Have you heard of the Nascent Soul stage?

Snap—

A withered foot stepped out from the coffin, landing on a piece of charcoal and snapping it in two.

Gu An saw that it was a woman in rags, her hair disheveled and her frame terrifyingly gaunt, as if her flesh and blood had been drained away. The remnants of her clothing could vaguely be identified as a white robe, with the sleeves and pant legs tattered. She stumbled out, looking just like a vengeful ghost.

Jiang Qiong slowly raised her face. Her features were equally shriveled, her eye sockets deeply sunken, and her eyes bulging out in a truly frightening manner.

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

"My good grand-disciple, thanks to you helping me refine pills for these past five years, I've recovered quite quickly..." Jiang Qiong forced a smile, which only made her look more horrific, with turbid air puffing from her mouth.

She no longer referred to herself as "this master," but as "I," bringing the two of them much closer in their relationship.

Gu An suppressed his discomfort and said, "This is what a grand-disciple should do, though I do have some confusion."

"Ask away."

Jiang Qiong replied as she trembled her way toward the pill furnace.

Gu An watched her and asked, "Since refining pills can help you recover faster, why didn't you have my master help you refine them before?"

Cheng Xuandan had assumed Jiang Qiong had been dead for seventy years, meaning she had been hiding here for seventy years, and Cheng Xuandan had never discovered she was still alive.

Jiang Qiong gave a dry, mirthless laugh. "Because I don't trust him. Your master was only forced to become my disciple; his heart is fickle, and he might betray me at any moment. Half of the coffins in this cave belonged to disciples he took in."

Gu An fell silent.

He believed Jiang Qiong was telling the truth, as that was exactly the fate that befell Meng Lang.

Jiang Qiong sat before the pill furnace and waved her hand, causing the herbs piled nearby to fly into the furnace.

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

Gu An's surface cultivation was at the fifth level of Qi Refining, but Jiang Qiong was convinced he was at the Foundation Establishment realm.

Gu An replied, "I'm almost at the third level."

"Too slow. Don't neglect your cultivation in your daily life. Back in my day, I reached Foundation Establishment at eighteen and Golden Core at forty. If I hadn't spent decades studying alchemy and array formations, I would already be at the Nascent Soul realm. Have you heard of the Nascent Soul realm?" Jiang Qiong stared at the furnace, speaking nonchalantly.

Gu An nodded quickly and said, "Those at the Nascent Soul realm are 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 attempt the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm. By then, you will have an extra backer at the Nascent Soul realm. How about that? Are you excited?" Jiang Qiong said, her tone smug by the end.

Her voice was coquettish, a stark contrast to her terrifying appearance.

"Thank you for your care, Grand-master. Is there anything you need my help with?" Gu An stepped forward and asked.

Jiang Qiong replied, "Just watch from the side. Observe how I refine pills, and we can chat while we're at it."

She patted the ground, signaling for Gu An to sit beside her.

Gu An sat down but kept his distance, remaining vigilant in his heart.

No matter how well Jiang Qiong treated him, he would not let his guard down until she left.

Meng Lang was a cautionary tale; he likely hadn't suspected Cheng Xuandan at all before he died.

Jiang Qiong asked about his background, and he didn't hide it, giving a rough account of his early life. Of course, he didn't mention the Ji Family, claiming only that he was a servant who joined the Taixuan Sect after his spiritual roots were detected.

After chatting for a full hour, Jiang Qiong finally let Gu An leave, telling him he had to come and wait on her for the next three nights, promising a great reward once the task was complete.

Gu An arrived as scheduled.

The third night arrived.

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

Jiang Qiong grew annoyed and couldn't help but scold, "Are you intentionally trying to trick me, kid? You reached the Foundation Establishment realm at such a young age, so why is your comprehension so dull?"

Gu An said aggrievedly, "Alchemy is alchemy, and absorbing Qi is absorbing Qi."

Jiang Qiong suddenly didn't know what to say. Suddenly, her attention was drawn to the pill furnace.

The heat rising from the furnace increased, and the steam vents on the lid turned a dark, eerie green.

Gu An felt a chill run down his spine. What kind of pill was she refining?

Why did it feel like a poison pill?

Excitement flared in Jiang Qiong's eyes. She stopped talking, her gaze fixed intently on the furnace.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Gu An remained on guard, ready to prevent a surprise attack from Jiang Qiong.

He didn't know how much time had passed.

A muffled thud came from within the furnace, and a smile appeared on Jiang Qiong's face—a smile that looked even worse than crying.

She raised her right hand and extended two fingers. The furnace lid flew off, and with a swift grab, she pulled out a pill. The moment it entered her hand, she tossed it directly into her mouth.

So fast!

As if she were afraid Gu An would snatch it.

After consuming the pill, Jiang Qiong immediately sat cross-legged to circulate her energy. In less than three breaths, wisps of white vapor began to rise from her skin.

Gu An stood up and slowly retreated, putting distance between them.

More and more white mist appeared, swirling around Jiang Qiong and blurring her figure; at a glance, she looked like a zombie amidst the fog.

Gu An began to continuously probe her lifespan, guarding against her suddenly breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm.

Jiang Qiong's current lifespan began to increase. This was the first time Gu An had ever seen someone's lifespan grow in such a way, and seeing it presented in numbers was quite shocking.

He suddenly became very interested in the medicinal pill Jiang Qiong had taken; what kind of miraculous medicine was this exactly?

