Have You Heard of the Nascent Soul Realm?

Crack—

A shriveled foot stepped out of the coffin, crushing a piece of charcoal beneath it.

Gu An saw that she was a woman in tattered clothes, her hair hanging loose and disheveled. Her body was so emaciated it was outrageous, as though all flesh and blood had been drained from her. He could vaguely make out that her robe had once been white, but both sleeves and trouser legs were in tatters. She staggered out like a vicious ghost.

Jiang Qiong slowly raised her face. It was equally shriveled, with deeply sunken eye sockets and bulging eyes, a truly horrifying sight.

Her gaze landed on Gu An, frightening him into immediately lowering his head.

"Good great-granddisciple, thanks to you helping me refine pills these past five years, I recovered very quickly..." Jiang Qiong forced out a smile, making her look even more terrifying, while foul breath escaped her mouth.

She no longer referred to herself as "this one," but as "I," drawing their relationship much closer.

Suppressing his discomfort, Gu An said, "It is only what this disciple should do. However, this disciple has something he does not understand."

"Ask."

As Jiang Qiong answered, she trembled her way toward the pill furnace.

Watching her, Gu An asked, "Since refining pills could help you recover faster, why did you not have my master refine pills for you before?"

Cheng Xuandan had believed Jiang Qiong dead for seventy years. In other words, she had hidden here for seventy years, and Cheng Xuandan had never discovered that she was still alive.

Jiang Qiong gave a smile that was not a smile. "Because I do not trust him. Your master was only forced to become my disciple. His heart wavers from side to side; who knows when he might betray me? Half the coffins in this cave contain disciples he took in."

Gu An fell silent.

He believed Jiang Qiong was telling the truth, because Meng Lang had met precisely such an end.

Jiang Qiong sat before the pill furnace and waved her hand. Clumps of medicinal herbs piled nearby flew into the furnace.

"Five years have passed. What level of the Foundation Establishment Realm are you at now?" Jiang Qiong asked.

Gu An's outward cultivation was at the fifth level of Qi Refining, but Jiang Qiong had decided that he was in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Gu An answered, "I am about to reach the third level."

"Too slow. Do not neglect cultivation in your daily life. Back then, your grandmaster established my foundation at eighteen and formed my Golden Core at forty. Had I not spent several decades studying the Dao of alchemy and the Dao of formations afterward, I would already have Nascent Soul Realm cultivation. Have you heard of the Nascent Soul Realm?" Jiang Qiong said absentmindedly, staring at the pill furnace.

Gu An hurriedly nodded. "Those in the Nascent Soul Realm are all Immortals. They are rarely seen in the Outer Sect."

"Hmph. What Immortals? They are merely stronger cultivators. Once I fully recover, I will find a place to charge into the Nascent Soul Realm. By then, you will have a Nascent Soul Realm backer. Well? Are you excited?" Jiang Qiong's tone became smug toward the end.

Her voice was sweet and alluring, utterly at odds with her horrifying appearance.

"Thank you for looking after me, Grandmaster. Is there anything you need this disciple to help with?" Gu An asked, taking a step forward.

Jiang Qiong replied, "Just watch from the side and see how I refine pills. We can chat while we are at it."

She raised a hand and patted the ground, motioning for Gu An to sit beside her.

Gu An sat down, but kept his distance from her, remaining vigilant inwardly.

No matter how well Jiang Qiong treated him, he would never let down his guard before she left.

Meng Lang was the lesson before his eyes. He probably had never suspected Cheng Xuandan even before he died.

Jiang Qiong asked about his background and origins. He did not conceal anything, roughly recounting the first half of his life. Naturally, he did not mention the Ji Family, saying only that he had been born a household servant and entered the Taixuan Sect after his Spirit Root was detected.

Only after chatting for a full half hour did Jiang Qiong let Gu An leave. She also told him that he had to come keep watch for the next three nights, promising a generous reward once it was done.

Gu An arrived as promised.

The third night came.

Gu An sat cross-legged opposite the pill furnace, holding the Yin-Yang Art in his hands and occasionally asking Jiang Qiong questions.

