The room was not large. In one corner stood a low bed, covered with a straw mat and a meditation cushion. There was also a wooden table and a chair, and nothing else.
However, this was, after all, a cultivation sect. Both the straw mat and the wooden table faintly exuded spiritual energy, clearly not mundane objects.
Settling her mind, Mo Tiange took out various items from her Qiankun Bag and prepared them. Things like bedding. Although she no longer needed much rest now, having a warm quilt felt more comforting.
Only after everything was tidied away did she examine the items she had received.
This Qiankun Bag was the most common type in the cultivation world, far inferior to her own. After all, her Qiankun Bag was a collection piece from the Ye family, not some mass-produced goods. The items inside were few: a jade token, a cultivation manual, two bottles of pills, twenty Spirit Stones, and a jade slip recording the sect rules and precautions, called the Yunwu Sect Handbook.
The jade token was an identity token. She had seen Ye Jingwen use one years ago; cultivation sects often used these to prove a disciple's identity. The token was engraved with name, age, cultivation level, and so on. A copy was kept within the sect. If a missing disciple returned, it could be used for verification.
The cultivation manual was a Qi Refining stage manual from the Yunwu Sect. The elemental attribute was issued according to what was registered on the token. For example, Mo Tiange had registered as cultivating a wood-attribute technique during the Immortal Platform Meet, so this manual was wood-attribute. However, this manual was called the "Longevity Art," the most common foundational technique in the cultivation world. It was just more complete than the versions circulating outside and included some annotations from predecessors. Additionally, there were twenty Spirit Stones and two bottles of pills, which were their rewards from the Immortal Platform Meet. From now on, they would receive the standard monthly allocation for ordinary disciples.
The two bottles of pills delighted Mo Tiange. With her Spirit Root, a good technique plus the Liuli Bead and a Spirit Gathering Formation could only ensure she wouldn't fall behind ordinary Three Spirit Roots cultivators. To stand out among them, pills were absolutely essential.
She didn't cultivate that day, instead having a good sleep.
Waking up early in the morning, she felt full of energy. Exiting her room, the small common area was quiet. There were cultivator auras in the other rooms, presumably all cultivating. She fastened her door and went out to wash up.
The handbook stated that behind this bamboo house area, a small stream flowed past. The sect had channeled the stream water into a pond for disciples to use for washing.
Turning behind the houses, she indeed found a pond. At this moment, there was no one there. She took out a cloth to wash her face. Of course, combing her hair could wait; she'd do that slowly back in her room. Just as she finished washing and was about to return, she happened to meet two people chatting as they approached. Mo Tiange immediately greeted them, "Good morning, Senior Brothers."
The two saw her and returned the greeting, then continued chatting as they found a spot to wash their faces.
The next moment, Mo Tiange felt the urge to vomit. Because one of them very unceremoniously took off his clothes and jumped right in. Seeing that expanse of flabby flesh and thinking about how she had just used this water to wash her face and rinse her mouth... it was too disgusting. She resolved that next time, she would definitely fetch water from upstream!
Returning to the main house, Xu Jingzhi was pestering Qin Xi with conversation. Qin Xi's expression was wooden, clearly not interested in the topic.
Seeing her enter, Xu Jingzhi immediately called out happily, "Junior Brother Ye, you're up early."
"Ah, good morning, Senior Brothers," Mo Tiange approached them with a smile. "What are you two discussing?"
Xu Jingzhi said, "We were just talking about going to the dining hall to eat something and then taking a stroll around the sect to get familiar with it."
"Oh, I see." Although Xu Jingzhi was enthusiastic, it was obvious Qin Xi beside him had little interest, though he didn't openly refuse out of courtesy. After all, cultivators generally disliked worldly impurities. Although they couldn't yet abstain from food, they usually preferred to eat Fasting Pills. Mo Tiange thought for a moment and smiled, "I'll join you. I am actually a bit hungry."
Xu Jingzhi was very pleased. At that moment, another room door opened, and Liu Yidao came out, glancing at them. "What are you junior brothers discussing?"
"Oh, Senior Brother Liu, we were talking about going to the dining hall for a bite and then looking around."
Liu Yidao pondered this upon hearing it. "Mind if I join?"
Xu Jingzhi waved his hands repeatedly. "Of course not, Senior Brother Liu. We'd be delighted if you came."
Liu Yidao laughed heartily. "Since four of us are going, why not call Junior Brother Jiang out too?"
Xu Jingzhi naturally had no objection. Mo Tiange didn't mind; getting along well with her housemates was good for her. Qin Xi still wore his wooden expression, lost in thought.
Liu Yidao went to knock on Jiang Shanghang's door. "Junior Brother Jiang."
After a moment, the door opened. Jiang Shanghang held the door latch, looking at Liu Yidao at the entrance. His tone was flat, still carrying a trace of chill. "Senior Brother Liu, what is it?"
Liu Yidao smiled. "Junior Brother Jiang, we've all decided to go to the dining hall for something to eat and then look around. Want to come along?"
Jiang Shanghang frowned. "I'm not going."
Liu Yidao was taken aback, not expecting such coldness, as if this person had no desire to get close to them at all. He didn't press the matter, smiling instead. "Then please yourself, Junior Brother Jiang. We'll be off."
Jiang Shanghang grunted an acknowledgment and closed the door right in Liu Yidao's face.
Liu Yidao didn't mind, turning to call out to the others. "Let's go."
Mo Tiange and Xu Jingzhi exchanged a look, both shaking their heads, then followed Liu Yidao out.
Not far out, Xu Jingzhi whispered to her, "This Senior Brother Jiang is also from a cultivation family within the Yunwu Sect. I heard he was treated as a discard by his family. They gave the sect entry opportunity to his cousin. He wasn't willing to accept it and insisted on risking his life to participate in the Immortal Platform Meet himself."
"Oh..." Mo Tiange finally understood. This person was likely single-mindedly focused on his goal, so he simply didn't want to spend time on anything other than cultivation.
"Junior Brother Jiang is not yet thirty and already has Qi Refining Level 10 cultivation. That's quite rare. How could their family abandon such a descendant?" It was Liu Yidao who had overheard and came over.
Xu Jingzhi, also from a cultivation family, knew much about these situations. He explained, "Senior Brother Liu might not know. Their Jiang Family is one of the top cultivation families within the Yunwu Sect. The family has two Core Formation cultivators and dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators. They simply don't care about descendants with Three Spirit Roots or below. This Senior Brother Jiang originally had an elder. Due to internal family power struggles, that elder offended the current head of the family. That elder passed away long ago, and Senior Brother Jiang has been bearing the brunt of the resentment ever since."
Apart from Xu Jingzhi, everyone present were Loose Cultivators and couldn't quite imagine the power struggles within cultivation families. They all just shook their heads. Liu Yidao sighed. "Although Junior Brother Jiang's Spirit Root isn't great, he cultivates with extreme diligence. If he had family support, his chances of reaching Foundation Establishment would be very high. What a pity..."
Xu Jingzhi also shook his head. "Sigh. Given the Jiang Family's influence, they can recommend several descendants into the sect every year. In fact, for others, they wouldn't need to cultivate to Level 10 to enter the sect directly; they wouldn't need to participate in something like the Immortal Platform Meet at all. Not like our Xu Family, just a small cultivation family with very few spots. We had no choice but to come to the Immortal Platform Meet."
Everyone present felt a sense of sentiment. The life of a Loose Cultivator was hard, but cultivation families didn't have smooth sailing either. Each had their own difficulties. In summary, there was only one truth: the Immortal Dao was arduous.