Bang! Bang! Bang!
Su Mo, who had finally managed to get a good night’s sleep, was abruptly woken up by the violent knocking on his door.
“Who is it?” Rubbing his bleary eyes, he opened the door to find a man in a Beidou uniform standing outside.
The man held a package that looked ordinary at first glance—except for the complete absence of any sender or recipient information.
“Your package,” the man said, thrusting it into Su Mo’s hands before hurrying off without even verifying his identity or asking for a signature.
Su Mo wasn’t surprised, though. He already knew what was inside.
That’s right—it was the spirit stones and the Beidou badge he’d earned in exchange for the magical artifact.
The box had two layers: the outer one was a plain cardboard box, while the inner one was made of a special material that blocked spiritual energy. It could only be opened with his fingerprint.
“Wow, this box is pretty nice. High-quality stuff,” Su Mo muttered excitedly as he opened it. The moment he did, the dazzling glow of the spirit stones nearly blinded him.
So many…
If not for the limitations of human biology, Su Mo was sure his grin would’ve stretched all the way to the back of his head.
Aside from the spirit stones, the box also contained a Beidou badge. According to Wang Ye, this thing wasn’t just a symbol of honor—sometimes, it represented status.
Along with the badge was a letter, neatly sealed in a standard envelope. But when he opened it, what he found inside was even more impressive.
Forget the content—just the elegant, flowing calligraphy alone was enough to make anyone admire it.
The letter mostly repeated what Yang Jie had already told him—nothing new. The only difference was the last line:
“Remember to return the box to Yang Jie and have him mail it back as soon as possible.”
Su Mo: “…”
Seriously? They’re this stingy? Can’t even let me keep the box?
Just as he was starting to appreciate the box, he got hit with the news that it had to be returned. He could only sigh in resignation.
He stored all the spirit stones inside his white jade ring—only to discover another letter at the bottom of the box.
Oh, really? You’re gonna play it like this?
He opened the second letter. Same style, except the elegant calligraphy had been replaced with wild, frenzied strokes.
Su Mo: (¬_¬)
As expected, this letter was about his upcoming visit to the Scripture Pavilion.
According to the instructions, Su Mo needed to first raise his cultivation to the late-stage Qi Condensation realm—meaning he had to form a Qi Core in his Qi Sea acupoint.
For cultivators, the Qi Condensation realm was divided into three stages: early, middle, and late.
The early stage focused on forming a Qi vortex. Successfully condensing one meant entering the middle stage.
The middle stage required finding a foundation point within the Qi vortex and continuously nourishing it with spiritual energy until it solidified into a Qi Core.
As for the late stage? It was all about compressing and refining the Qi Core’s energy density. The stronger the density, the vaster the Qi Sea would be upon breakthrough.
Generally, only those who reached the D-grade Qi Sea realm could freely use spells. But in reality, as long as someone had formed a Qi vortex, they already met the basic requirements for learning ordinary spells.
Right now, Su Mo had the initial form of a Qi vortex, barely qualifying as middle-stage.
“Reaching the late stage would probably take at least a few more months,” he muttered to himself.
That was assuming no additional resources. But now, with so many spirit stones at his disposal, who knew how fast he could progress?
Su Mo steeled his resolve. He already had a clear plan for what to do next.
First, he would go into seclusion and push his cultivation to the late-stage Qi Condensation realm.
Then, he’d travel to the capital, visit the Scripture Pavilion, and seek out his own opportunities.
But before all that… he had one more place to go.
Jing Mountain Training Base
Wang Ye was in the middle of explaining cultivation fundamentals to a group of students when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure in his peripheral vision.
He paused mid-lecture and walked over.
“What brings you here?”
Su Mo—disguised as Ye Qingyi—hadn’t expected to run into his former captain so soon. They exchanged a few brief words.
“I want to go back into the ruins for a look.”
Wang Ye raised an eyebrow. “The core area’s been sealed off by the elders. No one’s allowed in.”
“I’m not going there. Just the outskirts,” Su Mo clarified.
Wang Ye smirked. “You’re looking for that spirit-aware monkey, aren’t you?”
Su Mo nodded. No point hiding it. “Yeah, I am.”
The Jing Mountain ruins were currently undergoing large-scale development. The elder council had even brought in extra personnel from other regions to assist.
Some were from entirely different provinces.
When Su Mo arrived at the spot where he’d first met Little White, the scene before him left him stunned.
A road had been carved through the dense forest—wide enough for trucks to pass through. Warning signs reading “Caution: Wild Animals” lined both sides. Everything looked freshly installed.
“Damn, that’s some impressive infrastructure speed,” Su Mo muttered in admiration.
After a long detour, he finally reached the territory of Little White’s monkey tribe. From afar, he could already hear the noisy chattering of the monkeys.
Looks like Beidou hasn’t discovered them yet.
Su Mo knew that if they had, this trip would’ve been a waste.
His main goal was to trade for useful resources from Little White—supplies to prepare for his upcoming seclusion.
Of course, he wasn’t planning to freeload. He’d brought gifts for the monkeys.
Little White caught his scent from a distance and came rushing over.
The monkey let out a few excited screeches before leading its tribe forward to welcome Su Mo.
The cave was the same as before. The monkeys were the same as before. The only difference? Su Mo was now much more discerning when it came to valuables.
As soon as he made a beeline for the deeper part of the cave, Little White’s eyes widened. It started screeching and waving its arms, clearly aware of his intentions.
“Come on, we’re friends. Don’t be so stingy,” Su Mo said, amused.
But Little White wasn’t having it. Not only did it block the path, but it also stretched out a hand in a very human-like gesture—its expression practically screaming: “Want in? Sure. Pay up!”
Su Mo had anticipated this. He pulled out baskets of fresh fruit from his white jade ring, one after another.
The monkeys went wild with excitement, drooling over the treats—but none dared to make a move without Little White’s permission.
Little White’s eyes gleamed for a second before it quickly schooled its expression back to indifference. The shift was seamless—no trace of weakness.
Its palm remained outstretched, its face smug. The message was clear: “More.”
Su Mo’s lips twitched. Even animals are playing mind games now. Society’s really getting tough.
But he knew exactly what Little White was after. Without hesitation, he placed two plump, crimson-red fruits into its palm.
Only then did Little White look satisfied, personally leading the way deeper into the cave.
Su Mo smirked, watching its back with a scheming glint in his eyes.
“Little White… today, I’ll teach you just how treacherous humans can be.”
＼(￣︶￣)／