The moment the Fox Girl spoke, the kneeling Fox Girl trembled all over like a sieve, completely losing the courage to even gaze upwards.

She knew very well that although the Fox Queen seemed calm at the moment, she was actually on the verge of exploding. If anything went wrong, she would surely be implicated.

This action not only cost the lives of two Outer Elixir Realm Fox Girls, but also led to the death of the Green Snake Clan Leader and Elder from Carefree Mountain at the hands of the Golden Iron Sect, even causing the entire Golden Iron Sect to be wiped out, being completely removed from Xunyang Prefecture.

For Carefree Mountain, this was an unprecedented heavy blow since its founding.

Thus, the Fox Girl didn't even dare to breathe heavily, fearing that the Fox Queen might vent her anger on her.

The Fox Queen glanced at the trembling Fox Girl, and her cold voice suddenly rang out: "What is the progress on the ancient battlefield matter?"

Only then did the Fox Girl dare to lift her head slightly, and she replied in a small voice: "Reporting to the Queen, the ancient battlefield is in full bloom, with all kinds of natural treasures emerging like bamboo shoots after rain. Be it the Evil Extermination Bureau or those demonic pseudo-gods, they are all madly competing for resources."

"I am asking you... how are Carefree Mountain's lads faring in battle?" the Fox Queen's eyes were as sharp as knives, and Liu Mei lightly furrowed her brows.

The Fox Girl didn't dare to make even a small sound, replying with a trembling voice: "The lads have already gathered all the resources designated by the Queen, and are now putting all their effort into seizing additional opportunities."

Upon hearing this, the Fox Queen's anger subsided slightly.

"Compared to Qin An's head, the ancient battlefield relics are of the utmost importance. Pass down the order, let the lads take any necessary measures to seize more resources, as this concerns Carefree Mountain's millennia of prosperity."

The Fox Girl quickly agreed, not daring to make a sound.

"You may leave." The Fox Queen waved her sleeve indifferently, impatiently saying: "When the storm on the ancient battlefield calms, it'll be the time for Qin An's demise. Let him live a few more days for now."

The Fox Girl nodded slightly, quietly leaving the garden.

The Fox Queen gazed upon the swaying flowers throughout the garden, suddenly bending down to sniff them gently.

In an instant, an overwhelming killing intent burst forth like crashing waves, and the entire garden turned into a shower of fragments.

...

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, several days had passed.

As these days went by, Xunyang Prefecture seemed to fall into an eerie calm.

Whether it was demonic creatures in the wilderness, pseudo-gods hiding among humans, or human forces secretly colluding with pseudo-gods, they all seemed to suddenly vanish without a trace.

The common folk lived extremely comfortably during this period of calm, although they still worked hard for their livelihoods, it was far better than living in constant fear of losing their lives.

But only those cultivators who understood the reason knew that this moment of calm was simply because the storm had moved elsewhere.

The relics of the ancient battlefield began to erupt with opportunities like wildfire, and all entities above the Outer Elixir Realm had turned their blades towards the ancient battlefield relics.

During this period, although Qin An was promoted to Mountain Patrol General, he had never undertaken a single task.

Every day, apart from sitting in the clinic for consultations, he would return to the Evil Extermination Bureau to rest.

Many eyes in the Evil Extermination Bureau were fixed on Qin An, but regarding his enigmatic behavior, many people simply couldn't understand it.

...

A quiet little courtyard.

Zhou Yuanfeng accepted the tea, took a small sip, and shook his head: "This tea ultimately doesn't have the kick of strong liquor. Senior Sister, you might as well try it. After carrying out those numbing tasks every day, alcohol actually keeps one clear-headed."

Tang Zizhen gently twirled the teacup, watching the ripples on the water, and said coldly: "Alcohol can interfere with matters. Even if you're not drunk, it's still alcohol."

"You and Qin An do seem to have the same perspective, Senior Sister," Zhou Yuanfeng said with a disbelieving smile. "That guy doesn't touch alcohol, unless it's a special situation."

Tang Zizhen's gaze turned icy: "I've said before, don't mention that name in front of me again. If you do, don't blame me for cutting out your tongue."

Zhou Yuanfeng glanced over nonchalantly: "Then why did you have the Silver Prefecture General secretly surveil Qin An, Senior Sister?"

Tang Zizhen's hand trembled slightly while holding the cup, then she put it down: "Just wanted to see when he'd breathe his last. Unfortunately, he's let me down greatly."

