The skinny old man looked like a withered tree. It turned out the middle-aged fellow daoist was the one called Daoist Kumu, while the skinny old man used a proper name, Tong Tianyun.
Hearing Qin Xi's words, Daoist Kumu laughed. "Fellow Daoist Shoujing is too modest. What's there to be ashamed of? People like us, who have wasted hundreds of years in the Core Formation stage without making progress, not even having a chance to form a Nascent Soul—we don't know how much we envy you."
Qin Xi smiled faintly and said no more, stepping aside and glancing at Mo Tiange. "Fellow Daoists, this is the junior sister I mentioned. Her dao name is Qingwei."
Kumu and Tong Tianyun had already noticed Mo Tiange, but since Qin Xi hadn't introduced her, they felt it impolite to stare at a female cultivator, especially one wearing the same Xuanqing Sect robes as Qin Xi, clearly a fellow disciple. Now that Qin Xi introduced her, they openly turned their gazes to Mo Tiange.
Mo Tiange raised her hand and gave a light bow. "Greetings, fellow daoists."
Seeing her refined and quiet demeanor, Kumu and Tong Tianyun also stood up and returned the bow properly.
Just as they finished exchanging greetings, the bald, stout man with a booming voice loudly called out, "Qin Shoujing, this is your junior sister? I heard your master has a disciple with extraordinary talent, who also formed her Core before reaching a hundred years. It wouldn't be her, would it?"
Facing this bald, stout man, Qin Xi was less polite, replying coldly, "If not her, then who? How many junior sisters do you think I have?"
Before the bald, stout man could respond, the woman Qin Xi called Madam Feng laughed first. "Old Man Lei, I told you long ago that anyone he agrees to travel with must be someone close. You didn't believe me. See? I guessed right! Not only did he agree to travel with her, but he also brought her personally!"
The bald, stout man hugged his wine jar, the flesh on his face bunching up unhappily. "Hmph, you're just good at guessing!" he said, then jerked his chin toward Mo Tiange, though his words were directed at Qin Xi. "There are five of us, and not one is mediocre. What's the meaning of bringing a little girl who just formed her Core? Tianmo Mountain is dangerous everywhere. What if she drags us down?"
Qin Xi snorted, glanced at Mo Tiange, then turned to the bald, stout man, his tone somewhat arrogant. "You count as not mediocre? If you're afraid of being dragged down, Fellow Daoist Kumu, Fellow Daoist Tong, and I can travel together. What do we need you for?!"
"You—" The obvious mockery made the flesh on the bald, stout man's face twitch. He was about to get angry.
Qin Xi continued, "My junior sister here may have just formed her Core, but she possesses many treasures. Though her offensive power is slightly lacking, protecting herself is no problem. Besides, I will personally ensure her safety. You needn't worry!"
Even though they had some friendship with Qin Shoujing, these were cultivators who had struggled in the cultivation world for hundreds of years. They would never allow a cultivator with little skill who might drag them down to travel with them. Hearing his words, they looked at Mo Tiange with half-belief, half-doubt.
They believed Qin Shoujing wouldn't lie, but how much power could a cultivator who had just formed her Core possibly have?
Under everyone's gaze, Mo Tiange smiled faintly. "Fellow daoists, is there anyone willing to spar with me?"
Hearing this, Kumu and Tong Tianyun showed no reaction. The bald, stout man hugged his wine jar, about to speak, but the woman beat him to it.
This woman laughed before speaking, walking over warmly as if to take Mo Tiange's hand. "This little sister..."
Before she could finish her sentence or touch Mo Tiange's hand, Qin Xi flicked his sleeve. A gust of wind forced her back several steps.
Having been pushed back by Qin Xi's actions twice today, the woman was also annoyed. She frowned and planted her hands on her hips, like a shrew from the marketplace, completely devoid of her earlier enchanting demeanor. "Qin Shoujing, you're so unreasonable! I wasn't going to eat your junior sister. What do you mean by acting like this?!"
Qin Xi's expression remained unchanged, his gaze sweeping over her hands. "If you speak to her properly, I naturally won't stop you. But why did you apply poison to your hands?"
