If I become a saint, a celestial official will summon me to raise horses.

Chapter 25 Have you ever heard of the Nascent Soul Realm?

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A withered foot stepped out of the coffin, stepped on a piece of charcoal, and broke it.

Gu An saw that it was a woman in tattered clothes, with disheveled hair and an exaggeratedly thin body, as if her flesh and blood had been drained. Her clothes were vaguely visible as white robes, with tattered sleeves and trouser legs. She walked out unsteadily, like a vengeful ghost.

Jiang Qiong slowly raised her face, which was also gaunt, with sunken eye sockets and bulging eyes, making her look quite frightening.

Her gaze fell on Gu An, startling him so much that he quickly lowered his head.

"My dear grand-disciple, thanks to you for refining pills for me these past five years, I've recovered so quickly..." Jiang Qiong forced a smile, but it was even more horrifying, and she exhaled turbid breath.

She stopped referring to herself as "this seat" and started calling herself "I," which brought the two of them much closer.

Gu An forced himself to endure the discomfort and said, "This is what I should do, but I have some questions."

"Just ask."

As Jiang Qiong responded, she walked shakily toward the alchemy furnace.

Gu An looked at her and asked, "Since alchemy can help you recover faster, why didn't you let my master alchemy for you before?"

Cheng Xuandan believed that Jiang Qiong had been dead for seventy years, which meant that she had been hiding here for seventy years and Cheng Xuandan had never discovered that she was still alive.

Jiang Qiong smiled insincerely and said, "Because I don't trust him. Your master was only forced to become my disciple. His heart is wavering, and he might betray me at any time. Half of the coffins in this cave are from his disciples."

Gu An remained silent.

He believed Jiang Qiong was telling the truth, because that was exactly what happened to Meng Lang.

Jiang Qiong sat in front of the alchemy furnace, raised her hand and waved it, and the medicinal herbs piled up beside her flew into the furnace.

"Five years have passed, what level of Foundation Establishment are you at now?" Jiang Qiong asked.

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

Gu An replied, "We're almost at the third level."

"You're too slow. Don't neglect your cultivation. Back in the day, I, your grandmaster, established my foundation at eighteen and formed my core at forty. If I hadn't spent decades studying alchemy and formation, I would already be at the Nascent Soul stage. Have you ever heard of the Nascent Soul stage?" Jiang Qiong stared at the alchemy furnace and said casually.

Gu An nodded quickly and said, "Those at the Nascent Soul Realm are all immortals; you rarely see them in the outer sect."

"Hmph, what immortal? He's just a stronger cultivator. Once I've fully recovered, I'll find a place to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm. At that time, you'll have another Nascent Soul Realm backer. How about that? Excited?" Jiang Qiong said smugly.

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

"Thank you for your care, Master. May I ask if you need any help?" Gu An stepped forward and said.

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

She raised her hand and clapped her hands, gesturing for Gu An to sit next to her.

Gu An sat down, but kept his distance from her, while remaining vigilant.

No matter how good Jiang Qiong was to him, he would never let his guard down until she left.

Meng Lang is a cautionary tale; it's likely he never doubted Cheng Xuandan before he died.

Jiang Qiong inquired about his background, and he did not hide anything, giving a general account of his early life. Of course, he did not mention the Ji family, only saying that he was born into a household servant and only joined the Tai Xuan Sect after his spiritual root was discovered.

They talked for a full half hour before Jiang Qiong let Gu An leave, telling him that he had to come and wait for him for the next three nights, and that he would be richly rewarded after the matter was settled.

Gu An arrived as scheduled.

The third night has arrived.

Gu An sat cross-legged opposite the alchemy furnace, holding the Yin-Yang Manual in his hands, occasionally asking Jiang Qiong questions.

Annoyed by the questions, Jiang Qiong couldn't help but yell, "You kid, you're not lying to me on purpose, are you? You've reached the Foundation Establishment Realm at such a young age, how can your comprehension be so dull?"

Gu An said aggrievedly, "Refining pills is refining pills, and absorbing qi is absorbing qi."

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

The furnace was emitting more and more hot steam, and the vent on the lid turned dark green, which was very strange.

Gu An felt a chill run down his spine. What kind of elixir was she refining?
Why does it feel like a poison pill?
Excitement shone in Jiang Qiong's eyes. She stopped speaking and stared intently at the alchemy furnace.

Time passed second by second.

Gu An remained on guard at all times to prevent Jiang Qiong from launching a surprise attack.

I don’t know how much time has passed.

A muffled sound came from inside the alchemy furnace, and a smile appeared on Jiang Qiong's face, a smile that looked more like a grimace.

She raised her right hand, extended two fingers, and the furnace lid flew off. She then grabbed a pill from the furnace, which she immediately popped into her mouth as soon as it entered her hand.

So fast!

They were afraid that Gu An would snatch it away.

After taking the pill, Jiang Qiong immediately sat cross-legged and began to practice her internal energy. In less than three breaths, wisps of white steam rose from her body.

Gu An stood up and slowly backed away, creating distance between them.

More and more white mist appeared, swirling around Jiang Qiong, blurring her figure. At first glance, she looked like a zombie in the white mist.

Gu An began to constantly probe her lifespan, in case she suddenly entered the Nascent Soul Realm.

Jiang Qiong's lifespan has begun to increase. This is the first time Gu An has seen someone's lifespan increase so much, presented in numerical terms, which is quite shocking.

