CHAPTER 241: CHAPTER 241: UNDERCURRENT_1

The people from the Tian and Shi families saw that Guo Xun, the core disciple, ignored them but was more friendly to Shen Mo. There was a bit of resentment in their hearts. Yet they dared not show their disgust openly, so their expressions all seemed rather strange. As for Tian Kang, even after being strictly lectured by Shen Mo, his nature remained unchanged. He looked over with a face full of resentment.

"Senior Brother Guo is chatting here with me. Aren’t you afraid that these two families will harbor resentment?" Shen Mo glanced at Tian Kang and the others, then subtly put in a bad word for the Tian and Shi families.

"They are mere mediocre people, no need to bother with them," Guo Xun said indifferently.

In his eyes, the powerful Tian and Shi clans were nothing. Only a few individuals were worth his attention. As for these people outside the Enforcement Hall, including Tian Kang and Shi Xiaoqian, the most outstanding members of their generation from the Tian and Shi families, they were all mediocre. He couldn’t be bothered to deal with them!

Shen Mo didn’t feel particularly flattered that Guo Xun regarded him highly. As his strength increased and he continued to uncover the mysteries of the Destiny Panel, Shen Mo’s vision and ambition had also grown significantly. He was no longer the outer disciple who dreamed of leaving the Riverside Sect to establish a small clan in the secular world!

However, he didn’t coldly reject Guo Xun’s deliberate attempt to befriend him either. The internal politics of the Riverside Sect were complex and convoluted. It wasn’t wise to simply judge "friends" or "foes" from a single perspective. Even though Guo Xun was from the Guo Clan, it didn’t necessarily mean he intended to suppress disciples from common backgrounds. In fact, it seemed he identified more with his status as a core disciple of Stars Peak. He likely saw Shen Mo, a newly risen talent within the peak, as a future ally in competing against the core disciples of the other two peaks.

Moreover, Shen Mo himself was the type to return respect with even greater respect. Thus, he and Guo Xun chatted quite harmoniously.

The Tian and Shi families had sent their Deacons and inner disciples. Normally, they would find it difficult to meet Guo Xun, so they had hoped to use this opportunity to get closer to him. Unexpectedly, Guo Xun ignored them, instead becoming engrossed in conversation with Shen Mo. This left them in an awkward position, unsure whether to stay or leave.

Just then, as Shen Mo was asking Guo Xun how to compete for a core disciple position, he suddenly noticed a familiar, graceful figure approaching on a flying sword and landing before them.

"Lingyin, why are you here? I thought you had many alchemy tasks recently?" Shen Mo took two steps forward, took Zhao Lingyin’s hand, and helped her step down smoothly from her flying sword.

"It seems Junior Brother Shen has a beautiful lady waiting for him. I won’t impose any longer then! I look forward to the day you become a core disciple," Guo Xun chuckled, then turned and left with his brother, Guo Zhao.

Seeing Guo Xun depart, the members of the Tian and Shi families no longer wished to stay. They all summoned their magic artifacts, transforming into streaks of light and flying away.

However, before leaving, they all took note of Zhao Lingyin, privately speculating about her relationship with Shen Mo. Even Tian Kang and Shi Xiaoqian couldn’t help but stare at Zhao Lingyin for a few extra moments. After all, Zhao Lingyin was the sole direct disciple of Mr. Wu, the only Grade IV Alchemist in the sect. In a way, her reputation and status were comparable to that of any direct disciple of the Three Peaks’ Peak Masters.

Silence instantly returned to the area before the Enforcement Hall.

"I heard someone say the Law Enforcement Elder took you away, so I was worried and came to see," Zhao Lingyin said, gently taking Shen Mo’s hands and examining his wrists. Her fingertips then lightly brushed over his chest and back. After using her sense and Green Wood mana to probe and confirm that Shen Mo was unharmed, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, the frown on her face easing.

Shen Mo was touched but also found it a bit amusing. "What do you think the Enforcement Hall is?