Having her trick exposed, the woman showed no embarrassment. Instead, she smiled brilliantly. "Your junior sister was the one who suggested a spar. I was just testing if she had any vigilance. Isn't that allowed? Since you blocked for her, how should we settle this?"
Qin Xi remained composed. "Even if you used poison on her, it would be useless. You might as well save your energy."
"Oh?" The woman was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"Her constitution is special. Her meridians and dantian are different from ordinary people. Your little tricks won't have any effect on her." Having said this, Qin Xi glanced at Mo Tiange. "Junior Sister Qingwei, this is Poison Lady Du Fengjin. You can just call her Madam Feng. As for this one, his name is Lei Dongqing."
Poison Lady Du Fengjin? Mo Tiange's heart stirred slightly. She had heard a little about Poison Lady's reputation. She was a rogue cultivator with extremely ruthless methods. Though the cultivation technique she practiced was orthodox, her methods were somewhat unorthodox. Those who liked her called her Madam Feng; those who didn't called her Poison Lady. She truly hadn't expected this Senior Brother Shoujing to have dealings with such a person.
However, Qin Xi's words were not false. A cultivator's body had strong resistance to poison. To poison a cultivator, one had to target the meridians and dantian—something she wasn't afraid of. After undergoing Five Elements Body Refinement, her meridians and dantian were incredibly tough and difficult to injure. So-called poisons would have little effect on her.
Mo Tiange raised her hand. "So it's Madam Feng and Fellow Daoist Lei. A pleasure." Her manner toward these two was clearly less courteous than toward Kumu and Tong Tianyun. Since these two hadn't shown her proper respect, she returned the same.
At this moment, it was Tong Tianyun, who had been watching them with a smile, who stood up. The old man glanced at Madam Feng and Lei Dongqing, then smiled at Mo Tiange. "When Fellow Daoist Qingwei entered earlier, this old man sensed that your divine sense seemed to surpass that of cultivators at your level. How about letting this old man and Fellow Daoist Qingwei try a Spiritual Sense Duel?"
"Fellow Daoist Tong!" Madam Feng and Lei Dongqing were both taken aback, exclaiming simultaneously.
So-called Spiritual Sense Duels could only be used by cultivators whose divine sense had reached a certain level of strength. Generally, only those who had formed their Core could achieve such a level. A sufficiently powerful divine sense could simulate a cultivator's spells. These simulated spells were directly related to the cultivator's own combat ability. Therefore, if cultivators didn't wish to engage in direct physical combat, they could use divine sense to simulate Dharma Combat, which could also determine strength. However, Spiritual Sense Duels could also cause damage to divine sense, especially for those with weaker divine sense.
Seeing their expressions of surprise, Mo Tiange guessed that Tong Tianyun's divine sense might be exceptionally powerful. She glanced up at Qin Xi and saw him give a slight, almost imperceptible nod. She then smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Tong, I've just formed my Core. I must ask you to show restraint."
These words were a straightforward acceptance. Daoist Kumu clapped his hands and laughed. "Although Fellow Daoist Qingwei is young, she is bold and courageous indeed, worthy of being Dao Lord Jinghe's disciple. Since that's the case, how about this old daoist acts as the referee?"
Qin Xi said, "Fellow Daoist Kumu's suggestion is excellent."
Tong Tianyun also said, "Having Fellow Daoist Kumu as the referee is naturally good."
A Spiritual Sense Duel didn't require much space; even this small private room would suffice. However, this was, after all, a restaurant with many mortals and mostly low-level cultivators. Core Formation cultivators weren't commonly seen. Probably most of the Core Formation cultivators in Kunzhong City were in this very room.
Mo Tiange thought they would change locations, but instead, Daoist Kumu took out an inverted crystal wine cup. Half-closing his eyes, he muttered an incantation. After a moment, he shouted, "Go!" The wine cup suddenly emitted a brilliant light, rapidly enlarging to cover half the private room.
Mo Tiange looked up. The crystal was originally transparent. The five of them inside the cup could clearly see outside.
