They would not regret their heckling, however.
Zhao Zongyan was the one who should regret it.
At this moment, he was filled with immense hatred, wondering how he had listened to Xia Mingsheng's instigation to fight Mo Qi. If he had competed against Shi Daquan, he might have won. If he had drawn the number one spot and received a bye, he would have secured a slot.
Now, he was completely eliminated! His chance was gone!
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. How could he have been so foolish? Xia Mingsheng, at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, had lost to Mo Qi. Yet, he, at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, had challenged him. Wasn't that like a moth to a flame? People said Mo Qi cheated, and he believed them!
When he looked for Xia Mingsheng again, Xia Mingsheng had already vanished from the crowd, leaving no trace.
Over at Platform One, Leng Xiao, after a fierce battle, had defeated Shen Mazi.
In the second round of the draw, Shi Daquan drew number one, to face Leng Xiao, while Mo Qi directly secured a spot to compete against the Four Great Sects! Zhao Zongyan was so angry he felt like spitting blood!
A wave of boos erupted from the crowd below: "Cheating! Cheating!"
Mo Qi said to Shi Daquan, "How about you draw again?"
Drawing again might mean drawing Mo Qi!
Shi Daquan, however, was not willing. This situation was exactly what he wanted. After the previous round of matches, he had realized that Mo Qi's cultivation was at least at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. He had no desire to court death. Only those guys in the crowd, who were so annoyingly loud and didn't care about the consequences, were cheering so wildly.
"Such a serious competition, how can it be treated like child's play? Whatever number you draw is the number. In the end, it's about strength. If you win, it's true skill. Who cares what people below say," Shi Daquan said righteously.
Mo Qi nodded repeatedly, "Makes sense, makes sense!"
"Makes no sense at all! You cheat king!" The crowd below was enraged, throwing banana peels and watermelon rinds at Mo Qi.
Mo Qi quickly fled the scene. Since he wasn't competing anymore, he let them cause trouble.
Later, he heard that Leng Xiao had defeated Shi Daquan and secured the other spot.
There was still some time before the Four Great Sects' agreed-upon competition. Mo Qi used this period to visit the Divine Pill Sect. He had spent so much time there but had never visited their spirit stone mine. It was only when Jin Dan mentioned it that he suddenly thought of going to see it.
When he told Lai Yaoshi about this idea, Lai Yaoshi readily agreed and even offered to accompany him. Mo Qi was now a potential tycoon in the Nine Divine Realms. Only a few sect leaders and elders knew about this, while the people below had no idea. Lai Yaoshi was well aware of it. He believed Mo Qi's purpose in visiting the spirit stone mine was to purchase some spirit stones. He also believed in Mo Qi's purchasing power; it wasn't just a few spirit stones, he could even buy the entire spirit stone mine.
Standing on the hillside, Mo Qi was filled with disappointment. "Little Lai, I wanted to see the spirit stone mine, and you show me this."
As far as the eye could see, it was just a mountain, with a few exposed rocks at its base. This was a far cry from the glittering, spirit-energy-filled scene he had imagined.
Lai Yaoshi said sincerely, "Yes, this is the spirit stone mine!"
Then, he unconsciously revealed a look that said, "So you're an idiot." "Heh heh, Uncle-Master, spirit stone mines are like this. They require extensive processing, just like spirit herbs. They need to be purified to obtain the various spirit stones that can be used directly."
Mo Qi coughed dryly. "Of course, I know that. Do I need you to teach me? I just wanted to say, why didn't you show me how you purify them?"
Lai Yaoshi beamed with a smile. "Please follow me. This way." He then led Mo Qi around the back of the mountain and into a vast cave. Mo Qi was stunned. He saw countless dog-like monsters queuing in and out. Upon closer inspection, those monsters clearly lacked some organs, had distinct edges, and walked clumsily, always making creaking sounds. They were clearly puppets. Lai Yaoshi said they were mechanical beasts used to transport ore.
The mechanical beasts had grooves on their backs where the ore was placed. Swarms of mechanical beasts entered through one passage, dumping the ore into a bin, and then exiting through another.
Ahead, a tall building was visible. At its base was a purple sphere, as large as a millstone, emitting a purple glow and spiritual energy. The other end of the tall building was connected to countless small purple spheres. Driven by spiritual energy, they continuously rotated within the ore bin, grinding the large ore into smaller pieces.
These smaller pieces of ore were pulled by another stream of spiritual energy and flowed into a hole. Inside this hole, there was a spiritual energy classification device. After passing through the hole, the ore stream split into two. One stream of ore was dim and lifeless, presumably lacking spiritual energy. The other stream was colorful and radiant, presumably containing spirit stones.
The dim, lifeless stream of ore flowed into another bin, where another team of mechanical beasts worked tirelessly, continuously moving the lifeless stones out through another passage.
The radiant stream of ore, after flowing a short distance, split into two again. Lai Yaoshi said that one stream was directly transported out by mechanical beasts for sale, to be used in refining artifacts and the like. The other stream would undergo further crushing, sedimentation, screening, and condensation to produce spirit stones with special functions, such as communication spirit stones, attack spirit stones, alchemy spirit stones, and currency spirit stones...
Mo Qi was greatly enlightened but remained impassive. "Not bad, not bad."
"How powerful are the attack spirit stones produced here?" Mo Qi suddenly asked.
