CHAPTER 67: CHAPTER 67: CONVERSATION_1

This cave mansion covered an area of at least twenty acres, much larger than Shen Mo’s previous residence in the outer area. Thus, he finally had a small world to call his own. Here, he could finally realize all the plans he had long envisioned.

"Moreover, once everything is arranged, I need to inform Uncle Chen and the others, inviting them to a housewarming banquet."

Moving was a significant event, and it would be remiss not to invite friends and family for a celebratory feast.

「Three days later.」

Shen Mo sent out invitations for a feast of Spirit Beast dishes at his cave mansion, inviting Uncle Chen, Cao Ren, Guo Zhao, and other familiar friends and acquaintances from the Riverside Sect for a gathering.

The first to arrive was Guo Zhao.

"Junior Brother Shen, this cave mansion of yours is quite nice," he said, looking around with a laugh.

"It is indeed a good location. I only managed to get it thanks to someone’s help," Shen Mo nodded, inviting him to sit down.

"This place is situated in the center of the Spirit Vein, an excellent location. If you obtained it through connections, Junior Brother Shen, those connections must be quite formidable."

"Senior Brother Guo, you’re overthinking it." Shen Mo chuckled. "I don’t have any extraordinary connections within the sect. It’s just that during my cultivation verification, a Deacon took notice of me and offered to find me a cave mansion."

"A Deacon took notice?" Guo Zhao was stunned, then immediately asked with curiosity, "Could it be that Junior Brother Shen possesses astonishing Talent?"

He knew very well that Outer Deacons weren’t particularly altruistic. Without something remarkable, it was impossible to receive special consideration.

"You could say that, more or less," Shen Mo nodded. He had no intention of hiding it.

"Could it be that Junior Brother Shen was found to possess top-tier Talent?" Guo Zhao pressed on, curious.

In the cultivation world Shen Mo inhabited, a cultivator’s aptitude wasn’t categorized by different types of spirit roots. Aptitude merely distinguished those with the potential for cultivation from mortals. Among cultivators, the true measure of one’s potential lay in their spirit bone, which was detected through a special method. Spirit bones were divided into four grades: low, middle, high, and top. Above the top-grade spirit bone, there was the so-called Spiritual Body. The higher one’s cultivation aptitude, the greater their potential for future cultivation.

Furthermore, it’s worth noting that the spirit bone stage was merely a way to differentiate how quickly cultivators progressed in their cultivation method and overall cultivation speed. However, the Spiritual Body stage was entirely different. Possessing a Spiritual Body not only represented excellent cultivation aptitude but also often granted its owner various incredibly potent effects. For instance, Shen Mo had vaguely heard that within the Riverside Sect, a core disciple possessed the Fire Spirit Body. Cultivating any fire-attribute cultivation methods or magic was effortless for him. Relying on numerous fire-type cultivation methods and magic, all cultivated to the Perfection stage, he could easily battle those above his own level. Of course, besides Spiritual Bodies like the Water Spirit Body, Fire Spirit Body, and Earth Element Body that amplified elemental affinity, there were also some even more unique Spiritual Bodies. Examples included the Sword Spirit Body, the Thunder Body, and even the True Dragon Spirit Body, which could create a bloodline, granting a cultivator the power of an exotic beast.

But such things were essentially beyond Shen Mo’s reach. After all, the original body’s foundation was too weak and mediocre.

"Senior Brother Guo, you think too highly of me. I don’t possess any top-tier Talent at all," Shen Mo shook his head.

The details of his spirit bone Talent were recorded in his Destiny Panel. Initially, his Talent was merely at the level of an Ordinary Face. Only after several Destiny Point upgrades did it reach an outstanding level.Shen Mo guessed that this level of Talent, in the terminology of the cultivation world, probably corresponded to a high-grade spirit bone.This grade of Talent was far from what one would call a prodigy. It might be decent among the outer disciples of the Riverside Sect, but among inner disciples, it was a dime a dozen. Why would it warrant special attention?

