The road is vague

Chapter 207 Yang Zhiman

The following days.

Li Mo gradually adapted to his new life as the instructor of the Guardian Hall's military formations.

Unlike the leisurely and carefree life in Bai'an City, the greetings exchanged between people in Bai'an City are heartfelt greetings between neighbors and acquaintances.

However, on Qingming Mountain, apart from true friends, the greetings exchanged by others were merely routine.

There seems to be a lack of human touch here.

Faced with this stark contrast, Li Mo also gained some insights.

“Cultivators strive to transcend the mundane world, but this should be like emerging from the mud unsullied. Without experiencing the worldly wisdom and understanding of life, it will be like a castle in the air, with an unstable state of mind, which will ultimately limit the improvement of magical power.”

At the same time, he was also secretly observing the layout of the Dharma Protector Hall.

Just as rumored, the important positions here were almost entirely occupied by disciples of aristocratic families, but the proportion of members of the Justice Society in the Gui team was surprisingly high!

The Gui-character team consists of eight squads.

Wei Cang, as a squad leader of the Gui team, will not be mentioned for now.

Besides.

The two people he knew, He Ping and Zhao Liang, were actually both squad leaders of the Gui-character team!
He Ping was one of the disciples who returned from Zhongshan Kingdom when Li Mo was in the training hall. Back then, he, Zhang Ning, Hua Yuelu, and Zhao Min even held a small trade fair, aiming to recruit those who were oppressed by the disciples of aristocratic families or those who had potential to join the Justice Society.

Zhao Liang was a student one year ahead of Li Mo. Li Mo was eliminated by him during the year-end assessment. In addition, when Zhao Huaxue was bullied by Ye Xunhuan, Wang Feng suggested that she seek help from this senior student named Zhao Liang so that she could join the Justice Society.

This way.

Li Mo vaguely sensed that the members of the Justice Society in Team Gui were too concentrated.
He even suspected that the other squad leaders of the Gui team were also members of the Justice Society.

Moreover, the Heavenly Stem Captain in charge of teaching individual combat skills for the Gui-character team was actually Xue Tai. He had purchased a large number of ethereal demon cores and array diagrams from this fat man, and this person was most likely also a member of the Fair Way Society.

"The sect's annual Foundation Establishment stage trading fair is approaching again. This person attends almost every year. Perhaps we can take this opportunity to subtly probe him."

It's mid-December now.

There was never any news from the Alchemy Hall about Wang Wenhai's passing.

From this, it seems that he has most likely already swallowed that longevity pill, which will extend his life by more than ten years.

At the same time, Li Mo also successfully mastered the two spells, Dark Concealment Thunder Step and Filthy Yin Thunder. So he came to the Dharma Protector Hall training ground, preparing to use the tortoise-fly barrier here to test his thunder magic.

At this moment, in the backyard of the Dharma Protector Hall, hundreds of disciples were gathered together, following a Heavenly Stem Captain to learn personal combat skills.

Li Mo walked straight towards the barrier.

The turtle-fly barrier of the Dharma Protector Hall is said to be maintained by the cultivators of the Primordial Spirit Pavilion.

These cultivators have long been observing the spiritual veins of Qingming Mountain and the condition of the primordial spirit lamps of their disciples above the Foundation Establishment stage in the underground secret chambers, enabling the Lingmu Sect to cope with various crises to the greatest extent possible.

Their numbers and identities are unknown; they are only under the command of the sect leader.

"Senior Brother Li?"

A voice came from behind.

Just as Li Mo was about to enter the Turtle-Fly Barrier, he turned around and saw an old acquaintance.

"Junior Brother Yang?"

The once meticulous and spirited scholar Yang has now become a gloomy and resentful figure.

Although the two knew each other, they were not exactly close.

However, Li Mo was very curious about his talisman skills and the subsequent events with Zhao Huaxue, so he stopped and smiled slightly at Yang Zhiman.

At this moment, Yang Zhiman noticed the subtle difference in Li Mo's clothing, and his expression changed slightly.

"You've advanced to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage?"

"kindness."

Li Mo readily admitted it.

Upon seeing this, Yang Zhiman opened his mouth, then finally let out a long sigh, seemingly somewhat dejected. He clasped his hands in a gesture of respect to Li Mo, leaving everything unsaid.

