Wang Hui's words plunged Zhu Bufan into silence. Facing a cultivator at the Bone Forging Realm, Zhu Bufan still had the confidence to compete, but against a cultivator at the Soul Refining Realm, even possessing the Chenjiang Duanliu Break as his trump card, Zhu Bufan knew he was inevitably no match. The disparity in levels determined everything. When facing Lian Xie, if not for the Poison Fire strongly countering the Corpse Poison and the liberated power after releasing the Black Flame Restriction, Zhu Bufan would never have been able to push Lian Xie to such a state.

After a long while, Zhu Bufan sighed and didn't know what to say. Wang Hui, nearly 'imprisoned' in the First Layer, was someone Zhu Bufan currently couldn't help.

Seeing Zhu Bufan's expression, Wang Hui naturally understood what he was thinking. After smiling slightly, Wang Hui continued, "Actually, it's not bad now. Although initially I really wanted to leave this place, staying for a long time made me realize that it's not bad here after all. Despite the limited space, it's relatively peaceful compared to the outside world."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Hui's expression suddenly changed, then he immediately let go of Zhu Bufan's hand and said, "Young brother, your meridians and organs have already started to recover. You just need a bit more time and you will soon be healed. Take a good rest."

With that, Wang Hui left the wooden hut like a gust of wind, leaving Zhu Bufan alone. Seeing Wang Hui leaving, Zhu Bufan knew Wang Hui must have something to attend to, so he started to meditate cross-legged.

After leaving the hut, Wang Hui quickly flew towards a place not far outside the hut and soon reached a small grove where he spoke with a cold expression, "Who exactly are you, having been surveilling here for so long? Why don't you come out and meet me?"

"Ha ha ha, Master Wang Hui is indeed impressive. Apart from your proficiency in alchemy, your Divine Sense Sensing is also unmatched," a slightly aged figure appeared in front of Wang Hui as a gust of wind passed.

"Is it you?" Wang Hui was evidently a bit startled by the spirited old man appearing before him, but he quickly regained his composure and asked in a stern voice, "What do you mean by this? You have been surveilling my residence these past few days? I don't seem to have any conflict with you, do I?"

"Hehe, of course, of course. We have always had a good cooperation with Master Wang Hui, haven't we?" Hearing Wang Hui's words, the old man hurriedly laughed.

"If that's the case, can you explain why you are surveilling my residence?" Upon hearing the old man's words, Wang Hui's expression immediately darkened.

"Master Wang Hui, please don't misunderstand," the old man shook his hand and continued, "Actually, it's not you, Master Wang Hui, we wish to monitor, but rather the young brother temporarily staying with you, so please don't misunderstand."

"You are monitoring Brother Zhu Bufan? Why? Does he have some grudge with you?" The old man's words made Wang Hui frown even deeper, his expression turning wary.

"Hehe, not at all, not at all. We have no grievances with the young brother, we just want to clarify one thing," the old man said with a slight smile, seemingly indifferent to Wang Hui's vigilance.

"What is it?"

"We just want to know if this young brother is an Artifact Refiner, nothing else special. You, Master Wang Hui, have been with this young brother for a few days. Do you perhaps know?"

"Artifact Refiner?" Upon hearing the old man's recount, Wang Hui was slightly startled, but his face remained expressionless as he indifferently said, "Whether the young brother is an Artifact Refiner or not, what does it have to do with Lanyue Pavilion?"

"Hehe, how could it not be related?" Once again revealing a smile, the old man continued, "You know, within this layer, there doesn't exist an Artifact Refiner. Master Wang Hui, you should also understand how important an Artifact Refiner is as a resource. If that young brother really is an Artifact Refiner, then we at Lanyue Pavilion naturally hope to be the first to approach and enlist him."

"Just enlisting him?" With a cold snicker, Wang Hui continued, "He is currently my patient, and I have a responsibility to take good care of him. As a doctor, I don't hope for anyone to disturb my patient's rest, so I hope you all step back and do not interfere. As for whether the young brother is an Artifact Refiner, I do not know, and even if I did, I wouldn't say. That will be all; I hope Lanyue Pavilion can maintain some respect!"

"Hehe, of course, of course. However, Master Wang Hui, perhaps you would reconsider? If Master Wang Hui could help us at Lanyue Pavilion to recruit that young brother, maybe this old man could speak up for Master Wang Hui in front of our young miss. I know that Master Wang Hui has always desired to visit the second layer of the tower," seeing Wang Hui sweep his sleeve and leave, the old man wasn't upset at all, instead just smiling lightly.

