Zi Tianjun was in seclusion, refining magical artifacts for Bao Gu.
Without Zi Tianjun’s supervision, Bao Gu enjoyed a leisurely time, waiting for Yu Mi and Zi Tianjun to finish their retreat.
Every morning, she would get up early to practice with her fellow disciples, go hunting in the woods with the senior disciple on duty to prepare a nourishing soup from the game they caught, continue her training in the afternoon, and decide whether to sleep or practice in the evening based on her mood.
This relaxed approach to cultivation surprisingly led her to unknowingly break through to the second stage of Foundation Establishment.
Bao Gu felt that having five spiritual roots merely required a significant accumulation of spiritual energy for a gradual breakthrough, and her cultivation speed was not as slow as everyone imagined.
After this period of practicing spells of five different attributes, she believed that the time she spent on cultivation was not wasted; in fact, it was a wealth that others could not possess or enjoy.
Although the cultivation speed of genius disciples with heavenly roots or dual roots was many times faster than hers, they could never simultaneously cast three types of spells like she could!
She could effortlessly wield any spell of any attribute, and in the future, she could even control spells of all five attributes at once.
Currently, her cultivation level was low, and her spiritual consciousness was weak, so she could only manage two or three spells at a time.
Another difference was that the true qi accumulated in her dantian was many times greater than that of her peers at the same level.
When practicing the same spell, it took her at least an hour to deplete the true qi in her dantian, while some of her fellow disciples could conserve their spiritual power and last for a quarter of an hour, and others could only last for a quarter of an hour before needing to sit cross-legged to recover their spiritual power.
This meant that if they were in a fight and both sides were evenly matched, without any spiritual wine or elixirs to restore their spiritual power, she only needed to wait one or two quarters of an hour for the opponent’s spiritual power to run out before effortlessly defeating them!
With this understanding, Bao Gu was not at all anxious about her cultivation progress.
As Nanshan Yijian said, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage grants a lifespan of two hundred years.
She was only fourteen now, and she would have over a hundred years to break through to the Golden Core stage in the future.
Why should she rush?
After eight days in seclusion, Zi Tianjun finally emerged.
As soon as he came out, he saw Bao Gu, just as he expected, not diligently cultivating but squatting in front of a large pot, using fire spells to cook meat.
However, seeing that Bao Gu had made progress in her cultivation level, despite her long stagnation, he allowed her to continue.
The next day, Yu Mi also finished her retreat.
When Yu Mi came out, Bao Gu was squatting in the courtyard, using the Water Condensation Technique to gather the moisture from the air into water to wash the freshly butchered deer meat.
When Bao Gu saw Yu Mi’s door open, she splashed the gathered water onto the deer meat and joyfully rushed towards Yu Mi, not caring whether the two senior disciples responsible for cooking nearby could find water to wash and cook the meat.
Bao Gu happily bounced up to Yu Mi and exclaimed, “Senior Sister! You finally came out!”
She affectionately hugged Yu Mi’s arm.
The other disciples practicing in the courtyard saw Yu Mi emerge and rushed over to congratulate her.
Zi Tianjun walked over, looking at Yu Mi with a satisfied and comforting expression, nodding and saying, “Very good.”
Bao Gu looked at Yu Mi in confusion and asked, “Senior Sister, is there something to celebrate? I didn’t know about it!”
Yu Mi glanced at Bao Gu and replied, “There’s nothing to celebrate.”
She respectfully bowed to Zi Tianjun.
Zi Tianjun said, “Although you are at the ninth stage of the Golden Core, you are still a bit away from perfection. Don’t rush to break into the Nascent Soul stage; you need to solidify your foundation.”
Yu Mi responded, “Yes! I will heed Grandmaster’s teachings.”
Bao Gu was left dumbfounded.
The ninth stage of the Golden Core?
It had only been a few months since her senior sister obtained a Golden Core Pill from Martial Uncle Chen to enter the Golden Core stage, and in less than a year, her senior sister had advanced from the peak of Foundation Establishment to the ninth stage of the Golden Core?
