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.
“Oh,” Mo Hua nodded.
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.
“Great!”
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.