Chapter 209: Recruitment

"Senior Disciple Brother Chen." On the arena, Zhuo Ming respectfully bowed to Chen Mo Bai.

"I didn't expect my first-round opponent to be Junior Disciple Sister Zhuo. It's been a long time since we last met." This young woman, who had joined the Divine Wood Sect with him from Nanxi Market, had lost contact with him after they left the New Bud Hall. To meet again today in the sect's grand competition, with thousands of participants, was truly a stroke of fate.

"I hope Senior Disciple Brother Chen will bravely advance and become a True Disciple in this grand competition." Zhuo Ming knew she was no match for Chen Mo Bai. After stepping onto the arena, she didn't waste her talismans or spiritual energy. She offered a polite well-wish and then immediately raised her hand to concede.

"Junior Disciple Sister, it's been two years since we last met. Since fate has brought us together, let's have a drink." After descending from the arena, Chen Mo Bai invited Zhuo Ming. Hearing this, she immediately brightened and came over.

Due to his excellent performance in last year's competition, Chen Mo Bai had gained considerable renown throughout the Divine Wood Sect. Many believed he was likely to become one of the True Disciples when the next batch of Jade Marrow Golden Ganoderma matured. Zhuo Ming, in particular, was most confident in Chen Mo Bai becoming a True Disciple. After all, back in Nanxi Market, Yuan Chiye had determined he possessed the top-tier True Spiritual Root.

"Senior Disciple Brother Chen, long time no see." Unexpectedly, before the two could even sit down, another acquaintance approached to greet them. It was Liu Wenbo, another three-spirit-root genius from Nanxi Market.

"Oh, it's you. Since you're here, let's have a drink together." The three of them settled into a tavern overlooking part of the arena and began recounting their experiences in the Divine Wood Sect over the past two years.

Among them, Zhuo Ming's journey was the simplest. Her cultivation of the Everlasting Scripture was quite difficult, and she had only just barely reached the sixth level of Qi Cultivation. She worked as an apprentice in a talisman shop in Divine Wood City, run by a disciple from the Talisman Creation Department who was also a first-tier talisman master. However, Zhuo Ming hadn't learned much. The shop owner was highly protective of his talisman-making techniques, only allowing her to handle tasks related to preparing talisman paper and ink.

"My aptitude is quite ordinary. If I want to reach the ninth level of Qi Cultivation before the age of sixty, I might have to join the team exploring Cloud Dream Marsh." After saying this, Zhuo Ming's expression turned bitter. Participating in the sect's grand competition was, in reality, a stage for her to showcase herself. She had even saved two high-grade first-tier talismans, hoping to win the first round and then find an opportunity to sell her services for a good price. To her dismay, her luck was so bad that she encountered Chen Mo Bai, a True Disciple candidate, in the very first round, which instantly robbed her of any courage to even try.

"That truly is a bit unfortunate." After hearing Zhuo Ming's narration, Chen Mo Bai couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. If he hadn't had the opportunity with the turtle shell, he probably wouldn't have fared much better than Zhuo Ming within the Divine Wood Sect.

"What about Junior Disciple Brother Liu? Didn't you follow Yuan Chiye to explore Cloud Dream Marsh?"

"Sigh, I've had several close calls with death, and most of the junior disciples who followed me perished. Although, I suppose I've glimpsed a sliver of hope for the future." As Liu Wenbo spoke, he didn't conceal his cultivation, which had surprisingly reached the eighth level of Qi Cultivation. Chen Mo Bai observed him closely; compared to his time in the New Bud Hall, his formerly gentle brows now carried a hint of resilience. Indeed, the battlefield of life and death had tempered him, transforming him entirely.

"Hmm, impressive. After Senior Disciple Brother E Yun established his foundation, Senior Disciple Brother Yuan took over. Once Senior Disciple Brother Yuan establishes his foundation, I imagine you'll also reach the ninth level of Qi Cultivation. With their support, you could even rank among the top True Disciples in the future." Chen Mo Bai's words flattered Liu Wenbo, who never expected to receive such an evaluation from a senior disciple brother who seemed like a banished immortal.

