Northern Drift Chapter 29: The Roster
Mo Hao gazed upward. Pointing toward the old man in the sky while addressing Han Qing, he asked, “Han Qing, what is that old man up there doing? And what is this Ying Mist Secret Realm he mentioned?”
Han Qing was staring at the old man with undisguised admiration. When he heard Mo Hao call him, he glanced back, then turned his attention to the old man again. But he soon realized that something was wrong. Hastily turning around, he saw Mo Hao still pointing at the old man and immediately slapped his hand down.
Mo Hao winced and asked what he was doing. Han Qing pressed a finger to his lips in a gesture for silence. Seeing the nervous expression on Han Qing’s face, Mo Hao finally quieted down.
“What are you trying to do? You actually pointed at the sect master of the Void Sword Sect! You may not care if you shorten your own life, but I still want to live a little longer!”
Mo Hao was startled as well. He muttered under his breath, “Who knew that old man in white would put on such a spectacle? And he’s the sect master?”
He looked exactly like a child who had been wronged. Tan Ya, standing nearby, covered her mouth and laughed, while Han Qing could only helplessly explain:
“He is the sect master, the ruler of the Nineteen Peaks—a Golden Core cultivator named Jiang Jianfeng. Back in the day, he relied on his Deadly Sword Formation to defeat the other great sects so thoroughly that they could do nothing but submit! Later, he rose to the highest position, and many elders selected him to become the sect master. He is also the master of our Nineteen Peaks.”
Han Qing spoke with such longing that one might have thought he himself had once slaughtered his way across the world with a sword formation. Mo Hao rolled his eyes at him. Even Tan Ya and Little Xue’er wore expressions of disdain.
Han Qing glanced at the two girls in puzzlement. “Why are you looking at me like that? Everything I said is true!”
At that moment, the sect master of the Void Sword Sect cast an absent-minded glance in Mo Hao’s direction. Mo Hao felt his heart jolt. Could the man have heard what he had said?
The sect master spoke.
“Oh? It seems some disciples do not know who I am and have been speaking ill of me down there. Still, the ignorant are not guilty. I am the thirty-third sect master of the Void Sword Sect. I will preside over this competition with complete fairness, so rest assured. But let me make one thing clear: if anyone secretly assists a disciple during the competition, do not blame me for showing no mercy!”
Mo Hao was badly startled. Their quiet conversation had actually been overheard and repeated aloud by the sect master. He hurriedly shut his mouth and said nothing more. He was truly afraid that careless words might bring disaster.
“As in previous years, the main event will still be the competition among cultivators at the Grain-Refining stage. Some of you may know about the Ying Mist Secret Realm, but most of you do not, so I shall explain it.
“According to our conjectures, this secret realm was a trial ground left behind for the disciples of an ancient and powerful sect. That ancient sect concealed countless rare treasures within it. By chance, a cultivator obtained one of the Ying Mist Pills hidden there, and the three great sects discovered the secret realm because of it.
“However, even those who have reached half-step Foundation Establishment cannot enter. After discussions among the various sects, we have agreed that only the three great sects and our Void Sword Sect are qualified to send people inside. That is why I intend to select the outstanding disciples from each peak—to hold the three great sects in check!”
Hearing this, Mo Hao realized that the matter was indeed connected to the Ying Mist Pill. Among the three great sects was a cultivator who regarded him as an enemy—the half-step Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Glazed Palace whom he had provoked while seizing a Foundation Establishment Pill in the Phoenix Tower Ghost Market. Learning that half-step Foundation Establishment cultivators could not enter the secret realm, Mo Hao felt relieved.
Han Qing noticed that Mo Hao seemed deep in thought after listening to the sect master and teased him, “Little Mo Hao, what are you thinking about? You don’t really believe that people like us can obtain such qualifications, do you? Take a good look at how many tigers and dragons are gathered here!”
Annoyed by his mockery, Mo Hao replied, “No matter what, we still have to try. Giving up before the battle even begins is hardly a good omen!”
That single sentence left Han Qing speechless. Yet, remembering Han Qing’s command to look around, Mo Hao actually did so.
The Ren Peak delegation alone consisted of more than fifty cultivators. The other major peaks had sent more than a hundred each. With the people of all nineteen peaks gathered together, the scene resembled the crowded streets of Yue City.
As Mo Hao swept his gaze across the crowd, he accidentally caught sight of a familiar figure: a woman dressed entirely in black, her graceful form concealed beneath a bamboo hat with a black veil hanging from its brim.
Mo Hao slapped his forehead. Wasn’t she the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had accepted a mission in Hall A?
