Li Qianren stared at Gu Qingfeng for a long time before slowly saying, "Physical talent, soul talent, fire control talent—I find that you're pretty good at everything except cultivation."
"Uh... Lord Li, speaking like that might ruin your cool and ruthless image in my mind."
Li Qianren gave Gu Qingfeng a deep look. "Alright, you can leave now."
"Then, I shall take my leave. By the way, Lord Li, about my reward..."
"Someone will deliver it to you." Li Qianren said, turning back to his seat and picking up an ancient book to read it intently.
Seeing this, Gu Qingfeng didn't say anything more. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly remembered something.
"Lord Li, there's one more thing."
"Speak."
"Can I have the Ghost Tree Demon from the first level of the Demon Suppression Prison?"
"Sure." Li Qianren agreed without looking up, seemingly uninterested in why Gu Qingfeng wanted the Ghost Tree Demon.
Gu Qingfeng was secretly amazed. All the prepared explanations he had were swallowed back. He couldn't figure out what Li Qianren was thinking all day, but he seemed quite easy to talk to.
"Thank you, Lord Li. I shall take my leave."
Gu Qingfeng turned and left the hall. Now, only Li Qianren remained, and the hall was silent, except for the rustling of pages being turned.
After Gu Qingfeng had left far enough, a strange voice suddenly broke the silence from the shadows in a corner of the hall.
"He found me."
"Mm." Li Qianren responded softly, still flipping through the book.
"His soul is very strong. It's no surprise he could find you."
"He didn't find me through soul power. If he had used soul power to scan the entire hall, he would have sensed me, but he didn't."
"Oh?" Li Qianren's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Then how did he find you?"
"I don't know. When I was watching him from the shadows, his expression showed a hint of unease. Although he didn't look at me, I know he found me."
"It seems he has many secrets."
"It's not just secrets. It's very likely that his body has been taken over by another soul. I've never heard of anyone with soul talent strong enough to reach this level. It's more like he's been possessed by a powerful expert."
"As long as it's not a demon, it's fine." Li Qianren said calmly.
"When he used his soul power against you, there was no trace of demonic energy. The one who possessed him is likely a human grandmaster."
"Mm." Li Qianren seemed engrossed in his book, speaking less and less.
"He has so many secrets. Aren't you worried?"
"If he really is possessed by a grandmaster, then his chances of success will be higher. The rest doesn't matter. I only want the Elixir of Eternal Youth."
"That's why you defended him, cleared his suspicions, and guided him step by step to accept this mission. In fact, the moment you saw him, you sensed the powerful soul within him. Such a low cultivation level with such a powerful soul—he's the perfect candidate."
"Correct. I just didn't expect him to also possess such strong fire control talent. With that, the chances of success are even higher."
The voice from the shadows fell silent for a long time before suddenly speaking softly, "Is it worth it?"
Li Qianren didn't answer.
The voice from the shadows continued, "Do you know that once you do this, you'll be against the entire world? Is it really worth it? You're so young and already a grandmaster. You have a bright future ahead of you, even the chance to reach beyond grandmaster. But for this..."
"Shut up!"
Li Qianren, who had been calm all along, suddenly exploded in anger. He slammed the ancient book hard onto the table, making a loud noise.
He stood up, glaring at the shadows, and shouted, "Do you really think I won't kill you?"
"Ah." The shadows sighed softly, and then silence returned, as if the voice had never existed.
Li Qianren no longer had the mood to read. His expression cold, he pushed open the door and left the hall, disappearing without a trace.
At that moment, a gentle breeze blew in through the door, flipping the pages of the book on the table, one by one...
Until the cover closed.
And on the cover were two large words: [Alchemy Scripture].
...
After leaving the hall, Gu Qingfeng returned to his residence. As he walked, he kept thinking about the conversation with Li Qianren. For some reason, he felt something was off, but he couldn't figure out what it was.
There was also the person hidden in the shadows in the corner of the hall, who was also a congenital master!
Gu Qingfeng had a spiritual sense that allowed him to feel being watched, so when he entered the hall, he immediately sensed the presence of that person.