"The reason the Deacon favored me is that I have sufficient accumulation. When I was in the Qi Gathering Realm, I opened three Profound Gates, establishing all three major Dantians: upper, middle, and lower," Shen Mo stated truthfully.

"All three Dantians established?" Hearing this, even Guo Zhao was somewhat astonished.

His own genius elder brother had only managed to open two Dantians when he advanced to the Qi Gathering Realm. He had often heard his brother lament rushing his breakthrough, failing to accumulate to the extreme and thus losing the chance for Perfection.

That Shen Mo could open all three Dantians was truly astonishing. No wonder that Outer Deacon had taken the initiative to select a location for him.

"It seems your path of cultivation is boundless, Junior Brother Shen."

"It was just a stroke of luck. With your family background and talent, Senior Brother Guo, I doubt you’d try to curry favor with me over this. After all, these three Dantians only offer a slight advantage in the Qi Gathering Realm, far from comparable to those prodigies with top-tier Talent," he said with a casual laugh, as he and Guo Zhao had become quite familiar.

"Heh, I wouldn’t go so far as to ask for favors regarding that." Guo Zhao then changed the subject, "However, Junior Brother Shen, you should know that I do indeed have something to ask of you."

What he sought was undoubtedly related to Chen Mengze.Since returning from the Dark Crystal Mine, he hadn’t managed to see Chen Mengze even once in the past few days. Naturally, she was on his mind.

"Uncle Chen and Senior Sister Chen are old acquaintances of mine in the sect. Naturally, they couldn’t be excluded from this banquet," Shen Mo said.

In fact, for this housewarming feast, Shen Mo hadn’t initially even considered Guo Zhao. He had only planned to have a simple meal with Chen Mengze, her father, and Cao Ren to celebrate. But then he suddenly thought of Guo Zhao and decided to invite him as well. A small part of the reason was that Guo Zhao had indeed looked out for him, even teaching him the method of forging. But more importantly... he had a matter for which he needed Guo Zhao’s assistance.

Hearing he could meet Chen Mengze at this banquet, Guo Zhao’s heart leaped with joy, but he quickly grew hesitant and uneasy. "Junior Sister Chen probably doesn’t want to see me."

Even if he had the chance to meet her, if Chen Mengze paid him no mind, Guo Zhao would have little opportunity to make an impression.

"Senior Brother Guo, as I’ve mentioned to you before, Uncle Chen’s injury hasn’t fully healed, and he still lacks a key medicinal ingredient for a pill. Have you found it yet?"

"I have news of the Jade Water Pearl." Guo Zhao nodded. "I already sent someone to retrieve it yesterday. I believe it should arrive within a few days."

"That’s good." Shen Mo nodded. "If you can find this medicine, Senior Brother Guo, I believe Senior Sister Chen will feel grateful to you, no matter what."

"It’s just that, if Senior Brother Guo continues to interact with her in the same old way, I’m afraid..."

Although this Guo Zhao was normally quite socially adept, he was clearly a blockhead when it came to matters of the heart. The moment he was around Chen Mengze, he’d start spouting nonsense.

"What advice do you have for me, Junior Brother Shen?"

"Senior Brother Guo, you might not be fully aware of Senior Sister Chen’s past experiences."

Shen Mo was no expert in love; he lacked significant romantic experience in both his past life and this one. Naturally, he couldn’t give Guo Zhao step-by-step instructions on how to win Chen Mengze’s heart. However, Shen Mo did know a fair bit about Chen Mengze’s history. Thus, he informed Guo Zhao about the crux of her emotional burden.

"So, Junior Sister Chen actually carries such a heavy burden of blood vengeance..." Hearing this, Guo Zhao felt even more sympathy for Chen Mengze. "No wonder she pushes herself so hard in her cultivation."

"Thank you for telling me this, Junior Brother Shen."

"It was a small thing." Shen Mo shook his head. "Judging by the time, the others should be arriving soon. Let’s take our seats first, Senior Brother Guo."