Her appearance was impossible to forget. One half of her face was breathtakingly beautiful, while the other half was horribly terrifying.
The woman seemed to notice someone watching her. Her spiritual sense swept over the crowd, and Mo Hao’s hair stood on end.
She turned toward him. Mo Hao instinctively lowered his head, but the woman seemed to smile faintly before giving him a slight nod.
Han Qing shuddered when her spiritual sense passed over him. Seeing her nod toward Mo Hao, he grew puzzled and asked, “Do you know that senior apprentice-aunt?”
Mo Hao shook his head. “We merely met by chance.”
Mo Hao had already encountered a great Golden Core demon at Emerald Water Pool, so he was not so terrified by the attention of a Foundation Establishment cultivator that he would lose control of himself.
At that moment, Mo Hao saw the sect master take a number of small balls from his Cosmos Bag and distribute them among the elders of the various peaks. The elders accepted the balls, and the sect master announced:
“Everyone, be quiet. We have made enough noise and said all that needs to be said. It is time for the drawing of lots. The lot balls have already been distributed to the elders of each peak. Begin drawing!”
The noisy Sword Platform immediately fell silent. The real event was finally about to begin, and many people were thinking the same thing.
Mo Hao also quieted down and stared intently at the lot balls in the hands of the Ren Peak elder. The elder gathered everyone together, then produced two bags. One contained ten lot balls, while the other held the remaining fifty.
The Foundation Establishment cultivators drew first. Each stepped forward, took out a lot ball, and crushed it in his hand. A streak of white light shot from the shattered ball toward a massive jade stele in the center of the Sword Platform.
The stele displayed the cultivator’s peak and name, while the information of his opponent appeared beside it.
Dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators quickly crushed their lot balls. When they looked toward the jade stele, their faces showed a bewildering mixture of sorrow and delight. The black-clad woman who had nodded at Mo Hao alone remained expressionless.
When it was Mo Hao’s turn, he simply imitated the others and crushed the lot ball in his hand. As his name appeared on the jade stele, he noticed two people glaring viciously at him. One of them had the appearance of a child.
Mo Hao sneered. So these were Zhang Kunxiang and Zhang Kunyang.
After glancing at them once, Mo Hao turned away and ignored them. Zhang Kunxiang grew furious when he saw that Mo Hao had merely looked at them before turning his back. He seemed about to rush over, but the childlike cultivator beside him stopped him.
When Zhang Kunxiang noticed Tan Ya standing beside Mo Hao, his expression became even more greedy.
Mo Hao looked at the names on the jade stele and immediately began to laugh. What were the odds of such a coincidence? His opponent was none other than Zhang Kunxiang.
Truly, enemies were bound to meet.
Mo Hao had little to say about a person like this—not even enough to feel genuine hatred.
His gaze grew increasingly profound. Tan Ya and Han Qing also saw the result and could not help worrying about him. They knew that Mo Hao had only recently reached the middle stage of Grain Refinement, while Zhang Kunxiang, although less talented than his younger brother, was still a genuine middle-stage Grain Refinement cultivator.
Han Qing felt frustrated with himself. Why had Mo Hao encountered this man in the very first round? It was all because Han Qing had once brought Zhang Kunxiang to the External Affairs Hall.
Seeing Han Qing silently reproach himself, Mo Hao patted him on the shoulder to show that everything was fine.
When Zhang Kunxiang and his companion saw the names on the jade stele, they first froze, then threw back their heads and laughed loudly without caring who was watching.
Mo Hao paid them no attention and waited for the sect master of the Void Sword Sect to announce the next matter.
After everyone had confirmed their opponents, the sect master raised his voice.
“The drawing of lots is complete. Those who drew a single lot have advanced automatically. Next, we have prepared a banquet for all fellow Daoists. Please enjoy yourselves!”
Soon afterward, Mo Hao saw many people fly over on swords, carrying plates of exquisite delicacies to the Sword Platform. Everyone sat cross-legged on the ground, and a wooden table appeared before each person.
The sudden appearance of so many tables caused many cultivators to marvel.
Mo Hao picked up a fruit he had never seen before and took a bite. Its sweetness filled his mouth, and a warm current flowed down his throat.
It was actually a spiritual fruit.
Mo Hao was astonished. He had assumed it was merely an unfamiliar wild fruit, but a spiritual fruit was something entirely different. The Void Sword Sect had truly spared no expense—even every ordinary disciple could partake.
After eating and drinking their fill, Mo Hao and the others returned to Ren Peak. The sect had given all the cultivators an afternoon to prepare, and the competition would begin the following day.
