For Zhang Jingmo, ten years passed in the blink of an eye. So in the span of two or three years, before he even realized it, he discovered that Lu Guijiu had already come of age.

On Lu Guijiu's eighteenth birthday, Zhang Jingmo gifted him an Eternal Youth Pill.

Lu Guijiu was surprised to receive the gift, as he had not expected it from Zhang Jingmo.

Zhang Jingmo said, "I took this when I was twenty-three years old." That's why he had maintained the appearance of a twenty-three-year-old until now.

The Eternal Youth Pill was extremely sought after in the cultivation world. Due to its special properties, nearly all female cultivators were obsessed with it. Even if it meant bankrupting their families, they would buy one and swallow it while still young.

However, although the Eternal Youth Pill could preserve one's youthful appearance, it would not extend lifespan. So for some people, it was nothing more than a form of self-deception.

Zhang Jingmo said, "Find an age you like and take this pill."

Lu Guijiu agreed, then asked, "How old are you, Master?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingmo thought for a moment and sighed lightly. He said, "I can't remember either. Probably around seven or eight hundred years old."

Hearing this, Lu Guijiu stared at Zhang Jingmo with burning eyes. Afterwards, he put the pill Zhang Jingmo gave him into his Sumeru Ring, seemingly having no intention of taking it for the time being.

Now Lu Guijiu was at the age where his body was still growing. His physique was more robust than Zhang Jingmo's and he was also a bit taller. Compared to Zhang Jingmo's refined and scholarly bearing, Lu Guijiu exuded more of a steady and ruthless aura.

However, whether steady or ruthless, in front of Zhang Jingmo, Lu Guijiu always behaved like a child.

The peaceful days continued for two or three years. The sensation around Zhang Jingmo and Lu Guijiu also faded a bit. In these past few years, the cultivation world saw the emergence of new talents. The entire continent knew that the young valley master of Kuchan Valley had successfully formed his Nascent Soul, adding another Nascent Soul elder to the cultivation world.

Between the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages was an unbridgeable chasm. No matter how much Zhang Jingmo knew, with his early Golden Core cultivation, in the hands of a Nascent Soul elder, he was nothing more than an ant that could be easily crushed to death.

Even for a major sect like Lingxu Sect, there were only three or four Nascent Soul cultivators. And the birth of each Nascent Soul cultivator signified a reshuffling of the power dynamics.

During this time, Zhang Jingmo had nothing to do, so he focused on cultivation, entering closed-door meditation nearly every day. Although his cultivation was increasing, there was still a long way to go before reaching the middle stage of Golden Core.

Zhang Jingmo had thought about living a peaceful life, but his identity and abilities destined him to be swept up in the storm.

On this particular day, Zhang Jingmo was about to leave Lingxu Sect to gather some spiritual herbs on a nearby mountain. Lu Guijiu was still cultivating. Seeing Zhang Jingmo about to head out, he bid him farewell.

Zhang Jingmo slightly nodded to Lu Guijiu. The master and disciple did not know that after parting this time, the next time they would meet would be decades later.

In these two or three years, the masked man had not appeared again. Although Zhang Jingmo was cautious everywhere, he could not avoid going out. But the places he went to were not far from Lingxu Sect. He thought in his heart that there shouldn't be any accidents.

But if accidents had omens, how could they be called accidents? So when Zhang Jingmo saw the masked cultivator again, he knew he was done for.

It's not the theft you fear, but being targeted by a thief. Especially a powerful thief like this. Zhang Jingmo could hide for a time but not for a lifetime.

This time, the man was only wearing half a mask, revealing a faint smile on his lips. He said, "Senior Zhang is really quite cautious, making me wait so long..."

Zhang Jingmo's face turned grim. He looked around but didn't see a single person.

Seeing Zhang Jingmo's actions, the man laughed, "Thanks to Senior Zhang's blessings, the fifty-two Lingxu Sect disciples in this mountain have all gone to the heavens to see Buddha."

Zhang Jingmo asked coldly, "What do you want?"

