Cultivation Is Money-Grabbing C45

Chapter 45: Highly Valued

Today there was a lesson, so skipping was not an option. This time, Lian Mu was determined to be a good disciple who didn’t skip class, so she arrived at the meeting point early in the morning.

But she underestimated how sleepy she was. After waiting for less than fifteen minutes, her eyelids started drooping, so she sat cross-legged on the ground and dozed off on the spot.

Thus, when Murong Yi arrived, he was greeted with the sight of her sitting on the ground with her head down, fast asleep.

“……”

She actually came early today—was even the first to arrive.

Seeing how soundly she was sleeping, Murong Yi, for once, didn’t wake her up immediately. After all, it wasn’t time for class yet.

He studied Lian Mu for a moment and noticed the dark circles under her eyes. It seemed like ever since she had entered the sect, she had always looked like this, as if she never got enough rest.

Just what was she doing every day?

Murong Yi was usually busy. Aside from teaching the disciples, he barely had time to pay attention to them. But every time he did see Lian Mu, she was never doing anything proper.

“You’re actually able to sleep on the ground of Cold Arrival Peak. Impressive.”

Lian Mu was dreaming when she suddenly heard a cold, familiar voice. She immediately woke up.

Lifting her head, she found Murong Yi staring at her.

There were no other disciples around yet, and class hadn’t started.

Lian Mu let out a sigh of relief and said, “Respected Elder, you’re here early too.”

Murong Yi: “I’ve heard about the things you’ve been up to lately.”

Lian Mu’s eyelid twitched. Did he find out?

Judging by Murong Yi’s expression, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking, so she didn’t dare to respond rashly.

She had done a lot of things. She had no idea how much he knew, so she simply played dead: “……”

Just the act of sneaking down the mountain at night could earn her half a month of punishment.

While Lian Mu was racking her brain trying to figure out where she had slipped up, Murong Yi patted her shoulder.

“I originally thought you refused to take a master because you were wasting your talent on purpose. I didn’t expect you were actually hiding your skills—you were able to fight the Peak Lord’s disciple to a draw.”

In fact, he had heard about it right after her match with Luo Qianxue, but he hadn’t had the chance to see her until now.

“And as for that business with Wunian Sect—you handled it well. You never fail to impress me with your troublemaking abilities.”

He wasn’t joking. After that incident, Murong Yi had pulled Bai Li Que aside and questioned him privately. Sure enough, it had been Lian Mu’s idea.

Ever since its establishment, the Spirit Herb Garden had never been fertilized. Everyone knew that the garden was nourished by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, making fertilizer unnecessary.

But just because it wasn’t needed, did that mean it couldn’t be done?

Using that excuse to mess with Wunian Sect was the perfect move—it made it obvious that they were doing it on purpose, yet there was no way to refute it.

Watching the Wunian Sect disciples fume with frustration, Murong Yi had to admit—this disciple of his had some talent.

Murong Yi had no intention of stopping her troublemaking. After all, he wasn’t the one being messed with, and he rather enjoyed watching the show.

However, as an elder of Cold Arrival Peak, he still had a responsibility to warn her:

“Wunian Sect’s people are still here. They’re older than you and more experienced, so don’t provoke them so openly next time—it’ll be easy for them to retaliate. They’ll be leaving in two days, but if anyone causes trouble for you before then, let me know immediately.”

Lian Mu felt like there was a deeper meaning to his words, but she simply nodded and asked, “How is Elder Xin?”

Hearing this, Murong Yi fell silent for a moment before saying, “her injuries aren’t serious. He’ll recover before the next Immortal Sect Tournament.”

“These matters aren’t for you to worry about. Just focus on your training,” Murong Yi continued. “Since you were able to fight Luo Qianxue to a draw, you should aim to become one of the Second-Seat Five in the next tournament. With such potential, you should work harder—stop thinking about slacking off all the time.”

“Respected Elder, I haven’t skipped a single lesson recently. I haven’t been slacking off,” Lian Mu said sincerely.

Murong Yi’s tone was cold: “Oh? Should I thank you for that, then?”

Lian Mu: “……Elder, you misunderstand. I never had any issues with you before—I just happened to forget.”

Somehow, that made things sound even worse.

“Don’t worry. When I go to the Immortal Sect Tournament, I won’t embarrass our sect,” Lian Mu declared firmly. “I’m going to be the strongest three-spiritual-root sword cultivator among the Four Great Sects!”

Murong Yi had a feeling that if she went, things wouldn’t be peaceful.

“Just don’t turn the tournament into complete chaos, and I’ll be satisfied.”

As they talked, the other disciples gradually arrived, and the class was about to begin.

Their formation consisted of thirty people in total. Lian Mu didn’t interact with them much, so she didn’t know a single one of them.

With Guan Shize absent, she fell silent. Standing among the crowd, her expression was blank, exuding an aura of detachment.

But that was only how others perceived her. In reality, she was zoning out, thinking about other things.

She didn’t know anyone, but that didn’t mean no one knew her.

Few new disciples became widely known right after entering the sect. But now, even peaks like Thousand Spirit Peak were talking about her, not just the main peak.

The disciples around her glanced at Lian Mu with subtle respect in their eyes.

“You all passed the entrance re-examination some time ago. It’s time for you to revisit the experience of fighting magical beasts.”

Murong Yi swept his gaze over the thirty disciples and said calmly:

“As disciples of an Immortal Sect, you should all be aware of your responsibilities. Slaying magical beasts and protecting peace—this is something each of you must do.”

