"I broke through!"
The Little Fairy Doctor was overjoyed as she felt her cultivation advance. However, before her excitement could fully blossom, a sharp, searing pain surged through her limbs and bones, forcing her to immediately focus her mind and absorb the dou qi raging within her body.
Soon, a sickly pallor crept onto her delicate face.
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Gone was the confidence she had earlier.
'I thought I could hold on a little longer this time…'
But as the violent dou qi rampaged through her meridians, her resolve wavered.
The dou qi pouring from Gu He's body was incomparable to what she had endured two months ago.
Even after two months of relentless day-and-night training to temper her body, it all seemed futile in the face of this overwhelming force.
Yet, despite the agony tearing through her, the Little Fairy Doctor gritted her teeth and refused to yield.
Her will had long been forged into steel through daily poison consumption.
The dou qi Gu He channeled into her was pure and potent. Every second, she refined vast amounts of it into her dou crystal.
Soon, her aura shifted once more.
Three-Star Dou Grandmaster.
This time, she had only endured twenty breaths before breaking through again.
"Hmm—"
A muffled groan escaped her lips. Her face was deathly pale, her expression twisted in pain.
Inside her body, the rampaging dou qi wreaked havoc, sending waves of torment through her as though she were being torn apart by blades and fire.
Still, she clenched her jaw, focusing every ounce of her will on refining the dou qi, not daring to relax for even a moment.
"Boom!"
Another muffled explosion resonated within her, and her aura surged once more.
Four-Star Dou Grandmaster.
Feeling her cultivation rise again, the Little Fairy Doctor's spirits lifted—only for a tearing sensation to rip through her meridians.
Her pretty face paled further, and she immediately called out, "Teacher, I have reached my limit!"
Though reluctant, she knew when to stop.
Gu He had already infused her with more Dou dou qi than she could handle. If she pushed further, her meridians would rupture, and the consequences would far outweigh the gains.
Hearing her plea, Gu He withdrew his palm from her back.
[Ding! Detected that the host has granted the second disciple, Little Fairy Doctor, four hours of cultivation. Congratulations to the host for receiving a 10,000 return—4.5 years of cultivation!]
[The 4.5 year cultivation has been deposited into the system space. Please check at your convenience.(Equivalent to Six-Star Dou Ancestor.)]
The system's notification echoed in Gu He's mind.
'4.5 years of cultivation?'
He was momentarily taken aback but quickly composed himself.
This outcome was within his expectations.
As his own strength grew, the time his disciples could endure his dou qi infusions would inevitably shorten.
'Perhaps it's time to leave the Misty Cloud Sect and seek stronger disciples…'
The thought took root in his mind.
At the Dou Ancestor realm, each minor breakthrough required decades of accumulation. Once he reached Dou Venerable, even a single star's advancement could take centuries.
With the Little Fairy Doctor and the others soon unable to keep up, he would need to recruit more powerful disciples to maintain his rapid cultivation speed.
Of course, they couldn't be too strong—his body, though capable of rivaling a Dou Venerable's, still had its limits.
After a moment of contemplation, Gu He refocused.
Including the one-year return from teaching Nalan Yanran last time, he now had a total of 5.5 years of cultivation stored.
'This should be enough to break through one star. I'll find a secluded place to attempt it soon.'
His gaze then shifted to the Little Fairy Doctor, who was slowly rising to her feet.
After inspecting her condition with her soul power, an irrepressible joy lit up her face.
"Four-Star Dou Grandmaster!"
In such a short time, she had leaped from a One-Star Dou Grandmaster to a Four-Star Dou Grandmaster.
It was nothing short of madness.
Even with multiple experiences of receiving dou qi infusions, she couldn't suppress her exhilaration.
But soon, a flicker of regret surfaced.
'If only I could've held on a little longer… I might've reached Five-Star Dou Grandmaster.'
Shaking her head, she chided herself for her greed.
Damaging her meridians for one extra star wasn't worth it.
Steeling herself, she turned to Gu He and bowed gracefully.
"Thank you, Teacher, for your guidance."
Gu He smiled faintly and retrieved a jade vial from his spatial ring.
"This is Amethyst Birth Essence—my second gift to you."
"Amethyst Birth Essence?"
The Little Fairy Doctor blinked in confusion—she had never heard of such a thing.
Suppressing a sigh, Gu He patiently explained its properties before warning her, "Do not consume it all at once. The dou qi is far too violent—divide it into three doses for absorption."
Nodding solemnly, she accepted the vial. "This disciple will remember, Teacher."
The moment the vial left Gu He's hand, the system chimed again.
[Ding! Detected that the host has granted the second disciple one bottle of Amethyst Birth Essence. Congratulations to the host for receiving a ten-thousandfold return—10,000 bottles of Amethyst Birth Essence!]
[10,000 bottles have been deposited into the system space. Please check at your convenience.]
