Lord Daoist Jinghe's Immortal's Cave was called Shangqing Palace.
When Mo Tiange saw it, she was surprised. She thought it would be called Myriad Flowers Palace or Hundred Fragrances Palace or something like that. She didn't expect it to be called such a normal name.
In this palace, aside from Lord Daoist Jinghe, there were only her and sixteen maids.
These maids were all Foundation Building female cultivators in the school. Their spiritual roots were ordinary, so they weren't qualified to be accepted by Core Formation cultivators. Therefore, they volunteered to be the maids of a Nascent Soul grandmaster, hoping to get some pointers.
Lord Daoist Jinghe wasn't a stingy person. As his maids, they could indeed often get pointers and rewards from him.
In the beginning, these maids might really have come for the advancement of their cultivation levels. However, they had been serving a man for a long time. This man had a high cultivation level, a good appearance, and a good demeanor, so they unwittingly became delusional and jealous.
During her days in Wenyang Pond, Mo Tiange was used to seeing Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Chrysanthemum bickering, so she didn't think much of it. Now that she was in Shangqing Palace, she realized that bickering among them was really nothing.
These sixteen maids were named Mei, Lan, Zhu, Ju, Qin, Qi, Hua, Hua, Chun, Xia, Qiu, Dong, Yu, Xue, Feng, Shuang.
The names were all given by Lord Daoist Jinghe, so they were extremely cliché.
According to the standard of these names, this Immortal's Cave was actually called Shangqing Palace, which really surprised Mo Tiange.
Her Mingxin Residence was relatively close to the residences of Qin, Qi, Hua, and Xiuqin. These four maids were called Xiuqin, Qingqi, Xianshu, and Daihua.
These names were a bit more elegant than Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju, but the way they interacted with each other was even worse than Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju.
Moreover, because her cultivation level was almost the same as theirs, these maids didn't serve her sincerely. Although they called her Martial Uncle and never disobeyed her, their speech and behavior gradually lost respect.
So far, Mo Tiange laid a Five-Spirit Formation around her small cave and only told them to send Summoning Talismans outside the cave to minimize the chance of contact.
Since she blocked these maids outside the cave and Lord Daoist Jinghe left her to fend for herself, Mo Tiange was finally able to enter the Virtual Sky World and continue her cultivation.
With the Sunu Art of the Origin, her cultivation progress was extremely fast. She only needed to cultivate for six hours a day, and she would be able to achieve the same results as before.
Nevertheless, Mo Tiange wasn't in a hurry to cultivate. Every day, she would cultivate for six hours. Once she achieved the same results as before, she would stop.
That was because she knew her cultivation level was forcibly raised to the middle stage of the Foundation Building realm, so her temperament and realm weren't stable yet. If she impatiently sought quick results, her temperament wouldn't be enough when the time came and she would most likely fail to form her Gold Core. She would have to turn back and continue on this path, so it was better to walk slowly now and firmly lay a solid foundation.
Because she had forcibly suppressed her cultivation speed, she had also slowed down the pace of her Soul-Refining Art.
Any art used in fights of magical power had to be based on mental cultivation techniques, and the Soul-Refining Art was the same. She was only in the middle stage of the Foundation Building realm now. Although her primordial spirit and meridians were different from those of ordinary Foundation Building cultivators, she couldn't ignore her cultivation level. If her cultivation level wasn't high enough, the Soul-Refining Art would eventually backfire on her.
Therefore, Mo Tiange devoted the remaining twelve to twelve hours to other skills.
Array formations, alchemy, weapon forging, talisman crafting, medicine, and mechanisms.
The so-called Mechanism Technique was one of the more unique techniques.
According to legend, in the distant ancient times, the School of Mo once appeared in the human world. Their grandmaster, Mo Zi, was skilled in craftsmanship and could use wood, fine iron, and other materials to create extremely powerful mechanisms. One of them could fight against a hundred enemies, and they could even attack cities and plunder lands.
