Chapter 108

After the first skin quenching, Hua Changxi felt the benefits of skin refining; her skin not only became smoother and more lustrous but also more resilient.

It felt somewhat like rough wrapping paper turning into delicate rice paper.

If she continued to refine her skin, the wrapping paper would likely turn into gold leaf in the end, and its defensive capabilities would definitely skyrocket.

Cultivators who practice body-refining techniques are called body cultivators, and cultivators who use the absorption of heaven and earth spiritual energy as a means of cultivation are called law cultivators.

Hua Changxi compared these two cultivation methods.

Law cultivators must be able to endure loneliness and boredom, sitting in meditation and cultivating all day; not everyone can sit still, nor can everyone calm their minds.

Body cultivators must be able to endure pain and hardship. Body refining is not just tempering the body; it can almost be said to be reshaping the body, updating and replacing the body. The hardships involved cannot be achieved by those without great perseverance.

No matter which cultivation method, none of them are easy.

Hua Changxi looked at the sword pattern on the No. 8 wooden plaque, which was not yet very clear, and took out the skin-quenching formula and skin-refining technique she had copied from the stone wall.

She had the medicinal herbs for the formula on hand, so she directly took them out and brewed twenty portions of skin-quenching medicinal soup, then called over the twenty people who had previously tested their spirit meridians and had their bloodline totems checked.

These twenty people had neither spirit meridians nor totem images revealed.

Hua Changxi explained to them what body-refining techniques were, what body cultivators were, as well as the hardships and pain of body refining, and then let them choose for themselves whether they wanted to undergo skin quenching.

None of the twenty people refused; they all chose to undergo skin quenching.

Then, roars of pain erupted one after another in the No. 8 Qihuang Pavilion.

Hua Changxi had set up an isolation array in advance, so the sounds did not spread out. She carefully observed the situation of the twenty people and found that their degree of skin quenching did not even reach half of that of Eunuch Jia and the other nine.

Hmm...

The body-refining technique on the stone wall had a high cost-performance ratio and was relatively accessible, but the effect of body refining was definitely greatly reduced.

As the twenty people underwent skin quenching, the sword pattern on the No. 8 wooden plaque gradually became "three-dimensional," and a sword pattern was also marked on the stone pillar outside the No. 8 Qihuang Pavilion.

When the twenty people finished skin quenching, Hua Changxi went directly to the old courtyard in the plaza and took down the last wooden plaque.

There were eighteen Qihuang Pavilions, corresponding to eighteen wooden plaques. Hua Changxi had only obtained ten wooden plaques, which meant that eight wooden plaques were in the hands of others.

"Senior Gu, who are the other eight wooden plaques in the hands of?"

Gu Xing looked at Hua Changxi blankly: "Why, do you still want to get your hands on the other eight wooden plaques?"

Hua Changxi looked at him: "Can't I?"

Seeing that she really had this idea, Gu Xing took a deep breath: "As far as this old man knows, one person can only obtain one wooden plaque." As he spoke, he paused.

"You... the wooden plaque is the key to the Qihuang Pavilion. Can you open all nine Qihuang Pavilions in the Handyman Hall?"

Hua Changxi: "Didn't you say before that you didn't know anything?"

Gu Xing's expression remained unchanged: "This old man is just a gatekeeper; I really don't know anything."

Hua Changxi curled her lips, looking disbelieving.

Seeing this, Gu Xing didn't mind, but just looked at her seriously: "The Qihuang Pavilion is a place for teaching medicine. Since you can open it, this old man hopes you won't let it continue to gather dust."

Hua Changxi looked back at him: "I am the one who opened the pavilion, I am the one who lectures, and I am the one who bears the subsequent consequences. Therefore, old senior, your hope is just your hope. How I should act should be decided by myself."

Gu Xing was choked: "This old man doesn't want to teach you how to do things, but since you took ten wooden plaques, you must bear the responsibility of teaching medicine."

