Chapter 343: Chapter 192: Cunning Lu Junyi_2 Gu Sheng finally had the opportunity to ask the question lingering in his heart: "Great Elder, what is the Red Cloud Secret Domain that you mentioned earlier?" "The Red Cloud Secret Domain is a unique space, a miniature mystic realm, you could say. It contains numerous high-level cultivation resources and is considered one of the great treasures within the Red Cloud Prefecture. Every time it opens, the two sects, three factions, the Governor Mansion, and the four powerful families all send their people in to explore and search. You could say that place is the true battleground for the powerhouse forces of the Red Cloud Region!" "Ah! Speaking of it, our Holy Pill Sect has been getting the short end of the stick in the Red Cloud Secret Domain battles for consecutive years. The resources brought back are pitifully scarce. If it weren’t for relying on the reserves left by our predecessors, it would be difficult to even retain our position as one of the two sects." At this point, Lu Junyi’s face filled with frustration as he let out a cold snort: "Hmph! If it were twenty years ago, even if you gave the Thousand Poison Sect a hundred guts, they wouldn’t dare challenge us like this!" "Your martial arts talent is exceptional. For now, don’t focus on studying alchemy. Dedicate yourself completely to cultivating martial arts, enhancing your cultivation and combat strength. Strive to bring glory back to our Holy Pill Sect in this upcoming Red Cloud Secret Domain!" "High-level cultivation resources?" Gu Sheng was somewhat baffled, unable to quite comprehend what these so-called high-level resources were. "Could they be superior-grade medicinal herbs?" Upon seeing the doubt in Gu Sheng’s eyes, Lu Junyi took out a palm-sized jade-white stone: "Look, this is the most valuable resource within the Red Cloud Secret Domain!" The moment the stone was revealed, Gu Sheng immediately sensed a unique energy emanating from it! This energy felt gentle yet overwhelmingly powerful! When he tried placing his hand on the stone, he instantly felt an extraordinary energy coursing through his body. It made him feel as though his strength had significantly increased—not just a simple enhancement but more like an elevation! "This is...?" Gu Sheng could distinctly sense that the mysterious stone contained a type of energy that transcended Qi Blood Power! Lu Junyi noticed Gu Sheng’s expression and smiled slightly: "This is a Spirit Stone. It holds the purest form of power—the Qi of Heaven and Earth, also known as Spiritual Power." "Spiritual Power? What is that?" Confronted with yet another unfamiliar term, Gu Sheng immediately transformed into a curious learner. "Once you break through to the Marrow Refining Realm, the three barriers in your body will be fully constructed, and your senses will become highly acute. With the Guiding Method, you can absorb Heaven and Earth energy and convert it into Spiritual Power. You can think of it as a form of energy transformation, a power that surpasses Qi Blood Power after reaching the Marrow Refining Realm. Spiritual Power entering the body refines the marrow to varying degrees, divided into ten levels—these correspond to the ten sub-realms within the Marrow Refining Realm!" Seeing the longing anticipation on Gu Sheng’s face, Lu Junyi pocketed the Spirit Stone and said, "For now, you’re only in the Silver Bone Realm. Your three barriers aren’t fully constructed, so you can’t sense Heaven and Earth energy. Train hard! Once you ascend to the Golden Bone Realm, you’ll have a chance to experience it!" "Uncle! Were you looking for me? Let me be clear upfront, you haven’t paid me for my last appearance fee yet! If you won’t cough up the money this time, don’t even think about asking me to do anything!" Before Wen Mingyan arrived, his voice had already preceded him. Entering the loft, he plopped himself down next to Lu Junyi without any hesitation and casually grabbed a cup to pour himself tea. Lu Junyi’s cheerful expression vanished immediately as he donned a fierce demeanor: "Who told you to sit? Get up and stand!" Upon sensing Lu Junyi’s anger, Wen Mingyan reflexively stood beside Gu Sheng, looking even more cautious than Gu Sheng himself. Grumbling under his breath, he muttered, "Not only does he skip payments, but he also won’t let me have tea. That’s way over the line!" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞 Lu Junyi shot him a glare: "What did you just say? I didn’t quite catch that. Care to repeat?" Wen Mingyan instantly switched to a fake smile, laughing nervously: "Ah, nothing at all. You misheard me, misheard me." Lu Junyi snorted but didn’t pursue the topic: "This kid has accumulated enough sect contribution points to advance to War God Peak’s inner circle. You mentioned needing a disciple, didn’t you? He’s yours now." "?" At first, Wen Mingyan looked puzzled; then, the next moment, excitement spread across his face: "Really?" Lu Junyi chuckled: "Of course it’s real! When have I ever lied to you?" Wen Mingyan shot him a knowing look that said, "You know full well when you have." Nevertheless, Wen Mingyan didn’t dwell on it and began cheerfully sizing up Gu Sheng: "Not bad, not bad! At such a young age, you’ve already reached the Silver Bone Realm. You’re almost as impressive as I was in my youth!" Lu Junyi couldn’t help but burst into laughter upon hearing this: "You really haven’t changed—always thick-skinned! If I’m remembering correctly, you were only at Blood Refining Realm’s Great Success when you were seventeen. How can you say that with a straight face?" Wen Mingyan sheepishly laughed and patted Gu Sheng’s shoulder: "Don’t pay attention to trivial details! I’m the War God of our Holy Pill Sect. As long as the Sect Master stays behind the scenes, I can do as I please in the Holy Pill Sect. If you become my disciple, it’ll absolutely be worth it for you!" Lu Junyi picked up his tea cup and cleared his throat dramatically before sipping. Wen Mingyan quickly added: "The Great Elder, of course, is an exception—he’s family. It’s important to respect and care for the elderly." Otherwise, I could split him in half with a single sword strike. That last sentence he dared not say aloud and transmitted quietly to Gu Sheng instead. "Alright, since you seem to approve of him, this lad is yours. I have one condition: Ensure he survives and train him relentlessly to drastically increase his combat power. He must shine during this year’s Red Cloud Secret Domain, reclaiming the prestige our Holy Pill Sect has lost over the years!" Wen Mingyan enthusiastically pounded his chest in assurance: "Of course! You’re doubting my skills? As long as he can grasp even a fraction of my swordsmanship, dealing with disciples from the other forces will be a breeze!" Lu Junyi reminded him again: "Protect him well! If something happens to him, I’ll be coming for your hide!" Wen Mingyan scoffed: "Tch! From now on, Gu Sheng is my disciple. Not just in the Holy Pill Sect—even in Red Cloud Prefecture. Anyone daring to lay a finger on him will have to answer to my sword!" Lu Junyi grinned broadly, waving his hand: "In that case, take him with you!" With that, he tossed a cloth pouch containing the contribution tokens to Wen Mingyan: "These tokens are from Thousand Poison Sect disciples Gu Sheng has defeated. Have Xiao Xue register them for him." Ever since Wen Mingyan first noticed Gu Sheng’s exceptional talent, he had been eager to accept him as a disciple. Now that he had achieved his goal, he couldn’t help feeling delighted. "Let’s go! Follow me to War God Peak! There are only six months before the Red Cloud Secret Domain opens; I’ll make sure to put you through rigorous training!" As Wen Mingyan and Gu Sheng left, Baixue Yuzi couldn’t help asking: "Master, it seems you haven’t fully resolved the issue, have you?" Lu Junyi smacked his lips lightly: "What do you mean? Didn’t I just have Wen Mingyan take the kid away?" Baixue Yuzi still seemed concerned: "But aren’t you going to inform the other elders? If Wu Gui causes trouble, wouldn’t it be better to have a plan in place?" Lu Junyi confidently shook his head: "No need! Wu Gui’s actions may be extreme, but he isn’t truly crazy. Someone like him would be difficult for me to handle directly. But Wen Mingyan is a rascal—let the two madmen deal with each other. Now that Gu Sheng is Wen Mingyan’s disciple, with Wen Mingyan’s unruly behavior, even Red Cloud’s Governor himself would be hard-pressed to take the kid away without suffering a few slashes from his sword. As for Wu Gui, getting beaten up will teach him some humility." After hearing this, Baixue Yuzi internally added to her appraisal of Lu Junyi’s cunning while silently pitying Wen Mingyan—just a little. That man was thoroughly outplayed! Back at War God Peak, Wen Mingyan was in high spirits. Seeing Qin Xue’s worried face, he grinned and said: "Xue! Quick, quick, quick! Prepare some tea! Today, I’m taking on a disciple!" Qin Xue looked shocked: "A disciple?" Wen Mingyan nodded enthusiastically: "Hurry now!" With that, he pushed Qin Xue toward the inner loft. Before long, Qin Xue returned with a pot of freshly brewed tea. Gu Sheng caught on and promptly took the tea, pouring a cup before kneeling before Wen Mingyan: "Disciple Gu Sheng greets Master!"