Mo Tiange felt both excitement and melancholy about this trip to Mist Valley. She was excited because, if she could last until the end, the rewards would be generous, and she wouldn't have to worry about pills for a good long while. Her melancholy stemmed from the fact that the Spirit Stones she had earned over the past two or three months were about to be spent again.
After buying some talismans, asking Murong Yan to procure some seeds, and preparing some arrays that could be deployed temporarily, the Spirit Stones in her hand were almost gone.
During this period, the five people in the same house had become unprecedentedly close. They shared what they had prepared and their plans, intending to achieve a decisive victory together in this Mist Valley competition.
Seeing this, Mo Tiange was of course happy to have companions working together with one heart, but she wouldn't place all her hopes on her companions. She had spent all the Spirit Stones she had. This time entering Mist Valley, even if she couldn't last until the end, she had to get some rewards to at least break even.
A month passed in the blink of an eye. All Qi Refining disciples above Level 7 gathered in the square once more.
This time, besides the Sect Leader, two Core Formation cultivators also appeared in the square. The Yunwu Sect only had one Nascent Soul cultivator and seven or eight Core Formation cultivators in total. For the Sect Leader to appear together with two Core Formation cultivators this time showed the importance placed on this event.
"Disciples, let's skip the idle talk. Today is the day of the Three Sects competition in Mist Valley. Presumably, you already understand this matter clearly, so this old man won't repeat it. However, there is one thing for you to know. To encourage the disciples, the sect has decided to add an additional reward of five hundred Spirit Stones and one bottle of Qi Gathering Pills for the three disciples who defeat the most opponents."
As soon as the Sect Leader's words fell, the square erupted in an uproar. Five hundred Spirit Stones! An ordinary Qi Refining disciple only received five Spirit Stones a month. Ordinary tasks yielded only about ten Spirit Stones a month. Mo Tiange had been busy for several months, with almost no time to cultivate, and had only earned a little over a hundred Spirit Stones. An ordinary Qi Nourishing Pill cost two Spirit Stones each, while a Qi Gathering Pill cost twenty-five Spirit Stones each. Five hundred Spirit Stones completely matched the reward for lasting until the end, not to mention adding a bottle of Qi Gathering Pills on top.
Mo Tiange was thrilled. Five hundred Spirit Stones plus a bottle of Qi Gathering Pills, and if she could also last until the end and obtain those two bottles of Qi Gathering Pills... she could completely focus on secluded cultivation until she reached Qi Refining perfection! Just as she was lost in her reverie, she suddenly heard someone cough. Mo Tiange immediately calmed down. Only the top three would get this reward. She herself was only at Qi Refining Level 8. Not to mention others, there was more than one quasi-Foundation Establishment cultivator like Senior Brother Zhou, and there were at least a hundred disciples with higher cultivation than her. The hope of getting into the top three was truly very slim.
At this moment, the Sect Leader exchanged a few words with the other two Core Formation cultivators. The three of them separated, each taking out a Magical Treasure. One was a giant turtle, one was a boat, and one was a square handkerchief that, when spread out, covered nearly an acre of land. The Sect Leader shouted, "All managing disciples, bring your assigned disciples over."
Senior Brother Zhou gathered their group of over twenty disciples and said, "Junior Brothers, we will now set off for Mist Valley. All that needed to be said has been said. Everyone, do your best." Having said that, he led everyone forward, lining up to board the small boat in the middle.
After all several hundred disciples had boarded the three flying Magical Treasures, the Core Formation Patriarchs each manipulated their treasures. Instantly, the three treasures soared into the sky, flying forward at an extremely fast speed.
The Qi Refining disciples on board were all amazed. Flying Magical Treasures! Qi Refining disciples could only use the Lightness Technique. Only upon reaching Foundation Establishment could one ride Spirit Tools or Magical Treasures to fly. But only Core Formation stage Magical Treasures could carry so many people and have such speed. Of all the people on these flying Magical Treasures today, who knew if any could advance to Core Formation? One must know that for a mid-level cultivation sect like the Yunwu Sect, a Core Formation cultivator often only appeared once every hundred years. Perhaps among these people, no one would be able to advance to Core Formation at all.
