My equipment is designed for cultivation; I started by slaughtering my way through a small world.

Gu Qing arrived outside the main hall of the main peak, circled around a few times, and came to a secluded corner.

Just then.

Lan Siqi's voice rang in Gu Qing's ears again: "Fellow Daoist Gu, you can speak here. My divine sense can perceive your voice."

Being targeted by a Golden Core cultivator, Gu Qing forced a smile and said:

"Senior Lan, you just said that I'm being targeted by Han Feng. Is there some misunderstanding?"

"hehe……"

"How could there be a misunderstanding?"

The air trembled slightly, and Lan Siqi's laughter rang out.

After a pause, Lan Siqi continued via telepathy, "Fellow Daoist Gu, you should know that Han Feng comes from the Jin Kingdom, but do you know what Han Feng's wife's surname is?"

"Um?!"

Gu Qing was slightly taken aback, but then realized what he meant: "Senior Lan, could it be that Master Han Feng's wife is surnamed Murong, and is a cultivator from the Murong clan of the Jin Kingdom?"

Han Feng, Jin Guo, the Heavenly Fire Elder's legacy, and Han Feng's wife.

If we have to connect these factors, the only possibility is that Han Feng's wife is a descendant or clansman of the Heavenly Fire Elder.

"clever!"

"You guessed right."

"To be precise, Han Feng is the son-in-law of the Murong family, and his wife is named Murong Haitang."

"Han Feng has always wanted to improve his status in the Murong family. If he can obtain the inheritance of the Heavenly Fire Elder, he will definitely be highly valued by the Murong family."

"Therefore, you must be careful of this person to avoid being taken advantage of by others."

Lan Siqi's voice came from afar, but Gu Qing's heart sank lower and lower.

If what Lan Siqi said is true, then we're in big trouble.

As the saying goes,

There's no way to guard against thieves for a thousand days if you're a thief for a thousand days.

With a Golden Core cultivator watching from the shadows at all times, Gu Qing will likely find it difficult to move an inch in the future.

"Cough cough..."

A soft cough came from afar, followed by a comforting voice:

"Fellow Daoist Gu, you don't need to worry."

"You are now a guest elder of the Azure Emperor Sword Sect. As long as you stay within the Azure Emperor Sword Sect's territory, Han Feng will not dare to touch you."

"The Azure Emperor Sword Sect is protected by a sword formation, so even powerful experts from the Purple Mansion level dare not force their way into the Azure Emperor Sword Sect."

"Thank you, Senior Lan."

"I'll be back shortly..."

Gu Qing bowed slightly in the direction of Lan Siqi from afar, expressing his gratitude.

"Damn it."

"I didn't come here to go to jail; I have to find a way to resolve this."

After Lan Siqi withdrew his divine sense, Gu Qing couldn't help but mutter to himself.

After a while.

Gu Qing returned to the main hall of the main peak and continued to drink and chat with several Golden Core cultivators, listening to them tell stories and anecdotes about cultivation in this world.

But this time...

When Gu Qing spoke with Han Feng again, she was a little more wary.

It was past midnight.

The group left the main hall, drunk.

Gu Qing's residence was an independent palace courtyard, which was maintained by many servants and disciples.

I arrived at my room.

Gu Qing lay down on the bed and slept soundly. When she woke up the next day, she glanced at the half-open window and found that the sun was already high in the sky and it was noon.

"The wine these Golden Core cultivators are drinking can actually get people drunk!!"

"I should drink less next time."

Gu Qing rubbed his temples and slowly exhaled.

Huh? !

After regaining consciousness, Gu Qing subtly sensed her own condition and discovered that the quality of her spiritual energy had actually improved compared to yesterday.

Could it be because of the wine and spirit fruit from last night?

Looks like I'll have to drink a lot more wine!

He chuckled silently.

Gu Qing stopped dwelling on the issue.

"Creak—"

Gu Qing pushed open the door and looked outside, only to find a pretty young girl dressed in the clothes of a servant disciple, holding a basin of water and waiting outside his door.

"Elder Gu, I was sent by the sect leader to serve you."

