The First Immortal of Destiny

Chapter 392: Chapter 392 Cultivation Mansion_1

Turns out, after Shen Mo was promoted to a core disciple, there was another perk. He didn’t need to bother himself; the Riverside Sect would arrange a new cultivation residence for him and put the Deacon Hall in complete charge. Elder Lu Youwei had come for this exact reason.

After conversing with Elder Lu, Shen Mo learned that he had two choices.

The first option was to continue cultivating in his Inner Door cave mansion. However, if he chose this, the Deacon Hall could only send someone to refurbish the inside and outside of his cave mansion and arrange a few Formations around it; they could not make any major changes. Moreover, even if he found a Dao companion and had offspring in the future, if they didn’t reach the Qi Gathering Realm, they couldn’t freely enter the Inner Door or live in his cave mansion for cultivation. One day, if Shen Mo unfortunately died, the cave mansion would be reclaimed by the sect.

This was understandable. After all, the Inner Door cave mansions were located between the three Main Peaks, where nature’s spiritual energy was abundant, but the area was limited. If every core disciple at the Spirit Sea Realm built incessantly here, within a hundred years, there would be no place left for Inner Door disciples at the Qi Gathering Realm in the Riverside Sect.

The second option was that Shen Mo could choose a location similar to Spirit Gathering Peak, within the sect but outside of the three Main Peaks, to serve as his future cultivation residence. Once he chose a location, the Deacon Hall would assemble disciples skilled in construction techniques from the sect to build a spacious mansion. All costs incurred during construction would be borne by the sect; Shen Mo wouldn’t have to spend a single Spirit Stone. Of course, the nature’s spiritual energy in the area of the newly built mansion would certainly not be as abundant as in an Inner Door cave mansion. It was somewhat similar to the Lake Heart Cottage where Zhao Lingyin lived, with no overly strict restrictions on the entry and exit of outer disciples.

”Junior Brother Shen, for those of us who have already opened our Spirit Sea, whether the nature’s spiritual energy is a bit richer or thinner, it no longer matters much,” Elder Lu said kindly, seeing Shen Mo frowning in thought. ”Living in a cramped cave mansion isn’t as satisfying as residing in a cultivation mansion amidst beautiful, serene surroundings, where one can live more freely and comfortably.”

”Furthermore, you are not like us ordinary elders who struggle to obtain a satisfactory cultivation mansion...”

”You would either have to spend a great deal of money to buy one from a junior in the Spirit Sea Realm, or you would have to expend considerable effort and Spirit Stones to build one yourself!”

”If you miss this opportunity, you will surely regret it in the future.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Mo couldn’t help but nod. Unless it was a place like the outer reaches of the Immortal Burial Sea, where Spiritual Qi was extremely scarce, a slightly lower concentration of nature’s spiritual energy wouldn’t significantly impact the cultivation progress of Spirit Sea Realm cultivators. Only within the Body Tempering and Qi Gathering Realms was it true that the denser the Spiritual Qi in one’s cultivation dwelling, the better.

Moreover, Shen Mo had already cultivated the ”Purple Mansion Heart Scripture” to the Epic level, and his ”Mixed Yuan Qi Technique” had also reached the ”Entering the Hall” level. If the Spiritual Qi in the environment was insufficient, a single breath could draw Spiritual Qi from a hundred-mile radius. Therefore, insisting on staying in an Inner Door cave mansion to cultivate didn’t hold much significance. The other sect elders and core disciples also generally had their own cave mansions and cultivation residences outside the area encompassed by the three Main Peaks.

If Lingyin and I become Dao companions in the future, I can’t very well entertain the Peak Masters and others on the cliff platform of a cave mansion, Shen Mo mused. The banquet celebrating his ascension to the third seat among core disciples had been entirely organized by Stars Peak, and it was perfectly acceptable to use Star Hall to entertain the sect’s middle and high-ranking members. But for a wedding, it would be inappropriate to hold the banquet in Star Hall.