The man smiled, "Didn't I already tell Senior Zhang? I'm just here to ask Senior Zhang to refine a pill for me."

Zhang Jingmo sneered, "The Heavenly Core Yellow Spring Pill? If I had that ability, would I still be toyed with by you like this?"

The man kept smiling, but it was a smile that made one's heart pound with unease. He said, "You don't have it now, but you will in the future."

After saying this, he waved his sleeve. Zhang Jingmo's vision went black as he saw a huge curtain covering the sky and sun, pressing down on him. He retreated urgently but still couldn't escape, like Sun Wukong trapped under Buddha's palm.

When the difference in strength was too great, no matter how clever one was, it was useless. Zhang Jingmo sighed inwardly, but quietly released a paper crane from his hand. Then he was wrapped up by the huge curtain and directly taken away by the masked man.

Zhang Jingmo disappeared without a trace. The corpses of the disciples in the mountains were only discovered more than ten days later. By the time Lu Guijiu also realized his master was in trouble, more than a month had already passed.

Lu Guijiu was anxious and flustered but had no way to help. He was only at the fifth layer of Qi Refining. Even if his talent was high, in the vast sea of the cultivation world, he was nothing more than a small fry.

After the sect master learned of this matter, he immediately sent people out to investigate. In fact, he already had a vague answer in his heart as to who had abducted Zhang Jingmo. But without clear evidence, he could not go to their door and demand his return.

Faced with Lu Guijiu's anxiety, the sect master could only console, "That person shouldn't harm Qingyuan. Don't be anxious for now. When I find out the situation, I'll go to their door to get him back."

At this time, Lu Guijiu hated his powerlessness to the extreme. He had always been protected by Zhang Jingmo and got the best of everything. But when his master encountered this kind of situation, he couldn't help at all.

While Lingxu Sect was in chaos because of this matter, Zhang Jingmo was wrapped in a black cloth and carried on someone's shoulder into a cave abode.

Tianwan was instructing disciples on matters when she saw her senior brother carrying a black human-shaped object in from outside.

Tianwan asked softly, "Senior Brother, what are you carrying?"

The person addressed as senior brother by Tianwan said, "Naturally, it's the good thing that can save Tianfeng."

At the mention of Tianfeng, a trace of grief flashed through Tianwan's eyes. She said, "Senior brother, this joke is not funny."

Senior brother chuckled lightly, but did not answer. Instead, he casually threw the thing he was carrying on his shoulder onto the bed. The black cloth spread open, revealing a man in white clothes. This man had a handsome face, but his eyes were closed, and his slightly furrowed brows indicated that he was obviously not very comfortable.

Tianwan asked, "Who is this?"

Tianlu said, "This person is Zhang Jingmo of the Lingxu Sect."

For once, Tianwan recognized the name she heard. She showed a look of pleasant surprise, "You really went and kidnapped him?" It seemed that she was also very familiar with her senior brother's temperament, knowing that he would definitely not politely invite the person, but would use such a method.

Tianlu said, "Of course."

After staring at Zhang Jingmo for a moment, Tianwan sighed again, "But senior brother, although the person has been brought here, that elixir..."

The smile on Tianlu's face faded, and he said coldly, "Since the person has already come, the elixir naturally has to be refined for me. If it can't be refined, then it proves that this person is only famous but useless. I, Tianlu, will help the Lingxu Sect remove this person with an undeserved reputation."

Hearing this, Tianwan saw no problem with her senior brother's logic. Instead, she nodded in agreement. Looking at Zhang Jingmo's sleeping appearance, she laughed, "Indeed, but this person is so good-looking. If he dies... it would be a bit of a pity."

Tianlu said, "If he becomes useless, how about I give him to you as a human puppet?"

Tianwan nodded happily. After a moment, she said, "Quickly, don't say anymore. He's about to wake up."

Zhang Jingmo only felt a buzzing sound in his ears. His head was dizzy, and he struggled to open his eyes with great difficulty, but for a long time he could not see anything, only feeling a blur.

His eyes focused for a long time before he vaguely saw a slender hand waving in front of his eyes, as if checking to see if he could see anything.