The bright moon shone on the snow, reflecting each other's brilliance.

The night was clearer than ever before.

After a busy day, Chen Mengze sat cross-legged on her bed, slowly circulating the Pure Jade Mantra.

She was enveloped in a silver glow, making her skin as translucent as a peeled lychee. As her cultivation method circulated, one could faintly see the veins beneath her skin.

The Spiritual Qi she had drawn turned into tiny ice crystals that floated around her. With each inhalation and exhalation, they rippled like smoke.

It was as if a jade sculpture had been coated with frost, radiating a crystalline and chilling beauty.

This immortal art was an opportunity she had obtained during her trek through Death Jaw.

Chen Mengze didn't know the rank of this cultivation method, but it was more miraculous than any magic she had ever cultivated.

According to the description on the cultivation method's jade slip, cultivating the Pure Jade Mantra to its profound depths could grant her talent comparable to an Ice Spirit Body.

Chen Mengze, hailing from a prominent immortal sect, naturally knew that Spiritual Bodies were innate.

She had never heard of any divine magic or powerful skill in the cultivation world that could allow a cultivator to develop a Spiritual Body!

Initially, Chen Mengze was naturally skeptical.

But after cultivating it, she was both shocked and delighted to discover that this immortal art was not a fabrication.

Merely upon reaching the initial stage, she sensed her cultivation talent slowly improving!

Her cultivation progress was swifter than usual, and her comprehension of various magic and martial arts had become more profound.

However, the conditions for cultivating this immortal art were also quite stringent.

First, the cultivator had to be a woman.

If a man were to cultivate it, he wouldn't even glimpse its threshold after a hundred years of arduous cultivation.

This point wasn't particularly unusual, as many magic and martial arts skills had various restrictions for cultivators.

Secondly, the cultivator needed to possess a body of immaculate purity.

Not just the physical body, but also the soul and mind, ideally, should be like an icy spring from a snow-capped mountain—utterly spotless.

This required her Path Heart to remain constantly in a state of icy clarity and tranquility!

Before exiting Death Jaw, Chen Mengze had found cultivating the Pure Jade Mantra exceptionally smooth, reaching the initial stage in mere days.

That was why Shen Mo had felt a growing sense of distance from her, largely due to her practicing this immortal art.

But, after leaving Death Jaw...

A torrent of worldly thoughts had assailed her, causing her progress in this cultivation method to nearly stagnate!

Even after avenging her great enmity and resolving the obsessions in her heart, which cleared the obstacles to her Realm advancement, this immortal art still showed no progress.

Now, several months had passed in the blink of an eye, yet her proficiency in the Pure Jade Mantra had not only failed to advance but had actually regressed.

It was even worse than when she had just left Death Jaw!

Chen Mengze cultivated this method daily, merely trying to prevent her proficiency from declining further.

So far, she hadn't been very successful.

During her cultivation tonight, as usual, a certain figure involuntarily flashed through her mind—the shadow of someone she had rejected countless times, someone whose back she could now hardly hope to glimpse.

Then—her proficiency in the Pure Jade Mantra had regressed by another thirty percent!

Although she had anticipated this, a hint of disappointment inevitably appeared on Chen Mengze's beautiful face.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

Chen Mengze brushed the frost from her body, rose, and opened the door, only to find the very figure that had inexplicably surfaced in her mind moments before standing outside.

Her heart skipped a beat, but her expression quickly reverted to its usual cool indifference.

"Senior Sister Chen, I have something to discuss with you in detail," Shen Mo, long accustomed to her demeanor, said with an unconcerned smile.

Chen Mengze nodded slightly and turned back into the room.

CREAK~~~~

Shen Mo followed her in, closed the door, and then affixed a Prohibition Talisman to it.

"Senior Sister Chen, you should be aware by now," Shen Mo began, not standing on ceremony. He sat down, poured himself some spiritual tea, and didn't forget to pour a cup for Chen Mengze as well. "I've received a directive from the sect and will be returning to the mountain gate for a period of secluded cultivation soon."

Savoring the fragrant aroma in his mouth, he continued under Chen Mengze's questioning gaze, "I've persuaded Elder Shentu to jointly recommend you as the Commander of Hongye City's Defense Division. Are you willing to accept?"

"If you're unwilling, then let's drop the matter. If you don't object, Elder Shentu and I will report this to the sect tomorrow."

An expression of surprise touched Chen Mengze's face. After a moment of contemplation, she asked, "You want me... to hold this position for you?"

"Exactly!" Shen Mo made no attempt to hide it.

He told Chen Mengze about his plans to secure industrial interests from the Qian Family and Elder Qian. He further revealed that he now held a sixty percent stake in shops like Baodan Pavilion, Talisman Room, Ascending Pill Shop, and Myriad Immortal Warrior Tower. And recently, the necessary spiritual items for the Defense Division cultivators' merit rewards had all been procured from these four shops.

Listening to this, Chen Mengze felt a mix of admiration and exasperation. She admired how Shen Mo had quietly built up such an enterprise. Her exasperation stemmed from his willingness to offend the Qian Immortal Family and an Elder of Rising Sun Peak. The Immortal Family factions within the sect already found him an eyesore, and now he had given them even more cause to make trouble.

Furthermore, his blatant practice of favoring his own shops to earn Spirit Stones left Chen Mengze rather speechless.

Unexpectedly, Shen Mo retorted righteously, "The Defense Division's procurement of spiritual items for merit rewards is a necessary expenditure. Does it matter who they buy from? Besides, the elixirs, talismans, magic artifacts, and other goods sold in my shops are of excellent quality. They are sold to the Defense Division at market price, and I don't take a single Spirit Stone in kickbacks. It's truly... just a normal business transaction!"

Hearing this, Chen Mengze initially found it quite reasonable. But upon careful reflection, she found it increasingly odd.

Shen Mo personally refined elixirs, created talismans, and forged magic artifacts. He sold these finished products to his own shops. Then, the Defense Division used its allocated monthly funds to purchase these elixirs and spiritual items, which were then distributed to the cultivators registered with the Defense Division.

Round and round it went. He not only profited from selling the elixirs, talismans, and artifacts but also received dividends from the shops, with the largest share of the profits ending up in his pocket. And the elixirs and other items he crafted were returned to the Defense Division to be awarded to the registered cultivators, including Chen Mengze herself...

No wonder you want me to take over as Commander. Having figured out the crux of the matter, Chen Mengze shot Shen Mo an exasperated glance.

The Defense Division in Hongye City was different from those in other cities. Not long ago, it couldn't even pay the monthly stipends of its registered cultivators, let alone procure items for merit rewards. Now, with everything needing to be rebuilt from scratch, Shen Mo had sole discretion over which shops to procure spiritual items from. In other Defense Division branches, however, the various factions were deeply entrenched, and procurement—a lucrative area—was already firmly controlled by others. Even if Shen Mo wanted to use his Senior Brothers and Sisters from Stars Peak to drum up some business for Baodan Pavilion and his other shops, it would be impossible.

That was why he was so reluctant to relinquish the position of Commander of Hongye City's Defense Division!

Recalling the generous merit rewards Shen Mo had set for her, Chen Mengze certainly didn't think this was a bad arrangement.

Serving as Commander will allow me to earn a considerable amount of Spirit Stones and resources. It's much better than doing my usual missions.

"I accept this matter!" Chen Mengze declared, taking a sip of her spiritual tea. As she spoke, her breath formed a visible mist that drifted towards Shen Mo's face.

Inhaling the faint, sweet fragrance of the tea, a hint of a smile touched Shen Mo's eyes.

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