Han Jue was extremely nervous.

He tried his best to look pleasantly surprised, as he prepared for Xing Hongxuan to attack him any moment.

Xing Hongxuan suddenly walked forward and grabbed his hand tightly. She smiled excitedly and said, "You're really my lucky charm!"

"I'm happy as long as you're happy."

[Xing Hongxuan's favorable impression of you has increased. She can become your companion. Her favorable impression of you is at the level of three stars]

Han Jue smiled bitterly at the line of words that appeared before him.

However, Xing Hongxuan didn't notice it. She walked around him, picked up the recipe, and began to flip through it.

She seemed to be looking for something.

Han Jue waited nervously.

Should he make a move?

If Xing Hongxuan took the recipe away, he wouldn't be able to obtain the sword technique.

Xing Hongxuan seemed to be injured, and her breathing was unstable.

Ambush her?

So that she will back off and give up?

Just as Han Jue was hesitating, a gust of cold wind swept through the door.

Han Jue was caught off-guard and was sent flying, crashing into the wall and rebounding to the ground.

Not really painful.

Just a little scary.

Han Jue stared in the direction. It was Elder Iron!

He tilted his neck and shook his right leg vigorously. He was pretending to have passed out.

"Put down my alchemy recipe!" Elder Iron said coldly.

Xing Hongxuan talked back coldly, "You're actually back!"

Elder Iron said expressionlessly, "I've been back for a long time, but I've been waiting for you to show up. The last time I came back, I saw the two of you the moment I arrived. All these years, the other disciples have not accepted any of my missions, only the two of you have. There must be something fishy."

With that, Elder Iron suddenly launched an attack at Xing Hongxuan, pushing his palm at her.

In his palm was a talisman.

As Xing Hongxuan instinctively jumped away, a lightning bolt shot out from Elder Iron's palm and wrapped around her.

Elder Iron then kicked Xing Hongxuan, sending her flying backward.

Almost instantly, Elder Iron snatched the alchemy recipe back.

Xing Hongxuan landed on the ground, her body twitching uncontrollably.

With his advantage, Elder Iron continued pursuing Xing Hongxuan, causing her to flee.

The two of them zoomed out one after another.

Lying on the ground, Han Jue hesitated whether he should get up.

No!

If he got up, he wouldn't be able to avoid suspicion.

Han Jue also thought about escaping.

But it was too dangerous. He didn't even know where to run to.

So, he waited patiently.

After an hour, Han Jue couldn't help but scratch his butt.

Then, he suddenly felt an aura approaching the pavilion.

It was Elder Iron!

Han Jue didn't dare to move.

As he entered the pavilion, Elder Iron noticed him and frowned.

Han Jue suddenly coughed.

Elder Iron walked to a nearby chair and sat down, quietly staring at him.

Han Jue displayed the best and most realistic acting skills ever.

He rubbed his head and got up.

Looking around in confusion, he was pleasantly surprised to see Elder Iron.

"Elder Iron! You're finally back!"

Han Jue shrunk his neck and looked around nervously.

He carefully asked, "Then, where did the witch go?"

Elder Iron looked at him expressionlessly.

Han Jue hurriedly stood up and lowered his head before Elder Iron, looking uneasy.

Han Jue was gambling!

He was gambling that Elder Iron didn't notice the communication between Xing Hongxuan and him.

If he discovered it, Han Jue could only go all out.

"What did she tell you?" Elder Iron asked.

Han Jue didn't dare to hide anything and answered truthfully.

"Hmph. She wants to train you to be her husband. What a joke."

Elder Iron was so angry that he laughed. This kid must be daydreaming.

He examined Han Jue carefully.

Huh.

It's actually true.

This kid had really become handsome. Just based on his looks and gaze, he wasn't inferior to those inner sect disciples at all.

The changes were too great!

Could it be…

Elder Iron stretched out his hand and grabbed Han Jue's right wrist, pondering carefully.

Nervous, Han Jue was ready to attack at any time.

"This kid doesn't have a cultivation potential or cultivation. Am I overthinking?"