In the Immortal Cultivation World, this was naturally a small skill that was not worth mentioning. However, the Immortal Cultivation World also had its own Mechanism Technique. Puppets made from various spiritual objects and crystals could also obtain the same power as human cultivators.
Unfortunately, after Mo Tiange flipped through the books on Mechanism Technique, she found these puppets needed something called crystals to be activated. Now that crystals couldn't be found, it was no wonder the Mechanism Technique was also lost.
Cultivating, farming, and practicing skills — the days passed by just like that. Mo Tiange holed up in this small Immortal's Cave, but the more she learned, the more fascinated she became. She didn't even see other people.
She didn't know how much time had passed in this kind of lonely but not lonely life, but her nominal master finally remembered her.
Mo Tiange sat on the chair, still looking down and letting Lord Daoist Jinghe examine her without raising her eyes.
Lord Daoist Jinghe stared at her for a while and finally said, "Girl, you're quite smart. You actually didn't cultivate desperately and slowed down your cultivation pace.
En, en, you're much smarter than that stinky brat! "
Stinky brat?
Mo Tiange's mind raced. Who is he talking about?
After saying that, Lord Daoist Jinghe lay down again. "You deliberately suppress your cultivation speed every day. Are you very idle?"
"…" She wasn't idle at all!
But Mo Tiange didn't dare to say this directly, so she just nodded and looked at her nominal master very carefully.
Lord Daoist Jinghe didn't care. He didn't even look at her and continued to peel grapes with his spiritual power. "How about Master give you something to do?"
This is considered an errand?
Mo Tiange looked at him even more carefully.
Lord Daoist Jinghe glanced at her, chuckled, and said cordially, "Disciple, Master is thinking about you. Look at you. You still have more than nine years to live. Locking yourself up like this doesn't seem good, does it?"
"Master," Mo Tiange said thoughtfully, "Disciple thinks it's very good. I like this kind of life very much."
Lord Daoist Jinghe raised his eyebrows. "How is it very good? You don't need to be embarrassed. Master has already thought about it for you!
I'm guessing you don't cultivate more than ten hours every day, right?
There are twenty-four hours in a day, and there's still half of it left. You don't need to sleep, so why are you idle?
Therefore, Master thought of a way for you — I'll give you something to do! "
"…"
Seeing that Mo Tiange didn't object, Lord Daoist Jinghe immediately smiled. "Ay! You're so obedient! Do you think Master will harm you?
I'm telling you, aside from cultivation, there are some things that are also very important. Master won't harm you … "
Mo Tiange sighed. "Master, if you have something to say, please say it directly."
Lord Daoist Jinghe immediately took out a Jade Slip. "You just need to follow what's written on this and finish your tasks at a fixed time every day."
Mo Tiange doubtfully sank her divine sense into the Jade Slip. She suddenly wanted to vomit blood.
Collect dew at the Yin hour, take care of spiritual plants at the Mao hour, take care of spiritual beasts at the Chen hour, go out to preach Dao at the Si hour, and return at noon.
Out of the remaining fourteen hours, ten hours were arranged, and most of them were done by his maids!
What does this master want to do?
Does he want me to run around in circles every day?
"Master …" Mo Tiange's expression was a bit dark. "Aren't these tasks a bit too much?"
"Too much?"
Lord Daoist Jinghe said, "Back then, when Xuanyin, Qingyuan, and those brats just entered the sect, they did a lot of things, but you didn't do much!"
"I …" Fine, disciples have the duty to serve their masters, but the problem was that masters also have the duty to teach disciples. This master never taught her, so why should she fulfill her duty as a disciple?
Seeing that she didn't speak, Lord Daoist Jinghe blew his beard and glared at her. "Is there a disciple like you?
I ask you to do something, yet you're so reluctant. Back then, Xuanyin and the others … "
"Alright, alright," Mo Tiange said helplessly, "I'll do whatever Master says. Disciple will just do as you say."
