One year gradually passed as she cultivated and waited for the materials.

Right now, the name Mo Qingwei was well-known in west Kunwu. She was Xuanqing School’s most gifted cultivator after Qin Shoujing, and her aptitude was even better than cultivators with a single spiritual root—there was a very high chance she could advance into the Nascent Soul realm. She was definitely not a fake genius like Qin Shoujing.

When Mo Tiange heard about this, she couldn’t help but feel a bit bitter inside. Although she knew that person definitely wouldn’t care about being called a genius, he used to always be praised and venerated, yet he was now flung down so unceremoniously like this—this was really too callous. Furthermore, he failed his soul-formation three times already…

Mo Tiange recalled the conversation they once had when they were still in Yunwu Sect. At that time, her mood was quite poor, so she didn’t really pay attention to what happened to the others or when they left. In the end, he was the only one remaining with her. On that afternoon, they drank some wine. She was intoxicated, but she still heard him talking about a few things.

These memories were once concealed by him with some spells. Now that she became a Core Formation cultivator, these memories finally broke free and reappeared in her mind again.

He said his aptitude wasn’t the best, but he never ran into any bottlenecks. He said he might’ve been born to cultivate; he had no obsessions or anything tying him down. In other words, he had no superfluous feelings. Because of that, he just wanted to spend his life continuing to walk on the path of cultivation like this…

That being the case, he shouldn’t lose confidence even though he failed his soul-formation three times, right? But what was going on with him being trapped in a demonic barrier that master mentioned before?

Since it was something she couldn’t understand, Mo Tiange stopped thinking too much about it. Although she wasn’t that decisive, once she’d seen something through, she wouldn’t keep troubling herself over it.

One year had passed by. Her cultivation was almost stable, so she began preparing her magic weapon.

Once a cultivator formed their Gold Core, they had to abandon more than half the methods used in fights of magical power from when they were in the Foundation Building realm, but they could now display the real power of their magic weapons. Because of that, fights of magical power between Core Formation cultivators were actually contests between their magic weapons.

There were several magic tools she had to replace, so she now ran into a big problem. The few magic weapons she had were either defensive or auxiliary types. As she previously depended completely on magic tools to attack, she now surprisingly had no offensive magic weapons at all.

This problem made Mo Tiange conflicted for several days. If she bought some, they’d certainly not be as handy in her hands as the ones she personally refined. If she refined them, it would be too troublesome. In the end, it was only after Lord Daoist Jinghe inadvertently asked her about the matter and gave her several magic weapons that this problem was finally resolved.

From the time she was still in the Aura Refining realm and first worshiped him as master, Lord Daoist Jinghe never bestowed her with magic weapons or magic tools. He kept on harping about how her treasures were too extravagant for a Foundation Building cultivator, so he basically didn’t need to give her anything more.

Mo Tiange also never felt like she lacked anything, so she never asked for some from him.

But there was an immeasurably vast difference between the Foundation Building and the Core Formation realm. As a Core Formation cultivator, her treasures were insufficient.

Lord Daoist Jinghe finally stepped in. Regarding this matter, he even said extremely smugly that in the end, she couldn’t do without him, that master of hers! No matter how many fated chances she obtained, wasn’t she still asking him for magic weapons now?

Mo Tiange resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him, but when she thought about it again, she also felt amused. To be honest, this master had always treated her extremely well. If there was anything he could give her, he had never been stingy. It was just that he could never assume an attitude that would make her feel grateful to him. He’d rather give away things like this and even provoke her to say a few sentences about it.

However, this was also one of his admirable traits. In the treatment of his disciples, he never acted as if he was conferring favors. When he bestowed others with treasures, he also never demanded them to feel grateful to him.

In any case, the magic weapons given to her by Lord Daoist Jinghe could be considered to resolve her urgent situation. Among them, there was a sword, a square seal, and a jade bottle—all of them were offensive magic weapons. The sword was of the metal element, the square seal was of the soil element, and the jade bottle was of the water element. Although Lord Daoist Jinghe himself had no use for them, each of them was still a top-quality good.

