Chapter 230: Chapter 229 Inner Mountain_1
Before Mo Hua entered the Inner Mountain, Elder Yu secretly slipped him a Monster Hunting Token.
“Keep this, and you’ll be considered an official Monster Hunter.”
Mo Hua was stunned for a moment, “Can I become a Monster Hunter without going through the Monster Hunting Ceremony?”
First, he had been in charge of guarding the Spiritual mines, and later, he set up an Artifact Refinery and Alchemy Business. After so many events, and since he was busy cultivating and Drawing Formations, he had missed the annual Monster Hunting Ceremony for that year.
Moreover, as a Spiritual Cultivator and a Formation Master, he basically didn’t engage in close combat with Monster Beasts. Strictly speaking, he wasn’t quite cut out to be a Monster Hunter.
“That’s all just ceremonious nonsense, it doesn’t matter. Whether you’re a Monster Hunter or not is up to me; if I say you are, then you are!”
Elder Yu declared with righteous confidence.
With him being the only Foundation Building Cultivator in the Monster Hunting Guild, it indeed was his call to make.
Elder Yu personally hung the Monster Hunting Token around Mo Hua’s neck, “This Monster Hunting Token is key. With the token, you are a bona fide Monster Hunter.”
“Drop a bit of blood on it,” Elder Yu added.
Mo Hua hesitated for a moment.
Seeing Mo Hua’s delicate skin, Elder Yu thought for a moment and said, “Never mind, I’ll help you.”
Elder Yu took Mo Hua’s fair little hand, condensed Spiritual Power into a fine needle, pricked Mo Hua’s index finger, and a drop of blood fell onto the Monster Hunting Token.
Mo Hua sucked on his finger, and the bleeding soon stopped.
At the same time, his Divine Sense trembled slightly, as if it resonated with the Monster Hunting Token, creating a sense of affinity, as though the Bone Order was no longer a mere object but a part sustained by his Divine Sense.
“Is this a blood oath for recognizing the master?”
“You could say that, but the Monster Hunting Token isn’t a magical Spiritual Artifact with its own consciousness, so calling it a blood oath might be a stretch. It’s more like… a stamp of ownership,” Elder Yu explained.
Then, curiously touching the Monster Hunting Token, he asked, “Elder Yu, how exactly is this Monster Hunting Token made?”
Elder Yu found a chair to sit on, poured himself a cup of tea, and explained:
“It’s a tradition passed down from the ancestors of the Monster Hunters. It is said that the world has quite a few Bone Trees, which possess the lineage of ancient Big Demons. They’re both demon and tree. They look like trees, but their trunks are bone, their branches are bone, even their leaves are bone pieces.”
“The Monster Hunting Tokens are crafted from the bony wood of the Bone Trees. Once a Monster Beast is killed, the Bone Order senses it and forms a blood mark, which is counted as the Monster Hunter’s merit for the kill.”
“The more and denser the blood marks, the higher the merit. It also provides a more impressive face when boasting to others.”
Mo Hua’s expression was complex, “So it’s for bragging purposes…”
“Primarily, it’s to showcase experience. The difference between an old hand’s token and a newbie’s is stark. Of course, it also makes it very convenient to boast.”
Elder Yu’s eyebrows rose as he said to Mo Hua:
“When you go out and brag about how many Monster Beasts you’ve killed in your lifetime, who will believe you without proof? This Monster Hunting Token is that proof. You show it, covered with blood marks, and you’ll boast with much more confidence.”
Looking at Elder Yu’s expression, he had probably boasted quite a bit…
Mo Hua asked further, “Can we make our own Monster Hunting Token?”
Elder Yu shook his head, “No, these are made by the Taoist Court and are distributed uniformly. While they might look similar, each Monster Hunting Token is actually recorded by the court, and fakes are not tolerated.”
Mo Hua examined the token but couldn’t find any distinguishing marks, leaving him clueless about how the court kept records.
Could it be some special Formation?
Elder Yu then whispered to Mo Hua, “Yours is special; it’s made from the core rings of the Bone Tree. I’ve hoarded it for decades and have been reluctant to give it away.”
Immediately, Mo Hua felt the Monster Hunting Token weigh heavily in his hand, “Aren’t you going to keep it for people like Uncle Yu?”
Elder Yu snorted, “That fool of a son of mine, I’d be loath to give it to him.”
Mo Hua felt somewhat undeserving of the honor.
