Chapter 240: Advancement to Shennong Valley True Disciple
Once all the branch elders had arrived, the Valley Master of Shennong Valley appeared as well. Without wasting time, he went straight to the point: "The reason I've gathered everyone here today is to discuss Gu Mo's advancement to True Disciple."
"Do the elders have any objections?" The Valley Master swept his gaze across the hall.
No one spoke up. Everyone knew that this advancement for Gu Mo was just a formality. Whoever dared object now would not be opposing the Valley Master, but the Azure Venerable himself. Even Elder Gu, who had always been against this matter, remained silent.
"Since no one objects, then the matter is decided." The Valley Master gave his ruling.
"Valley Master, since Gu Mo has advanced to True Disciple, should the existing True Disciples be adjusted?" one elder asked.
The number of True Disciples a sect had was always fixed, determined by the sect's foundation. Weaker sects might only have three or five, while sects with deep roots could have more.
For countless generations, Shennong Valley had always maintained nine True Disciples. This number was the most suitable balance they had found.
Now that Gu Mo was advancing, by tradition, someone should be removed to maintain the count at nine. That was the meaning behind the elder's question.
"There's no need to change. Gu Mo will become the tenth True Disciple of Shennong Valley," the Valley Master waved it off. He had already asked his teacher about this beforehand—these were not his own words, but his teacher's.
"Phew~~"
The elders all let out a quiet sigh of relief. After all, if someone had to be replaced, none could be sure if it would be from their own line.
"Valley Master, if we're adding another True Disciple, what about the distribution of resources…?" another elder raised the concern. For a sect, True Disciples were critical, and adding one more would affect many arrangements.
Most important was the allocation of cultivation resources. The number of True Disciples was set by the sect's foundation for a reason. Now, with one extra, would that not create imbalance?
"Gu Mo's resources will be provided by the Azure Venerable until the next True Disciple Tournament." The Valley Master's reply came smoothly, for he had already prepared all the answers with his teacher.
Indeed, the current foundation of Shennong Valley could only sustain nine True Disciples. For instance, in the sect's secret realm there grew a special spirit plant called the Nourishing Lotus. Cultivating within it accelerated the absorption of spiritual qi while tempering the body, allowing cultivation and physique to grow in tandem.
But there were only nine Nourishing Lotuses in existence. Just like this, many other resources had fixed limits, which was why the sect had capped the number of True Disciples at nine.
Since Gu Mo was joining now, he would not be given a Nourishing Lotus. However, the Azure Venerable would personally provide other treasures of equal or even greater value as compensation.
This was also meant as a reward for Gu Mo's outstanding performance in the Heavenly Chosen Battle—something the sect could not ignore.
Still, this arrangement was temporary. Shennong Valley's foundation could not truly sustain ten True Disciples. By the next True Disciple Tournament, the number would return to nine. Whoever lost would forfeit the position.
Even so, those who lost would retain the treatment of a True Disciple for one more cycle, with a chance to win the title back at the next tournament.
However, this "reserved" True Disciple status did not include access to fixed, limited resources such as the Nourishing Lotus.
What Hou Chunyu had originally wanted to apply for Gu Mo was precisely this reserved status. But even so, the treatment was extremely generous.
Soon enough, news that Gu Mo had become a True Disciple spread quickly throughout Shennong Valley.
For any disciple who had seen the jade slips recording the Heavenly Chosen Battle, this came as no surprise.
Given Gu Mo's performance, if he hadn't become a True Disciple, that would have been the real problem.
"Hahaha, as expected of my disciple!" After the meeting concluded, Qi Chunde immediately sought out Gu Mo. Watching Gu Mo's dazzling display during the Heavenly Chosen Battle had made even him nervous—not for Gu Mo, but for himself.
Fortunately, he had managed to break through to Nascent Soul in time. Otherwise, he really would have been surpassed by his own disciple.
"Hmph, and what does my grand-disciple's success have to do with you?" Hou Chunyu's voice cut in, as a palm-sized figure darted onto Gu Mo's shoulder—it was none other than Xiao hua.
