"The Undying True Demon Formula, if cultivated to the highest realm, will achieve true immortality..."
Meng Chen closed his eyes, silently reading the cultivation method recorded in his mind, and could not help being filled with shock.
Within this cultivation method, there were also many ways of training.
One of them was the art of body refinement!
So-called body refinement meant letting oneself be beaten by others, or placing oneself in various dangerous places to temper one's physique.
Upon seeing this method of cultivation, Meng Chen immediately shook his head.
This nearly self-abasing approach was clearly not to his liking.
Not long after, Su Ningshuang opened her eyes once more.
Her gaze turned cold and detached, sweeping a faint glance over Meng Chen.
Noticing nothing unusual about him, she flicked her sleeve without a word, and a gale instantly whipped up, wrapping around Meng Chen's entire body.
Meng Chen looked startled; his master had never been so rough with him before...
Caught up by the gale, he only felt his head grow dizzy.
When he recovered his senses, he found himself standing atop a flying sword, with Su Ningshuang standing rigidly before him with an indifferent expression.
A barrier enveloped the perimeter of the flying sword, and as Meng Chen took a gentle breath, he caught the faint fragrance emanating from Su Ningshuang.
Seeming to notice Meng Chen's movement, Su Ningshuang suddenly spoke:
"The matter between us must not be spoken of. As for your Dao companion, your master will naturally make arrangements for you."
Just as Meng Chen was immersed in the romantic atmosphere, Su Ningshuang's voice suddenly reached him.
Meng Chen started, instinctively opening his mouth to object.
Yet the moment he was about to speak, he felt a wave of chill emanate from Su Ningshuang.
Helpless, Meng Chen could only agree for the time being: "This disciple... will strictly obey Master's command."
***
The Qingxuan Sect was located in a place rich in spiritual power within the State of Qi.
To this day, its sect already possessed a history of tens of thousands of years, overawing all directions.
Within it stood five towering peaks, possessing quite an awe-inspiring presence.
Among them, one peak was noticeably taller, and halfway up its slopes, snow that never melted year-round could be seen covering the terrain.
At this moment, outside the Qingxuan Sect, a long rainbow flashed rapidly. It was a flying sword, and standing upon it were Su Ningshuang and Meng Chen.
Vaguely, the sound of Meng Chen drawing in sharp breaths could be heard from time to time.
Previously, although his master had carried him soaring through the clouds and mists, he had never experienced anything so real as this.
Naturally, he understood that this was because he now possessed cultivation, and his master would no longer treat him as a mortal...
Meng Chen felt as though he was scared out of his wits. Along the way, countless mountain ranges appeared to ripple and wind like dragon spines, yet these same mountain ranges looked like tiny, insignificant little mounds of earth.
This sight made his legs feel almost weak and rubbery.
He only wondered if part of the reason was the intense exertion he had shared with his master earlier...
As his vision blurred, he found himself suddenly surrounded by a lush, verdant scene.
Rich spiritual power permeated this verdant landscape, and the moment Meng Chen landed, he took a deep breath, instantly feeling his cultivation advance by a fraction.
Not far away stood a pavilion, with a giant boulder in front of it bearing three large carved characters:
Medicine Garden.
Beside the boulder, a horse-faced woman had been sitting cross-legged in meditation. Upon sensing someone's arrival, she opened her eyes.
Spotting Su Ningshuang at a glance, she immediately got up, hurried over to her, and paid her respects respectfully.
"From this day onward, he is a disciple of the Medicine Garden. You will immediately arrange a medicine garden for him and teach him how to tend to the spirit herbs."
With that, Su Ningshuang gave Meng Chen a deep look, flipped her palm to produce a jade slip, and handed it toward Meng Chen.
"If you have matters, use this jade slip to find your master." Handing the jade slip to Meng Chen, she hurriedly left behind those words and transformed into a long rainbow, departing.
Meng Chen stood in a daze, his master's retreating figure... seeming somewhat flustered...
Upon hearing the word "master," the horse-faced woman cast a startled look at Meng Chen, and her demeanor instantly grew somewhat cautious.
She handed Meng Chen a jade slip of her own, gave him a series of instructions, and then turned to lead Meng Chen toward the medicine garden.
This medicine garden was very large, and Meng Chen's horizons had also become extraordinary. With a single sweeping glance, he could tell that this medicine garden spanned thousands of acres.
In every acre of the medicine garden sat an ordinary-looking wooden hut.
From these wooden huts, disciples dressed similarly to the horse-faced woman emerged from time to time, and a large portion of them were even good-looking women.
Fluctuations of cultivation emanated from all these people. The moment Meng Chen cast his gaze over them, his heart stirred, and the anxiety in his chest lessened quite a bit.
"This truly is a wonderful place... so many female cultivators..."
Meng Chen showed an expression of anticipation. As he walked forward, cranes flew past in the sky.
From upon the backs of those cranes came the silver-bell-like giggles of women.
This made Meng Chen grow even more fond of the place instantly.
"Could it be that Master arranged for me to come here for this very reason?"
Meng Chen pondered inwardly: "No, that's not right. She said she would arrange a Dao companion for me; surely she wouldn't make me put in too much effort myself..."
"Could it be..."
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Meng Chen's mind, and he thought of something.
"Master once mentioned the matter of Demonic Cultivators—such people generally act as they please, and by having me tend to spirit herbs, this job undoubtedly requires immense patience..."
"Could it be that Master's intention was to... help me wear away the demonic nature of the Ancient Demon Body?"
Lost in thought, Meng Chen soon followed the horse-faced woman onto a small path.
"Junior Brother, your medicine garden will be right here." The horse-faced woman suddenly halted her steps and pointed forward.
Following her gesture, Meng Chen looked ahead, and his expression instantly froze.
Before him lay a pitch-black pavilion. From within this pavilion, muffled rumbles sounded from time to time, as if something were exploding.
In front of the pavilion, several male disciples dressed in somewhat grayish robes were running back and forth, busy with various tasks.
Noticing someone's arrival, and especially upon seeing the horse-faced woman, a rather chubby male disciple trotted over.
Wiping his grime-covered cheek, he said with pleasant surprise: "First thing this morning, this junior felt that something joyous was bound to happen today—so it turns out the Senior Sister was coming."
"Could it be that Senior Sister has had a change of heart regarding our previous matter? Since that's the case, taking advantage of today's auspicious moment, how about you and I become Dao companions right now?" At the mention of this, the fat man grew immensely excited.
"This junior brother will join your Discarded Pill Room from now on, but he does not need to work with you all; he only needs to manage the medicine garden. This matter was specifically instructed by Senior Su."
The horse-faced woman's expression turned extremely unsightly, and she angrily snapped: "The person has been delivered. Farewell!"
With that, she hurried backward, and then, as if remembering something, she cupped her fists toward Meng Chen before striding away quickly.
Seeing this, Meng Chen could not help drawing a sharp breath, looking at the fat man before him as if gazing upon a divine being.
He had noticed this horse-faced woman right from the start; her appearance was nothing short of miraculous craftsmanship.
If she walked out at night, she could easily be mistaken for a horse-headed netherworld guard coming to claim human souls.
Was this big fat man's taste truly so extraordinary?
Prompted by some stray thought, Meng Chen suddenly wore a guarded expression and stepped back a few paces...