"That's more like it …"
She braced herself and agreed to Lord Daoist Jinghe's orders. In fact, she had no choice but to agree. Did she dare to disobey a Nascent Soul cultivator?
But what made her even more depressed was that even though she was already in a bad mood, the maids she took over were still giving her bad looks.
"Here!"
The maid who previously did the dew collecting task threw her the jade bottle containing the dew and the jade stick containing the dew. Her expression was cold and full of disdain. "Grandmaster likes the dew before a quarter to three in the morning. If it's a little later, he won't want it.
In addition, they must have fragrant and clean spiritual plants. If there's a strange smell, grandmaster will definitely fly into a rage.
You do as you see fit. "
Mo Tiange took them, but she didn't feel like thanking her. She just turned around and left.
However, she heard the two maids behind her talking loudly.
"Mingxia, your task has been taken over by others. What are you doing?"
The maid who dealt with Mo Tiange a moment ago said in a mocking tone, "Grandmaster has already spoken; what can I do?
If there's nothing to do, then there's nothing to do. I can even have more time to cultivate!
She's a disciple, and we're maids. Why did she come to steal our task? "
"Hmph, why don't you think about what kind of person our grandmaster is?
In any case, he's a middle stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Even if a Core Formation cultivator kneels and begs him, he'll definitely accept her as his disciple, let alone a small Foundation Building cultivator!
So what if she has the title of disciple?
She's still the same as us … "
"You're right.
I heard grandmaster accepted her as his disciple because he had a conflict with another cultivation group. It was just an expedient measure. Some people … don't really think they've reached the sky in a single bound! "
"Hey, don't say it like that!
A disciple is a disciple, but we're maids. If we offend her, maybe grandmaster won't want to give us guidance anymore.
By the way, grandmaster said he's going to preach Dao to us today, right? "
"Yes, yes, let's not be late …"
Mo Tiange clenched her teeth, pretending not to see or hear.
What's the point of gossip?
It's not like I'll lose a piece of flesh!
He actually preached Dao to maids, but he didn't give her any guidance, let alone give her a master-disciple gift!
After picking the dew at a quarter to three in the morning, Mo Tiange rushed back to Shangqing Palace and took over the job of taking care of the spiritual plants.
This time, the ones who handed over the task were Weiyu and Qingxue of the Rain, Snow, Wind, and Frost Sect.
The two of them were rather straightforward. They just threw her a Jade Slip that classified spiritual plants then turned around and ignored her.
It took Mo Tiange almost an hour to clearly understand how to handle the various spiritual plants, but the two maids were still mocking and ridiculing her on the side.
"Qingxue, this hairpin of yours is pretty good. Is it a magic tool?"
"This was bestowed to me by grandmaster a few days ago. Master said my skin is fair, so I look the most beautiful with this Fragrant Green Snow Hairpin.
If I encounter a fight of magical power, I can use it to protect myself! "
"I also received a reward. Look at this ribbon. Grandmaster said girls should be beautiful to be pleasing to the eye. Wearing a gray sect uniform without even a hairpin on her head is too uncouth!"
"Isn't that right?
Last time when we went to Mount Tianhuo, grandmaster saw Senior Martial Sister Zhan from Soul's Retreat Peak and bestowed her clothes.
As maids, we have to serve grandmaster every day, so we have to dress even more beautifully. "
"But it's really strange. It's not like grandmaster hasn't accepted any female disciples. Martial Uncle Suxin is also extraordinarily beautiful, so why did he accept a completely unremarkable one now?"
"Aiya, that depends on whether she can dress herself up or not. Say, she looks like that; what else can grandmaster do?"
"You're right." The two maids covered their mouths and giggled.
Mo Tiange numbly finished pruning the branches, catching the insects, watering the plants, closing the restrictions on the medicinal garden, and leaving.