"I wouldn't dare harbor such lofty aspirations; I only hope to be counted among the True Disciples."

The three of them chatted for a while longer, with Chen Mo Bai asking questions and the other two answering respectfully. Although Chen Mo Bai had shed his role as the leading disciple of the Nanxi Market cohort after leaving New Bud Hall, both of them still held him in great respect. This respect deepened significantly after Chen Mo Bai reached the top forty-eight in last year's competition, just one round away from becoming a True Disciple. In the minds of Zhuo Ming and Liu Wenbo, Chen Mo Bai was already considered a True Disciple. They were convinced it was only a matter of time.

"On my Minor Yang Ridge, there are some herb fields and spiritual fields that need tending. If Junior Disciple Sister Zhuo doesn't mind, would you be willing to come and help me?" Chen Mo Bai looked at Zhuo Ming, suddenly recalling that she, too, had completed tasks by chopping wood in New Bud Hall. He thought that with some training, she might be more useful for farming than Liang Xinhuo.

"Well, Senior Disciple Brother, what would be the remuneration?" Zhuo Ming, being from a rogue cultivator background, was very pragmatic and directly asked the most crucial question.

"Initially, it would be 30 spirit stones per year. If Junior Disciple Sister is willing, you may observe when I'm making ink and drawing talismans. You can note down anything you don't understand and ask me after I've finished." For employing a Divine Wood Sect disciple at the sixth level of Qi Cultivation, this price wasn't considered high. However, Zhuo Ming's eyes lit up after hearing the latter half of the offer, and she immediately nodded in agreement.

In the Sky River Realm, the inheritance of various cultivation arts was, in some aspects, even more precious than cultivation technique scrolls. Without a true master-disciple relationship, such knowledge was simply not passed down. While it was possible to purchase some in the Divine Wood Sect's Scripture Pavilion with spirit stones, access was restricted to disciples of the Talisman Creation Department. Zhuo Ming had also spent years of savings to buy a first-tier talisman master's inheritance in the market, but due to her weak foundation, learning had been very difficult. She had known back in Nanxi Market that Chen Mo Bai was an excellent talisman maker; the talismans he sold at his stall had simple strokes and ingenious compositions, superior to the goods found in the large sect shops. If she could study under him, she might be able to strengthen her foundation and potentially become a truly ranked talisman master in the future. Therefore, as soon as she heard Chen Mo Bai was willing to teach her, Zhuo Ming eagerly accepted.

"To build a hut in the mountains, free from the noise of carriages and horses... If I could, I truly would like to learn from Senior Disciple Brother Chen, to farm and brew wine, living a carefree life. It's just a pity..." As Liu Wenbo spoke, he seemed to recall some of the brothers and sisters who had died in Cloud Dream Marsh, and his expression darkened. He bore the hopes of his family and now had many junior disciples following him; there was no turning back.

"Junior Disciple Brother Liu, with great power comes great responsibility." Chen Mo Bai offered him a word of comfort and then left with Zhuo Ming.

"First, go resign from your apprenticeship at the talisman shop, then after this sect competition ends, return to Minor Yang Ridge with me."

"Yes, Senior Disciple Brother Chen."

Soon, today's sect competition concluded, and Qi Rui and Xi Jinghuo also successfully advanced. The three of them agreed to drink together that evening. During their gathering, Zhuo Ming, who had finished packing her belongings, arrived and quietly sat to the side, pouring them wine.

"Brother Chen, your luck seems a bit poor. If you pass the fifth round, your opponent will be Senior Disciple Sister Ding Ying." Everyone's match schedule for the day had been released. After checking his own, Qi Rui also looked up Chen Mo Bai's and noticed this.

"Quite the opposite, I think my luck is excellent."