The road is vague

Chapter 294 The difference between immortals and mortals
After leaving the main hall of the Dharma Protector Hall, Li Mo went to the Ancestral Master Hall.

He first offered incense to the statues of the three patriarchs of his sect, and then went to a separate courtyard to collect his salary. After ten years of seclusion, he had accumulated more than 40,000 spirit stones and a large amount of sect contribution.

"Take all the spirit stones."

Just as Li Mo finished speaking, he suddenly thought of something else.

"Wait a minute, I wonder if this can be exchanged for high-grade spirit stones?"

"As a true disciple of our sect, you are naturally entitled to exchange for high-grade spirit stones, but each high-grade spirit stone requires a payment of 30,000 spirit stones. Would you like to exchange for them?"

After a slight hesitation, Li Mo finally nodded.

The actual value of high-grade spirit stones on the market is only higher than this, and they are simply not available for exchange.

After leaving the Ancestral Hall, Li Mo went to the Advanced Study Hall.

The couple, Niu Li and Ma Ling, left behind a communication talisman two years ago. It's true that cultivation knows no time. In other words, their youngest son, Niu Wan, is already in the third grade. We don't know how he is doing.

"Greetings, Uncle-Master."

Upon seeing Li Mo, the disciples of the training hall all bowed respectfully.

"kindness."

Li Mo headed straight for the main hall of the training hall.

After making a few inquiries, he obtained all the information about Niu Wan, which surprised him. This son of Niu Li and Ma Ling had exceptionally good grades. Not to mention his first year of school, he even achieved third place in the final exam of his second year.

After thanking the cultivators stationed at the training hall, Li Mo inquired around the hall for a while and found a disciple who was half a foot taller than him and as strong as an ox. The disciple was walking side by side with a beautiful female disciple, and they seemed to be discussing something.

"Greetings, Uncle-Master."

"Greetings, Uncle-Master."

After Li Mo nodded, he smiled slightly at the male disciple.

"You're Niu Wan?"

Upon hearing this, Niu Wan looked at Li Mo with a puzzled expression.

"I am Niu Wan. May I ask what instructions you have, Uncle-Master?"

Li Mo looked at Niu Wan with a friendly expression.

"Hehe, I am Li Mo. Back then, I was inseparable from your father, mother, and another person. We were very close friends. You can just call me Uncle Li. Unfortunately, when your parents came back two years ago, I was in seclusion and couldn't see them. It's quite a pity."

There may be another reason why Niu Li and Ma Ling returned: to mourn Yang Guang.

Niu Wan's face immediately lit up with joy, and he respectfully clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

"Uncle Li!"

Li Mo couldn't suppress a smile. He activated his spiritual eye to observe the other party and found that Niu Wan had already reached the eighth level of Qi Refining. He was expected to break through to the tenth level of Qi Refining in the year-end assessment. He nodded in satisfaction and casually took out two high-grade magic artifacts and two bottles of pills, showing his generosity.

"Since you call me Uncle Li, I can't possibly treat you poorly. These two high-grade magic artifacts will be usable once you reach the ninth level of Qi Refining. As for these two bottles of pills... hehe, some people think they should wait until they reach the tenth level of Qi Refining before taking them, as they frequently encounter stagnation in their magical power. Others think they should focus on improving their cultivation level and wait for future opportunities. It's a matter of opinion, and how you use them is up to you."

Niu Wan's face immediately lit up with excitement. After accepting the magical artifacts and pills, he solemnly kowtowed to Li Mo.

Li Mo used his spiritual power to help him up.

"Furthermore, I've heard that you are quite skilled in alchemy?"

Niu Wan said shyly, "My parents told me your story when I was little, so I was exposed to alchemy from a young age and have always regarded you as my role model."

Upon hearing this, Li Mo couldn't help but recall the days he spent with Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang.

He thought about how, after the graduation exam, Niu Li and Ma Ling left Muzhou, got married, and had children. After giving birth to their youngest son, Niu Wan, he taught him with great care and told him about his past. Unconsciously, his state of mind underwent some subtle changes.

When he looked again at Niu Wan's eager and hopeful gaze, this change in his mindset was amplified once more.

