Chapter 60

Qin Muyu quickly brought a set of clothes to Gu Fan.

This was a side courtyard of the Qin family. From the presence of servants, it was evident that everything here was fully equipped.

Although the situation was urgent, Gu Fan insisted on only opening the door a crack, allowing Qin Muyu to pass the clothes through.

Qin Muyu was at a loss, thinking to herself, "You've already seen me naked, and you can't even let me look at you for a moment? You're being a bit too stingy, aren't you?"

However, Gu Fan's attitude was very firm, and he even seemed somewhat anxious. Qin Muyu did not insist further, passing the clothes through the door crack and then looking at the closed door with a bitter smile.

She now understood that even though she had decided that Gu Fan was her man, to truly win his heart, she hadn't even taken the first step... It was a long and arduous journey.

Gu Fan put on the clothes, his body flickering as the room's window silently opened. He drifted out like a breeze, heading straight for the west side of the villa.

Upon leaving the villa, Gu Fan immediately saw Cheng Shumeng's car and Cheng Shumeng inside.

"How is it?" Gu Fan quickly rushed to the car, pulled open the door, and got in.

"Master, my blood, everything inside me is being devoured!" Cheng Shumeng said with a bitter smile. She looked normal, but the essence within her body was rapidly depleting.

The devouring ability was extremely tyrannical. Without energy to sustain it, it would devour the host.

Before reaching the tenth level, the devouring ability was a double-edged sword. One misstep, and it could destroy the host.

From this perspective, the 'bloodthirsty' nature of those with the devouring ability was also a result of being forced into it.

However, this was clearly not the time for such reflections. Without any hesitation, Gu Fan quickly said, "Release your energy and absorb it quickly!"

"Thank you, Master!" A look of gratitude flashed in Cheng Shumeng's eyes. The concern and worry on Gu Fan's face made her feel warm inside. She hadn't felt such warmth in her heart for many, many years, except for the old headmaster of the orphanage who had passed away.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Gu Fan said sternly, then supplied his spiritual energy to Cheng Shumeng.

With Gu Fan's spiritual energy, Cheng Shumeng's devouring ability finally stopped absorbing her. A sense of comfort enveloped her heart.

As the devouring ability absorbed more spiritual energy, a surge of energy also emerged, replenishing Cheng Shumeng's previous depletion.

It seemed that the devouring ability did have a protective mechanism for the host. The previous absorption was out of necessity.

After a full half hour, Cheng Shumeng finally felt 'full' and stopped.

Gu Fan withdrew his spiritual energy, frowning slightly.

This time, the amount of spiritual energy absorbed was more than the last. It was roughly one-fifth of Gu Fan's total spiritual energy.

Based on this energy intensity, Cheng Shumeng's ability should have reached the seventh level.

But Gu Fan knew that the higher the level, the harder it was to advance, and the more energy was required. This was true for ability users, ancient martial artists, and cultivators alike.

With Cheng Shumeng's level now higher, would the interval between absorptions become even shorter?

Gu Fan wasn't afraid of the trouble of feeding Cheng Shumeng or of his spiritual energy running out.

But Gu Fan was about to fully focus on saving Qin Muyu. If Cheng Shumeng's devouring ability erupted and Gu Fan couldn't break away, what would happen?

Should he let Cheng Shumeng go and find energy to devour on her own?

No, that was too dangerous.

He needed a foolproof plan.

"Master, thank you, I'm fine now!" Cheng Shumeng said softly, looking at the contemplative Gu Fan.

"The interval between your devouring ability eruptions is getting shorter!" Gu Fan said sternly.

"Yes! I don't know when I'll reach the tenth level!" Cheng Shumeng was also worried. The feeling of everything inside her being devoured was truly terrifying.

If Gu Fan hadn't come, and she couldn't randomly devour others, she would have been killed by her own ability.

"I'm currently treating someone. Each treatment takes a long time and consumes a lot of my energy. If your ability erupts during this period, it will be very dangerous!" Gu Fan said thoughtfully.

Cheng Shumeng's safety had to be considered.

Moreover, Gu Fan didn't think Cheng Shumeng would still follow his orders and not devour others if her life was at stake.

If she devoured others and encountered ordinary people instead of ancient martial artists, ability users, or cultivators, there would be no place for Cheng Shumeng to hide in this vast world.

"What should we do?" Cheng Shumeng looked at Gu Fan pitifully. She didn't want to die, not at all. She had many things left to do, many great ambitions to achieve.

"Let me think!" Gu Fan pondered.

"Right!" Gu Fan's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Master, do you have a plan?" Cheng Shumeng asked eagerly.

