Chapter 91: The Transformation of the Koi
The True Inheritor Assessment began under the watchful eyes of the entire Qinglu Sect. Unfortunately, it was a closed-door examination, and apart from the Sect Master and Peak Masters, no one else was qualified to observe it.
After all, the assessment involved numerous secrets of each participant, making it inappropriate for too many people to witness.
The purpose of these rigorous assessments was simple—True Inheritor disciples were the core members of the sect, the future candidates for the Golden Core stage, potential successors to the Sect Master and Peak Masters, and the ones who would shape the future of the Qinglu Sect. With such an important status, the assessment could not be anything less than stringent.
Only the most outstanding inner disciples had the right to become True Inheritors.
Although the details of the assessment were kept confidential, the rankings of the participating inner disciples were updated daily for the sect members to see.
Currently, ranked first was He Shaogang, the most recent recruit among the inner disciples.
His cultivation level wasn't the highest, but the assessment prioritized potential and foundation, so the time of entry didn't have much impact on the results.
Even so, the fact that He Shaogang surpassed numerous inner disciples at the peak of the Qi Refining stage and even those at the Foundation Establishment stage was a testament to his extraordinary talent and potential.
Following He Shaogang were familiar names, those who had long dominated the top ranks among the inner disciples.
However, a brand-new name soon appeared, landing directly in sixth place—Yuan Niya, an inner disciple who had only been in the sect for a few years.
"Not bad, she actually made it to sixth."
Gu Mo was a bit surprised to see Yuan Niya's name in sixth place. But upon reflection, considering that she had received his perfected-level Cleansing Technique, which made her foundation six times stronger than her peers, the fact that she was only ranked sixth spoke volumes about the depth of talent among Qinglu Sect's inner disciples.
As he scanned further down the rankings, he noticed many unfamiliar names. He rarely paid attention to inner disciples, but in ninth place, he spotted a familiar one—Ye Yuqi.
Due to the previous incident with Chu Feifei, Gu Mo had learned about Ye Yuqi from Yuan Niya. Back then, she had mentioned that Ye Yuqi could rank fifth among inner disciples. Now, he had dropped to ninth—one step away from losing his chance to become a True Inheritor.
Qinglu Sect had only nine True Inheritor spots, awarded to the top nine in the comprehensive rankings.
Naturally, every inner disciple fought fiercely to secure a spot in the top nine. Of course, these rankings were only temporary. With the second phase of the True Inheritor Trials ahead, the standings would continue to fluctuate.
Still, the current rankings were highly indicative of each participant's potential.
"Hmph!"
Ye Yuqi glanced at the latest rankings, let out a cold snort, and turned away. He had expected this result—while other inner disciples had been using their resources to fortify their foundations, he had given away all of his to an assassination organization.
His target? Yuan Niya.
The reason was simple: only if Yuan Niya died could he obtain Chu Feifei. The unique fragrance on Chu Feifei's body was crucial to his cultivation path. Yuan Niya taking Chu Feifei away was akin to severing his future, an enmity that could not be reconciled.
Of course, Ye Yuqi wouldn't personally make a move against Yuan Niya. If caught, at best, he would be expelled from the sect; at worst, the Law Enforcement Hall's elders would crush him with a single palm strike.
Fortunately, he had recently discovered an assassination organization operating in the market district. That was when the idea struck him.
Normally, many assassination organizations wouldn't dare take on a mission targeting an inner disciple of a major sect like Qinglu Sect. Ye Yuqi had initially placed the order just to test the waters, but to his surprise, the organization accepted it and even signed a contract. If they failed to carry out the assassination, the consequences for them would be dire.
To commission this assassination, Ye Yuqi had sacrificed countless treasures—he was practically bankrupt. But to him, it was worth it. As long as Yuan Niya died and he obtained Chu Feifei, he could use her unique fragrance to refine his "Nasal Divine Ability" to a higher level. Then, he would undoubtedly become the number one inner disciple.
As for the risks? He believed his disguise was flawless. It wasn't like a minor conflict between him and Yuan Niya would automatically make people suspect him if something happened to her. Besides, this was about his cultivation path—he could accept some level of risk.
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After checking the rankings, Gu Mo returned to his small hut. The True Inheritor assessment would take at least six months to complete. With so many tests and strict confidentiality measures, the process was lengthy.
But for Gu Mo, this was good news—it gave him more time to prepare. Half a year was enough for him to significantly improve his combat power.
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"This one's about to transform!"
Squatting beside the rice field, Gu Mo watched as the golden koi fish swam toward him, eagerly opening its mouth for food.
Scooping up the koi, he noticed that only a few red scales remained on its belly. After years of feeding it refined Sun Essence, the koi had finally reached the moment of transformation.
Gu Mo was excited to see what changes would occur. Ordinary koi were red, with some white or mixed variations. But a golden koi? That was unheard of.
