“Senior Brother Chen.”

On the stage, Zhuo Ming respectfully saluted Chen Mobai.

“I didn’t expect my first round opponent to be Junior Sister Zhuo. It’s been a long time.”

The young girl who had come out with him from the Nanxi market and joined the Shenmu Sect, they hadn’t been in touch since they left the New Bud Hall.

It was quite a coincidence to meet in the sect competition with thousands of participants.

“I hope Senior Brother Chen will continue to make progress and become a true disciple in this competition.”

Zhuo Ming knew she was no match for Chen Mobai. After stepping onto the stage, she didn’t waste her talismans and spiritual power. She said a nice formal sentence and then directly conceded.

“Junior Sister, it’s been two years. Since we have the chance, let’s have a drink together.”

After stepping down from the stage, Chen Mobai invited Zhuo Ming. Hearing this, she showed a delighted expression and immediately came over.

Due to his good performance in last year’s competition, Chen Mobai had gained some reputation in the Shenmu Sect.

Many people believed that when the next batch of Jade Marrow Golden Fungi matured, he would likely become one of the true disciples.

And Zhuo Ming was the one who had the most confidence in Chen Mobai becoming a true disciple.

After all, Yuan Chiyi had determined that he had the top-notch spiritual root when they were in Nanxi market.

“Senior Brother Chen, long time no see.”

However, before the two of them could sit down, another familiar face came over to greet them.

It was Liu Wenbo, another genius with three spiritual roots from Nanxi market.

“It’s you. Since you’re here, let’s have a drink together.”

The three of them sat in a restaurant overlooking part of the stage and began to talk about their experiences in the Shenmu Sect over the past two years.

Among them, Zhuo Ming’s career was the simplest. She had a hard time cultivating the Longevity Sutra and had only just reached the sixth level of Qi Refining.

On weekdays, she worked as an apprentice in a talisman shop in Shenmu City. The shop owner was a disciple of the Talisman Department and a first-order talisman maker.

However, Zhuo Ming didn’t learn much. The shop owner was very protective of his talisman-making skills and only let her handle some paper and ink making work.

“I’m of average talent. If I want to reach the ninth level of Qi Refining before the age of sixty, I might have to join the team to open up the Dream Swamp.”

After Zhuo Ming finished speaking, her face was bitter. Participating in the sect competition was actually a stage to showcase herself.

She had originally saved two first-order top-grade talismans, planning to win the first round and then find an opportunity to sell her life for a good price.

Who knew her luck would be so bad, she met Chen Mobai, a true disciple candidate, in the first round, which directly made her lose the courage to fight.

“That’s a bit unfortunate.”

After hearing Zhuo Ming’s story, Chen Mobai couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her.

If he hadn’t had the chance of the turtle shell, he probably wouldn’t have done any better than Zhuo Ming in the Shenmu Sect.

“Junior Brother Liu, didn’t you go with Yuan Chiyi to open up the Dream Swamp?”

“Ah, I had several narrow escapes from death, and more than half of the disciples who followed me were lost. Although I saw a glimmer of hope for the future.”

As Liu Wenbo spoke, he didn’t hide his cultivation level, which had already reached the eighth level of Qi Refining.

And when Chen Mobai observed him carefully, compared to when he was in the New Bud Hall, his originally gentle eyebrows had become a bit more tenacious. It was indeed the battlefield of life and death that tempered people, and he seemed to have undergone a transformation.

“Well, not bad. After Senior Brother E Yun establishes his foundation, Brother Yuan will take over. By the time Brother Yuan establishes his foundation, you should be able to reach the ninth level of Qi Refining. With their support, you can also rank among the top in the future true disciples.”

Chen Mobai’s words made Liu Wenbo feel flattered. He didn’t expect to receive such an evaluation from a senior brother who was like a celestial being.

“I dare not have such extravagant hopes, I just hope to be listed as a true disciple.”

The three of them talked for a while longer, with Chen Mobai asking questions and the other two respectfully answering.

Although Chen Mobai had shed his status as the leader of the disciples from Nanxi market when he left the New Bud Hall, the two of them still respected Chen Mobai very much.

After Chen Mobai entered the top forty-eight last year and was only one round away from becoming a true disciple, this respect became even deeper.

In the eyes of Zhuo Ming and Liu Wenbo, Chen Mobai was already considered a true disciple.

They believed that it was only a matter of time.

“In my Little Sun Ridge, there are some medicinal fields and spiritual fields that need to be taken care of. If Junior Sister Zhuo doesn’t mind, would you like to help me?”

Chen Mobai looked at Zhuo Ming and suddenly thought that she was also one of the people who had chopped wood to complete tasks in the New Bud Hall. Cultivating the skill of farming might be more useful than collecting firewood.

“What’s the compensation on your side, Senior Brother?”

Zhuo Ming, who came from a loose cultivator background, was very rational and directly asked the most critical question.

“For now, it’s 30 spirit stones a year. If Junior Sister is willing, you can watch me make talismans and draw symbols. If you don’t understand something, you can write it down and ask me after I finish making the talismans.”

Hiring a Qi Refining sixth-level disciple from the Shenmu Sect at this price wasn’t high, but when Zhuo Ming heard the latter half of the sentence, her eyes lit up and she immediately agreed.

In the Tianhe Realm, the inheritance of the hundred arts of cultivation is, in some ways, even more precious than the books of cultivation methods.

Without a true master-disciple relationship, one simply cannot receive instruction.

Although the Shenmu Sect’s library allows disciples to buy with spirit stones, it is also limited to disciples of the Talisman Department.

Zhuo Ming had also spent many years of savings to buy a first-order talisman maker’s inheritance in the market, but due to her weak foundation, learning was very difficult.

When she was in Nanxi market, she knew that Chen Mobai was an excellent talisman maker. The talismans he sold at his stall were simple and elegant, and they were better than the goods in the big sect shops.

If she could learn under him, she might be able to make up for her weak foundation and have a chance to become a real talisman maker in the future.

So as soon as she heard that Chen Mobai was willing to teach her, Zhuo Ming immediately agreed eagerly.

“I wish I could live in the mountains, away from the noise of carriages and horses, just like Senior Brother Chen, farming and brewing wine leisurely. Unfortunately…”

When Liu Wenbo spoke to this point, he seemed to recall some of his brothers who had died in the Dream Swamp, his face inevitably darkened.

He carried the hopes of his family, and now he had many junior brothers and sisters following him. There was no way to retreat.

“Junior Brother Liu, with great power comes great responsibility.”

Chen Mobai comforted him, then left with Zhuo Ming.

“You go and resign from the apprentice job at the talisman shop first, then wait for the end of this sect competition, and come back to Xiaoyang Ridge with me.”

“Yes, Senior Brother Chen.”

Soon, today’s sect competition ended, and Qi Rui and Xi Jinghuo also successfully passed.

The three agreed to drink together in the evening. In the meantime, Zhuo Ming, who had packed up her things, came over and quietly sat on the side, pouring wine for them.

“Brother Chen, your luck is a bit bad. If you pass the fifth round, the opponent you have to face is actually Senior Sister Ding Ying.”

The match list for everyone today had come out.

After Qi Rui looked at his own, he also arranged Chen Mobai’s and discovered this point.

“On the contrary, I think my luck is very good.”