Once a father, always a father.

Seeing Zhang Gonglian and Lin Mo walk out of the Pill Tower, Elder Gongyue's hanging heart finally settled.

With trembling hands, he deactivated the formation. His figure blurred as he drifted down from the top of the tower, his toes tapping lightly on the shattered bluestone slabs before standing firmly.

The air was still filled with the scorched smell left by the lightning magic, along with a faint, lingering scent of blood.

"Junior Brother Celestial Master, this tribulation should be considered over, right?" Elder Gongyue's voice carried the hoarseness of someone who had just survived a disaster, his gaze sweeping over the corpses on the ground behind Zhang Gonglian near the Pill Tower.

Zhang Gonglian's tense back had long since relaxed. He exhaled a long breath of stale air, the heavy feeling in his chest only now dissipating a little.

"It's over."

He nodded, then turned to Lin Mo, who wore a calm expression, and bowed solemnly. "The Celestial Master Mansion of Mount Longhu will never forget this great kindness."

Lin Mo accepted the bow calmly, but the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"After all, a father for a day is a father for life."

"..."

The veins on Zhang Gonglian's forehead throbbed violently.

Remembering that Lin Mo was indeed the benefactor of the entire Mount Longhu Daoist ashram, he held back his temper.

Through this battle, Zhang Gonglian also deeply realized his past laziness.

He was still young; from now on, the century-old reputation of the Celestial Master Mansion of Mount Longhu had to be upheld by him.

"Alright, I'll leave the remaining mess to you guys. I'm leaving first." Lin Mo patted some non-existent dust off his clothes, looking like a free spirit brushing off his garments after a finished deed.

Zhang Gonglian and Gongyue were both stunned upon hearing this.

"Layman Lin!" Elder Gongyue hurriedly took a step forward, his tone urgent. "The great tribulation has been quelled. Why don't you stay on the mountain for a few more days? Our Celestial Master Mansion is willing to entertain you with the highest standards, so we can express our gratitude."

"No need."

Lin Mo waved his hand, refusing swiftly and decisively. "I still have some things to do down the mountain. Compared to this ethereal mountain peak, I still prefer the worldly atmosphere of the mortal realm."

Saying that, he stuffed his hands into his pockets, took a step, and leisurely walked down the mountain.

His casual stroll made it seem as if the person who had just annihilated powerful enemies with a snap of his fingers wasn't him.

Zhang Gonglian hurriedly followed. "Since that's the case, I'll walk you out."

"Sure!" Lin Mo wasn't pretentious; if Zhang Gonglian wanted to see him off, so be it.

The two walked side by side down the ancient stone steps of the mountain, silent along the way.

The mountain breeze was cold, fluttering the corners of their clothes and blowing away the last of the scorched smell in front of the Pill Tower behind them.

Zhang Gonglian's footsteps slowed down several times, and his lips moved, as if some words were stuck in his throat, unable to go up or down.

He kicked away a piece of crushed stone by his foot. The stone rolled down the stairs, making a series of crisp sounds.

Finally, unable to hold back, he turned his head to look at Lin Mo.

"So, what was your real reason for coming up to Mount Longhu?"

Lin Mo slowed his pace, met his gaze, and suddenly smiled.

"I just entered the Golden Core stage."

These simple words exploded like a clap of thunder in Zhang Gonglian's mind!

His pupils shrank drastically, and he stumbled, almost losing his footing.

That was the realm of their founding patriarch. No wonder he could recognize a Golden Core, and no wonder he could defeat Zhang Fengyi, who had been reborn using the Buddha-faced body.

Lin Mo looked at his dazed appearance and seemed to find it very amusing before unhurriedly finishing his sentence.

"I've long heard that Mount Longhu is the leader of the profound sects with a deep foundation, so I thought I'd come over and test the waters to see exactly what caliber my Golden Core stage is."

Of course, Lin Mo wouldn't say that he was here to study where the current cultivation ceiling of this world was.

Zhang Gonglian's expression was slightly bitter. "So it was just to test the waters."

"Don't give me that look."

Lin Mo reached out and patted him on the shoulder. The force wasn't heavy, and his tone was like coaxing a sulking child. "You did great, really! However, compared to Yanhuang Awakening, your foundation is indeed lacking a bit. I think there are definitely quite a few people with your level of strength in Yanhuang Awakening."

Being comforted like this only made Zhang Gonglian feel even more stifled.

He took a deep breath, shook his head, and his voice was a bit dry:

"Yanhuang Awakening's foundation is naturally unfathomable. The resources and manpower they control are far beyond what our Celestial Master Mansion can compare with.

We just don't want to wade into those muddy waters. If I remember correctly, among the heirs of the four great contemporary Celestial Masters, two have chosen to join Yanhuang Awakening."

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow but didn't really care.

Anyone without the strength of the Golden Core stage wasn't worth looking at.

The stone steps spiraled downwards, Lin Mo's footsteps echoing in the empty space. As if remembering something, he asked casually.

"By the way, do you know about the Hidden Sects?"

Walking in front, Zhang Gonglian paused his steps, turned his head, and looked a bit surprised.

Zhang Gonglian was taken aback for a moment. "The Hidden Sects? I know them. It's an alliance of several reclusive martial arts families."

Hearing this, Lin Mo was slightly confused.

"Martial arts? Like fists and kicks?"

"Not entirely. They actually occupy several grotto-heavens and blessed lands similar to the Mount Longhu Daoist ashram. They practice internal energy, just like the stuff in martial arts novels."

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo instantly understood.

"Martial arts novels, is that high-tier martial arts or low-tier martial arts?"

"High-tier? Low-tier?"

Zhang Gonglian looked bewildered; he had never heard these terms before. "What the heck is that? A new novel genre?"

In this era, there was no distinction between high and low martial arts, so Zhang Gonglian couldn't grasp the concept.

Seeing his expression, Lin Mo knew he had spoken too far ahead of his time, so he had to switch to a more down-to-earth question.

"I mean, what is the upper limit of this martial arts? Can they blow up a mountain with one punch?"

"Blow up a mountain?" Zhang Gonglian acted as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world and burst out laughing. "What are you thinking? Wouldn't they be immortals then? Moving mountains and filling seas is definitely impossible. At best, it's just like what's shown in TV dramas—leaping over roofs and vaulting over walls, treading on water without leaving a trace, shattering a marble table with a single palm strike. The more formidable ones might have sword qi or saber qi and things like that."

As a new-era Celestial Master who had at least attended university, Zhang Gonglian was no stranger to the martial arts dramas that were popular in recent years.

With this comparison, Lin Mo immediately had a good idea in his mind.

It sounded more like pure physical enhancement and energy application. The path had gone astray, but their early-stage combat power should not be underestimated.

Therefore, Zhang Gonglian's description of these Hidden Sects was quite accurate.

Zhang Gonglian rolled his eyes, the fire of gossip burning fiercely. He leaned in closer and asked in a lowered voice, "Why ask about this all of a sudden? Did some blind fools from the Hidden Sects provoke you?"

"Not yet, but I have a feeling they will. Just tell me everything you know, don't play that toothpaste-squeezing game."

"Hey, I only know the general gist about them." Zhang Gonglian scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "Their method is called entering the Dao through martial arts. They practice internal energy, which is somewhat similar to our Qi Condensation mana, but their methods are much wilder. If it really came down to a fight, cultivators at the same level of the Qi Condensation stage probably wouldn't be able to beat them."