Chapter 123: Not That Fast

The secret chamber was dimly lit and exceptionally quiet. Mo Shanhai, the head of the Mo family, sat silently with the few remaining elders, their eyes closed in meditation.

Before long, the sound of light, measured footsteps echoed through the room. The men opened their eyes simultaneously, their gazes fixed on the entrance. A young man and woman appeared.

Mo Shanhai rose, ready to speak, but the woman walked past the entrance without a glance, her expression blank, heading straight down the corridor without acknowledging the Mo family members at all. Mo Shanhai and his companions frowned, their expressions turning sour.

"My apologies to the head of the Mo family and the elders. I am truly sorry. My White family has been overwhelmed with affairs lately, keeping you waiting," the young man said with a faint smile, standing at the doorway. His words were polite, but his face held no hint of genuine regret.

Mo Shanhai’s brow furrowed deeper. This young man was Bai Yefeng, the current head of the White family, a man who wielded absolute power, commanded tens of millions of the Frost Crow Army, and controlled the entire Northern Territory. Even before the Mo family’s near-extermination, they could not have stood as equals with the White family. Historically, however, the two houses had been on par and had collaborated on many ventures. Yet, Bai Yefeng’s current attitude made it clear that they were on the verge of severing all ties.

"Lord Bai..." Mo Shanhai said in a deep, angry tone.

Before he could continue, one of the elderly men behind him spoke calmly, "You are too kind, Lord Bai. It was our sudden arrival that caused the disturbance; we hope you will forgive us."

"Indeed," another elder added with a faint smile. "The White family is so prosperous now, and you are a young man of such great talent and heavy responsibilities—you must not let our presence delay your important work."

Bai Yefeng’s smile remained fixed. He understood the sarcasm in the elders' words, but instead of taking offense, he played along. "Even if I had the weight of the world on my shoulders, I would set it aside for your visit. Please, sit."

He stepped into the chamber and gestured for them to take their seats. "What are your plans for the future?" he asked once they were settled.

"Why beat around the bush, Lord Bai?" Mo Shanhai asked coldly, his face dark. "Our 'honored guests' from afar summoned us here. What are their instructions?"

"Since you are so direct, I will not waste time. The guests have two major tasks they require your assistance with." Bai Yefeng’s smile faded. "First, they wish to see the legacy of the亥Pig Hall—or rather, they wish to examine it."

Mo Shanhai was taken aback, and the elders looked equally stunned.

"Are you joking, Lord Bai? When our Mo family established the亥Pig Hall and claimed to have received this so-called legacy, it turned out to be a farce, far inferior to the techniques left by our ancestors. Why would the guests be interested in that?" Mo Shanhai asked, frowning.

"As for why they are interested, you would have to ask them yourself. Regardless, our White family’s未Sheep Hall legacy has already been handed over to them," Bai Yefeng said dismissively.

"Could it be... that those legacies..." Mo Shanhai seemed to guess something.

"Careful with your words, Lord Mo!" Bai Yefeng interrupted, his voice dropping to a sharp, low tone.

Mo Shanhai fell silent, staring fixedly at him.

"You and the elders surely know that the legacies of the Twelve Divine Halls are of no use to us. Rather than letting them be forgotten in our hands, why not give them to the guests? If they can unlock their mysteries, we may yet benefit," Bai Yefeng said slowly.

"You worry too much, Lord Bai. The亥Pig legacy is unimportant. Since the guests are interested, they may take it anytime. That is a trivial matter. What is the second task?"

Mo Shanhai nodded, looking at him expectantly.

"The second task," Bai Yefeng said with a cryptic smile, "is that the guests are also interested in Xu Zhe."

The expressions of the Mo family members shifted instantly.

"Impossible! Xu Zhe destroyed our family and slaughtered thousands of our kin. This blood debt is irreconcilable; I will tear him limb from limb," Mo Shanhai growled.

"Calm yourself, Lord Mo. The guests only wish to see Xu Zhe in person. Once they have, he will be turned over to you to deal with as you please," Bai Yefeng said, a smile reappearing on his face.

***

The expressions of the Mo family members eased slightly upon hearing this.

"If that is the case, we have no objections. However," Mo Shanhai mused, "Xu Zhe’s current location is unknown, and with the Southern Territory protecting him, it will be difficult for us to act."

"Xu Zhe is in the Divine Pill Grotto," Bai Yefeng stated.

"What?" The group frowned again. The Divine Pill Grotto was in the Southern Territory. They had heard that Chu Xiaotong had also entered it recently. With her extraordinary strength, they could never capture Xu Zhe alone.

"Rest assured, the申Monkey Hall will assist you. As for Chu Xiaotong, she is not a concern. War will soon break out on the borders of the Southern Territory, and she will be forced to leave before the Grotto closes. That will be your best opportunity to strike," Bai Yefeng laughed.