"It was just a private fight within the sect.

"I knew how much force to use; I didn’t kill anyone.

"I was only penalized with Merit Points and Spirit Stones. I didn’t receive any physical punishment!"

Zhao Lingyin glanced cautiously into the Enforcement Hall, then took Shen Mo’s hand and started to lead him away.

"This place is a bit eerie."

Once they were a safe distance away, Zhao Lingyin continued, "I’m glad you didn’t receive a harsh punishment. My Master told me the Enforcement Hall is not a good place.

"Why did those two try to harm you?

"Aren’t you all disciples of Stars Peak?"

Even without knowing the full details, she had already concluded in her heart that Tian Kang and Shi Xiaoqian were the ones who wanted to harm Shen Mo.

Noticing this, Shen Mo smiled knowingly. He then recounted the entire incident to Zhao Lingyin.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lingyin was visibly upset, grinding her teeth. "When the elders of those two clans come to my Master for Alchemy, I’ll ask him to intentionally ruin a few more batches of their spiritual medicine!"

She knew Tian Kang and Shi Xiaoqian must have been instigated by someone. And in a wealthy immortal clan, the ones with the most influence were usually the Spirit Sea Realm powerhouses within the clan. That was why she had said that.

"Don’t make things difficult for Mr. Wu. He’s an alien minister to the sect; it’s not appropriate for him to interfere in such disputes," Shen Mo said, gently pinching Zhao Lingyin’s nose, his eyes brimming with amusement. "You coming to see me so openly has already been noticed by the Tian and Shi families.

"In the future, if such people try to stir up trouble from the shadows, it could be dangerous for you!"

With her nose pinched, Zhao Lingyin’s voice became slightly nasal. "I’m not afraid..."

「Qing State, Hongye City. At the Tian Family mansion.」

The Clan Leaders of the Tian and Shi families were currently drinking spiritual tea, discussing the recent conflict involving Tian Kang, Shi Xiaoqian, and Shen Mo. Their cultivation levels weren’t particularly high; one was at Qi Gathering Realm Layer VI, and the other at Qi Gathering Realm Layer VII. Yet, their conversation implied an attitude that looked down upon the elites of Stars Peak.

In the Red Flame Country, wealthy immortal clans like theirs were mostly affiliated with or dependent on the Five Great Sects. However, each had its own ancestral lands, located either in large cities within the Red Flame Country or other areas with spirit veins. Most of their clan members did not live and cultivate within the immortal sects. Clan members aspiring to become sect disciples, much like Lu Ming, had to first become outer disciples. Only after cultivating to the Qi Gathering Realm could they be promoted to the Inner Door.

Both the Tian and Shi Clan Leaders had once been inner disciples of the Riverside Sect. However, despite many years of cultivation, neither had managed to reach the Spirit Sea Realm and thus could not obtain the position of Elder in the Riverside Sect. Unwilling to become mere ordinary Deacons, they had left the sect to return to their ancestral immortal clans, taking up positions such as Clan Leader or clan elder.

Of course, within their respective families, many young members had still joined the Riverside Sect to cultivate. Furthermore, many of their clan members had obtained positions such as Deacons.

Additionally, besides having numerous clan members join an immortal sect to build a complex network of connections, a family needed at least one or two Spirit Sea Realm powerhouses cultivating within that sect. Only then could they be considered a true wealthy sect.

Take, for example, the Chen Family of Sishui City, from which Chen Mengze and Uncle Chen hailed. Even when the Chen Family’s patriarch at the time had cultivated to the Spirit Sea Realm, the Chen Family couldn’t be called an immortal clan. On one hand, he had not joined any of the Five Great Sects to cultivate and was considered a rogue cultivator. On the other hand, the Chen Family did not have a large number of clan members who had joined the Five Great Sects, nor had they established a significant network of connections within an immortal sect. Therefore, the Chen Family could, at best, only be considered an ordinary Cultivating Family.