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Before long, Master Qingsong of the Hundred Herbs Sect also arrived.

Master Qingsong was a lean and vigorous old man with a cultivation level at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. He was one of the leaders of the Hundred Herbs Sect this time.

He had met Shen Mo several times in the Northern Desert and had a very good impression of him. This time, he was quite enthusiastic in his attitude.

The last to arrive was Zhou Tong from Qingmu Temple. Zhou Tong was an old acquaintance of Shen Mo. Years ago, on the outskirts of Burial Soul Valley, Zhou Tong led the disciples of Qingmu Temple to fight alongside Qingyun Sect, forging a bond of camaraderie in battle.

He led the team from Qingmu Temple this time, and his cultivation level had also advanced to the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

Upon seeing Shen Mo, Zhou Tong smiled sincerely and stepped forward, clasping his hands in greeting: "Brother Shen, how have you been! Congratulations on reaching the Nascent Soul stage! Your path to the Great Dao is now clear!"

"Brother Zhou, you're too kind. Congratulations! Your cultivation has also improved significantly." Shen Mo smiled and returned the greeting, inviting Zhou Tong into the house as well.

The main house wasn't large. The group sat around the low table that Shen Mo usually used for meditation. It was a bit crowded, but it also felt quite casual and friendly.

After Zhao Qingyan served the tea, she and Su Xiao retreated to the door to wait, while Li Xiaocao prepared several refreshing snacks made with herbs such as Ice Heart Orchid in the alchemy room.

"Sect Leader Shen, did you invite us here for the sake of the conference?" Master Qingsong stroked his beard and spoke first. He was an upright man who disliked excessive formalities.

"Exactly." Shen Mo nodded, his expression sincere. "We all come from the Southern Region. In this Tianyuan, we are unfamiliar with the place and people, and are surrounded by powerful enemies. With the tournament approaching, we are vulnerable to both open and covert attacks, and it is impossible to guard against them all."

"I believe that although we belong to different sects, we are of the same blood and support each other. It is better than fighting each other and being defeated one by one."

Fairy Ling Shuang's clear, cold eyes flickered as she slowly said, "Sect Leader Shen is right. The Heavenly Sword Sect, the Blazing Sun Sect, and others have never been very friendly to cultivators from our Southern Region. We have also heard about what happened to your disciples a few days ago. Since we are all from the Southern Region, we should indeed look out for each other."

Elder Lengyue chimed in with a laugh, "That's right. Let's not talk about anything else. Just look at the rules of this tournament. The team battle in the 'Small Universe Realm' is supposedly a free-for-all between multiple teams vying for tokens."

"If our several teams from the Southern Region can agree not to attack each other, or even cooperate to a limited extent, it would be better than killing each other from the start and letting outsiders benefit."

Zhou Tong nodded in agreement: "Brother Shen, when I came here, the abbot also instructed me that the Southern Region is weak and we should stick together for warmth. Our Qingmu Temple is willing to maintain contact and exchange information with our fellow practitioners from Qingyun Sect, Xuanbing Pavilion, and Baicao Sect during the conference."

"If necessary, limited mutual assistance may be provided without violating the interests of the sect and the rules of the conference."

"Master Zhou is truly virtuous." Shen Mo cupped his hands in greeting, then looked at Master Qingsong, "Master Qingsong, what is your opinion?"

Master Qingsong pondered for a moment and said, "Mutual assistance is acceptable, but we must clarify the boundaries beforehand. Our Hundred Herbs Sect is founded on alchemy, and our participation in this conference is primarily for alchemy competition and exchange. Fighting is not our forte."

"However, if we encounter you in the 'Small Universe Realm' or other places, my disciples promise not to be your enemies. If circumstances permit, we can also provide some medicinal pills as support."

"But if we were to actively participate in the struggle or make enemies, I'm afraid we wouldn't be up to the task."

That's very true. The Hundred Herbs Sect is relatively weak, mainly focusing on support and self-preservation. It's already commendable that they can promise not to stab us in the back and provide limited elixirs.

"You're a straightforward person, that's good." Shen Mo expressed his understanding. "What we seek is not to be bound together in life and death, but simply to have more allies in this turbulent place whom we can trust, to share important information, and to avoid unnecessary internal strife."

He paused, then added, "As for the specifics of how we can help each other, that depends on the situation. I propose that during the conference, each of our parties designates one or two reliable disciples to maintain single-line communication using special tokens or codes, exchanging information that is not easily obtained through public channels, such as information about opponents, rules, and venues."

