Jun Mo Xie left Guan Qing Han's place, and made his way to his own courtyard to check Ye Gu Han's condition. After all, Ye Gu Han's Xuan cultivation had been destroyed, and his dantian had been damaged. Therefore, his physical condition had been rendered even worse than that of a normal man. However, he couldn't guess where Ye Gu Han had suddenly found a desire to live from. Moreover, his broken body was overflowing with vitality. And, that had left Jun Mo Xie very surprised.
What is one's state of affairs? Individual perseverance, personality, and the will to live! However, Ye Gu Han's state of affairs had surprised Young Master Jun. But, Ye Gu Han was sleeping and Jun Mo Xie didn't wish to disturb him. Jun Mo Xie had only saved him to preserve his Third Uncle's honor. In fact, he wouldn't have done it unless his uncle had made that promise. It wouldn't have matter to him how much Princess Ling Meng would have begged him. Her evocation of the selfless love hadn't moved him either. His uncle's word had been the only that had compelled him to save Ye Gu Han.
The Young Master then returned to hall, and started to plan over the preparations for his grandfather's advancement.
However, Jun Mo Xie wasn't very anxious about this. After all, he had always believed that a good thing couldn't be acquired instantly; the same was even truer for a great ones! Moreover, the opportunity could always be snatched by someone else even if it was presently in one's own hands. Therefore, it couldn't be truly one's own unless it had been digested inside one's belly.
And, the peak level-nine Xuan core's situation was something of this sort. It had once created a huge sensation, and had drawn people from every corner of the world. Therefore, such a great thing could be snatched away at any time…
The Jun Family had seized a lot of opportunities of late. And, this had materialized into many great advantages for them. Therefore, they could look down on the Tian Xiang Empire… and even the entire world! But, Young Master Jun clearly understood that the Jun Family was still very weak on the inside. In fact, they were far off from being a true Super Family. After all, this was merely a bluff — they were only an empty shell at the moment!
His fictitious Master was the largest advantage which the Jun Family had relied on. However, that extremely powerful and mysterious Master obviously didn't exist. Moreover, the Jun Family didn't have a true Spirit Xuan expert either. Jun Mo Xie may have become known for having defeated four Spirit Xuan experts. However, there was a lot of exaggeration to that claim.
The Jun Family's growth into a real Super Family would require a long period of strenuous efforts. However, it would be necessary for the Jun Family to have a true Spirit Xuan expert in their ranks until then. Therefore, helping the old man advance to the Spirit Xuan Level had taken top priority.
Jun Mo Xie took the baffled Jun Zhan Tian to the basement of the newly built tower along with the prairie's Solitary Falcon. This tower had been built as per Jun Mo Xie's special request. This tower was particularly strong, and the large granite steps were tightly wound. This had given a 'sealed' effect to the tower's interiors. In fact, the world outside wouldn't be able to hear any sounds even if someone were to deliberately shout and yell inside this tower!
This had obviously been built for this specific moment…
After all, the fluctuations in the power of a peak level-nine Xuan Core was too great!
Jun Mo Xie had given Jun Wu Yi detailed instructions in advance. Therefore, Jun Wu Yi stationed elite troops around the tower for protection once the three men had entered the tower. Moreover, there were as many as ten more guards hiding in the secrecy of darkness. Jun Wu Yi, Song Shang, and Hai Chen Feng — the three Sky Xuan experts took to their three respective sections, and stood guard. Moreover, they took extreme precautions in doing so. They had eliminated every eventuality, and ensured that it would be impossible to disturb the proceedings inside.
Jun Mo Xie's personal teams of Heaven Destroyers and Spirit Devourers were tasked with the security of the inner-most layer. They were hidden in secret places, and were equipped with swords and the 'Xuan Beast Tendon' crossbows. In fact, their weapons were so sharp that they were gleaming with cold lights.
There were a myriad of traps everywhere — string traps, poison, smoke traps, and so on. Seven or eight places even had the secret weapons which Jun Mo Xie had forged. Moreover, these weapons had been dipped in poison beforehand. Therefore, one wrong step in the darkness, and even a Sky or Spirit Xuan expert would find themselves doomed for eternity. In fact, it could be assumed that one's blood will have spilled out in less than five breaths.
