Su Mo was essentially giving Huo Jingshuo a helping hand, offering her an opportunity to improve herself.
Huo Jingshuo looked at him with immense gratitude. By the look in her eyes, if she weren’t currently in a “female body,” she might have offered to marry him on the spot…
Truth be told, Su Mo himself needed to visit the Scripture Depository again.
He had only learned the foundational part of the Mountain-Sea Fist technique initially. According to the administrator, the subsequent parts could only be learned on the second and third floors.
He presumed the advanced sections would cover how to conserve spiritual power when using the Mountain-Sea Fist. If it drained his energy completely every time, the practical value of this technique would be significantly lower.
After all, he wouldn’t always have allies around after being completely drained.
So he applied again. This time, Nangong Xuan agreed immediately, citing the reason as a reward for recommending talent to the organization.
Huh…
But Su Mo didn’t say much. Considering his contributions to the organization, this request really wasn’t excessive.
Just then, the large bronze door suddenly swung open. Several fully armed guards approached them.
“Elder Nangong, Sister Ye asked us to inform you that everything is normal here. There was no external attack.”
“They got lost?” Nangong Xuan’s expression was a picture.
“It was Sister Ye. She used the mechanisms in the passages to lead those foreigners to the Mountain of No Return.”
Nangong Xuan’s expression changed dramatically: “As expected of her. That’s ruthless. I wonder if they’ll even make it out alive.”
“Sister Ye said it’s highly unlikely they’ll survive.”
The guards kept saying “Sister Ye,” making Huo Jingshuo’s heart swell with excitement.
So cool!
The guard continued, “But later, another woman entered. She seemed very familiar with this place and wasn’t fooled by the traps. Sister Ye had to personally knock her out and send her to the Mountain of No Return as well.”
Su Mo: Σ( ° △ °|||)︴
That’s brutal!
Before Su Mo could fully process this, he saw another person emerge from the hall.
It was Ye Qingyu.
Her hair was messy, and her clothes were somewhat worn, but these couldn’t obscure her beauty and presence.
“Qingyi!” [Note: ‘Qingyi’ is likely Su Mo’s current female name, used by Ye Qingyu.]
“Big Sister.”
Ye Qingyu threw an arm around Su Mo’s shoulders, her tired eyes filled with joy.
Several months had passed since they last met. Ye Qingyu pinched Su Mo’s cheeks and couldn’t resist giving one a kiss. “So tender. That rascal Su Mo is sure getting lucky.”
Su Mo’s cheeks flushed red. Awkwardly, he said, “Big Sister, there are people here. Don’t…”
“So what if there are people? I’m just kissing my little sister. Who’s going to stop me?” As she said this, she glanced at Nangong Xuan. “Elder Nangong, you certainly wouldn’t interfere, right?”
Nangong Xuan nodded expressionlessly.
“See, I told you,” Ye Qingyu said triumphantly.
After a brief exchange, Nangong Xuan left alone, saying he wanted to check on the Mountain of No Return. Su Mo and Huo Jingshuo entered the main bronze hall.
Led by Ye Qingyu, they arrived at the living quarters.
Though simple, it had all the essentials.
Huo Jingshuo excused herself to look around, leaving the two “sisters” to catch up.
“Huh? Why does it feel like your power level is much higher than before? You’re only at the Qi Sea realm, yet you give off the aura of a Mountain Sea realm expert.”
Su Mo answered truthfully, “Good talent, hard work, I guess.”
Ye Qingyu was taken aback, then said exasperatedly, “Who did you learn that from? So shameless! Was it Su Mo? I knew that guy couldn’t be proper.”
Su Mo’s mouth twitched. Am I really that bad in your eyes?
I’m practically your half-sister, after all…
“What, you don’t like me criticizing him?” Ye Qingyu said jealously. “Fine! You get a boyfriend and forget your big sister. You little ingrate! Hmph!”
Su Mo was caught between laughter and tears. “Sister, let’s not talk about that now. I have a question for you.”
“What is it?”
“Are the magical artifacts here for collection and display, or are they meant to be used?”
Ye Qingyu thought for a moment. “Those with low practical value and low research value are mostly for collection. Those with high research value are sent to the Artifact Research Institute. As for those with high practical value…”
She paused. “Those are strategic reserves, of course. They’re stored away until the day they’re needed.”
So that’s how it is. Su Mo suddenly understood.
“If you need something, just tell me. With my authority, getting you one or two items shouldn’t be a problem.”
Su Mo quickly waved his hands. “No need. I already have something suitable for me. Having more wouldn’t necessarily be better.”
As he spoke, he took the sniper rifle he had acquired in Star City out of his white jade ring. Under Ye Qingyu’s puzzled gaze, he handed it to her.
“I confiscated this from some Americans. It’s much more powerful than standard firearms. It can kill anything below C-rank in one shot.”
Ye Qingyu felt the body of the rifle, then found a place to test its power. She speculated, “I feel this gun already qualifies as a magical artifact. If they really manufactured this themselves, then the supernatural technology in the US is already quite formidable.”
It wasn’t just in the realm of artifacts; the supernatural serums they developed were also far ahead globally, especially the gene serums that could turn ordinary people into supernaturals. The US dominated this field entirely.
Su Mo sighed. “The Hundred Immortals Sect has also moved to the US. I heard they struck a deal with the US authorities related to these gene serums.”
“I heard about that. And they left Mei Xian behind in the country. Seems they still have other schemes brewing.”
Although she resided in the ancient tomb, outside information was regularly shared with her, so she wasn’t out of the loop. She knew about all the major events.
The two chatted about small matters and big ones. When Su Mo mentioned being kicked out of the Ye family by Ye Zhongwen, a flicker of anger and sadness passed over Ye Qingyu’s face. But when she heard Su Mo say he had single-handedly defeated Uncle Hei, she smiled with relief.
“Not bad. You have the same flair I had back in the day, maybe even better,” Ye Qingyu gave high praise for his experiences.
“Right, when you reach B-rank, you must remember to challenge the Heavenly Ranking. Then, both our names will be known throughout the world! We’ll make everyone who ever bullied us tremble when they hear our names again!”
Su Mo nodded in agreement, though he still wasn’t entirely clear on what this Heavenly Ranking actually was.
When he asked, Ye Qingyu explained in detail:
“The Heavenly Ranking is a power ranking list circulated within the supernatural community. Many people think it’s just something made up by bored individuals, but they don’t know the Heavenly Ranking truly exists.”
“Ah?” Su Mo clearly belonged to the category of “many people” Ye Qingyu mentioned.
“In a sense, the Heavenly Ranking is also a type of relic. It’s just that its sole purpose for existence is to create rankings, making it rather special.”
Su Mo: “…”
“The Heavenly Ranking is located at the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak. Participants in the Heavenly Ranking competition must physically climb Everest to qualify. In the end, only twelve people can make it onto the list, which shows how difficult it is.”
Su Mo: “…”
“The Heavenly Ranking competition is held every five years. The next one happens to be in May next year. You can participate in the one after next. Six years is enough time for you to grow into a top-tier expert.”
Is that so…
Su Mo secretly made a resolution: I’ll strive to go next year, even if it’s just to gain experience.