Chapter 76: Gu Saint—Can the Gu Be Removed?!

Ye Qingning boarded the flying boat, and as she looked up, she happened to see Xie Jibai.

That one glance startled her—it was as if she had caught a glimpse of grievance in Xie Jibai’s eyes, like she owed him spirit stones and hadn’t paid him back.

Her lips twitched as she muttered quietly, “Lunatic.”

When she entered the cabin, the disciples who had broken through to the Golden Core stage were huddled together, excitedly discussing where to go to let loose for three days after receiving their rewards from the sect.

Unlike other sects that allowed regular breaks, Penglai Sect enforced a strict closed management. Whether others were relaxed or not, they were all dead set on overachieving themselves to death.

Except during training or missions, disciples weren’t allowed to leave the sect.

So now that they finally had three days of reward time to go out, of course they had to carefully plan where to spend it.

Si Qian and Li Taibai had absorbed their Thunderflame Pills two days after obtaining them, hiding in a secluded cave to ensure no one could covet them. As a result, both broke through to the Golden Core stage.

Although Bai Wei hadn’t yet reached the Golden Core stage, she was clearly on the verge of doing so. With some closed-door cultivation, she could likely attempt a breakthrough.

Even Song Ziyan, who was always sharp-tongued, had come upon a fortunate encounter in the secret realm. Not only had he advanced to the Golden Core stage, but he was also immediately pulled into a Heart Demon Illusion the night he broke through—and he even overcame it successfully.

Now he was so exhilarated that he seemed to radiate energy, and wherever he sat, it felt like the wind itself circled him.

His mouth, already prone to nonstop chatter, now seemed turbo-charged. He animatedly described how he had slaughtered his way through the illusion, defeating heart demons left and right.

When Ye Qingning appeared, he even winked at her dramatically—clearly planning to rope her into the group discussion on where to go for their three-day trip after she met with the elder.

Ye Qingning knocked on Xuan Yangzi’s door. When she was granted entry, she was surprised to find that he wasn’t alone.

Pei Yin and Tian Jizi were also there, along with the Second Elder, who sat off to the side silently sipping tea. It was as if the four of them had been waiting for her.

This was… strange.

After Ye Qingning finished her greeting, the Second Elder, ever the generous type, waved her over and said, “Little Ye, come, come. Sit with me and have a cup of tea.”

“Qing Lao’er, what business do you have here?! Just drink your tea properly—better yet, go back to your own room to drink it.”

Tian Jizi had seen through the Second Elder’s intentions. He’d had the same reaction back when he first noticed this girl’s potential.

Worried that his potential disciple would be stolen away, he even blurted out the Second Elder Qing Heng’s nickname in frustration.

But the Second Elder remained calm, and his words were sharp enough to choke someone. “What does it matter where I drink tea? The whole flying boat belongs to me. Which room here can’t I sit in?”

Pei Yin: … (^_^;) That’s a fair point.

Xuan Yangzi: … (∩ᄑ_ᄑ)⊃ Are you showing off now?

Tian Jizi: … (ꐦÒ‸Ó) Yours, mine, it’s all the sect’s!

Ye Qingning was utterly confused, completely lost as to what play they were acting out. Had she come at a bad time?

She could only clear her throat and ask, “May I ask what orders the Elders have for summoning this disciple?”

At her words, the four finally returned to a serious demeanor. After a brief cough, they gestured for her to sit.

Xuan Yangzi spoke first. “Girl, ever since I sensed you were afflicted by Gu, I’ve kept it in mind. A few days ago, I finally met an old friend and asked him to come to the sect tonight to diagnose you.”

“Only by confirming exactly what kind of Gu is in your body and assessing the current state of the Gu worm can we find the most thorough method to dispel it.”

Ye Qingning was slightly stunned.

She hadn’t taken his promise that day too seriously.

Although Xuan Yangzi was revered as a Saint in the cultivation world, he wasn’t a Gu cultivator.

And Gu… was often harder to resolve than poison.