She looked at herself; in the same amount of time, she had only progressed from the Qi Refining stage to the second stage of Foundation Establishment!
She couldn’t even compete with her senior sister!
The gap between five spiritual roots and single spiritual roots was indeed… enormous!
Just a few days ago, Bao Gu thought her five spiritual roots were impressive, but now, comparing herself to her senior sister, she felt utterly inadequate.
She asked, “Senior Sister, how did you cultivate so quickly?”
Quick?
Yu Mi glanced around at her fellow disciples.
In just three months, Feng Menglong and Hua Sheng had already reached the second stage of the Golden Core, and all the originally Qi Refining disciples had established themselves in the Foundation Establishment stage.
Bao Gu had become the one with the lowest cultivation level in the Xuantian Sect.
It wasn’t that she was cultivating quickly; it was that Bao Gu was progressing too slowly!
Zi Tianjun said, “Yu Mi, Bao Gu, Hua Sheng, Feng Menglong, follow me.”
After saying that, he turned and walked towards his wooden house.
Bao Gu happily clung to Yu Mi’s arm, following closely beside her, not caring about the looks from the other disciples.
After all, there were plenty of things for everyone to laugh about, and this was no exception.
Being able to hold her senior sister’s arm made her willing to be the subject of ridicule.
Hua Sheng and Feng Menglong nervously followed behind Zi Tianjun, not daring to breathe.
The four of them entered the wooden house behind Zi Tianjun.
Bao Gu reluctantly released Yu Mi’s arm and walked towards the mat where she usually sat.
After sitting cross-legged, she noticed that Yu Mi, Hua Sheng, and Feng Menglong were standing respectfully in the room, observing Zi Tianjun with their eyes focused.
She instinctively wanted to ask, “Aren’t you going to sit?” but quickly realized that she was the only one sitting; she should stand like the other three.
But every time she came in, she always sat down; Grandmaster never made her stand to speak!
Bao Gu paused for a moment, deciding to stand with Yu Mi.
Just as she was about to get up, she saw Grandmaster waving his hand at her impatiently, as if to say, “Since you’ve already sat down, just continue sitting.”
So she remained seated, noticing that her senior sister, Feng Menglong, and Hua Sheng all glanced at her with somewhat strange expressions.
Before she could think too much about it, she saw her senior sister with a faint smile at the corner of her mouth, glancing at her sideways.
That look was so beautiful, with a gentle smile in her eyes that made her heart race like a little deer.
She realized that after not seeing her senior sister for several months, Yu Mi had become even more beautiful, her skin more delicate and fair, radiating a vibrant life force, like flowers blooming in March.
Bao Gu thought of a word: transformation!
With her senior sister’s cultivation level rising, she had transformed like a butterfly, becoming even more beautiful and graceful.
“Bao Gu! Bao Gu!”
Zi Tianjun’s voice, which was several times louder than usual, startled Bao Gu, making her realize she had been lost in thought and caught by Grandmaster.
She quickly called out, “Grandmaster!” and sat up straight.
Zi Tianjun asked in a deep voice, “Does Yu Mi have flowers on her face? Have you seen enough?”
Hua Sheng and Feng Menglong continued to stand with their eyes focused.
Yu Mi slightly tilted her head to look at Bao Gu, her eyes carrying a hint of playful reproach.
Feeling embarrassed, Bao Gu flashed a big smile at Zi Tianjun and said, “Grandmaster, can I have my senior sister as my maid, right?”
Yu Mi’s smile faded, and she bit her lip, glaring fiercely at Bao Gu!
You dare!
Hua Sheng and Feng Menglong exchanged glances, quietly shifting their gaze between Zi Tianjun, Bao Gu, and Yu Mi.
Zi Tianjun glared at Bao Gu and asked, “Did you hear what I just said?”
Bao Gu was momentarily stunned, thinking, “Grandmaster, did you say something just now?”