"What did you say?" The elder's indifferent words, when heard by Wang Hui, sounded like thunder, making Wang Hui freeze in place.

While Wang Hui was interacting with people from Lanyue Pavilion, Zhu Bufan was also wholeheartedly absorbing nature's spiritual energy, and the best way to heal injuries was through cultivation. This was not just an empty saying; as the absorbed nature's spiritual energy was transformed into Primordial Qi, it also nurtured Zhu Bufan's body. The injured organs were rapidly revitalized under the nourishment of nature's spiritual energy, so indeed, cultivation was the best method for healing.

Several hours passed, and Wang Hui had not yet returned. Emperor Yan and Huo Ling were staying in a wooden house nearby. Seeing that Zhu Bufan was deep in meditation, they naturally did not come to disturb him.

"Whoosh"—exhaling deeply, Zhu Bufan slowly opened his eyes. While absorbing nature's spiritual energy, Zhu Bufan noticed that his Primordial Qi was a bit different than before. Looking at the dragon and phoenix-like serpent mark on the back of his right hand, Zhu Bufan wondered, "Could this be because of the Purple Cloud Sword Spirit?"

Feeling the condition of his body, Zhu Bufan discovered that his injuries had significantly improved from before, with the aid of Wang Hui's elixirs. Zhu Bufan, feeling almost stiff, lightly moved his shoulders and leaned on the wall to slowly stand up.

Stepping out of the wooden house, Zhu Bufan began to enjoy the fresh breeze he hadn't felt for days. The gentle wind blowing from the nearby clear lake was laden with a faint mist, invigorating him so much that just being outside seemed to improve his injuries.

"Brother Zhu Bufan, why have you come down?" Just as Zhu Bufan sat by the lakeside, admiring the shimmering water, Wang Hui's voice suddenly sounded from behind him. Turning around, he saw that Wang Hui had returned at some unknown time.

"Master Wang Hui, you're back?" Seeing Wang Hui, Zhu Bufan stood up hurriedly to greet him. Seeing Zhu Bufan's gesturing, Wang Hui quickly stepped forward to prevent him from bowing too deeply.

"No need for such formalities, young brother," said Wang Hui, supporting Zhu Bufan before placing his hand on Zhu Bufan's wrist to send a strand of Primordial Qi through his meridians to check his internal condition.

"The recovery is quite impressive. At this rate, in another seven or eight days, you might fully recover. Moreover, your cultivation seems to be even stronger than before, and your internal foundation of Primordial Qi is solid. This might even be a blessing in disguise," said Wang Hui, satisfied after examining Zhu Bufan's injuries.

"This is all thanks to the elixirs from Master Wang Hui, otherwise how could I have recovered so quickly?" replied Zhu Bufan, shaking his head repeatedly.

"Heh, alright, enough of this endless thanking," chuckled Wang Hui, his expression suddenly turning serious after hesitating for a moment, then asked Zhu Bufan, "Young brother, tell me honestly, are you an Artifact Refiner? Please don't hide anything."

Seeing Wang Hui's serious expression, Zhu Bufan felt there was no need to hide anything from his lifesaver, so he nodded almost without hesitation.

"Master Wang Hui, what are you asking this for...?"

"Was it to sell me off? Am I right, Master Wang Hui?" Just then, a childish voice spoke up. Emperor Yan, stepping forward with bare little feet, had approached the two, her cute little face wearing an expression cold enough to freeze a river, her large round eyes gleaming with an unexplained light.

"Emperor Yan, don't talk nonsense," Zhu Bufan quickly said, frowning at Emperor Yan, then turned to Wang Hui, "Master Wang Hui, I'm sorry, Emperor Yan is still a child, she doesn't understand."

"I don't understand?" Emperor Yan glared fiercely at Zhu Bufan before turning to Wang Hui with a cold voice, "Has Emperor Yan lied? Master Wang Hui, you probably know best, don't you? Did you forget who you met in the grove just now?"

Faced with Emperor Yan's pointed questioning, Wang Hui had no response. His usually calm face turned slightly pale, and seeing Wang Hui's expression, Zhu Bufan knew things were not so simple. Sighing, Zhu Bufan asked Wang Hui, "Master Wang Hui, what exactly happened? Please speak frankly."

"It's actually nothing." Wang Hui exhaled deeply and said, following a glance at Zhu Bufan and Emperor Yan, "Just now, someone from Lanyue Pavilion approached me, hoping I could confirm your identity as an Artifact Refiner and assist them in recruiting you into Lanyue Pavilion."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.