The First Immortal of Destiny

”Senior, this is my nephew Ma Pingkang. He has been stuck at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm for many years,” Uncle Ma said, bowing respectfully.

Shen Mo glanced at Ma Pingkang and gave a slight nod.

With his discerning eyes, he could naturally tell that this cultivator, who appeared as youthful as a man in his early twenties, was actually not that old, likely around thirty-five years old.

If he could open his Spirit Sea within five years, he would be considered a core candidate in the Riverside Sect, qualified to compete for a core disciple position!

However, in the Heaven Patrolling Zone, he was just a rogue cultivator who survived by ”scavenging.”

Ma Pingkang, under Shen Mo’s scrutiny, was obviously a bit uneasy, no longer the carefree youth he had been moments before. He stood obediently to the side, letting his uncle state their purpose.

”Grade III and Grade IV Elixirs are indeed precious, but they’re not hard to buy in the immortal workshop.”

”So... if it’s possible, we hope Senior might grant him a Grade V Elixir to help my nephew achieve his breakthrough!” Uncle Ma continued.

On the surface, the value of five Grade IV Elixirs was indeed equivalent to one Grade V Elixir.

However, in the immortal workshop at the Wangxian Mountain Market, Grade V Elixirs were rarely seen. If one occasionally entered the market, it was usually auctioned off at a very high price.

Therefore, even though Uncle Ma had boldly made this request, he was quite anxious, fearing he might anger the Senior before him and be kicked out of the cave mansion.

”Okay!”

Shen Mo didn’t dwell on it and agreed right away.

Immediately, under the surprised and expectant gazes of Uncle Ma and Ma Pingkang, he took out a Jade Vase from his Universe Bag and poured out an azure, glass-like Elixir.

”This is the Three Emperors Marrow Pill. It has an excellent effect in restoring Mana.”

”If you are stuck due to insufficient Mana in your body during your breakthrough, taking this Elixir will significantly increase your chances of opening your Spirit Sea.”

”Of course, if your willpower isn’t strong enough, or if there are flaws in your Cultivation Method, even with the help of a Grade V Elixir, you may not successfully advance to the Spirit Sea Realm!”

Since he was granting a favor due to their previous connection, Shen Mo didn’t mind expending a few more words to offer them some guidance.

Ma Pingkang had quite good Talent, but his immortal charm was not harmonious, revealing flaws everywhere...

The same was true for his uncle. Although he had cultivated to Layer III of the Spirit Sea Realm, he still had not rectified the flaws in his cultivation. This was why, despite his age, he had not yet advanced to the middle-stage of the Spirit Sea Realm!

It was likely because they were both rogue cultivators without any advanced main Cultivation Methods. Having to cultivate with whatever techniques they could find had led to their current situation.

Shen Mo estimated in his heart that even with the assistance of the Three Emperors Marrow Pill, Ma Pingkang’s chance of successfully breaking through was less than twenty percent.

Upon receiving the guidance, Uncle Ma’s face showed a pensive expression, which then transformed into a bitter smile.

”Thank you, Senior, for your earnest instruction.”

”The deficiency in our Cultivation Methods is something we cannot help.”

”Rogue cultivators like us have no chance of obtaining complete and systematic cultivation techniques like the disciples of immortal sects. We can only try to compensate in other areas.”

With that, he carefully put away the Three Emperors Marrow Pill, thanked Shen Mo profusely, and led Ma Pingkang out of the cave mansion.

After the two left, Shen Mo took out the Prohibition Token and activated the outer Prohibition of the cave mansion.

Immediately, he took out the Golden Flowery Realm and activated this treasure.

In the hazy light, Flower Fairy Mi fluttered out, hovering in front of Shen Mo. ”Moro Shen,” she asked, ”have you collected parent plants of spiritual plants again?”

Shen Mo smiled faintly and pointed to two spiritual grasses beside him.

They were not yet processed into spiritual medicine, still vibrant with roots and soil attached—the ”payment” left by the two cultivators who had sought Elixirs.

Mi cheered and flew over, using a Spell to gather the two spiritual grasses, and took them back to the Golden Flowery Realm to plant.

After a while, she flew out again and landed on Shen Mo’s shoulder, constantly rubbing his cheek with her wings. This was the Flower Fairy clan’s way of expressing affection.

”There are so many spiritual plants here! And so many new species collected in just half a year.”

”When Mi returns, the Big Moros will probably be overjoyed.” Mi chattered, her voice full of unconcealed delight.

Seeing Mi so happy, Shen Mo also felt quite pleased.

His ability to collect the parent plants of so many rare flowers and herbs in Wangxian Mountain, a gathering place for rogue cultivators, was thanks to the Spiritual Qi environment of the Heaven Patrolling Zone.

The overall concentration of Spiritual Qi in this region was much higher than in the Red Flame Zone.

Wangxian Mountain, possessing a Spirit Vein, had even reached the level of a Mountain River Dungeon.

The Mountain River Realm within the Riverside Sect, where the Spiritual Qi far exceeded that of the Outer Realm, was the result of hundreds of years of accumulation. However, after nearly 100,000 disciples of the Riverside Sect had lived and cultivated there for three years, its Spiritual Qi concentration immediately dropped to half its original level.

If this continued, it wouldn’t take many years for it to drop to a level even sparser than the Outer Realm!

The Heaven Patrolling Zone was different, a result of its overall natural environment. Except for certain special locations, the Spiritual Qi was not deficient anywhere.

Even in the ”barren” lands disdained by cultivators of this region—ordinary towns and villages where mortals gathered—the ambient Spiritual Qi was still decent, comparable to the levels found in the periphery of the Riverside Sect’s original mountain gate.

Such favorable conditions had fostered the Heaven Patrolling Zone’s spectacle of exceptional talents and abundant treasures!

Consequently, a vast number of rare flowers and plants thrived in this region, their quality slightly superior to those from the Red Flame Zone. Furthermore, the production of other spiritual materials—such as spirit gold, Demon Cores, and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures—was also plentiful.

Moreover, mortals living in the Heaven Patrolling Zone also benefited; not only were their Lifespans longer than those of mortals in the Red Flame Zone, but the proportion of individuals possessing the Talent for cultivation was also considerably higher.

The number of low-class cultivators in the Body Tempering Realm and Qi Gathering Realm was far greater than in the Red Flame Zone.

This large base of low-class cultivators, in turn, further increased the number of powerful individuals in this region. Even in Wangxian Mountain, a gathering place for rogue cultivators, several resident Golden Core Realm powerhouses were stationed, along with countless Spirit Sea Realm Cultivators!

In the Red Flame Zone, Elixirs and talismans of Grade III and above, spiritual level magic artifacts, and their corresponding raw materials were all considered top-tier spiritual items.

In the Heaven Patrolling Zone, however, they seemed rather commonplace.

The threshold distinguishing high-class spiritual items from top-tier ones had also been raised significantly!

Despite Shen Mo having idled on Wangxian Mountain for over half a year, his gains from refining and selling Elixirs were astonishing. The total value of his earnings was equivalent to the aggregate three-year stipend of a Supreme Elder in his sect. Additionally, he had acquired many rare resources not even found in the Riverside Sect’s Treasure Hall.

Relying on his Destiny [Dharma Eyes], he had also discovered many opportunities among various ”scraps.”

These scraps were salvaged from the River of the Dead by treasure hunters and included creature remains, magic treasure fragments, cultivation method jade slips, and more. Many people lacked Shen Mo’s keen eye and had traded these items for Elixirs.

However, these opportunities were not overly significant. They only brought Shen Mo some minor gains and were not yet enough to advance his cultivation level.