Leaving the Cloudsea immortal pavilion, Gu Ze rode the Star Chaser, soaring freely among the clouds.
Leisurely clouds flowed past both sides of the immortal boat, and his mood brightened considerably. Qingquan’s boat was both stable and fast — truly a delight!
“This boat is not bad,” a sudden voice came from behind Gu Ze.
He spun around to see a long-haired man wearing a white mask standing behind him. Shrouded in a mysterious aura, it was none other than Fu Xu Immortal Lord, whom he had not seen for a long time.
“I have long heard that Daoist friend Qingquan collected a top-quality immortal boat. It can chase the stars and moon above, or dive into the sea and earth below.”
“With this boat, traveling the entire universe is no problem at all. I did not expect that she would so generously give this boat, which she rarely used in front of outsiders, to her disciple.”
He stroked the black railing beside him with a sigh. He only had the chance to hitch a ride because the one piloting the boat was Gu Ze.
“The Peak Lord only lent it to me,” Gu Ze said with some embarrassment, lowering his head.
Fu Xu stroked his chin. “Lent it? Do you need to carve your natal spirit seal on an immortal boat just to borrow it? Do not forget that I started as a weapon refiner; I would not miss such a detail.”
Caught in a lie, Gu Ze scratched his head guiltily.
Fu Xu suddenly leaned close to Gu Ze, a measuring ruler appearing in his hand at some point. He scrutinized Gu Ze closely.
“What exactly is special about you that Daoist friend Qingquan values you so highly? After ending her seclusion, she did not even hold a banquet to celebrate her reaching the Nascent Soul stage, yet she rewarded you first.”
No matter how precise the ruler was, it could not measure anything meaningful.
Gu Ze stood still, curious. ‘Why are the Peak Lords of Cloudsea immortal pavilion so idle?’
He had not noticed it before, but recently, he felt like the Peak Lords were everywhere. Or rather… many Peak Lords were now connected to him.
Even so, they should not just pop up anywhere at any time. Had Fu Xu also handed over all his affairs to the elders under him?
Seeing the ruler was useless, Fu Xu thought for a moment and pulled out an iron saw.
Gu Ze decisively stopped his stray thoughts, his expression shifting slightly as he took a subtle step back.
But Fu Xu instantly leaned in, hooking an arm around his shoulder and waving the iron saw. “Do not be so afraid. I cannot actually saw you open. We dealt with Wang Xiao together before.”
“If we were not like-minded people, why would I have helped? You two obtained the Divine Fire while I watched a good show. Being able to glimpse the battle of those two’s Daos and witnessing the Heaven-Earth Phenomenon of a Nascent Soul powerhouse’s birth made the loss of my cultivation base worthwhile.”
He patted Gu Ze’s shoulder with a hearty attitude.
But the doubts in Gu Ze’s heart deepened.
Fu Xu was clearly a powerhouse at the Golden Core Perfection stage, only one step away from the Nascent Soul stage.
Yet, by forcibly accelerating the birth of the World-burning Heavenly Fire, he had consumed too much cultivation base and dropped 2 levels in his realm.
For Fu Xu, this could be said to have damaged his foundation. Those 2 levels of cultivation might take 10 or more years to recover.
Achieving someone else’s path at the expense of his own — Gu Ze did not believe Fu Xu did all that just to watch the fun.
Someone else’s Nascent Soul stage was ultimately not his own. Gu Ze faintly felt that everything Fu Xu had done, even adding fuel to the fire of the conflict between Qingquan and Wang Xiao, was actually for his own Nascent Soul path.
However, Gu Ze currently knew too little to see through Fu Xu’s grand scheme.
“Does the Immortal Lord not wish to pursue the Nascent Soul stage?” Gu Ze asked.
Perhaps he was just a pawn in Fu Xu’s layout. But knowing more about Fu Xu’s thoughts would make it easier to protect himself when Fu Xu eventually flipped the chessboard.
“Why seek it! The immortal path is like a great river. Some swim against the current, some go with the flow, while I… I stand on the shore. I watch everything that happens in this river.”
“I applaud when mortals change their fates against the heavens like koi turning into dragons and ascending. I sigh with regret when geniuses fall into dangerous traps and lose their lives due to a single wrong move.”
“Even if the water occasionally kicks up massive waves, I am just a spectator on the bank. Jumping out of the shackles of this immortal path, neither drifting with the tide nor hitting the rocks head-on — do you not think I am more like an immortal?”
He released Gu Ze’s shoulder and walked to the bow with his hands behind his back, bathed in the astral winds, his long sleeves fluttering loudly.
Gu Ze mostly understood. While everyone else was working hard to cultivate and break through, or stagnating due to bad luck, Fu Xu had chosen to ‘lie flat.’
‘Jump out of the shackles of the immortal path? Can a cultivator really jump out?’
The path to longevity was right there, and the temptation was immense. Once one started cultivating, they would crave longevity even more than mortals.
From Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment, one could gain 300 years of lifespan. Breaking through to Golden Core could result in a lifespan of 1,000 years.
The lifespan of the Nascent Soul stage was several times that of the Golden Core, and rumors said Divine Transformation cultivators were nearly immortal, existing alongside the Heavenly Dao.
Anyone with cultivation talent would surely fight tooth and nail for the Dao.
Gu Ze had also chosen to ‘lie flat’ for 3 years, so he could vaguely guess why Fu Xu chose to stop instead of pursuing the Nascent Soul stage.
