Before entering the inner mountain, Elder Yu secretly handed Mo Hua a demon hunting token.
"Take this, you're now officially a demon hunter."
Mo Hua was taken aback. "Can I become a demon hunter without undergoing the demon hunting ceremony?"
He had missed this year's ceremony due to being preoccupied with guarding the spirit mine, setting up the artifact crafting shop and the alchemy hall, and his usual training and array drawing.
Besides, being a spiritual cultivator and an array master, he rarely engaged in close combat with demonic beasts, making him somewhat unsuitable for being a demon hunter.
"Those are just formalities. It doesn't matter. As long as I say you're a demon hunter, you are one!" Elder Yu declared confidently.
As the only Foundation Building cultivator in the Demon Hunter Hall, Elder Yu indeed had the final say.
Elder Yu personally hung the demon hunting token around Mo Hua's neck. "This demon hunting token is crucial. With it, you're a genuine demon hunter."
"Just drop a drop of your blood on it," Elder Yu added.
Seeing Mo Hua's delicate hands, Elder Yu thought for a moment and said, "Forget it, I'll help you."
He took Mo Hua's fair hand, used his spiritual power to form a thin needle, pricked Mo Hua's index finger, and let a drop of blood fall onto the demon hunting token.
Mo Hua sucked on his finger, and the bleeding stopped after a while.
Simultaneously, he felt a slight tremor in his spiritual consciousness, as if it resonated with the demon hunting token, forming a connection, making the bone token feel like a part of his consciousness rather than a lifeless object.
"Is this a blood recognition ceremony?"
"Sort of. But since the demon hunting token isn't a spiritual artifact, calling it a blood recognition is a bit of a stretch. It's more like a stamp of ownership."
"I see," Mo Hua nodded.
He then curiously asked, "Elder Yu, how exactly is this demon hunting token made?"
Elder Yu found a chair, poured himself a cup of tea, and explained, "It's an heirloom from the ancient demon hunters. They say there are many bone trees in the world, with the bloodline of ancient great demons. They are both demons and trees. They look like trees, but their trunks, branches, and even leaves are made of bones."
"The demon hunting token is made from the bone wood of these trees. When a demon beast is killed, the token senses it and forms blood marks, representing the hunter's achievements."
"The more and denser the blood marks, the higher the achievements, and it's something to boast about."
Mo Hua's expression became complicated. "It's for boasting?"
"It's mainly to show experience. Veteran and rookie demon hunters' tokens are vastly different. But it's also convenient for boasting," Elder Yu replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Without proof, who would believe you killed so many demon beasts? The demon hunting token is that proof. When you show it with blood marks all over, your boasts become credible."
Judging by Elder Yu's demeanor, he must have boasted quite a bit himself...
Mo Hua asked, "Can we make our own demon hunting tokens?"
Elder Yu shook his head. "No, they are made by the Dao Court and distributed uniformly. Though they look similar, each token is recorded by the Dao Court and cannot be faked."
Mo Hua examined the token, finding no marks. He wondered how the Dao Court recorded them.
Could it be some special array?
Elder Yu whispered to Mo Hua, "Your token is special, made from the bone wood at the center of the bone tree's annual ring. I've kept it for decades, never giving it away."
Mo Hua felt the weight of the token. "You won't keep it for Uncle Yu?"
Elder Yu snorted. "I wouldn't give it to my stupid son."
Mo Hua felt unworthy.
Elder Yu reassured, "It's no big deal. Whether it's the trunk, branch, or leaf, the effect is the same. It's just a matter of preference. Don't worry about it."
Mo Hua felt relieved and nodded.
"Keep it safe, don't lose it," Elder Yu instructed.
"Alright!"
Now, besides the warm alchemical jade from Mr. Feng, Mo Hua also wore the demon hunting token made from demonic bone.
The next day, Mo Hua prepared and entered the inner mountain with Mo Shan.
The inner mountain had miasma and toxic swamps, far more poisonous than the outer mountain.
In the outer mountain, one could manage without medicinal pills if careful. But in the inner mountain, pills were essential.
Mo Hua carried various medicinal bottles in his storage bag, including miasma-repelling pills, poison-repelling pills, calming pills, and hemostatic pills.
These were all prepared by Mr. Feng.
Additionally, he had some jerky, wine, and pastries prepared by his mother.
At dawn, Mo Hua set off, ate a simple meal, and entered Dahei Mountain with Mo Shan.
They trekked through the outer mountain to reach the inner mountain.
Mo Hua took a miasma-repelling pill and observed the inner mountain's environment.
The inner mountain was more complex, with denser forests, more rugged paths, and harder-to-recognize directions.
The miasma was thick, and the fog varied in density.
At times, the fog was so thick one couldn't see their hand, then it would clear, and then envelop them again.
It was quite eerie.
Mo Shan said, "Avoid dense fog as much as possible. If you can't, be extra careful. Don't take unfamiliar paths. It's better to wait than to act rashly."
"Otherwise, you might lose your way and encounter unknown dangers."
Mo Hua nodded.
The inner mountain was much larger than the outer mountain. Even though Mo Shan had hunted demons here for years, he hadn't explored every corner.
So, he led Mo Hua along the main paths to familiarize him with the inner mountain's environment.
In case of danger, Mo Hua would know where to run, how to find his way out, and how to return home.
The inner mountain was complex and rugged, so they walked a while and then rested.
During breaks, Mo Hua would take out a map and make notes.
He had asked Elder Yu for this map, which was originally very simple, only marking the terrain and main paths.
So, Mo Hua wanted to improve the map of the inner mountain.
He had done this in the outer mountain, which helped him familiarize himself with the environment and made it easier to collect herbs, spices, and ores. In emergencies, having a map for reference was also handy.
After about half a month of trekking the main paths, Mo Hua became familiar with the inner mountain.
His map was filled with marks and additions.
Next, Mo Hua needed to set up the Si Nan Parent-Child Composite Array.
Being an array master, he wasn't comfortable without setting up some arrays in the inner mountain.
The Si Nan Parent-Child Composite Array would allow him to sense spiritual power fluctuations, making it easier to join the action or foresee dangers and escape in advance.
It also made bloodletting the demon beasts easier.
Mo Hua couldn't do this alone, so he enlisted the help of some demon hunter uncles.
Yu Chengyi called ten or so demon hunters at the ninth level of Qi refining to help Mo Hua place stone needles inscribed with the Si Nan array.
Since the inner mountain was vast, one Si Nan parent array compass couldn't cover it all, so Mo Hua made two, splitting them into A and B compasses.
Compass A monitored the south, and compass B the north.
He also made a set for Mo Shan and Yu Chengyi, making it easier for demon hunters to operate in the inner mountain.
Yu Chengyi was delighted. With this array compass, their operations in the inner mountain would be much safer.
Whether hunting demons, predicting dangers, or assisting each other, everything became more convenient, no longer relying solely on the experience and intuition of demon hunters.