When it was seven in the morning and the sky was bright, she went to the back of the mountain behind the cave.
Wearing a dusty sect uniform?
Not even a hairpin on her head?
Just like that?
Mo Tiange let out a snort!
The sect uniform of Foundation Building cultivators was blue with white sleeves. How was it gray?
Elite disciples like Han Qingyu, Luo Fengxue, and Ye Jingwen all dressed like that. Even Senior Martial Brother Xuanyin and the others also dressed like that!
Hairpin? She was combed into a Daoist bun right now, so why would she need a hairpin?
Senior Martial Sister Suxin was also plain and clean.
She even said she looked like that! Even if she didn't say she was as beautiful as a fairy, at least she was much better than them!
Mo Tiange angrily walked to the spiritual beast courtyard at the back of the mountain. This time, Qin, Qi, Shu, and Hua were waiting for her.
As a Nascent Soul cultivator, Lord Daoist Jinghe had many spiritual beasts. This courtyard was full of spiritual beasts ranging from the second rank to the sixth rank. Reportedly, he took care of the spiritual beasts with higher ranks.
But the spiritual beasts above the fifth rank were equivalent to the Core Formation realm. They were only in the Foundation Building realm, so the four of them took care of them together to avoid any accidents.
"Martial Uncle Mo, grandmaster must've given you the Spiritual Beast Institute's restriction tablets a long time ago. We only have some specific methods to use them, so we'll give them to you for reference." As Xiuqin spoke, she passed a Jade Slip to Mo Tiange.
Mo Tiange calmed down a little. Finally, this group of people didn't anger her.
She didn't notice that Xianshu's eyes shifted and she glanced at Daihua.
The four maids understood tacitly, but they just stared at Mo Tiange without saying anything.
Mo Tiange took the Jade Slip and quickly finished reading it.
After all, spiritual beasts weren't spiritual plants that could be planted casually. There were only a dozen kinds of spiritual beasts in the entire spiritual beast courtyard.
After she finished reading the Jade Slip, she went to prepare all kinds of fodder. Soon after, she used the identity tablet Lord Daoist Jinghe gave her to open the restriction at the entrance of the spiritual beast courtyard.
Three second rank spiritual beasts, three third rank spiritual beasts, one fourth rank spiritual beast, two fifth rank spiritual beasts, and one sixth rank spiritual beast …
She put the fodder in order until she reached the fifth rank spiritual beast.
This was a fifth rank Sky-Treading Bull. It had huge horns and was said to have the power to step on the sky and split the earth.
Mo Tiange followed the instructions on the Jade Slip, opened the outermost restriction and put the fodder down.
Just as she was about to turn around and leave, the restriction on the inner layer suddenly flashed. In an instant, the Sky-Treading Bull mooed towards the sky. Its hind hooves rubbed against the ground and bumped into the restriction.
With a flash, the restriction disappeared.
When Mo Tiange heard this sound, she turned around halfway and suddenly saw the bull's horn rushing towards her. She immediately summoned the White Silk Handkerchief and a brick wall fell down, firmly blocking the force of the bull's horn.
Soon after, she reached out to grab the White Silk Handkerchief that had returned to its original state. She then carried herself and ran outside. On the way, she glared fiercely at Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua, who were standing at the edge of the courtyard!
These four people didn't ridicule her because they already planned to teach her a lesson like this!
But she didn't have much time to think about it now. The Sky-Treading Bull was chasing after her, dashing left and right, but its horn was always aimed at her.
Mo Tiange had already used the White Silk Handkerchief to avoid the fifth rank demonic beast's attack a long time ago. Now that she could control it more easily, she wasn't in a hurry.
The Sky-Treading Bull's power lay in its strength, but its speed wasn't very good. She used the White Silk Handkerchief with all her strength, so it wasn't easy to hide. However, it was also difficult to catch it.