The girl was not old, about fourteen or fifteen years old. She was petite, but slim where she should be and plump where she should be. Although she was still a bit green, she was already quite voluptuous.

The girl blushed and looked at Gu Qing with slight shyness. Her big, blinking eyes were full of admiration and fervor.

Two days prior, she had witnessed Gu Qing defeat his opponents time and time again in the square, eventually becoming the Grand Elder of the Azure Emperor Sword Sect.

therefore.

In her heart, Gu Qing was second only to the sect leader, Su Changge.

She was chosen to serve Gu Qing, and many of the servant disciples were green with envy.

They wished they could take his place.

What a corrupt world, using power and beauty to erode our hearts' desire for the Way...

"Ahem!"

Meeting the girl's burning gaze, Gu Qing coughed lightly, then smiled and said, "No need for such service, I can do it myself!"

"Elder, are you sure you don't need my service?"

Seeing that Gu Qing wanted to wash up by herself, the girl blinked her big eyes and said somewhat unwillingly.

"No, no need."

"I can do it myself. You just need to clean the yard and keep it tidy."

"As for serving others, that will no longer be necessary..."

Gu Qing quickly wiped his face with a towel and returned the basin and towel to the girl.

After giving a brief explanation, Gu Qing headed towards the main peak.

Not long after.

Gu Qing arrived outside the room where Su Changge was.

"Sect Master, Gu Qing has come to visit."

"Come in!"

Su Changge's voice came from inside the room.

Gu Qing pushed open the door and entered.

The room was simply furnished with a desk, a few chairs, and a futon.

Gu Qing's gaze fell on Su Changge, and her heart tightened suddenly.

But on Su Changge's face, a hideous black line snaked and spread, shaped like a strange insect, with thin lines resembling tentacles extending to her ears.

"Sect Master, what you've done..."

Seeing Gu Qing's unusual expression, Su Changge gave a wry smile: "Has that thing come out again?"

"Sect Master, what is that?"

Gu Qing had some vague guesses in her mind.

Su Changge sat on the futon, his sword intent suddenly erupting, forcing the black substance back layer by layer. The black patterns shrank to his chest, but remained stubbornly attached like a bone-deep abscess.

No matter how much the sword intent washed over him, it could not be driven out of his body.

A hint of helplessness flashed in Su Changge's eyes:

"This is what I got into on my last adventure."

"This thing is a rare poison called the Nine-Headed Soul-Devouring Poison. This poison continuously absorbs the cultivator's blood and spiritual power to grow stronger within the cultivator's body."

"When the poison evolves into a nine-headed form, even a cultivator at the Purple Mansion level would find it difficult to withstand."

Upon seeing this, Gu Qing frowned.

"Sect Master, isn't the Azure Emperor Sword Sect holding this alchemy gathering to understand this strange poison?"

"Have you found a cure for this poison? Do you need me to refine it?"

Seeing Gu Qing take the initiative to refine pills, Su Changge smiled but waved his hand and said, "There's no rush. With your current cultivation level, you can't deal with the soul of an ancient remnant ferocious insect at the Golden Core stage."

"A Golden Core stage insect soul?"

Gu Qing exclaimed.

"Not bad, Golden Core Realm."

"Even if the spiritual fire you possess can restrain souls, it cannot suppress the ferocious insect soul of a Golden Core realm cultivator."

Here, this is for you.

Su Changge handed over a storage bag.

Gu Qing opened it and found two jade slips, a token, several bottles of pills, and a pile of spirit stones inside.

"The pills and spirit stones are your salary from the sect."

"Those two jade slips."

"One of them contains the basic sword control technique of the Azure Emperor Sword Sect, the Yi Wood Sword Manual."

"The contents of the other jade slip are the unique Bitter Bamboo Sword Forging Technique of my Azure Emperor Sword Sect. This technique can transform the Bitter Bamboo of the Sword Realm into your natal flying sword."

Upon hearing this, Gu Qing probed the jade slip containing the Bitter Bamboo Sword Forging Technique with his spiritual sense.

