Qingxuan Sect.
The sound of the bells tolled continuously, resembling the rumbling of thunder.
This noise abruptly awakened Shen Mo.
He found himself in a spartan room.
A sharp pain pierced his chest.
Wiping the corner of his mouth, he found dried blood.
"Where am I..."
Before Shen Mo could ponder further, a flood of unfamiliar memories surged into his mind.
After a brief headache, he quickly realized, "I've actually transmigrated into another world."
This body also bore the name Shen Mo, hailing from Qingshan City, and at the age of twelve, he was initiated into the Qingxuan Sect.
Originally, his predecessor was a youth with exceptional talent, reaching the peak of the Body Tempering Realm by the age of sixteen, and stepping into the Qi Condensation Realm just a year later!
His predecessor's status in the Qingxuan Sect had risen to be the top outer disciple, highly praised and the center of attention.
According to the sect's rules, the top three outer disciples who stepped into the Qi Condensation Realm could challenge inner disciples. Winning the challenge would grant them the status of inner disciples.
However, three days before his predecessor was to challenge the inner disciples, his cultivation inexplicably regressed, deteriorating back to the beginner level of the Body Tempering Realm over the span of three days.
This event even alarmed an elder, who personally examined him and concluded that Shen Mo was afflicted with "Blood Scatter Poison," rendering his four years of Body Tempering and one year of Qi Condensation useless.
The Blood Scatter Poison also irreversibly damaged his spiritual roots; without an exceptionally powerful elixir, he could only hope to return to the peak of the Body Tempering Realm at most, never again reaching the Qi Condensation Realm.
The elder ordered a thorough investigation, but no culprit was found.
A year passed, and the matter was shelved.
No one would waste time on someone deemed useless.
The stark contrast in circumstances left his predecessor increasingly despondent, never recovering from the setback.
What's worse, the outer disciples faced a last-place elimination system.
The Body Tempering Realm was divided into entry-level, minor achievement, major achievement, perfect, and peak.
An outer disciple at the entry level of the Body Tempering Realm who couldn't advance to the minor achievement level within a year was deemed to lack cultivation aptitude, would be stripped of their disciple status, and sent down the mountain.
His predecessor had been deeply worried about this.
Just yesterday, he died suddenly from a surge of blood to the heart.
It was at this moment that Shen Mo's soul transmigrated into this body.
"This is just too tragic..."
Shen Mo couldn't help but smile wryly, "Now, with only two months left until the annual outer disciple assessment, it's difficult for me to advance to the minor achievement of the Body Tempering Realm."
"In the end, I will still be expelled from the mountain."
"Where is that golden finger when you need it? Old grandpa, help out here, will you?"
He called out in his mind but received no response from the old grandpa.
Instead, he saw a panel.
[Name: Shen Mo.]
[Realm: Entry Level of Body Tempering Realm.]
[Fate: Son of a Pharmacist, Innate Wisdom, Sword Dao Enthusiast, Ordinary Luck.]
[Destiny: Two months from now, failing the outer disciple assessment, expelled from the mountain. On his way home, pursued by a rogue cultivator, falls off a cliff and dies with no remains.]
[Recent Opportunity: None.]
Shen Mo sighed as he read through it.
This fate is really too harsh!
He took a closer look at the panel.
[Son of a Pharmacist: White Fate. Born into a family of pharmacists in Qingshan City, going back three generations, all dedicated to healing others, you've inherited a nature of helping others and enduring hardship.]
[Innate Wisdom: Blue Fate. You have good comprehension, which accelerates your understanding of cultivation techniques and martial arts, often gaining new insights into various matters.]
[Sword Dao Enthusiast: Blue Fate. You have a passion for swords, exhibiting better talent and ease in forging powerful swords.]
[Ordinary Luck: White Fate. Your luck is very ordinary, the kind of luck involved in finding money while walking down the street is almost nonexistent for you.]
Shen Mo contemplated.
It seems that fate is something intrinsic to a person, influencing their destiny.