Hua Changxi: "I didn't say I wouldn't bear it; I just have my own rhythm."

Gu Xing looked at her and suddenly realized that this girl in front of him was the youngest among those who had obtained wooden plaques, yet she had the most ideas of her own and was not easily swayed by others.

Even Wei Zhenjie, the Minister of the Heaven Department, would ponder over what he said, unlike this girl, who didn't care at all.

Is this... good or bad?

Hua Changxi left with the wooden plaque. When she stepped out of the old courtyard in the plaza, she paused and looked in the direction of the Apprentice Hall.

Although the nine Qihuang Pavilions in the Handyman Hall had all been marked by her, she had previously only wanted to occupy the territory quickly, and she hadn't fully unlocked everything in the Qihuang Pavilions.

There was no rush for the Qihuang Pavilion in the Apprentice Hall; she would explore it after she had thoroughly learned everything in the No. 1 through No. 9 Qihuang Pavilions.

Less than a quarter of an hour after Hua Changxi left, someone else came to the old courtyard in the plaza.

Gu Qiming entered the courtyard and saw that Gu Xing was actually looking distressed. This appearance surprised him; whenever he came over before, Gu Xing was either sleeping or daydreaming: "Senior Gu, do you have something on your mind?"

Gu Xing glanced at Gu Qiming, seemingly knowing why he had come, and said directly: "You're late."

Gu Qiming was confused and wanted to ask what he meant, but saw that all the wooden plaques on the wall were gone, and his eyes widened immediately: "Senior Gu, where are the wooden plaques? Why are the wooden plaques gone?"

Gu Xing looked at his appearance and closed his eyes with a sense of listlessness: "Continue your fighting. When you finish fighting, you will find that the sky has already changed."

Ignoring Gu Xing's attitude of not wanting to bother with him, Gu Qiming stepped forward: "Senior Gu, who took the wooden plaques?"

Gu Xing closed his eyes: "Don't you pride yourself on being the helmsman of the Medical Department? You shouldn't come to ask this old man about such things."

Gu Qiming knew Gu Xing's temperament and understood that since he said so, he really wouldn't tell him anything, so he could only leave helplessly.

Returning to the Medical Department building, Gu Qiming immediately issued an order to his subordinates: find everyone who had been to the old courtyard in the plaza in the past two months, and don't let a single one slip through.

He never expected that because he had been busy dealing with various forces over the past two months, he hadn't been able to attend to the old courtyard in the plaza, and all nine wooden plaques in the old courtyard had been taken away.

Not just anyone could take away the wooden plaques!

It had been decades since the Minister took the first wooden plaque, and in these decades, only nine had been taken away one after another.

How could he have imagined that the remaining nine would all be gone in the span of two months.

Gu Qiming thought about the many things that had happened in the past two years, his expression solemn, muttering to himself: "Is the sky really going to change?"

At the same time, also in extreme shock like Gu Qiming was Gu Jinfan, who had just returned from Mount Kunlun.

Before Gu Jinfan even entered the Medical Department, she noticed the pale green light shrouding the First Street. She "whooshed" and flew into the Medical Department, then stood at the intersection of the First Street and the Pilgrimage Road, staring dumbfounded at the two lanterns burning with green alchemy fire on both sides of the intersection, her face full of disbelief.

"How could this happen?"

In her previous life, the first alchemy fire lantern of the Alchemy Saint Hall was clearly only lit two years later after the Meng family entered the capital. How could it have been brought forward so much in this life?

Could it be that the Meng family entered the capital ahead of schedule?

Gu Jinfan's mood at this moment was very unsettled. She walked quickly toward the No. 1 Pavilion on the Second Street; she had to find someone immediately to ask clearly what had happened.

This was the second time since her rebirth that she strongly felt that the progress of the spiritual energy recovery in the Four Spirits Realm had deviated from the development trajectory of her previous life.

