Harvest Beyond Expectations! An Unexpected Surprise

"Five-star Dou Practitioner, and at the peak. After honing it for a while, he could break through with Cold Jade's help."

Inside Jiazi No.2 Training Room of the Outer Sect Training Hall, Gu Han sat cross-legged on a cushion, examining himself internally.

His Qi Vortex had thickened once more, and its color had deepened.

The Snow Lotus Pill helped him quickly master the Flying Fighting Skill, while the Flying Fighting Skill helped him temper and absorb the pressure.

The two complemented each other perfectly. His realm rapidly stabilized, and the Flying Fighting Skill was completely absorbed as well.

Gu Han stood up, took off his clothes, and used the Glazed Mirror in the Training Room to inspect his back. He clearly saw a pair of pale cyan wing tattoos, each only the size of a palm.

These tattoos would only appear when Dou Qi circulated through the corresponding meridians. Otherwise, they remained hidden beneath the skin. The secret method was truly ingenious.

"Open!"

With a thought, Gu Han mobilized his Dou Qi and poured it into the corresponding meridians and branch meridians.

Empowered by Dou Qi, a layer of light emerged over the pale cyan wing tattoos. As though they had come alive, they swiftly transformed into Cyan-Blue Wings.

Cyan was the wings' original color, while blue was the color of Gu Han's Dou Qi. Combined, they formed entirely new wings that were half-solid and half-Dou Qi, expanding from palm-sized to half the size of his body.

Wings this small could barely sustain flight, but they placed a severe demand on his reserves of Dou Qi.

By his estimation, only upon reaching the peak of the Dou Practitioner realm would he be able to fly continuously for a certain distance.

"A trump card only needs to work at a critical moment."

Gu Han was not disappointed. He suppressed the urge to test his flight immediately and began sorting through the items in Kalon's and Mo Qing's Storage Rings.

Together, the two had two hundred thousand Gold Coins. Kalon had been working two jobs, while Mo Qing was the favored legitimate young master of the Mo Family.

There were several Yellow Tier cultivation methods and Dou Techniques, along with pills below the third grade. None were worth mentioning.

Only a few items truly surprised him.

First were the good items obtained from Kalon.

A Mysterious Tier Mid Grade wind-attribute Dou Technique, Azure Annihilation Finger.

He was familiar with finger techniques, so he could draw parallels and master it quickly, turning it into a useful method.

A rankless Qi Concealing Secret Method. It could prevent anyone whose soul power was not higher than his own, or whose cultivation was not more than two major realms above his, from seeing his true cultivation.

He did not like playing the pig to eat the tiger. Pretending to be a pig for too long might turn him into one for real. Still, appropriate restraint was beneficial to the path of survival.

As a cautious and brave type of person, a secret method like this was practically essential for home and travel.

Next were the good items obtained from Mo Qing's Storage Ring.

A Profound Tier Low-grade Fighting Skill, Fire Lion Fist.

One Fourth-Grade Pill, the Dou Practitioner Pill, and two Three Flowers Gathering Fire Pills.

A Profound Tier High-grade Secret Method: Purple Qi Heavy Pupils.

"Fire Lion Fist can be traded. I've already taken a Dou Practitioner Pill, so that can be traded too. The Three Flowers Gathering Fire Pills increase the power of fire-attribute Dou Qi, so they're useless to me and can also be traded."

"The only thing I can use is these Purple Qi Heavy Pupils."

[Purple Qi Heavy Pupils: When purple qi arrives from the east, every Mao Hour (5 a.m.–7 a.m.), absorb and exhale purple qi. Nine deep breaths and one shallow breath form one cycle. Accumulate purple qi and gather it in both eyes to form the Qi Gazing Eye Technique. This is an introductory secret method passed down from ancient Qi Gazing Masters.]

[Purple Qi Heavy Pupils has nine layers, with one layer corresponding to one realm. Only five layers remain now, making it a Profound Tier High-grade Secret Method.]

[...]

After reading through the information on Purple Qi Heavy Pupils, Gu Han frowned slightly.

That was because the scroll only recorded the methods for accumulating purple qi for the first three layers.

In other words, it was equivalent to a Profound Tier Low-grade Secret Method, not a Profound Tier High-grade one.

"The other two layers are probably withheld because Mo Qing's strength was too low. The Mo Family hasn't given them to him yet."

