"Why is that woman here again? She really has a strong heart, doesn't she?"
Watching Xun'er arrive, Ziyan muttered to herself. Her impression of Xun'er was still stuck on their first meeting. Back then, Xun'er had suddenly appeared, speaking in a sarcastic tone and displaying a haughty attitude, which left a very poor impression on Ziyan. Of course, the main reason for her dislike was Gu Fei's attitude towards Xun'er. Anyone Gu Fei disliked, Ziyan would dislike as well, and the opposite was true too.
Beside her, Xiao Yi Xian and Cai Lin each held a child and remained silent. They both knew that in the past, Gu Fei had indeed deeply loved this beautiful and otherworldly woman before them. However, they were also sure that after what had happened, with Gu Fei's character, he would never turn back and accept Xun'er again.
As expected, when Xun'er spoke, Gu Fei merely glanced at her indifferently before shifting his gaze back to the Gu clan elders, continuing to chat with them, completely ignoring her.
"Brother Gu Fei…"
Seeing Gu Fei's reaction, Xun'er felt a deep sense of loss, but she kept a smile on her face. With so many people present, she couldn't afford to lose her composure, especially since she had prepared herself mentally for this situation before coming. No matter what, at least she showed up today, which was better than not coming to congratulate him at all.
"Brother Gu Fei, if you could treat me like an ordinary person, perhaps I would understand that you've really moved on… But the way you're reacting now, is it because I still hold a significant place in your heart? So much so that you can't forget the past and treat me like the others!"
Calm and rational, Xun'er's mind raced with thoughts. She knew it wasn't wise to cling to him stubbornly, and that it was better to leave at the right time.
"What does she really mean?"
On Gu Fei's end, due to the emotional value system, even though he wasn't looking at Xun'er, he was still aware of the changes in her emotions. The few emotional cues from Xun'er made Gu Fei furrow his brow.
This woman, showing such deep affection now, then why did she hurt others before?
"Forget it, don't bother with her."
Gu Fei shook his head and continued to entertain the group of clan elders before him. The Ninth-Grade Pill in his hand was, besides him, the second main attraction of the day. Nearly every conversation revolved around him and this Ninth-Grade Treasure Pill. Some of the Gu clan elders had already started to reserve a Ninth-Grade Treasure Pill. Once they gathered the necessary ingredients, they would likely come to Gu Fei for help.
These elders were all Gu Fei's seniors, many of whom had treated him well, so it was difficult for Gu Fei to refuse their requests.
"You old folks have some nerve to be squeezing the young! Gu Fei also needs to cultivate. With so many of you asking for pills, how could he possibly keep up…"
Suddenly, a voice rang out from the sky outside the mountain peak, and a figure descended. The person wore a long green robe, with white hair yet a youthful complexion. A gentle smile always adorned his fair face, giving him a rather otherworldly and ethereal appearance.
"Elder Gu Dao has arrived!"
"Greetings, Elder Gu Dao!"
Seeing the green-robed elder arrive, even the Gu clan elders greeted him with respect. The younger generation of the Gu clan immediately bowed.
This green-robed elder was none other than Gu Dao, one of the famed three immortals of the Gu clan, and a Seven-Star Dou Saint expert. In the Gu clan, only Gu Yuan and Gu Lie were stronger than him.
"Elder Gu Dao!"
Gu Fei also bowed to Elder Gu Dao. He had to admit that Elder Gu Dao's words had just saved him from a big problem. If Gu Fei had agreed to those elders' requests, he might have been stuck as a pill-making machine for quite a while.
"You're quite remarkable, Gu Fei!"
Gu Dao had been in seclusion for years, and upon hearing of a junior in the clan achieving such an outstanding feat right after emerging, he was overjoyed. At Gu Fei's current rate of advancement, he would undoubtedly become a pillar of the clan in the future.
After that, no one else brought up the matter of asking Gu Fei to make pills. Once everyone had left, Gu Fei played with the children for a while before turning his attention back to the Ninth-Grade Treasure Pill.
This time, there was indeed an element of luck in Gu Fei's successful refining of the Treasure Pill. He wasn't fully confident that he could produce such a pill every time. A Ninth-Grade Pill contains an enormous amount of energy, and Gu Fei's cultivation had been stuck at the peak of Nine-Changes Dou Venerate for several months. He wondered if he could use this pill to successfully advance to the Half-Saint level.
"Cai'er, Xiao Yi Xian… I need to go into seclusion for a while, during which…"
Cai Lin was very understanding. She knew what Gu Fei was about to say, so she replied warmly before he could finish, "Don't worry, husband. Cultivation is important. Xiao Yi Xian and I will take care of the children!"
"I'll help take care of the kids too!"
Ziyan chimed in instinctively.
"Yes, Daddy! Aunt Ziyan is so good to me!" Xian Yue said earnestly, her mouth full of the candy pills Ziyan had given her.
"…"
Hearing this, Cai Lin and Xiao Yi Xian exchanged a knowing smile.
After arranging everything, Gu Fei went back to his secluded cultivation place. Although swallowing the Ninth-Grade Treasure Pill wasn't as complicated as the Ninth-Grade Mysterious Pill, it was still necessary to make thorough preparations.
Gu Fei took out his cauldron and refined some pills to neutralize the pill's effects. Once everything was ready, he swallowed the Ninth-Grade Treasure Pill along with the neutralizing pills.
The energy contained within the Treasure Pill was already greater than the total energy in Gu Fei's body as a peak Nine-Star Dou Venerate. As soon as the pill went down, a massive surge of energy erupted, threatening to burst Gu Fei's body. Fortunately, Gu Fei was well-prepared. The neutralizing pills started to take effect, and with the help of his heavenly flame, he managed to stabilize the situation.
"Refine!"
Gu Fei focused all his energy, using his heavenly flame to refine the enormous medicinal power within him. Pure energy began to spread throughout his body, reaching every limb and bone.
Gu Fei's Nine-Changes Dou Venerate body seemed to have reached its saturation point. If he couldn't break through to Half-Saint, no matter how much energy he absorbed, it would be useless.
The term "Half-Saint" is often referred to as the abyss of despair for all peak Dou Venerate experts. Most who reach the peak of Dou Venerate can only linger on the edge of Half-Saint, no matter how hard they train, unable to truly step into this level.
Only by reaching Half-Saint can one qualify to become a Dou Saint! In fact, Half-Saint is the most crucial stepping stone before entering the realm of Dou Saint. If one cannot step into the Half-Saint level, they can forget about ever becoming a true Dou Saint expert!
As Dou Di gradually became a legendary memory in history, the simple word "Saint" came to represent the pinnacle of this world.