"Scrolls on alchemy and talisman forging?" Cao Ren listened and readily nodded. "My father's house seems to have some. If you need them, I'll find them for you once our shift is over."
Although Cao Ren's father, Cao Shanyue, did not pay particular attention to his son's cultivation, his family possessed a plentiful collection, including various elixir recipes and talisman scrolls.
However, the items collected by Cao Shanyue were basically unranked.
But for a novice like Shen Mo, it was enough.
"Then it's settled," Shen Mo confirmed.
"Alright," Cao Ren nodded.
After their discussion, they began to diligently guard the mountain gate.
Compared to other tasks in the Riverside Sect, guarding the mountain gate was a job that wasn't dangerous, but it was extremely idle and boring. The daily workload was minimal. Apart from greeting and verifying the identities of disciples entering or exiting the mountain gate, there was basically nothing else to do. This was unlike some disciples assigned to guard the Spirit Fields and cultivate spiritual medicine, who were busy from dawn till dusk, constantly worried that the spiritual seeds in the fields wouldn't grow well or that some mishap might occur.
As for guarding the mountain gate, there were rarely any significant consequences. Unless one encountered a rival sect seeking revenge—a once-in-a-century occurrence—even laziness or negligence that allowed a few unauthorized individuals to enter would likely pass unnoticed.
The two guarded until midday.
Cao Ren called out to Shen Mo, "You watch for a bit, I'm going to cook."
"Okay, go ahead." Shen Mo nodded, watching him leave.
When guarding the mountain gate, no one from the Riverside Sect would bring them food. If they wanted to eat, they either had to cook for themselves or buy food from the dedicated Dining Room within the mountain gate. However, although the food from the Dining Room tasted good, it was quite pricey. Usually, only inner disciples who weren't short of money could afford to eat there. Peripheral disciples like Shen Mo and Cao Ren, however, preferred to save any spare money from their daily expenses for cultivation. Naturally, they chose to cook for themselves.
Come to think of it, providing food and drink in the sect is a good business, Shen Mo mused, pondering silently. If he replicated the food delivery business model from Earth here, he might make a killing in the Riverside Sect, earning a fortune. If so, he wouldn't need to worry about not having enough money to support his cultivation.
However, this idea was quickly dismissed by Shen Mo.
After all, this is the cultivation world, not like Earth where everyone is a law-abiding citizen. Not to mention, the lucrative food business was already monopolized by the Dining Room. Trying to steal their business would likely invite retaliation. Even if the people from the Dining Room didn't bother him, when delivering orders, if he encountered sect disciples who refused to pay, he would be tormented half to death. Doing business requires an environment where rules are respected. Transmigrating to another world and thinking one could casually use knowledge and wisdom from a past life to achieve great success here was basically wishful thinking, unless one had absolute strength as a backing. But with that kind of strength, who would bother with such a livelihood?
"I'm back!" Just as Shen Mo was lost in these thoughts, Cao Ren returned, carrying the cooked food.
"It smells so good!"
Shen Mo turned around and was met with a strong fragrance that stimulated his appetite.
"Is this spiritual rice?" He looked somewhat bewildered at the clear, white rice in the pot. He then glanced at two large deer legs placed on the rice. "This is... meat from a demonic beast? The Red-browed Deer?"
"Correct. You've got a good eye."
"You're being quite extravagant today, actually willing to cook spiritual rice and eat demonic beast meat!"
This spiritual rice was not ordinary rice. It was specially cultivated by cultivators using specific grain varieties. Consuming it could enhance one's Vitality and consolidate their foundation.
And the meat of a demonic beast was even more noteworthy. To cultivators, every part of a demonic beast was a treasure. Apart from the most precious Demon Core and certain special parts that could be crafted into artifacts, its flesh and blood were also incredibly valuable. Long-term consumption was highly beneficial for cultivation.
However, these items were rare delicacies; even inner disciples couldn't afford to eat them daily, let alone a peripheral disciple like Cao Ren.
"My father sent them to me," Cao Ren explained. "He saw that my cultivation was approaching Body Tempering Perfection, and I was at the critical point of touching the Realm's bottleneck. Therefore, he specifically instructed me to eat well to break through sooner."
"Doesn't your father usually pay no mind to your cultivation?" Shen Mo casually asked.
"He manages it in his spare time!" Cao Ren laughed. "Today, since you promised me a Qi Gathering Pill, I'll treat you to this meal."
With Cao Ren being so generous, Shen Mo naturally wouldn't stand on ceremony.
So, the two sat in the pavilion by the mountain gate and began to feast heartily.
"This is delicious~"
The spiritual rice was sweet upon entering the mouth, its aftertaste lingering pleasantly. He then grabbed a leg of the Red-browed Deer and tore off a large piece of meat. The rice and roasted meat together in his stomach brought an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
After devouring the meal, they were finally full and satisfied.
Shen Mo patted his belly, feeling comfortable at last.
"I'm so sick of this daily gatekeeping life."
Cao Ren finished his last mouthful of rice, grumbling, "Peripheral disciples are truly unloved and uncared for. To have any real future, you have to enter the Inner Door."
His words were indeed true. To put it nicely, peripheral disciples of the Riverside Sect were considered Registered Disciples. To put it bluntly, they were hardly different from menial laborers. The threshold to become a peripheral disciple of the Riverside Sect wasn't high. Ordinary mortal children, provided they possessed some aptitude for cultivation, could find the mountain gate and register. But precisely because of this, the Riverside Sect didn't truly regard these individuals as sect disciples, treating them more like free labor. Various sect disciple benefits and monthly stipends were not for them. If they wanted to earn any monthly allowance for their cultivation, they had to undertake various arduous tasks for the sect.
Furthermore, peripheral disciples were barred from important sect locations such as the Magic Tower, Forge Hall, Spiritual Qi Pool, and Martial Arts Stage.
To escape this situation, their only way was to enter the Inner Door, have their names truly recorded on the Riverside Sect's disciple roster, and obtain an Identity Token.
The Riverside Sect's requirement for accepting inner disciples was a breakthrough to the Qi Gathering Realm.
"Fortunately, my suffering is almost over."
Cao Ren then glanced at Shen Mo, deriving a sense of satisfaction from the comparison. After all, there were many peripheral disciples like Shen Mo who, after years of cultivation with no progress, planned to leave the sect dejectedly. Although he had struggled for many years, he was patient; at least he still had a chance for promotion sooner or later.
From the look in Cao Ren's eyes, Shen Mo could guess what he was thinking. However, he wasn't concerned with how Cao Ren viewed him. Hearing Cao Ren's complaints simply prompted him to reflect internally as well, contemplating his own plans for future sect advancement and his path of cultivation.
After awakening the Destiny Panel, Shen Mo no longer had any thoughts of leaving. Instead, he believed his cultivation path still had a chance to be salvaged.