Chapter 132: Eliminating Shen Mo? No, I'm Giving Him a Grand Gift
Xuanjing Prefecture, Giant River City, Government Office.
Ji Shilong, for once, wasn't handling official documents. Instead, he stood quietly under the towering tree in the back courtyard of the office, watching the scene in front of him.
Behind him stood Luo Shuanghan.
"How long has it been since the Hundred Sects Ceremony?" Ji Shilong suddenly asked.
Luo Shuanghan replied in a low voice, "Governor, it's been four months."
Ji Shilong nodded slightly. "It's nearly been half a year. Over this period, things have gone smoothly. Many small and second-tier sects have already disappeared."
Luo Shuanghan, now more cautious, immediately added, "All thanks to your brilliant strategy, Governor."
Ji Shilong smiled faintly.
At that moment, a soldier outside suddenly shouted, "Urgent message! Blood River Sect's leader, Feng Lieshan, has been killed by Qingxuan Sect's young master, Shen Mo! Blood River Sect's territory has already been divided by nearby sects!"
Ji Shilong raised an eyebrow. "Enter."
Upon hearing the name "Shen Mo," Luo Shuanghan couldn't help but frown deeply.
Wasn't that the person the governor had asked him to recruit some time ago?
The soldier quickly stepped forward and handed a scroll of official documents to Ji Shilong.
Ji Shilong opened it, quickly scanning through it, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"Take a look," he said, handing the document to Luo Shuanghan after finishing.
Luo Shuanghan nodded and read it carefully, his heart unable to calm down for a long time.
Ji Shilong smiled. "Some time ago, Flying Frost Sect and Spirit Beast Sect were destroyed in the Alchemy King's cave. Rumor has it that Shen Mo played the key role in it."
"And now, Feng Lieshan, leading six Core Formation cultivators and dozens of Foundation Establishment disciples, ambushed Profound Frost Cave, only to be killed by Shen Mo."
"Tsk, tsk. It seems the events in the Alchemy King's cave can now be confirmed."
"Shen Mo was hiding much of his strength."
Luo Shuanghan couldn't help but nod. "Governor, this man is indeed a genius."
"To think he could kill a Core Formation perfection cultivator with just mid-stage Core Formation strength."
"What are your plans? Should we eliminate him?"
Ji Shilong glanced at him, smiling faintly. "Eliminate him? Why?"
"Luo Shuanghan, you have potential, but there's still much for you to learn."
Luo Shuanghan was momentarily stunned, still not understanding the meaning behind Ji Shilong's words.
"Luo Shuanghan, receive your orders!" Ji Shilong's voice boomed.
Luo Shuanghan immediately dropped to one knee. "Yes."
"I order you to take 3,000 top-grade spirit stones, two supreme-grade Profound-level spiritual weapons, and 20 bottles of Profound-level pills. Head to Qingxuan Sect at once and deliver these gifts to Shen Mo."
"I want you to recruit him once again. Do not fail this time."
"And make sure the occasion is grand. Everyone must know that I, the Governor, am presenting Shen Mo with a great gift."
Luo Shuanghan hesitated for a moment.
He faintly understood Ji Shilong's intentions.
"One more thing…" Ji Shilong's face turned expressionless. "What gifts did you bring last time? And what attitude did you display toward Shen Mo?"
"Was that how you treat a genius? Is that how you recruit talent?"
"If it happens again, you won't have a place in this office any longer."
Luo Shuanghan felt a deep sense of dread.
How did Ji Shilong know everything he had done so clearly?
He nodded repeatedly. "I understand, I'll leave immediately!"
He didn't dare ask any further questions and rushed to the office warehouse.
Ji Shilong, with his hands behind his back, continued gazing at the towering tree, his eyes distant, as if the extravagant gifts he had just sent were of little significance.
...
Ten days later, Profound Frost Cave.
Under Shen Mo's orders, the disciples stationed here had cleared an area to create a martial arts training ground.
