and has lost his mind."

"I was also shocked when I first saw that person. I didn't expect there to be such a madman in the Evil Water Cave."

After saying that, Lin Mo used the lapis lazuli dagger to make a cut on his wrist, and bright red blood flowed out from the wound.

After watering it, he could sense that the Dragon Blood Tree in front of him had become even more vibrant.

If one could extract a mouthful of spirit wood essence using the "Spirit Wood Refining Technique," one wonders how much benefit one could gain.

Immediately afterwards, the abbot came behind him and personally sealed the wound on his wrist.

The abbot spoke in a kind tone and with a gentle expression: "That Chen Guan committed a grave mistake several years ago and should have been executed, but I spared his life because it was unintentional."

"Those nails on his body were also driven in by my own hands."

"I never imagined that he would go insane in just a few years. Life is truly unpredictable."

These words are definitely a warning, aren't they?

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat, but he also knew very well that the abbot would not do anything to him, at least not at this time. The abbot would definitely not be willing to kill him.

The way I handled it just now was acceptable.

"I see. He should be grateful to his master for surviving a capital offense."

Upon hearing this, the abbot couldn't help but laugh out loud, nodding in satisfaction and saying, "Hahaha, well said, but in this world today, there are still too few people who know how to repay kindness."

"The cultivation world has lost its traditional values."

At this point, the abbot patted Lin Mo on the shoulder and said, "Good disciple, you can go back now. Keep this lapis lazuli dagger. Although it is not a magic weapon, it is still a rare and sharp weapon."

"Remember to diligently cultivate yourself, and never slacken in the slightest."

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo bowed again, clasped his hands, and said, "This disciple will remember Master's teachings!"

After leaving the forbidden area behind the mountain, they soon met Cui Donghao, who seemed to have been waiting for a while.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Cui!"

"Okay, Junior Brother Lin, take this. This is a storage bag; your clothes and identity token are inside."

Cui Donghao handed over an earth-yellow brocade pouch, on which faint traces of magical patterns could be seen.

Lin Mo was somewhat flattered, not expecting that becoming a personal disciple would also grant him a matching storage bag.

This is not a magical artifact that can be found anywhere. It requires a very high level of crafting skill to make, and even in the imperial palace, very few people can possess it.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Cui!" Lin Mo accepted the storage bag and expressed his gratitude.

The storage bag isn't very big, only about ten feet square, but it's enough to hold some odds and ends.

"No need to be polite. There are many differences between personal disciples and ordinary disciples. It's written on the token in your storage bag. You can take a look when you get back."

"In addition, there are several vacant cave dwellings on the mountain. I have selected one for you. If you are not satisfied with the location, you can apply to Elder Wu for a change later."

This considerate attitude made Lin Mo sigh inwardly.

If he didn't know that the abbot regarded him as the main ingredient for alchemy, he would truly be moved to tears of gratitude.

But now he understands that all these superficial benefits come at a price, and that price is his life.

"Alright, you've just come out of the Evil Water Cave and then traversed the forbidden area. You must be tired."

"Go back and rest quickly."

Lin Mo clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Senior Brother Cui, then I'll take my leave now."

...

The cave that Cui Donghao chose for him was located halfway up the mountain. A simple restriction was set up at the entrance of the cave, which could be easily removed with an identity token.

Once inside, the space is quite large, and there are stone tables and stone beds.

Because it's located inside the mountain, closer to the spiritual veins, the spiritual energy inside is exceptionally rich, much better than the small wooden house he had on the mountaintop.

From now on, this will be his place of practice and daily life.

"Excellent, truly excellent. These cultivation conditions are the envy of countless rogue cultivators."

Lin Mo nodded in satisfaction, then sat down on a stone bench and began to examine the storage bag he had just acquired.

Inside were three sets of dark blue Taoist robes belonging to the direct disciples. Although they were not the kind of robes with certain protective capabilities, they were still engraved with several minor spells.

Dust removal technique, mind-clearing mantra, lightness technique.

Once worn, these spells can be activated with only a very small amount of spiritual energy.

"No wonder those direct disciples always wear this Taoist robe. With the dust-removing spell, they don't have to bother changing it."

