Just as the old patriarch forced me to my death, I achieved the unity of Dao and fruition.

At dusk.

The outer gate of the Xuandu Taiyi Sect, the tent hall of the Spirit Medicine Garden.

The last batch of account books was delivered to Ye Qingyao.

"Manager Ye, these are the records of the spiritual seeds entering and leaving the twelve herb gardens today, as well as the records of the spiritual herbs used in the three alchemy rooms."

The speaker was a middle-aged monk.

A mid-stage Golden Core cultivation level would be enough to command a small sect in the outside world.

However, in the outer sect of the Xuandu Taiyi Sect, he was merely a steward in the Spirit Medicine Garden's accounting office.

His daily task was to organize the accounts sent from below and then hand them over to the girl in front of him who showed no trace of cultivation.

Ye Qingyao looked down and flipped through the pages.

The ledger contains numerous figures: the year of the medicinal herbs, the quantity stored, losses, and the number of disciples who received them—all must be matched one by one.

However, the truly tedious matters had already been handled by the stewards below.

She only needs to check for any oversights and then leave her mark at the end.

"The Seventh Herb Garden delivered 300 Qingling Grass plants yesterday, but only 297 have been put into storage today."

Ye Qingyao raised her head.

"The whereabouts of the three missing plants are not recorded."

The middle-aged cultivator was stunned for a moment, then quickly took the account book.

His gaze swept over her, and his expression immediately became somewhat unnatural.

Such a minor problem would normally go unnoticed.

Unexpectedly, Ye Qingyao only flipped through a few pages before recognizing it at a glance.

Another young Golden Core cultivator nearby immediately explained:

"Three disciples damaged the roots and stems while picking today, which should be included in the losses, but the people below forgot to record it."

"Then we'll add it."

Ye Qingyao did not make things difficult for them.

"Try to write more clearly in the future."

"Yes."

Several Golden Core deacons agreed simultaneously.

Once all the ledgers were confirmed, the last rays of sunset gradually faded away.

Ye Qingyao closed the jade book.

That's all for today.

Everyone felt as if they had been granted a pardon and took their leave.

After leaving the tent hall, the young Golden Core cultivator couldn't help but look back.

"Is she really just a mortal?"

The middle-aged deacon next to him lowered his voice.

"At least on the surface, his cultivation level is not apparent."

"But she looks at the ledgers way too fast."

"What's so strange about that?"

The other person chuckled softly:

"Haven't you heard? Behind this Manager Ye stands a very important figure from the sect."

"Otherwise, why would a mere mortal be allowed to live in the outer sect's sacred grounds, and why would she make us do her bidding?"

Envy flashed in the eyes of the young Golden Core cultivator.

After hundreds of years of arduous cultivation, they finally achieved the Golden Core, but upon arriving at the Taiyi Sect in Xuandu, they still had to diligently organize the accounts.

Ye Qingyao had no cultivation, but she became their manager simply because she knew a big shot.

Indeed, you can't compare people to each other.

Inside the accounting room, Ye Qingyao tidied up the table before getting up to leave.

The small courtyard where she lived was not far behind the main hall. This was specially arranged by the elders of the outer sect, taking into account Ye Qingyao's background and her lack of cultivation.

The place is not large, but it is built on a tributary of a spiritual vein. Several spiritual peach trees are planted in the courtyard, and at night, a faint spiritual mist rises from the ground.

Ye Qingyao pushed open the door and entered. After confirming that no one was around, she raised her hand and released a beam of spiritual light.

hum.

The small arrays placed around the courtyard lit up.

An invisible barrier enveloped the entire courtyard, isolating it from the outside world and blocking out divine senses.

If those Golden Core deacons had seen this scene, their eyes would probably have popped out of their sockets.

How could a mere mortal possibly control a formation?

Ye Qingyao had already gotten used to it.

She entered the room and sat cross-legged on the soft couch.

Gently form hand seals using the method I remember.

The next instant, the spiritual energy that had been hidden without leaving a trace slowly flowed out from her body.

It started as a trickle, but soon it became a surging river.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth passed through the formation and converged from all directions.

Her aura also continued to rise.

Golden Core... Nascent Soul.

The vortex of spiritual energy in the room only gradually subsided when the moon was high in the sky.

Ye Qingyao exhaled a breath of turbid air, and the illusory image of the Nascent Soul behind her vanished in a flash.

"Finally, I've reached the Nascent Soul stage."

She opened her eyes, but her tone didn't convey much excitement; instead, it sounded somewhat embarrassed.

"Mother-in-law, am I cultivating too slowly?"

Deep within his mind, a languid yet alluring voice echoed.

The voice sounded like someone who had just woken up, with a slightly nasal tone.

"You even know what slow is?"

"With such good bloodline and the personal instruction of me, it's amazing that it took you so long to reach the Nascent Soul stage."

"At this rate, when will you be able to recover your true cultivation level?"

Ye Qingyao thought about it seriously.

"I've already tried my best."

"I also need to review the accounts of the Spirit Herb Garden recently, so I can't cultivate during the day."

A voice in my mind hummed softly.

"Excuse."

Ye Qingyao wasn't angry; she just smiled and said:

"My mother-in-law is right."

"But Grandma, why did you wake up so early today?"