In fact, even a Great Master would find it extremely difficult to break past this kind of a fighting strength and ambush arrangements.
Inside the tower…
Jun Mo Xie took out the Xuan core, and its energy radiated everywhere. Solitary Flacon stared wide eyed, and gaped for a while. Then, he eventually spoke-up, "Fu*k! Men from around the world were fighting each other to death over this. Even I didn't bat an eye before I left the grasslands and came here over this. But, I had never imagined that it nestled in the safety of your possession. In fact, it didn't even appear out in the open! But, the thing that we had fought over… what was that?"
"That… was obviously a fake one!" Jun Mo Xie rubbed his nose. He smiled mischievously, and spoke without a hint of embarrassment, "I had felt very bad when I saw you fight over it so enthusiastically that night."
Solitary Falcon snorted, "Just look at you smiling like that! Where are you even the least bit bothered? Even getting mad at you is a waste of feelings. Anyway, I don't care about it! I didn't want that core from the very beginning! To temper oneself and advance on one's own is the path of honor!"
"It's a good thing that you aren't offended. Such an open-minded Great Master would be perfect to guide my grandfather," Jun Mo Xie stated with a chuckle. His words had obviously been one of ridicule. However, his expression suddenly became very dignified. He then turned towards Solitary Falcon and spoke seriously.
"Please, Master Falcon!"
Jun Mo Xie had spoken these words very earnestly. After all, Jun Zhan Tian was the first amongst Jun Mo Xie's acknowledged relatives. Advancing his grandfather's strength was surely very important. But, his life was even more so. Advancing power was unimportant in comparison to preserving life. In fact, advancement was inconsequential. However, preserving one's life was crucial!
The Young Master had enough assurance regarding that matter. But, he had still spoken those words because he wanted Solitary Falcon to know that they couldn't fail in this matter.
They couldn't afford to fail!
Only success was allowed; failure wasn't.
Solitary Falcon facial expression suddenly became solemn. He then assumed a rare and dignified mannerism as he replied in a heavy tone, "Don't worry!" However, he then frowned and said, "But, I can't do this on my own. I'll require several medicines for assistance. And, those medicines are…"
Jun Mo Xie turned his palm and rubbed them together, and three kinds of medicines came out.
Moreover, they were three wondrous medicines.
Heavenly Star Grass;
Tri-Colored Mushroom;
And, Nine Xuan Root!
Three kinds of special medicines were required to fuse the Xuan core. And, not one was missing; each one of them was available. Moreover, each of them was twice the usual quality, and far surpassed the usual standard.
Solitary Falcon exclaimed when he saw this. Then, he carefully inspected them and said, "You possess the greatest ability, you brat! There won't be any problems since you've already prepared these!"
Jun Zhan Tian had just realized that Jun Mo Xie was going to use the peal level-nine Xuan Core to force his advancement. However, he couldn't help but be annoyed, "Mo Xie, your grandfather is very old! So, what's the point of using such a great thing on me? Don't waste this extremely treasured gift! Don't waste this excellent opportunity! Moreover, you'll also be wasting the great Xuan strength of Solitary Falcon. Advance your Third Uncle's cultivation if you wish to use this on someone! That would be great for the Jun Family. In fact, it would be much better! But, using this on me is a huge waste!"
Jun Mo Xie smiled slightly. His eyes had filled with a profound emotion as he slowly said, "Grandfather's words are wrong. It's urgent to use this thing only because Grandfather is so old. A person's age is of consequence. An average person can live for about sixty to eighty years as long as there's no accident. A Xuan expert can live to an average of hundred years, and a Sky Xuan peak expert will live from hundred-fifty years to two-hundred years. However, this is only true as long as the individual hasn't met with any serious accidents...
The Young Master then sighed and continued, "But, Grandfather has been fighting since his youth, and has been on military campaigns his entire life. So, I believe that you have suffered many major and minor injuries. Your body has been damaged over this long period of time. And, the same can be said for your meridians as well. You are in a pure Xuan environment at the moment. So, there shouldn't be a problem with your health. But, your injuries could burst forth if you were to get involved in a violent fight… or were to suffer from a sudden illness. And, your health's situation would become hopeless if that were to happen. But, your life-span will increase by a hundred years if you use this Xuan Core. Moreover, it will nurse your health, and your physical condition will also be brought to its optimum state."