The first time was the battle at Mount Wuzhi.

In her previous life, Mount Wuzhi was obtained by the Jiang family of Jizhou, but in this life, a Fire Lotus Fairy had jumped out, bringing the matter of spiritual energy recovery to the surface ahead of schedule, letting ordinary people with closed-off information know about it in advance.

Ordinary people knowing about it in advance would definitely increase a large number of cultivators.

Furthermore, the change in the ownership of Mount Wuzhi would, to a certain extent, change the changes in the landscape of various forces.

In her previous life, the Jiang family relied on Mount Wuzhi to become a top-tier immortal cultivation family, absorbing a large number of cultivator followers. The Jiang family ancestor, an outsider cultivator, participated in the subsequent struggle for the master of the Four Continents because of the Jiang family's power.

Now that the foundation for the Jiang family's rise was gone, a series of subsequent events would change accordingly.

The second time was now.

The Alchemy Saint Hall was one of the four major array eyes suppressing the Demon Prison. The fact that the alchemy fire on the First Street was lit ahead of schedule was no small matter; this change would affect the overall subsequent direction of the Four Spirits Realm.

On the first day of her rebirth, she knew that because of her rebirth, some things would change. But she didn't expect that in just a few months, two major events that could change the trajectory of her previous life would occur.

Gu Jinfan felt the rich spiritual energy in the Medical Department and had a strong sense of loss of control. She was very anxious in her heart; if the direction of the Four Spirits Realm became completely different from her previous life, then what was the meaning of her rebirth?

"Senior Brother Zeng."

"Junior Sister Gu, you're back."

As soon as Gu Jinfan returned to the No. 1 pharmacy on the Second Street, she hurriedly found Ceng Hong, who worked for her, took him to her alchemy room, and then couldn't wait to start asking.

"Senior Brother Zeng, who lit the two lanterns on the First Street? When were they lit?"

Ceng Hong: "On the night of the 29th of the third month, someone broke into the Medical Department, and the lanterns were lit at that time. Several cultivators on guard were dispatched, but unfortunately, they didn't catch the person who broke into the Medical Department."

Gu Jinfan frowned: "The person who lit the alchemy fire was an intruder from outside? Is this information confirmed?"

Ceng Hong shook his head: "This is the explanation given by the Department Head. Junior Sister Gu, many things have actually happened during the time you were away."

"In the second month, ten Rebirth Pills were lost on the Second Street. The higher-ups sent Embroidered Uniform Guards to investigate, and finally, it was discovered that they were stolen by disciples of the Asura Gate hiding in the Handyman Hall."

"Then, after the lanterns on the First Street were lit, all forces were desperately fighting for the pharmacies on the First Street..."

Gu Jinfan didn't care about these things and interrupted him: "I told you to keep an eye on the old courtyard in the plaza; has anything happened there?"

Ceng Hong: "The Minister of the Heaven Department went to the old courtyard once, but left quickly. By the way, the courtyard gate of the old courtyard has been completely open for these two months."

Hearing this, Gu Jinfan's expression changed: "What did you say? The courtyard gate of the old courtyard in the plaza is completely open?"

Seeing her react so strongly, Ceng Hong hurriedly explained the process in detail: "It was the day the lanterns on the First Street were lit. Eunuch Zhou of the First Bureau of the Handyman Hall wanted to drive Gu Xing out of the old courtyard. Gu Xing was unwilling, and it caused quite a stir."

"Later, a female handyman from the Handyman Hall came forward to stop Eunuch Zhou. When this female handyman helped Gu Xing into the courtyard, she pushed the courtyard gate open."

"Since then, whether day or night, the courtyard gate has never been closed again."

"I heard that the female handyman is a cultivator. When the Embroidered Uniform Guards went to the Handyman Hall to search for the person who stole the pills, she even confronted the Embroidered Uniform Guards head-on."