“From now on, the Pangu Illusion Realm will be your classroom. Each of you will be given a spirit jade token, and within one month, you must enter the illusion realm at least ten times. Those who fail to do so—go to One Thought Hall to receive your punishment.”

Lian Mu received a brand-new Spirit Jade Token with her name engraved on it. The token was semi-translucent white, with what seemed to be some kind of liquid inside—crystal blue and flowing.

A senior Artifact Refiner stepped forward to make some adjustments, and the suspended pearl at the center of the Armillary Sphere lit up.

Murong Yi put away his silver fan and announced solemnly, “The Pangu Illusion Realm is now open. I wish all fellow cultivators success in their trial.”

…

The trial within the Pangu Illusion Realm wasn’t particularly difficult. Since they were still new to it, the illusion realm they accessed was of a lower grade, and the magical beasts they encountered were quite ordinary.

Because Murong Yi had mentioned that they could leave early once they finished, Lian Mu went in and ended the trial with a single sword strike.

After ensuring that all the disciples had entered the illusion realm, Murong Yi was about to find a place to wait for them to finish, curious to see who would be the first to slay a magical beast.

However, just as he turned around, the pearl on the Armillary Sphere suddenly flickered. When he looked back, Lian Mu had already stepped out.

Not even a blink of an eye had passed since all the disciples entered the illusion realm.

Murong Yi noticed that the crystal blue liquid in Lian Mu’s Spirit Jade Token had increased slightly, confirming that she had exited properly. “…”

As expected, this rascal wasn’t unfamiliar with magical beasts—she had been deliberately hiding her strength.

“Respected Elder, may I leave early?” Lian Mu asked with a bright, cheeky smile.

Murong Yi: “…Wait a moment. Give me your Spirit Jade Token.”

Lian Mu obediently handed it over. Murong Yi tapped a few times on her token before returning it. “Coming out this quickly… Even I can see that you have great potential. Given that, you should enter a few more times each month. Now, you may leave.”

Lian Mu had a bad feeling. She looked down at her token and saw that Murong Yi had added over thirty additional trials for her. The previously increased crystal blue liquid had shrunk back, leaving only a pathetic amount.

She might as well just move into the illusion realm for the entire month.

Lian Mu: “…”

There was really no need to value her this much.

Noticing that Murong Yi didn’t look particularly pleased, Lian Mu made a swift exit.

After leaving Cold Arrival Peak, she headed straight for the dining hall at Ya Sui Peak. At this time of day, disciples from other peaks had also come out, and the dining hall was packed with people.

Lian Mu skillfully navigated through the crowd, found an empty spot, and sat down. Just as she was about to start eating, someone sat down at the same table.

She didn’t look up to see who it was. There was more than one seat, and there wasn’t anyone else nearby. It wasn’t as if she could occupy five seats all by herself.

Just as she was about to take her first bite, she suddenly heard the person across from her say:

“Tch, how do they have the nerve to serve something this awful?”

Lian Mu paused mid-bite and looked up at the person sitting across from her.

Noticing her gaze, the person also looked up and met her eyes. “Something wrong?”

Unlike the other disciples around them, this person was dressed differently. Despite being in the frigid northern region of Xuanwu, he wore very little, exposing two strong, muscular arms as if he didn’t feel the cold at all.

Lian Mu’s eyes swept over his face. He had the refined and sharp features of a well-bred young man—delicate yet pleasingly striking.

When she heard his voice just now, it gave her a fleeting sense of familiarity.

Seeing that she remained silent, the young man got up and left, tossing a single word behind him: “Weird.”

Lian Mu stared blankly for a moment. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, the person had already walked far away.

Not long after, Xu Xianxing and Bai Li Que pushed through the crowd and rushed toward her the moment they saw her sitting alone.

“What a terrible omen just now.” Xu Xianxing flicked his sleeve, trying to maintain his elegant demeanor amid the chaotic crowd. “I bumped into some bad luck at the entrance.”

Bai Li Que, who had been repeatedly stepped on in the crowd—all thanks to Xu Xianxing dragging him along instead of waiting for the crowd to thin—remained silent.

Lian Mu stayed quiet for a while before Bai Li Que glanced at her. Then she suddenly asked, “What’s the name of that Body Cultivator in our sect again?”

Bai Li Que answered, “His name is Wen Yun. We just saw him. He left a moment ago.”

“Why are you asking about him?” Xu Xianxing questioned while snatching a piece of pastry from her plate.

Lian Mu kicked him. “No reason. He just looked a little familiar all of a sudden. Pretty easy on the eyes too.”

Xu Xianxing froze, completely misinterpreting her meaning. He then spoke in an ominous tone, “Lian Mu, if you’re playing with us, you can’t play with him.”

Lian Mu: “Why not?”

“You tell me.” Xu Xianxing blinked, his gaze saying Isn’t it obvious?

Bai Li Que chimed in, “When he says ‘us,’ he doesn’t mean me. I won’t interfere with my friends making new friends.”

Xu Xianxing: “…Fine.”

He lifted his foot as if to leave, only for Lian Mu to grab him and pull him back.

Lian Mu: “How old are you? Stop playing these petty games.”

Bai Li Que placed a hand on Xu Xianxing’s shoulder and advised, “An Artifact Refiner must not be narrow-minded. That way, you can accomplish great things.”

Xu Xianxing: “…”

Lian Mu pondered for a moment, then stared toward the open doors of the dining hall. “Maybe I mistook him for someone else.”