Chapter 136 Your Bai family can't even find ashes!

The badge on Bai Wei's robe shimmered; the grey-clad old woman accompanying her stepped forward, and the two exchanged a few words.

Afterward, Bai Wei looked toward Xiao Yi Xian.

She noticed that the man who had come to find Xiao Yi Xian earlier was absent, but she did not pay it much mind; instead, she raised an eyebrow at Xiao Yi Xian.

Xiao Yi Xian had also finished her test, placing exactly as an Advanced Fifth-Rank Alchemist, just as Gu He had expected.

Xiao Yi Xian glanced at her badge and remained silent.

How do I deal with feeling a bit outmatched?

Why hasn't Master come out yet?

I really want to slap her with a palm full of Dou Qi~

"Creak—" The door to the testing room was opened from within.

Gu He walked out dressed in black, his pace steady.

Hearing the commotion, Bai Wei spoke sarcastically before even turning her head, "Why, cat got your tongue??"

"You're not young anymore, yet you're still imitating others by taking the Alchemist qualification test—"

As she turned around and rotated her head, she saw the badge on Gu He's chest, glowing brilliantly.

The stars on the badge were dazzling, numbering a full eight!

"Grade 8... Grade 8 Alchemist??"

Bai Wei's cherry mouth opened into the shape of an egg.

"How, how is this possible?"

Bai Wei could not imagine that she had actually offended a Grade 8 Alchemist.

Seeing Gu He emerge, Xiao Yi Xian excitedly rushed forward and hugged him, rubbing against him like a kitten acting spoiled.

She immediately pulled back, the warmth from Gu He's embrace still lingering on her face, a cute flush coloring her brows and eyes.

With a gaze filled with reliance, she looked at Gu He, "Master, you're finally out!!"

Behind Xiao Yi Xian, the woman in white slightly lowered her head.

A flash of annoyance crossed Bai Wei's eyes.

She had been boasting earlier about being a Sixth-Rank Alchemist at such a young age, yet this person was already a Grade 8.

As for this man being older than her?

Ridiculous!

Age was not the gap; strength was.

Her previous sarcasm and ridicule were like that of a clown jumping about.

"Heh..." Gu He chuckled softly, a coldness unintentionally leaking out.

Deacon Han, being very perceptive, stepped forward to offer congratulations, "Master Gu He is truly astonishingly talented; we are full of admiration!"

"This is what a Grade 8 Alchemist possesses..."

As Deacon Han spoke, he brought out the Magic Treasure that the Pill Tower prepared at its own expense for powerful Alchemists, chatting away with a smile.

However, Bai Wei felt Deacon Han's voice drifting further and further away, slowly becoming like background noise.

She stomped her feet in frustration, hesitating on whether to apologize.

Who would have thought that while she hesitated, Gu He took Xiao Yi Xian's hand and prepared to pass by her to leave the tower.

"Wait!" Bai Wei blurted out instinctively.

Gu He did not stop his pace, but Bai Wei began to apologize rapidly, "Earlier, I was blind and failed to recognize a superior!"

"I was jealous of that girl's appearance, which is why I ridiculed her and belittled you!"

"I am truly sorry!"

The upbringing of a great Family remaining in Bai Wei's bones and a hint of boldness in her character allowed her to shout these words out before Gu He left.

Not far from them, those Alchemists watching the spectacle were even more excited.

"This is the Young Miss of the Bai Family!"

"She is usually the most aloof, yet she is actually lowering her head to apologize to someone else!"

"A Grade 8 Alchemist... too strong... Why didn't I know there was such a person before?"

"If I had known, I would have established a good relationship earlier."

Gu He continued holding Xiao Yi Xian's hand, the breeze gently blowing their robes.

The moment he crossed the threshold, Gu He's cold voice resonated throughout the entire stone tower: "If you hadn't apologized just now, your Bai Family wouldn't even be able to find your ashes."