"Hmm," Lai Yaoshi glanced at Mo Qi again, giving him a look that said, "You're still an idiot." "This mainly depends on the cultivator's own cultivation level. Just like our flying swords, they are weapons. They don't have a cultivation level themselves; it depends on the user's cultivation level. Of course, if the attack spirit stone itself has good quality and strong spiritual energy, it can naturally enhance the attack."
Mo Qi felt looked down upon again. But this time, he could no longer tolerate it and chose to confront it head-on. "The flying swords you mentioned haven't been refined into magical treasures. If it's a magical treasure, like the Immortal Slaying Sword, wouldn't it have its own cultivation?"
Lai Yaoshi immediately nodded. "Yes, Uncle-Master is absolutely right. As the saying goes, 'a hundred refinements make steel.' Spirit stones can also become spirits through a hundred refinements, but that requires more than just hammering; it also needs the sedimentation of time."
"Are there any spirit stones that cultivators can directly absorb spiritual energy from?"
"Not in our Nine Divine Realms. It is said that such spirit stones exist in the Dome Realm, but they are extremely rare," Lai Yaoshi said.
"Alright," Mo Qi felt his horizons had been greatly broadened and he had gained a lot today. He was in a good mood and said to Lai Yaoshi, "My main purpose today is to buy some spirit stones for refining artifacts. Send them directly to the Lingxiao Sect."
Lai Yaoshi's eyes lit up. "No problem, I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
Three days later, the competition of the Four Great Sects would be held at the Divine Sword Sect. Each sect would have twenty-four people. Mo Qi would participate as a representative of the Divine Pill Sect, and Leng Xiao would participate as a representative of the Divine Mist Sect. This meant that they each occupied one spot for the Divine Pill Sect and the Divine Mist Sect, respectively. This fully demonstrated the broad-mindedness and magnanimity of the two major sects, as stated by Zhang Tianshi, the Sect Leader of the Divine Sword Sect. Zhong Gui and Lai Yaoshi each gave him a roll of their eyes.
Mo Qi felt a mix of apprehension and anticipation, as he knew it was highly possible he would encounter Lu Xiaoyue. He was also considering whether to seek her out if they didn't meet. After all, he was on a mission to bring her back. However, now, let alone bringing her back, he didn't even want to go back himself.
He couldn't help but take out the marriage contract. Six years had passed. The paper and the ink had faded. Similarly faded were the innocence of his childhood. He smiled, smiling at his youthful impulsiveness and his past ignorance. With a laugh, he tore the marriage contract into two halves and threw it on the ground. After a moment's thought, he picked it up again.
Two days later, the various sects began to arrive at the Divine Sword Sect. The Divine Sword Sect was already bustling with activity, much like during the New Year. This was a grand event for the Four Great Sects, and every sect, from top to bottom, attached great importance to it. It was also a rare opportunity for the Four Great Sects to gather together, happening only once every sixty years.
For the younger disciples, it was also an opportunity to witness the outstanding disciples of other sects.
For example, Yue Linsong and Lu Xiaoyue of the Divine Sword Sect, Lan Zhan and Ba Dun of the Divine Escape Sect, and Wang Lu of the Divine Mist Sect. These individuals were not only exceptionally refined in appearance but also possessed outstanding cultivation, making them renowned within their sects and even throughout the Nine Divine Realms.
Then there was Zhen Zhen of the Divine Mist Sect, a beauty selected through rigorous screening by the Divine Mist Sect, officially certified. The others were merely popularly nominated. However, it was heard that Zhen Zhen had not passed the sect's internal competition and likely wouldn't be attending.
Furthermore, Mo Qi's Youthful Visage Pills and Skin Beautifying Pills had quietly gained a reputation among the female disciples of the Four Great Sects.
As soon as Mo Qi settled into the guest rooms prepared by the Divine Sword Sect for all competing disciples, a crowd gathered outside his room. They were all there to request pills. Because Mo Qi produced very few Skin Beautifying Pills and Youthful Visage Pills, they were extremely scarce on the market, and even with money, they were hard to obtain.
Mo Qi always carried a few Youthful Visage Pills and Skin Beautifying Pills with him, intending to please girls at any time. However, this time, several layers of female cultivators were crowded outside his door. How could he possibly have so many pills?
The female cultivators were frantic, shouting outside his door, "Mo Qi, I love you."
Mo Qi could only offer a wry smile. "I love you too, but I didn't bring any pills with me."
Just then, the door began to creak ominously, as if it were about to collapse.
Mo Qi was greatly alarmed. If the door broke, how could his frail body withstand the ravages of these wolf-like female cultivators? He quickly darted forward, channeling spiritual energy into the door, desperately resisting.
However, even with all his might, he couldn't hold out against so many cultivators. And even the best-quality door couldn't withstand such abuse.
As Mo Qi felt the door shaking precariously, he hastily consumed an Invisibility Pill.
With a crack, the door was broken open.
The female cultivators in the front, unable to stop their forward momentum, rushed into the room and fell to the ground.
Mo Qi, invisible, was pressed to the ground, feeling soft and comfortable.
Mo Qi's nose began to bleed.
The female cultivators exclaimed, "Hey, where did he go?"
"Who's pressing on me? Let me up quickly!"
"Don't move around down there. I'll get up once the ones above move."
"Stop touching! We're all women, what's there to touch?"
"Why is there a pool of blood on the ground? Is someone injured?"
After a flurry of activity, the female cultivators finally managed to get up, but they couldn't find Mo Qi anywhere.