"In team battles, if we encounter each other, we can tacitly avoid each other, or temporarily team up to deal with a strong enemy depending on the situation. The spoils afterward will be distributed according to the amount of contribution or as agreed beforehand. What do you all think?"

This proposal is relatively flexible and not very binding, but it is highly operable and gives all parties sufficient autonomy.

Fairy Ling Shuang, Elder Leng Yue, Zhou Tong, and True Man Qing Song exchanged glances and slowly nodded in agreement.

"In that case, let us take this tea as our oath, and during the conference, we will support each other and share resources." Shen Mo raised his teacup.

"Let's pledge over tea." Everyone raised their glasses, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Next, the group exchanged information they each possessed.

Fairy Ling Shuang mentioned that Xuanbing Pavilion had learned that the "Suppressing Demons and Exterminating Evil" project simulated an extremely realistic demonic environment, and may even have introduced a weakened version of the sealed "Heavenly Demonic Filth," requiring extremely high mental fortitude and resistance to cultivation techniques.

Elder Lengyue added that the Nine Heavens Sword Pavilion seemed to attach great importance to the "Heavenly Secrets Deduction" project, and sent out several disciples who were proficient in sword heart enlightenment and sensing heavenly secrets.

Zhou Tong shared the latest information collected by Qingmu Temple regarding several potential powerful enemies, such as Ling Wufeng of the Heavenly Sword Sect recently going into seclusion, seemingly honing some kind of killing move; and the frequent interactions between the Beast Taming Manor and the Lin family.

When it was Qingsong Zhenren's turn, he didn't say much. He simply took out two jade slips from his pocket and handed them to Shen Mo, Ling Shuang Xianzi, and Zhou Tong respectively.

"This is some information I have compiled recently, mainly about several tricky or unorthodox pills and poisons that may appear at this conference, as well as related methods of countering and preventing them."

For example, the "Sea Mirage Bewitching Powder" skillfully used by Xingluo Island in the East Sea, the "Blood Burning Totem Potion" secretly crafted by certain tribes in the Western Wilderness, and several new variants of the "Primal Energy Forbidden Powder" recently circulating in the Central Region's black market... might be of some help to you disciples.

Shen Mo and the others took the jade slip and scanned it with their divine senses. They immediately knew that the contents were detailed and precious, and were not easily obtained.

Master Qingsong's actions clearly demonstrate his sincerity.

"Thank you very much, Master!" Shen Mo said solemnly.

With this intelligence, Li Xiaocao can be more targeted in refining pills and preparing medicines, and Shi Tie and the others can be more prepared on the arena.

"It's my duty, everyone, please don't stand on ceremony." Master Qingsong waved his hand.

The gathering lasted for nearly an hour. After agreeing on their contact methods and passwords, everyone took their leave. Shen Mo personally escorted them to the courtyard gate.

"Sect Leader Shen, please wait. We'll meet again at the grand assembly," came Fairy Ling Shuang's clear, cold voice.

"Please take care, everyone." Shen Mo bowed and saw them off.

Watching their figures disappear at the end of the path shrouded in spiritual mist, Shen Mo turned and returned to the courtyard. Zhao Qingyan and Su Xiao came to greet him.

"Sect Leader, it seems we are no longer isolated in the Southern Region," Zhao Qingyan said softly.

"Well, that's a good start." Shen Mo nodded. "At least, in the 'Small Universe Realm,' we don't have to worry about being stabbed in the back by our own people from the Southern Region."

Qingyan, quickly organize the information given by Master Qingsong and distribute it to Shitie and the others, especially Xiaocao, so that she can focus on studying those poisons and their antidotes.

"Yes, Sect Leader."

"Su Xiao, have you written down the contact information and code?"

"I've noted it down." Su Xiao nodded. "The contact person for the Xuanbing Pavilion is one of their junior sisters who is skilled in ice escape techniques, the contact person for the Baicao Sect is a disciple who is proficient in pharmacology, and the contact person for the Qingmu Temple is Zhou Tong himself. The code and contact method have all been confirmed."

"Okay." Shen Mo looked towards the main room, where the cups on the low table were still warm, and the aroma of tea had not yet dissipated.

This small gathering in the Southern Region can be considered as placing a small but solid piece in the intricate game of chess for the Qingyun Sect.

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