Old Iron silently thought. Seeing Han Jue's fearful and anxious appearance, he couldn't help but think of his parents, and his mood immediately became irritable.

He snapped. "Go back to sleep!"

Han Jue heaved a sigh of relief, hurriedly bowed, then left the pavilion quickly.

Elder Iron began to tidy up the room.

…

Back in his room, Han Jue quietly went to bed.

[As you did not help Xing Hongxuan steal the alchemy recipe, you successfully obtained the sword technique—Unparalleled Finger Divine Sword]

Han Jue was in a good mood. He finally had a life-saving technique!

He immediately chose to inherit it.

A wave of memories surged into his mind.

The Unparalleled Finger Divine Sword wasn't considered a martial art, but a magical spell. He could brandish his finger as a sword, and the spirit Qi would transform into a blade.

Han Jue was very talented with sword techniques and was able to master the magical spell in one night.

However, he didn't expose himself and maintained a low profile.

The next day.

After Han Jue woke up, he heard the other servants say that Zhang Ge had died.

It was said that he died a miserable death, bleeding from all seven orifices.

The male cultivator guarding the herb garden also left early in the morning. Something big seemed to have happened last night.

Han Jue couldn't help but mourn for Zhang Ge.

[Xing Hongxuan's favorable impression of you has increased. She can become your companion. Her favorable impression of you is at the level of 3.5 stars]

Han Jue was stunned.

Why did she become more affectionate towards me?

Ridiculous!

However, Xing Hongxuan probably wouldn't dare to show up again for the time being, and Han Jue could cultivate in peace.

…

Half a month later.

Elder Iron left the herb garden again.

He had been going out more frequently in the past ten years.

Han Jue heard from Old Man Wang that Elder Iron seemed to be nearing the end of his life and was looking for herbs to increase his lifespan.

Not everyone could break through easily like Han Jue.

Elder Iron's cultivation level was stuck at the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm and could not increase further.

This was the difference in cultivation potential.

Elder Iron was a typical mortal cultivator who wanted to change his fate.

Han Jue prayed in his heart, hoping that this old man would die on the way.

The reason he had such a vicious thought was that he noticed that Elder Iron still had a level of hatred of 1 star towards him.

Elder Iron was a potential enemy!

…

In the blink of an eye.

Two years passed.

The twenty-year-old Han Jue had cultivated all four spiritual roots to the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm.

As long as he cultivated his lightning and fire cultivation potential to the ninth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, he could begin preparing to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

However, there was no lightning or fire spiritual Qi around the herb garden.

Han Jue knew that it was time for him to leave.

That night, he quietly left.

Han Jue still had a thousand superior-grade spirit stones that he had yet to take out. This would be the source of his confidence in traveling the cultivation world.

Along the way, Han Jue used his divine sense to search his surroundings as he walked.

He was prepared to pay a visit to the Jade Pure Sect and become its disciple.

The Jade Pure Sect probably wouldn't reject a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refinement Realm.

The next morning.

Han Jue finally found the Jade Pure Sect.

The sect was located in a valley between mountains. Mysterious mist pervaded the air, and two huge stone statues flanked the gate. They looked like kirin statues.

"Stop right there. Show us your sect pass," said a disciple of the Jade Pure Sect as he raised his sword.

A total of four disciples were guarding the entrance of the Jade Pure Sect, and all of them were at the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.

Han Jue turned off the concealment function and clasped his hands. "I'm Han Jue, a rogue cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refinement Realm. Do I have any way to join the Jade Pure Sect?"

The ninth level of Qi Refinement Realm!

The four disciples' attitudes instantly changed.

The sword-wielding disciple told the disciple beside him, and the latter disciple quickly left.

"Wait a moment. I've sent someone to inform the outer sect warden," said the sword-wielding disciple.

Han Jue thanked him.

In the Jade Pure Sect, other than Elder Iron, no other cultivator knew his name. Elder Iron had yet to return and might have died outside, so Han Jue wasn't worried about exposing his identity.

In any case, he had done nothing to harm the Jade Pure Sect, so nothing was stopping him from joining the sect.