Fellow Daoist, I gladly accept this heaven-defying opportunity.

Xu Mofeng instantly understood that this Enlightenment Pill allowed him to personally immerse himself in the perspective of the original Moon-Slaying Blade Master and relive the desperate path the other party had taken during his seclusion.

Only by personally experiencing that despair can one truly understand the meaning of resolute determination.

"It's gone...everything is gone."

The storage ring was empty; the spirit stones and pills were completely used up, empty medicine bottles were scattered all over the ground, and the spirit stone fragments that had absorbed all the spiritual energy had piled up into a small hill.

However, the barrier of the Nascent Soul Realm remained as solid as a rock, showing no signs of weakening.

The pool reflected his white hair and withered face, his lifespan long since exhausted.

Overwhelming hatred and resentment instantly engulfed Xu Mofeng's mind.

He hated the injustice of fate, hated that a hundred years of arduous cultivation had come to nothing, hated that he would turn into withered bones in this unknown mountain cave, with no one even to collect his body.

Like a trapped beast, he grabbed his long sword and hacked wildly at the cave wall, venting the frustration that was stuck in his chest.

Even after chopping until he was exhausted, he could only sit on the ground with a bitter smile on his face.

Despair, resentment, and unwillingness... all sorts of emotions grew wildly in my heart like weeds, tormenting me to the point of madness.

Just as my emotions reached their peak, the illusion before my eyes shattered abruptly.

Xu Mofeng suddenly opened his eyes, still sitting cross-legged in his small house, the pill in his palm had long since turned into a handful of ashes.

Upon further introspection, he found that his absolute sword intent had indeed become more than twice as powerful.

Previously, he had only grasped about 10% of the sword intent; now, he has steadily entered the 20% realm.

Xu Mofeng's lips curled up slightly. If this got out, the entire outer sect would probably be in an uproar. Who would believe that someone at the Qi Refining Realm could comprehend 20% of the sword intent?

Suppressing his joy, he took out another pill, its color like solidified cream and its fragrance filling the air. This was a top-grade Human Rank Qi Cultivation Pill, a reward for his efforts.

Having explored the essence of the art, it's time to further refine one's cultivation.

He tilted his head back and swallowed the pill, and a surge of pure spiritual energy instantly exploded within his body.

Qi Refining stage cultivators cannot directly absorb the spiritual energy of spirit stones, but pills are the best supplements.

A massive amount of spiritual energy washed over his limbs and bones, tempering his body again and again, and his blood and qi surged rapidly.

Originally possessing the strength of 53,000 jin, it advanced triumphantly all the way.

Fifty-five thousand catties!

Fifty-six thousand catties!

Fifty-eight thousand catties!

Finally, his strength stabilized at exactly 60,000 jin, and his qi and blood were at their peak.

Qi Refining Level 10, Perfected!

One more step forward, and you'll reach the Foundation Establishment stage!

Xu Mofeng exhaled a long breath of stale air, and looking down, he saw a thick layer of blackish-gray impurities seeping from his body, emitting a foul stench.

Although he didn't break through to Foundation Establishment directly, this wave was equivalent to cleansing his marrow and tendons. He was now only a thin veil away from Foundation Establishment, and it would be easy to break through with a single poke.

"The winner of the selection will also receive a Qi Cultivation Pill as a reward. Once I get it, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage will be a natural outcome."

He got up and took a bath, feeling satisfied, washing away all the filth and feeling refreshed.

The results of the inner sect selection were officially posted the following day.

First place: Xu Mofeng; Second place: Liu Piaopiao; Third place: Mu Qianzhong.

When the list was released, the outer disciples who hadn't gone to watch the battle were completely dumbfounded.

Xu Mofeng? Who's that?

Where did they come from?

Why should I beat Liu Piaopiao and take first place?

Before everyone could even begin to wonder, the news that "Xu Mofeng, at the tenth level of Qi Refining, comprehended the sword intent and defeated Liu Piaopiao, at the second level of Foundation Establishment, spread like wildfire throughout the entire outer sect."

The entire clan was shaken!

With a gap of one major realm plus two minor realms, and his opponent being the invincible genius Liu Piaopiao of the same level, where exactly did this Xu Mofeng come from?

Overnight, Xu Mofeng's name resounded throughout the outer sect of the Biyou Sect, like a rising star, its brilliance unmatched.

At this moment, Xu Mofeng was standing in the reward hall with Liu Piaopiao and Mu Qianzhong.

The rewards for this selection are twofold: a jade bottle containing a Qi-Nourishing Pill, and a white jade token engraved with the words "Inner Sect," which serves as proof of entry into the Inner Sect.

"From this day forward, the three of you will be inner disciples of my Azure Nether Sect!"

As soon as the deacon finished speaking, three inner sect tokens engraved with dark cloud patterns fell smoothly into the palms of the three people.

The token felt slightly cool to the touch, yet it was quite heavy. With this token, the martial arts of the Scripture Pavilion, the sect's cultivation resources, and the exclusive benefits of the inner sect were all open to them.

According to the sect rules, each newly promoted inner disciple is entitled to choose a mid-grade human-level martial art once; with the additional reward for the top-ranked disciple, Xu Mofeng directly holds two selection rights: one mid-grade human-level martial art and one high-grade human-level martial art, allowing him to choose either one.

This treatment is exceptional, even among all previous new disciples.

As soon as the rewards were distributed, an inner sect deacon dressed in blue stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to the three, and said with a smile, "Junior brothers, please come with me to collect your inner sect allowances and then settle into your lodgings."

The three nodded in agreement and followed the blue-robed disciple toward the inner gate.

