Chapter 469: Fame

Chapter 469: Chapter 469: Fame

A man and his beast hurried to Divine Dao Mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, they saw numerous disciples bustling about, carrying crates from which the howls and screeches of living creatures could be heard. The traffic was incessant.

As Bai Mo drew near, a disciple with a face full of vigor approached to inquire about his business.

"Ah, it’s Junior Brother Bai. What brings you here today?"

Bai Mo returned the courtesy and said softly,

"I find myself uncertain about a matter and wish to seek a divination from an elder on your esteemed mountain. That is why I have made the journey here."

"Is an elder available on the mountain?"

The disciple pondered for a moment, then nodded with a smile.

"If it were anyone else, no one would be available today. But you, Junior Brother, have a significant connection with our Divine Dao Mountain, so an exception can be made."

"Please follow me up the mountain."

He led the way, guiding Bai Mo up the mountain and into the mist that shrouded its slopes.

After some time, through the dense fog, they finally saw a middle-aged man directing disciples as they arranged various items.

Bai Mo was led forward.

"Martial Uncle, this is Junior Brother Bai. He’s the talented one who invited Kunwu True Monarch to our Divine Dao Mountain."

"Oh?"

Surprised, the Martial Uncle turned around and carefully sized Bai Mo up.

"A talented young man indeed."

"Indeed," the disciple said. "Junior Brother has come today because he’s facing a dilemma and wishes to request a divination from an elder."

"Martial Uncle, you are a master of this art. I hope you might lend your skills."

The Martial Uncle nodded, and with his hands clasped behind his back, he paced over to a nearby pavilion, leading Bai Mo along.

The view from the pavilion was splendid. Through the hazy mist, a stream and ancient pines were visible.

"Last winter, someone broke my technique. The backlash left me severely injured."

"If what you seek is of great importance, my divinations are likely to be inaccurate. For smaller matters, however, I believe I still possess some of my former skill."

"Young friend, what is it you seek? Please, tell me in detail..."

With Ah Er at his feet, Bai Mo bowed slightly and said respectfully,

"It concerns my breakthrough. I wish to find a suitable day to begin my Alchemy, hoping to complete my path and break through to the Core Formation realm."

"After all, my own strength is limited, so I dare not be overconfident. That is why I’ve come to inquire, hoping to gain the assistance of a favorable time."

Many disciples sought divinations for such things, so the Martial Uncle was not surprised.

His method of divination was also different from others.

His fingers moved nimbly, forming seals and performing hidden calculations. He muttered incantations under his breath, occasionally tilting his head as if listening to someone.

After a long while, he finally let out a breath.

"Young friend, your day should be the twenty-sixth of the first lunar month, the year after next. The heavens will be clear and the air crisp then—a perfect time for you to begin your Alchemy."

"However, this is only the ’heavenly timing.’ The ’earthly advantage’ and ’human harmony’ are things you must still carefully consider on your own..."

The twenty-sixth of the first lunar month, the year after next. Bai Mo repeated the date to himself a few times, committing it to memory.

"Thank you for your trouble, Elder. This is payment for the divination. Please accept it!"

Bai Mo took a cloth bag from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

The Martial Uncle accepted it calmly.

When they performed divinations for people, they always had to accept payment. It could be a large or small amount, but some form of payment was always required. That was the rule.

And coming from Bai Mo, the amount of Spirit Stones was naturally substantial.

Only after Bai Mo had respectfully taken his leave did the Martial Uncle glance into the bag. Piled inside were several thousand Spirit Stones.

’Heh, he’s quite wealthy.’

’To start from a small city in the outer world and make it this far is no easy feat...’

He muttered a few words to himself, then suddenly tilted his head as if listening to something and nodded slightly.

"It’s still a seventy-thirty split. You can rest assured..."

Meanwhile, after leaving Divine Dao Mountain, Bai Mo headed back toward Mi Mountain.

He now knew what all the items being hauled up the mountain by the disciples were: rare birds and exotic beasts.

Such a large number of them clearly required the combined effort of all the disciples on the mountain.