Zi Tianjun could tell from Bao Gu’s dazed expression that she had been lost in thought and completely ignored his words, making him so angry that he wanted to slap her out of the room!
His face darkened to the point where it seemed like water could drip from it, and he said in a deep voice, “You are always cunning and have your own ideas. This mission is of great significance…”
Before he could finish, Bao Gu interrupted, “Grandmaster, I’m not cunning…”
This infuriated him, and he shouted, “Let me finish!”
The veins on his forehead were bulging.
The thunderous roar made Bao Gu’s eardrums ache, and she shrank her neck, obediently nodding, “Grandmaster, you speak, I’m listening!”
Zi Tianjun stood up, pointing at Bao Gu and said, “This mission is of great significance. If you mess it up this time, be prepared to face a hundred years of wall-sitting when you return! Feng Martial Uncle, Yu Mi, Hua Sheng, and Feng Menglong will assist you. Additionally, if you feel short-handed, see which of your fellow disciples are suitable to bring along. In short, this task must be done well; it can only succeed, not fail!”
Bao Gu quickly replied obediently, “Yes!”
Zi Tianjun was so angry he felt pain in his liver!
He then asked, “How confident are you about this mission?”
Bao Gu thought for a moment and said, “If something happens, I will call for help.”
Zi Tianjun nodded slightly, reminding her, “Don’t be overconfident.”
Bao Gu replied with an “Mm,” and seeing that Zi Tianjun seemed to be done with his instructions, she quietly asked, “Grandmaster, what about the magical artifacts you refined?”
Zi Tianjun glanced at Bao Gu, flipped his hand, and produced three jade pendants.
He gave one protective jade pendant each to Yu Mi, Feng Menglong, and Hua Sheng.
He tossed a storage bag to Bao Gu and said, “You can go now. Prepare well and set off when you’re ready; no need to say goodbye.”
He was afraid he would die from anger at Bao Gu.
Bao Gu caught the storage bag Zi Tianjun threw her way and said, “Thank you, Grandmaster!”
She happily bounced out of Zi Tianjun’s wooden house.
As she bounced out, she noticed that the three of them had not followed her out.
Turning back, she saw them still bowing and paying their respects before retreating to the door of the house before turning to leave.
She thought, “Oh, I forgot to bow and retreat when I came out.”
Yu Mi stepped out of the house and said, “Let’s go!”
Once they were more than a yard away from Zi Tianjun’s house, she said, “Bao Gu, your courage is getting bolder; you dare to be so informal in front of Grandmaster!”
Grandmaster was giving her important instructions, and she actually dared to zone out, and even openly asked Grandmaster for things.
What left her speechless was that Grandmaster didn’t even reprimand Bao Gu and instead gave her a bunch of rare good items!
Bao Gu defended herself, “Cultivators don’t have as many formalities as mortals.”
After saying that, she opened the storage bag Zi Tianjun had given her and found her protective magical artifact.
There was a jade pendant to hang around her neck, a pair of bracelets to wear on her wrists, and a beautiful pair of boots.
She hung the jade pendant around her neck and put on the bracelets.
The boots were a bit strange; the symbols carved on them didn’t look like protective talismans but resembled a lightness technique, and they felt extremely light, almost like feathers.
She held the boots and asked in confusion, “Senior Sister, these boots don’t seem like a protective magical artifact.”
Yu Mi’s mouth twitched slightly as she said, “These are Wind-Driving Boots for your escape.”
Bao Gu replied, “Oh, then I’ll change into them before we set off.”
She then pulled out a stack of talismans and found they were all escape talismans and teleportation talismans.
These types of talismans were usually used for life-saving; when in danger, using this talisman would allow one to escape instantly.
She estimated that Yu Mi, Feng Menglong, and Hua Sheng didn’t have these types of talismans, so she gave each of them two talismans and then found a few teleportation array platforms, giving each of them one.
Yu Mi sighed, “Grandmaster has become wealthy recently; he’s really generous!”
Bao Gu replied, “I guess so.”
