Mo Qi pondered for a moment and said, "All opportunities come with risks. Take the current invasion of the Primordial Southern Sea, for instance. The cultivators who rushed to the forefront were from the Dome Realm, and they also suffered the most casualties. As for the Lingxiao Sect, Sect Leader Wu Fan is an anomaly. Otherwise, you could all remain at ease and stay out of it."
"I'm not afraid of danger," Bai Cheng stated resolutely.
Various thoughts raced through Mo Qi's mind.
If he were to bring her along, which sect should he place her in?
If he were to bring her along, what would others think?
If he refused her, how could he do so?
Her cultivation was simply too low, still at the late Foundation Establishment stage. How could he possibly place someone of such cultivation into the various cultivation sects of the Dome Realm?
How could he dare to speak to those sect leaders?
"Senior Sister Bai, to be frank," Mo Qi said after a long hesitation, "Please don't be angry. Promise me first that you won't be angry."
Bai Cheng replied calmly, "I won't be angry."
"Your cultivation is too low, it's truly impossible to send you to the various sects of the Dome Realm, and they wouldn't accept you," Mo Qi said softly. "If you really wish to go, there is a way, but you might not agree."
"What way?" Bai Cheng asked.
"Choose someone from the Dome Realm as your Dao companion," Mo Qi said with a smile.
This was the best method he could currently think of.
However, there was an unspoken implication, which she would have to understand for herself.
Bai Cheng stared at Mo Qi, remaining silent.
The air was exceptionally still.
Mo Qi continued to smile awkwardly, his smile growing increasingly strained.
After a moment, Bai Cheng stood up, turned, and left.
Mo Qi watched her figure disappear, feeling a sense of loss.
A moment later, Bai Cheng returned. Mo Qi couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement, thinking she had changed her mind.
To his surprise, Bai Cheng said, "Do you still have any Youth Preserving Pills? Could you give me a few?"
"Certainly," Mo Qi replied without hesitation, giving her several.
As she took the Youth Preserving Pills, she softly said, "Regarding that question just now, if I were to go to the Dome Realm in that manner, it would be for profit by any means necessary. If it were you, what would you choose?"
Mo Qi was stunned for a moment!
While he was still in a daze, Bai Cheng turned and left again.
Mo Qi's return this time was primarily to stabilize the overall situation.
He was worried that Wu Fan's death would cause chaos within the Lingxiao Sect and other unforeseen risks.
Now that the situation was stable, he felt it was time to withdraw, so he left a few days later.
Before heading to the Dome Realm, he visited the Divine Escape Sect.
He could have entered directly using invisibility, but that would have easily drawn criticism.
Therefore, he chose to enter through the main gate.
After Mo Qi announced his name, he was surprised that the disciples guarding the gate still held the same impression of him and began to mock him: "You're that idiot from the Lingxiao Sect, aren't you? Weren't you quite impressive back then? Why have you been so low-profile these past few years?"
Another person chimed in with a laugh, "Yeah, why don't you keep pretending?"
"If you're a sheep, you should accept your fate and eat grass honestly. Why pretend to be a fierce beast?"
"You also have to consider your origins. What kind of sect is the Lingxiao Sect? A small sect, or even a miscellaneous one. What kind of people can come out of it? Just misfits and rejects."
Mo Qi couldn't be bothered to waste words with them and directly said, "I'm looking for Pei Ruxue. Please inform her."
"Sect Leader Pei? Is that someone you can just ask to see? Take a look at yourself in the mirror." One of the thinner individuals stood with his hands on his hips, completely ignoring Mo Qi's request.
The other, ačå, became angry, "What? You dare to address Sect Leader Pei by name? Are you tired of living?"
Mo Qi's patience was wearing thin, "I truly don't want to get angry with you, but don't push my limits again and again. I could make you shut up forever with a single finger. Do you know the pain of me having to constantly restrain my temper?"
The two stood there stunned, then suddenly burst into laughter, "This is hilarious! I've never seen such a shameless person. Aren't you afraid of your tongue getting twisted when you brag like this?"
"Come on, don't restrain your temper anymore. Unleash all your anger." The two laughed, making various provocative gestures, even sticking their butts out and wiggling them at Mo Qi.
Mo Qi kicked each of them in the backside. The two were sent flying, tracing an arc through the air before becoming mere specks, landing somewhere unknown inside the mountain gate.
Then, Mo Qi strode in proudly, head held high!
Because the commotion of him hitting them was so small, those behind them had no idea what had happened.
Thus, Mo Qi walked in completely unhindered, asking for Pei Ruxue as he went.
He eventually found Pei Ruxue with surprising ease!
At that moment, she was teaching cultivation techniques to her disciples. Mo Qi didn't want to disturb her, so he quietly observed from the side.
Over the years, Pei Ruxue's cultivation had also improved; she was now at the early stage of Soul Splitting.
With such cultivation, she could completely stand out in the Nine Divine Realms.
Her appearance had barely changed; outwardly, she still looked like a girl of eighteen or nineteen.
