Chapter 114: Do You Enjoy Life Here?

Feeling the remaining spiritual energy in his body, Lin Xiao clicked his tongue in amazement. Extracting just a few hundred spirit stones had consumed nearly one-tenth of his spiritual power! This meant that even if he worked tirelessly, at most, he could only extract about five thousand spirit stones before completely depleting his energy. And once his energy was spent, he'd need to meditate for quite some time to recover.

Being a miner truly wasn't easy.

Realizing this, Lin Xiao understood that in order to mine more spirit stones in the future, especially in urgent situations, he needed to focus more on his cultivation.

With a few hundred spirit stones in his possession, Lin Xiao left the mine and used his Skywalking Technique to ascend from the valley.

Outside, dusk was settling, and the sky was gradually darkening.

As he approached the mountain path to return home, Lin Xiao noticed Mo Yuanjiao and his guard Mo Que walking toward him.

Seeing him, Mo Yuanjiao's eyes lit up, and he hurried forward.

"Hey! Brother, so this really is your sect!"

Momentarily unsure of what to say, Lin Xiao simply nodded and then asked, "What are you two up to?"

Mo Yuanjiao proudly slung an arm around his shoulders and said, "Well, I've become a disciple under the father of our sect's master. From now on, we're fellow sect members! If you ever need help, just come to me. See that place?" He pointed in the direction of Guiyuan Mountain Residence.

"My master arranged for me and Lao Que to stay there. If you ever need to find me, just head there. I'm in the second room on the left on the second floor!"

Lin Xiao followed his gesture and, seeing where he pointed, understood. It seemed his father had given them his own living quarters.

Nodding in acknowledgment, Lin Xiao asked, "And what about you now?"

Mo Yuanjiao leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "Brother, tell me honestly, are the villagers down there all high-level cultivators in disguise, living here to experience the simple life?"

Hearing this, Lin Xiao couldn't help but smile wryly. This guy had quite the imagination.

He quickly shook his head to dispel the misconception. "No, they're all ordinary people. Don't spread such rumors."

Mo Yuanjiao looked a bit crestfallen. "I see. I thought they might all be reclusive experts. But I guess true reclusive cultivators like my master wouldn't be so numerous."

Lin Xiao silently observed him. Despite helping his father with farm work every day, Mo Yuanjiao had already reached the first level of Qi Refining, a testament to his exceptional talent.

Unable to resist, Lin Xiao asked, "Now that you're at the first level of Qi Refining, what do you think of your master's cultivation level?"

Mo Yuanjiao's face lit up with excitement. "Let me tell you, my master not only disguises himself as a mortal, but he also hides his cultivation so well that he only reveals traces of it as if he's at the first level of Qi Refining. I believe his true cultivation is far beyond what we can perceive!"

Lin Xiao could only shake his head in disbelief. This young man was beyond saving—his imagination had run wild. It was probably best not to shatter his illusions and ruin his romanticized view of the world.

With a slight smile, Lin Xiao said, "I have some things to take care of, so I'll be off now. You two take care and enjoy your stay."

Without waiting for a response, Lin Xiao quickly made his escape.

Watching his friend disappear into the distance, Mo Yuanjiao sighed. "When will I ever reach that kind of speed?"

Meanwhile, Mo Que, who had been quietly standing behind him, spoke up. "Young master, I'm going hunting."

Mo Yuanjiao nodded. "Go ahead, but be careful not to harm Xiaoluan's chicken disciples."

That evening, Mo Yuanjiao and Mo Que sat in their quarters, eating dinner. The meal consisted of wild game hunted by Mo Que, and rice provided by Mo Yuanjiao's storage pouch from home.

As Mo Que ate, he glanced at his young master, who was enthusiastically devouring his food just like Lin Dayou. After pondering the past few days, Mo Que finally asked, "Young master, do you enjoy life here?"

Mo Yuanjiao, mid-bite, was caught off guard by the question. He nodded enthusiastically. "I love it here! It's so much more liberating than life in the capital! Every day, I follow my master's lead, working from sunrise to sunset, cultivating and experiencing the essence of life. The people here are all genuine and down-to-earth. This life suits me perfectly!"

He added with a gleam in his eye, "And look at this—on my second day here, I broke through to the first level of Qi Refining! Have you ever heard of anyone in the Three Great Sects advancing this quickly? Not to mention the rigid rules they impose."

Mo Que silently agreed. The Three Great Sects required new disciples to do menial tasks for a month as part of a "character test." Only after passing could they begin cultivating.

Even without that rule, it was unheard of for a disciple to reach the first level of Qi Refining within two days of joining.

Seeing Mo Yuanjiao so content with his life here, Mo Que simply nodded and said, "That's good."

As long as the young master was happy, Mo Que would continue to stand by his side.

He then followed his young master's example and started eating his meal with gusto.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao returned home and found his father in the courtyard, trying to use a Dust Removal Technique on a pile of farming tools.

Unfortunately, it wasn't going well.

Lin Dayou looked at his hand, perplexed. "Why isn't this working? I could've sworn it worked last time..."

"Father!"

Lin Xiao's sudden call startled him. Looking up, Lin Dayou scolded, "You rascal, don't sneak up on me like that! Nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Lin Xiao chuckled as he ran over to examine the tools on the ground. "What are you up to, Father? Still having trouble with that Dust Removal Technique?"