Zhen Shaoke hurried to make introductions, "Wuji, you should be familiar with Heaven Seeking Palace Pill Pagoda's Pill Master Mu. This is the Heaven Seeking Palace Sword Lake's Zuo Shaoyi."
Between his words, Zhen Shaoke gestured between Mu Ying and the oval faced lady by her side.
Mu Ying also smiled and said to the lady called Zuo Shaoyi, "Yes, he's the Pill Master Mo I wanted to introduce you to. Not only is his attainment in the Pill Dao high, he also has a big heart."
Heaven Seeking Palace's cheap goods? [1] Zhen Shaoke's pronunciation was not particularly accurate, which caused Mo Wuji to mistake Sword Lake as cheap goods. However, Mo Wuji was sure that Zhen Shaoke definitely wouldn't say cheap goods, thus he hastily asked, "Shaoke, you said Heaven Seeking Palace's what?"
"Sword Lake. It's similar to the Pill Pagoda. In the Heaven Seeking Palace, there's the Pill Pagoda, Sword Lake, Smith Summit, etc. These are the Heaven Seeking Palace's most talented…" Zhen Shaoke seemed to be finding a more apt phrase to describe them, but Mo Wuji could infer what he was saying. These were the Heaven Seeking Palace's various specialisations.
"Senior Mu, Senior Zuo, please come in…" Even though he did not know why these two were doing here, Mo Wuji still made an inviting gesture.
After his gesture, he was suddenly reminded of the wreck that was his room.
Just as Mo Wuji was about to suggest to use Zhen Shaoke's room to host the guests, the lady called Zuo Shaoyi furrowed her brows and said, "Senior apprentice sister Mu, I'm suddenly feeling a little unwell. How about we do this some other time?"
Mu Ying immediately understood the meaning behind Zuo Shaoyi's words and she could only apologetically say to Mo Wuji, "Pill Master Mo, junior apprentice sister Zuo is feeling unwell. We'll come visit some other time."
Mu Ying also didn't understand how Mo Wuji could get himself into such a miserable state.
"It's okay, it's okay." Mo Wuji hastily waved his hands, he didn't even know why these two ladies were here.
After sending the two ladies off, Mo Wuji and Zhen Shaoke entered the room.
As Zhen Shaoke entered Mo Wuji's room, his mouth went ajar. What was Mo Wuji doing in here?
Mo Wuji patted Zhen Shaoke's shoulders, "Shaoke, let's ignore the state of my room. Come tell me, why were Mu Ying and that Heaven Seeking Palace's Zuo Shaoyi doing here? Don't tell me they're lacking placings?"
Other sects might lack Five Elements Desolate Domain placings but Mo Wuji was sure the Heaven Seeking Palace wasn't one of them.
Zhen Shaoke chuckled, "That Zuo Shaoyi is a genius in the Heaven Seeking Palace Sword Lake. Her reputation is no lesser than the Pill Pagoda's Mu Ying. She was here to befriend you. From the looks of it, you didn't meet her expectations so she turned and left."
Mo Wuji stared at Zhen Shaoke with his eyes wide open. Only after some time, he determined that Zhen Shaoke wasn't lying to him, "Shaoke, even if I was the 50th place in the pill competition, I wouldn't have gained the attention of a Heaven Seeking Palace genius right? How preposterous is that?"
Mo Wuji wasn't ugly, but he was not world-shakingly handsome either. Moreover, the cultivation world had no lack of handsome lady-killers. He really found it hard to believe that Zuo Shaoyi, this Heaven Seeking Palace genius, would actually pay him a visit to befriend him. That simply sounded absurd.
Zhen Shaoke continued chuckling, "I unintentionally overheard their conversation just now. It seems like Zuo Shaoyi is not looking for you to be her dao companion. But Zuo Shaoyi actually has an older sister, and her older sister's spiritual roots are also ordinary…"
Without needing Zhen Shaoke to continue, Mo Wuji had completely made sense of the situation. It looks like his performance had earned her acknowledgement. Even though his spiritual roots were trash, at least he could concoct pills, and could be considered to have good prospects. That's why she wanted to introduce him to her older sister.
"Keke, so she wants to be my little sister ah," Mo Wuji chuckled as well, acting like it was nothing important.
Zhen Shaoke bashfully scratched his nose, "That seems like the case. I believe, in her eyes, introducing you as her brother-in-law is your good fortune."
Mo Wuji waved it off, "Let's not talk about her, did you get my spiritual herbs?"
Zhen Shaoke passed the bag in his hands to Mo Wuji, "There are three batches of Earthly Soul Protecting Pill ingredients here. I couldn't get anymore."
"This is more than enough." Mo Wuji opened the bag and examined his herbs. They were preserved properly, and there were even some energy gathering talismans inside. He no longer acted courteously in front of Zhen Shaoke, and directly threw the spiritual herbs into his storage bag.
At this point in time, he wouldn't concoct pills or even practice. That would have to wait till when he entered the Five Elements Desolate Domain.
"These are some brief introductions of the Five Elements Desolate Domain and some simple maps. Take them." Zhen Shaoke retrieved another two pamphlets and passed them to Mo Wuji.
Seeing Mo Wuji store them properly, Zhen Shaoke continued, "The Five Elements Desolate Domain is opening in day. Hurry and rest, I'll no longer bother you."
He could easily tell that Mo Wuji desperately needed rest, so he didn't say anything else.