Gu Jinfan's eyes shook violently. The matter of Zhou Bing forcing Gu Xing had also happened ahead of schedule!

"How is Senior Gu now?"

Ceng Hong paused: "He should be fine."

Gu Jinfan was very dissatisfied with this answer: "What do you mean by 'should be'? Didn't you go to see?" As she spoke, she left the room and walked quickly toward the old courtyard in the plaza.

In her previous life, Gu Xing died on the third day after Zhou Bing forced him to leave the old courtyard.

As the gatekeeper of the Alchemy Saint Hall, the Gu family had never broken their inheritance. The spiritual energy of the Four Spirits Realm began to recover very early, and the Gu family must have known about this.

Logically speaking, as the only heir of the Gu family, Gu Xing should be a cultivator, and his body shouldn't be so dilapidated. She only learned later that Gu Xing had bound his entire fortune and longevity to the Alchemy Saint Hall.

Spiritual energy was recovering, and the seal of the Demon Prison was also loosening.

As one of the four major array eyes suppressing the Demon Prison, the Alchemy Saint Hall would definitely be impacted.

It could be said that it was Gu Xing who resisted these impacts with his own strength, which was why his body had deteriorated so severely that he died after being beaten by a few mortals under Zhou Bing.

When she learned about this in her previous life, she sighed for a long time.

Gu Xing absolutely could not die so early; she still needed him to tell her how to use the wooden plaques and how to become the master of the Alchemy Saint Hall.

Soon, she arrived at the old courtyard in the plaza.

As soon as Gu Jinfan entered the courtyard, she noticed the empty stone wall. When she came last time, there were still twelve wooden plaques hanging on the wall. She had only been away for a few months, and the wooden plaques were all gone!

"Senior Gu, where are the wooden plaques? Where did the wooden plaques go?"

Gu Xing opened his eyes and glanced at Gu Jinfan, saying lightly: "The wooden plaques are obtained by those with affinity. Since you could take away a wooden plaque back then, others naturally can too."

Gu Jinfan was still somewhat incredulous: "How could this be?"

In her previous life, when the Alchemy Saint Hall was completely controlled by the Jiang family, not all the wooden plaques on the wall were taken away. In this life, how could the wooden plaques all be gone?

Gu Jinfan looked at Gu Xing and said eagerly: "Senior Gu, who were the people who took the wooden plaques?"

Gu Xing glanced at Gu Jinfan and closed his eyes.

Gu Jinfan saw that he didn't want to bother with her, but continued: "Senior Gu, please believe me, I have no malice. Everything I do now is for the good of the Alchemy Saint Hall. You wouldn't want to see the Alchemy Saint Hall occupied by outsider cultivators, would you?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Xing opened his eyes abruptly, his expression cold and stern: "The Alchemy Saint Hall is the Alchemy Saint Hall of the Four Spirits Realm; how can outsider cultivators covet it!"

As he spoke, his eyes narrowed.

"How do you know about outsider cultivators? Who told you?"

Gu Xing couldn't quite see through Gu Jinfan. When this girl first appeared in front of him, he felt something was strange, but he couldn't say where it was strange.

Gu Jinfan certainly couldn't reveal her rebirth, so she organized her language: "When I was young, I read about the founding of the Great Jin in the imperial palace's library. The founding emperor obtained a divine lamp that fell from the sky, and thus established the country and the capital."

"Five hundred years later, someone saw a big hole in the sky, and immortals flew down from the hole like meteors."

"At first, I thought this was fabricated, until I became a cultivator and obtained a travelogue from a cultivator of the Asura Gate, and only then did I know that the divine lamp was an object from the outside world, and the master of the Asura Gate was an outsider cultivator."

"One thousand and five hundred years ago, the boundary of the Four Spirits Realm began to loosen, and outsider cultivators forcibly broke in. Now that spiritual energy is recovering, it goes without saying that more outsider cultivators will invade."