"My Zhao Family has recently suffered a great disaster, and at this moment, we have no spare funds to reward you, Immortal Master."
"In the Spirit Field, there are still over a hundred immature Red Fruits. When they mature, my Zhao Family will have them personally delivered to the Riverside Sect and present them all to you, Immortal Master, as remuneration!"
"Patriarch Zhao, there's no need for such courtesy. I've gained a considerable amount from this trip; I've already taken what I deserve."
A hundred Red Fruits, at market price, could sell for one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones.
For Shen Mo, who required a vast amount of cultivation resources, this was a huge sum.
However, he did not accept this payment.
Shen Mo believed that by taking the Purple Sun Red Fruit, he had already gained a significant advantage from the Zhao Family. One should not be too greedy. While he wouldn't consider himself a great saint, he still had his principles. There were things he would do and things he wouldn't. He would only accept the portion of the reward he felt he had earned.
「Riverside Sect, Outer Disciple's Subsidiary Courtyard.」
Upon his return, Shen Mo immediately showed the Purple Sun Red Fruit to Chen An for examination and authentication.
"Hmm, not bad."
"It's exactly as recorded in the Manuals. This is undoubtedly the Purple Sun Red Fruit."
Chen An scrutinized it for a long while before carefully handing the Purple Sun Red Fruit back to him. "You've stumbled upon a massive opportunity this time!"
"With this fruit, as long as you diligently prepare by tempering your physique and Vitality before breaking through to the Qi Gathering Realm, there's an extremely high probability that you'll condense two Dantians during your breakthrough."
"At that point, even among the inner disciples, you would be considered a prodigy."
Having two Dantians at the Qi Gathering Realm meant that as long as he didn't perish prematurely, he had a high chance of reaching the Spirit Sea Realm in his lifetime. If everything truly went smoothly, this young man's future accomplishments would far surpass those of Chen An, who had spent half his life as an Outer Deacon in the Riverside Sect. For this, Chen An felt happy for him, yet he couldn't help but feel a twinge of wistfulness and envy. Truly, if it was in one's Fate, one would eventually have it. He thought back to when he was in the Body Tempering Realm. If he had possessed such a miraculous fruit to help him condense two Dantians, his cultivation journey over the past decades would undoubtedly have been much smoother. Perhaps he would have become an Elder of the Riverside Sect by now, a distinguished figure. If that were the case, he wouldn't have to risk his life in forbidden areas at his age, seeking a slim chance for a breakthrough.
"Uncle Chen, rest assured. If, by some fortune, I manage to reach the higher echelons of the cultivation path one day, I will never forget your support," Shen Mo said sincerely.
When one person ascends to heaven, even their chickens and dogs are uplifted. This kid still had some conscience. Chen An was silently moved by this. He hadn't misjudged this person all these years.
Still, he couldn't resist chiding, "Let's talk about that if the day ever comes. Your current cultivation is merely at the Body Tempering Realm; you're just a grunt at the bottom of the cultivation world. Don't get complacent just because you've had a bit of luck."
After his admonishment, he couldn't help but add, "This fruit isn't mature yet. It still needs sunlight, rain, and nourishment from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It cannot be kept in a Universe Bag for long."
"Take it home, find a secluded place, and hide it carefully. Remember, it absolutely must not be discovered by anyone!"
Chen An regarded Shen Mo as his own son and naturally harbored no covetous thoughts over Shen Mo's good fortune.
But if others were to see such a rare Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure in the hands of an outer disciple with no background, they might not be so gracious.
It was like a three-year-old child walking through a bustling market clutching gold; attracting attention would inevitably lead to trouble.
Even fellow sect disciples might not be able to resist the temptation.
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind," Shen Mo nodded.
In fact, he had always been cautious. Even if Chen An hadn't mentioned it, he would have found a way to conceal the aura of the Purple Sun Spirit Fruit.
That night, Shen Mo cooked a meal and invited Chen An to join him.
The main ingredient was the back meat of the Double-headed Silver Ring Python.
Under the bombardment of his twenty Li Fire Talismans, the creature had been almost charred.
Only about a dozen pounds of tender meat, located more than three inches beneath its scorched hide, remained unaffected by the intense flames and was edible.
Adhering to the principle of not letting anything go to waste, he had packed this meat into his Universe Bag and brought it back.
"Your cooking skills are impressive, almost on par with the Spirit Chefs in the sect," Chen An praised generously after devouring the python meat like a whirlwind.
"It's just passable." Shen Mo himself didn't rate it so highly. Although the fresh meat from the underbelly of the Double-headed Silver Ring Python was quite tasty, it still felt a bit bland since there wasn't much seasoning. He suddenly missed the barbecues from his previous life. In this world, gourmet food wasn't very common, or at least that was Shen Mo's experience so far. Low-level cultivators lived precarious lives. Except for those who specialized as Spirit Chefs, most had no inclination to delve into culinary arts. And those powerful cultivators could already practice Fasting and seldom cooked. Cultivators at the Qi Gathering Realm still needed to eat once every three days, but upon reaching the Spirit Sea Realm, they could truly practice Fasting, subsisting on mere wind and dew. Naturally, the variety and refinement of flavors were a far cry from the sophisticated cuisine of the industrialized society of Shen Mo's previous life.
"Mom, Dad, how are you..." His thoughts were quite erratic. He had started by comparing the cuisines of the two worlds, but then his thoughts drifted to his parents in that other world, and a wave of melancholy washed over him. In his memory, the people and events of his previous life were gradually becoming blurred. Initially, when he had just transmigrated here, he would think of them every day. Now, he could barely recall what his parents looked like.
"It's strange," he thought. "I've only been here for three months. Why do my memories feel as distant as if from a past life...?"
With such chaotic thoughts, he lost his appetite. Swallowing a piece of snake meat, he murmured to himself, "I'll go to the Market tomorrow, see if I can find some spices, and make some barbecue... It'd be a small comfort, a way to soothe this homesickness."
"Hey, what's bothering you? You suddenly look so down," Chen An's voice broke into Shen Mo's ruminations.
He snapped back to the present. Noticing Uncle Chen staring at him, he quickly deflected, "I was just wondering when I'll be able to enter the Inner Door."
"This place, compared to the cave mansions of the inner disciples, is really too humble."
The area where the Riverside Sect's outer disciples resided was located in a corner on the westernmost side of Linjiang Mountain.
Here, the sect had specially constructed a dense complex of buildings to house them.
Although these outer disciples each had an independent house, the dwellings were small and cramped, far inferior to the cave mansions of the inner disciples.
Shen Mo had visited Uncle Chen's cave mansion and had been envious of it for a long time.
That cave mansion was a full fifteen zhang square.
The pavilions and terraces within the cave mansion were not only constructed with red pillars and carved rafters, jade foundations, and ornate railings. Around its exterior, there was even a small Spirit Field where one could freely plant spiritual medicines and Spirit Fruits. The cliff edge was suitable for Alchemy and talisman making; it was extremely spacious, and the scenery was tranquil and beautiful.
Most importantly, the cave mansions of the inner disciples were all built within the Spirit Vein area of the Riverside Sect.
The Spiritual Qi there was abundant, and cultivating there yielded twice the results with half the effort.
In short, compared to the living environment of the outer disciples, it was like the difference between heaven and earth.
"No need for you to be envious," Chen An chuckled, shaking his head. "Given your momentum, even if you slow down a bit, you should be able to advance to the Inner Door within a year and a half."
"By then, you'll be able to choose a cave mansion to live in."