Is this the realization that there is a difference between immortals and mortals?
After a moment of realization, Li Mo smiled slightly.

"I have just emerged from seclusion and am about to go on a trip. It will take at most half a year, or at least two or three months. When I return, go to Xiaoquan Peak in the back mountain, and I can teach you some alchemy techniques."

Li Mo planned to pass on the "Fire Refining Elixir Scripture" to Niu Wan, depending on the situation, and cultivate him into a force similar to Cao Lingjie's.

"Yes!"

As Li Mo walked away gracefully, Niu Wan remained excited, while the female cultivator beside him took a deep breath.

"Senior Brother Niu, your parents actually know a true disciple of our sect!?"

"what?"

Niu Wan learned about Li Mo's status and position in the sect from the female disciple's explanation, and he was immediately taken aback, his eyes filled with even more reverence.

……

After leaving the training hall.

Li Mo first went to the Alchemy Hall to mourn the passing of Wang Wenhai and Chen Rong. Then he went to Lingtian District and had a long talk with Cao Lingjie while looking at the ever-growing Luohan bamboo.

Cao Lingjie has been a disciple of the Lingmu Sect for sixteen years. He has completely shed his identity as a disciple of the Lingcao Sect and adapted to his new identity as a disciple of the Lingmu Sect. His cultivation has also improved to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

Time really flies.

Cao Lingjie couldn't help but sigh.

“These mother bamboos, after another twenty or thirty years of cultivation, will meet your requirements and grow to a bamboo age of two thousand years.”

After nodding, Li Mo took out three thousand spirit stones and used spiritual light to send them to the other party.

"Thank you so much for your hard work."

Upon seeing this, Cao Lingjie waved her hand and pushed the spirit stone back.

"Although I, Cao Lingjie, am sometimes a bit absent-minded in my dealings, I am by no means a money-grubber. I only accepted your spirit stones back then because I was short of money. Now that I am a disciple of this sect, how can I accept your spirit stones again? Brother Li, please don't underestimate me."

Seeing Cao Lingjie shaking her head in refusal, Li Mo couldn't help but laugh.

The two then began to discuss alchemy.

Because Li Mo had refined the ethereal pill, he was undoubtedly a master alchemist. After only a brief exchange with Li Mo, Cao Lingjie discovered that Li Mo's alchemy skills far surpassed her own. She was immediately dumbfounded and went from being confident and arrogant to being humble and modest.

It wasn't until dusk that Li Mo left the alchemy hall and headed to the storage pavilion.

"Uncle-Master, to enter the Scripture Repository, you need to be there between 7 AM and 5 PM..."

After Li Mo took out his true disciple's waist token, the so-called rules naturally disappeared without any restrictions. He immediately entered the Hidden Merit Pavilion without any hindrance, and he didn't need to worry about the issue of sect contributions. As a true disciple, he could freely enjoy all the non-consumable resources of the Spirit Eye Sect.

Unfortunately, of the three fox spirits, two died and one escaped.

Otherwise, this Scripture Repository would have been quite a sight. So Li Mo went straight to the second floor, found the area where various thunder techniques were recorded, and began to make copies of them.

Li Mo is now considered an enlightened being. His understanding of lightning magic has transcended the level of mere technique. He only needs to grasp the basics of these mid-level lightning spells to use them with ease.

Until early the next morning.

After making copies of seven mid-level Thunder Spellbooks, Li Mo went to the third floor of the Scripture Repository.

Ning Li, who was originally stationed here, has now advanced to the Golden Core stage, and a male cultivator has taken over the post.

"Senior brother."

"kindness."

After making copies of the only two high-level lightning spells available there, Li Mo left the Scripture Repository and headed straight for the Flying Boat Station. He then summoned the White Jade Flying Carriage and headed towards Bai'an City.

a few days later.

Li Mo arrived in Bai'an City.

After years of development, Bai'an City has become a major economic city in the region. However, for Li Mo, who had witnessed the changes in Jingzhou Yuancheng, seeing the various changes in Bai'an City no longer brought him the same joy as before.

He knew all too well that this place was ultimately just a tiny, peripheral sprout of a vast empire.

