CHAPTER 84: CHAPTER 84 GATHERING_1

At Stars Peak, before the Star Hall.

When Shen Mo arrived, many people had already gathered.

Before the hall, seven or eight disciples were gathered in small groups, all familiar faces.

Xu Longxiang, Yang Qingshan, Wang Heng... These individuals were all newly-promoted disciples selected from the New Stars Competition.

At the forefront of these disciples stood an Elder clad in a purple robe, holding a horsetail whisk of green silk.

This man was Huang Changqing, one of the Elders of Stars Peak.

Elder Huang was responsible for organizing this expedition to the Mountain River Realm.

"Senior Brother Shen has arrived!"

When Shen Mo arrived, many disciples greeted him.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Shen!"

Acknowledging the respectful salutations, Shen Mo returned each greeting individually.

After his performance in the New Stars Competition, Shen Mo had earned everyone’s respect through his strength.

Had it not been for his aversion to socializing, choosing instead to spend the past month cultivating in his cave mansion, countless new disciples would have eagerly invited him to gatherings, hoping to befriend or align with him.

"Has everyone arrived?"

"There’s still Lu Ming; Senior Brother Lu hasn’t arrived yet!"

"He’s here, he’s here! That streak of light must be Senior Brother Lu Ming!"

Just as everyone had gathered and was discussing this, a streak of purple light was seen flying in from a distance.

Eventually, it landed before the hall.

The newcomer was indeed Lu Ming.

"Apologies, my cultivation delayed me. I’ve kept you all waiting," Lu Ming said, somewhat embarrassed as everyone’s gaze fell upon him.

"No need for apologies, Senior Brother Lu, we’ve only just arrived ourselves."

"Indeed. Senior Brother Lu serves under the Peak Master and undoubtedly has a heavy cultivation workload, so it’s perfectly normal for us to wait a bit."

Yang Qingshan and others were notably respectful and courteous towards Lu Ming.

After all, in the cultivation world, strength commanded respect.

Whether in Talent, combat prowess, or innate ability, Lu Ming stood out among this batch of newly-promoted inner disciples as the undisputed leader. Moreover, he was a disciple of the Peak Master.

Who wouldn’t want to curry favor with such a figure?

Seeing Lu Ming surrounded by everyone, Shen Mo sighed inwardly. Even cultivators, in the end, are human; they cannot escape the tendency towards sycophancy, just like mortals in the secular world.

However, while Lu Ming acknowledged their flattery, he maintained a proud and aloof demeanor.

Only with Shen Mo did he behave quite differently.

"Shen, your aura is considerably stronger than during the New Stars Competition," Lu Ming observed. "It seems your cultivation has yielded significant gains recently."

"There has indeed been some progress," Shen Mo acknowledged, not denying Lu Ming’s attempt to initiate conversation. He nodded and added, "But I’ve only made some minor progress. Brother Lu, on the other hand, your rate of improvement is far greater than mine."

Although Lu Ming’s aura was restrained, Shen Mo, possessing the ’Bright Vision’ Destiny, could discern that Lu Ming’s current state far surpassed his level during the New Stars Competition.

Evidently, becoming a disciple of the Peak Master had brought him substantial benefits.

"Thanks to my Master’s generous favor, I have indeed received many cultivation resources," Lu Ming explained. "However, I believe Brother Shen won’t be left far behind."

Even though he had defeated Shen Mo in the New Stars Competition, Lu Ming harbored no sense of superiority over a vanquished opponent.

On the contrary, he genuinely acknowledged Shen Mo’s strength and potential.

"Over the past month, I’ve become acquainted with many powerful cultivators on the peak," Lu Ming continued. "After we return from the Mountain River Realm, I intend to host a get-together for our peak members. I’ll invite all fellow disciples to come and share experiences, fostering better communication for the future. If any of us encounter problems we can’t resolve alone, we can support one another. Similarly, if we come across cave mansion legacies too challenging for one person, or difficult sect missions, we can team up. When the time comes, I will send you an invitation, Brother Shen. Please don’t refuse it."

Lu Ming hadn’t seen Shen Mo emerge from his cave mansion for the entire month, leading him to believe Shen Mo was a reclusive cultivation addict. Hence, his specific invitation.

"If Brother Lu invites me, I certainly won’t refuse," Shen Mo replied. He appreciated Lu Ming’s high regard and the sincerity of his invitation, so naturally, he wouldn’t decline.

Befriending more talented individuals could open up more opportunities for him within the sect in the future.

The conversation between Shen Mo and Lu Ming left the other disciples feeling excluded, unable to find a way to interject. After all, Shen Mo and Lu Ming were in a league of their own; the others felt out of place trying to join in. At the very least, Lu Ming didn’t seem to acknowledge the others on that level.

"Alright, since everyone is here, we can set off now," Elder Huang announced. He quickly checked the headcount and confirmed that all the newly-promoted disciples from Stars Peak who were eligible for the Mountain River Realm had arrived.

With a grand wave of his wide sleeve, he led the large contingent towards the Teleportation Array before the Purple Heaven Palace.

「Riverside Sect, before the Purple Heaven Palace.」

A massive stone altar stood prominently in the center.

This altar was constructed from a special, immaculately white Crystal Stone, its surface intricately engraved with complex patterns and totems.