"I have a preliminary idea. Stay here and wait for my news!" Gu Fan indeed had some ideas, but they needed to be tested.

However, if his idea worked, not only would Cheng Shumeng's problem be solved, but it would also bring many unexpected benefits, achieving multiple goals at once!

"Okay!" Cheng Shumeng nodded lightly, then watched as Gu Fan got out of the car and disappeared without a trace.

"When will I be as strong as Master!" Cheng Shumeng envied, but feeling the abundant ability energy and the changes in her body, a smile appeared on her face.

"Once Master helps me reach the tenth level, I'll be strong enough!" Cheng Shumeng's eyes were full of longing.

No one wanted to live in constant fear, and Cheng Shumeng was no exception.

"Gu Fan!" Qin Muyu's phone rang again; it was Gu Fan.

"I'm outside the villa gate, come out!" Gu Fan said and hung up.

"Already left?" Qin Muyu was a bit surprised. She was still guarding the door to Gu Fan's room.

Muttering a few complaints, Qin Muyu quickly went downstairs and indeed saw Gu Fan in the night outside the villa gate.

"Gu Fan!" Qin Muyu walked over and asked, "What can't be said outside that you had to come out?"

"Let's practice. The noise might be a bit loud. Find a place!" Gu Fan had absorbed and refined a lot of innate yin energy and had undergone another refinement of his body. Now, his body was filled with explosive power.

This power gave Gu Fan a feeling of being stifled if not released.

So, Gu Fan asked Qin Muyu to practice with him, also wanting to test the strength of his physical body.

"Now?" Qin Muyu gave Gu Fan a strange look. This request was quite unusual.

"Right now!" Gu Fan nodded.

"Follow me!" Qin Muyu turned and walked back into the villa.

"I said it might be loud!" Gu Fan frowned, reminding her.

"I know! Just follow me!" Qin Muyu smiled slightly.

Gu Fan frowned again but, seeing Qin Muyu's confident and mysterious demeanor, decided not to think too much about it.

Soon, Gu Fan understood why Qin Muyu had led him into the villa. He was now in the basement of the villa, and the depth was definitely over thirty meters! It was a space of over a hundred square meters, with thick alloy walls on all sides.

"These walls are one and a half meters thick. Any noise here won't be heard outside," Qin Muyu explained.

Gu Fan looked at the alloy walls, which had various marks, and the same on the ground. Clearly, this place was often used for martial arts practice.

Although Gu Fan had already deduced Qin Muyu's extraordinary background from her identity as a cultivator, her ninth-layer cultivation level, and the villa itself, he was still deeply impressed by this underground training room.

Then, Gu Fan felt a bit bitter.

He and his master thought they were quite up-to-date, but now it seemed they had only seen the surface. The world had already changed in ways beyond their understanding!

The times were changing, and changing greatly!

However, these reflections flashed through Gu Fan's mind and quickly disappeared.

No matter how the times changed, the pursuit of the Immortal Doctor Sect would not change in the slightest. Since that was the case, no matter how things changed, let them be. However, using these changes to better serve the Immortal Doctor Sect's pursuit could be a way to achieve the sect's millennia-old mission.

"Come on!" Gu Fan's body made cracking sounds as he clenched his fists, and the air around them crackled.

Even the air could be crushed!

Qin Muyu was very surprised!

More surprisingly, she couldn't sense any spiritual energy from Gu Fan at all!

"You, you want to practice with me using only your physical strength?" Qin Muyu was full of shock.

Cultivators also cultivate their physical bodies, but it's just a nurturing effect from their spiritual energy. It's not very strong and can even seem fragile in comparison.

Now, Gu Fan was using his physical body to fight her. Was he crazy?

Qin Muyu was a peak ninth-layer cultivator!

"Yes! I feel my body is full of explosive power. Don't worry about me getting hurt. Go all out first, and I'll see what level my physical strength has reached!" Gu Fan was eager to know the strength of his physical body. This would help him judge if he had reached the critical point.

"I'll use eight layers of spiritual energy first!" Qin Muyu hesitated.

She didn't believe that Gu Fan's physical strength could match her full power at the peak ninth layer.

"Up to you! Come on!" Gu Fan took a step forward and swung a punch.

This punch had no technique, just a simple punch, but it concentrated all of Gu Fan's current strength!

Qin Muyu's expression turned serious. When Gu Fan punched, she felt completely locked in, a faint sense of danger lingering in her heart.

She was on high alert, not daring to be careless, and her palm moved, channeling spiritual energy directly at Gu Fan's fist...