"Master, that's not fair," Qi Chunde scratched his head awkwardly. He knew well that he had not guided Gu Mo much, but with the new cultivation method, he felt he might finally be able to give some proper instruction.
"Enough. You three should head to the secret realm—the Valley Master is waiting," Hou Chunyu said casually. He wasn't truly scolding Qi Chunde. After all, Qi Chunde had been the one who first discovered Gu Mo's talent. That alone was merit enough.
"Yes!"
Wiping away his embarrassment, Qi Chunde quickly led Gu Mo and Xiao hua away.
The Shennong Valley secret realm could only be entered by True Disciples and elders. First entry required the Valley Master's authorization; afterwards, once one's aura was inscribed upon the stone stele, they could come and go freely.
Despite having become an elder, neither Qi Chunde nor Xiao hua had visited the secret realm yet. Qi Chunde had been too occupied exploring new techniques, while Xiao hua had been busy helping Gu Mo grow spirit plants.
Now, with Gu Mo's advancement, the three of them would finally see the true foundation of Shennong Valley.
"Time to go show off to that old codger Gu."
Watching them disappear, Hou Chunyu turned toward his rival's cave dwelling. He had produced two Nascent Souls and two True Disciples for the sect—his contribution was undeniable.
"Greetings, Valley Master!"
Gu Mo, Qi Chunde, and Xiao hua bowed as they arrived before the waiting Valley Master, who stood at the entrance to the secret realm.
Gu Mo had heard much about this place. At last, he could step inside and see it for himself, and curiosity stirred in his heart.
The Valley Master gave a small nod, then drew out a jade-like leaf. Infusing it with spiritual power, he caused a gate woven of vines to appear before them.
"Go on in. I've arranged for someone to guide you through the secret realm," the Valley Master said with a wave.
"Understood!"
At the Valley Master's words, Gu Mo and his companions stepped through the gate of woven vines.
The instant Gu Mo crossed, he felt himself pass through a barrier. In the blink of an eye, a lush, vibrant forest spread out before him.
Within this forest grew countless spirit plants, many of which Gu Mo had never even heard of. Some were rare species that had long gone extinct in the outside world, while others had been specially cultivated by Shennong Valley's forebears.
The Nourishing Lotus, for example, had been bred by a powerful spirit-plant master of ages past. Yet after all these years, no one had ever been able to reproduce it.
The sheer number of spirit plants here made the spiritual energy they breathed out and absorbed staggering. The concentration of qi was many times denser than the outside world. Cultivation here would progress far faster than beyond these borders.
Even this environment alone was an extraordinary resource—let alone the many other treasures hidden within.
"Junior Brother Gu Mo!"
As Gu Mo was still marveling at the strange plants and rich aura, a familiar voice called out. It was Ji Xinglan, Hou Chunyu's personal disciple and one of Shennong Valley's True Disciples.
By seniority, Ji Xinglan was Gu Mo's martial uncle. But now that Gu Mo had also become a True Disciple, their statuses were equal, so Ji Xinglan addressed him as junior brother.
This simple change of address immediately elevated Gu Mo's standing once again. Qi Chunde, after all, was Ji Xinglan's senior brother. That meant Gu Mo, who was Qi Chunde's disciple, had now become Ji Xinglan's equal. Truly, Gu Mo's meteoric rise had scrambled the hierarchy itself.
"Senior Brother Qi, you'd better work hard. Don't let Junior Brother Gu Mo catch up to you," Ji Xinglan teased.
As someone who had personally taken part in the Heavenly Chosen Battle, Ji Xinglan knew better than anyone how extraordinary Gu Mo's performance had been. The brightest star had, of course, been Lin Wu of the Grand Yan Sword Sect. But Gu Mo's display could only be ranked second—no one else compared.
"Little junior brother, you're the one who should be worried. He's already caught up to you." Qi Chunde shot him a look. Ji Xinglan's performance in the battle had been decent enough, but only thanks to teaming up with Lin Wu to take down a demonic sect True Disciple.
