Plant VS Cultivation

Chapter 42: Spiritual Power Investigation

The reason no one sought out Gu Mo was simple—Cleansing Technique operated by utilizing spiritual power vibrations to achieve the effect of purifying the body and refining the meridians. However, since each individual's condition was different, achieving the best results required fine adjustments tailored to the target's physique.

Under such circumstances, the target's physical condition would be thoroughly examined by Gu Mo. Which cultivator would be willing to expose all their bodily secrets to an outsider?

Yet, at this moment, someone actually did. And that person was an inner sect senior sister. Gu Mo was uncertain whether she truly understood the consequences of requesting another to perform a perfected-level Cleansing Technique for body refinement.

"I know just as much about the Cleansing Technique as you do." Yuan Niya's fingers clenched tightly onto the hem of her robe, attempting to mask her inner turmoil. She was well aware that allowing Gu Mo to perform the technique meant exposing her physical condition completely to him.

However, she was determined to surpass the other inner sect disciples, and the Cleansing Technique was the most cost-effective method for refining her body. The problem was that she hadn't been able to master the technique to perfection herself, nor could she ask an inner sect senior brother or sister who had mastered it for help.

After all, they were competitors. If she exposed her condition to them, it would be like handing over a weakness to her rivals. Besides, those who had mastered the perfected Cleansing Technique wouldn't want to help her strengthen herself, adding another competitor to the mix.

But Gu Mo was different. He was a servant disciple, with no competition against her whatsoever. Additionally, servant disciples were easier to control, and their asking price wouldn't be too high. As for the risk of having her body's secrets known by him—what did that matter compared to getting stronger?

Yuan Niya was born in a common family. As a child, she was often treated as an outcast due to her black-and-red streaked hair—shunned by her parents and bullied by others. This led to her overwhelming desire for strength. Only by becoming powerful could she prevent herself from being bullied ever again.

"As long as you help me, I will compensate you. What do you want? Spirit stones? Pills? Artifacts?" Taking a deep breath, Yuan Niya steadied her emotions and asked.

Gu Mo, truthfully, wasn't keen on helping. He only wanted to train quietly and tend to his spirit fields. But looking at Yuan Niya's determined gaze, he realized that refusing wasn't really an option. A female cultivator was willing to completely expose herself just to request his perfected Cleansing Technique—this alone showed her unwavering resolve.

What else could he say? He never imagined that someone would actually be willing to expose their body's secrets just to refine their meridians through the Cleansing Technique.

"Fine. I'll help you," Gu Mo sighed, rubbing his forehead. "No need for spirit stones, pills, or artifacts. Just promise that if I ever encounter trouble, you'll lend a hand."

Gu Mo understood that, as an inner sect disciple, Yuan Niya wouldn't lack resources. But connections were far more valuable than material rewards.

"Deal!"

Yuan Niya nodded without hesitation. To an inner sect disciple, helping a servant disciple was merely a trivial favor.

"Follow me."

Gu Mo deactivated the illusion array around his spirit field and gestured for Yuan Niya to enter. At this moment, his Sunflowers and Peashooters were stored inside his black mist space, so he had no concerns about exposing them.

Seeing this, Yuan Niya followed without hesitation. Though she was only at the early-stage Qi Refining Realm, she was confident she could defeat three Gu Mo's if necessary.

And that was only because Gu Mo had mastered the perfected Cleansing Technique—giving him a stronger foundation than most servant disciples. If it were an ordinary servant disciple, she could easily defeat ten of them.

Besides, who in the sect would dare to harm an inner sect disciple? That would be suicidal.

Yuan Niya was ambitious but not reckless. She had carefully assessed the risks before coming.

"Senior Sister, let's make an agreement first—I will help you refine your body with the perfected Cleansing Technique, but you cannot tell anyone about it," Gu Mo warned after leading her to a small house by the spirit field.

Inner sect disciples had fierce competition—great benefits and privileges, but also extreme pressure. Every one of them struggled to rise above the rest, aiming to become a true disciple of the Qinglu Sect.

Only by becoming a true disciple could they compete for the sect leader's position and access superior resources. Furthermore, each true disciple was given a guaranteed resource package to aid their Core Formation breakthrough.

The temptation of forming a Core drove inner sect disciples to ruthlessly compete for the true disciple slots. If it became known that Yuan Niya had received help from Gu Mo's perfected Cleansing Technique, she would immediately become a major target.

And once people connected the dots, Gu Mo would be the first to suffer. Targeting another inner sect disciple was difficult, but dealing with a servant disciple like Gu Mo? That was far too easy.

"You can't reveal that I received the perfected Cleansing Technique from you either!" Yuan Niya quickly added, realizing her original demand had been stolen.

Just as Gu Mo didn't want to be exposed, she didn't want others to know she had received his help either.

If the truth got out, her reputation would take a serious hit. Even though she wasn't overly concerned about her image—as strength silences all criticism—secrecy was still preferable.

"Alright, let's begin."

After agreeing to keep it confidential, Gu Mo signaled for Yuan Niya to sit down. Then, he reached out and held her hand—he needed direct contact to analyze her physical condition and determine the optimal spiritual power vibration frequency.

Once he gathered the necessary data, the Cleansing Technique wouldn't require physical contact anymore.

"Alright!"

Yuan Niya was both eager and nervous, but she quickly suppressed her emotions, letting her desire for strength overcome her hesitation.

As Gu Mo's spiritual power seeped into her, Yuan Niya let out a soft hum. His energy carried a soothing warmth, which felt particularly pleasant for someone with a fire spiritual root like her.

"Continue!"

Noticing Gu Mo's brief glance at her, she quickly steadied her mind.

Gu Mo then adjusted his spiritual vibrations, guiding them through Yuan Niya's meridians and acupoints.

However, after a moment, his brows furrowed slightly.

His gaze subtly shifted to Yuan Niya's chest, as the feedback from his spiritual power suggested that the actual size was far smaller than what his eyes perceived.

"Could it be...?"

A realization struck Gu Mo.

At the same time, he heard the crackling sound of Yuan Niya's fists clenching tightly—clearly, she had noticed his reaction. She was fully aware that under his spiritual power scan, all disguises were meaningless.

Forcing himself to remain composed, Gu Mo pretended he hadn't noticed anything and continued his examination.

Suddenly, Yuan Niya's body tensed up, her face tinged with a faint blush.

Gu Mo instantly broke into a cold sweat as he realized where his spiritual power had just scanned.

Fearing an outburst, he hurriedly redirected his energy elsewhere. Yuan Niya's rigid posture slowly relaxed, and though both of them understood what had happened, neither acknowledged it aloud.