This was the grand Teleportation Array of the Riverside Sect.

Through this array, one could travel to numerous regions within the Riverside Sect’s sphere of influence.

As one of the Five Great Sects of the Red Flame Country, the Riverside Sect’s Teleportation Array was naturally extraordinary.

Its influence and controlled territories spanned four continents and hundreds of cities, with the sect’s various enterprises spread throughout.

The Dark Crystal Mine that Shen Mo and Chen Mengze had previously visited was merely one small example.

However, activating this Teleportation Array required a vast quantity of Spirit Stones.

Disciples seldom used this method of travel unless there was an urgent matter.

It was typically reserved for official sect missions and activities.

Not long after Shen Mo’s group reached the Teleportation Array, disciples from Rising Sun Peak and Bright Moon Peak also arrived and assembled.

Similar to Stars Peak, the other two peaks had each dispatched an Elder to lead their respective teams.

Apart from the disciples of the Three Peaks, those inner disciples who, though not chosen by any peak, still qualified for the Mountain River Realm trial, had also gathered.

Elder Huang exchanged a few pleasantries with the Elders from the other two peaks who had just arrived.

Shen Mo, meanwhile, surveyed the members of the contingents from Rising Sun Peak and Bright Moon Peak.

Stars Peak had reaped a huge harvest in the recent New Stars Competition, so there were few disciples from the other two peaks worthy of his serious consideration.

Among them, the strongest from Rising Sun Peak was Lv Xu, ranked third in the New Stars Competition.

As for Bright Moon Peak, it was Qian Sun, ranked fourth.

After a month of cultivation since joining their respective peaks, their cultivation had also improved.

However, their improvement was clearly incomparable to Shen Mo’s gains, let alone Lu Ming’s meteoric progress.

Therefore, if they were his only significant opponents upon entering the Mountain River Realm, Shen Mo felt he wouldn’t need to worry about facing formidable adversaries.

Averting his gaze, Shen Mo then spotted Cao Ren amidst the crowd of disciples.

"Shen Mo!" Cao Ren called out, waving as soon as he saw him. "You better look out for me when we get in there!"

Shen Mo believed his own strength was sufficient to handle any potential confrontations or battles within the Mountain River Realm.

Cao Ren, however, clearly lacked this confidence and had therefore decided to seek Shen Mo’s protection.

"Don’t worry," Shen Mo said. "Once we enter the Mountain River Realm, I’ll team up with you. I won’t be following the Stars Peak contingent."

This was the arrangement Shen Mo had already decided upon.

"Just the two of us?" Cao Ren asked, hesitant. "Why don’t you talk to your fellow disciples from your peak and let me join them? You all can take the lion’s share of any spiritual medicines and cultivation resources we find; just give me some scraps."

"No, more people would just complicate things," Shen Mo replied, shaking his head and rejecting the suggestion. He had high hopes for this expedition into the Mountain River Realm for cultivation and treasure hunting, and the meager share he might receive from a large team wouldn’t satisfy him.

The Elders soon concluded their pleasantries and began to inform everyone about some important matters regarding entry into the Mountain River Realm.

This information confirmed to Shen Mo that his preparations had not been in vain.

Elder Huang began, "Unlike previous years, due to certain reasons, those entering the Mountain River Realm for this session’s training will include not only disciples from our Riverside Sect but also newly-recruited disciples from the Ghost Corpse School and the Profound Moon Sect. Within the Mountain River Realm, there are no rules to speak of. Combat and killing are permissible. Therefore, if you encounter disciples from the Ghost Corpse School or the Profound Moon School, you must be extremely cautious. Furthermore, although there is competition among our Inner Door’s Three Peaks, when facing outside sects, you should set aside your grievances and support one another. Do not allow disciples of our own sect to suffer losses.

"Additionally, these are Realm Breaking Talismans." As Elder Huang spoke, he waved his large sleeve.

Streaks of light flew sequentially into the hands of each disciple present.

"After you enter the Mountain River Realm, should you encounter a life-threatening crisis, you can crush this talisman to immediately escape the Dungeon. However, be warned: if you crush the Realm Breaking Talisman, only you yourself will be teleported out. Any treasures you have acquired within the Mountain River Realm cannot be brought out with you."

The Mountain River Realm, being a fragment of a spatial relic, was modified by the Riverside Sect into a training ground for disciples. As such, its spatial laws have naturally been altered accordingly.

Crushing the Realm Breaking Talisman signifies admitting defeat and forfeiting everything acquired within. This has been the established rule for all previous sessions.

"The Ghost Corpse School and the Profound Moon Sect?" a disciple asked, surprised by this development. "Why must they enter the Mountain River Realm with us? Don’t their own sects possess similar spatial relics?"

"Hmph." A trace of a proud smile appeared on Elder Huang’s face. "Treasures like spatial relics are not something every immortal sect can boast of possessing. Among the Five Great Sects, only our Riverside Sect, the Seven Stars Altar, and the Heaven Sword Sect possess them. This time, if the Ghost Corpse School and the Profound Moon Sect had not agreed to exchange their respective sect’s mineral resources with our Riverside Sect, this Mountain River Realm relic would never have been opened to their newly-recruited disciples."