Chapter 219

Ye Ruoshui nestled in her arms, like a lazy cat, and slowly opened her eyes.

"Woke up?"

Xiao Minghuang smiled, raised her hand and gently smoothed Ye Ruoshui's messy hair at her temples.

"Um..."

Ye Ruoshui let out a soft moan, her pretty face flushed, and nestled into Xiao Minghuang's arms, closing her eyes shyly.

"Hehe."

Seeing this, Xiao Minghuang's lips curved into a warm smile, and he reached out to embrace Ye Ruoshui's slender waist.

The two embraced quietly, enjoying the rare tranquility.

A long time.

"Your Highness, I've refined some pills recently; please take them with you later."

"Hmm." Xiao Minghuang nodded. "When are you leaving the Holy Academy? Let me know then, and if I'm free, I'll go with you."

"Good!"

Ye Ruoshui responded.

The two were dressed neatly, and Ye Ruoshui handed the storage bag containing a large number of pills to Xiao Minghuang.

After Xiao Minghuang's actions, she left the cave with compensation from the system.

Instead of immediately returning to her cultivation, she went to the Hundred Inquiries Pavilion.

"There are still eight days left until the one-month deadline. I'll go find the Young Pavilion Master now to ask for the pills. After I get them, I'll give them to Ruoshui. If Ruoshui can figure out the formula for the pills, that would be wonderful. If not, receiving compensation would still be a good thing."

262. A truly sage is one whose birth is extraordinary.

Xiao Minghuang thought to himself, and soon arrived outside the Hundred Inquiries Pavilion.

With the token given to her by Xu Xiuer, she traveled without hindrance all the way to the top floor of the Hundred Inquiries Pavilion.

But the last guard stopped her.

Who are you? What do you want?

"Xiao Minghuang, a disciple of the Second Academy, has important business to discuss with the Young Pavilion Master."

Xiao Minghuang took out the Second Academy's token from her sleeve and showed it to her.

The guard glanced at her token and said, "Wait a moment..."

Before he could finish speaking...

A voice echoed from the void.

"Let her in."

The guard paused, took a half step back, and said nothing more.

At the same time, the palace doors slowly opened.

Xiao Minghuang entered the formation behind the palace gate, and the next moment she arrived in the empty hall.

Dressed in a blue robe, Gu Qingyu sat cross-legged in mid-air, slowly opening her eyes and asking, "How are you doing at the Second Hospital?"

"Reporting to the Young Pavilion Master, I have settled down on the back mountain of the Second Academy's main peak, but I haven't seen Head Mu since when I first returned."

Xiao Minghuang responded respectfully.

Hearing this, Gu Qingyu nodded. "She probably won't believe you so quickly. Be patient. I've given you ten years, which is plenty of time. Just take it slow."

"You're here for the Load Sinking Spirit Returning Pill, right? Here you go..."

As she spoke, her eyes flashed, the void twisted, and a porcelain bottle the size of a palm appeared out of thin air and shot in front of Xiao Minghuang.

"There are sixty in this bottle, enough for you for five years. During this time, don't travel around. Focus on your cultivation and prepare for the Heavenly Dipper Assembly."

Upon hearing this, a strange look flashed in Xiao Minghuang's eyes.

What does Gu Qingyu mean by this?

He's offering five years' worth of elixirs right off the bat!

Was he testing her?

"This... I am unworthy of such a precious gift."

Gu Qingyu frowned and said, "Just take it!"

"Also, you must achieve a top-ten ranking in the Heavenly Dipper Assembly. I don't think that should be a big deal for you, right?"

As she spoke, she waved her hand again, and the small porcelain bottle flew into Xiao Minghuang's sleeve and landed precisely in her hand.

Having heard Gu Qingyu, Xiao Minghuang understood that she wasn't testing him. He dropped the formalities, his face beaming with joy, and cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you, Young Pavilion Master. I will definitely achieve a ranking in the Heavenly Dipper Assembly and live up to your high expectations!"

"Hehe... No need to be so grateful to me. If you can't achieve a ranking in the Heavenly Dipper Assembly, even I can't recommend you to the Palace Master. Our relationship is just a transaction. You need to understand your situation!"

Gu Qingyu said indifferently.

The joy on Xiao Minghuang's face faded, and she said in a low voice, "This junior will remember!"

"If the Young Pavilion Master has no further instructions, this junior will take his leave."

"Um..."

Xiao Minghuang turned and left.

But just as she took a few steps and was about to step into the formation, Gu Qingyu's voice suddenly rang out behind her again.

"You can't take more than three Load Sinking Spirit Returning Pills at once. Your cultivation level is too low; if you take too many, you'll explode. Remember that!"

Upon hearing these instructions, Xiao Minghuang was slightly taken aback, and quickly replied:

"Thank you for the reminder, Young Pavilion Master. I will certainly keep it in mind."

"Go!"

Gu Qingyu waved her hand.

Xiao Minghuang bowed and left, disappearing a moment later.

