Gu Lan

"Let's go." Shangguan Ye accepted the mission.

The three headed toward the Gu residence.

"Dragon Seal, the Gu Clan, and Cang Yan are the three strongest families in the Feather God Sect. Yan Hao and Jin Yan can't compare to them. If we can save the Gu family's young lady, we can build a good relationship with Gu Bei too. He's a decent person," Nie Li said along the way.

The group arrived at Gu Bei's front gate, where a guard asked, "May I ask whom you are looking for?"

"We saw the mission notice regarding Miss Gu Lan. We have come to treat her illness," Shangguan Ye said.

The guard looked the three of them over, then waved them off.

"You'd better leave. Over the past few days, not a thousand then at least eight hundred people have come to treat our young lady, and even many famous physicians failed to cure her. You three are so young. Hurry back," the guard said, clearly having no hope for them.

"How interesting. Your young lady has been ill for so long, yet you haven't even let me examine her and already know we're incapable? If her illness is delayed because of you, can you bear the responsibility?" Shangguan Ye demanded.

"This..."

"What's going on?" Gu Bei's voice rang out as he slowly walked over.

"Oh, it's you. They came to see me. You may leave first," Gu Bei told the guard.

"Yes."

"Actually, we didn't come to see you. We came to take a look at your sister's illness," Lu Piao said.

"You know medicine?" Gu Bei asked delightedly.

"We know a little," Nie Li said modestly.

"Mm... then come with me." Gu Bei led them inside and explained his situation on the way.

"Actually, my sister and I are both direct descendants of the Gu Clan. My sister was even the most outstanding of the younger generation. But one day, she suffered an accident while cultivating and became paralyzed from the waist down, unable to cultivate ever again. No one has been able to determine the cause." A trace of killing intent appeared in Gu Bei's eyes.

Based on what Gu Bei said, his sister must have become a victim of the family's internal struggle. Even the family conflicts within the Heavenly Spirit Institute are this severe. Just how chaotic must the Feather God Sect be? Nie Li thought to himself.

The group entered a long corridor. In the distance, a woman seated in a wheelchair came into view. Like Gu Bei, she had a head of purple hair. This was Gu Lan.

"As spring fades, beauty grows old; when flowers fall and people die, neither knows the other," Gu Lan sighed as she gazed at the lake before her.

"Sister..." Seeing his sister like this, Gu Bei's eyes brimmed with tears. Hearing the movement, Gu Lan turned her head.

"Little Bei, you're back. These three are...?"

"Sister, they came to... They're my friends."

Such a beautiful sister can only sit in a wheelchair. What a pity, Lu Piao thought.

Nie Li looked Gu Lan up and down. Being stared at so intently made Gu Lan feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Hey, Sister doesn't seem very happy about you staring at her," Lu Piao quietly reminded him.

"She isn't sick, nor did she suffer a cultivation deviation. She was poisoned," Nie Li said.

"Poisoned! You're saying my sister was poisoned?" Gu Bei was shocked.

"But why couldn't any of those famous physicians discover it?"

"Red Top Grass. Red Top Grass was added. When this herb is mixed with Snake Scent Fruit, it can produce a colorless, odorless poison. After it is consumed, the meridians gradually become blocked, making further progress in cultivation difficult. Even cultivators cannot detect its symptoms."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lan slowly lowered her head.

"It seems the symptoms match," Nie Li said.

"Can this poison be cured?" Gu Bei asked, grabbing Nie Li's hand.

"Detoxifying her isn't a problem. I'm just worried that now that the cause of Miss Gu's condition has been found, is this place still safe? Will someone try to harm her again?" Nie Li asked.

"Rest assured, sir. We already know where the enemy lies. Please don't worry."

"That's good. The problem now is that Miss Gu has been poisoned deeply. It has been at least three years. A strong medicine may be too much for her to endure. But it mainly depends on you. If you're in a hurry, Shangguan can handle it. If not, I can prescribe milder medicine and slowly nurse her back to health." Nie Li pointed at Shangguan Ye.

"Really, Brother Shangguan?" Gu Bei asked excitedly, grabbing Shangguan Ye's hand again.

"That depends on you. If you want Miss Gu to recover immediately, I can act."

"Sister!" Gu Bei looked toward Gu Lan.

"If it's possible, then please begin, sir. After I am cured, I will still appear to be a cripple before outsiders. I won't let anyone discover it."

"Alright." Shangguan Ye walked up to Gu Lan and crouched down before her.

