Ye Jingwen took Mo Tiange and flew towards Dongmeng Mountain.
After several days of running around with Ye Jingwen, Mo Tiange had already grown accustomed to the feeling of flying in the sky. Once her fear subsided, she found herself increasingly fond of soaring through the air, slowly beginning to sense the carefree nature of cultivating immortality.
What mortal didn't envy immortals? It was just that she had previously been troubled by her family circumstances and, being young and simple-minded, had never given it much thought. Now, having learned of her father's death, leaving the home where she had been a guest, and witnessing many techniques alongside Ye Jingwen, she had genuinely become interested in cultivating immortality.
Seeing that she wasn't as playful as most children and possessed a calm temperament, Ye Jingwen offered her more guidance, from which Mo Tiange benefited greatly. For instance, on the first day she cultivated by his side, Ye Jingwen corrected her meditation posture. She had started cultivating without a teacher present, relying solely on instinct for her meditation, so her posture was far from proper.
Subsequently, Ye Jingwen corrected several minor issues in her cultivation. Some matters, once he explained them, immediately became much clearer to Mo Tiange. She also felt that having a teacher by one's side was indeed far better than groping in the dark alone. The things Ye Jingwen told her might have taken her one or two months to figure out thoroughly on her own.
In truth, Qi Refining disciples within sects were usually taught by high-level Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment disciples. Ye Jingwen often gave lectures to low-level disciples in the Xuanqing Sect, so he had seen many who, despite having Spirit Roots, were rather dull. Encountering Mo Tiange, who grasped concepts almost immediately, made him realize that teaching could also be effortless at times.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Indeed, aside from aptitude, Comprehension was also extremely important. No wonder Uncle-Master Xuanyin always said Uncle-Master Shoujing had exceptional Comprehension, which was why, despite having an inferior Spirit Root, his achievements would surpass his own. It truly was a case of having talent beyond just the Spirit Root.
Thus, after only a few days, the two arrived at Dongmeng Mountain.
This trip greatly broadened Mo Tiange's horizons.
Whether it was the small market at the foot of Qingmeng Mountain or the various peaks of Qingmeng Mountain, everything was quiet and serene, giving a strong sense of detachment from the mortal world. Dongmeng Mountain was not like this. At the mountain's base stood tall ceremonial arches and several large compounds, with neat bluestone paths paved up the mountain. A square and streets were built halfway up the mountainside, clearly indicating that this was the location of the Dongmeng Mountain market.
Looking down from the air, they could vaguely see many Cave Abodes on the mountain. However, these Cave Abodes were mostly hidden by green trees, with only glimpses visible here and there. Otherwise, seeing so many caves dug into a single mountain would be enough to make one's scalp tingle.
The two landed in the square. This time, no one came to receive them. There were far too many cultivators coming and going at Dongmeng Mountain. The streets here were countless times busier than the market at Qingmeng Mountain. Seeing people descend, no one even bothered to look up.
Mo Tiange looked around left and right. Ye Jingwen, still leading her, walked through the streets and alleys without glancing sideways, seemingly quite familiar with the place.
After passing through several streets, they indeed turned into another shop, just like at Qingmeng Mountain. The shopkeeper was a Xuanqing Sect disciple, but this shop was much larger and had many more assistants who were merely mortals.
These mortals were extremely perceptive. As soon as they entered, one respectfully approached, addressing them as 'Immortal Masters.' Mo Tiange was just a little child tagging along, yet she wasn't left out either, showing how well-spoken this assistant was.
Before Ye Jingwen could speak, a cultivator wearing Xuanqing Sect disciple robes came over from the side, bowed respectfully, and said, "Uncle-Master Ye, what brings you here?" He actually recognized him.
The mortal assistant, seeing a cultivator had come to attend to them, stepped back.
Ye Jingwen replied, "I'm here on orders from Uncle-Master Shoujing to handle some matters. Where's Senior Brother Zheng?"
The disciple before him answered, "There's a business deal today, so Uncle-Master Zheng went to negotiate personally."
"Oh?" Ye Jingwen frowned slightly, muttering, "What kind of business requires Senior Brother Zheng to go personally?"
He didn't necessarily demand an answer, as he wasn't a disciple assigned here and had no authority over their business. However, perhaps because the matter wasn't particularly sensitive, the disciple answered, "Uncle-Master, you may not know, but it's a cultivation family on the verge of extinction selling their collection. Uncle-Master Zheng heard their ancestors produced many Core Formation cultivators, so there must be good items. That's why he went personally to negotiate."
"Oh, I see." Ye Jingwen showed no interest in this and asked directly, "Then, have you seen someone like this? Looks about fifty years old, Foundation Establishment cultivation, surname Ye."
Upon hearing this, the disciple thought for a long time but could only shake his head. "Uncle-Master Ye, the characteristics you mentioned are too vague. There are quite a few people who look fifty with Foundation Establishment cultivation. Moreover, if they aren't major clients, we wouldn't know their surnames."
Ye Jingwen knew this reasoning. Among those stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage, seven or eight out of ten were around this age. This was because a cultivator's appearance changed with age. Looking fifty was a characteristic of being quite old. If one could Advance, they usually would have done so by this age. Therefore, most of those who failed to Advance retained this appearance and age. Ye Jingwen didn't press him, nodding instead. "Alright, you may go. I'm just making inquiries; no need to attend to me."
The disciple bowed. Before leaving, he paused and added one more sentence. "Uncle-Master Ye, if you're looking for someone, you might try the management office set up at the mountain's base. If loose cultivators come here needing to stay for several days or rent a Cave Abode, they have to deal with them."
This was a good suggestion. Hearing this, Ye Jingwen thanked him and led Mo Tiange out again.
Once outside, Mo Tiange asked, "Brother Ye, is this also a shop of your Xuanqing Sect?"
Ye Jingwen nodded. "Correct. My Xuanqing Sect has shops in all medium-sized and larger markets. Most markets in West Kunwu have our shops. Disciples traveling outside can seek assistance at these shops if needed."
"Oh..." Mo Tiange asked again, "So, the Xuanqing Sect is really big?"
Ye Jingwen smiled. "Among the Seven Great Sects of Tianji, the Tiandao Sect is the largest, but my Xuanqing Sect isn't far behind. The Tiandao Sect has seven to eight thousand disciples; my Xuanqing Sect has six thousand. They have seven Nascent Soul Ancestral Masters; we have five. Among the other major sects, only the Ancient Sword Sect is comparable to us. However, their Sword Cultivators find Advancement more difficult than we do, so in terms of Nascent Soul Ancestral Masters, they fall short of us."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange felt puzzled again. "Why is Advancement more difficult for Sword Cultivators?"
Ye Jingwen explained, "Sword Cultivators dedicate their lives to cultivating a single sword, spending their entire lives studying the sword path and killing techniques. Therefore, in terms of combat power, they are somewhat stronger than us cultivators who mainly practice Daoist arts. But precisely because of this, they have no time to cultivate mind-nurturing techniques. Their spiritual sense is mostly weaker than ours, so their Advancement is slower. The Ancient Sword Sect doesn't have fewer disciples than us, but their Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators are about one-fifth fewer." After saying this, he added, "Actually, the cultivation technique I practice also belongs to the Sword Cultivator lineage, but it's not pure sword cultivation, so Advancement is still easier for me than for them."
Mo Tiange listened, understanding some but not all, and pondered it slowly to herself as she followed Ye Jingwen down the mountain, heading straight for those stern-looking compounds at the mountain's base.