It wasn't just Jiang Qiong's lifespan that was increasing; her aura was also surging, quickly surpassing that of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

A true Golden Core Realm cultivator!

Gu An keenly noticed that Jiang Qiong's physical body was recovering, her frame filling out as if being inflated like a balloon.

She's got something!

He waited patiently.

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

A long while passed.

Jiang Qiong's panting stopped abruptly. Gu An noticed that her cultivation base had not broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm, so he wasn't as tense.

Within the white mist, Jiang Qiong stretched, revealing her graceful figure, looking like a completely different person than before.

She stepped out of the mist, still disheveled and in rags, but beneath her tattered clothes was patch after patch of fair skin. In the dim cave, it made Gu An feel a flush of heat, and he couldn't help but avert his gaze.

"It's been so long since I've walked like this."

Jiang Qiong said in a nostalgic tone. She walked all the way up to Gu An, leaned forward, and used both hands to brush her hair aside, asking, "Well, my obedient grand-disciple, does your grand-master look beautiful?"

Gu An took a hurried glance. Although her face was dirty, judging by her features, she was indeed a rare beauty. In his experience, only Ji Xiaoyu, the third young lady of the Ji Family, and the Outer Sect disciple Li Xuanyu could compare to her in terms of looks.

"Grand-master is naturally of peerless beauty in this world, but this disciple is more concerned about your physical condition. Have your injuries fully healed?"

Gu An asked with cupped hands, his words sincere.

Once you're healed, hurry up and leave!

"Full recovery is still a long way off; I'll need to rest for another five years," Jiang Qiong laughed. Her bright eyes sized Gu An up, wondering what she was thinking.

Whoosh!

She suddenly struck a palm toward Gu An, fast as lightning, then stopped right before his chest. The strong wind pressure caused his robes to whip wildly behind him.

Jiang Qiong asked with a playful smile, "Why didn't you dodge?"

Gu An's expression stiffened, and he said, "I didn't have time to react..."

In truth, that was not the case. In his eyes, Jiang Qiong's movements were far too slow; in an instant, his Dragon Strength could have countered her spiritual energy.

She hadn't stopped to spare Gu An's life; she had stopped to save her own.

Jiang Qiong couldn't help but chuckle, laughing so hard she swayed, eventually even clutching her stomach.

Gu An watched her laugh without interrupting.

After laughing for a good while, Jiang Qiong turned toward the alchemy furnace and said, "Don't worry, I wouldn't kill my own descendants. Back then, when Cheng Xuandan tried to betray me, I still spared his life, and even used his protection to hide within the Taixuan Sect. As long as you show me filial piety, I will never let you down. If anyone bullies you, I won't stand idly by."

Hearing this, Gu An couldn't help but laugh as well.

Jiang Qiong walked to the alchemy furnace, turned to look at Gu An, and said, "Leave a new set of clothes, and you can go. Come back tomorrow night; I will teach you spells."

Gu An immediately took a set of his own white robes from his Storage Bag, placed them gently on the ground, then raised his hands to salute Jiang Qiong before taking his leave.

Once he disappeared into the darkness, Jiang Qiong turned around. She walked over to the white robes, reached out to grab them from the air, sniffed the scent on them, and let out a soft laugh.

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

A person walked toward the entrance of the valley.

It was Li Ya.

Li Ya was still dressed in black. Compared to five years ago, his sharpness was soaring, and he radiated the aura of a powerhouse.

His arrival immediately drew everyone's attention.

"It's Senior Brother Li Ya!" Xiao Chuan shouted in surprise.

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

He reached Li Ya and was just about to speak when Li Ya cut him off: "Let's go upstairs to your place to talk."

Hm?

Something up?

Gu An immediately grew tense. What could be important enough for Li Ya to come in person?

He immediately led Li Ya toward the pavilion. After going upstairs and entering the room, he closed the door.

Li Ya walked to the table, raised his hand in a beckoning gesture, and an Azure Vine Fruit appeared on the table, leaving Gu An stunned.

"Four years ago, an Azure Vine Fruit appeared in the Alchemy Hall of the Outer Sect. I bought it, but my tasks were heavy, and I never had the chance to give it to you," Li Ya laughed.

Gu An's expression was strange.

Li Ya asked, "What's wrong?"

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

To clear himself of suspicion, he had even sold it at a low price, which led the elder of the Alchemy Hall to praise him for his sense of gratitude toward the sect.

The reason Gu An dared to sell it was because Li Ya had once said that the Azure Vine Fruit was not rare in the Taixuan Sect; while the Outer Sect didn't have any, the Inner Sect had plenty—or to be precise, the Inner Sect possessed all the wonders of the world.

He never imagined that Li Ya would actually end up buying it back...

Li Ya said helplessly, "What a mess... This fruit can strengthen one's blood and qi; it is a rare treasure of heaven and earth. How could you sell it? How many Spirit Stones did you get for it?"

"Twenty medium-grade Spirit Stones..."

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

One high-grade Spirit Stone was equivalent to one hundred medium-grade Spirit Stones.

Both of them fell into silence.

Gu An actually didn't feel it was a loss. Relying on the Azure Vine Fruit, he had built a good friendship with Zhu Qinglu of the Alchemy Hall, and for the following four years, Zhu Qinglu had taken good care of him and provided many conveniences. It was just that he felt a bit awkward facing Li Ya.

Li Ya said gloomily, "Forget it, just consider it a contribution to the sect. Aside from this fruit, I have another matter to discuss with you."