With a sigh, Lin Mo put it on, which meant that from now on, he would be a direct disciple.

Ordinary disciples, regardless of whether their cultivation level is higher or lower than his, must address him as Senior Brother.

A direct disciple whose cultivation level is below the Candle Illumination Realm is an extremely rare case in the Golden Sun Temple.

He took out the identity token again, and the words "Lin" and "Mo" were engraved on the front and back respectively.

He tried to infuse a wisp of spiritual power into it, and soon, a torrent of characters surged into his mind.

After a moment, Lin Mo slowly opened his eyes.

There's nothing particularly noteworthy about it; it mainly records the benefits and privileges that direct disciples can enjoy.

For example, in the Sutra Repository of the temple, direct disciples can go to the second floor and can borrow one lineage text for free every year without spending contribution points.

In addition, each month they can receive five spirit stones and thirty catties of spirit rice from the temple.

"This treatment is truly unbelievably good," Lin Mo exclaimed repeatedly. If it weren't for the crisis brought about by the abbot, he would have really wanted to cultivate in the Golden Sun Temple for the rest of his life.

Even if I have to bleed once a month, I'll accept it. Compared to these things, what does bleeding once a month matter?

"I wonder what my brothers will think when this gets back to the palace."

A hostage has actually become a disciple of the Golden Sun Temple. If the other princes knew about this, they would probably be furious.

Lin Mo's salary for this month has been paid out; thirty catties of spirit rice and five spirit stones lie quietly in his storage bag.

Each spirit stone contains abundant spiritual energy, and can be used not only for cultivation but also as a form of hard currency in the cultivation world.

These spirit rice grains are also quite valuable, and can only be grown by cultivating spirit fields.

Every year, the Yu Kingdom would send a large amount of spiritual rice to the Jinyang Temple. The imperial court even set up a special Agricultural Supervisor to recruit some cultivators to cultivate spiritual fields.

Spirit rice is entirely beneficial to cultivators; regular consumption can nourish blood and qi, enhance magical power, and improve cultivation.

"At this rate, it should be possible to attempt to ignite the flame of life and advance to the Candle Illumination Realm in about three years."

"As for the Blood Transporting Sutra, even if I don't complete it, the abbot will probably try every means to force it onto my head."

"That will be my death day."

The faster one progresses in cultivation, the sooner one will die.

If one simply slacks off and refuses to cultivate, the abbot will likely not let it go easily.

In the end, Lin Mo chose to cultivate honestly and dared not cheat or slack off in this area.

...

For the next two weeks, Lin Mo lived a secluded life of spiritual practice.

After becoming the abbot's personal disciple, the Punishment Hall never sent him to the Evil Water Cave to be punished again, and the matter was thus glossed over.

During this time, Cui Donghao would occasionally supplement Lin Mo's knowledge on the path of cultivation and impart his own insights on cultivation to him.

In addition, elders and other inner disciples would occasionally give sermons and expound the Dharma, and all disciples were welcome to come and listen.

On this day, Elder Wu sat upright on the preaching platform, expounding on the knowledge of the first few realms on the path of cultivation.

Therefore, the three realms of Spiritual Guidance, Illumination, and Contemplation are also known as the Lower Three Realms.

"These correspond to spiritual power, physical body, and soul respectively. Cultivation is about cultivating oneself, and these three are the foundation of a cultivator."

Upon hearing this, many disciples below the stage showed expressions of anticipation and enthusiasm.

"May I ask, Elder, there is a question I do not understand. Since cultivators use magical power to measure their cultivation level, why does the Candle Illumination Realm emphasize the tempering of the physical body?"

The question was asked by an ordinary disciple whose cultivation had reached the late stage of the Spirit Guidance Realm, making him quite outstanding among the disciples.

Elder Wu patiently replied to this:

"The so-called 'Illuminating Realm' is to ignite the flame of life and illuminate oneself."

"The reason why cultivation at this level requires consideration of both magical power and physical body is that the intensity of one's life fire directly affects a cultivator's life essence!"

"If one's life fire is not strong enough, the bottleneck in one's cultivation level will be as insurmountable as an insurmountable chasm."