After all, she had given Grandmaster ten precious herbs, and she suspected he had taken advantage of her inattention to trade those herbs for a lot of good items.
Feng Menglong and Hua Sheng were dumbfounded as they watched Zi Tianjun give Bao Gu so many treasures.
Bao Gu rummaged through her oversized storage bag again, even tilting the bag to confirm that there were indeed no other items inside.
She quickly said, “Senior Sister, you go back and tidy up. I’m going to ask Grandmaster for some Foundation Establishment pills and healing elixirs.”
After saying that, she hurried back to Zi Tianjun’s house.
Feng Menglong and Hua Sheng exchanged glances and then looked at Yu Mi, only to see Yu Mi looking completely unfazed.
Feng Menglong called out, “Yu Mi, will Bao Gu always act like this in front of Grandmaster?”
Yu Mi replied lightly, “Isn’t she like this in front of anyone?”
Not just Grandmaster; she didn’t have any decorum even in front of Nanshan Yijian.
Before long, Bao Gu happily bounced out of Zi Tianjun’s house, stuffing a large bottle of elixirs into Yu Mi’s arms, saying, “Senior Sister, Grandmaster said he only refined one batch of Nourishing Infant Pills and doesn’t have any extra. I only asked for one bottle, so save it for later. This is for external injuries, and this is for internal injuries; each person should have a bottle ready. This is a Vitality Pill, which can be taken in the Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core stages. I asked Grandmaster for a few more bottles.”
She distributed the external and internal injury medicines and Vitality Pills to Feng Menglong and Hua Sheng, and then gave Yu Mi one bottle each of Nourishing Infant Pills, Vitality Pills, and the external and internal injury medicines.
Feng Menglong and Hua Sheng stared blankly as they received the healing medicines from Bao Gu, enviously watching Yu Mi accept the Nourishing Infant Pills.
Nourishing Infant Pills!
A whole batch of Nourishing Infant Pills!
They had only received one Nourishing Infant Pill since successfully breaking through to the Golden Core stage and becoming peak masters, something that other disciples wouldn’t even dare to dream of, yet Bao Gu was giving them out like it was nothing!
Bao Gu checked her oversized storage bag again to ensure she had everything necessary.
Seeing Feng Menglong and Hua Sheng standing there in a daze, not preparing for their departure, she said, “Sister Hua, Brother Feng, you should get ready. We’re setting off in an hour. Oh, by the way, if you have suitable candidates, you can bring two more along.”
After saying that, she pulled Yu Mi towards her small wooden house.
Once inside, Yu Mi flicked Bao Gu’s forehead with her finger and said, “Are you doing this on purpose or are you just clueless? Don’t you know to quietly give me the Nourishing Infant Pills? Didn’t you see how green Martial Uncle Feng’s and Hua Sheng’s eyes were?”
Bao Gu glanced sideways at Yu Mi and said, “It’s not something rare; is there a need to hide it?”
She took out the Duobao Spirit Monkey from her oversized storage bag and said, “Little Monkey, we’re going out; I want to trade some monkey wine with you.”
Duobao Spirit Monkey was initially reluctant to be pulled out by Bao Gu, but upon hearing about the wine, it squeaked excitedly, quickly gathering a large pile of various grades of monkey wine in front of Bao Gu, even presenting two gourds of Supreme Monkey Wine.
Looking at the pile of wine gourds filling half the small wooden house, Bao Gu shot a deep glance at Duobao Spirit Monkey and said, “Are you eyeing my precious herbs again?”
Duobao Spirit Monkey squeaked happily.
Bao Gu narrowed her eyes at Duobao Spirit Monkey and said, “As long as you have spiritual herbs, you can brew as much monkey wine as you want. My precious herbs are limited!”
Duobao Spirit Monkey clung to Bao Gu’s neck with a pleading expression.
Bao Gu pushed Duobao Spirit Monkey away and said, “You can pick herbs, but it must be in moderation, so I have some left when I need them in the future.”
Duobao Spirit Monkey nodded eagerly.
