Chapter 153

Xi Lingge's white hair could not be normal. Yet he rarely left the sect. Apart from meeting other Medicine Cultivators or observing Pill Cultivator gatherings, he entrusted whatever else he needed to Duan Qiankun. The greatest setback of his life was probably Ji Qingming's injury.

Qiao Ranran had already helped him solve the problem with the Nine Cauldron Pill, but he still looked weighed down with worry. That meant the pill had done nothing substantial for Ji Qingming's injury.

"Master?" Even Qiao Ranran's arrival had gone unnoticed, showing how lost in thought he was. "Did you send for this disciple because you need something?"

Xi Lingge slowly came back to himself. His gaze swept over Qiao Ranran, and his pupils abruptly contracted. "Mid-Golden Core?"

Qiao Ranran smiled shyly. "Yes. With Junior Brother Pei's help, this disciple advanced smoothly."

Her cultivation had been suppressed again and again in the Yao Mountain Secret Realm. During Seclusion, that experience gave her deeper insight, allowing her to leap straight from Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment to Mid-Golden Core. Despite spending so long in the Demon Realm, her cultivation had not regressed. Her foundation had grown sturdier, and her understanding and use of Spiritual Power had deepened.

Xi Lingge sighed. "I haven't been a competent master." Since Qiao Ranran had joined the sect, he had offered her little guidance or help. Instead, he had caused trouble that got her hurt, and had even relied on her to solve the problem with the Nine Cauldron Pill.

More than once, he had wondered whether the destined disciples Cen Xian's Star-Pulling Chart had identified were meant to help them. As for what the disciples gained in return, it was next to nothing. It was not just Qiao Ranran. Nie Gui had all but left his disciple to fend