Mortal: I can unlock the card pool by becoming an apprentice to him.

After leaving Yan Ruyan's residence, Lin Mo resumed his arduous cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, another half month has passed.

"call."

Inside the room, Lin Mo slowly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

In front of him, several empty small porcelain bottles were scattered haphazardly. Pills that were extremely rare for Qi Refining disciples were like free candies to him.

Looking at the empty medicine bottle, Lin Mo couldn't help but show a satisfied expression.

"Twelve levels of Qi Refining. At this rate, it won't be long before I can consider matters related to Foundation Establishment."

He slowly got up, feeling the increasingly condensed and profound spiritual energy within his body, and Lin Mo pushed open the door and walked out.

Today was the day he was on duty, because Yu Jingyan was going into seclusion to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, so a new disciple filled the "gap" for Yu Jingyan.

"Senior Brother Lin."

Outside the door, a slender figure stood quietly beside the stone steps, clearly having been waiting for some time.

Lin Mo looked up and saw that his new partner was a girl whose eyebrows and eyes had not yet opened.

The girl was still young, only sixteen or seventeen years old, with a round and youthful face, and her eyebrows and eyes still had a touch of childishness.

Noticing that the other party's cultivation level was only at the ninth level of Qi Refining, Lin Mo couldn't help but suspect that this person, like himself, had probably obtained the status of a disciple of Si Que through some kind of connection.

The larger the sect, the more common such incidents become.

Lin Mo didn't find anything strange. He didn't say anything, raised his hand and summoned the Wind-Concealing Gourd, then stepped onto it.

Seeing this, the girl quickly followed suit and took out a thin, standard-sized jade leaf magic artifact from her storage bag.

When did you join the sect?

Seeing her flustered state, Lin Mo subconsciously asked a question.

"Replying to Senior Brother, last month."

The girl paused for a moment, then introduced herself confidently: "My name is Su Jiutong, from the Su family of Fangnan Mountain. I am honored by the sect's arrangement to take over Senior Sister Yu's position. I hope Senior Brother will take good care of me in the future."

"Last month... I see."

Lin Mo automatically filtered out the second half of the other person's sentence, a knowing glint in his eyes.

Although he usually stayed at home and cultivated diligently, he knew that last month was the day when the Hidden Moon Sect opened its gates to recruit new disciples once every ten years.

Among these newly joined disciples, some have family backgrounds and intricate connections with the Golden Core elders within the sect. Presumably, the young girl before them is one of them.

"Alright, come on up and ride with me."

Considering the complicated situation after descending the mountain, and that he didn't have the extra energy to constantly look after the other person, Lin Mo simply invited him to come up and stay by his side.

As soon as he finished speaking, his mind stirred slightly, and the Wind-Gathering Gourd beneath his feet flashed with spiritual light. Then, the round gourd body slowly widened, and the space on it suddenly increased to the size of two people.

"Thank you so much for your consideration, Senior Brother Lin."

Upon hearing the sound, the young girl Su Jiutong suddenly looked up, then quickly withdrew her spiritual power and put the swaying jade leaf back into her storage bag.

Lin Mo silently turned around, and the gourd under his feet slid silently toward the mountain gate.

"What? Do I have flowers growing on my face?"

A gentle breeze blew, and the Wind-Gathering Gourd steadily rode the wind.

As Lin Mo watched the Hidden Moon Sect's mountain gate grow smaller and smaller in his line of sight, he suddenly asked a question.

Su Jiutong was suddenly exposed, but she was not embarrassed or shy at all. Instead, she raised her eyebrows and answered with a cheerful smile, "I dare not hide it from you, senior brother. Ever since I came up the mountain, I have often heard people talk about your great name. Today, I see that it is indeed as others have said."

Her tone was light and frank, even revealing an indescribable straightforwardness.

"Oh? What do you mean by 'the same as what others say'?"

Lin Mo gazed at the rolling, vast mountains and forests ahead, and said calmly.

"Of course it is..."

Su Jiutong paused for a moment, her dark eyes darted around, then she smiled brightly, her eyebrows curving upwards.

"Senior Brother Lin is meticulous in his work and prioritizes the interests of the sect. He is truly a role model for all disciples of Sique."

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo smiled slightly.

When Su Jiutong saw Lin Mo chuckle, she assumed he was very pleased with his words, so she became bolder and her eyebrows curved even more. Just as she was about to speak again, she heard Lin Mo say calmly, "No need for flattery."

Su Jiu's fairytale voice suddenly caught in her throat. She paused slightly, and the smile on her face faded a little.

It turns out that this Senior Brother Lin wasn't the kind of person who liked to hear flattery.

She immediately shut her mouth and dared not say another word, standing quietly to the side of the gourd.

Nothing unexpected happened during the errand.

Following Yu Jingyan's example, Lin Mo arranged for the girl to observe quietly from the side.

About two days later, the two returned to the clan via the same route.

Upon entering the mountain gate, Lin Mo went alone to hand over the spirit stones, while the girl obediently stood outside the hall to wait.

After Lin Mo came out and settled the date for his next business trip, the two exchanged a few words and then parted ways.

As Lin Mo's gourd disappeared from sight, the girl raised her hand to tidy the hair that had been ruffled by the wind at her temples. Then, with a light flick of her jade fingers, she summoned an exquisite silver-patterned flying shuttle magic artifact from her storage bag. With a graceful leap, she slowly landed on it.

The next moment, a spiritual light shone on the shuttle, transforming into a thin beam that cut through the mountain wind and flew towards the main peak.

In front of an elegant and secluded carved pavilion, the shuttle slowly hovered and landed.

Su Jiutong lightly touched the ground with her toes and gracefully leaped off the flying shuttle. Then, a flash of light appeared at her fingertips as she put the magical artifact back into her storage bag. She straightened her clothes and stepped into the courtyard, her light and cheerful demeanor showing no trace of the restraint she had shown when she was following Lin Mo.

The courtyard was originally protected by some kind of highly sophisticated restriction, but before Su Jiutong could activate the token at his waist, the surrounding spiritual light rippled out like water, yielding gently as if it were a living thing, and then automatically split open a clear path.

"Aunt Wan."

The courtyard was shaded by green bamboo and overgrown with fragrant herbs. A girl, as beautiful as an elf, sat idly by a stone table in the courtyard.

The young girl's face was as beautiful as a painting. She held an ancient book in her delicate hands, her fingertips gently twirling the pages as she read quietly with her eyes lowered. Her whole being was calm and peaceful, as if she were living a life of tranquility.

Upon seeing this, Su Jiutong immediately put on a sweet smile and walked forward with light steps.

"I knew you were coming. So, are you satisfied with this job?"

The elven girl beside the stone table slowly closed the book and looked at Su Jiutong.

"This job is certainly a good one."

Su Jiutong walked quickly to the girl's side, instantly relaxing and speaking in a light and casual tone.

"At least it's much more comfortable than being with my mother. I can also stroll around the market to relax without anyone saying anything. This is a truly comfortable life."

Upon hearing this, the elfin-like girl frowned slightly, feigning reproach, and raised her hand as if to strike.

"Did your mother arrange for you to join the sect so that you could just wander around and have fun? I'll give you two years. If you can't reach the Foundation Establishment stage, I'll find you a decent-looking Daoist partner in the sect as soon as possible, so you won't be lazy and playful all day long."

Upon hearing this, Su Jiutong's face immediately scrunched up in a bitter expression.

"No, Aunt Wan, you're the best."

She immediately begged for mercy.