Just as they stepped through the stone archway of the inner sect's mountain gate, Liu Piaopiao suddenly stopped, turned her head sharply, and fixed her gaze on Xu Mofeng. Her voice carried a stubbornness: "Xu Mofeng, once you reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, I will fight you again!"

Before he finished speaking, he turned and left, his robe billowing in the wind.

Xu Mofeng was stunned for a moment, and didn't react for a long time.

Seeing that the blue-robed disciple made no attempt to stop her, Xu Mofeng couldn't help but ask, "Doesn't Liu Piaopiao need to receive her allowance and have her lodging arranged?"

The blue-robed disciple shook his head with a smile: "Junior Sister Liu has long been accepted as a personal disciple by Elder Bai of the inner sect. Once she enters the inner sect, she naturally lives and cultivates with the elder. The resources and cultivation techniques given by the elder are much more generous than the rations uniformly distributed by the sect."

As he spoke, he looked at Xu Mofeng, his tone carrying a hint of genuine flattery: "However, with Junior Brother Xu's talent, it won't be long before an elder from the sect comes to take you as a disciple. At that time, your treatment might not be any worse than Junior Sister Liu's."

This disciple in blue was one of the inner sect's selection stewards. He had personally witnessed Xu Mofeng defeating Liu Piaopiao across realms, and he was amazed by this newly promoted number one, so his attitude was naturally exceptionally warm.

Xu Mofeng smiled faintly upon hearing this, not taking it to heart.

Mu Qianzhong, standing nearby, listened with envy in his eyes and secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.

His talent is only above average, and he is older than both Xu and Liu. He was a prominent figure in the outer sect, but once he enters the inner sect, where there are many hidden talents, he will probably become just another ordinary person.

He had deliberately stayed in the outer sect for an extra year, hoping to win first place and acquire a high-grade human-level cultivation technique to pave the way for his future cultivation. Unfortunately, Xu Mofeng had firmly taken the top spot.

But Mu Qianzhong harbored no resentment towards him. Even without Xu Mofeng, he still couldn't beat Liu Piaopiao.

These two are simply freaks disguised as Qi Refining Realm cultivators!

The two followed the blue-robed disciple to the miscellaneous items hall, where they each received two sets of inner sect-exclusive blue robes, a mid-grade spirit stone, and a bottle of Qi-gathering pills to aid cultivation.

This is the monthly allowance for inner disciples. Just one mid-grade spirit stone is equivalent to one or two years' worth of offerings for outer disciples. The difference is obvious.

After receiving their allowances, the three set off for their lodgings.

Just as he stepped out of the miscellaneous hall, Xu Mofeng caught a glimpse of a pale blue spiritual light, about a foot high, rising from Mu Qianzhong's body.

He blinked imperceptibly, secretly pleased: He'd just entered the inner sect and already encountered such an opportunity? And a blue-grade one at that?

I glanced in the direction the light extended and found that it was on the same route as their next destination.

Xu Mofeng suppressed his thoughts and continued to walk forward unhurriedly with the blue-robed disciple, without showing any unusual expression on his face.

Before long, the disciple in blue led them to a detached house and said to Mu Qianzhong, "Junior Brother Mu, your residence is here."

Xu Mofeng could see clearly that the thread of opportunity on Mu Qianzhong's body ended right inside this small building.

His expression remained unchanged as he turned to the disciple in blue and asked, "Senior brother, is this small building newly built, or was it left behind by previous disciples?"

The disciple in blue replied, "It was the residence of the previous inner sect senior brother. That senior brother went out for trials and did not return for several years. His fate was unknown, and the residence had been vacant. So the sect cleaned it up and allocated it to the newly promoted disciples."

The path of martial arts is inherently perilous; a slight misstep can lead to certain death. Disciples who "disappear" like this are not uncommon, not only in the Biyou Sect but also in any sect throughout the entire cultivation world.

Xu Mofeng nodded in understanding, then turned to Mu Qianzhong, cupping his hands in a sincere gesture, and said, "Senior Brother Mu, I have a favor to ask. The layout of this small building is about 70% similar to the house where I grew up, and it feels very familiar. I wonder if Senior Brother could do me the favor and let us change our accommodations?"

Both the blue-robed disciple and Mu Qianzhong were stunned by these words.

The disciple in blue couldn't help but speak up: "Junior Brother Xu, your residence is much better than this. It's a small courtyard with a private garden, in a secluded location with few people to disturb you, making it perfect for secluded cultivation."

Xu Mofeng shook his head, his tone sincere: "Senior brother, you don't know this, cultivation is about having a peaceful state of mind. This little building suits my taste, and I feel comfortable living here. As for whether the place is good or bad, it's just a place to rest and cultivate, so it's not that important."

He then looked at Mu Qianzhong, his tone somewhat pleading: "I wonder if Senior Brother Mu could grant me this request?"

Mu Qianzhong hesitated for a moment, then readily nodded: "Since Junior Brother Xu has spoken, then I will exchange with you."

Xu Mofeng is exceptionally talented and his future is limitless. Opportunities to do him a favor are rare. Moreover, the blue-robed disciple just said that Xu Mofeng's residence is a separate courtyard, which is much better than this small building.

It's a win-win situation: you get the benefits and befriend a genius at the same time. Why wouldn't you agree?

Seeing this, the disciple in blue could only shake his head helplessly and said, "If you are not comfortable staying here later, Junior Brother Xu, come to me anytime and I will help you change your accommodation."

"Thank you for your understanding, senior brother."

Xu Mofeng bowed and watched the two leave. He then turned and went into the small building. If he kept pretending, he would soon be unable to suppress the smile on his face.