Mo Tiange kept her sigh in her heart. Among these disciples, there were many with outstanding natural talent, yet none could be certain of forming their Core, let alone her.
These flying Magical Treasures were extremely fast. The Sect Leader, riding the turtle spirit beast, flew at the very front, with the others following closely behind. After about two or three hours, they finally slowed down and began to descend slowly.
Mo Tiange looked down. Below was a flat-topped mountain next to a mist-filled gorge. The mountain was already densely packed with people, divided into groups wearing yellow and purple robes. They were likely the disciples of the Golden Blade Sect and the Zixia Sect.
After they all landed, the Sect Leader and the other two Core Formation Patriarchs put away their Magical Treasures and headed towards the center, where several Core Formation cultivators were already waiting. They saw them exchange greetings, then the Sect Leader said, "Brother Jin and Brother Li are quite eager, arriving so early."
Those two were presumably the sect leaders of the Golden Blade Sect and the Zixia Sect. The one addressed as Brother Jin looked younger, appearing to be in his early thirties—perhaps he had taken something like a Beauty Preservation Pill. The other looked much older than Sect Leader Fang, with hair and beard already graying, indicating his lifespan was not very long.
The younger man snorted, rather displeased. "Not at all. It's Brother Fang who has a plan well in mind. My Golden Blade Sect's strength is lacking, so we came early to prepare."
Mo Tiange had heard that the Golden Blade Sect had experienced internal strife a hundred years ago and its strength had not yet recovered. This Sect Leader Jin was probably dissatisfied with the Mist Valley competition. After all, if his disciples performed poorly, they would have to cede benefits again.
The old man surnamed Li, however, had his eyes half-closed, calm and composed. "Brother Fang, it's been a long time."
It seemed this was the sect leader of the Zixia Sect. This competition was proposed by the Zixia Sect. It was said that, contrary to the Golden Blade Sect, the Zixia Sect had recruited good disciples over the past hundred years. Seeing that they were becoming more prosperous than both the Golden Blade Sect and the Yunwu Sect, they couldn't resist wanting a larger share of the benefits.
Mo Tiange wanted to watch further, but Liu Yidao patted her shoulder. "Junior Brother Ye, let's gather."
Mo Tiange turned her head and acknowledged.
Disciples from all three sects were on this mountain. Some were meditating, others were whispering to each other. The five of them found a less crowded spot and sat down in a circle.
Liu Yidao said seriously, "Junior Brothers, let me emphasize this first. The five of us are traveling together, cooperating with each other. We must be open and honest. We cannot say one thing and mean another, harming others' futures."
Everyone nodded. This was a basic requirement for cooperation. How could they travel together if they couldn't even trust each other?
Liu Yidao continued to emphasize, "Make sure to hang your identity tokens properly. Putting them in your storage bag won't work."
They each checked to make sure there were no problems. Liu Yidao went on, "Let's agree first: any tokens obtained from cooperating to defeat enemies will be divided equally. If they can't be divided equally, they will be distributed according to each person's role in the battle. We absolutely must not argue over this. If there are objections, let's discuss them properly. What do you all say?"
Xu Jingzhi agreed, "Of course. Once we enter Mist Valley, we are companions. If we quarrel among ourselves, we'll just let others take advantage."
Mo Tiange also nodded. The other two also showed no objection.
Seeing this, Liu Yidao said happily, "That's all I wanted to say. Does anyone else have any questions?"
For this Mist Valley trip, everyone tacitly acknowledged Liu Yidao as the leader. They all indicated they had nothing else and would follow his lead. Just as they finished speaking, the several sect leaders over there had gathered together and announced in unison, "All disciples, assemble. The competition is about to begin."