Mo Tiange sighed inwardly. In the end, she’d benefited a lot from her master. As a cultivator from a cultivation group, she had it a lot easier than individual cultivators. Otherwise, she might’ve had to expend a lot of spirit stones and energy refining magic weapons. Just like that year—she had her second uncle guiding her as an elder, but it was still so hard for them to make spirit stones to support their cultivation. If she was on her own, how could she have focused on cultivating like she did now?

Some time passed. Mo Tiange, who had just re-refined several magic weapons to the point of usability, heard big news.

“Master!” Mo Tiange immediately rushed back to Shangqing Palace upon hearing the news. The moment she stepped into the hall, however, she stopped in her tracks for a short moment.

Qin Xi was also in the hall. Right now, he was sitting in her usual seat, drinking tea with downcast eyes. When he heard her voice, he didn’t even look up or spare her a glance.

Mo Tiange regained her composure very quickly. She first saluted Lord Daoist Jinghe, then she also saluted him. “Senior Martial Brother Shoujing.”

Qin Xi, who was still holding his teacup, merely let out a soft grunt of acknowledgement. He still didn’t look at her as if he was focused only on his tea. Based on the gap in their seniority and cultivation levels, he couldn’t be considered rude to be behaving like this. Not to mention the fact that his cultivation level was much higher than hers, but even based solely on the order of seniority in the division, he, who’d worshipped master for ages, was completely in a position to receive salutations from her.

But his attitude made Mo Tiange feel somewhat awkward. It was as if… he really disliked seeing her.

This kind of awkward feeling only entered her heart fleetingly before it passed. Mo Tiange turned to Lord Daoist Jinghe, asking, “Master, is it true?”

Lord Daoist Jinghe seemed to have not noticed the awkwardness between the two of them. He was holding a Jade Slip, reading the contents. When he heard what she said, he put the Jade Slip down and said, “Of course it’s true. Is Master that idle to tease you guys?”

Upon obtaining affirmation from him, Mo Tiange felt both happy and anxious. She said somewhat apprehensively, “Master, then what’s the situation like now?”

Lord Daoist Jinghe looked at her then at Qin Xi before he finally spoke: “I called you guys over because I know you both would be extremely concerned about this matter. This matter started about a month ago. Master also has a few close friends in Tiandao Sect. After they found the abnormality, they were in the mindset to hunt for treasures and thus invited me.”

“Tiandao Sect… In that case, there should be nothing incorrect about the news…”

Lord Daoist Jinghe chuckled. His eyes glinted. “Presumably, those old codgers still don’t have the guts to lie to us Nascent Soul cultivators. Even if Tiandao Sect is the greatest cultivation group in the Celestial Pole, Xuanqing School also isn’t easily bullied. Besides, they didn’t inform only us but they also informed many other Nascent Soul cultivators. Several of Master’s other close friends all received the news.”

“Master,” Qin Xi said. He finally put down the teacup in his hands and lifted his gaze at Lord Daoist Jinghe. “Since the news is most likely true, are you going to go?”

“Of course,” Lord Daoist Jinghe said, “Back when you went to Demonic Mountain, I didn’t go along because my cultivation happened to reach a crucial juncture, consequently letting those few old codgers get the lead. Since Demonic Mountain opened this time, how could Master possibly not go?”

“En.” Qin Xi wasn’t at all surprised. “Master, what other information do you have? Just tell us everything.”

Lord Daoist Jinghe threw his Jade Slip to Qin Xi. “You guys can take a look on your own.”

Qin Xi caught the Jade Slip then spent a while reading it. His expression became dignified. Once he finished, he threw the Jade Slip to Mo Tiange, while he himself once again picked up his teacup and sank into contemplation.

Mo Tiange caught the Jade Slip and impatiently began reading.

This Jade Slip was a messaging jade slip given to Lord Daoist Jinghe by a Nascent Soul cultivator from Tiandao Sect called Daoist Heifeng. Its contents were very simple; it informed Lord Daoist Jinghe that the restrictions on Demonic Mountain were weakening and would soon open, so he was invited to come along.

