Returning to Cloud Mist Mountain, Mo Tiange formally entered seclusion. Apart from visiting her second uncle every half month, she no longer went out to wander.
Occasionally, when she emerged from seclusion, she would find message talismans outside her door—from Murong Yan, Wang Qianyi, and even Shen Bing. She hadn't been particularly close to them before, but after the Mist Valley journey, they had grown somewhat closer. Learning that she was in seclusion cultivating diligently, they all came to inquire after her. Shen Bing and Wang Qianyi even expressed that if she needed any help, she should just ask. Mo Tiange knew it was best not to interact with them too much, so she only politely replied to their messages without making any requests.
Every time she came out and encountered the other senior brothers she lived with, she was teased. Xu Jingzhi was especially envious and jealous, saying that although she wasn't bad-looking, her skinny, scrawny appearance didn't look like a man at all. Clearly, she wasn't as tall, handsome, and graceful as he was, so why were all the famously beautiful senior sisters in the sect so nice to her?
Mo Tiange smiled bitterly in her heart, feeling even more troubled. The differences between men and women made her increasingly feel that pretending to be a man was becoming more and more exhausting. If her cultivation were profound, it would be fine—she could directly use an illusion technique to disguise herself as anything she wanted. But for a low-level Qi Refining cultivator to try to deceive high-level cultivators with an illusion technique was nothing short of seeking death.
Two years passed in the blink of an eye. Although she had grown a little taller, it was negligible. Among women, she wasn't considered tall, let alone among a group of men. Liu Yidao was a full head taller than her, Qin Xi was also taller than her by a head, and even the relatively shorter Xu Jingzhi was half a head taller—or perhaps she was just unlucky, living in a house full of tall men, which made her appear even more petite. Combined with her slender shoulders and thin frame, even though she had been disguising herself as a man for many years and had long shed any feminine mannerisms, she still stood out quite conspicuously. Xu Jingzhi had teased her more than once, saying she had a feminine appearance for a boy. Although this hadn't aroused suspicion from others, it served as a warning bell for Mo Tiange, constantly reminding her to be careful and cautious.
Two years later, when her Spirit Stones were exhausted, she finally broke through to Qi Refining Level 10. At this time, the Cloud Mist Sect's internal minor competition was also about to begin. So, once her realm stabilized, she ended her seclusion.
As soon as she emerged, the other three were already waiting in the small hall. Over these three years, Liu Yidao and Qin Xi's cultivation had become even more refined. Xu Jingzhi, though slightly inferior, had also broken through to Qi Refining Level 9, not far from Level 10.
To celebrate her emergence from seclusion, the group decided to go sightseeing and have a picnic. Murong Yan had expressed more than once how much she missed her roasted beast meat, so they also sent a message talisman to invite her. Since she was invited, naturally Wang Qianyi and Shen Bing were included as well, and they also notified Senior Brother Zhou.
Originally, Mo Tiange thought that while Murong Yan would definitely come, Shen Bing and Wang Qianyi might not, and Senior Brother Zhou was even less likely. Who would have thought that not a single one was missing.
The group gathered by the pond at the South Peak waterfall, barbecuing and chatting idly.
Mo Tiange sat by the water, painstakingly skewering a row of beast meat. With her left hand, she used a Fire Spirit Technique, spreading the flames over the meat. Not far away, under a tree, a piece of hemp cloth was spread out, with tea and snacks arranged on it. Nearby, Liu Yidao and Senior Brother Zhou were exchanging cultivation insights. Xu Jingzhi sat beside Shen Bing and Wang Qianyi, trying to amuse them. Qin Xi leaned lazily against a tree, basking in the sun. Murong Yan sat beside her, staring at the meat skewers and drooling, asking from time to time if they were ready.
This group of people, claiming to celebrate her reaching Qi Refining Level 10, ended up saying her barbecue skills were good and that she should barbecue for everyone to eat. So they left her alone to do all the work. Sigh.
Finally finishing one batch, she wiped her sweat and placed it on a tray, handing it to Murong Yan. "Done. Call them over to eat."
Who needed calling? As soon as they saw she was done, the previously leisurely group swarmed over, each grabbing a handful and devouring it with gusto.
After finishing his share, Xu Jingzhi called out, "So delicious, Junior Brother Ye! A few more pieces!"
Mo Tiange, who had just washed her hands by the pond, rolled her eyes at his words. "You start the fire, and I'll barbecue for you."
Xu Jingzhi scratched his head. "Start the fire? But I don't have a fire Spirit Root; I can't use fire-element spells."
The group laughed. Senior Brother Zhou said, "Junior Brother Ye's skills are indeed excellent, much better than our sect's dining hall."
Murong Yan nodded repeatedly. "Exactly! I haven't eaten this for two years; I've been craving it to death."
Liu Yidao patted his stomach. "This little bit isn't enough. Junior Brother Ye, barbecue more."
"..." Mo Tiange sighed. "Someone come help me with the fire? My fire-element spells really aren't that great; it's exhausting doing it all by myself."
Murong Yan quickly said, "I don't have a fire Spirit Root either. How about using talismans? I have a few fire-element spell talismans here."