The deputy commander came to greet him, and after a brief exchange, Li Mo had a simple meal with several old friends.

Unfortunately, Gao Zhengyi and Zhu Wei had already left. Li Mo mainly talked with Lu Tianyou and Zhao Xiaonan.

Lu Tianyou has served as a junior officer here for many years. He works diligently and is deeply loved by the patrol officer. He is no longer the dejected person he once was.

Looking at Lu Tianyou, who was speaking eloquently, Li Mo couldn't help but recall the past when he deeply loved Ye Yimeng but could not have her.

I wonder what it would be like if he knew that Ye Yineng's true identity was an imperial princess?
After a slight smile to himself, Li Mo looked at Zhao Xiaonan.

"How is the little chubby girl?"

Zhao Xiaonan was taken aback at first, then shook her head and smiled.

"A girl changes a lot as she grows up; she's no longer the chubby little girl she used to be..."

night.

Li Mo followed Zhao Xiaonan and finally met Wang Pan.

Now in his middle age, with a full head of white hair, he has developed a dignified demeanor due to his long-term high position.

"Wang Pan".

"Li Mo, you..."

Wang Pan stared at Li Mo's still youthful and handsome face, speechless with shock for a long time. After a while, he gradually accepted reality and sighed.

When Wang Pan looked at Li Mo again, it seemed as if she saw her younger self, the one who dozed off every day at Jimintang in Hua'an Town, instead of the busy registrar in Bai'an City.

"Come quickly and pay your respects to Uncle Li Mo."

Wang Jiawen and Wang Xishu rushed over and bowed respectfully to Li Mo.

"Uncle Li Mo."

"Uncle Li Mo."

Li Mo first looked at Wang Jiawen, a hint of amazement in his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, Wang Jiawen has grown from a chubby girl into a graceful young woman, bearing some of the delicate and quiet figure that Zhao Xiaonan once had.

Wang Xishu, who cried when he first met Li Mo, has now become a young man. He looks at Li Mo with some curiosity and a somewhat reserved expression.

Li Mo looked at the two of them, and in a daze, his state of mind changed again.

He then nodded and smiled slightly, took out two health-preserving jade pendants, and handed them to the two men.

"These two jade pendants are treasures I obtained from the State of Lu. Wearing them can help you prolong your life and maintain your health."

Upon hearing this, the two men beamed with joy, knowing that the value of goods from Lu would increase many times over once they reached Qian.

"Thank you uncle!"

"Thank you uncle!"

After dinner.

Li Mo summoned over a hundred flying boats and took Wang Pan to Hua'an Town.

"Cough cough."

As Wang Pan looked down at the earth rushing by in the flying car, he felt a little excited. Then he coughed twice, as if he had caught a cold, and quickly pulled down the curtains.

Li Mo frowned and asked, "Didn't you go check on it?"

"Sigh, I'm so busy with official duties, I don't have time to recuperate."

Wang Pan waved his hand and sighed.

"It's one thing that I don't have spiritual roots, but Jiawen and Xishu don't either, so they can't cultivate. It's really a pity. Is it true that you can't cultivate without spiritual roots?"

At this point, he couldn't help but look at Li Mo's youthful face again, and tears welled up in his eyes.

In his youth, he was known for his easygoing and robust nature, which would never have happened to him.

As you get older, you start to think more.

"It might have been possible in ancient times, but in this degenerate age, without spiritual roots, one will certainly be unable to cultivate."

Li Mo's response completely disheartened Wang Pan.

He nodded, trying to conceal his true feelings.

“At this time last year, my mother also passed away. Now, Brother Ding is old and frail. Even though he is the chief physician, he cannot defy fate or escape life and death. After seeing you, I thought that ordinary people are perhaps as insignificant and humble as ants on the ground, like mayflies that do not know the dawn and dusk…”

Listening to Wang Pan's words of resentment and sighs, Li Mo felt a mix of emotions.

He gradually began to understand why people say that as cultivators grow older, they will naturally come to realize the difference between immortals and mortals.

The obstacles standing in his way are insignificant to most late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. In just twenty or thirty years, a full cycle of sixty years, he will naturally come to understand the meaning behind them.

However, this period of time was still too long for him.

(End of this chapter)