Bao Gu asked, “Can you count? Do you know how much spiritual herbs this monkey wine can be exchanged for?”
Duobao Spirit Monkey shook its head.
After counting the monkey wine, Bao Gu took out an abacus to calculate the amount and then told Duobao Spirit Monkey the numbers.
She thought for a moment and said, “Little Monkey, when can I see the world inside your belly? I’ll give you some of what I have in excess, and you can give me some of what I don’t have.”
Duobao Spirit Monkey slowly shook its head.
Bao Gu asked, “Is that not possible?”
Duobao Spirit Monkey thought for a moment, then used its paw to write a row of crooked and nearly unrecognizable characters on the ground, telling Bao Gu that the medicinal fields in its oversized storage bag couldn’t grow the rare treasures from its inner world, and then it pulled out a handful of soil shimmering with five colors and a handful of water condensed from spiritual energy, presenting them to Bao Gu, as if to say that everything there was grown with this five-colored soil and watered with spiritual water.
The soil was something Bao Gu had never seen or heard of before.
The spiritual water was easy to obtain, but if she wanted to use spirit stones to turn into water to water flowers, plants, and fruit trees—just thinking about it made her scalp tingle, and she quickly dismissed the idea.
At the same time, her curiosity about Duobao Spirit Monkey’s inner world deepened.
Bao Gu stored the monkey wine she exchanged back into her oversized storage bag and returned Duobao Spirit Monkey to her oversized storage bag.
When she turned around, she saw Yu Mi sitting cross-legged against the wall, staring at her in a daze.
She called out, “Senior Sister,” and asked, “Are you ready to set off?”
Yu Mi came back to her senses, raised an eyebrow, and then smiled gently, her eyes full of warmth.
Bao Gu looked at Yu Mi curiously, not understanding why Yu Mi was smiling.
She asked, “Senior Sister, what are you laughing at?”
Yu Mi chuckled, her shoulders shaking slightly, and slowly said four words: “Always cunning and sly…”
Bao Gu’s face darkened, and she huffed, “I should have asked Grandmaster for more things!”
Yu Mi stood up, smiling, and said, “Little sly one, let’s go.”
She walked up to Bao Gu and noticed that Bao Gu had indeed grown taller; her once tiny frame was now gradually developing some curves, but her temperament still needed some refinement, as she bounced around like a relative of Duobao Spirit Monkey.
Bao Gu couldn’t understand why someone who always upheld the family motto of “benevolence and virtue” would be labeled as “cunning.”
She followed Yu Mi out of the house and saw Feng Menglong and Hua Sheng each leading two people waiting outside.
Bao Gu told them to wait a moment while she went to find Feng Yi.
Feng Yi said, “You all go ahead.”
He resolutely sent Bao Gu and the others into the teleportation array, refusing to walk alongside Bao Gu as her servant.
As Bao Gu stepped into the teleportation array, she hugged her senior sister’s arm tightly, sticking close to her.
Yu Mi glanced at Bao Gu and asked, “Haven’t you grown any bones?”
Bao Gu smiled and was about to answer, “No,” when suddenly a very uncomfortable feeling surged up, as if someone was secretly watching her.
She exclaimed, “Senior Sister, have you noticed someone staring at us?”
Yu Mi shot a sideways glance at Bao Gu and said, “We’re moving through the void; who do you think could withstand the spatial forces and hide in the void to spy on us?”
Bao Gu looked around.
Outside the power of the teleportation array was complete darkness, and she couldn’t see anything, but she felt as if an eye was watching her from the darkness, making her feel uneasy.
She asked, “Senior Sister, could someone be using the teleportation array to follow us?”
Yu Mi replied, “How is that possible?”
Bao Gu turned to look behind her and asked, “Could it be Feng Martial Uncle following us?”
But she knew that the person watching her from the shadows was definitely not Feng Martial Uncle.
After thinking for a moment, she took out Duobao Spirit Monkey from her oversized storage bag.