Of course, she could also run ahead with the bull and ask Lord Daoist Jinghe for help, but wouldn't that make her look very incompetent?
Mo Tiange hastily retreated and a lamp appeared in her hand.
The lamp flew high and shone brightly. Mo Tiange pointed with her spiritual aura and the light shone on the Sky-Treading Bull's body.
The Sky-Treading Bull slowed down a bit. At that moment, Mo Tiange threw out several formation discs and spirit stones.
Disorienting Formation!
The Enchanting Lantern, which she had never used before, was paired with the Disorienting Formation. In an instant, the Sky-Treading Bull was at a loss.
Its spiritual aura was indeed powerful, so the Enchanting Lantern and Disorienting Formation could only block it for a while. However, this short moment was already enough for Mo Tiange.
Spiritual beasts also had divine senses. In the Disorienting Formation, spiritual beasts would instinctively use their divine senses to sense their surroundings, giving Mo Tiange a chance to take advantage of!
Using the Soul-Refining Art, she controlled her divine sense and ruthlessly lashed it.
The Sky-Treading Bull mooed and violently jumped up.
The White Silk Handkerchief attacked again, but this time, it wasn't for protection. Instead, it ruthlessly smashed the Sky-Treading Bull with a brick wall.
Upon seeing the Sky-Treading Bull falling to the ground, Mo Tiange heaved a sigh of relief.
She didn't have a powerful enough offensive magic tool. Only the White Silk Handkerchief, a magic weapon, could possibly injure the Sky-Treading Bull. Coupled with the Soul-Refining Art's unexpected attack, she was able to temporarily immobilize the Sky-Treading Bull.
Mo Tiange locked the Sky-Treading Bull back into the spiritual beast compound, opened all the restrictions, then walked out of the compound. She coldly stared at Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua, who had been standing on the side from the beginning.
She clearly saw that when the Sky-Treading Bull rushed out, smiles appeared on these four people's faces. They were obviously ready to scheme against her!
If she didn't have the Soul-Refining Art and several treasures on her, as well as the several restrictions here that limited the Sky-Treading Bull's power, she would've most likely lost half her life just now!
Right now, when these four people looked at her, the mocking expressions on their faces were no longer there. Instead, they were replaced with terror.
From the moment the Sky-Treading Bull broke through the restrictions to when Mo Tiange knocked it out, only a few breaths had passed.
A middle stage Foundation Building cultivator was actually able to subdue a fifth rank spiritual beast. Although it was also because the restrictions in this place limited the Sky-Treading Bull's power, it was still enough to shock them!
They were just unconvinced, so they wanted to borrow the power of the fifth rank spiritual beast to teach this martial uncle, who was also a Foundation Building cultivator but was looked upon favorably by grandmaster, a lesson.
There were restrictions here, and the four of them were ready to attack at any time, so presumably, they wouldn't take her life. However, it was very possible that she would lose half her life.
They weren't afraid of grandmaster's anger because grandmaster didn't like people who didn't have abilities. As long as they kept her alive, grandmaster wouldn't blame them.
But they never expected that a fifth rank spiritual beast would actually be subdued in just a few breaths' time!
Mo Tiange sneered. She held the White Silk Handkerchief in one hand and the Shuttle of Flying Apsara in the other. "It seems you're very unconvinced. In that case, let's fight!
All of you, come at me together! I'll let you know why I'm a disciple and you're my maids! "
Qin, Qi, Shu, and Hua originally had frightened expressions on their faces, but when they heard what she said, they looked at each other with anger in their eyes.
That's right! They were unconvinced. Their aptitudes were a bit inferior, but their cultivation levels weren't weak. There were also middle stage Foundation Building cultivators among them, so why did they have to call a cultivator in the same realm as them martial uncle?
Why did grandmaster value her so much and make her familiar with everything in Shangqing Palace?
"Junior Martial Sisters, since martial uncle said so, let's play with her!"