Daoist Kumu smiled. "Please proceed, you two. But be very careful. Although my Heaven-Veiling Bell is a magic treasure, it cannot withstand a full-force strike from either of you."
Tong Tianyun stroked his beard and smiled. "Fellow Daoist Kumu is too modest. More than eighty years ago, if not for your Heaven-Veiling Bell, we might have perished right then in Tianmo Mountain."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange's heart stirred. Had they been to Tianmo Mountain more than eighty years ago?
Before she could say anything, Tong Tianyun spoke. "Fellow Daoist Qingwei, shall we begin?"
Mo Tiange had no choice but to set aside her previous thoughts for now and nodded. "Very well. Fellow Daoist Tong, please."
The two stood facing each other in the center, while the other four gave them space.
Tong Tianyun and Mo Tiange closed their eyes simultaneously, regulating their breathing.
As time passed, a faint wind began to flow between them, stirring their robes and hair. Then, this wind grew stronger and stronger, gradually enveloping the two until their figures were almost obscured.
Seeing this scene, Lei Dongqing let out a surprised "Oh?" and said with some astonishment, "Qin Shoujing, your junior sister has just formed her Core, yet her divine sense can already manifest as wind?"
Manifesting divine sense as wind seemed simple but was actually difficult. Only when divine sense circulated rapidly could it produce wind. The scene before them indicated how many exchanges their divine senses had already made to achieve such an effect.
Qin Xi's tone was flat. "I told you earlier, although she just formed her Core, protecting herself is no problem." Over the years, though he hadn't seen her, his master had kept him informed of her affairs. The few magic treasures in her possession were clearly extraordinary at first glance. Moreover, the Spirit Refining Art was originally given by his master to Senior Brother Xuanyin. Of course, he had confidence in her.
The wind in the arena grew increasingly powerful. The sound of everyone's sleeves flapping loudly could be heard. Not only Mo Tiange and Tong Tianyun, but even the onlookers gradually showed solemn expressions.
"Clang!" Suddenly, the Heaven-Veiling Bell let out a loud noise. Those trapped inside the bell felt the wind cutting like blades. They each activated their spiritual energy shields to resist the fierce gale. Though they each had their own special techniques, these two were engaged in a Spiritual Sense Duel, and they absolutely could not interfere. So, they could only use spiritual energy shields for defense.
After the first sound, the Heaven-Veiling Bell issued a series of loud noises, each more violent than the last. Kumu frowned, his face filled with astonishment as he looked toward where Mo Tiange was.
For his Heaven-Veiling Bell to make such loud noises indicated that their Spiritual Sense Duel was quite intense. He knew how powerful Tong Tianyun's divine sense was. This young girl had just formed her Core and didn't look particularly strong. How could she possess such divine sense?
The inner wall of the Heaven-Veiling Bell suddenly crackled like a string of firecrackers. The surrounding fierce wind abruptly ceased, and the two finally reappeared.
Looking up, they saw Mo Tiange's face showing pain. Before she even opened her eyes, a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.
"Tian Ge!" Qin Xi frowned, quickly stepping forward. He took her hand, pressed her meridians, and after a moment, let out a sigh of relief and released her.
Across from her, Tong Tianyun's complexion also didn't look good. He slowly opened his eyes, gazing deeply at Mo Tiange.
After a while, Mo Tiange finally caught her breath. Wiping the blood from her mouth, she smiled at Tong Tianyun and cupped her hands. "I admit defeat."
Tong Tianyun, however, shook his head. "Fellow Daoist Qingwei need not be so modest. This old man has been stuck at the Mid-stage of Core Formation for three hundred years. Though I've never been able to advance, I've had few rivals among cultivators at the same stage. Fellow Daoist has just formed her Core, yet her divine sense is already so powerful. That is truly remarkable."
In this duel, Tong Tianyun had naturally won, but Mo Tiange hadn't lost disgracefully.
Daoist Kumu's gaze shifted between the two. He smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Qingwei, this contest wasn't about winning or losing. Since Fellow Daoist Tong says so, it means you have sufficient ability to travel with us. In that case, the agreement with Fellow Daoist Shoujing stands. From now on, you are our companion."