The voice suddenly rose a few decibels.

"You're calling her 'Grandma' again!"

"My name is Feng Xi, and I am the legitimate heir of the ancient Phoenix Clan."

"I'm only 100,000 years old!"

"According to the lifespan of the Phoenix Clan, you've only just come of age; how can you be old?"

Ye Qingyao blinked.

Ten thousand years old? Isn't that what you call a grandmother?

She hasn't even lived a fraction of 100,000 years since birth.

If we really follow the human generational hierarchy, calling someone "grandma" would be too young.

Feng Xi seemed to have guessed what she was thinking and sneered in anger.

Are you thinking to yourself that I'm old again?

"no."

Ye Qingyao answered quickly.

"My mother-in-law will stay young forever."

"Ye...Qingyao!!!"

Feng Xi gritted her teeth and shouted.

But in the end, there was nothing they could do about her.

This girl usually seems gentle and mild-mannered, but deep down she has a stubborn streak.

From the very first day we met, I was convinced that I had to call her "Grandma" because she was so old.

No matter how I try to correct it, it's no use.

Feng Xi sighed helplessly.

His divine sense swept over Ye Qingyao's body, and his tone gradually became serious.

"Although the Nascent Soul stage is a bit lacking, the bloodline awakening went relatively smoothly."

Ye Qingyao looked down at her palms; her skin was still fair.

But if she so chooses, a very faint golden dragon pattern will appear beneath her palm.

According to Feng Xi, she possesses an extremely ancient true dragon bloodline.

Ye Qingyao is still a little confused.

She was born in an ordinary fishing village, and her parents were just ordinary people.

How could someone possess the bloodline of an ancient dragon?

Feng Xi appeared in her mind without warning on the very first night after she arrived at the Taiyi Sect in Xuandu.

He immediately asked her:

"Do you want to cultivate?"

Ye Qingyao didn't hesitate for long at the time.

Of course she thought so. In this world where cultivators are high and mighty, ordinary people can't even truly control their own lives, let alone protect those around them.

She understood this principle before.

She simply lacked spiritual roots and had no one to teach her.

Now that the opportunity is in front of her, she naturally doesn't want to miss it.

Feng Xi helped her awaken her bloodline and taught her cultivation methods.

In a short period of time, she went from having no cultivation to reaching the Nascent Soul stage.

But Ye Qingyao didn't know what this speed meant.

Feng Xi always said she was too slow, and that she had only just begun to understand the Nascent Soul stage.

She then assumed that she had indeed just embarked on the path of cultivation.

"I'll teach you another method later."

Feng Xi suddenly said.

"You must cultivate diligently."

"Once you've mastered it, at least you won't be left without a chance to fight back when you encounter danger."

Ye Qingyao nodded.

"it is good."

Feng Xi remained silent for a moment, then her voice suddenly lowered, losing its previous languor and feigned impatience.

"You'd better get stronger quickly."

"From now on... protect me well."

Ye Qingyao paused for a moment, then smiled and raised her little fist.

"Don't worry, Mother-in-law."

"I will definitely protect you."

Feng Xi did not speak immediately.

Through Ye Qingyao's soul, she seemed to see that figure from hundreds of thousands of years ago again.

That person had stood in front of her before, smiling and saying the same thing.

But in the end, she collapsed in front of the Leap Immortal Gate.

A single step can separate life and death forever; even a true immortal can die!

Feng Xi suppressed the surging memories and quickly returned to her lazy tone.

"Hehe, then I'll be waiting."

"But before you can protect me, you must at least cultivate to the level of a True Immortal."

"And we have to do it before those old folks wake up."

Ye Qingyao was somewhat bewildered.

"A true immortal? Can I become an immortal too?"

Feng Xi was about to speak.

Suddenly, a talisman flew in from outside the courtyard.

The talisman stopped in front of the formation and vibrated gently.

Ye Qingyao raised her hand and made a gesture.

The talisman passed through the array and landed in the palm of the hand.

She probed into it with her divine sense, and a smile quickly appeared on her face.

"It's Grandpa."

"He sent someone to pick me up, saying he needed to talk to me about something."

Feng Xi immediately snorted coldly.

"grandfather?"

"I think it's some ill-intentioned guy."

Since waking up, she had heard about Gu Changjin from Ye Qingyao countless times.

That person brought Ye Qingyao to the Xuandu Taiyi Sect and arranged accommodation and a position for her.

He seemed to be taking care of her in every way, but Fengxi always felt something was off.

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Not to mention a grandfather who suddenly appears out of nowhere; he probably has ulterior motives.

"Don't move yet."

Feng Xi's divine sense swept over Ye Qingyao's entire body.

A wisp of golden-red flame fell silently, completely obscuring her nascent soul aura.

In the blink of an eye, Ye Qingyao returned to being an ordinary girl with no cultivation whatsoever.

She deactivated the formation and stepped out of the courtyard.

Outside the courtyard, a disciple of the Xuandu Taiyi Sect was already waiting on his sword.

"Miss Ye."

"Senior Gu has emerged from seclusion; please come over there."

Ye Qingyao stepped onto the flying sword.

The sword light rose, piercing through the moonlight, and flew towards the cave where Gu Changjin was in seclusion.