Fates are categorized from low to high as white, green, blue, purple, orange, red, and gold.
"It seems this is my golden finger, being able to see my own fate, destiny, and opportunities."
"Wait, can I see others'?"
Just as this thought entered Shen Mo's mind, he heard several footsteps approaching.
Bang!
A fierce young man with a brutish face kicked
ย open the door and entered the room.
Four skinny, fearful young men followed him.
The fierce young man saw Shen Mo sitting up on the bed and sneered coldly, "Awake? Good timing! I have a task for you!"
Memories related to this man surfaced in Shen Mo's mind.
This person was named Lei Yong, also an outer disciple.
He, like his predecessor, came from Qingshan City and joined the Qingxuan Sect at the same time.
Previously, when his predecessor was the top outer disciple, Lei Yong was earnest and seemed like his most loyal subordinate.
But as soon as his predecessor fell from his position and it was clear no one would stand up for him, Lei Yong immediately revealed his true nature.
The spirit stones accumulated by his predecessor were secretly stolen by Lei Yong and his men over several instances.
Relying on his cousin being an inner disciple, Lei Yong also began to steal the Hundred Grass Elixir distributed monthly to the outer disciples for cultivation; each person received two bottles.
Lei Yong was clever, only targeting weaker outer disciples, and even actively offering the elixir to those who were strong or had potential.
Additionally, Lei Yong had rallied several outer disciples to strengthen his own influence.
Combining multiple factors, Lei Yong had become the dominant force among the outer disciples, and no one dared to provoke him.
Shen Mo's predecessor was once the top outer disciple, but now with his strength severely diminished, bullying such a fallen genius only added to Lei Yong's pleasure.
Seeing that Shen Mo had not yet responded, Lei Yong intensified his tone, his eyes flashing fiercely, "Can't you hear me speaking?"
Shen Mo took a deep breath and immediately replied, "I heard you."
Satisfied with Shen Mo's prompt submission, Lei Yong nodded, "Listen carefully!"
Then, turning to the young men behind him, he continued, "You all listen too! Today, each of you must chop four spirit woods, and if anyone cuts less than half, I'll make sure you can't leave your bed for half a year!"
"Yes!" The group managed to squeeze out a response from their throats.
Shen Mo frowned deeply.
Lei Yong often engaged in such activities, accepting the more challenging tasks from the mission hall and forcing weaker outer disciples to do them for him.
He would hand off the hard labor to others while monopolizing all the rewards for himself.
Shen Mo wanted to refuse.
But daring to speak such words would result in Lei Yong beating him severely on the spot.
Reluctantly, Shen Mo had no choice but to stand and follow the team.
However, he kept his eyes on Lei Yong's back, pondering a solution.
It was then that he suddenly noticed Lei Yong's information panel.
[Name: Lei Yong.]
[Realm: Major Achievement of Body Tempering Realm.]
[Fate: Family Scion, Master of Weapons, Somewhat Lucky.]
[Destiny: Will ultimately reach the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm, serve as a deacon of the Qingxuan Sect, and die ten years later in a factional conflict within the sect.]
[Recent Opportunity: Accepted the task of chopping spirit wood, and during a casual stroll, accidentally discovered a small cloth bag in a tree hollow containing a Marrow Cleansing Pill.]
Shen Mo carefully reviewed the details of the three new fates that emerged.
[Family Scion: Green Fate. Born into the Lei family of Qingshan City, you were immersed in medicinal baths from a young age, never having to lift a finger for anything, never lacking in wealth.]
[Master of Weapons: Green Fate. You have always been fond of weapons, showing a greater talent in swordsmanship and spearmanship.]
[Somewhat Lucky: Blue Fate. Your luck is better than average; you often find money on the road and sometimes avoid disasters.]
Shen Mo was astonished.
Such a malevolent person as Lei Yong had such good fortune.
Treasures in the world are categorized into Yellow, Profound, Earth, and Heavenly grades, each divided further into lower, middle, upper, and supreme levels.
The Marrow Cleansing Pill is a supreme-grade Profound elixir.