"Here, try this."
Gu Mo took out a portion of second-tier Sun Essence, hoping to use its high purity to aid the koi's transformation.
As soon as the koi saw the Sun Essence, it opened its mouth wide in excitement. Gu Mo placed the essence inside.
The next moment, the koi reacted as if it had swallowed molten lava, darting frantically around the water. It swam so fast that its fins and tail left afterimages.
No, not afterimages—its fins and tail were growing, becoming long and flowing like a goldfish's phoenix-like tail. The koi, now with an elegant golden tail, swam gracefully, exuding an ethereal beauty.
Suddenly, the koi leaped from the water. But instead of falling back down, it remained suspended in the air, swimming through the sky as if the surrounding spiritual energy had become water.
At the same time, spiritual energy from the heavens and earth gathered, forming a massive dark cloud. With a flick of its golden tail, the koi soared into the cloud, weaving through it.
From a distance, it looked as if a golden dragon was dancing in the sky.
As this thought crossed Gu Mo's mind, a gentle rain began to fall.
"This… this is Small Cloud Rain Art! And it's at the Mastery level!"
Gu Mo was stunned. Newly awakened spirit beasts usually only comprehended their innate abilities at the beginner level. Only those with powerful bloodlines awakened them at the proficient level.
For this koi to immediately grasp the Mastery level of Small Cloud Rain Art… Could it have a true dragon bloodline?
Gu Mo doubted he had simply gotten lucky and bought a koi with dragon lineage. It was more likely that the Sun Essence had stimulated some deep-buried power within its bloodline. Whether it was true dragon blood or not, it was undoubtedly extraordinary.
Regardless, with this level of control over spiritual rain, it could now manage his spiritual fields in his absence.
Gu Mo waved at the koi, which quickly swam toward him, its long golden tail flowing behind. He reached out and stroked its smooth scales, then pulled out a spirit contract—a Beast-Taming Peak specialty.
Now that the koi had officially become a true spirit beast, it could sign the contract.
A drop of blood sealed the pact, and a flash of light entered the koi's body.
"From now on, I'll call you Xiao Li."
To his surprise, Xiao Li seemed delighted with the name.
"Junior Brother Gu Mo, this fish is gorgeous!" Yuan Niya and Chu Feifei admired Xiao Li, captivated by its beauty.
With half a year ahead, Gu Mo continued to cultivate, preparing for the True Inheritor Trials.
It is said that Yuan Niya had already obtained her master's permission, so staying away for a few days was not an issue.
This allowed the three of them to sometimes train continuously for several days at a time. With extended training sessions, the results naturally became quite noticeable.
For example, Yuan Niya was just one step away from reaching the sixth level of Qi Refinement. Without having to worry about the side effects of the Heartfire Art, she utilized every possible method to accelerate her cultivation. In addition to using a Spirit Dispersion Array to increase the concentration of spiritual energy, she also supplemented her training with elixirs.
With ample resources at her disposal, Yuan Niya's cultivation speed was akin to riding a rocket. As a result, her ranking in the True Inheritor Assessment rose by one place, bringing her to fifth position.
If she could break through to the sixth level of Qi Refinement before the assessment ended, she might be able to climb another rank.
As for Gu Mo, his progress was just as rapid. At this moment, he felt his soul becoming exceptionally condensed, as if something was about to emerge. He recognized this as a sign that he was on the verge of forming divine sense—a feat that only Foundation Establishment cultivators could typically achieve. Now, he was just one step away from drawing out divine sense from his soul.
Yuan Niya and Gu Mo's remarkable advancements were largely thanks to Chu Feifei's breakthrough, as she had advanced from the early to the middle stage of Qi Refinement.
Now, with a personal promise from an Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, Chu Feifei enjoyed the same benefits as an inner disciple. With no shortage of resources and the awakening of her special physique, her cultivation speed was no slower than Yuan Niya's.
During one particular training session, Chu Feifei had a breakthrough in her realm, which triggered an even stronger burst of her unique fragrance. It was within this wave of spiritual aroma that both Yuan Niya and Gu Mo achieved such significant progress.
Apart from his strengthened soul, Gu Mo's overall cultivation level had not advanced significantly—he had merely progressed from the initial stage of the sixth level of Qi Refinement to its peak. He had been slightly stuck at the bottleneck between the middle and late stages of Qi Refinement, but with his deep foundation, it shouldn't be long before he broke through.
Taking advantage of this time, Gu Mo decided to spend all the Solar Essence he had accumulated over the past six months on upgrading his plants.
As he gazed at the collection of plants he had carefully cultivated, he suddenly felt a sense of reassurance. Just then, his body stiffened slightly as a peculiar ripple of energy erupted from his forehead. In an instant, everything within several hundred meters became vividly clear in his mind.
"This is... divine sense!"
After a brief moment of shock, joy surged in Gu Mo's eyes.
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