When Duobao Spirit Monkey came out, it was still holding a pile of spiritual herbs.
It was about to scold Bao Gu for pulling it out, but suddenly it seemed to notice something, turning its head sharply with wide eyes to stare into the darkness, then immediately bared its teeth in a threatening manner!
All the hairs on Bao Gu’s body stood on end!
She shouted, “Senior Sister, there really is something in the darkness!”
Her voice changed pitch from fear.
Yu Mi sensed something was wrong and summoned the Lihuo Sword in a defensive stance.
She knew that whoever could hide in the void and watch them had power far beyond theirs, and if they attacked, there would be no escape for her group.
Duobao Spirit Monkey let out a sharp screech, a sound Bao Gu had never heard before, piercing and shrill.
The originally fluffy, palm-sized little monkey suddenly expanded, a powerful aura radiating from it as it grew larger.
In just a few breaths, it had grown over ten feet tall, its golden fur standing on end like steel needles.
It crouched low, ready to pounce into the darkness at the monster.
At that moment, Duobao Spirit Monkey looked less like a spirit monkey and more like a ferocious beast.
Bao Gu was so scared she didn’t dare to breathe.
After hesitating for a moment, she released the Little Celestial Fox from the Blood Oath Token.
When Little Celestial Fox emerged, it was still asleep, but it immediately sprang up as if startled, its fur standing on end, and even its third eye on its forehead opened wide, staring intently into the darkness.
Suddenly, a blinding light enveloped them.
The surrounding spatial forces vanished, and they emerged from the void.
They had arrived at their destination just in the nick of time.
Duobao Spirit Monkey let out a near-screaming cry, as if being squeezed by some force, its towering body twisting into an unrecognizable shape, and in the blink of an eye, it shrank back down to a palm-sized, fluffy form.
It lay flat on the ground, panting heavily, looking exhausted and weak.
Bao Gu quickly picked up Duobao Spirit Monkey and asked, “Little Monkey, are you okay?”
Little Celestial Fox looked around and then at Duobao Spirit Monkey, saying, “It’s fine. We’re safe now.”
Bao Gu asked, “Ling’er, was there something watching us during the teleportation?”
Little Celestial Fox replied, “It was a very powerful demon spirit.”
Her expression also carried a hint of confusion and puzzlement.
After resting for a moment, Duobao Spirit Monkey let out a squeak and angrily retreated back into the oversized storage bag.
Bao Gu asked, “Ling’er, can the monsters in the demon realm hide in the void?”
Little Celestial Fox looked at Bao Gu with disdain and said, “You and Yu Mi both know the Void Concealment Technique; do you think a great demon spirit wouldn’t know such tricks?”
She yawned and was about to return to the Blood Oath Token.
Bao Gu hurriedly asked, “Hey, Ling’er, do you know what’s up with the little monkey?”
Little Celestial Fox looked back at Bao Gu with great disdain and said, “You’ve had the monkey with you for so long, and you still don’t know its origins! You better not go out and say you’re my master; I can’t afford to lose face!”
Bao Gu wrinkled her nose and said, “It was with Grandmaster Xuantian before; what other origins could it have?”
Little Celestial Fox rolled its eyes at Bao Gu and tried to slip back into the Blood Oath Token, but Bao Gu stopped it, looking as if she wouldn’t let it go until it explained clearly.
Little Celestial Fox helplessly said, “It came from another world, and due to the laws of this world, it can’t take shape or use its powers.”
After saying that, it transformed back into its original form, kicked away Bao Gu’s hand, and dove back into the Blood Oath Token.
Just as it got back in, it suddenly remembered something and poked its head out to ask Bao Gu for spiritual fruits, herbs, and monkey wine.
Bao Gu gave Little Celestial Fox a bottle of Vitality Pills, some spiritual herbs, and a gourd of fourth-grade monkey wine before letting it return to the Blood Oath Token.
She turned to Yu Mi and said, “Senior Sister, we need to find a good place to set up and bring them out. I suspect a great demon from the demon realm is already watching us.”