Back when he first entered Cloudsea immortal pavilion, his cultivation had stagnated at Level 3 of Qi Refinement, yet he had not dared to seek any opportunities.
He knew very well that with opportunity came tribulation. His fate would never be as smooth as the destined heroine’s.
At the very least, Gu Ze could not imagine how his past self — without strength, background, or trump cards — would have survived.
Before clinging to Li Xunmiao’s thigh, Gu Ze had always been very cowardly. The Fu Xu before him was the same.
Ultimately, the number of Nascent Soul cultivators was extremely small. Among the twenty-four peaks of Cloudsea immortal pavilion, including Peak Lords and elders, there were over 100 Golden Core cultivators. Yet, the Nascent Soul ones could be counted on one’s fingers.
This path was too difficult. To break through meant facing the possibility of failure. If one could not survive the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation, they would most likely perish.
There were only one or two artifacts in Cloudsea immortal pavilion that could withstand a Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation. Neither Wang Xiao nor Qingquan had one, and Fu Xu likely did not either.
He was afraid of failure, so he naturally did not dare to compete. Deliberately dropping his cultivation might even be an excuse to avoid attempting the breakthrough.
Gu Ze suddenly let out a deep sigh. Fu Xu turned back with some surprise.
Staring into Gu Ze’s mature eyes, he suddenly felt as though this youth in the Qi Refinement Stage had seen right through him. Behind the mask, his expression changed slightly, but Fu Xu comforted himself that it must be an illusion.
The Nascent Soul stage was hard to reach, far too hard. Fu Xu only wanted — and only dared to seek — self-satisfaction. At least until he was completely confident in forming his soul, he would not rashly compete for the Dao.
“By the way, Gu Ze, you are now at Level 9 of Qi Refining and about to reach peak perfection. Have you made preparations for Foundation Establishment?” Fu Xu suddenly changed the subject, not wanting to talk about himself anymore.
Gu Ze understood and was not surprised, as the two of them had an agreement long ago. With a thought, he took a wisp of Primal Chaos Qi from the Spirit Furnace.
Gu Ze had discovered a clever use for the Spirit Furnace: anything that could be categorized as an alchemy material could be stuffed inside.
Intangible things like Qi, souls, or medicinal herbs that were difficult to store for long could be put directly into it.
“I cannot absorb this Primal Chaos Qi at all, nor can I achieve any resonance with it. Right now… I have no clue.”
“No matter. This is just a hypothesis of mine as a Golden Core cultivator; it may not be achievable. I only heard that the founding ancestor of Cloudsea immortal pavilion once absorbed and refined Primal Chaos Qi, which gave me the idea of using it for Foundation Establishment.”
“The Qi Gathering Technique used by disciples to build their foundation was created by the ancestor. It can absorb any type of Lingqi well. I feel that this ancient technique might have some kind of reaction with the Primal Chaos Qi. There are plenty of opportunities in the world.”
“If you cannot use the Primal Chaos Qi for Foundation Establishment and wish to find an opportunity for a Heavenly Path Foundation Establishment, you can come to Danyin Peak to find me.”
“A good show should be playing there soon. I will disguise myself as a disciple to watch. With your methods, it should not be hard to recognize me.”
After saying this, he patted Gu Ze’s shoulder again and turned into a greenish-gray light, departing.
Gu Ze confirmed he had not misheard — Fu Xu was going to Danyin Peak to watch a show. Was there some opportunity there?
‘That’s right! Wang Xiao has perished, and his legacy has not been claimed. How could the direct transmission disciple left at Danyin Peak, Chen Xin, possibly digest Wang Xiao’s core legacy alone?’
Gu Ze felt a bit of an itch; he was very interested in this opportunity.
Although what Wang Xiao studied was a heterodox path, his understanding of the Dan Dao was extremely thorough, surpassing everyone else in Cloudsea immortal pavilion.
The fact that he had a chance to charge toward the Nascent Soul stage based on the legacies he collected meant those things were at the Nascent Soul level at the very least.
Even if Gu Ze could not use them now, he could prepare for the future.
If he obtained something unrelated to the Dan Dao, he could even bring it back to Li Xunmiao. If it were judged to be her opportunity, there might be unexpected gains.
The majestic silhouette of Biluo Peak could already be seen in the distance, but the thought that Wang Xiao’s legacy could be divided up at any time made Gu Ze hesitate.
“No, I have to go get a share. We are all alchemists; it is not too much for me to browse through some of the legacy, right? Wang Xiao, your last wish was to see the Dan Dao flourish through me. I hope your legacy does not disappoint.”
The immortal boat banked sharply in the air, moving further and further away from Biluo Peak.
Within the Qionglou Yuyu hidden among the clouds of the immortal mountains, inside a boudoir covered by light veils, Qingquan was lying leisurely on a jade bed. She suddenly slapped the bedboard and sat up.
Anger flashed in her beautiful eyes. “Why did he run away?! Has he realized that I am about to hold him accountable? That makes no sense. How could he know… “
Qingquan struggled internally, hesitating whether to chase after him and bring him back. Suddenly, a slender figure flashed before the bed curtains and bowed slightly to her.
“Master, I have finished my seclusion,” Li Xunmiao said softly.
She had been living by Qingquan’s side for the past few days.
With the spirit veins gathering at the mountain peak, combined with the secret techniques and assistance provided by Qingquan, Li Xunmiao had broken through rapidly.
The Qi of the Yellow Springs flowed secretly as Li Xunmiao caught up to Gu Ze once again, reaching Level 9 of Qi Refining.
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