Jun Mo Xie smiled and continued, "Third Uncle and I have other means. And, they are more effective. So, don't worry about us."
Jun Zhan Tian stroked his beard as he pondered in silence. However, he still seemed unwilling to assent. After all, he had the mindset of an old man — he hated using the good things he had procured over his lifespan. Instead, he wished that those good things would be used by his descendants when they'd need them. In fact, he would be satisfied even if he got nothing of what he had earned. He'd be very satisfied indeed...
Such was the old-man-like Jun Zhan Tian currently harbored.
Jun Mo Xie saw that the old man was still hesitant. So, he hurriedly spoke-up, "I will destroy this thing if you don't agree to use it. This is a great thing, but it can stir up a lot of trouble. Moreover, Third Uncle and I won't be using it anyway. Grandfather… you must know that you're the martial backbone of this family. In fact, you're the most important individual if the overall situation is taken into account!"
Jun Zhan Tian had no choice but to agree since Jun Mo Xie had put such a condition. However, he still tried to confirm whether Jun Mo Xie and Jun Wu Yi had any other means. After all, he needed the assurance.
Jun Mo Xie couldn't say much in front of Solitary Falcon. Some things anyway couldn't be spoken out loud. However, it took a lot of brains to dodge the old man's interrogative questions. So much so that it made his back sweat…
Jun Mo Xie was someone who wouldn't even blink if he saw the whole world being slaughtered. However, he had a very tough time in convincing this one man...
Jun Mo Xie hurriedly got busy in grinding the Heavenly Star Grass into pieces the moment Grandfather Jun eventually agreed. After all, he was afraid that the nightmare-ish interrogation would start again. He then pasted the mashed Heavenly Star Grass on the Xuan Core's surface. This gave rise to a flash of red light. And, the violently fluctuating force of the Xuan Core suddenly stabilized. In fact, it had suddenly become reserved, and had started to resemble an obedient and cultured child.
However, Jun Mo Xie couldn't even sigh due to the paucity of time. He quickly turned towards Solitary Falcon, and made a gesture. Solitary Falcon understood the tactic gesture, and went behind Jun Zhan Tian. He then placed one of his palms at the back of Jun Zhan Tian's head, while the other was positioned at the middle of his back. Jun Zhan Tian sat down crossed-legged as this happened, and solemnly closed his eyes.
The bitter and fragrant scent of the Tri-Colored Mushroom filled the air soon after. Jun Mo Xie initiated the Art of Unlocking the Heaven's Fortune, and the Tri-Colored Mushroom's efficacy started to seep into the Xuan Core; he didn't waste any of it in the process. Suddenly, that pitch-back darkness of the Xuan Core was replaced by the brightness of a rising sun. In fact, it was so bright that it was painful to even look at it…
This dazzling bright light might be difficult to look at. However, anyone under its glare would feel a sense of great peace of mind.
Jun Mo Xie didn't miss a beat, and started to make the Art of Unlocking the Heaven's Fortune work faster. The Xuan Core became bright again, and flickered violently. Then, a bright river of yellow suddenly shot out of the Xuan Core with a sweet and fragrant smell. And, it went right into Jun Zhan Tian's mouth.
The last remaining thing in the Young Master's hand — the Nine Xuan Root — suddenly turned into a thick stream of a sky blue liquid at this time, and shot into the air. It then entered the old man's mouth as well. The timing was precise; it wasn't even a moment off target!
Solitary Falcon also unleashed his great aura as this happened. And, it also flowed into Jun Zhan Tian's meridians in a continuous stream...
Jun Mo Xie finally relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief.
[Everything is going well now! In fact, this can be called half-success already!] Whether it was the Heavenly Star Grass or the Tri-Colored Mushroom — Jun Mo Xie had chosen the best. And, he had employed an even better portion of the Nine Xuan Root…
[There is no doubt about grandfather's advancement owing to the harmonious mixture of the three herbs and the addition of Solitary Falcon's great strength!]
Jun Mo Xie used his spirit sense to check out the surroundings. After all, this was a critical moment. And, even a little bit of disturbance could be devastating for the man advancing to the Spirit Xuan Realm. In fact, even the Great Master could suffer harm if something bad happened! Therefore, he couldn't be careless by any means.
