Rebirth of a Quasi-Immortal Spirit

Along the way, Gao Zhun used some materials to forge two simple compasses. One was for pointing out directions, and the other was for indicating the concentration of spiritual energy. Therefore, she was not afraid of getting lost in the desert. More importantly, she found that the spiritual energy in this desert was more concentrated and pure than that on the official road. The second compass also pointed to this desert. Presumably, this desert must contain either a treasure or a blessed land. Although it might not be useful to her, she didn't know how far away the next treasure or blessed land was. Why should she go to such lengths?

However, when she arrived in front of a stone tablet, she silently turned around and this time raised both middle fingers towards the direction of the teleportation array she had come from.

No one knows who left that stone tablet there. It was inscribed with many characters that could only be deciphered by using the Gao family's inner cultivation method. The general idea was that the teleportation array built on the previous barren mountain was too remote, so another teleportation array was built here that could directly teleport to the nearest country, Luoshui Kingdom. She just chuckled and said that building another one on the barren mountain and attaching a stone tablet would kill her.

However, upon seeing the description in the last line of the inscription, Gao Zhun silently forgave the builder of the teleportation array. "Why didn't you say there would be compensation?"

Silently, she circulated her inner energy again over the stone tablet. This time, the tablet rotated ninety degrees clockwise, revealing a small pit containing a sandalwood box. Gao Zhun was familiar with this type of box; the daily cultivation pills distributed to her by the Gao family were always stored in such boxes. Before leaving, she had gone to the medicine storehouse and collected a year's worth of pills—although she didn't seem to need them, she took them anyway, thinking "might as well take them if they're free," even if they would mold in her storage ring…

Of course, the items inside the storage ring won't get moldy or spoiled; that's just a claim.

Gao Zhun used gravity magic to retrieve the box from the air and held it in her hand. The moment she saw the box, she knew what was inside: a pill she had never seen described in any book, and of course, a letter that required blood to read.

Gao Zhun would never take this pill with unknown effects without understanding it. Although, given the strangeness of the whole affair, she was almost 80% certain that the pill could solve the problem of her impure soul, she still immediately forced a drop of blood from between her fingers and dripped it onto the beeswax on the envelope.

"Sizzle sizzle~" This was the sound of blood dripping onto the beeswax. After a very crisp sound, the seal on the envelope opened. Unlike storage devices, this seal was impervious to even a high-level soul. Even now that the seal was broken, she could only take out the letter and open it to see its contents.

In no time, Gao Zhun read the entire letter from beginning to end at least ten times. After confirming that she was not seeing things, she put the pill into her mouth with a very complicated expression, sat down cross-legged again, and fully absorbed the medicinal properties of the pill. As expected, the impurities in her soul were gradually forced out of Gao Zhun's body as the medicinal properties took effect. When the medicinal properties were fully exerted and the impurities stopped being secreted, she stood up, made a hand seal at her feet, and instantly a purification pool enveloped her entire body.

From taking the pill to emerging from the purification pool, Gao Zhun didn't chatter incessantly like she had for the previous three days. Instead, she remained silent, meticulously completing all tasks like a robot executing a program. Then, her head buzzed, and her dantian felt warm. Her true qi, which had previously been only at the mid-level of Qi Refining, suddenly surged to a level that even the early-stage Foundation Establishment couldn't match. At that moment, her Jade Palace also began to take shape, and she truly stepped into the threshold of the early Foundation Establishment stage!

"Huh? That's strange..." This was the first thing Gao Zhun said after reading the letter. Looking at her blank expression, she had no memory of what had just happened.

Looking at the empty box in her hand and the fact that everything around her had returned to normal, Gao Zhun didn't know what had happened, and her secret ailment, which she couldn't tell outsiders, had been cured in an instant. However, the whole thing was so bizarre that it was outrageous. Having achieved her goal, Gao Zhun didn't think about returning to the desolate mountain formation to send a message back to the Gao family. Instead, she walked into the teleportation array that led to the Luoshui Kingdom. Although she could return to the desolate mountain teleportation array in an instant by flying on her sword, she always felt that Yongcheng seemed to be hiding some secret—a secret that was closely related to her.

This teleportation took even less time than the previous trip from the Gao family to Yongcheng. After all, it was a short-distance teleportation within the same city. In the blink of an eye, Gao Zhun arrived at an abandoned manor.

Although the manor was abandoned, at the same time Gao Zhun appeared, a young man dressed as an ordinary servant appeared in front of her.