"And if Xu Zhe follows her to the front lines?" Mo Shanhai asked.

"That is unlikely. But if he does... well, then this matter will be even easier." The smile on Bai Yefeng’s face turned icy.

***

At that moment, inside the Divine Pill Grotto in the Southern Territory, Xu Zhe called Gu Jia'er and Qu Hongxiu to a secluded, empty area.

At Xu Zhe’s request, Chu Xiaotong took a Nine Heavens Pulse-Activating Pill and sat cross-legged to heal her internal injuries. Within mere seconds, she opened her eyes, filled with surprise and shock.

"This pill is truly incredible; the cracks in my Dantian have actually healed," she said in disbelief.

Gu Jia'er’s eyes widened. She immediately grabbed Chu Xiaotong’s wrist to channel her spiritual energy and probe her senses. A moment later, she was stunned. The cracks were indeed gone; everything seemed restored to its original state.

"Don't be too happy yet," Xu Zhe said, shaking his head. "It is only healed on the surface. You must continue to take it for seven days to fully recover."

This did not dampen their spirits. This was a long-standing, severe injury that everyone else had deemed impossible to treat. Before this, Gu Jia'er would have been amazed if it could be cured in seventy years, let alone seven days.

"Also, I added an extra ingredient to this batch. Did you feel any discomfort?" Xu Zhe asked, having observed her closely since she took the medicine.

"No discomfort. In fact, I feel a warmth in my body, very comfortable," Chu Xiaotong said happily, feeling as though she had returned to her peak state.

"Excellent," Xu Zhe said with a satisfied smile.

In this batch of pills, some ingredients were extremely old, and one main ingredient was highly "yin" in nature—scientifically speaking, it would have caused a significant spike in estrogen. Xu Zhe had realized this during preparation. For an ordinary woman, this wouldn't have been an issue, but for his masculine brother, Chu Xiaotong, the thought of him becoming effeminate was a disaster.

He had carefully calculated and added a "yang" ingredient to perfectly neutralize the effect, and even tip the balance slightly toward a more masculine vitality. Watching Chu Xiaotong’s delight and her newfound vigorous energy, Xu Zhe felt a sense of relief. His meticulous efforts had not been in vain.

"Not bad, Xu Zhe! I didn't expect this pill to be so powerful. The person who invented it, Jiang Wuque, right? He is a genius," Chu Xiaotong said, patting Xu Zhe on the shoulder.

"It's alright," Xu Zhe replied with his usual modesty.

***

"Xu Zhe, come with me to the Putuo Holy Land. You can take the position of Holy Lord, and I will be the Vice Holy Lord. Together, we can make the Holy Land strong and glorious," Gu Jia'er invited enthusiastically.

"No, no, I have many things to do," Xu Zhe declined. "Gu Jia'er, do you have any more alchemy furnaces?"

"I do, but they are of the same quality as the last one. Are you going to refine more pills?"

"Yes, give it to me," Xu Zhe nodded. "The Divine Pill Grotto is perfect for alchemy, and with you guarding me, I can safely refine a batch of 'Infant-Transformation Pills'."

"Infant-Transformation Pills?" They were all stunned. They had heard of Infant-Condensation Pills, but what was this?

"They are similar to Infant-Condensation Pills, used for breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, but the effect is much better," Xu Zhe explained simply.

Chu Xiaotong and the others nodded in realization. After seeing the efficacy of the Nine Heavens Pulse-Activating Pill, they were no longer surprised by new names. Yet, something still felt off.

"Wait, do you mean you are about to break through to the Nascent Soul stage?" Gu Jia'er was the first to react, startled.

Chu Xiaotong and Qu Hongxiu looked at Xu Zhe in horror. He was a Golden Core initial stage cultivator—he had only just returned to that level—and he was already talking about the Nascent Soul stage?

"No, no, I'm just preparing it in advance. I'm only at the initial stage; I can't break through that quickly," Xu Zhe waved his hands to explain.

Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief. Especially Qu Hongxiu, who had been staring at him like a monster. For her, the Golden Core to Nascent Soul breakthrough was a critical, massive transition that required surviving the Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation and extensive preparation.

"Uncle Xu, you nearly scared me to death. I thought your cultivation was about to surpass mine," Qu Hongxiu laughed, patting her chest in relief.

"Don't worry, it won't be that fast," Xu Zhe smiled, sighing. "Don't look at how fast I progressed before. From Golden Core to Nascent Soul is a process of accumulation; one cannot rush. Even if I cultivated without sleep, I would need at least eight or ten days of consolidation before I could even prepare for the breakthrough."

Silence fell over the room, absolute and deafening.

Qu Hongxiu’s smile froze, her eyes glazed with confusion. Chu Xiaotong and Gu Jia'er stared at Xu Zhe, desperately suppressing the urge to strike him.