Chapter 10:
Outfits
AS SOON AS QINGTONG reached out to Mo Tianliao, he realized he’d made a dumb mistake. He’d been so used to playing the pat-a-paw game with this guy that the moment Mo Tianliao gave him his hand, he felt compelled to respond. With his brow furrowing slightly, he withdrew his hand.
Feeling that satiny hand leave his palm, Mo Tianliao felt a pang of regret, but when his master shot him a cool gaze as he settled down on the plush couch, he promptly snapped out of his inappropriate thoughts and went over.
“What’s the matter?” Qingtong accepted the glass cup an attendant handed him and took a sip of his tea.
Mo Tianliao tore his eyes away from his master’s thin, pale lips. “I have some important matters to report,” he said, lowering his gaze.
Qingtong set down the teacup and waved his hand; the attendants promptly took their leave.
Mo Tianliao kneeled on the cushion by the couch and kowtowed. “Shizun is wise indeed to have recognized that I was a man reborn. Please pardon me for not informing you earlier.”
Qingtong looked down at the back of Mo Tianliao’s lowered head, tilting his own in confusion before realizing what this guy was actually saying. Not replying, he straightened his posture again before Mo Tianliao looked up quietly at him with those clear, beautiful eyes of his.
Mo Tianliao was impressed to see his master so unruffled by this revelation. Unlike the pretentious elders of those so-called prestigious sects, his master truly radiated a naturally distinguished, ethereal aura that emanated from his very soul. “I’m not able to tell you my previous identity,” he said, “but please rest assured that I’ll never do anything to endanger you or Woyun Sect.”
Qingtong hummed in acknowledgment, his voice neutral. “All right. You can get up now.”
Mo Tianliao heaved a sigh of relief and sat on the cushion. Now that he’d laid all his cards on the table, he could openly discuss his cultivation with his master.
Honestly, Mo Tianliao needed little guidance when it came to cultivation. He knew exactly how to cultivate at each stage to achieve the most optimal results. His current body was special, though; he was still figuring things out, so he needed someone to discuss it with.
When he heard about Mo Tianliao’s confusion on the subject of burning wood, Qingtong gave him a tip: “All creations in the world have a spirit, including celestial trees. Give it a try.”
Mo Tianliao didn’t think he’d ever get tired of listening to this clear and melodious voice. Although he didn’t fully get the underlying meaning, he nodded and made a mental note of those words.
“One more thing.” Mo Tianliao rarely got to see his master, so he seized his chance to report everything. “Shizun has been in seclusion for quite a while, so the juniors have entrusted me with handling the sanctum’s affairs…” He looked back up at his master. Seeing no reaction, Mo Tianliao interpreted that as tacit approval of his new role, so he continued speaking.
Woqing Sanctum’s affairs were managed and strictly controlled by a few disciples-in-charge, which made both fairness and efficiency hard to achieve. Using the main sect’s approach as a point of reference, Mo Tianliao had established a Chamber of Administrative Affairs to distribute resources and assign tasks, ensuring transparency in all stages of the processes.
Of course, he had his own selfish interest in doing all of this. While he was cultivating yesterday, he’d realized he needed an obscene amount of spiritual energy, and solely relying on natural sources wasn’t enough: He needed a huge supply of spiritual stones. He also had plans to forge artifacts in the future, and that was a money-burning endeavor that would require even more resources. By establishing a Chamber of Administrative Affairs, he could consolidate power in his own hands and make things easier for himself in the future.
Qingtong looked at him calmly. “No need to say so much. Just do whatever you please.” Then he stood up and walked away with a flick of his sleeves.
“Wait! Shizun!” Mo Tianliao caught up with him. “One last thing. The day after tomorrow is Yanlie-shixiong’s birthday. The sect leader is planning to host a grand celebration this year. As his elder, you’ll need to prepare a gift.”
“Just give this to him on my behalf.” With a flip of his hand, Qingtong produced an exquisitely wrought bell and handed it to Mo Tianliao.
On his way home, Mo Tianliao examined the fist-sized bell. It was made of exquisite ore, and there was a glass bead in the middle that made a musical tinkling sound when it was shaken. But no matter how gorgeous it was, it was just a bell! Yup. This was no magical artifact. Just an ordinary bell!
A big, pretty bell—that was the gift a patriarch at the soul transformation stage bestowed upon a junior at the nascent soul stage.
Mo Tianliao found the gift rather scalding in his hands.
Perhaps there was some underlying meaning? As he was new to the sect, he didn’t understand the special intricacies of the place. Scratching his head, he put the bell away and took an axe with him to the back mountain.
Chapter three of The Art of Burning Wood had appeared when he’d succeeded in absorbing energy. It described three peculiar trees he’d have to cut down and set ablaze, and how he’d have to hunt and grill several pheasants over that fire.
He hacked down at a tree, creating a gash in the wood. Through narrowed eyes, he could dimly see a wisp of green light escaping from the opening.
All creations in the world have a spirit, including celestial trees…
Perhaps what his master meant wasn’t spiritual intelligence, but spiritual energy.
He looked up at the tree. It was a thousand-year-old Sinking Agarwood that was extremely heavy and would sink in water. It was excellent material for crafting flying darts or the like. Even a hundred-year-old tree could fetch a good price, and this specimen was over a thousand.
Spiritual stones had spiritual energies contained within, so this valuable refining material naturally had it as well. However, the spiritual energy in spiritual stones had no elemental alignment, and plants only had wood-element spiritual energy that humans couldn’t absorb.