Once back in his Inner Door cave mansion, Shen Mo couldn't wait to take out the jade box.

"Riverside Sect, what a generous gesture!"

Although he knew this was the sect's investment in his future, this knowledge still didn't dampen Shen Mo's extreme excitement.

Until now, every reward he had received from the sect had been hard-won. This was the first time he had received such a significant reward without a fight!

If they were ordinary spiritual items, it wouldn't matter. However, each one was so precious it couldn't be measured in Spirit Stones.

Demonstrating my potential has certainly brought me a lot of trouble... But for me... it's also an intangible and incredibly vast fortune. This reward is merely the materialization of that fortune!

If he were an unknown, it would likely be difficult for him to even speak with Elder Huang, let alone attract the attention of the sect's upper echelons and receive such a grand reward. Of course, his own outstanding achievements had undoubtedly played a role.

However... even the Law Master, Peak Master, and others think my brilliance is too sharp, and worry that I might meet an untimely end. Indeed, it was a reminder! Unless absolutely necessary, I should conceal some of my sharpness to avoid being too rigid and thus easily broken. Shen Mo contemplated silently.

In fact, this was all unavoidable. The tree wishes for calm, but the wind will not subside!

A storm was brewing in the cultivation world, and the situation was becoming even more turbulent. Shen Mo urgently needed more cultivation resources to enhance his strength. And once he began to contend for them, conflicts and battles with others would be inevitable!

The only thing Shen Mo could do was to strive for benefits while keeping the risks within an acceptable range, trying his utmost to avoid reckless endeavors. So far, he had been doing pretty well.

Now, having caught the attention of the Law Master, the Supreme Elder, and others, and with Peak Master Zhou Shili's backing... he had finally compensated for his long-standing disadvantage of lacking a powerful patron!

Relying on others is unreliable; one's own strength is the eternal truth.

With these thoughts, Shen Mo took a human-shaped puppet out of the jade box. His sense probed the accompanying jade slip, and a smile touched his lips.

"Scapegoat Puppet: once refined, it can block a fatal blow for its master."

He had seen Chen Mengze use a similar puppet magic artifact before. She had used it to block the Glare Skill of the red-clothed female ghost in the Ghost Country relic. However, the quality of the two puppets was worlds apart. Chen Mengze's puppet could, at best, only block attacks from those below the Spirit Sea Realm. Against an early-stage Spirit Sea Realm powerhouse, a single sword strike would cleave both person and puppet in two.

But the puppet in Shen Mo's hand could withstand the killing techniques of cultivators below the Golden Core Realm. This meant that even if a peak Spirit Sea Realm cultivator attacked in a fury, Shen Mo could survive one blow. The cost was that this Scapegoat Puppet would be instantly destroyed! It could be considered a single-use defensive magic treasure.

Without hesitation, Shen Mo squeezed a drop of fresh blood from his fingertip and quickly refined the puppet. Once a subtle connection was formed with it, Shen Mo put it back into his Universe Bag.

I hope this Scapegoat Puppet never sees use in my lifetime!

Next, he took out the Jade Vase containing the precious elixir.

Nine Holes Stone Marrow, what a treasure!

Just by inhaling a faint whiff of the elixir's fragrance, Shen Mo felt his Mana strengthen slightly. This precious elixir was a true Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure.

In the deepest part of a Spirit Stone Vein, there was an infinitesimal chance that an Immortal Stone would be born. Its outer appearance resembled an infant, with one or two "Immortal Orifices" on its surface. The interior of the Immortal Stone even grew spiritual pathways similar to Chakras or a Qi Sea. As time passed, the number of Immortal Orifices would also continuously increase. If all nine orifices formed, it could absorb the pure Spiritual Qi from the Spirit Stone Vein and store it within its internal Qi Sea and spiritual pathways. When the stone was cut open, one would obtain the Nine Holes Stone Marrow!