In fact, Jun Mo Xie was very surprised when Solitary Falcon had agreed to help. He genuinely hadn't expected the Great Master to agree so readily. After all, how could a man with Solitary Falcon's experience not understand the degree of danger in this process?
Any failure in this advancement process could lead to a calamity!
In fact, there could be a threat to both of them even if a three-year-old child were to start crying at this moment. The two of them could even spiral into a devil's bite!
Jun Mo Xie had expected that he would have to spend some serious effort in talking the Great Master into it. In fact, he had even considered the various conditions the Great Master might put forth. However, he didn't need to go to those lengths in the end. Thus, it seemed that even the vilest of hearts could develop a sentiment of attachment if they were given enough time to bond. And, even a Great Master was no exception to it.
Everything was quiet outside the tower; there was no trace of movement.
It seemed that everything was safe and sound for this process. So, Jun Mo Xie finally breathed a sigh of relief…
However, Jun Mo Xie suddenly felt that he was forgetting something. But, he couldn't seem to recall what it was even though he tried hard. So, he couldn't help but pay rapt attention to the details as he calmly pondered if he hadn't been overlooking something… or had forgetting something.
A thick white mist emerged from Jun Zhan Tian. It then gradually enveloped Solitary Falcon as well...
Jun Mo Xie couldn't help but recall the pure aura of the Hong Jun Pagoda as he witnessed this scene. Then, he recalled that strange white mist he had seen inside the Tian Fa Forest. He sighed; [this world is truly strange and very big.]
Suddenly, something flashed brightly inside the Young Master's mind, and he suddenly remembered what he had forgotten.
[Mei Xue Yan! Mei Qian Qian!]
[These two women had come to the city with us. And, I clearly remember seeing them with Guan Qing Han in the carriage when I was entering the city. But, how could they disappear so suddenly and incomprehensibly?]
[When did they leave the carriage? And, when did they disappear?]
Jun Mo Xie gasped and frowned.
[There was a lot of chaos at that time. But, I'm used to dealing with such situations. My eyes look at all the roads, and my ears hear everything! They were behind me, and shouldn't have been able to conceal escaping the carriage from me. But, I still didn't notice when they disappeared!]
Moreover, the appearance of such a beautiful girl ought to have caused a sensation in the crowd. But, Jun Mo Xie clearly recalled that he hadn't seen an astonished expression in the eyes of anyone at that time…
This meant that no one had caught a glimpse of them!
[But, how could they disappear like that? I had used every method to check those two out, and I hadn't found anything odd with them! Can it be that these two women are so talented that even I can't see it? Do they have such strength that they could stealthily escape from under my nose? What kind of strength would someone need to pull that off?]
[How frightening must they be?!]
[Those two women may have been more than they had seemed. In fact, they may even have been stronger than me. But, they couldn't have been absolutely unreachable, right? Moreover, they couldn't have surpassed the level of a Great Master? That would be utter nonsense!]
[But then… how do I explain this incident if that's not the case?]
Jun Mo Xie frowned as an alarm sounded inside his head. He replayed every interaction with them in his mind — right from the time he had first met them… and, to the time they had entered the Tian Xiang City.
He carefully went over every tiny movement, and every little expression those two women had made. And, he was finally able to find to suspicious things. First — the green-clothed girl's appearance had undergone a slight change over the course of that one month's journey. This slight change was only related to a margin variation in the thickness of her eyebrows. However, Jun Mo Xie had been able to spot it nonetheless.
[The green-clothed girl had changed her appearance. This is confirmed; there's no doubt about it. But, why did she change her appearance? It certainly wouldn't have made a difference when it comes to being inside an army camp. Could she be afraid of being recognized? But, this means that I have seen her before!]
[So, who is she?]
[That Mei Xue Yan hadn't changed her appearance. That's obvious too. Moreover, her preconceived notions about me were also obvious. And, she had continuously caused me trouble throughout the journey. That is also something I must consider. But, had I offended her in the past?]
[But, she hadn't altered her appearance, and I haven't seen her before. So, when did I offend her…?]
[Besides, I would have never forgotten such an exceptional beauty if I had seen her before!]
[Moreover, they were having a confrontation with the Silver City's team when we met them!]