He suddenly became very interested in Jiang Qiong's elixir. What kind of miraculous medicine was it?
Jiang Qiong's lifespan was not only increasing, but her aura was also rising, soon surpassing that of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

A true Core Formation Realm cultivator!

Gu An keenly noticed that Jiang Qiong's physical body was recovering, her body constantly thickening, like a balloon being inflated. Something's got it!

He waited patiently.

Gradually, Jiang Qiong's breathing filled the cave, growing heavier and heavier until it finally roared like a wild beast.

for a long time.

Jiang Qiong's panting stopped abruptly. Gu An noticed that her cultivation level had not broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm, so he was not so nervous.

In the white mist, Jiang Qiong stretched and revealed her graceful figure, looking completely different from before.

She emerged from the white mist, still disheveled and dressed in tattered clothes, but beneath her worn garments lay patches of fair skin, which made Gu An's face flush in the dimly lit cave, causing him to look away.

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

Jiang Qiong spoke in a nostalgic tone, walking all the way to Gu An. She leaned forward, brushed her hair aside with both hands, and asked, "Well, my dear grand-disciple, is your grandmaster handsome?"

Gu An glanced at her quickly. Although her face was dirty, she was indeed a rare beauty. In his opinion, only Ji Xiaoyu, the third young lady of the Ji family, and Li Xuanyu, an outer disciple, could compare to her in terms of appearance.

"Grandmaster is undoubtedly the most beautiful woman in the world, but your grand-disciple is more concerned about your health and whether your injuries have fully healed."

Gu An clasped his hands in greeting and asked sincerely.

Once you're healed, hurry up and go!

"It's too early to fully recover; you'll need to rest for another five years," Jiang Qiong said with a smile, her bright eyes scanning Gu An as if she were lost in thought.

call!
She suddenly struck Gu An with a palm strike, as fast as lightning, and stopped in front of his chest. The strong wind pressed down on his robes, tearing them wildly backward.

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

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

In fact, that was not the case. In his eyes, Jiang Qiong's movements were too slow. In an instant, his dragon energy could have countered her spiritual power.

By stopping, she wasn't sparing Gu An's life, but rather saving her own.

Jiang Qiong couldn't help but laugh, her laughter spreading like wildfire, and she even burst into laughter at the end.

Gu An looked at her and smiled, without interrupting her.

After laughing for a while, Jiang Qiong turned around and walked towards the alchemy furnace, saying, "Don't worry, I won't kill my own disciples and grand-disciples. Back then, when Cheng Xuandan wanted to betray me, I spared his life and even hid in the Tai Xuan Sect under his protection. As long as you are filial to me, I will never let you down. If anyone bullies you, I will not stand idly by."

Gu An couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

Jiang Qiong walked in front of the alchemy furnace, turned to look at Gu An, and said, "Leave a set of new clothes behind. You can go back now. Come again tomorrow night, and I will teach you magic."

Gu An immediately took out a set of his own white robe from his storage bag, gently placed it on the ground, then raised his hand to bow to Jiang Qiong, bid farewell and left.

After he disappeared into the darkness, Jiang Qiong turned around, went to the white robe, raised her hand and grabbed the robe from the air. She smelled the scent on it and chuckled softly.

……

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

A person walked towards the mouth of the valley.

It was Li Ya.

Li Ya was still dressed in black, but compared to five years ago, he was full of vigor and exuded the aura of a powerful figure.

His arrival immediately drew everyone's attention.

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

Gu An immediately walked over to Li Ya and instructed everyone to continue practicing.

He approached Li Ya, about to speak, but Li Ya interrupted him, saying, "Let's talk upstairs."

Ok?
Something?

Gu An immediately tensed up. What could be so important that Li Ya had to come all this way in person?
He immediately led Li Ya to the attic, and after entering the room, he closed the door.

Li Ya walked to the table, raised his hand, and a vine fruit appeared on the table, leaving Gu An stunned.

“Four years ago, a Green Vine Fruit appeared in the outer sect’s medicine hall. I bought it, but I was too busy with missions and never had the chance to give it to you,” Li Ya said with a smile.

Gu An's expression was strange.

Li Ya asked, "What's wrong?"

Gu An felt that he could not hide this matter, so he coughed lightly and said, "I sold this fruit to the Pill Hall."

To clear himself of suspicion, he sold it at a low price, which earned him praise from the elders of the Pill Hall for his gratitude towards the sect.

Gu An dared to sell because Li Ya had said that the Azure Vine Fruit was not uncommon in the Tai Xuan Sect. Although it was not found in the outer sect, it was abundant in the inner sect. To be precise, the inner sect possessed rare treasures of the world.

He never expected that Li Ya would actually buy it back...

Li Ya said helplessly, "This matter has become quite a mess... This fruit can enhance qi and blood, and is an extremely rare and precious natural treasure. How could you sell it? How many spirit stones did you get for it?"

"Twenty mid-grade spirit stones..."

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

One high-grade spirit stone is equivalent to one hundred mid-grade spirit stones.

Both of them fell silent.

Gu An actually felt it was worth it. Thanks to the Cang Teng Fruit, he established a good friendship with Zhu Qinglu of the Pill Hall. In the following four years, Zhu Qinglu took good care of him and provided him with many conveniences. However, he felt a little awkward in front of Li Ya.

Li Ya said quietly, "Forget it, consider it a contribution to the sect. Besides this fruit, I have something else to ask you."

(End of this chapter)