Regarding the matter with Zuo Shaoyi, he would not talk about it. Even though Zuo Shaoyi was a Heaven Seeking Palace genius, Mo Wuji's achievements were no lower than hers in Zhen Shaoke's eyes. She had underestimated him. On the other hand, even if Zuo Shaoyi hadn't underestimated Mo Wuji, Mo Wuji wouldn't have bothered befriending her older sister or become her brother-in-law.
After Zhen Shaoke left, Mo Wuji immediately checked his meridians. Seeing that there was nothing wrong with them, he finally heaved a sigh of relief. Even though he had just experienced some inhuman pain and devastation, his meridians remained fine and did not seem to have any signs of damage.
A day passed by quickly; today was the day the Five Elements Desolate Domain would open. Zhen Shaoke and Zhen Shaoru came to visit Mo Wuji far earlier than the supposed time. If they missed the supposed time, they would not be able to enter even if they had the bracelets.
Mo Wuji first bid his farewells to Yan'Er before detailedly instructing Xiong Xiuzhu and Fei Bingzhu to take care of her. Only then, did he leave together with Zhen Shaoke and Zhen Shaoru to the Five Elements Desolate Domain entrance.
He had also requested for Zhen Shaoke's help. If he truly failed to come out from the Five Elements Desolate Domain, he requested Zhen Shaoke to help take care of Yan'Er for a few years, on account of their friendship. This was so that Yan'Er could quietly and peacefully leave the world. With his understanding of Zhen Shaoke, he believed that Zhen Shaoke would definitely do it.
After all, this wasn't something difficult for Zhen Shaoke to do.
"Isn't this the Heaven Seeking Palace encampment?" Mo Wuji followed behind Zhen Shaoke, and he actually ended up at the Heaven Seeking Palace encampment.
Zhen Shaoke laughed, "That's right. The entrance of the Five Elements Desolate Domain is being protected by the Heaven Seeking Palace. So this is also the entrance to the Five Elements Desolate Domain."
Mo Wuji saw many cultivators heading over and entering into the Heaven Seeking Palace gates.
"Wuji, Shaoru, put on your bracelets and enter. I can only follow you two to this point. Good luck inside and reap bountiful harvests. Shaoru, if you meet Wuji within the Five Elements Desolate Domain, you need to listen to Wuji, don't simply do things unrestrainedly." With that, Zhen Shaoke continued to specially instruct Zhen Shaoru.
The Heaven Seeking Palace encampment. Mo Wuji and Zhen Shaoru had came here before for the pill refiner's interaction session. This time, as they entered the gates of the encampment, they only saw a long, bluestone paved path.
Countless cultivators were hearing into the Five Elements Desolate Domain; all of them were wearing their jade bracelets and walked in through this path quietly.
Mo Wuji and Zhen Shaoru followed behind the crowd and entered this long, winding path.
He did not feel anything peculiar when he first entered, but after walking for a few minutes, Mo Wuji felt a chill across his entire body. After walking for close to half an hour, Mo Wuji and Co. arrived at a humble round piazza. This piazza seemed to be the end of the path, there wasn't any road left to go.
The piazza was surrounded by fog. With more than a thousand people in this piazza, it felt a little squeezy.
This was where Mo Wuji came to see the Heaven Seeking Palace's Dean Feng again. He stood with his hands behind his back, at the periphery of the piazza right next to the fog, looking especially illusory and mystical.
No one made any noise, nor did they moved unnecessarily. Everyone on this small piazza was a cultivator. They all silently waited for Dean Feng to make his speech.
After an incense's time, this Dean Feng took a huge step forward, his eyes swept across the crowd of cultivators before he spoke loudly, "Being able to enter the Five Elements Desolate Domain is an opportunity. I hope all of you can properly grasp this opportunity and live up to the expectations your sects have placed on you."
With that, he turned to face the empty space within the fog, "Brother Ji, let's open the way to the Five Elements Desolate Domain together."
As Dean Feng's voice descended, a shadow appeared in front of the crowd. He was obscured by the shroud of fog and Mo Wuji was not able to clearly discern this person's appearance.
As this person landed, he did not say a word, but simply threw out a number of array flags. Dean Feng also took a step forward and threw some of them out.
Mo Wuji seemed to heard some rumbling noises and the fog surrounding the round piazza started to part. A hazy path seemed to appear from the round piazza, and it seemed to extend to somewhere deep. However, the path was covered with fog and it was simply impossible to clearly see the situation.
After a whole five to six minutes, the rumbling sound gradually subsided. The path seemed to be wider, but it remained as unclear as before.
Dean Feng stopped his hand actions and announced loudly, "The passage to the Five Elements Desolate Domain has been opened. I would like to remind all of you heading to the Five Elements Desolate Domain that the passage has just been opened, so it is still filled with poisonous fog inside. Please use the shortest time possible to transverse this passage and leave the area shrouded in poisonous fog. If not, you might just get poisoned to death at the entrance of the Five Elements Desolate Domain.
The Five Elements Desolate Domain will be opened for three months. After three months, this Five Elements passage will be opened once more. Everyone will need to return from the same passage at the end of these three months. Everyone, enter quickly."
Following Dean Feng's words, many cultivators charged into the passage and disappeared within the hazy fog.
Zhen Shaoru said to Mo Wuji, "Wuji, when you enter, definitely don't wait there. Immediately head to somewhere safe. If fate allows it, we might meet within the Five Elements Desolate Domain."
Finishing this sentence, Zhen Shaoru also charged in with huge strides. Mo Wuji did not dare to fall behind. He grabbed two Poison Cleansing Pills and swallowed them, before rushing in as well.
[1] Cheap goods is pronounced as Jian Huo in Chinese, while Sword Lake is Jian Hu. Hence, the misunderstanding.