Jun Mo Xie gave a long sigh; [these two women obviously aren't normal.] Jun Mo Xie thought it over and over, but he couldn't figure out who those women were.
Then, another doubt emerged in his mind. [The green-clothed girl must've been related to the Snake King in some manner! How else could there have been so many snakes to trouble me throughout the journey? She may not be the Snake King, but she must be her sister or something! There's no mistake about this!]
[But, who was that white-clothed girl? Mei Xue Yan… I've never heard of it before. Could it be that… she's related to that Lady Yue'er from the Spirit Fog Lake?]
Then, Jun Mo Xie suddenly came up with a strange thought; [I fear that I will have many entanglements with those two ladies in the future.]
[It could possibly be troublesome…]
Then, there was the aspect of his luck with women. Jun Mo Xie knew that he looked handsome. But, he wasn't narcissistic enough to think any woman would fall in love with him at first sight…
[Everything is inextricable… I can't find the slightest of clues. This is very irritating…] Jun Mo Xie sighed.
"What are you sighing over, you brat?" a voice echoed from somewhere.
Jun Mo Xie opened his eyes to see a shining Jun Zhan Tian standing in front of him. However, Grandfather Jun was giving him a look of concern at the moment. So, Jun Mo Xie asked in a pleasant manner, "How do you feel, Grandfather? Have you made your breakthrough?"
"Breakthrough…? Isn't this a breakthrough?" Old Man Jun puffed his beard as he laughed heartily, "This is a huge breakthrough! I'd never even dreamed of such a big one in my life!"
"It indeed is! Mr. Jun's progress is genuinely unbelievable!" Solitary Falcon had done his best. His tone carried traces of exhaustion in it. However, his tone also had hints of admiration and envy…
"Your grandfather nearly sucked my energy dry in the last stage…" The Great Master smiled bitterly, "And, that Xuan Core's strength is amazing. In fact, such a huge progress has been rarely seen from time immemorial! Such a huge progress in such a short time…" Solitary Falcon smiled in agony before he continued, "I've only practiced my entire life. But, I feel kind of stupid after witnessing such a tremendous result…"
"The advancement is huge, right?" Jun Mo Xie asked in ecstasy.
"It's far from huge!" Jun Zhan Tian laughed happily. Then, he spoke-up with a merry smile, "I was at Sky Xuan peak before the breakthrough — right at the edge of the breakthrough to enter the Spirit Xuan Realm! But, I've succeeded in reaching the Spirit Xuan Realm because of the Xuan Core and Solitary Falcon's strength!"
"Your grandfather broke through the strong barrier above the peak of Sky Xuan right after he absorbed the strength from the Xuan Core. And, he reached straight to the second level of the Spirit Xuan Realm!" Solitary Falcon sighed, "But, it doesn't end with that. The effect of that Xuan Core had slowed down by this point. However, the three medicines' power surged ferociously at this stage, and revitalized the Xuan Core's potency. This pushed things forward again. Their power then gushed through his meridians, and nearly killed us! I somehow managed to protect your grandfather's meridians. Then, I suddenly realized that… that your grandfather is one lucky old man! He luckily broke through to level three, and settled there!"
"Are you saying that my grandfather is at level three of the Spirit Xuan realm? So, he's only slightly underneath that Xiao Bu Yu?" Jun Mo Xie clapped his hands in excitement as he laughed, "The result is nearly the same as I had expected. I had thought that he would reach the second level of Spirit Xuan. But, it has gone one level beyond that!"
"What one level beyond that…?! The second level of Spirit Xuan also has three levels — basic, middle, and peak. The third level of the Spirit Xuan Realm comes after these three sub-levels. And, he has gone straight to level three Spirit Xuan's first level! In fact, your grandfather is at the peak of the first sub-level of the Spirit Xuan's third level! Damn it! He's truly very lucky…" Solitary Falcon waved his sleeves with a 'whooshing' sound. He felt very uneasy and tired, "I'm going to sleep! I don't want to stay around you stupidly happy grandfather-grandson duo!"
Jun Zhan Tian laughed heartily as he raised his clasped hands, "Thanks so much for your great help, Senior Falcon! I can't thank you enough! My entire family can't thank you enough!"
Solitary Falcon smiled and floated away.