Poison typically involved a single or a few known toxic substances. To neutralize it, you only needed to find the corresponding antidote.

Gu, on the other hand, involved a brutal survival game of venomous insects devouring each other. The one that survived would be cultivated into the most toxic Gu.

These insects weren’t ordinary either. They were raised by Gu cultivators using secret techniques, absorbing spiritual energy and celestial essence over the years.

They weren’t just deadly—they were extremely hard to kill and often had special abilities.

As such, breaking a Gu was much harder than neutralizing a poison.

In the past, when she entered Luoyun Sect, even with her master’s exceptional medical skills and the repair of her heart meridian, he still couldn’t remove the Gu. After all, each field has its own expertise.

No matter how good the physician, without knowledge in Gu cultivation, how could they resolve it? By sheer willpower?

Even when Ye Hanyue was locked in the dark prison, her Gu remained intact. The system shop offered antidotes but had no solution for Gu. That was why when she left the Ye family, she had said the Gu couldn’t be resolved anytime soon.

It wasn’t that the cultivation world had no one capable of breaking Gu, but that there was only one person known as the Gu Saint—Wuming Daoren.

Rumor had it there wasn’t a Gu he couldn’t break.

Wuming Daoren, the Saint of Gu cultivation.

He had once been a sword cultivator but was framed by his senior brother and left the sect in anger to study Gu.

From there, he soared to power. In less than a hundred years, he went from an unremarkable sword cultivator to a peak-stage Tribulation Transcendence Gu Master.

Though not the strongest in cultivation, his reputation alone struck fear into the hearts of cultivators everywhere. He became a nightmare to many.

But he didn’t kill indiscriminately. The ones he sought revenge on were his slanderers and unjust elders. As such, his name spread far and wide.

His methods of raising Gu were also unique—unlike others whose Gu followed simple commands, his Gu were connected to him spiritually. One thought from him, and they would act.

His life Gu, forged from countless evolved Gu, was said to be so powerful that even those in the Great Ascension stage couldn’t defeat it.

He was revered as the Saint of Gu cultivation.

She had once searched high and low for this man—but he had no fixed abode and moved like the wind. No one in the cultivation world could find him. She hadn’t been able to either.

So now, when Xuan Yangzi said someone could help her, the first person she thought of was Wuming Daoren.

If it truly was him, then the Mother-Child Calamity Gu in her body could definitely be removed.

“Why aren’t you saying anything, little Ye? Are you overjoyed, or worried that my old friend won’t be able to help you?”

“Don’t worry—he is the foremost figure in the Gu path. He is known as the Gu Saint, and there’s no Gu he cannot break. Come the evening hour, meet me at the rear mountain, and we’ll wait for him together.”

“Yes. This disciple sincerely thanks the Grand Elder.” Ye Qingning suppressed her excitement and offered heartfelt gratitude.

She had overheard the old man wanting to take her as a disciple before, but his bad temper had gotten in the way—always finding fault with her. If not for that, she might have really considered becoming his disciple.

“Stand up. The Grand Elder is always attentive to the sect disciples. Even if it had been someone else afflicted by Gu, he wouldn’t have ignored it.”

“As the acting head of the sect, when I learned of your condition, the first person I thought of was Wuming Daoren. I didn’t expect that the Grand Elder had already found him. You’re truly fortunate—most people take years just to find a trace of him.”

Pei Yin jumped in quickly, afraid that Ye Qingning would be moved and decide to become Xuan Yangzi’s disciple.

As the sect master, he also had some ties with Wuming Daoren—but Xuan Yangzi had beaten him to it.

Tian Jizi chimed in as well. “What the sect master says is right. You’re lucky, girl. Go back and rest. Come the evening hour, I’ll accompany you to meet him.”

Ye Qingning bowed and left, unaware that Tian Jizi was sending her off to stop Xuan Yangzi from continuing to brag in front of her.

Xuan Yangzi: Not a single one of you has any shame! I’m the one who found him! And you’re just brushing off my achievement in a few words?!