Chapter 126: Tianxuan Gate, I'm Here

Three days had passed.

Tian Sang Ling Gong was bustling once again. The finale of "Yun Feng Zheng Ba" had faded into the background, and over the past few days, the spirit palace had resumed recruiting new disciples across the major cities of Tian Sang County.

The influx of fresh blood revitalized the outer court, infusing it with a vibrant and lively atmosphere.

Yet, one particular spot still felt somewhat stagnant and lifeless.

This was a private courtyard riddled with craters and uneven ground. Zhou Tianshen was huddled on the wooden bed in the guest room, sporting two massive dark circles under his eyes.

He couldn't figure it out—Xu Xiaoshou had been gone all night, sure, but how could he disappear for three whole days and nights?

"Where on earth has that guy been fooling around?"

Glancing at the sky, Zhou Tianshen dragged himself out of bed. Whenever something was weighing on his mind, he couldn't sleep well, and he wouldn't rest until the matter was settled.

But Tian Xuan Gate was about to open...

"Forget it, let Xu Xiaoshou fend for himself!"

Zhou Tianshen leaned weakly against the doorframe and stepped out.

Ling Zang Pavilion.

Mu Zixi was covered in grime; she hadn't bathed in three days, which would normally be unbearable for her, but...

"Master said to stay here for three days and work hard to refine the medicinal liquid."

"But..."

She stared at the full tub of liquid, her small mouth puckering in a pout.

This clearly wouldn't take three days!

Why couldn't he open the barrier early and let her go?

"Uh, I want to take a bath..."

She rested her cheek on her hand by the window, and suddenly, she spotted a figure wearing a conical hat, which instantly energized her.

Elder Sang landed on the third floor, staring in shock at the completely filled large bathtub. "Did you do this?"

Mu Zixi nodded enthusiastically, pointing to the medicine bottles on the ground. "These are all full too, Master. You should have come earlier to let me out!" Her tone was full of grievance.

Elder Sang was utterly astonished. This disciple of his had talent that was almost overwhelming!

He rubbed the little girl's head to comfort her. "Refining pills is an art that requires a calm and focused heart to achieve great results. But you did a decent job this time. Go ahead!"

"Decent..." Mu Zixi muttered, not rushing to leave. Instead, she asked, "Just decent? Is Xu Xiaoshou better than me at this?"

From the experiences in the jade slip that Elder Sang had given her, she could tell that her speed was absolutely unparalleled. How could it just be decent?

Ever since the last time Xu Xiaoshou had thrown her off the arena, she had dreamed of winning against him once.

She swore that if she got another chance, she wouldn't be distracted by the scent on him!

Elder Sang paused, his expression faltering. This was just a polite way of putting it. After all, she had only completed the first step of refining pills—who could praise her too highly?

And compared to Xu Xiaoshou...

"You know, that reminds me—I kicked him out three days ago and never got to check his progress!"

"But..." Elder Sang looked at the brimming three-legged bathtub and nodded confidently, "You should be much stronger than him!"

The little girl's twin ponytails perked up with excitement, her whole demeanor lighting up.

"Of course, just in terms of refining pills," Elder Sang added.

Mu Zixi looked up curiously. "Is there anything else he's better at than me?"

Elder Sang shook his head without a word, a touch of melancholy in his eyes.

In terms of wrecking things, your senior brother outdoes you by hundreds of times!

Of course, that wasn't a good thing, but it was also one of the reasons you ended up here...

"Go on! Tian Xuan Gate is about to open, so give it your all!" Elder Sang tossed her a jade slip.

"What's this?"

"It's the exact locations of various small secret realms. Keep it confidential and share it with your senior brother!"

The little girl's eyes sparkled. "Thank you, Master!"

Elder Sang watched the lively young girl bounce away through the window, a smile tugging at his lips before his face returned to its usual calm.