Consuming one pill could cleanse and reshape the marrow and roots.
It was the perfect choice to repair his foundation!
The Qingxuan Sect did not sell such miraculous medicines as the Marrow Cleansing Pill, and it was a mystery why the pill was in the tree hollow.
But Shen Mo knew that if he could obtain this Marrow Cleansing Pill, he could restart his cultivation, and perhaps even leverage the pill's power to directly advance to the minor achievement of the Body Tempering Realm.
That way, he could at least pass the outer disciple assessment in two months.
Before long, everyone arrived at the forest behind the Qingxuan Sect.
Many robust trees grew here.
These trees were spirit wood cultivated by the Qingxuan Sect, excellent choices whether for construction materials or for refining into elixirs.
However, spirit wood was much harder than ordinary wood, making chopping extremely laborious.
For a disciple like Shen Mo, at the entry level of the Body Tempering Realm, swinging an axe all day would leave his arms sore, yet he could only manage to chop down three or four logs.
It was hardly worth the effort.
Thus, the task of chopping spirit wood was generally chosen by disciples at the minor and major achievements of the Body Tempering Realm.
Because they were much stronger, their chopping efficiency was also higher.
"Get to work quickly, don't let me catch you slacking off!" Lei Yong took five axes and threw them on the ground, grunting coldly.
Including Shen Mo, the five outer disciples each picked up an axe and began chopping trees.
As Shen Mo chopped, his gaze moved around the forest, searching for that tree hollow.
He soon spotted a hidden tree hollow, likely made by humans.
However, Shen Mo did not immediately reach in to grab it.
Lei Yong was still watching them fiercely.
Taking it now would easily be seen by Lei Yong.
He needed to wait for the right moment.
Chopping spirit wood was a tedious task.
Soon, it was midday.
Shen Mo and the others were drenched in sweat.
Lei Yong grunted coldly, "I'm giving you half an hour to eat and drink, make good use of it."
This was not out of kindness.
After working all morning, if they didn't rest a bit, they would surely pass out.
That would mean the task he took on would be incomplete.
Therefore, he gave Shen Mo and the others half an hour to rest.
The five hurriedly took out their dry food and, using their water skins, ate quickly before closing their eyes to rest.
This brief time was precious, and they treasured every second.
Lei Yong, too lazy to watch any longer, found a clean patch of grass to lie down on, taking out the food he had prepared earlier and began to eat heartily.
Seizing this opportunity, Shen Mo, under the pretext of needing to relieve himself, quickly moved away from them and approached the
ย tree hollow.
He cautiously used a small stick to probe inside, confirming there were no poisonous snakes, then quickly reached in and pulled out a small cloth bag.
Opening it, he found a white precious box inside.
Within the box was a thumb-sized emerald pill, indeed the Marrow Cleansing Pill!
Shen Mo immediately tucked it into his chest, then found a spot to eat and drink, closed his eyes to rest, pretending as if nothing had happened.
Soon, the half-hour had passed.
Lei Yong barked sharply, kicking a man who still wanted to sleep, "Get back to work!"
The man, too angry to speak, could only drag his tired body and continue swinging the axe.
Time continued to pass.
To avoid a beating, Shen Mo also had to chop trees diligently.
During this time, he noticed Lei Yong casually strolling over to the tree hollow.
Just then, a squirrel burrowed into the hollow, which Lei Yong noticed.
He reached in, pulled out the unfortunate squirrel, and then, in front of everyone, cruelly crushed it to death.
"Hmph, I thought there was something good in this tree hollow, but it turned out to be just a squirrel," Lei Yong grunted coldly, hands behind his back, continuing to supervise.
As dusk fell.
Shen Mo and the other four had completed their task, each having chopped down four spirit wood logs.
"Alright, get out of here," Lei Yong nodded in satisfaction.
As for the spirit wood, someone from the mission hall would come to inspect them later.
The people hurried away as if fleeing from the plague.
Shen Mo also quickly returned to the outer disciples' quarters, back to his own dwelling.