The jade slip also records the origin of the Bitter Bamboo in the Sword Realm.

This Bitter Bamboo of the Sword Realm is an ancient spiritual root.

Ten thousand years ago, the sword spirit root was bestowed upon the founder of the Azure Emperor Sword Sect by the common ancestor of the four major sword sects.

The Azure Emperor Sword Sect is a mountain gate established around the Bitter Bamboo Secret Realm of the Sword Realm.

The Bitter Bamboo of the Sword Realm is white jade in its first two thousand years, blue jade in its two thousand to four thousand years, purple jade in its four thousand to six thousand years, pink jade in its six thousand to eight thousand years, and golden jade in its eight thousand to ten thousand years.

The color is white-gold above 10,000 years old.

The first generation of Bitter Bamboo of the Sword Realm, which is over 10,000 years old, still has three in the Azure Emperor Sword Sect.

There were originally four of these first-generation Sword Realm Bitter Bamboo stalks. The founder of the Azure Emperor Sword Sect used one for himself, leaving only three. These three Sword Realm Bitter Bamboo stalks are the living ancestors of all other bamboo stalks and are also the treasures of the Azure Emperor Sword Sect.

From the moment it is born, the Bitter Bamboo of the Sword Realm will nurture a sword aura.

The White Jade Sword Realm's Bitter Bamboo possesses sword energy intensity equivalent to the spell intensity of the Qi Refining Realm.

The Blue Jade Sword Realm Bitter Bamboo's sword energy will transform into profound sword intent, with an intensity equivalent to the spell strength of a Foundation Establishment Stage 3 cultivator.

The Purple Jade Sword Realm's Bitter Bamboo possesses sword energy equivalent to the spell power of an eighth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The sword energy of the Bitter Bamboo in the Pink Jade Sword Realm is equivalent to the spell strength of the first level of the Golden Core Realm.

The sword energy of the Bitter Bamboo in the Golden Jade Sword Realm is equivalent to the spell strength of the seventh level of the Golden Core Realm.

The sword energy of the ancient Platinum Bitter Bamboo, which is over ten thousand years old, is comparable to the power of a spell at the third level of the Purple Mansion Realm.

That is,

The Azure Emperor Sword Sect is equivalent to possessing three Purple Mansion Realm attacks as a life-saving technique.

Combined with the sect's grand formation, even a Purple Mansion Realm expert wouldn't dare to force their way into the Azure Emperor Sword Sect.

……

After reading the description of the Bitter Bamboo in the jade slip, Gu Qing's eyes lit up, and he couldn't wait to refine the Bitter Bamboo in the Sword Realm right now.

This Sword Realm Bitter Bamboo is powerful!

A pink jade bamboo that is six to eight thousand years old is equivalent to a magic attack from a Golden Core cultivator.

Gu Qing desperately needs such a natal spirit plant to save her life.

After all, Han Feng might still be lurking outside the sect, and Gu Qing dared not gamble that the other party was kind-hearted.

Having no sword in hand and having a sword but not using it are not the same thing!

Compared to the Bitter Bamboo Sword Forging Technique of the Azure Emperor Sword Sect, Gu Qing possesses a more powerful technique that is suitable for refining the Bitter Bamboo of the Sword Realm.

That's the innate spiritual embryo immortal technique, a reward from the Bloodline Competition.

Refining the Bitter Bamboo of the Sword Realm into a natal object with the potential for growth means that it has infinite possibilities.

According to the records of the Azure Emperor Sword Sect, the strongest sword realm bitter bamboo is the ten-thousand-year-old platinum bitter bamboo.

But what if it were 100,000 Bitter Bamboo of the Sword Realm?

What about a million years?

Others may not be able to do it, but Gu Qing is no ordinary person.

It should be noted that Gu Qing also possesses a Void Treasure of unknown grade, the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Creation Bottle.

This substance can accelerate plant growth.

For common medicinal plants like ginseng, the effect of their medicinal properties can be accelerated to the terrifying figure of a hundred years in a single day.

I wonder how effective the acceleration effect of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Creation Bottle will be on ancient spiritual roots.