Pei Ruxue was completely immersed in teaching the techniques and hadn't noticed Mo Qi's arrival.
What she was teaching everyone was her signature skill, the Void Escape technique!
Mo Qi, with nothing else to do, also listened attentively and observed carefully. Before all the disciples had fully grasped it, he had already understood it.
He completely forgot his current situation and began to practice on the spot, disappearing and suddenly reappearing elsewhere, then disappearing again.
A few disciples who weren't paying close attention noticed him and asked Pei Ruxue with confusion, "Master, when did you hire a teaching assistant?"
Pei Ruxue was also puzzled, "What teaching assistant?"
The disciple then pointed at Mo Qi, who had just reappeared, "Him, he's been demonstrating for us."
Only then did Pei Ruxue notice Mo Qi.
As she looked at him, her eyes welled up, and she looked away. Then she turned back to continue her lesson but found it impossible to concentrate. Her words became disjointed, and she kept forgetting what she was saying.
After persevering for a quarter of an hour, she finally gave up and announced the end of the day's lesson.
The disciples dispersed. Just as Mo Qi was about to approach her, Pei Ruxue suddenly looked at him and said, "Don't come to find me anymore."
Mo Qi was somewhat baffled, "Why? Didn't you say that once I had enough ability to protect myself, I could come to find you?"
As he spoke, Mo Qi slowly moved closer to her.
Pei Ruxue's eyes reddened, "But as your cultivation gets higher and higher, the gap between us grows. In a few hundred years, I will become an old woman, and you might still look like this."
"Most importantly, you are moving further and further away, and I can never catch up to you. I will only hold you back."
Mo Qi's head spun, but this was indeed a real problem between them.
It wasn't a matter of who was holding whom back.
In the cultivation world, vows of eternal love were useless. There were places one person could go, but two could not.
Unless one person was willing to give up their pursuit for the other.
"These past few days, I've been trying my very best to improve my cultivation. At first, I thought I could catch up to you, but the moment I saw you, I knew I would never be able to." Pei Ruxue continued in a low voice.
Mo Qi stood there dumbfounded, his mind filled with a thousand thoughts.
Pei Ruxue turned to leave.
Mo Qi said, "Wait for me. I will develop a pill that can rapidly advance one's cultivation, and then you won't have these troubles anymore."
Pei Ruxue didn't turn back and sighed, "Actually, the biggest chasm between us isn't this, but that you are my enemy!"
Mo Qi froze! His entire being gradually turned cold!
Pei Ruxue, however, quickly left!
Afterward, Mo Qi left in a daze, heading directly for the Dome Realm.
Upon arriving at the academy, Tang Qianyu transmitted a message saying his appointment had been made. He was to be the Fourth Tier Leader and report to the Fourth Tier in three days.
He would be able to represent the tier in carrying out tasks in the Primordial Southern Sea, including negotiations, to stop the invasion.
Tang Qianyu also said sourly, "You're quite capable, reaching above me as soon as you arrive."
Mo Qi remained calm and easily understood that the tier's arrangement was, firstly, an acknowledgment of his volunteering for this mission, and secondly, to enhance his negotiating authority. If his rank were too low, people would not consider him to have the right to speak and would not bother negotiating with him.
He recalled that even the small Divine Dragon Sect required at least a third-tier official for dialogue.
Mo Qi said, "The mission I'm undertaking is one of nine deaths. They likely believe I won't return, don't they?"
Tang Qianyu was silent for a moment and then said, "I believe in you. You will return safely."
This also meant that Mo Qi had completed his studies.
However, he still held another identity as a teacher at the Heavenly Tier Academy, and he could freely enter and exit the Heavenly Tier Academy.
He then felt that free access wasn't enough. As a teacher at the Heavenly Tier Academy, he should have his own independent accommodation.
So, he went to find Xing Mian, who was drinking tea. Mo Qi naturally walked over and sat down.
Upon hearing Mo Qi's request, Xing Mian immediately agreed, "There's no problem with that at all. However, the Sun Chasing Star Grasping Art class for this year is about to begin, and you need to prepare to teach a lesson. Teacher Mo is very ill and certainly won't be able to teach this class."
Mo Qi frowned, "When is the class?"
"Tomorrow."
Tomorrow was fine; it wouldn't affect anything.
Moreover, the Sun Chasing Star Grasping Art class was only held once a year. After tomorrow's lesson, he wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.
As for next year, perhaps he would have returned, or perhaps Teacher Mo would have recovered; everything was negotiable.
"Alright," Mo Qi said.
Xing Mian poured Mo Qi a cup of tea and said, "Teacher Mo, I heard you're going to the Primordial Southern Sea?"
Mo Qi was greatly surprised, "You're quite formidable. I only just found out, and you already know."
Xing Mian chuckled lightly, "After all, my influence reaches far and wide."
Mo Qi drank some tea and smiled, "You have many ears and eyes."
"Do you know why you could kill Wan Beifeng and injure Nangong Zhen Dong, Nangong Yun, and Li Xingyuan, yet still enter the tier as if nothing happened?" Xing Mian said, dropping another bombshell.