Of course, though it was called a training ground, it was really just a leveled area with walls built around it.
It wasn't very large.
Only the young master, elders, and core disciples had the privilege to come here.
The rest of the disciples weren't allowed.
At this moment, Shen Mo was sparring with Wei Xiongtie, honing his combat skills.
Not far away, Zhao Ting, Luo Shengnan, and others watched intently, not daring to be distracted in the slightest.
"Young master, here I come!"
Wei Xiongtie roared, his fist forming a lightning-wrapped spearhead, striking directly at Shen Mo's chest.
"Well done."
Shen Mo smiled, and in less than a breath, three bronze gates appeared simultaneously.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The lightning spearhead violently crashed against the gates.
Yet, the bronze gates didn't budge.
Wei Xiongtie poured more spiritual energy into his attack.
However, he only managed to break through one of the bronze gates.
After shattering the first gate, the lightning spearhead lost all its energy, like an arrow at the end of its flight.
Wei Xiongtie had no choice but to retract his move. "My Thunder Spear is my strongest technique, but I couldn't even break through one-third of the young master's defense."
Shen Mo was about to speak when he caught sight of some disciples outside the training ground, moving an enormous gate sculpted entirely out of ice.
His expression froze for a moment, as if he had fallen into a state of sudden enlightenment.
Wei Xiongtie was taken aback, and quickly and cautiously retreated, not daring to make a sound.
It wasn't until he was more than ten zhang away from Shen Mo that he finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Give the order, no one is to approach the training ground," Wei Xiongtie instructed in a low voice.
"Understood, I'll handle it," Zhao Ting and Luo Shengnan both nodded.
Their expressions were filled with envy.
Shen Mo had clearly seen the ice gate and immediately entered a state of enlightenment. They had long heard of the young master's extraordinary comprehension ability, but they hadn't expected that even in such a moment, he could achieve this level of insight.
Time passed, bit by bit.
Soon, the morning turned into afternoon.
In the training ground, only Shen Mo stood alone.
The three bronze gates quietly floated around him.
Beside him, a sphere of spiritual energy surged and transformed constantly.
At first, it was just golden spiritual energy.
Later, ice spiritual energy flowed in.
Eventually, even faint traces of fire, lightning, and other spiritual energies appeared.
At one point, the spiritual energy sphere suddenly shifted rapidly.
It elongated and widened.
The fourth bronze gate suddenly emerged!
What was even more astonishing was that after the fourth bronze gate appeared, it began to transform.
The golden spiritual energy dispersed.
Ice spiritual energy surged.
In an instant, the bronze gate turned into an ice gate!
In just a few breaths, the ice energy dissipated, and faint fire energy gathered from all directions.
The ice gate transformed into a blazing flame gate!
Then came a giant wooden gate, wrapped in vines and formed from plants.
Next, a shimmering, highly flexible water gate made of dense water appeared.
Gold, wood, water, fire, earth—these were the most common forms of the five-element spiritual energy.
Wind, lightning, and ice were rarer, more powerful mutated spiritual energies.
A total of eight types of spiritual energy appeared in succession, each presenting a different form of the gates!
Buzz!
At that moment, Shen Mo suddenly opened his eyes, revealing a look of delight.
The four Profound Gates had now reached the fourth stage!
The fourth gate could transform into various forms depending on the connection to different elements of spiritual energy.
When the ice gate was formed, it could more effectively resist ice-type martial techniques.
Similarly, when the flame gate was formed, it could better withstand fire-based martial techniques.
With this, no matter what martial technique the opponent used, Shen Mo would have a countermeasure.
His defensive capabilities had thus greatly improved!
Shen Mo's expression showed satisfaction.
He had sensed this opportunity earlier in the morning.
And now, just as described in his life panel, it had come to fruition!
Outside the training ground, voices of congratulations could be heard.
"Congratulations, young master, on another breakthrough in your martial arts!"
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