"Little sapling, it's time for you to show your power." Shangguan Ye communicated with the Divine Tree through his thoughts. The Divine Tree immediately transferred its power to him. A moon symbol appeared on Shangguan Ye's left palm, while a sun symbol appeared on his right. Shangguan Ye's appearance changed as well: two horns grew from his head, and nine Truth-Seeking Orbs slowly emerged behind him. However, his Divine Robe had changed from white to black, perhaps due to the changes in the Divine Tree.

"So strong!" Gu Bei was inwardly astonished.

"I never expected Shangguan's Divine Tree to be this powerful as well." Nie Li was also somewhat surprised.

"Miss Gu, excuse me." Shangguan Ye placed his right hand on Gu Lan's leg. Her lower body, which had originally lost all sensation, began to regain feeling. A warm current surged into her, and Gu Lan closed her eyes to sense it carefully.

"My meridians have recovered." Gu Lan smiled.

"It's done. Miss Gu, stand up and try taking a few steps." Shangguan Ye withdrew from Six Paths Mode.

"Alright." Seeing Gu Lan trying to rise, Gu Bei hurriedly went to support her.

"Be careful, Sister." With Gu Bei's support, Gu Lan slowly stood up. Perhaps because she had been sitting for too long, she did not adjust immediately, and her first few steps were stiff. But she quickly adapted.

"Sister! You're really cured!" Gu Bei cried joyfully, hugging Gu Lan.

"We have to thank Mr. Shangguan for this." Gu Lan walked up to Shangguan Ye and gave him a slight bow.

"You don't need to be so polite, Miss Gu. We only did it to earn spirit stones." Shangguan Ye smiled.

Seeing Shangguan Ye's smile, Gu Lan felt warmth in her heart, as though bathed in a spring breeze. Her heart, silent for so long, seemed to stir once more.

"No matter what, I still have to thank you."

"Brother Shangguan, Nie Li, Lu Piao, from now on, you are my, Gu Bei's, good brothers. I would not hesitate to climb mountains of blades or descend into seas of fire for you."

"Oh, right. This is your mission reward: fifteen hundred spirit stones. The extra five hundred are my thanks to you." Gu Bei handed over a Spatial Ring.

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony. Go take care of your sister. We'll be leaving now. You should also pay attention to your food and drink," Shangguan Ye reminded him.

"Alright, I'll see you out." Gu Bei escorted them to the door, then hurried back to care for his sister.

"Sister, how do you feel? Nothing unusual, right?"

"Very well. Not only can I stand again, but my Sea of Soul has also grown much larger. Perhaps that was Mr. Shangguan's doing as well." When she mentioned Shangguan Ye, Gu Lan's face flushed slightly.

"Sister, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Spend more time with them in the future. I feel that if you follow them, you will certainly have a boundless future."

"I understand."

The three returned to the courtyard with the spirit stones and happened to run into Xiao Yu.

"I was just looking for you. Where did you run off to?" Xiao Yu asked.

"We went out for a stroll and earned over a thousand spirit stones. Here." Nie Li handed over one hundred spirit stones.

"They're too valuable. I can't accept them." Xiao Yu did not take them.

"We're all good brothers, so what are you worried about? Didn't you also share the few spirit stones you had with us?" Nie Li forcibly stuffed the spirit stones into Xiao Yu's arms.

"Alright, then thank you."

The three entered Shangguan Ye's room.

"Let's cultivate together in the Mountain River Space today," Shangguan Ye said.

"Alright."

The three entered the World of Mountains and Rivers at the same time, only to witness an unbelievable sight. A floating island appeared before them.

"This is... a Divine Pool! Shangguan, why is there a Divine Pool in here?" Nie Li was shocked.

"How would I know..." Shangguan Ye thought back and suddenly remembered something.

"I only remember casually tossing the spirit stone Xiao Yu gave me in here. Could that be the reason?"

"Normally, a Divine Pool requires a Divine Root to form. Yet your World of Mountains and Rivers can form a Divine Pool with only a spirit stone. It's truly unimaginable. I can only say that your treasure is absurdly powerful, beyond the limits of my understanding." Nie Li scratched his head.

"Hey, in that case..." Lu Piao looked at the other two. The three understood each other without words and simultaneously took out all their spirit stones and threw them out. Then they quietly watched. Sure enough, more than a thousand spirit stones transformed into black matter before slowly forming Divine Pools.

"Shangguan! We're rich! With so many Divine Pools, judging by their scale, even the worst are medium-grade Divine Pools. Their monthly production is at least three thousand spirit stones!" Nie Li exclaimed joyfully.

"I didn't expect this either. But since that's the case, I do have an idea. Still, let's cultivate first. You two should strive to break through to Heavenly Fate before the next class."

"Alright."