After a long exchange of polite greetings, Chen Mo and Li Wang parted ways, with the latter returning to the main seat to host the martial arts competition, while the former went in search of Zuo Quansheng and the others.
By the time he returned, Zuo Quansheng's competition had also ended, and he had lost with regret.
Although Zuo Quansheng had the strength of a fifth rank, he was unfortunately lacking in vital energy, and his battle with a sixth-ranked martial arts master was a close one. After injuring his opponent, he fell in defeat.
“Oh, you have really made us lose face.”
Zuo Quansheng slumped against a large tree, sighing helplessly.
Chen Mo smiled and shook his head, "Your strength isn't bad, but you lack vital energy. With training, you will definitely be able to regain your dignity."
"Yes, yes, just now in the match, Brother Zuo was too powerful. The high-level martial arts masters of Zhenwu Commandery were almost defeated by him. If your vital energy were sufficient, you could have controlled him easily."
Sun Qian stood to the side, joining in, while Su Kekke was quietly tending to her injuries.
"According to the agreement, I have already severely injured that Zhenwu Commandery master. However, I don't know if Elder Seven will keep his promise."
Zuo Quansheng's eyes were brimming with anticipation. During the few days it took for him to travel to the Relying Mountain School, he had completed a full cycle of qi and blood, saying that he was just one step away from breaking through the eighth rank in qi and blood. Not only would his total qi and blood volume be increased, but even his recovery rate would be greatly improved.
That final step is the demon beast core.
Not only was Zuo Quansheng eager, but Chen Mo was also eager. His situation was the same as that of the former, just one step away from success.
"You can rest assured, that Seventh Elder wouldn't dare not honor the agreement. If he dares to break it, I'll go find their sect master."
The competition was in full swing, with Chen Mo also taking the stage for a few rounds and teaching the Zhenwu Commandery master who had defeated Zuo Quansheng a lesson, effortlessly.
Not until the evening did the first day of competition come to an end. Chen Mo successfully made it into the semi-finals, joining him were Han Shanhui from Relying Mountain School, Zhang Han from Zhenwu Commandery, and Shi Ao from Crazy Sand School.
After the competition, Li Wang personally hosted a feast for Chen Mo and his party, and he fulfilled the agreement of Hua'an by giving each person ten three-stage demon beast cores, which was extremely generous.
Sun Qian and Su Kekke looked stunned in directness, with their minds repeating that the Relying Mountain School was indeed the largest sect in Qingzhou, and their actions were always bold and generous.
On the other hand, Hua'an was confused and dumbfounded. He had only promised to give Chen Mo ten two-stage and three-stage demon beast cores. His original intention was a mix of two stages and three stages, with more two-stage and fewer three-stage, as their demon beast cores were not easily obtained.
But the sect master gave all the cores, switching them to three-stage demon beast cores at once.
Moreover, the promise made by Hua'an was to give Zuo Quansheng three two-stage demon beast cores. However, the sect master switched all of them to three-stage demon beast cores. It was heartbreaking for him to see it, and he couldn't help but criticize the sect master as a spendthrift inside his heart...
Li Wang arranged for Chen Mo's group to have a place to stay. As soon as they left, Hua'an couldn't help but approach and question, "Master of the sect, how can you do this, so...?"
Huaan wanted to say that the sect master was wasteful, but the words got stuck in his throat and he couldn't bring himself to say it. There was no other reason; he was afraid of being beaten.
Li Wang gently waved his hand and smiled, "Seventh Elder, I already know what you want to say. However, all of this is worth it. That Chen Mo... is extraordinary beyond compare."
"What does the sect master mean by that? Who is he, and moreover, it seems that the sect master knows him?"
Huaan became even more curious.
"The reasons for this I cannot explain at the moment. You will naturally understand when the time is right."
Li Wang shook his head, as Chen Mo had arrived under an alias, it meant that he needed to hide his identity. Li Wang didn't want to reveal his true identity either.
Chen Mo and his party returned to the Seventh Peak, which was Huaan's residence, but it had been temporarily vacated for their stay.
After selecting a palace, Chen Mo closed the doors and windows and went into seclusion to practice.
Currently, Chen Mo's specific realm position is unclear, but his qi and blood realm remains stable at the ninth level. With just one step left to take, he only needs to supplement his qi and blood with concentrated essence in order to breakthrough to the eighth level.
A three-stage demon beast core possesses a rich supply of qi and blood that is enough for him to break through to the eighth level. There's still some left, but as they say, more is better, since he also needed it when he broke through to the seventh level.
Chen Mo didn't have a space ring, so he had to put the ten demon beast cores in his body, wrapped in a backpack. When he opened the backpack, he took out one and held it in both hands.
The qi and blood rose from the Dan Tian realm, continuously rolling and circulating around his body. Without too many complex steps, a suction force appeared from the palm, leading the qi and blood inside the demon beast core into his body.
The demon beast's qi and blood were prone to being fierce and violent. Upon entering his body, they roared like a ferocious flood, almost damaging his meridians. Luckily, he had been prepared and did not absorb all the qi and blood from the core at once but rather absorbed it bit by bit, then forcibly suppressed it with his own qi and blood.
The agitation subsided.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, Chen Mo had absorbed almost half of the qi and blood from the demon beast core, and at this moment, his qi and blood realm finally broke through to the eighth level.
He could clearly feel that the total amount of qi and blood in his Dan Tian had indeed increased, and his body seemed to have been freed from some restrictions, with his physical strength and sinew power enhanced significantly.
"In addition to the qi and blood cultivation method, there is also a set of boxing techniques recorded on the wall. Now that my qi and blood have reached the eighth level, I can also try using that set of boxing techniques."
Chen Mo took out the pieces of paper with the cultivation methods from his pocket and was about to carefully study them when he suddenly felt an unusual stirring in his body. To his surprise, a blood-red worm suddenly emerged from his palm.
"What is that thing?"
Chen Mo immediately jumped in alarm, quickly shaking it off and letting it fall on the bed. However, the worm seemed to have a consciousness of its own, slowly crawling towards him.
Chen Mo, alert, jumped off the bed and stared at the blood-red worm with a deadpan expression, "Blood Mantis? No, although the color is the same, this Mantis seems to be different from the one before. What exactly is this thing that has entered my body... Is it when I was in Beijiang?"
"No, no, no."
Chen Mo shook his head and quickly rejected this guess. When he was in Beijiang, he did encounter the Twin Stars of Vitality, but they never had the opportunity to put a blood worm on him. Even if they had, he should have been able to sense it, considering that his qi and blood flowed throughout his body, and he was just as sensitive to blood worms as a cultivator who specializes in them.
Unless this blood worm has been in his body from the beginning, fused with his own body.
While pondering, Chen Mo's ear twitched slightly. He saw movement above the house, a 'thud' sound followed by a dark shadow dashing in as if a ghost. Before he could react, a blade of light suddenly rose, and a flying sword cut fiercely towards him.
Chen Mo's expression tightened, and qi and blood surged out of his Dan Tian suddenly. Then, his five fingers formed claws, and he reached out to grab the blade. A 'snap' sound followed as the blade was instantly crushed by him.
