Reaching the now large city that had been built beneath the Ninth Star Peak, Xuan Hao did not immediately go back to the Star Shattering Sect with Mui. Instead deciding to explore the city where a lot of the disciple's family members had decided to settle down and live their life in peace under the protection of the Star Shattering Sect.
Not only would it be a chance for Mui to see it, but it was also a chance for himself to get more familiar with the city that he had not really visited once since the Star Shattering Sect moved to the Shattered Star Peaks as far as he could remember.
This place has really grown since the time back when it was only acting as a small city for those climbing the Ninth Star Peak for spiritual herbs and those making their way towards the Third Star Peak to try a final attempt at reaching the Nascent Soul Realm...
Thinking this to himself as he observed the entire city through his divine sense while Mui was walking beside him with a curious expression on her face, Xuan Hao could not help spreading out his divine sense until he reached the small town that had appeared close to the new path leading up to the Third Star Peak.
Considering the current growth rate of the city, it would not take long before this small town would inevitably be engulfed and become a part of the larger city.
Considering just how large the Star Shattering Sect had grown over the past few years, the number of people wanting to enter the city had also grown in a similar fashion. Even reaching the point at which Elder Song had limited the people who could live inside the city to those who had a family member inside the sect or had some other kind of special permission from the sect itself... But even then, the growth speed of the city did not slow down in the slightest even when the requirements for living inside the city were getting more stringent!
The city itself was located right next to the entrance of the Star Shattering Sect so it was a rather obvious thing that the requirements to live there would be strict to prevent any spies or other people with bad intentions from causing trouble for the younger and weaker disciples that often entered the city to have fun or visit their families. Especially with the Star Shattering Sect starting to reach a level where the more powerful forces like the imperial family and three religions might start paying attention to them and think about sending someone over to investigate the true strength of the sect.
At least it looked like those forces were far too busy to think about the Star Shattering Sect for now...
"E-elder, are those people perhaps disciples from the Star Shattering Sect...?"
"Hm? Ah, yes, they are. If I'm not wrong, they should have just recently joined the sect. Not too different from you." Lost in his own thoughts as he observed the city through his divine sense, Xuan Hao still managed to perfectly answer the question Mui had asked him while looking towards the group of young disciples standing a short distance away from them. Far too busy with the foodstand in front of them to notice Mui who was pointing at them with a curious expression on her face.
"I see... I will also be able to eat delicious food like that from now on..." Showing an excited expression on her face as she almost looked like she was drooling, Mui quietly muttered this to herself. Only barely loud enough for Xuan Hao standing beside her to hear what she was saying.
"..."
As a result, Xuan Hao started wondering why this young girl had agreed to join the Star Shattering Sect and become his disciple. Did she do it to become stronger and progress further on the path of cultivation... Or just to eat more delicious food like the spiritual fruits she had eaten back inside the trial space?
To be honest, Xuan Hao had no clear answer to this question...
"E-elder... Can we get the thing they are getting...?" Not aware of her master's thought, Mui nervously asked this while keeping her attention focused of the foodstand that the younger disciples from the sect were standing around chatting with each other. Not feeling comfortable addressing Xuan Hao as elder. Mainly due to all the people known as elder that she had seen, were old people who looked like they already had one step in the grave. Not someone young like Xuan Hao.
"Sure, go pick whatever you want." Nodding his head in agreement to Mui's request, Xuan Hao watched as the girl happily jumped towards the foodstand to pick out the different things she had seen the group of young disciples from earlier get.
Like this, Xuan Hao ended up spending the next two or so hours walking around the city located at the base of the Ninth Star Peak, both showing Mui around, while also getting to know the city himself through his divine sense and first-hand experience of walking along the streets together with Mui.
...
Having left the city below the Ninth Star Peak behind and made their way up the Ninth Star Peak where most of the spiritual herbs and spiritual fruits were being grown, Mui could not help unconsciously swallowing at the sight of the spiritual fruits and herbs that seemed to go on forever from her point of view. "C-can I take some of the-"
"Yes, but don't take too many..." Not even having to wait for Mui to finish her sentence, Xuan Hao already understood what she wanted to say and allowed her to go take a few spiritual fruits. In the first place, she would not be able to do any harm by eating a few spiritual fruits.
The number of spiritual fruits produced on the Ninth Star Peak was something that would be difficult for her to impact in the short term. At the very least she would need a few months and the help of his gluttonous pet...
"Yay~! Thank you!"
Swish~!
Not wasting a single second after getting his approval, Mui dashed towards the closest spiritual fruit tree before starting to happily chomp down on the delicious fruits. Not paying any mind to the disciples that tended to the spiritual herbs looking towards her with surprised looks on their faces after having witnessed how someone had been allowed to eat the spiritual herbs without first getting the approval from the elder in charge of the spiritual fruits and herbs on the Ninth Star Peak.
Looking towards the elder in question to see what he was going to do to Mui who had just started eating the spiritual fruits without permission, the disciples were even shocked to discover that he didn't say anything and instead just continued tending to a few new spiritual herbs without caring about Mui who had already consumed close to half of the spiritual fruits present on the spiritual fruit tree.
"Is there something special about that girl?"
"Maybe she's a core disciple or the personal disciple of an important elder!"
"Indeed, that would make sense. After all, there is no reason for elder to not start reprimanding her if she didn't have some kind of special identity... I just didn't expect for us to encounter someone like this on our first day working on the Ninth Star Peak..."
Chatting with each other as they focused all their attention on Mui who was paying them no mind, the group of disciples tending the spiritual herbs and fruits on the Ninth Star Peak inevitably ended up stopping what they had been doing before the arrival of Mui and Xuan Hao-
"You brats! Get back to work if you still want those spiritual herbs!"
Resulting in the elder in charge of taking care of the spiritual herbs and fruits on the Ninth Star Peak angrily calling out to them.
"""Yes! Sir!"""
Swish-!
Swish-!
Swish-!
Hearing the old elder calling out to them and even threatening with taking away the spiritual herbs they would get from tending the spiritual herbs and fruits on the Ninth Star Peak, every single one of the young disciples, that had stopped to observe what Mui was doing, quickly got back to what they were doing beforehand. Although, they did turn to look in the direction of Mui from time to time, still curious about just how many spiritual fruits this young girl was going to eat.
...
"That should be more than enough spiritual fruits, we still need to reach the sect before it starts going dark!"
"Okay..."
Having to forcefully step in and stop Mui from continuing to the fourth spiritual fruit tree, Xuan Hao could not help feeling even more certain that the Star Shattering Sect needed to expand their production of spiritual fruits and herbs in the future.
"Let's get going."
Not wasting any time after he had managed to get Mui to stop going after the spiritual fruits, Xuan Hao soon left the Ninth Star Peak together with her.