Mo Hao sat in his room and steadied his breathing. After so many days of cultivation, he had swallowed one Awakening Spirit Pill after another. Fortunately, his spiritual meridians were unique. If anyone else had consumed spiritual pills in such quantities, the medicinal effects would have rapidly diminished. Mo Hao, however, could use the techniques he had learned from the Heaven-Rending Divine Scroll to transform the medicinal power into the strength of the five elements, thereby advancing his cultivation.
When he swallowed the spiritual fruit, he finally sensed the bottleneck of his cultivation loosen slightly. Yet he also knew that this was only an illusion. Breaking through to the later stage would not be as simple as he imagined.
He did not know how much time had passed when a knock at the door awakened him from meditation. After stretching, Mo Hao opened the door.
Han Qing stood outside, looking at him with a troubled expression.
It was already dawn on the second day, and the competition was about to begin. The Grain-Refining cultivators would compete first, followed by the Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Han Qing anxiously glanced around. After confirming that no one was nearby, he took a booklet from his Cosmos Bag.
Mo Hao looked at him in confusion. “What is that?”
Han Qing winked at him, signaling that he should put it away quickly. When Mo Hao continued staring blankly, Han Qing pushed the booklet into his arms.
After letting Han Qing enter the room, Mo Hao rolled his eyes. “Now can you tell me?”
Only after entering did Han Qing relax. “Read it yourself. You’ll understand.”
Mo Hao opened the booklet curiously. What could it contain that had made Han Qing so nervous?
When he opened the first page and looked closely, he let out an astonished cry. Han Qing hurriedly covered his mouth with one small hand, then opened the door and peered outside.
His expression made him look exactly like a thief who had just stolen something.
“Where did you get this? Why is it so detailed?”
Mo Hao glared at him. The booklet contained information on the cultivation methods and abilities of every Grain-Refining disciple. It even listed the magical artifacts they possessed.
Han Qing said with some pride, “Well? The only people missing from it are the disciples of the External Affairs Hall. It will certainly be useful to you, so I brought it over. You’d better remember this great favor!”
Mo Hao laughed at his comical expression. “Now tell me. How exactly did you get it?”
Han Qing did not conceal the truth. “I bought it from a mortal disciple. That mortal is truly extraordinary. He can obtain a booklet this detailed.”
A name immediately came to Mo Hao’s mind.
“Could this mortal disciple be Lei Tong, the one everyone outside calls Little Informant?”
Han Qing let out a startled sound. “That’s right! How did you know him?”
The moment he finished speaking, Han Qing slapped his own forehead, realizing that he had once again made a foolish remark. Mo Hao and Lei Tong both belonged to the External Affairs Hall. They saw each other constantly, so it was only natural that Mo Hao would know him.
Even so, Mo Hao truly admired that mortal disciple. Obtaining various bits of gossip was one thing, but he had somehow gathered complete information about the cultivation levels and techniques of every Grain-Refining cultivator in the Void Sword Sect.
This was not merely information on the Grain-Refining disciples of Ren Peak. It covered all nineteen peaks, including Heaven Peak.
Mo Hao increasingly felt that this mortal disciple of the External Affairs Hall named Lei Tong was far from simple.
“You must have spent quite a few spirit stones, didn’t you?” Mo Hao asked after finishing the booklet.
Han Qing’s expression revealed a trace of pain, but faced with Mo Hao’s question, he forced himself to say, “Who do you think I am? What does a little matter like this amount to? Even if you asked me to bring you a spiritual weapon, it would be no trouble at all!”
Hearing the boast in his voice, Mo Hao merely shook his head.
After chatting with Mo Hao for a while, Han Qing left. Mo Hao continued turning through the booklet page by page until he finally reached Zhang Kunxiang’s entry.
It read:
Zhang Kunxiang: second layer of the middle stage of Grain Refinement. A cultivator with Water and Fire spiritual meridians. His magical artifact is a low-grade enormous hammer. He practices the most basic mental cultivation method and techniques of the Void Sword Sect, as well as a strength-based art. One of his techniques, the Heaven-Shaking Hammer, can empower his enormous hammer artifact. It appears that strength cultivation is his primary path.
Mo Hao shook his head. Possessing five different spiritual meridians, he naturally understood why Zhang Kunxiang had chosen strength cultivation as his primary path.
A cultivator with two spiritual meridians might possess considerable talent, but those whose meridians were aligned with both Water and Fire were in an awkward position. Zhang Kunxiang had no choice but to cultivate a strength-based art.
After carefully studying the information, Mo Hao felt that he already understood the situation. He stepped out of the room and flew toward Ren Peak on his sword.