After she left, the empty hall returned to its previous tranquility.

Gu Qingyu narrowed her eyes, her mind a jumble of thoughts.

She didn't know why she helped Xiao Minghuang.

This idea just suddenly popped into my head; perhaps I didn't want to see a promising young man go astray, or maybe it was just a fleeting attraction to beauty...

In short, she had no intention of using Xiao Minghuang anymore.

As for Mu Qingkong...

She suddenly realized that she didn't seem to like it as much as she had imagined.

Her only meeting with Mu Qingkong was three thousand years ago.

At that time, she and Mu Qingkong were both just over a hundred years old and were collectively known as the "Two Beauties of an Unparalleled Generation".

Although the two were equally famous, Mu Qingkong had always cultivated in the North Sea, and only her reputation was known within the Holy Academy.

She had long been assisting the old pavilion master in handling daily affairs, and everyone in the Holy Academy knew about her.

Then one day, Mu Qingkong suddenly returned from the North Sea, and even surpassed her to transcend tribulation and become a saint.

This made her very unhappy.

But at Mu Qingkong's longevity banquet, she finally met this woman who was her equal.

Mu Qingkong was dressed in white, her skin as white as snow, her bones as white as ice, her demeanor aloof and indifferent, yet she exuded an aura that made people want to love her.

Even though she wasn't friendly to Mu Qingkong, and even harbored some hostility towards him, she still couldn't help but feel her heart flutter and her soul pound.

It was at this moment that she wavered and developed feelings for Mu Qingkong.

Later, this feeling of affection grew stronger in my heart and I couldn't forget it.

As time went by, the events of that year gradually faded from memory, and she even forgot what Mu Qingkong looked like.

Only that faint feeling from back then lingers in my heart.

"I was being too attached to appearances..."

Gu Qingyu sighed deeply.

She gathered her chaotic thoughts and murmured:

"Let bygones be bygones, what matters is the present..."

After speaking, she raised her slender, snow-white finger and drew a circle in the air, and a crystal-clear, jade-like round mirror appeared out of thin air.

"Let me see just where you come from..."

However, the mirror did not reflect Gu Qingyu's appearance; instead, it showed Xiao Minghuang's figure.

"The Great Rewind Technique can trace back to the past; anything that happened within this realm can be perceived to some extent!"

Gu Qingyu whispered that this supernatural power was something she had created on her own. It was not very useful for Saint Realm cultivators, as it made it difficult for them to see their past. However, for cultivators below the Saint Realm, it was like a demon-revealing mirror. Under the supernatural power, all their experiences would be exposed!

With a thought, a scene quickly appeared in the mirror—

In a magnificent palace, a baby was born.

This is the time of Xiao Minghuang's birth.

The scene in the mirror changes rapidly.

This baby went through a remarkable journey, from babbling to taking her first steps, from a toddler to a young girl, and finally to a graceful and stunningly beautiful young woman...

Gu Qingyu witnessed her first kill in the dark cave; witnessed her invincible rampage through the Beast Tide; witnessed her overwhelming power suppressing powerful enemies and subjugating all; witnessed her National Destiny bestowed upon her, slaying a true demon; witnessed her unstoppable ascent to the top of the Trial Tower...

Everything about Xiao Minghuang's life was laid bare before her.

"She has quite a few secrets..."

Although they could see Xiao Minghuang's past, they couldn't figure out where she got so many opportunities from.

"A great sage is destined for greatness! Perhaps Xiao Minghuang is born with that destiny..."

Gu Qingyu murmured.

She wasn't really bothered by any of Xiao Minghuang's miraculous opportunities.

After all, Xiao Minghuang's opportunities were hardly opportunities at all for a saint like her.

Moreover, without these opportunities, Xiao Minghuang would not have been able to stand before her.

263. The Peak of the Primordial Embryo

"That's enough..."

She slowly closed her eyes, her slender fingers lightly tapping, and the scene in the mirror quickly distorted and changed before finally ceasing to change.

Xiao Minghuang's figure gradually faded as the scene in the mirror changed, and finally disappeared completely.

After leaving Hundred Inquiries Pavilion, Xiao Minghuang returned to Ye Ruoshui's cave.

Because she had the Hundred Inquiries Pavilion's token, her round trip didn't take too long.

Ye Ruoshui was sorting out medicinal herbs. She needed to complete the request from Li Han and his sister before she would prepare to refine the Heaven-grade pill.

Seemingly sensing Xiao Minghuang's arrival, she turned and walked out of the cave.

"Why has Your Highness returned?"

Xiao Minghuang smiled and said, "I just went to the Hundred Inquiries Pavilion and got some pills. Could you analyze the formulas?"

As she spoke, she handed the porcelain bottle she was holding to Ye Ruoshui.

Ye Ruoshui's eyes lit up immediately. She reached out and took the porcelain bottle, pulled out the stopper, brought it close to her nose, and sniffed it. Her face instantly lit up with joy.

"This... this..."

She looked up in surprise and stared at Xiao Minghuang.