"What a waste that would be," Xu Jingzhi immediately interjected. "For fire-element spells, Senior Brother Qin is the best! Senior Brother Qin, come help!" This kid, ever since meeting these three senior sisters, had been incredibly attentive. Hovering around Shen Bing and Wang Qianyi went without saying, addressing them as "Senior Sister" with every sentence, his mouth as sweet as honey.
Mo Tiange shook her head with a smile, seeing Qin Xi's equally helpless expression. But he didn't refuse. He stood up, dusted off his sleeves, and walked over. "Alright, I won't eat for free. Just tell me what to do, Junior Brother Ye."
Mo Tiange naturally didn't stand on ceremony either. Qin Xi was a fire-element specialist, unlike her half-baked skills. She took out a thin blade, sliced the beast meat into pieces, skewered them with branches, and said to Qin Xi, "Senior Brother Qin, don't make the fire too fierce. If you burn through the branches, all this effort will be wasted."
Qin Xi nodded. Placing his right palm over the skewers, flames immediately burst forth, and the aroma of meat soon wafted out.
Seeing this wasn't going well, Mo Tiange quickly called out, "Senior Brother Qin, slower!" She hadn't applied the seasoning or turned them over yet; they shouldn't get burnt. Sigh, having powerful fire-element spells wasn't always good—controlling the heat wasn't convenient.
However, with Qin Xi's help, the barbecuing went much faster. Before long, the barbecued meat piled high on a full tray, and the two finally stopped.
"Alright, that should be enough for you all to eat!" Mo Tiange tidied up and pushed the tray to Murong Yan. This tray of meat was from half a spirit deer.
Murong Yan cheered. "Junior Brother Ye, you're the best!"
By the time Mo Tiange washed her face and returned, only half a tray of meat remained. Qin Xi leaned against the tree, laughing. "Junior Brother Ye, you'd better just have some tea and snacks. This tray... I think it's enough for them."
Mo Tiange rolled her eyes. After barbecuing for so long, she couldn't even eat any herself.
Liu Yidao laughed heartily and patted her shoulder. "Junior Brother Ye, it's all because your skills are too good! The capable bear more burdens!"
"Fine, fine, I really owe you all!" Anyway, she could sustain herself without food now and wasn't as fond of eating as before.
After finishing the barbecue, the group drank tea and chatted, their conversation inevitably turning to the upcoming sect minor competition.
Generally, within sects, there were minor competitions and Grand Competitions. Grand Competitions were often held only once every few decades or even a century, with participants from the Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Core Formation realms. Minor competitions, however, were only for Qi Refining disciples and were held every ten years or even more frequently. Although Grand Competitions offered rich rewards, they were too distant for them. Qi Refining disciples often paid more attention to minor competitions because they were related to the distribution of Foundation Establishment Pills.
Among their group, Xu Jingzhi and Murong Yan were at Qi Refining Level 9, Senior Brother Zhou at Qi Refining Level 11, and the others at Qi Refining Level 10. Except for Senior Brother Zhou, everyone else needed to participate in the minor competition. Only by participating could they possibly obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, and only with a Foundation Establishment Pill could they attempt Foundation Establishment.
However, they were only in a medium-sized sect. Every ten years, only twenty to thirty Foundation Establishment Pills were distributed, with a success rate of only about ten percent. Among them, only Senior Brother Zhou was certain to advance to Foundation Establishment; the others' chances were uncertain. Competing for a spot among hundreds of people was already difficult, let alone successfully achieving Foundation Establishment even after obtaining a pill.
Actually, it wasn't that Foundation Establishment could only be achieved by taking a Foundation Establishment Pill. It was just that the other methods were simply unthinkable for ordinary people. Consuming ancient spirit medicines, having a Nascent Soul or higher-level cultivator infuse spiritual energy through a secret technique, or other fortuitous encounters where a large amount of spiritual energy suddenly flooded into the body could allow a realm breakthrough. But these methods—where could ordinary cultivators like them even think of obtaining them? Only the Foundation Establishment Pill offered any hope.
The topic grew heavier and heavier, until finally, everyone lost interest in talking and simply ended the gathering, each returning to their own place.
Mo Tiange's heart was also heavy. Although she had advanced to Level 10, she only had about a fifty percent chance of securing a spot, and her chances of successfully achieving Foundation Establishment were less than ten percent. She hadn't forgotten that she possessed a five-element Spirit Root. Although her ancestor Mo Yaoqing had once said that she wasn't an ordinary five-element Spirit Root but a Hunyuan Spiritual Root with balanced five elements, inherited from another ancestor, and that with a specific cultivation method, a Hunyuan Spiritual Root's cultivation speed wasn't slow. However, after being in the cultivation world for so long, she and her second uncle had searched through countless texts but still didn't understand what a Hunyuan Spiritual Root really was.
Two years ago, her second uncle had said his lifespan was only two or three years. Now, two years had passed. She had smoothly advanced to Qi Refining Level 10, only to discover that the path of immortality was vast and elusive, and the road to Foundation Establishment remained distant.