Wait a minute, where is my master?

Upon hearing these words, Yan Chu's face instantly changed.

One should know that because of the "Truth-Telling Skill," Qingmu Academy almost got jointly executed by the major Taoist authorities of the Nine Provinces in the past.

Although Mei Shouyi was a bit of a chatterbox, he wasn't someone who couldn't distinguish between what was important and what was not. How could he get himself involved in such a matter now?

Thinking of this, the Old Dean furrowed his brows deeply, and his Spiritual Power also secretly gathered towards his feet.

If it hadn't been that Mr. Zhu hadn't finished speaking, he would have wanted to fly out immediately and personally capture Mr. Mei.

"But rest assured, Ancestor, this damn plan hasn't succeeded. Today, just when he was about to go to Tingfeng Building in Shangjing City to exchange for the reward, he was coincidentally caught by Boss Song.

"That's why the two of us chased him all the way to the north gate."

When the Old Dean heard that Mei Shouyi's plan had not succeeded, his furrowed brows slightly relaxed.

Then he turned to Jin Xu and said,

"Taoist, forgive the laughter, I need to deal with some sect matters first, I will find you later at the martial arts arena."

After speaking, he didn't wait for the young Taoist to respond, and with a swoosh, he disappeared on the spot.

Seeing that the Old Dean had left, Mr. Zhu also hurriedly apologized to Jin Xu, then quickly flew out towards the north of the city.

"...What's with all these issues day after day."

After the two had disappeared, the young Taoist remained silent for three breaths before finally uttering this sentence.

Then, he turned around and waved at two girls.

"Let's go, let's enter the city."

...

...

An hour later.

In the Royal Arena, within the martial arts field,

an ancient-looking Taoist temple stood in a corner of the martial arts field, none other than Jin Xu's Xuanxu Temple.

At that moment, the temple's main gate was wide open.

Seated on the threshold was a man dressed in a blue-and-white long robe, appearing to be around thirty, with an exceptionally tranquil and peaceful demeanor.

However, despite the transcendent aura he emanated,

the two glaring dark circles under his eyes made him look very much like a frequent visitor to brothels, indulging excessively in sensual pleasures.

This person was none other than the human incarnation of the Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow. Previously his Divine Soul was injured, only able to maintain his original state. Now that his injuries were fully healed, he was weak but could finally appear as a human.

Though... he looked rather unhealthy.

"Senior Guan Ling, are you saying my master is still in a deep sleep?"

At the temple gate, Jin Xu, with a complex expression, glanced at the Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow and asked for confirmation.

"Yes, that strand of his Spiritual Sense is still in a state of sleep, but his life should be out of danger for now. By the way..."

The ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow paused halfway through speaking, gasping for a few heavy breaths before continuing,

"by the way, has it really been only a few months since our last conversation?"

After the severely weakened Big Willow Tree awakened, it had asked Jin Xu about the current year and month, and how he had come to know the Old Dean of Qingmu Academy and gotten along so well with him.

And where did he get so many Heart Calming Pills?

Thus, to satisfy the old senior's curiosity, the young Taoist spent the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea briefly explaining what he had been up to over the past few months.

As a result, the Ten-thousand-year-old Serenity Willow, who had been standing, sat down on the doorstep of the temple, feeling a sense of absurdity rising within.

"Your master has lived in the Nine Provinces for thousands of years, yet he hasn't had as splendid a few months as you. Disbanding the Destroying Demon Sect, becoming an uncle to the Great Xia, and purifying the Nine Provinces Sea Eye.

"Who exactly is the master, and who is the disciple here?!"

So, the Dreamlike Big Willow Tree, feeling a strong sense of fantasy, confirmed the time with Jin Xu once again.

"Indeed, it's only been a few months."

The young Taoist nodded, slightly relieved to know that his master was safe and sound. He then took out the glazed book page he had kept in his robe and said,

"Senior Guan Ling, are you aware of the anomaly on this glazed book page? I borrowed it from Senior Yan. It was originally a treasure capable of withstanding the Heart Demon Tribulation, but now, it seems to have the same side effects as Strengthening Pills."

Jin Xu, with some hesitation in his tone, finished speaking and flipped the glazed book page over a few times in his hands.

After all, this thing was borrowed from the Old Dean, and now that its effects had changed, he had to give an explanation.

The middle-aged man weakened by illness revealed a trace of fear in his eyes when he heard that the glazed book page in the Taoist's hands had the same side effects as 'Strengthening Pills,' his body also shrinking towards the temple gate.

Then, after taking several deep breaths, he said,

"This artifact is indeed a marvel; before… before… before when I was countering those side effects, it provided me much assistance. As for why it has become like this…"

At this point, the Ten-thousand-year-old Serenity Willow began to breathe heavily again.

On the side, Jin Xu, watching the weakened middle-aged man, couldn't help but worry that the other might pass out at any moment.

Fortunately, after heavy breathing and gulping down a bottle of pills like eating candy beans, the Big Willow Tree finally recovered and continued explaining to the young Taoist.

"This treasure was continuously emitting a seven-colored glaze radiance, helping me counteract the side effects of your pill. However, as human efforts are limited, so are artifacts."

"After it emitted the seven-colored radiance several times, the sensation of mental clarity and concentration began to weaken and was almost nonexistent. I thought the artifact had reached its limit, but unexpectedly, it started to absorb the side effects of your pill from my body."

"So, you see, this treasure..."

By this point, Jin Xu already understood why the glazed book page had changed.

Wanting to prevent the extremely weakened Senior Guan Ling from inadvertently talking himself into unconsciousness, the young Taoist quickly gestured for him to stop explaining further.

"Senior, I understand now. It turns out that this item has absorbed some of the pill's side effects, causing this change. Then..."

As Jin Xu spoke, he activated his Spiritual Eyes and the Body Purification Skill at the same time, observing the book page closely while giving it a thorough cleanse.

However, after one application of the Body Purification Skill, he found that the impropriety of the glazed book page seemed to have intensified slightly from just before.

"Hiss, could it be that the side effects have fused with the artifact? Or is my magic ineffective on this object?"

The young Taoist muttered to himself, scratching his head in frustration.

How should he explain this to Senior Yan now?

Although you have lost an artifact that could be helpful during the Crossing Heart Demon Tribulation, the good news is, now you can make others "Cross the Heart Demon Tribulation" anytime, anywhere, right?

"Cough, definitely not acceptable."

As Jin Xu was deliberating, he suddenly noticed a wave of spatial fluctuation behind him.

Turning around,

he saw a pale golden orb, a manifestation of the Heavenly Dao rules, unexpectedly appearing in the midst of this martial field.