His voice was deep, like flowing water in a quiet night.

But for some reason, Bai Wei thought of a pitch-black cellar where hundreds or thousands of poisonous Gu were raised, and she was the test subject for the insects.

Terrifying, too terrifying!

Even Bai Wei herself did not realize that her Soul power had been invisibly suppressed by a mysterious force.

Gu He did not stop, leading Xiao Yi Xian steadily and orderly out of the Pill Tower branch.

The admiring gazes of the crowd seemed to cast a Holy Light upon him, paving a divine path.

Inside the tower, Bai Wei's expression was gloomy, no longer possessing the arrogance she had when she arrived.

The grey-clad old woman frowned, "Young Miss, do you need me to make a move?"

Bai Wei curled her lips and rubbed her pale face, "Make a move? Are you courting death?"

"Deacon Han, that man... what is his name?"

Deacon Han hesitated for a moment before saying the name, "Gu He."

"The same Gu He who recently provoked the Heaven Thunder Northern Pavilion and the Ice River Valley?"

Bai Wei was slightly startled.

Deacon Han nodded.

Bai Wei ripped the Sixth-Rank Alchemist badge off her robe, a trace of annoyance still lingering in her eyes, "Let's go back!"

"Remember! Just pretend nothing happened today!"

After Gu He reunited with Yun Yun and the others, they found a place to stay and settled in.

The matter of Bai Wei giving them a hard time became a topic of conversation for the group after their meal.

Xiao Yi Xian curled her lips, "Who wants to compete with her on Rank? I just like comparing Masters!"

Gu He rubbed her head, "Don't take it too much to heart."

"Alchemy requires steady progress; the Soul must slowly solidify and become firm so that you can Breakthrough to the next Realm more smoothly in the future."

"You are younger than her, so being one Rank behind is very normal."

He even used himself as an example; after all, the original Gu He could also be considered a late bloomer.

Xiao Yi Xian listened to everything Gu He said very seriously and replied, "Rest assured, Master!"

"I know I will become even stronger in the future; I won't be jealous of her!"

"One day, I will be able to stand by your side, Master!"

Gu He smiled, "Then let's add a bit to today's homework: refine two portions..."

"Ah? No way~" Xiao Yi Xian let out a playful, crisp wail.

Wuwuwu, why am I being caught to do homework by Master again~

Even a study genius hates homework.

In the days of waiting that followed, the group found quite a few good things at the Alchemist trade fair.

Gu He also bought many good medicinal ingredients and a piece of copper with an ancient texture.

After being calcined by his Heavenly Flame, that piece of copper successfully yielded a few precious Spirit-Nurturing Dust particles.

After absorbing them, Gu He obtained the Soul imprint of a powerhouse who had been buried in the long river of time, "Soul Extreme... Seal the Heavenly Spirit... Absorb Spirit to Forge the Soul..."

After one night, Gu He could clearly see the traces of Spiritual Qi surging around him.

And his Alchemist Rank also loosened, successfully reaching the threshold of an Intermediate Grade 8.

"If only I had a Cultivation Technique related to absorption..." Gu He murmured.

After all, that way he could absorb the surrounding Spiritual Qi much faster, rather than being able to see it but not use it.

After finishing the final cycle of Cultivation, he stood up and stretched his nearly numb body.

His joints "cracked" once.

Just at this moment, "Bang!"

The door to Gu He's room was violently pushed open, nearly leaving a hole in it.

"You're awake?!"

Zi Yan bounced in, her twin tails looking as if they could fly.

"Take me out to play!"

"Sister Medusa is right; I not only need to eat my fill, but I also need to take care of my spiritual needs!"

Spiritual needs, my foot!

Gu He glanced at the nearly broken door and twitched the corner of his mouth, but he still agreed to Zi Yan's request.

After all, with those big, eager eyes that looked as crystalline as a layer of water glass, how could he bear not to agree?