However, he didn't say anything. As the head of the Wutong Prefecture Demon Suppression Bureau, Li Qianren, who oversaw both the Light Bureau and the Covert Division, having someone secretly protecting him was normal. Probably someone from the Covert Division.
Sitting on his bed, Gu Qingfeng thought hard for a long time but couldn't figure it out. Everything seemed normal, but why did he feel something was wrong?
Suddenly, he had a flash of insight! He realized it.
It was the spiritual sense!
The spiritual sense was warning him that something was off! Spiritual sense is like a sixth sense; besides sensing being watched, it can also predict that something might happen.
So, Li Qianren really had something going on?
With this thought in mind, Gu Qingfeng analyzed carefully and finally figured out what was wrong.
Li Qianren was too nice to him.
Even though it was their first meeting, despite having achieved a great merit, killing one of the Seven Demon Commanders with just the fourth level of Qi Condensation was too unbelievable. A normal person's first reaction would definitely be disbelief. But during the time when others were questioning, Li Qianren maintained a neutral stance and analyzed the reasons why he could defeat the Mirror Demon.
It felt like he knew Gu Qingfeng could defeat the Mirror Demon and was just deducing the process based on the result.
When others suggested checking his body, Li Qianren didn't express whether he agreed or not. Instead, he explained on Gu Qingfeng's behalf, diverting the topic.
In fact, from the perspective of the Demon Suppression Bureau, the best approach would definitely be to check his body. No matter how good the words sounded, seeing is believing. A quick check would clear everything up, so why analyze?
But Li Qianren didn't allow the check and explained the reasons why Gu Qingfeng could defeat the Mirror Demon, as if he was deliberately protecting him.
However, after explaining clearly, there was no longer any doubt among the senior exorcists. But Li Qianren still raised a question, asking why he could resist the Mirror Demon's invasion.
Then came the soul confrontation, allowing Gu Qingfeng to display his soul talent, leading to the mention of the Elixir of Eternal Youth.
On the surface, it seemed like the leader was appreciating talent, but in reality, it was guiding him to the Jade Dragon Secret Realm.
The more Gu Qingfeng thought about it, the more he felt it was the case. It seemed that every word Li Qianren said was guiding the direction of the conversation, pushing things towards what he wanted.
Resolve] Gu Yang was once a true disciple of the Falling Cloud Sect, but after failing to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, his cultivation regressed, his foundation was damaged, his lifespan was nearing its end, and he was about to be demoted to a menial servant. At his moment of despair, he awakened the [Daily Intelligence System]. By refreshing it daily, he could learn about countless hidden opportunities and secrets within the cultivation world! [Today's intelligence has been refreshed] [White Intelligence: One month ago, the Foundation Establishment spiritual item "Profound Ice Spirit Marrow" used by the host to attempt his breakthrough contained a trace of the poison "Bone-Corrobing Spirit-Dissolving Powder".] [Purple Intelligence: Tonight during the Yin hour (3-5 AM), a wisp of "Golden Crow Primordial Flame" will overflow... If this flame is devoured, it can recast the shattered cultivation foundation, fully restore cultivation, and awaken the one-in-ten-thousand—Primordial Supreme Yang Body. [Click to view coordinates]] [Golden Intelligence: Shen Qingyue, a Golden Core elder of the Falling Cloud Sect who possesses the Nine Yin Body, suffers from backlash of cold energy every full moon night, causing her strength to plummet and excruciating pain. Grand Elder Zhao Wuji has secretly bribed Shen Qingyue's personal maid, Hongxiu, and learned the rear gate array node of the protective formation "Clouds and Mist Veiling the Sun Array". Tomorrow late at night, he intends to take advantage of Shen Qingyue's flare-up of the cold poison, when she is weak and unable to resist, to use a secret technique to refine her into a cauldron and force her into a Daoist partnership. [Click to view coordinates]] The cultivation world is a jungle where the strong prey on the weak, and human hearts are as treacherous as ghosts? Sorry, but I can read the script! From then on, relying on his informational advantage, Gu Yang proceeded step by step with careful planning. Seizing opportunities, plundering fortunes. Selling intelligence. Playing rivals against each other. Step by step, he ultimately became the Immortal Emperor!
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
