Chapter 20

Meng Hao opened his eyes and immediately saw a young man who had been excitedly grabbed by the little fatty and brought over. This young man was pale and thin, short in stature, and stood in stark contrast to the plump little fatty.

Meng Hao recognized this young man. He was one of the few who had been brought into the Mountain Support Sect with him, and later was sent to the miscellaneous service area of another mountain peak along with Wang Youcai.

Originally, he had a tiger-like appearance, but now his expression was dim and he looked miserable. However, there was a fierce look in his eyes, clearly indicating that he had many unforgettable experiences in the Mountain Support Sect.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to come to this public area with only the first layer of Qi Condensation.

"Have you met Senior Brother Meng?" The young man's expression showed a hint of excitement upon seeing Meng Hao, but it quickly disappeared as he respectfully clasped his hands in a bow.

"Have you just joined the sect?" Meng Hao looked at the young man and thought of the past, sighing lightly.

"It has been over a month." The young man lowered his head.

"Where is Wang Youcai?"

"Dead." The young man's expression was numb, but a trace of sorrow flashed in his eyes when he said these two words.

"Wang Youcai is dead?" The little fatty was stunned for a moment, and Meng Hao fell silent.

"When we were in the miscellaneous service area, we were responsible for fetching water. Big Brother Youcai, seeing that I was young, mostly carried the water for me. Once, on the mountain path, a sudden gust of wind blew, and he was blown off the cliff. I searched for his body for two months but found nothing, only some broken bones... He must have been eaten by wild beasts." The young man spoke softly.

The little fatty's expression showed sorrow, and Meng Hao sighed. Of the four who had climbed the mountain together, one had died in less than a year, and he felt very uncomfortable, especially thinking about how Old Wang from the carpentry shop had only this one son, making him even more distressed.

"Xiao Hu, you can follow us from now on. With Meng Hao here, no one will dare to bully you." The little fatty patted the young man's thin shoulder, his face filled with sorrow.

"No need, I... I'm fine on my own." The young man hesitated for a moment. Meng Hao could see his hesitation, but the young man soon shook his head, refusing the little fatty's kindness. He clasped his hands in a bow to Meng Hao and the little fatty, then turned and left the flat-topped mountain.

"What's wrong with this guy?" The little fatty was taken aback.

"Everyone has some secrets they don't want others to know. Perhaps he has some good fortune, or he wouldn't have dared to come here with only the first layer of Qi Condensation." Meng Hao mused, watching the young man's rapidly departing back.

"What kind of secret could he have? Can we even find out? This Xiao Hu is really looking down on us." The little fatty was still upset. He was straightforward and had no ulterior motives, feeling angry that his sincere intentions were met with such a response.

In the southern region of the Southern Continent, winter was always short. In the blink of an eye, winter passed, and spring arrived with flowers blooming. It was now April, and Meng Hao had been in the Mountain Support Sect for a full year.

In the low-level public area, with the little fatty's cooperation, Meng Hao had accumulated a considerable amount of spirit stones and numerous elixirs and magical treasures. During this time, he often went to the desolate mountains to hunt demon beasts, but only once near Black Mountain did he manage to kill one. The rest of the time, he found nothing, and the roars from within Black Mountain grew even stronger, making Meng Hao hesitant to approach.

Even with a demon core equivalent to the third layer of Qi Condensation, even though Meng Hao had replicated many with the bronze mirror, his cultivation had reached the middle stage of the fourth layer of Qi Condensation and could not advance any further. No matter how many elixirs he consumed, it only refined his spiritual energy.

It seemed he had hit a bottleneck, making it difficult to break through to the fifth layer, which was necessary to practice the Wind Walking Technique that Meng Hao found very appealing.

On the contrary, with Meng Hao's help, the little fatty had reached the second layer of Qi Condensation and felt very powerful.

In April of this year, all disciples of the outer sect who had reached the fifth layer of Qi Condensation and above were dispatched by the sect, including Inner Sect disciples like Senior Sister Xu and Senior Brother Chen. When they returned, each brought back two or three young men with limited potential, who became miscellaneous servants.

This was an annual event, a rule of the Mountain Support Sect, necessary to maintain the longevity of the sect.

The spring breeze swept over the land, driving away the cold and bringing the scorching sun and the autumn breeze. It was now October, and during this period, two major events occurred in the Mountain Support Sect. The first was the death of one of the two Foundation Establishment Grand Elders, whose lifespan had run out at 150 years. Meng Hao learned that the one who passed away was not Grand Elder Ouyang.

For cultivators, reaching the Foundation Establishment stage extended their lifespan to 150 years, which seemed long but was actually very pressing. If they could not reach the Core Formation stage, they would only watch their lifespan dwindle and their vitality decline in their later years.

If they could reach the Core Formation stage, their lifespan would double to 300 years.

With the death of a Foundation Establishment Grand Elder, the overall strength of the Mountain Support Sect dropped significantly. Already in a weak position in the Zhao Kingdom, the sect was now in a precarious situation. At this time, cultivators from other sects frequently appeared around the Mountain Support Sect, as if searching for something. The sect activated the mountain protection array, which covered hundreds of miles, creating a sense of impending storm, like heavy clouds pressing down on the sect.