Jiang Qiong grew irritated by his questions and could not help cursing, "You brat, are you deliberately deceiving me? You reached the Foundation Establishment Realm at such a young age, so why is your comprehension so foolish?"

Gu An said aggrievedly, "Refining pills is refining pills, and drawing in qi is drawing in qi."

Jiang Qiong suddenly did not know what to say. Then, her attention was abruptly drawn to the pill furnace.

More and more heat wafted from the pill furnace, and the vent hole in its lid had turned an inky green, an exceedingly eerie sight.

Gu An felt a chill crawl down his spine. What pill was she refining?

Why did it feel like a poison pill?

Excitement showed in Jiang Qiong's eyes. She stopped speaking and stared fixedly at the pill furnace.

Time ticked by, second after second.

Gu An remained on guard at all times, wary of Jiang Qiong launching a sudden attack.

He did not know how much time had passed.

A muffled boom sounded from within the pill furnace. A smile appeared on Jiang Qiong's face, uglier than weeping.

She raised her right hand and extended two fingers. The furnace lid shot into the air, and she immediately clenched her right hand. A pill flew out from within the furnace, and the instant it landed in her hand, she tossed it directly into her mouth.

So fast!

It was as though she feared Gu An might snatch it away.

After swallowing the pill, Jiang Qiong immediately sat cross-legged and circulated her cultivation. In less than three breaths, wisps of white vapor rose from the surface of her body.

Gu An stood and slowly backed away, widening the distance between them.

More and more white vapor appeared, swirling around Jiang Qiong and blurring her figure. At first glance, she looked like a corpse standing amid white fog.

Gu An began constantly checking her lifespan, guarding against her suddenly stepping into the Nascent Soul Realm.

Jiang Qiong's remaining lifespan began to increase. It was Gu An's first time seeing someone's lifespan grow in such a manner. Seeing it expressed in numbers was rather shocking.

He suddenly became very interested in Jiang Qiong's pill. What miraculous medicine was this?

It was not only Jiang Qiong's lifespan that was increasing. Her aura was also rising, soon surpassing that of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

A true Golden Core Realm cultivator!

Gu An keenly noticed that Jiang Qiong's body was recovering. Her frame continuously filled out, like a balloon being inflated.

There was something to this!

He waited patiently.

Gradually, Jiang Qiong's breathing echoed through the cave chamber, growing heavier and heavier until it finally sounded like the roars of a wild beast.

A long while passed.

Jiang Qiong's panting abruptly ceased. Gu An noticed that her realm had not broken through into the Nascent Soul Realm, so he was not as tense.

Within the white fog, Jiang Qiong stretched lazily, displaying a graceful and curvaceous figure utterly different from before.

She walked out of the white fog, still with disheveled hair and tattered clothes, but beneath those ragged garments were patches of fair skin. In the dim cave chamber, it made Gu An's face heat up, and he involuntarily shifted his gaze away.

"It has been so long since I walked like this."

Jiang Qiong spoke nostalgically. She walked straight up to Gu An, leaned forward, brushed aside her hair with both hands, and asked, "Well, good great-granddisciple? Is your grandmaster beautiful?"

Gu An hurriedly glanced at her. Though her face was filthy, her features showed that she was indeed a rare beauty. In all his experience, only Third Young Miss Ji Xiaoyu of the Ji Family and Outer Sect disciple Li Xuanyu could compare to her in appearance.

"Grandmaster's beauty is naturally unparalleled beneath heaven. However, this disciple is more concerned about your physical condition. Have your injuries healed?"

Gu An cupped his fists as he asked, his words sincere.

If you are healed, then hurry up and leave!

"It is still far too early for a full recovery. I need another five years of rest." Jiang Qiong smiled, her bright eyes studying Gu An as though she were thinking of something.

Whoosh!

She suddenly struck at Gu An with her palm, swift as lightning, before stopping it in front of his chest. The fierce wind pressed his robe wildly backward.

Jiang Qiong asked with a smile that was not quite a smile, "Why did you not dodge?"