Tiandao Sect was located next to Demonic Mountain, so it had always fought with cultivators of the Devil Path. These days, they found signs that the restrictions on Demonic Mountain were weakening. Based on what happened before, the restrictions on some parts of the mountains would continue to weaken. In six months to one year, entrances leading inside would appear.

Reportedly, Demonic Mountain was the ancient battlefield where the war between the immortals and the devils took place. From the earliest ancient times several million years ago until the latest Middle Ages era more than a hundred years ago… Inside it laid many, many remains of both righteous and devil cultivators. If they could find treasures inside, these definitely couldn’t be obtained anywhere else in present times.

Furthermore, the terrain of Demonic Mountain was unusual. One might not be able to find such an extraordinary place in the whole world, not to mention in the entire Celestial Pole. Some extraordinary spiritual objects that couldn’t be found elsewhere grew there, so every time the restrictions on Demonic Mountain weakened, countless cultivators would rush to Tiandao Sect’s Mount Yuheng to take their share of the loot.

Of course, the area inside was extremely dangerous. The last time the restrictions weakened was about eighty or ninety years ago. More than half the people who entered Demonic Mountain died, including Mo Tiange’s father, Ye Hai.

Although it was dangerous, everyone in the Celestial Pole still rushed inside like a swarm of bees. The timing of weakened restrictions on Demonic Mountain was completely unpredictable; it might not weaken again for the next several hundred years. Not to mention Aura Refining and Foundation Building cultivators, but even Core Formation cultivators might not have a chance like this their entire lives.

The huge risk contrasted against the tremendous opportunities inside. It was said that the Celestial Pole’s strongest late stage Nascent Soul cultivator, Master Song Feng, was able to practice such an indomitably strange technique only because he found many treasures inside.

But aside from Master Song Feng, there was practically no one else who would enter Demonic Mountain alone, because if one wanted to enter safely, one must be extremely proficient in formations and restrictions and have a strong ability in fights of magical powers—not everyone was capable of both on their own. Moreover, this Demonic Mountain was very vast. If several dozen thousand people went in, not to mention several thousand people, it would be hard for anybody to run into a soul. Because of that, every time the restrictions on Demonic Mountain weakened, Tiandao Sect cultivators would invite their close friends to go on explorations inside instead of directly tackling the hurdle on their own.

Of course, Tiandao Sect was originally founded adjacent to Demonic Mountain to confront cultivators of the Devil Path; Demonic Mountain was just like their backyard, so if others wanted to enter, they have to give them some profit.

Once Mo Tiange finished reading the contents, she returned the Jade Slip to Lord Daoist Jinghe then pondered with a downcast head.

Lord Daoist Jinghe would certainly go. When Mo Tiange became his disciple, this master had already reached the peak of the middle stage of the Nascent Soul realm, but he never obtained a fated chance to break into the late stage. This was a good opportunity for him now. Furthermore, his personality was already that of a risk-taker.

There was also Qin Xi. He’d definitely go too. Now that he failed his soul-formation three times, he was in urgent need of opportunities to make a realm-breakthrough. Back then, he was only a little over a hundred years old, but he was already in the middle stage of the Core Formation realm—he was at his peak, but he still braved the risks and entered Demonic Mountain. Now, how could he possibly let this chance slip by?

Mo Tiange, on the other hand, was rather hesitant. Regarding cultivation levels, although she already formed her Gold Core and took the first step to becoming a high level cultivator, it was still nothing more than the first step. She hadn’t even refined her natal magic weapon yet. As a Core Formation cultivator, her abilities in fights of magical powers were still lacking. Furthermore, she was still young and she had the Virtual Sky World backing her up; she had no need to look for any fated chances. Even if she continued cultivating like this slowly, it wasn’t impossible for her to reach the Nascent Soul realm.

But regardless of fated chances, there was one thing that drew her towards Demonic Mountain—her father was buried there. When she was still in the Aura Refining realm, she already planned on looking for an opportunity to enter Demonic Mountain and take her father’s bones back after she formed her Gold Core. Right now, she finally had such an opportunity. If she let this opportunity slip, she didn’t know how many more years she’d have to wait for Demonic Mountain to open again.