Gu Han settled his mind. He would first cultivate the first three layers, while the remaining layers could naturally be acquired later.

After sorting and storing everything away, he threw himself back into cultivation.

Meanwhile, Yun Yun ordered rewards for everyone who had rendered merit.

Since Mo Qing was missing, Mo Yu would receive the rewards on his behalf and hand them over once the former returned.

As for Gu Han's one thousand Merit Points, an order was sent directly to the head of the Affairs Hall. They would be issued together when Mo Qing came to collect his monthly resources.

"Still no news!?"

After leaving the Inner Sect Affairs Hall, Mo Yu turned to look at Mo Feng.

"Not even a single clue. Mo Qing and Kalon... seemed to have vanished into thin air." Mo Feng lowered his head and replied.

"Vanished into thin air?" Mo Yu sneered. "The Sect Leader and many Elders went there at the time, yet none of them detected anything. Could a Dou Zong Expert have acted?"

"Mo Qing must have been eager to prove himself and gone to No.73 Back Gate to wait for prey. Kalon discovered him and kidnapped him."

"For Kalon to hide within the sect for so many years without being discovered, he must be a deeply calculating man. He must have prepared an escape route long ago."

At this point, Mo Yu frowned. "Have you investigated Gu Han?"

"We have!" Mo Feng immediately reported the intelligence they had gathered. "After leaving the tavern yesterday, Gu Han went to the sect's residence in town and requested that Steward Zhang intervene."

"After Young Master Mo Qing released the Signal Firework, Steward Zhang arrived immediately and saved Elder Xuanqing."

"Gu Han entered through No.73 Back Gate. Kalon had already left long before then. He saved Mo Ziyuan..."

"After the Great Elder announced the merits, Gu Han immediately returned to the sect with Steward Zhang. He entered the Cultivation Hall and has been cultivating there ever since. He has not left."

"Mm." Mo Yu nodded faintly and said indifferently, "From today onward, draw a clear line with Gu Han. Since Gu Han is close to Zhang Chuchen, someone will naturally suppress him."

He had never suspected Gu Han. A Low Grade cultivator who had only recently broken through to the Dou Practitioner realm could not possibly have done so many things.

He had only asked because the entire matter had begun with Gu Han.

"Yes." Mo Feng accepted the order and withdrew.

Time passed second by second.

In the blink of an eye, another day passed. More than half of the Midnight Hour had gone by.

Gu Han stopped cultivating and focused his mind on visualizing the Black Tortoise Shell.

[On the eastern cliff of the summit of the first mountain in the mountain range behind Misty Cloud Mountain, there is a three-hundred-year-old pine tree. Sitting atop the tree and facing east to observe the rising purple qi is the best place near Misty Cloud Mountain to cultivate Purple Qi Heavy Pupils.]

[The road on the fifth mountain in the range behind Misty Cloud Mountain is rugged and difficult to traverse. The stretch from the foot of the mountain to its waist is the best place near Misty Cloud Mountain to cultivate Nine Snake Steps.]

"Two best locations."

Gu Han opened his eyes, a trace of amusement flashing through them.

This was truly like receiving a pillow just when he felt sleepy. Now that his cultivation had risen to Six-star Dou Practitioner, he needed time to settle it. Cultivating Dou Techniques was an excellent choice, and Purple Qi Heavy Pupils and Nine Snake Steps were precisely his first choices.

After completing his breathing adjustment, Gu Han rose and left the Training Room. He collected his Token from the Registration Office and departed.

He went to the Affairs Hall to collect his one thousand Merit Points, exchanged them for a batch of daily supplies, and headed straight for Third Peak.

He would first cultivate Nine Snake Steps.

He cultivated until the Yin Hour Fourth Quarter, then, after adjusting his breathing, went near the Spirit Gathering Land where the Mo Family planted the Jade Spirit Fruit Tree.

As soon as the Mao Hour arrived, he strode in openly, took out the tools he had prepared beforehand, and began digging.

The Xuanwu Secret Realm had already grown to four zhang in length, width, and height. Pruning the Jade Spirit Fruit Tree and transplanting it inside would not be a problem.

"Eh?"

After digging out the entire root system of the Jade Spirit Fruit Tree, Gu Han felt that something was wrong with the Dou Qi inside his body.

"What is this!?"