Gu An's expression stiffened. "I... I had no time to react..."

In truth, that was not the case. In Gu An's eyes, Jiang Qiong's movement had been far too slow. In an instant, his Dragon Force could have sent her spiritual power rebounding back at her.

She had not stopped because she spared Gu An's life. She had stopped because she saved her own life.

Jiang Qiong could not suppress her laughter. She laughed until she swayed like a flower in the wind, eventually even clutching her stomach.

Gu An watched her laugh without interrupting her.

After laughing for quite a while, Jiang Qiong finally turned and walked toward the pill furnace. "Do not worry. I would not kill my own disciples and descendants. Back then, Cheng Xuandan wanted to betray me, yet I still spared his life. I even relied on his protection to hide within the Taixuan Sect. As long as you show me filial respect, I will never wrong you. If anyone bullies you, I will not stand by with folded arms."

Hearing this, Gu An could not help laughing as well.

Jiang Qiong walked to the pill furnace, turned to look at Gu An, and said, "Leave behind a set of new clothes, then you may go back. Come again tomorrow night. I will teach you a spell."

Gu An immediately took out a set of his own white robes from his Storage Bag and gently placed them on the ground. Then he raised his hand in salute toward Jiang Qiong and took his leave.

Only after he vanished into the darkness did Jiang Qiong turn around. She walked up to the white robes, raised her hand, and grabbed them through the air. She sniffed their scent and let out a soft laugh.

At dawn, Gu An was leading the people of Medicine Valley through their exercises.

Someone came walking in from the mouth of the valley.

It was Li Ya.

Li Ya was still dressed in black. Compared to five years ago, his sharpness now soared to the heavens, and he radiated the bearing of a powerful expert.

His arrival immediately drew everyone's attention.

"It is Senior Brother Li Ya!" Xiao Chuan cried in delight.

Gu An immediately walked toward Li Ya and instructed everyone to continue their exercises.

When he reached Li Ya and was about to speak, Li Ya beat him to it. "Let us talk upstairs in your building."

Hm?

Was something wrong?

Gu An immediately grew nervous. What matter was important enough for Li Ya to make a personal trip?

He promptly led Li Ya toward the pavilion. Once they went upstairs and entered the room, he closed the door.

Li Ya walked to the table and beckoned with his hand. An Azure Vine Fruit appeared on the tabletop, leaving Gu An stunned.

"Four years ago, an Azure Vine Fruit appeared at the Outer Sect's Alchemy Hall. I bought it, but my duties were too demanding, and I never had the chance to give it to you." Li Ya smiled.

Gu An's expression turned strange.

Li Ya asked, "What is it?"

Gu An felt that he could not hide this matter, so he gave a fake cough and said, "I was the one who sold this fruit to the Alchemy Hall."

To avoid suspicion, he had even sold it at a low price, prompting the Alchemy Hall elder to praise his gratitude toward the sect.

Gu An had dared to sell it because Li Ya had said that Azure Vine Fruits were not rare in the Taixuan Sect. Though they were absent from the Outer Sect, the Inner Sect had plenty of them. More precisely, the Inner Sect had wondrous treasures from across the world.

He had never imagined that Li Ya would buy it back...

Li Ya said helplessly, "What a mess this has become... This fruit can strengthen one's qi and blood. It is an exceedingly rare heavenly treasure. How could you sell it? How many Spirit Stones did you get for it?"

"Twenty Mid-grade Spirit Stones..."

"What? I spent ten High-grade Spirit Stones!" Li Ya's eyes widened.

One High-grade Spirit Stone was equivalent to a hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

The two of them fell silent at the same time.

Gu An actually felt that he had not lost out. Through the Azure Vine Fruit, he had formed a good friendship with Zhu Qinglu of the Alchemy Hall. Over the following four years, Zhu Qinglu had taken especially good care of him and made many conveniences available to him. Still, facing Li Ya now, he felt somewhat embarrassed.

Li Ya said gloomily, "Forget it. Let us count it as a contribution to the sect. Besides this fruit, I have one more matter to discuss with you."