Subsequently, Shen Mo said to Elder Lu, ”In that case, I’ll have to trouble Elder Lu with the matter of constructing the cultivation mansion.”

”No trouble, no trouble at all!” Elder Lu waved his hands repeatedly and then said cheerfully, ”Our Riverside Sect’s grounds are vast. Outside of the three Main Peaks, Junior Brother Shen, you can choose any high-grade Blessed Land you wish.”

”Oh, that’s right, quite a few scenic peaks and beautiful valleys have already been claimed.”

”This is a Fengshui jade slip detailing all the areas within the sect. Junior Brother Shen, please take your time to choose.”

As he spoke, Elder Lu took out a jade slip from his robes and handed it to Shen Mo.

Shen Mo took it and scanned it with his sense. He saw a sand table-like topographical map, displaying mountains, hills, streams, rivers, and the structures within them, all in exquisite detail. It looked like a miniature version of the Riverside Sect’s grounds. The areas where mansions could be built were marked with red lines. The remaining areas were either the three Main Peaks, vital sect grounds, residences for inner and outer disciples, or places that had already been claimed. Shen Mo even spotted the delicate Lake Heart Cottage in the Heaven Pool on Spirit Gathering Peak; of course, his cultivation mansion couldn’t be built there either.

After searching for a long time, Shen Mo found a reasonably good plot of land about ten miles from Spirit Gathering Peak.

”Elder Lu, how about accompanying me on a trip to Green Cloud Peak?”

The scenery of Green Cloud Peak was excellent. Its peaks rose high and stretched endlessly, while flowers, grasses, and trees thrived in lush abundance. Mist steamed and rosy clouds glowed, making it feel as if one were stepping into a light cloud.

Shen Mo quickly made his decision: he would situate his cultivation mansion on this peak.

”Junior Brother Shen, you’ve really given me a difficult task!” Elder Lu exclaimed, standing on the cliff and shaking his head with a wry smile. ”This peak’s terrain is steep. Constructing pavilions, towers, and buildings here will be both laborious and mentally taxing. The Spirit Stone cost will be at least thirty to forty percent higher than in other places!”

Of course, he was merely complaining a bit, hoping to make Shen Mo owe him a favor. After all, he wasn’t the one spending the Spirit Stones.

Shen Mo naturally understood his subtle intention and flattered him with a few kind words. Then, he finalized the location.

”There’s one more thing. After your Green Cloud Mansion is completed, you’ll naturally need people to clean and maintain it. You’ll also need gatekeepers, cooks, and maids.”

”Many outer disciples lack ways to earn Spirit Stones. You can easily hire some of them for these miscellaneous tasks.”

”Of course, the sect will not cover these Spirit Stone expenses.”

This was the second matter Elder Lu mentioned.

For the over one hundred thousand outer disciples of the Riverside Sect, being able to work for a Spirit Sea Realm expert was undoubtedly a desirable opportunity. One mustn’t forget that when Shen Mo was still struggling in the outer sect, even a task like guarding the mountain gate required the help of Chen An, who was a Deacon, to obtain. Now that Shen Mo was moving into a cultivation mansion, he had various needs that could benefit a large number of outer disciples. Of course, this was nominally an employer-employee relationship. This was unlike secular wealthy families who kept servants and slaves over whom they held the power of life and death.

As far as Shen Mo knew, there were indeed quite a few female outer disciples who entertained thoughts of offering themselves to him, but that didn’t mean Spirit Sea Realm cultivators from the sect would necessarily be interested in them.

However, Shen Mo didn’t need Elder Lu’s reminder for this. If he simply posted a task at the Deacon Hall, a large number of outer disciples would respond. He couldn’t quite grasp what Elder Lu was up to.

Sure enough, Elder Lu took out another jade slip, smiled, and handed it to Shen Mo.

”Junior Brother Shen, among my Lu Family’s younger generation, there are many good-looking girls cultivating in the outer sect. If any of them catch your eye, you can summon them to be maids.”