Zhou Yuanfeng asked: "Where's the disappointment?"

"Having already been promoted to Mountain Patrol General, yet spending all day indulged in consultations at the clinic," Tang Zizhen lowered her eyelids, her tone dripping with disdain: "Such a person, who's so caught up in trifles, is merely an embroidered pillow all style and no substance."

Zhou Yuanfeng showed a look of realization.

He naturally knew about Qin An frequenting the clinic. Back when he was a Copper Prefecture General, he'd also sent people to observe.

At first, he thought Qin An was neglecting his duties, but later Qin An's various actions made him think better of him, so he no longer cared about such trivial matters.

In hindsight, his Senior Sister's disapproval of Qin An's behavior was evident.

In fact, as Zhou Yuanfeng thought, anyone would have thought the same.

"Senior Sister, don't be deceived by appearances." Zhou Yuanfeng pondered for a moment, then reminded: "I once shared the same thoughts as you, but Qin An always manages to surprise me."

"I know the inside story of his various dealings." Tang Zizhen scoffed coldly, with disdain: "I also admit his talent in formations, medicine, and alchemy, but his cultivation talent is even more astounding. If he could focus his energy solely on cultivation, he'd have soared long ago."

"You rate him so highly?" Zhou Yuanfeng asked in surprise.

Tang Zizhen's gaze was icy, and she lightly clenched her delicate hand: "I detest his duplicitous nature, but his talent is indeed undeniable. To waste such talent, he's destined to fail halfway."

Zhou Yuanfeng sighed, knowing that his Senior Sister wouldn't change her perspective for now, so he shifted the topic: "According to the report from our teacher, Jin Fengyu has completed an important task and is heading towards Xunyang Prefecture to seek Qin An, likely for the matter of the ancient battlefield relics."

Tang Zizhen replied indifferently: "I've known about this for a while now, including the fact that you wrote to the teacher without permission, I was aware of that too."

Zhou Yuanfeng's body froze slightly, and he asked: "What was the teacher's response?"

He had written to their teacher earlier, but had not yet received a reply.

It seemed now that this reply should have ended up in Tang Zizhen's hands.

Tang Zizhen pulled a letter from her sleeve and pushed it in front of Zhou Yuanfeng, picking up a teacup: "See for yourself."

In front of Tang Zizhen, Zhou Yuanfeng opened the letter.

After finishing its contents, his brows furrowed slightly.

"Only once reaching Mountain Patrol Silver General can one have the qualifications to meet the teacher? What does the teacher mean by this?"

In the letter, their teacher showed a shred of interest in Qin An, but it was just a shred.

It was only when Qin An reached the status of Mountain Patrol Silver General that their teacher would make an exception to take him as a disciple.

Tang Zizhen responded slowly: "Years ago, the teacher took in too many disciples. Now she only desires the elite, not quantity. After all, with the tenure at the General Mansion nearing its end, major Mountain Patrol Golden Generals are turning their focus towards the General Mansion, the teacher doesn't want any discrepancies."

Zhou Yuanfeng furrowed his brows, saying: "Qin An's potential is certainly capable of advancing to Mountain Patrol Silver General. Jin Fengyu must be kept away from Qin An, or else Qin An will lean towards Jin Fengyu."

"Enough!" Tang Zizhen rebuked sharply: "Are you doubting the teacher's decisions?"

Zhou Yuanfeng remained silent, not answering, clearly afraid to admit his thoughts.

Tang Zizhen said coldly, "You need to be clear about one thing, the step from Mountain Patrol Copper General to Mountain Patrol Silver General may seem short, but it is actually a chasm between the Outer Elixir and Inner God. Qin An has only just reached the Outer Elixir Realm and might die in a mission before reaching the Inner God Realm; the teacher will not waste time on this."

Zhou Yuanfeng remained silent.

He knew very well that this was an extremely realistic issue.

But he also had no way to go against the teacher's decision.

"I've had too much tea today." Tang Zizhen flicked his sleeve and said coldly, "You should leave now."

Zhou Yuanfeng said no more, got up, and left the courtyard.

After Zhou Yuanfeng left, Tang Zizhen continued drinking tea but kept her eyes fixed on the letter on the table.

...

Time quickly turned to midnight.

Qin An exchanged for a protective technique book in the Confidential Library and then exchanged for six Demon Pills before returning to his room.

The oil lamp's flame flickered like dancing spirits, illuminating the entire room and making Qin An's features appear faint and obscure.