Compared to Gu Mo? There was no contest. Gu Mo had withstood a strike from a Nascent Soul demon lord—one who had just broken through to True Disciple rank—by relying on a special spirit plant. Ji Xinglan would have died instantly under such a blow.
Qi Chunde's words made Ji Xinglan's smile freeze. He quickly changed the subject. "Junior Brother Gu Mo, Senior Sister Xiao hua let me show you around the secret realm."
"Yes, yes!"
Xiao hua's eyes lit up. She had been curious about this place for a long time.
Under Ji Xinglan's lead, they walked through the forest, with him pointing out the strange and wondrous plants along the way.
Almost every spirit plant had detailed cultivation methods recorded. If a True Disciple was interested in a particular species, they could directly apply for the methods to cultivate it.
Of course, some were too ancient, or their creators had left no inheritance behind. In those cases, Shennong Valley did its best to reconstruct what was missing.
But there were still a few plants that remained almost impossible to reproduce, even with full methods at hand.
"If I'd known the secret realm had so many spirit plants, I wouldn't have needed to go searching outside." Qi Chunde couldn't help sighing as he looked at the endless varieties.
But because he cultivated his own self-created technique, he had lost the qualification to become a True Disciple. And without that title, he had no access to the secret realm—nor to these resources.
Still, it was just a sigh. He felt no regret. Had he remained cloistered in Shennong Valley, he could never have reached his current achievements.
He knew well that his success rested on two strokes of fortune: first, obtaining a fragment of a world-root, which became the foundation of his "Ten Thousand Laws" title; second, accepting Gu Mo as his disciple. Without the supply of Sun Essence from Gu Mo, his Nascent Soul breakthrough would have been impossible.
Neither of these could have been gained by staying within the valley.
He might not enjoy these benefits—but Gu Mo did. Qi Chunde still had some world-root left, enough to extract genetic fragments for further cultivation. And the Sun Essence naturally belonged to Gu Mo. With both, Gu Mo's path to condensing a Golden Core Dao Seed would be far easier.
Guided by Ji Xinglan, they soon emerged from the dense forest before a mountain valley. "This," Ji Xinglan said, "is the true origin of Shennong Valley."
Though outsiders thought of Shennong Valley as a colossal tree, the "valley" in its name actually referred to this hidden place within the secret realm.
Stepping inside, they found the qi density surging even higher. Here, every spirit plant was of third tier or above. Among them were many ancient exotic species that Gu Mo had only ever read about in old texts.
And right before his eyes now, they flourished in abundance.
Among them, Gu Mo spotted a familiar flower—the Sunlight Glaze Flower. And this one was fourth-tier! Sadly, there was only a single stalk. Around it, a few first- and second-tier offshoots had grown.
"Junior Brother Gu Mo, you really are remarkable. To think you managed to cultivate Sunlight Glaze Flowers yourself. This one has been here for ages, yet it's only ever propagated a handful of lesser offshoots." Ji Xinglan spoke with genuine amazement.
Knowing how difficult the Sunlight Glaze Flower was to raise, he was deeply impressed by Gu Mo's achievement. Even the specimen Gu Mo had once exchanged sect contribution points for had originally come from this very valley.
"Now that you're a True Disciple, if you want, you can directly apply for this fourth-tier Sunlight Glaze Flower. I'm sure the sect would approve." Ji Xinglan pointed to the flower. Given Gu Mo's proven skill with the species, no one in the sect would deny him.
"Really?"
Gu Mo's eyes lit up. He didn't need the Sunlight Glaze Flower for cultivation itself, but it was the perfect cover for concealing his Sun Essence. He already had one fourth-tier specimen. With a second, he could draw on even more Sun Essence without raising suspicion.
"Of course. This is a True Disciple's privilege. Anyone researching new spirit plants can request mother specimens from here after submitting an application." Ji Xinglan spoke matter-of-factly.
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