Then Elder Yu said, “It’s really not a big deal. Whether it’s the branches or the leaves from the same Bone Tree, the effect is essentially the same. It’s just a question of preference, so don’t worry about it.”
Mo Hua felt relieved and nodded.
“Take good care of it, do not lose it,” Elder Yu cautioned.
On Mo Hua’s neck, alongside the warm Pill Jade given by Old Mr. Feng, now hung a Monster Hunting Token made from Monster Bone.
The next day, after Mo Hua had packed her things, she entered the Inner Mountain with Mo Shan.
The Inner Mountain was filled with miasma, poisonous swamps, and the toxicity was much stronger than in the Outer Mountain.
In the Outer Mountain, if one was careful, even without pills, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but in the Inner Mountain, pills were essential.
Mo Hua’s storage bag was filled with various medicine bottles, including Miasma Repelling Pills, Poison-Repelling Pills, Heart Cleansing Pills, Hemostatic Pills, and others.
All of this large assortment of pills had been prepared by Old Mr. Feng.
Apart from that, there were also some dried meat, fermented rice, and cakes that her mother had prepared for her.
So at the break of dawn, Mo Hua, fully equipped and after having a light meal, entered Big Black Mountain with Mo Shan.
They trekked along the way, passed through the Outer Mountain, and then reached the Inner Mountain.
Mo Hua took a Miasma Repelling Pill and then observed the environment of the Inner Mountain.
The terrain of the Inner Mountain was more complex, the foliage denser, the trails more rugged, and directions harder to discern.
The miasma was thick, and the fog alternated between dense and light.
When the fog was heavy, one could barely see their own fingers; after walking a few steps, it could all dissipate, and a few more steps might bring one back into a thick fog.
It was quite strange.
Mo Shan said, “If you see thick fog in the distance, try to avoid it. If you can’t avoid it, then be extra cautious. Do not travel on unfamiliar paths. It’s better to wait in place for a while than to act rashly…”
“Otherwise, it’s easy to lose your way, wander deep into the mountains, and encounter unknown dangers.”
The Inner Mountain was much larger than the Outer Mountain. Even Mo Shan, who had hunted Monster Beasts in the Inner Mountain for many years, had not traversed every corner.
Therefore, all he could do was to take Mo Hua along the main mountain trails to familiarize herself with the terrain of the Inner Mountain.
Once danger arose, it was important to know where to flee. If they got lost, it was crucial to know how to get off the mountain and make it back home.
With the complex terrain of the Inner Mountain and its rugged landscape, the two would walk for a bit and then rest for a while.
During the breaks, Mo Hua would take out the map and add markings to it.
This map was obtained from Elder Yu. It was very rudimentary at first, only indicating the mountain contours and the main trails, with nothing else marked.
Therefore, Mo Hua wanted to refine the map of the Inner Mountain.
She had done this in the Outer Mountain, which not only helped her become familiar with the surroundings but also made it convenient to collect herbs, spices, and ores. Having the map in case of emergencies in the mountains could be very advantageous.
After spending about half a month and traversing the main mountain trails several times, Mo Hua became roughly familiar with the environment of the Inner Mountain.
Her map of the Inner Mountain now had many additions, marked and drawn in.
After that, Mo Hua needed to set up the Compass Parent-Child Compound Formation.
As a Formation Master, she did not feel at ease without placing some formations in the Inner Mountain.
With the Compass Parent-Child Compound Formation in place, she could sense fluctuations in Spiritual Power, which not only made it convenient to join in on the action but also allowed her to foresee dangers and escape ahead of time.
It also made it easier to bleed the Monster Beasts.
Mo Hua could not do this alone, so she asked for help from some Monster Hunter uncles.
Yu Chengyi gathered over a dozen Monster Hunters at the Qi Refining Ninth Level to assist Mo Hua in placing the stone needles engraved with the Compass Child Formation.
Because the Inner Mountain was so vast, a single Compass Mother Formation Disk could not cover the entire area, so Mo Hua made two sets, dividing them into Discs A and B.
Disc A covered the south, while Disc B covered the north.
She also made a set for Mo Shan and Yu Chengyi, to facilitate the Monster Hunters’ activities in the Inner Mountain.
Yu Chengyi was overjoyed. With this set of Formation Disks, their actions in the Inner Mountain were much more secure.
Whether it was hunting Monster Beasts, forewarning of dangers, or providing aid to each other, it was much more convenient than before, and they no longer had to rely solely on the experience and senses of Monster Hunters.