"If one cultivates to the peak of the Candle Illumination Realm, with perfect magical power, a life fire that soars to the sky, and blood and qi like a surging river, one can open the sea of ​​consciousness, cultivate divine consciousness, and thus the divine soul is born."

Lin Mo listened intently from below, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I see. The brain needs to be nourished by blood. If the physical body is strong, there will be an abundance of blood supply to the brain, and the opening of the sea of ​​consciousness will be a natural process."

"Upon reaching the visualization realm, the cultivator possesses divine consciousness, and their divine soul will manifest in a concrete form."

"No wonder cultivators regard the physical body as the foundation of their existence; a powerful physique is indeed of paramount importance."

He now possesses the "Spirit Wood Refining Meridian Technique" and is also refining the "Blood Transporting Scripture".

His physical strength at the Spirit Guidance Realm far surpasses that of other cultivators at the same level, meaning he has essentially embarked on the path to the Illumination Realm ahead of time.

Once they reach the peak of the Spirit Guidance Realm in the future, igniting their own life fire will be a natural progression, much easier than for others.

Of course, during the promotion process, it is best to supplement with some old medicines and spiritual items that nourish qi and blood.

Putting everything else aside, his foundation is now truly solid. With the "Spirit Wood Refining Meridian Technique," his future path is indeed bright.

Unfortunately... a great mountain stands in the way of this bright future.

Thinking of this, Lin Mo clenched his fists.

His determination to pursue the Tao was unwavering. Knowing that there was boundless beauty at the top, he was naturally unwilling to give up the climb.

Just then, a series of crisp footsteps came from outside the pulpit.

A beautiful and spirited woman strode in, immediately attracting the attention of many.

"Disciple Yang Xiaoran greets Martial Uncle Wu!"

"No need for formalities. Why are you here at the Daoist temple instead of staying in the Hall of Punishments?" Elder Wu asked leisurely.

It's her, the senior sister of the Punishment Hall!

Lin Mo's heart stirred; he had already reached a cooperation agreement with the Hall of Punishments.

However, no one from the Punishment Hall had contacted him for the past two weeks, which made him somewhat uneasy.

The Hall of Punishments should be aware of the cooperation, right?

Just as Lin Mo was filled with doubt, the slender and upright senior sister of the Punishment Hall said something that shocked all the disciples present.

"Reporting to Uncle Wu, two disciples in the temple have died from poisoning. They are Zhong Xiaolong and Zhong Xiaohu, who just joined the mountain last year."

Upon hearing this, all the disciples looked astonished.

Lin Mo, standing in the crowd, also frowned, an expression of disbelief appearing in his eyes.

Zhong Xiaolong and Zhong Xiaohu...aren't these the two fat and thin Taoist boys who greeted him on the mountain before?

Someone poisoned them?!

Could it be that these two offended someone they shouldn't have at the temple? That doesn't seem likely...

Elder Wu frowned, a dark look flashing in his eyes.

"How could this happen? Who poisoned and killed Xiaolong and Xiaohu? Has the Punishment Hall found the real culprit?"

Yang Xiaoran shook his head and said, "This matter has not been investigated, but one thing can be confirmed: the two of them were poisoned by the same kind of poison."

"The reason I've come today is to transfer away several disciples who have had contact with Zhong Xiaolong and Zhong Xiaohu."

Since the purpose was to investigate the poisoning, Elder Wu naturally wouldn't stop him. He nodded and said, "You handle this matter. Make sure you find the real culprit."

"To murder a fellow disciple is punishable by death."

Soon, Yang Xiaoran called out the names of the disciples present who had interacted with the two fat and thin Daoist boys.

"Cheng Gu, Zhao Xiaoshan, Lin Mo..."

Upon hearing his name called, Lin Mo was slightly taken aback, thinking that it had finally come. The Hall of Punishments must be planning to use this opportunity to make contact with him.

And so, Lin Mo and the other disciples were taken to the Hall of Punishments.

Since it was an interrogation, there was bound to be some suffering from imprisonment.

But since Lin Mo has become a personal disciple, he will definitely be treated differently.

He was not imprisoned, but instead received courteous treatment and was invited to a side hall.

"Junior Brother Lin, you've only been on the mountain for less than two months, and you've already lost two lives."

...