’If sold on the market, the value of these rare birds and exotic beasts would be immeasurably greater than Ah Er’s.’

At the foot of the mountain, Ah Er trotted past them, eyeing them with curiosity.

But in a moment of inattention, it tripped on a stone, and the little badger went tumbling forward.

Fortunately, Bai Mo’s reflexes were quick. He snatched it by the scruff of its neck, saving it from an embarrassing fall.

"YELP!"

Startled, Ah Er let out a small cry.

But Bai Mo felt how heavy it was and simply dropped it back on the ground.

"Hurry up and stop gawking. Have you forgotten what I told you?"

Ah Er shuddered, quickly grabbing onto Bai Mo’s pant leg and following closely at his heels.

Before they arrived, Bai Mo had warned it to be careful what it said, heard, and did on Divine Dao Mountain.

’The mountain was full of divine generals and Dharma Protectors, all of them wild and untamable. If something unfortunate were to happen, like one of them eating a Spirit Beast, no amount of pleading would help.’

’The only thing Bai Mo would be able to do for it then was burn some joss paper in its memory.’

From the disciples’ conversations he’d overheard, Bai Mo gathered that today’s preparations on Divine Dao Mountain were to celebrate the birthday of one of the mountain’s patron Dharma Protectors.

’To go to such great trouble and expense... that Dharma Protector must not be an easy person to please.’

Once they were a good distance away, Bai Mo led Ah Er off and gestured with his chin.

"Let’s browse the marketplace and slowly head back."

"You should know this area better than I do. Why aren’t you leading the way?"

Ah Er’s mind was still reeling from the visit to Divine Dao Mountain. Hearing this, it quickly scurried a few steps forward to take the lead.

It had a good impression of the nearby marketplaces. According to it, shopping was easy and the vendors were honest, but it didn’t come often because the selection was limited.

And so, the man and his beast lingered in the marketplace, browsing and making a few purchases.

On its previous visits, Ah Er had been a lavish spender and was known for its picky attitude, so many disciples still remembered it.

Seeing its current toadying expression, they immediately guessed Bai Mo’s identity.

Some disciples were about to step forward and pitch their wares, only to be mocked by a fellow vendor from a neighboring stall.

"That must be Junior Brother Bai, the one who guards the Black Prison."

"With the quality of your junk, you dare try to sell it to him? Even I wouldn’t have the nerve!"

The face of a customer currently picking through items at the stall darkened.

"From the sound of it, is this Junior Brother Bai supposed to be someone extraordinary?"

The disciple manning the stall was a talkative sort, though he lacked a bit of perceptiveness. Hearing the question, he immediately replied:

"Within the sect, this Junior Brother Bai is an excellent alchemist with a bit of a reputation and a loyal following."

"But outside the sect? His reputation is far greater..."

He often traveled outside to procure goods for sale within the sect, so he was privy to a lot of gossip.

"Recently, an Alchemy Dao Grandmaster held a major Alchemy Dao conference outside the sect. It was a huge event, and this Junior Brother Bai’s Pills made an appearance."

"Many Alchemy Cultivators want to meet him to seek his guidance, but none of them have a way to get in touch..."

The customer’s interest was piqued, and he asked,

"Pill Peak is known for producing once-in-a-generation talents in the Alchemy Dao..."

The disciple waved his hand dismissively.

"So what? Even on Pill Peak, there aren’t many disciples who have reached the level of an Alchemy Dao Grandmaster."

"Someone that young reaching that level is even rarer. I heard some old eccentric from Pill Peak was even tempted to recruit him."

"But he’s always been a disciple of Broken Blade Peak and has no ties to Pill Peak. It’s almost impossible that he would ever transfer..."

The customer listened with fascination, clicking his tongue in admiration.

"In that case, this Junior Brother really is an exceptional talent."

"You can say that again..."

Bai Mo overheard bits of the discussion about him going on behind him, but he paid it no mind.

Ever since he attended Elder White-Head’s pill tasting conference, he had been building a reputation in the outside world. He had long anticipated hearing conversations like this.

’This kind of reputation wasn’t very useful within the sect, but out in the wider world, it could certainly open a few doors.’