Gu He was momentarily stunned.
'Second time Ten-thousandfold return?'
'Ten thousand bottles?!'
This was the first time he had encountered such a massive multiplier in a day.
'Fascinating.'
Then, a thought struck him.
'…What exactly am I supposed to do with 10,000 bottles?'
...
With a thought, Gu He entered the system space directly.
Before him stood a mountain of jade bottles, each containing Amethyst Birth Essence.
Picking up one from the ground, Gu He tilted it back like a drink and downed it in one gulp.
"Ice-cold, not bad—just tasteless."
Even after consuming an entire bottle, he barely felt anything. Though the Amethyst Birth Essence contained incredibly rich and violent dou qi, to someone like him—a Six-Star Dou Ancestor—this amount was negligible.
"If I mix in some sweet-and-sour spiritual liquid, it'd probably taste much better."
The idea flashed in his mind, and Gu He's eyes brightened. The Amethyst Birth Essence was naturally chilled, making it a perfect iced beverage.
He usually drank tea, but after so long, he'd grown tired of it. Now, this Amethyst Birth Essence could serve as a refreshing change.
With another thought, he exited the system space.
…
The Little Fairy Doctor was carefully uncorking a jade bottle of Amethyst Birth Essence, sniffing the pure dou qi wafting from it. A trace of excitement flickered across her delicate face.
Unable to resist, she stuck out her tongue and licked the bottle's rim.
Instantly, an icy sensation spread from her tongue through her entire body. Her pretty face flushed with pleasure.
"This is so refreshing!"
But then, the cold transformed into a surge of dou qi, coursing through her limbs, bones, and meridians before finally settling into her dou crystal.
"Such pure dou qi!"
Her eyes widened in astonishment. Just that tiny taste contained such potent dou qi!
"With this bottle, I can break through again!" she thought gleefully.
Watching her lick the bottle with a dazed expression, Gu He sighed.
"Alright, stop being silly."
How did his sect end up with disciples like this? First Liu Ling, now the Little Fairy Doctor—both obsessed with licking bottles clean as if they'd never had a proper drink before.
If he took out the hundreds of bottles stored in his system space, this girl might just faint from excitement.
"Hehe, Teacher, you're the best!"
Snapping out of her daze, the Little Fairy Doctor carefully stored the bottle away and beamed at him.
"Work hard. If you perform well, you can have as much as you want in the future."
Gu He patted her head, already planning to let his disciples taste his iced drink concoction later—lest they embarrass themselves in public.
"Really?!" Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"When have I ever lied to you?" He feigned annoyance before growing serious. "Now, for your third gift."
"Yes, Teacher!"
Instinctively, she sat down in front of him, poised as if expecting something.
Gu He: "..."
A vein throbbed on his forehead. "You don't need to sit down this time."
Her cheeks flushed pink. "Teacher, you should've said so earlier…"
Ignoring her pout, he retrieved a brocade box from his spatial ring and placed it on the stone table.
"Click."
The box opened, revealing over a dozen black, pigeon-egg-sized objects.
"Teacher, what are these?"
Leaning closer, the Little Fairy Doctor studied them curiously. Yet the moment she laid eyes on them, an irresistible urge surged within her—a craving to devour them.
She recognized this feeling.
Once the Woeful Poison Body awakened, it developed an obsession with poison, bordering on addiction.
The fact that these black objects triggered such a reaction meant they were extremely toxic.
Examining them closely, she realized they resembled eggs.
'If I ate these…'
Swallowing hard, she wondered: 'Is Teacher giving me these poisonous eggs to consume and boost my strength?'
Had Gu He known her thoughts, he'd have facepalmed.
Luckily, he didn't.
Instead, he explained solemnly:
"These are Shadow Poison Insect Eggs—a terrifying breed from the Chu Yun Empire. Once hatched, each becomes a Fourth-Grade Poisonous Insect, comparable to a Tier 4 Magical Beast. They excel in stealth, striking lethally without warning."
"Shadow Poison Insects?" Her eyes gleamed.
These insects were undoubtedly venomous, and refining their toxins could produce something exceptionally deadly—perfect for her.
Most girls would recoil in disgust, but the Little Fairy Doctor felt an innate kinship with poison.
In fact, she was already imagining frying these eggs for a meal.
'One bite, and the rush of power would be exhilarating.'
Unaware of her culinary fantasies, Gu He continued: "Once you hatch these eggs, you'll command an army of Shadow Poison Insects in no time. Unleashing them against enemies would be devastating."
Finally understanding, the Little Fairy Doctor hesitated.
"But Teacher… I don't know how to raise insects."
Gu He smiled. "I've already prepared for that. Come closer."
As she stepped forward, he pressed a finger between her eyebrows.
A flood of information surged into her mind.
After absorbing it, her eyes snapped open—alight with excitement.
"The… Insect Control Technique?!"
...
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