The early stage of Foundation Establishment and the middle stage of Foundation Establishment seem to be only one step apart, but after advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage, he could feel the world of difference between them. The process of accumulating mana alone would take at least more than ten years, and that is without considering the stagnation of mana.

"What's wrong with Junior Brother Yang? He seemed a little unhappy?"

"It's all because of those aristocratic families. Hall Master Chen speaks nicely, but when it comes to assigning positions, he still favors the aristocratic families. Look at me, I'm already at the Foundation Establishment stage, but I've only been assigned to an elite disciple position. The aristocratic family disciples who were at the same stage as me have already been assigned to military positions."

He complained to Li Mo without any restraint.

Li Mo is no longer the same person he once was, completely ignorant of the higher-ups of the Lingmu Sect.

Among the many independent disciples led by Sima Fu, the head of the sect, Qian Jing, the head of the Talisman Making Hall, and Lu Qi, the head of the Special Operations Hall, were his two most capable subordinates.

Therefore, the two were natural allies, which is why Yang Zhiman could complain to him without restraint.

The reason why Chen Kaixuan, the head of Zhenfeng Pavilion, said those words at Tao Ran and Zhao Huaxue's wedding ceremony was also due to the issue of factions.

Nowadays, the conflict between the two sides of the Lingmu Sect has become increasingly heated, and they no longer try to hide it.

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, Li Mo couldn't help but sigh.

For the past ten years, although he had been living at the foot of the mountain, he could feel that the conflict between the two sects was becoming more and more intense. The entire Lingmu Sect was like a giant beast struggling to die, doing its best to concentrate resources and try to nurture a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

In the struggle between the two acting leaders, it seems that Sima Fu has the upper hand at present.

After all, Chen Shouyi had already failed to be promoted once nine years ago, so the difficulty of his second promotion would inevitably increase by three points out of thin air.

As Li Mo was lost in thought, Yang Zhiman suddenly realized something.

"Is Senior Brother Li going to enter the Turtle-Fly Barrier?"

His face was filled with astonishment.

"This is a facility that only disciples of the Dharma Protection Hall can enter. I remember that you chose to serve in the Outer Sect Special Service Hall, didn't you, Senior Brother?"

"I was only transferred back in the last two months."

Li Mo then took out his identity token.

Yang Zhiman was immediately taken aback. He knew the significance of the position of military instructor; it was a high-ranking position that allowed one to attend the annual meeting at the Qingling Hall, and it was one of the core positions of the Lingmu Sect. "Greetings, Instructor Li!"

“This isn’t during my employment period, so there’s no need for such formalities, Junior Brother Yang.”

As he said this, Li Mo smiled and changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, during my years in the outer sect, I've also studied some talisman techniques and refined several bottles of mid-grade spirit ink. I wonder if Junior Brother Yang would be interested in exchanging some insights on talismans later?"

"Oh?"

When Yang Zhiman heard that Li Mo had actually refined a mid-grade spirit ink, he immediately became interested and agreed to meet again in an hour.

Enter the barrier and test the spell.

With the help of the Tortoise-Fly Barrier's properties, Li Mo was able to gain a clearer understanding of the details of his spells.

As he continued to use the Shadow Step and the Filthy Thunder, after several adjustments, these two spells became significantly more standardized, and he was initially certain that they were ready for practical use, which made him quite satisfied.

Followed by.

He suddenly remembered Chen Rong's suggestion that he create his own thunder and fire technique to gain insight into the Dao of alchemy.

"How should the spell's tendencies and the structure of its spiritual energy be arranged?"

Whether it's Yin lightning or Yang lightning, they all share a common characteristic: they are not good at defense.

Yang lightning tends to cause direct impact damage and is more explosive, while Yin lightning tends to cause prolonged erosion and is more stealthy and silent.

Following that, Li Mo analyzed the intermediate-level lightning techniques and handy magical artifacts he had mastered.

In terms of magic, there are Thunderous Transformation, Thunder Spear of the Mind, Summoning Thunder Beast, Dark Concealment Thunder Step, and Filthy Yin Thunder.

As for magical artifacts, they include the Heavenly Golden Sword, the Cloak of Concealment, the Qingming Crane Cloak, the Yin Water Pot, the Ice Crystal Feather Fan, the Five Elements Xuanwu Shield, the Xuanming Needle, the Shattering Whip, and the Earth Element Boots.

