Rank Eight Alchemist Gu Changsheng!

Buzz! An incomparably formidable pressure suddenly manifested within the domain of the Great Xia Sword Sect! Moreover, the arriving figure ignored the sect's defensive barrier entirely, passing straight through it. The instant the man appeared, Li Guanqi sensed him, as the newcomer made no effort to conceal his aura. Lu Kangnian and the others, however, reacted as though facing a mortal enemy! Lu Kangnian sprang to his feet, exchanging a tense glance with Li Guanqi. Li Guanqi said softly, "Don't worry. It's Gu Li's father." The others were stunned. The aura radiating from this presence far exceeded anything they could comprehend or perceive. Such a cultivation level was at the very least that of a Mahayana realm cultivator! Li Guanqi led Lu Kangnian and the rest outside with a flicker of movement. There, stepping across the empty air and hurrying toward them, was Gu Changsheng. Upon seeing Lu Kangnian, Gu Changsheng offered a gentle, polite nod with a faint smile in greeting. Lu Kangnian cupped his fists with an equally polite smile. "I am Lu Kangnian, Sect Master of the Great Xia Sword Sect. Please forgive our lack of a proper welcome for Senior Gu's arrival." Gu Changsheng waved aside the formality, flashing over to their side with an easy smile. "No need to be so courteous, Sect Master Lu. Please take me to see my son first." Li Guanqi then brought Gu Changsheng to the Purple Spirit Grotto-Heaven. Although the spiritual energy within the isolated domain of the Purple Spirit Grotto-Heaven could not rival that of the Ethereal Immortal Domain, it still surprised Gu Changsheng. A grotto-heaven blessed land of this caliber was something even the Gu clan possessed only a handful of. To think that a humble sect like the Great Xia Sword Sect owned a grotto-heaven of such quality. When he saw Gu Li soaking inside the medicinal pool, he breathed a sigh of relief. His eyes then gleamed with keen interest as he examined the pool and the purple-skinned ginseng sprite snoring soundly beside it. "What an interesting little spirit creature." It was clear the Great Xia Sword Sect had poured countless treasures into this medicinal pool. Gu Changsheng reached out and dipped his hand into the water. Instantly, the pool began to roil as if boiling, and two wisps of medicinal liquid were drawn out. Turning to Lu Kangnian, he smiled and remarked, "While Illusory Moon Bamboo and Profound Ice Grass are excellent healing ingredients, their medicinal properties clash with the other spirit herbs in this pool." Li Guanqi asked curiously, "Senior Gu, you understand medicinal herbology as well?" A subtle, enigmatic smile touched the corner of Gu Changsheng's mouth, but he offered no explanation. Yet that smile made Li Guanqi's heart skip a beat. Someone who mingled so closely with a weapon refiner like Meng Jiangchu... could he be an alchemist? Realizing this, Li Guanqi suddenly understood why Gu Li had managed to reach such a high realm in so short a time. His physique had likely undergone tendon-cleansing and marrow-purging by Gu Changsheng countless times! Seeing that Gu Li's condition had stabilized considerably, Gu Changsheng felt reassured. He drew a jade vial from his robes, poured out two pills, and slipped them into Gu Li's mouth. A rich pill fragrance billowed outward, causing Ye Feng and the others to unashamedly swallow their saliva. Gu Changsheng chuckled, casually tossing the jade vial to Li Guanqi as he murmured, "Consider the healing pills inside a meeting gift for you young brothers." Li Guanqi did not refuse. He bowed respectfully and said, "Then on behalf of my brothers, I thank Uncle Gu." Glancing once more at Gu Li, who was healing peacefully and out of immediate danger, Gu Changsheng said, "Let us go find a quiet place to talk." The group made their way to Lu Kangnian's study. Along the way, Gu Changsheng observed Ye Feng, Cao Yan, and the others, secretly marveling at them. It was obvious at a glance that these young men were just a sliver away from breaking through to the Body Integration Realm. Though their previous battle had been grueling, it had granted them profound enlightenment. It would not be long before they were ready to make their breakthrough. To think a modest Great Xia Sword Sect could produce so many monsters... Gu Changsheng cast a deep, meaningful look at Li Guanqi. Perhaps all of this flourishing prosperity was thanks to him alone. It was by no means an empty saying that a whole sect or clan could rise because of a single individual. Once everyone was seated, Gu Changsheng cut straight to the chase. "Zhao Bin's death is without a doubt a malicious frame-up orchestrated from behind the scenes." "The crucial question is... do you have any evidence?" Li Guanqi let out a sigh, retrieving Zhao Bin's corpse along with a shadow-casting stone. He said in a heavy voice, "Gu Li and I have both examined the body. The only lingering trace that can be detected is my sword qi. "Furthermore, Zhao Bin's origin spirit was clearly tampered with. When I tried to perform a soul-gathering technique back then, it was entirely impossible... "As for the shadow-casting stone, it records only the figure of that mysterious expert, which does not prove that we didn't kill him." Gu Changsheng pulled his hand back from Zhao Bin's corpse, his expression turning rather grim. He had inspected the shadow-casting stone as well; it captured only scenes of combat between the two sides, which indeed failed to prove that the mysterious figure had delivered the fatal blow. Gu Changsheng sighed softly. "Having something is better than having nothing at all. "Little Friend Li, I'm afraid you will have to make another trip with me." Lu Kangnian frowned and stood up. "I'll come along as well. If anything comes up, there will be someone to discuss it with." Ye Feng stood up silently without a word, and Cao Yan, Xiao Chen, and the others rose to their feet as well. A wave of warmth washed over Li Guanqi's heart. He said softly, "None of you need to go. As for the Ethereal Immortal Domain... you cannot enter it at your current cultivation. "Besides, Uncle Meng and Uncle Gu will both be there. I doubt anyone would dare make a move." Lu Kangnian frowned. "Wait for me for a moment, then." With that, he vanished, returning only a short while later. Without allowing any argument, he thrust more than a dozen storage rings into Li Guanqi's hands and said gravely, "Inside are six spiritual veins, along with various other miscellaneous treasures. If we can resolve this with compensation, then pay them!" Looking at the pile of storage rings in his hands, Li Guanqi felt a sudden lump in his throat. Six spiritual veins! Lu Kangnian made it sound so effortless. There had been a time when the Great Xia Sword Sect possessed only a single low-grade spiritual vein, saved up through tightening their belts and pinching every penny. Yet now, the sect master unhesitatingly handed over six high-grade spirit veins for his sake! Lu Kangnian feigned an easy laugh. "Don't worry, this amount won't harm the sect's foundation. Don't forget, we just made an absolute fortune not long ago." Li Guanqi did not turn him down. After putting away the storage rings, he handed over the Dragon Scale Divine Wood and the other treasures to Lu Kangnian. "Then I must trouble the Sect Master to give these resources to Pengluo and Jiuxiao. If they can use this opportunity to break through, seal the Purple Spirit Grotto-Heaven." Lu Kangnian took the items and nodded solemnly, a shadow of worry flickering in his eyes. Gu Changsheng stood up, bowed slightly, and said, "I leave my son in your care, Sect Master Lu." To his surprise, Lu Kangnian cupped his fists and bowed deeply in return, his voice solemn. "Senior Gu, rest assured that your son will be safe with us. "However... I boldly ask that Senior Gu also look after Guanqi as much as possible!" At this moment, Lu Kangnian looked as if he were entrusting his own child to another, his protective concern overflowing in his expression. Witnessing this, Gu Changsheng was deeply moved.