The outer sect disciples speculated about these abnormalities, and some well-informed individuals obtained incomplete information from somewhere, which gradually spread. It was said that the attention of the Zhao Kingdom's cultivation world this time was related to the disappearance of the Mountain Support Sect's old ancestor 400 years ago.

However, few outer sect disciples knew the specific connection.

In recent times, Meng Hao's cultivation had been stuck at the middle stage of the fourth layer of Qi Condensation, and no matter what methods he tried, it had no effect. Gradually, Meng Hao realized that this was a bottleneck.

"According to Senior Sister Xu, there is a bottleneck when advancing from the peak of the fourth layer of Qi Condensation to the fifth layer. But why did my bottleneck come early... Could it be related to the many demon cores I consumed?" Meng Hao sat cross-legged in his cave, frowning in deep thought.

"If it is truly a bottleneck, I need some specialized elixirs to break through, or perhaps a high-level demon core." Meng Hao sighed. He had plenty of spirit stones but lacked suitable elixirs. If he had the right elixir, he was confident he could break through to the fifth layer of Qi Condensation in a few days.

Meng Hao felt the tension in the sect deeply and also sensed some danger. Many disciples were worried, and the overall atmosphere was oppressive.

Only the little fatty remained cheerful, even more enthusiastic about the flat-topped mountain's general store than Meng Hao. Even if Meng Hao didn't go, the little fatty would carry the banner and go in to hawk goods.

Three more days passed, and on this day, the bell tolled, signaling the monthly elixir distribution. When Meng Hao and the little fatty arrived at the square, Meng Hao immediately saw a golden-robed old man on the stone platform, bathed in rosy light, along with Senior Sister Xu and Senior Brother Chen behind him.

Seeing this, Meng Hao's heart stirred, and his eyes gleamed with intense light.

"Senior Uncle Shangguan has only appeared three times in the past year and a half, and each time he has distributed special elixirs. My cultivation has been stuck at the fourth layer for almost a year. If I had a high-level elixir..." Meng Hao thought. The other outer sect disciples around him also guessed this, and they immediately became spirited. Of course, some secretly hoped the elixir wouldn't be given to them.

"Is... Is this the Drought Spirit Pill?"

"Surprisingly, it's the Drought Spirit Pill again. It was distributed once last year and again this year. This pill is only produced once a year, showing how precious it is!"

"If I get this pill, my cultivation will definitely break through!"

As soon as the golden-robed old man raised his right hand, revealing the purple-glowing pill in his palm, a buzz of excitement spread among the outer sect disciples.

The moment the Drought Spirit Pill appeared, Meng Hao's eyes immediately shone with intense light. He had never been so eager to obtain this pill. To him, it was not just a pill but a hope for reaching the fifth layer of Qi Condensation.

He had been in the sect for a considerable time and knew that among all the disciples, the strongest were Inner Sect Senior Sister Xu and Senior Brother Chen, both at the seventh layer of Qi Condensation and close to breaking through.

Below them was Wang Tengfei, who was stuck at the bottleneck of the peak of the sixth layer of Qi Condensation. The Drought Spirit Pill would be of no use to him. Apart from him, there was one other at the sixth layer, the second strongest of the outer sect, Han Zong.

Meng Hao had met this person twice and found him quite arrogant and condescending. Even now, standing there, he paid no attention to the Drought Spirit Pill, clearly having many better elixirs and considering it beneath him.

As for the fifth layer of Qi Condensation, there were only four people in the entire outer sect, each a dominant force, rarely seen, mostly in seclusion or training in the desolate mountains.

There were not many at the fourth layer, including Meng Hao, only seven in total. Those below the fourth layer were considered mere ants.

"Alright, be quiet." The voice of Old Shangguan echoed, as always carrying a strange pressure. Compared to over a year ago, Meng Hao no longer felt the intense pressure, his eyes now sharp and decisive.

"I have been in charge of distributing elixirs for the past two years and have always favored new disciples. If our Mountain Support Sect can continue to thrive, it will not be far from prosperity." Old Shangguan smiled, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below. Just as he was about to throw the elixir to a pre-selected person, he suddenly noticed the little fatty next to Meng Hao, who was holding a flying sword and gnawing on it, looking completely unconcerned and making a grinding sound.

The little fatty, who was already like a ball, made a comical sight with his gnawing, which made Old Shangguan laugh.

"Fine, this elixir is for you." He said, raising his right hand and waving it. A purple light flashed, and the Drought Spirit Pill flew straight toward the little fatty. The little fatty was clearly startled, instinctively grabbing the pill, then immediately realizing what had happened. His face changed dramatically, his body trembling, his face pale, and he looked as if he was about to cry.

"This... I... Damn, why did it go to me?"

---

A quiet word: There's another update at midnight, please support with recommendations and aim for first place next week!

Page break for ads

Page break for ads end