"It seems that I am still lacking the kind of means that can cause large-scale damage, such as means that can be used to kill swarms of insects, to intimidate people, or to destroy warships, airships, and fortresses, which are applicable to warfare."

Now that we have a goal, all we need to do is work towards it.

A few days ago, he had already obtained specific information that the task of fine-tuning, setting up, and correcting the mountain-protecting formation, which takes place every ten years, will begin after the Flower Festival and last for two days.

At that time, the Dharma Protectorate will be under Level 2 martial law.

It's already mid-December, and there are less than three months left.

If there are any changes in his sect, they will most likely begin after that, so he must prepare in advance.

"Instructor Li!"

Yang Zhiman had been waiting outside the barrier for a long time. When he saw Li Mo come out on time, he immediately stepped forward and gestured to him.

“It’s too noisy here. Since we’re exchanging ideas on talismans, why don’t we go to the talisman-making hall? I happen to have some fine spiritual tea on me, so we can have a heart-to-heart talk.”

"Alright!"

The two walked together and left the Dharma Protector Hall.

There are two paths to choose from when traveling from the Dharma Protector Hall to the Talisman Making Hall.

One route goes through the gate of the Hall of Law Enforcement, through a bamboo forest, and up a flight of stairs to reach the destination; the other route goes through the Sacred Tree Square, but the latter is relatively longer.

The two chose the former.

However, just as the two passed through the gate of the Dharma Protector Hall, they saw a group of disciples from the Law Enforcement Hall bringing a person, seemingly intending to escort him to the Zhenfeng Pavilion.

This person had disheveled hair, looked like a madman, and roared hoarsely, his voice filled with heart-wrenching pain.

"Don't think that locking me in that cage again will make me submit. You're just in an even bigger cage..."

"Shi Yongjie?"

After exchanging a glance, Li Mo immediately stepped forward, but was stopped by several people.

"How is this going?"

Among the more than twenty disciples in charge of this arrest operation, the leader was a male disciple with an upright and unyielding appearance.

He wore a robe with a hundred patterns, signifying his late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation. Given his identity as a disciple of the Dharma Protector Hall, he must be one of the enforcement captains of the Enforcement Hall, holding a position equivalent to a centurion of the Heavenly Mandate Division or an array instructor of the Dharma Protector Hall.

The man looked at Li Mo, frowned, and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"I am Li Yue, the captain of the Enforcement Division of the Enforcement Hall. May I ask what brings you here?"

After Li Mo clasped his hands slightly, he looked at Shi Yongjie, who was being led towards Zhenfeng Pavilion.

"This person is a disciple of the same rank as me, and we both served as inspectors in the Special Operations Hall outside the city. However, his crimes were minor, and he should have been released by now. I wonder what crime he has committed this time?"

Li Yue's expression was solemn.

"He was a highly skilled weapon refiner. Considering that the sect was in need of manpower at the time, they sent him to redeem himself by following the Jiang family on secret missions. Over the years, he had been quite dedicated and had not been exposed until recently, when some major problems arose with the Jiang family. Many weapon refiners went insane overnight, and many others scattered and fled..."

A group of people walked out of Zhenfeng Pavilion. The leader was Chen Kaixuan, the Chief of the Criminal Division. When he saw Shi Yongjie making a mad fuss, he immediately snorted coldly.

"My lies are deceiving the public!"

Chen Kaixuan used his flying needles and threading technique to sew up Shi Yongjie's mouth, leaving Shi Yongjie only able to whimper in pain.

"Senior Brother Chen!"

Upon seeing this, Li Mo gasped, his face turning rather pale.

"Why bother arguing with him? This is on Qingming Mountain, under the clear sky. How dare you treat a fellow disciple like this?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Kaixuan looked at Li Mo.

He paused for a moment, then recalled a verbal argument he had with Li Mo at Tao Ran's wedding ceremony several years ago.

Now, Wang Wenhai, the deputy head of the Alchemy Hall, has finally chosen to align himself with the Justice Society.

He naturally wouldn't give Li Mo a friendly look.

"Hmph, so it's Li Zongqi of the Tianming Division of Bai'an County. Since you are serving in the outer sect, you should manage your own little territory down the mountain. Things on the mountain are different from those down there. I advise you to meddle less. If you say or do something wrong here, you will be held accountable by your sect."

Say it.

Chen Kaixuan waved his hand, signaling his men to take Shi Yongjie into the White Pagoda.

(End of this chapter)