After a cultivator consumed it, it would transform into immense Mana, enhancing their Cultivation Realm, even without needing to be refined by a cultivation method. Unlike ordinary elixirs, this item had no toxic side effects whatsoever. Such characteristics sufficed to reveal its preciousness!

Shen Mo had advanced to the sixth layer of the Qi Gathering Realm only a few days prior and had originally needed some time to consolidate his cultivation and continue accumulating his foundation. With the aid of this precious elixir, he might not need long to solidify his foundation and attempt to break through to the seventh layer!

GLUG!

Shen Mo tilted his head back and downed the Nine Holes Stone Marrow in one gulp. Once the precious elixir entered his stomach, it immediately began to transform into a steady stream of Purple Knack Mana, expanding his Dantian's Qi Sea. Feeling his cultivation slowly increasing, Shen Mo let out a satisfied burp.

The effects of the Nine Holes Stone Marrow should last for several days. Once I absorb all its medicinal power, I won't be far from the seventh layer.

Saying this, Shen Mo picked up the silver-thread inner armor and shook it open with a RUSTLE. Silver light flashed, shimmering brilliantly.

I just sent away the Red Carp inner armor, and the sect immediately rewards me with another. The timing couldn't be better! However, of the four treasures, three are life-saving ones... It seems the Law Master, Peak Master, and the others are truly worried about my safety!

Then again... to this day, the Profound Moon School still deeply regrets the premature death of Fairy Pei Yu.

After reading the jade slip, Shen Mo now understood this top-grade inner armor. This inner armor was meticulously forged from silk spun by a spirit insect called the Six-winged Snow Silkworm. Although not made of metal, the silk spun by the snow silkworm, aside from its exceptional toughness, possessed many other marvelous properties. It could repel water and fire, ward off poisons and miasmas, and defend against blades and spears! Coupled with the Forgemaster's meticulous craftsmanship—reweaving the inner armor's structure and inscribing runes—its power was rendered even more extraordinary. Its defensive capabilities surpassed even those of the Blue Soul Magic Robe. It feared neither fire nor water, nor the erosion of poisonous miasmas. If auctioned in an immortal workshop, it would undoubtedly fetch a jaw-dropping, sky-high price.

Without further ado, Shen Mo swiftly refined it and wore it beneath his Blue Soul Magic Robe. The silver-thread inner armor conformed to his body perfectly; Shen Mo couldn't even feel that he was wearing a highly defensive piece of armor so close to his skin. Naturally, it wouldn't hinder him from casting spells or engaging in combat!

Since it's forged from the silk of a snow silkworm, I might as well call it 'Auspicious Snow.' Shen Mo mentally named the silver-thread inner armor, and then his gaze fell upon the last three Jade Talismans.

Earlier, Elder Huang had hinted at them. These three Jade Talismans had been a private gift from Stars Peak's Peak Master, Zhou Shili. Shen Mo didn't need to refine them. In a moment of crisis, simply crushing a Jade Talisman would allow him to call upon the Peak Master for rescue.

In Shen Mo's eyes, the value of these three Jade Talismans was no less than any of the previous treasures.

If I ever encounter a formidable enemy I can't defeat or escape from, I now have a countermeasure. The Peak Master must manage all the affairs of Stars Peak and also focus on his own cultivation. To have him intervene even once is no small feat. Even Lu Ming only received a single Jade Talisman. For him to give me three is truly remarkable!

With these Jade Talismans in his possession, Shen Mo felt an added measure of confidence. However, these talismans also had numerous limitations. Although they could theoretically transmit a distress signal even if he were in a Dungeon or a Foreign Zone, Peak Master Zhou Shili was, after all, still a Spirit Sea Realm Cultivator. After a Jade Talisman was crushed, Zhou Shili might not be able to arrive in time to rescue him.

Therefore, Shen Mo had no intention of becoming arrogant or reckless just because he possessed these treasures.

Unnecessary risks should be avoided whenever possible!

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