Plant VS Cultivation

Chapter 9: The True Understanding of the Corpse Ghost

Three days after the attack, the sect's Disciplinary Hall disciples apprehended the assailant. The culprit was also an errand disciple, but unlike the new recruits, he had joined the sect several years ago and had already reached the Qi Refining stage.

Among this year's errand disciples, Fan Shaoming was the first to step into Qi Refining. Now, he was undoubtedly the strongest among his peers, leaving no one daring to target him.

Once caught, the assailant was immediately stripped of his cultivation and expelled from the sect. Errand disciples already possessed the lowest-grade spiritual roots, and having his cultivation destroyed meant he would never have another chance to practice again.

As for Fan Shaoming, he reclaimed his lost opportunity. However, this time, he directly offered the artifact to an Outer Sect steward, gaining that steward's favor along with some healing pills.

Although he lost a treasure he couldn't control, he gained the protection of a steward, which could be considered a blessing in disguise. With a steward backing him, Fan Shaoming's future would certainly be brighter than that of other errand disciples.

This incident left different impressions on the errand disciples. Some marveled at the sect's swift and strict enforcement of the law, feeling reassured about their safety. Others envied Fan Shaoming's stroke of fortune.

As for Gu Mo, he felt a strong sense of caution—because he, too, had an opportunity, one even greater than Fan Shaoming's artifact.

If the existence of the Solar Flower was exposed, would he also be attacked? The answer was almost certainly yes.

"It seems I need to keep a lower profile." Gu Mo took a deep breath. Fan Shaoming had been exposed because he was too conspicuous—his trash-grade spiritual root allowed him to cultivate at a speed rivaling a mid-grade spiritual root, a clear sign that something was amiss.

Thus, Gu Mo decided to slow his cultivation. Originally, he could reach the Qi Refining stage in just three months, but now he intended to delay that timeline.

Previously, he refined one portion of Solar Essence daily. Now, he planned to do so every two days, making his cultivation speed appear normal for someone with a poor spiritual root. The extra Solar Essence would be used to dispel the black mist in his mysterious space.

Gu Mo had high hopes for the black mist space, but his priority had been reaching Qi Refining as soon as possible, so he had put off exploring it.

Now that his cultivation needed to slow down, he could finally investigate the space. If he could find more Solar Flower seeds, it would be a massive gain.

Time Flows in Cultivation

Time passed quickly as Gu Mo focused on his training—specifically, his rigorous practice of the Cleansing Technique. As for his cultivation, he only spent a few breaths every two days absorbing a portion of Solar Essence.

Through relentless practice, Gu Mo felt himself inching closer to mastery of the Cleansing Technique.

"Boss Yao won't be joining us today. He's preparing for his breakthrough to the Qi Refining stage."

A month later, when the group gathered again, Yao Shifeng was absent. He was fully focused on advancing to Qi Refining.

Without Yao Shifeng, they briefly discussed recent events before going their separate ways. Their next gathering would depend on when Yao Shifeng completed his breakthrough.

An Unexpected Question

"Gu Mo!"

As Gu Mo was about to head back to cultivate, Chu Feifei called out to him.

"I have some questions about the Cleansing Technique. Could you guide me again?"

A month ago, thanks to Gu Mo's guidance, Chu Feifei had finally mastered the Cleansing Technique. She was thrilled—being able to keep herself clean at all times was invaluable for a female cultivator.

However, after using the technique, she noticed something strange: her cultivation speed would slightly increase each time.

This puzzled her. She had cast the Cleansing Technique exactly as instructed, yet she didn't recall it having any effect on cultivation speed.

Determined to uncover the reason, Chu Feifei sought Gu Mo's help again. After all, it was his guidance that had allowed her to master the spell in the first place.

"Of course!"

Gu Mo nodded. He had no reason to hide his talent for spell comprehension. In fact, displaying a bit of his talent could be beneficial.

For example, by helping Chu Feifei now, he might gain her assistance in the future when he faced difficulties.

Listening to Gu Mo's explanation, Chu Feifei gained many new insights and was impressed by his deep understanding of the Cleansing Technique.

However, his explanation did not solve her core question—why the spell seemed to enhance her cultivation speed.

After some hesitation, she chose not to mention her doubts. Their relationship wasn't yet strong enough to share such secrets.

As Chu Feifei left with a thoughtful expression, Gu Mo was slightly confused.

"Was my explanation too difficult to understand?"

He reviewed what he had said but ultimately shook his head. He had shared all his insights—it was up to her to comprehend them.

An Ominous Gift

"Hmm?"

Upon returning to his small room, Gu Mo's eyes narrowed. Someone had entered during his absence.

He was sure of it—because a booklet now sat on his desk.

"The True Understanding of the Corpse Ghost?"

Gu Mo picked up the booklet, and the title made his heart race.

It was a cultivation method. Not just any method, but an evil cultivation technique.

"Persistent as a lingering ghost, huh?"

Flipping through it, Gu Mo quickly grasped its nature—it was a body-refining technique with no spiritual root requirement and exceptionally fast progress. The only drawback? It required devouring the blood and flesh of cultivators.

This, combined with the soul-devouring Refining God Technique he had obtained earlier, truly ensured that nothing went to waste—one method consumed flesh, the other devoured souls.

It was clear that whoever had sent him the Refining God Technique had now sent him this as well.

More importantly, this meant that someone had not forgotten about him—a mere errand disciple—and had even thoughtfully provided him with an advanced cultivation method.

What was their goal? Were there others within Qinglu Sect who had received similar techniques?

Countless questions surfaced in Gu Mo's mind.

But he quickly suppressed them. At his current level, he had no way of investigating the matter. He didn't even dare report it to the sect.

His only choice was to not cultivate these evil techniques. As long as he didn't fall into their trap, he wouldn't be coerced.

After all, those evil cultivators likely wouldn't dare act openly within Qinglu Sect—they could only operate in the shadows.

Tossing the True Understanding of the Corpse Ghost into the black mist space, Gu Mo carefully searched his room for any hidden traps or traces.

At the same time, he felt relieved that he always stored the Solar Flower in the black mist space before leaving. If someone had found it, things could have gotten truly dangerous.

After ensuring his room was clean, Gu Mo resumed his daily cultivation.

No matter what schemes his unknown benefactors had, the best way to handle it was to increase his own strength.

Slow but Steady Progress

Time continued to pass. Gu Mo maintained his steady pace—absorbing one Solar Essence every two days while using the excess to dispel the black mist.

Both tasks required little time, leaving him with ample opportunity to focus on mastering the Cleansing Technique.

He could feel it—he was close to reaching perfection in the spell.