"What?"
After speaking, she subconsciously looked at the stunning woman in front of her, feeling a faint sense of familiarity. She recalled a girl from a few years ago, still young and inexperienced, dressed in men's clothing, with a cold but surprisingly calm demeanor...
The two figures gradually merged, and Qian Fuzi's eyes widened. Although there were some differences, this face, this aura, this cultivation! A wave of surprise and joy washed over him.
"It's actually you? Haha! Little friend, you've finally arrived! I knew it, our Alchemist Sect is more suited for you. Your current cultivation is definitely enough. We should seriously consider you as an alchemist, shouldn't we? We can't possibly waste such a good talent."
His fervent demeanor left the two guards gaping in disbelief! When had they ever seen their guild leader act like this? At the same time, the three threatening auras that had been present vanished.
After they both entered the sect's main hall, one of the guards pinched the other's cheek... and asked dazedly.
"Am I dreaming... Who exactly is this Jin Bao'er?"
The guard whose cheek was pinched looked serious...
"Jin Bao'er... that name sounds familiar!"
Meanwhile, Jin Bao'er had initially intended to request immediate access to the Secret Treasure Pavilion. However, Qian Fuzi was rambling on, determined to recruit her into the Alchemist Sect this time!
"How about this, you must have been busy cultivating all these years, and alchemy might have been neglected. How about you get reacquainted first? Alchemy is different from cultivation; if you stop for a while, you might become rusty..."
With no other choice, Jin Bao'er pursed her lips and listened to him. In the end, she decided to refine a pill for him to see.
The materials were quickly prepared, and Qian Fuzi supervised from the side to prevent any mishaps...
Jin Bao'er resigned herself to refining the pill. Although she had slept for two years, her subconscious reflexes hadn't disappeared. Her movements were incredibly smooth as she meticulously controlled the dosage of spiritual herbs, their grades, the sequence, and the heat, proceeding step by step.
The Ghost Realm...
Since the Ghost King Saleen was slain, all ghost cultivators could finally cultivate in peace! No longer fearing that their souls would be devoured at any moment!
In a corner of a street, a disheveled and dirty woman was curled up, greedily absorbing incense from somewhere.
Occasionally, people would pass by her, their gazes of disgust averting, as if afraid of being touched by her!
The woman didn't even lift her head, her face completely covered by black cloth, through which three ugly scars were faintly visible. Noticing the strange glances from others, the woman's body stiffened, her eyes filled with resentment and madness. Her powerless right hand clenched tightly, her fingertips turning white...
Jin Bao'er! She would kill her! No matter the cost!
At this very moment, a dazzling white light descended from the dim sky, illuminating the woman on the ground. Frightened, she recoiled, covering her face tightly with her hands, terrified of being seen!
This scene also drew the attention of other ghost cultivators, who looked on in astonishment.
The next second, the white light locked onto the disheveled woman, and a powerful suction force pulled her directly into the sky. As the white light disappeared, the woman vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a shrill scream...
Concurrently, Jin Bao'er calmly controlled the heat, intently monitoring the state of the pill inside. In reality, she had been capable of producing fifth-grade pills even before reaching the Soul Transformation stage, so she wasn't particularly worried.
On the other hand, Qian Fuzi was extremely nervous, as if he were the one refining the pill!
Jin Bao'er noticed his unusual excitement and felt a sense of helplessness in her eyes!
Soon, the pill furnace emitted a faint sound, a sign of the pill's completion! She took out a box, ready to retrieve the pill...
Suddenly, her heart ached with a sharp tightness, and an uncomfortable sensation rapidly spread through her limbs. Her movements froze, and the pills in her hand scattered to the ground...
Qian Fuzi exclaimed at her carelessness, quickly bending down to pick up the pills one by one, muttering that she was too clumsy, but thankfully the pill had already formed!
He failed to notice her ashen face, her pupils constricted! Her breathing had become slightly erratic! Her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she sensed something!
In the Immortal Mansion, Long Lixing suddenly awoke. His cold gaze peered out through Jin Bao'er's eyes, warily scanning the surroundings. After a while, confirming there was no immediate danger, he noticed Jin Bao'er's unusual expression.
"What has happened?"
Why did you suddenly experience such palpitations? He himself had felt that malice originating from the depths of the soul!
Who was it? Who hated Jin Bao'er so intensely?
Hearing Long Lixing's voice, Jin Bao'er withdrew her indescribable horror, her face grim.
"I'm not sure, but in this world, the only one who could be so persistent in wanting to kill me is likely... However, it shouldn't be. She's already in the Ghost Realm! And besides..."
Not to mention she had crippled her cultivation and disfigured her!
Call her ruthless or a vixen, she had no regrets!
"Ah... Fortunately, there's no problem. A fifth-grade Spirit Gathering Pill! You're doing well. It seems you haven't been lazy these past few years... Huh? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
Qian Fuzi's excited voice gradually became tinged with worry.
Jin Bao'er looked up, her expression gradually calming. She shook her head.
"It's nothing! But I'd like to access the Secret Treasure Pavilion to check some information. I hope the Guild Leader can make things convenient."
Qian Fuzi agreed immediately upon hearing this!
"You should have said so earlier. Any alchemist in the sect can enter! Come, I'll take you there!"
They walked to the backyard of the Alchemist Sect, and the pagoda-like building in the center came into view. Various defensive formations surrounded it, clearly indicating the importance of what was inside!
As she followed Qian Fuzi inside, she discovered it was a world of its own. The seemingly circular pagoda, with a diameter of only seven or eight meters, was actually quite vast inside. At a glance, its diameter was at least thirty meters, and looking up from below, it seemed incredibly long!
Noticing the surprise in her eyes, Qian Fuzi smiled proudly, his words filled with enticement and persuasion!
"All the cultivation techniques in my Secret Treasure Pavilion far exceed those of the Misty Sect! It contains not only spell techniques but also incantations for formations, talismans, beast taming, alchemy, artifact refining, puppetry, body cultivation, sword cultivation... and everything else is complete! How about it? Would you consider becoming an elder here? You can enter and exit the Secret Treasure Pavilion anytime!"
Jin Bao'er smiled.
"Then I'll have to consider it carefully! I'm afraid you might not dare to accept me then."
With her current cultivation, coupled with her identities as a talisman master and formation master, she was already formidable. If she were to further flaunt her identity as an alchemist, it would likely attract more unnecessary trouble.
Qian Fuzi laughed heartily and waved his hand, indicating his enthusiastic welcome, then walked out.
Only when she was alone did her expression turn grim once more...