"The master has finally arrived."

Before Gao Zhun could speak, the very ordinary-looking young man had already taken out two pieces of paper and handed them over. One was a letter, and the other was a land deed, which was obviously the land deed for this manor.

Gao Zhun felt extremely dissatisfied with the series of events that occurred after arriving in Nanning. He always felt like he was being led by the nose, but he couldn't suppress his curiosity. It was like a puzzle game where everything was predetermined. He knew that the items and the ending were fixed, but he was still guided step by step by the game's hints, piecing together clues and finally clearing the game.

But this is not a puzzle game. Gao Zhun ultimately wants to walk her own path in life, and this letter has given her peace of mind.

"This young master from the Gao family, whose identity I don't know, I apologize for arranging these things during your training. I'm sure you're quite unhappy, but I promise this is the last time. Consider the pill I gave you earlier my apology. Before you stands my servant from back then, named A-Zhong. True to his name, he will be absolutely loyal to you, and his mid-grade Golden Core cultivation will surely allow you to accomplish many things in Yongcheng. As you might expect, Yongcheng is not merely a barren city on the surface. It hides secrets that you cannot currently access. However, with A-Zhong here, things will be different. Back then, I almost unraveled the mysteries of Yongcheng, but I had to leave at the last moment because I broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, and the laws of Yongcheng did not allow me to linger. But I was unwilling..." Therefore, I devised all these plans. I don't know how long it will take before any more members of the Gao family arrive, nor do I know if other families or sects will unravel the mystery before then. The Gao family seems to have a very strange attitude towards Yongcheng. They never deliberately ask their members to come to Yongcheng, and they don't even seem to value Yongcheng at all. However, I have seen many members of top-tier sects, large clans, and some reclusive families here. Obviously, they have all been mobilized by their sects or families. I won't say any more. The rest of the journey is up to you. I hope you can resolve everything before you reach the Nascent Soul stage. If you have any questions, you can ask Ah Zhong. He will tell you what you want to know, except, of course, my identity.”

"..."

Gao Zhun really wanted to throw this letter in the writer's face! Didn't he know that what she was most curious about right now was the identity of the person who orchestrated all of this? That way, she could get the information when she returned to the Gao family. Heh, this guy is quite clever. Ah Zhong, it would be a miracle if she could get this person's identity out of Ah Zhong. Moreover, according to her deduction, Ah Zhong was probably like her before, having been given a memory-restoring pill by that guy, forgetting everything related to him. She knew it! How could she have taken that pill before? Something must have happened that he didn't want her to know, like this person's identity…

Of course, Gao Zhun did not pursue such pointless speculation. Since she was already there, she might as well make the best of it. Achieving the Nascent Soul stage was still a long way off for her, and she was not in a hurry to unravel the mystery.

Seemingly sensing Gao Zhun's thoughts, Ah Zhong suddenly said, "Master, according to the laws of Yongcheng, you can stay here for a maximum of three years. After three years, you will definitely achieve the Nascent Soul stage and then be sent back to the Gao family by these laws."

"Huh? Three years? I've only just reached the Foundation Establishment stage! I'd be lucky to reach the Golden Core stage in three years..." As he spoke, Gao Zhun's expression turned strange. He subconsciously circulated his inner energy, but unlike his normal energy level after taking the pill, this was like...a wound-up toy?! His inner energy circulation speed was at least a hundred times faster than when it had just returned to normal...

"Master must have already discovered this." Seeing Gao Zhun's rapidly changing expression, Ah Zhong lowered his head and continued, "This is the power of the Yongcheng Law. The locals of Yongcheng are suppressed, unable to break through to the Nascent Soul stage for life unless they leave. And once they achieve the Nascent Soul stage, they can never return. As for outsiders, the law, for the purpose of protecting Yongcheng, will make their true qi circulation speed about a hundred times faster. Although the spiritual energy in Yongcheng is thin, the overall cultivation speed is still ten times faster than usual. Staying here for three years is equivalent to cultivating for thirty years outside. And at the end of the three-year period, all cultivators will be forcibly promoted to the Nascent Soul stage and sent out of Yongcheng. The consequences are severe; those who leave will be stuck at the Nascent Soul stage for life, so..."

Upon hearing this, Gao Zhun sighed and said, "So, outsiders either broke through to the Nascent Soul stage and left three years ago, or they left within three years. Otherwise, they would be ruining their cultivation future, right? And those above the Nascent Soul stage probably can't even come to Yongcheng."