Gazing at the horizon, a rare look of uncertainty appeared in his eyes. The old man lowered his straw hat.

"Time is running out..."

"Xu Xiaoshou, how should I make use of you..."

In the inner court, at Lan Xinzi's spiritual residence.

Yuan Tou stood there in black attire, gripping the Xuan Ming Ba Wang Spear, as if waiting for something.

With a creak, the door opened, and Lan Xinzi approached, holding a small blood-red bottle.

"Are you sure you want this? Once you take it, there's no turning back!"

Yuan Tou accepted it with utmost seriousness.

"Xu Xiaoshou is incredibly strong. Everyone's been fooled by his harmless facade. Even at my current peak state, without this, I might not beat him!"

Lan Xinzi chuckled lightly, unfazed.

"Good luck."

Yuan Tou nodded and vanished in a flash.

At Xu Xiaoshou's new spiritual residence.

"Boom!"

A surge of energy shot into the sky, making the guest room tremble violently. The outward-opening wooden window shutters, which had held up for three days, finally gave way with a loud crash.

"Did it work?"

Xu Xiaoshou was thrilled, staring at the round, half-formed pill lying in the small bathtub. He couldn't hold back his joyful laughter.

"Ha ha ha, it actually worked?!"

With practiced ease, he picked it up and absorbed it, his body giving a slight shudder as he powered through. The process was so familiar it was almost heartbreaking.

A wave of spiritual energy churned in his qi sea, and the medicinal power of the Refining Spirit Pill was refined in just one full cycle, fully integrating into his body.

His ninth-realm cultivation, bolstered by three days of nonstop absorbing spiritual liquid, seemed on the verge of overflowing and breaking through.

"It really works..."

But Xu Xiaoshou paid no mind to his cultivation for now. Gazing at the half pill left in his hand, he nearly teared up with emotion.

For three days, to improve the "Jin Zhao Ning Dan Technique" and combine it with his own "Boiling Soup Style" of refining pills, he had even used up his spiritual essence.

—At the final pill condensation stage, he added an extra step of physical compression, finally turning the "Refining Spirit Liquid" into a solid form!

Xu Xiaoshou burst into laughter, gently stroking the small, undernourished-looking Refining Spirit Pill in his hand.

It might look tiny, but its existence meant he was now a ninth-grade pill refiner!

That's right, not tenth-grade, but ninth!

He had already perfected the research on the tenth-grade Chi Jin Dan on the first day!

"'Culinary Mastery' is such a divine skill..."

Xu Xiaoshou sighed deeply. His "Chi Jin Liquid" and "Refining Spirit Liquid" had actually been developed early on, and their potency was several times stronger than solid pills.

If it weren't for market demands requiring pills to be in solid form...

"Oh well, even though turning it solid loses some potency, it's still widely accepted and can be sold."

"I'll keep the more potent liquid drops for myself!"

Xu Xiaoshou daydreamed about the future. Once he became famous, he could probably promote this medicinal soup on a large scale...

Yeah, let everyone in the world enjoy this amazing medicinal brew—that's my dream, Xu Xiaoshou's dream!

He tilted his head back, and the blazing sunlight streamed through the "skylight," hitting his face directly and forcing him to dodge.

Well, the guest room didn't originally have a skylight; it just appeared after refining so many pills.

"By my count, Tian Xuan Gate should be opening soon..."

Time flies when you're cultivating. Three days had slipped by in his research, and surprisingly, no assassins had shown up, which shocked him.

"Heh, they couldn't possibly follow me to Tian Xuan Gate to kill me, right?"

The thought flashed through his mind, and Xu Xiaoshou dismissed it as ridiculous.

After freshening up, he layered on several sets of clothes under the scorching sun.

"Tian Xuan Gate, here I come!"

"I hear your spiritual energy density is a hundred times that of the outer court. I'm all prepared—you won't beat me!"

He thought for a moment, then added three more layers of outer garments.

Bring it on!