Gazing at the smoke before him, Qin An's lips curled slightly.

[Healer lv.11 (0/8000): Your patient treatment effectiveness improves, reducing the treatment time and enhancing the medicinal effect]

[Talent: Mastery of Meridian Condensation Medical Skills, Great Success in Meridian Condensation Toxic Resistance, Meridian Condensation Medicine Mastery]

Level eleven!

Through endless mundane cultivation, daily visits to the clinic and the Evil Extermination Bureau, Qin An finally cultivated the healer profession to level eleven.

Upon reaching level eleven in the healer profession, all talents were enhanced to mastery of the Pulse Condensation Realm, making Qin An's time of dull endurance worthwhile.

"Now it's time to elevate the protective cultivation technique to the Outer Elixir Realm." Qin An looked intensely at the book in his hand, thinking to himself.

The Pulse Condensation Realm protective technique was quietly placed on the table, with four large characters written on the cover—Qianyuan Golden Image.

This time, Qin An emptied all his merits to exchange for the Pulse Condensation Realm technique and six Demon Pills.

What he exchanged for now, the Qianyuan Golden Image, is a highly distinctive protective cultivation technique.

The so-called Qianyuan Golden Image involves spreading True Essence throughout the body, forming a protective Dharma aspect around it.

This Dharma aspect appears empty, yet it converges all protective techniques into one.

Qin An's protective techniques are in various layers, making their fusion extremely difficult.

But this Qianyuan Golden Image seems like a coupling agent, capable of integrating all protective techniques completely.

To others, this cultivation technique might be somewhat useless, as no one else cultivates multiple cultivation techniques like Qin An does.

But what seems useless to others is sweetness to Qin An.

Thinking of this, Qin An hesitated no longer, and under the dim glow of the oil lamp, he opened the book in his hand.

As the text came into view, the proficiency of the scholar profession slightly increased.

Qin An spent the time of an incense stick to read through the entire Qianyuan Golden Image.

After reading, Qin An did not hesitate, sitting cross-legged on the bed, closing his eyes in concentration.

True Essence inside him operated according to the Qianyuan Golden Image method, like a mighty river surging.

In an instant, True Essence condensed on the surface of Qin An's body, revealing an illusory Dharma aspect.

As the aspect appeared, amidst flashing golden light, a streak of smoke floated in the air.

[You've cultivated the Qianyuan Golden Image, triggering corresponding talent]

[Qianyuan Golden Image (Perfection)]

The terrifying talent allowed Qin An to instantly cultivate the Qianyuan Golden Image to perfection.

Without pausing, Qin An moved on to circulate True Essence and manifest the Celestial Profound Healing Body.

A large amount of text quickly disappeared, condensing into new text.

[You possess the Celestial Profound Healing Body and Qianyuan Golden Image, attempting to merge the two body techniques, but lacking the necessary talent, you failed]

[Currently, the ancient battlefield relic lies before you, with the Carefree Mountain lurking like a tiger, along with other demons and pseudo-gods, eager to devour flesh and blood, your heart is worried, planning a forced breakthrough]

[Burning a large amount of Qi and blood, after sitting for years, a moment of insight flashes in your mind]

[You continue to burn your Qi and blood, the insight grows larger]

[Ultimately, you grasp the realization, merging the two techniques into one]

[You've named the new cultivation technique Celestial Healing Dharma Aspect]

[Celestial Healing Dharma Aspect (Initial)]

Text exploded and dissipated, transforming into a massive influx of information into Qin An's mind.

Closing his eyes, Qin An absorbed all the information before opening his eyes sharply, a twinkle of brilliance in them.

"Good cultivation technique! This time it's worthwhile!"

After reaching the Outer Elixir Realm Initial, the Celestial Profound Healing Body transformed into Celestial Healing Dharma Aspect, merging all protective techniques into one, forming a Dharma aspect body.

From now on, each protective cultivation technique Qin An practices will add to the Dharma aspect.

The more formidable, the stronger the Dharma aspect becomes.

It even retains the original power of restoration.

Circulating True Essence, a golden Dharma aspect stood behind Qin An, surrounding him completely.

The golden Dharma form, like the sun, dispelled all shadows around.

After sensing its astonishing defensive power, Qin An collected his True Essence and retracted the Dharma aspect.

"I should take on a task now." Qin An took out his waist token from his bosom, his eyes shining brightly.

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