603: make friends

She turned her gaze back to He Dong, the light in her eyes growing brighter. This Opportunity was undoubtedly laying a heavy cornerstone for her future Path of Cultivation.

"Twenty-three bottles?"

He Dong's gaze fell upon the small mountain of empty bottles on the desk, his tone carrying a hint of imperceptible astonishment.

He looked at Jiang Lu, the smile on his Face gradually deepening. His eyes were now shining with a profound meaning.

After a moment of silence, He Dong slowly spoke, his tone measured.

"Jiang Lu, there is something we need your help with."

As soon as the words fell, Jiang Lu almost subconsciously straightened her back, her Face instantly adopting a resolute expression, carrying a hint of desperate determination.

She took a step forward, performed a Cupped Hands in Salute, and spoke with a resounding voice.

"Uncle He, please feel free to command! As long as it is something Jiang Lu can do, I will go through mountains of blades and seas of fire without a single word of refusal!"

Jiang Lu spoke these words with genuine sincerity.

The twenty-three bottles of Medicinal Agent just now—every single one was a supreme treasure capable of cleansing the marrow, purifying the veins, and improving the Spiritual Root. Even figures at the Elder level in the Sect might not obtain them, let alone drinking them as freely as she did.

This favor was as heavy as Mount Tai.

Forget just helping out; even if she were asked to do something more dangerous, as long as it could lead to an advancement in her Cultivation Base, she would not frown once.

The Path of Immortality is inherently Heaven-Defying. If one blindly adheres to convention, in the end, they will only turn into a handful of yellow earth.

So-called Sect rules and so-called fellow Disciple affection are simply not worth mentioning in the Face of tangible Aptitude improvement and Lifespan increase.

Forget everything else, even if it meant betraying the Sect—even if she were asked to immediately leave her original Sect and join this Mysterious Power—it would be a sure-fire, profitable deal for Jiang Lu.

After all, looking across the entire Sect, who could produce so many Medicinal Agents capable of directly improving Spiritual Roots?

No one.

Only this mysterious and unfathomable power before her could offer her a shortcut to greater heights.

Jiang Lu clenched her fists, a flash of fervent light crossing her eyes. As long as she could become stronger, she was willing to pay any price.

Ever since experiencing being hunted by Bandits, she understood that status and identity were superficial; only her own true Strength was paramount.

"Don't worry, it's not some earth-shattering difficulty."

He Dong changed the subject, his tone softening slightly. His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the edge of the table, his voice carrying a perfectly measured hint of hesitation.

"We... well, our Sect only recently awoke from slumber a few years ago. Having lived in the Forbidden Ground for so long, we are unfamiliar with the outside world's situation. Since you are an Inner Sect Disciple of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect, we were thinking if we could perhaps use your Face to connect with the Lingxiao Immortal Sect and establish a good relationship."

After speaking, He Dong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

They were originally outsiders, and now, pretending to be the mysterious Forbidden Ground power of this world, every word and action had to exude a natural "local feel" so as not to reveal any flaws.

Hearing this, a flash of realization quickly crossed Jiang Lu's eyes, and an "as expected" expression immediately appeared on her Face.

She thought to herself that anyone who could casually produce so many supreme treasures for improving Spiritual Roots and be so generous must be an Ancient Sect that had been hidden deep within that Forbidden Ground for many years.

How could ordinary powers possess such foundation and spirit?

"Uncle He, don't worry, leave this matter to me!"

Jiang Lu's tone was full of certainty, the confidence between her brows impossible to hide.

"Although I am not a Core Disciple of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect and cannot access the highest-level Elders of the Sect, I am still an Inner Sect Disciple, and I can speak with the Managing Elders on normal days. This matter will definitely not be a problem!"

Seeing Jiang Lu agree so readily, the anxiety in He Dong's heart finally settled.

He had just been secretly worried that Jiang Lu would take the benefits and then pretend to be ignorant, finding excuses not to carry out the task.

If that were the case, they would have no choice but to kill her and spend some effort finding another Disciple from a Major Sect to cooperate with.

Now, it seemed he had worried too much.

The smile on He Dong's Face became a little more genuine, and he nodded toward Jiang Lu.

"With your word, that is excellent."

"Oh right, consider these things as a Meeting Gift for our two Sects establishing a connection."

As He Dong finished speaking, he casually waved his hand toward the door.

Footsteps approached from afar. An Imperial Soldier pushed the door open and entered, his steps steady, holding a Tray in his hands.

On the Tray, rows of Small Bottles were neatly arranged. The bottles shone with a warm luster, densely packed, totaling over a hundred bottles—all the same Medicinal Agent Jiang Lu had previously drunk.

Witnessing this scene, Jiang Lu's pupils contracted sharply. She was so shocked that her mouth slightly opened and remained agape for a long time.

Her throat unconsciously bobbed. Her gaze was fixed firmly on the Medicinal Agents, and her heart pounded violently, nearly leaping out of her chest.

Twenty-three bottles of the Medicinal Agent had already transformed her Spiritual Root and caused her Lifespan to surge by several decades. Now, having a hundred bottles laid out before her was simply a Windfall from Heaven!

As expected, it truly deserved to be called a Mysterious Power capable of using the Forbidden Ground as its Sect headquarters. With such a display of wealth, perhaps only a few Sects in the entire Cultivation World could compare.

Ordinary Sects would have to carefully consider before taking out Medicinal Pills or Treasures with such effects. They certainly wouldn't start with a hundred bottles, like these people.

"Uncle He, please rest assured!"

Jiang Lu suddenly snapped back to attention, her voice carrying a trace of uncontrollable tremor. She took a deep breath, straightened her posture, and spoke with absolute certainty.

"With these Medicinal Agents, forget the Elders in the Sect—even the Sect Master, I have absolute confidence I can meet!"

"Good, then we leave it to you."

He Dong watched her excited expression and revealed a satisfied smile.

Jiang Lu carefully placed the tray of Medicinal Agents into her Storage Pouch, her fingertips slightly trembling from excitement.

After completing all this, two Soldiers stepped forward to lead the way, taking her onto a Landing Craft and heading out of the Forbidden Ground.

Passing through the layers of Troop cordons, the moment she stepped out of the Forbidden Ground, Jiang Lu couldn't help but take a deep breath of the outside air.

Unlike the environment inside the Forbidden Ground, which was completely devoid of Spiritual Qi, the Spiritual Power outside, although slightly thinner, carried a sense of freedom.

Feeling the Spiritual Power flowing in the air, Jiang Lu immediately found a secluded Mountain Wall, sat cross-legged, quickly formed the Cultivation Hand Seals, and began frantically absorbing the surrounding Spiritual Power.

About half an hour later, her internal Spiritual Power recovered to a barely sufficient level, and Jiang Lu slowly stopped her practice.

She raised her hand and waved, a stream of light flashed, and an entirely pure white Flying Sword suspended itself before her.

Jiang Lu tapped her toe, lightly landing on the Flying Sword, and let out a low shout, "Rise!" The Flying Sword then transformed into a White Rainbow and sped rapidly toward the Lingxiao Immortal Sect...