Three months later, the Spacetime Shuttle burst out of the Sea of Dawn and Dusk. Zhi Meng asked in astonishment, "Weren't we going to find Jiang Yu?"
"That's right. The Sect Master has already returned to the Starlight Dao Sect," Gu Qing replied.
"When did she join the Starlight Dao Sect?" Zhi Meng's expression changed.
"Not long after she left us, she encountered a Profound God Realm elder and was brought back to the Starlight Dao Sect."
This was news Jiang Yu had told him himself.
It had to be said, Jiang Yu was incredibly cunning. Every move she made was calculated with an excuse to tie Zhi Meng to her.
It was also an excuse to fool Gu Qing.
But Gu Qing didn't want to listen to Jiang Yu's nonsense anymore this time. When he saw her next, he would definitely strip off one layer of her disguise.
Hearing this, Zhi Meng's expression flickered, and she finally snorted coldly, "Even if she has joined the Starlight Dao Sect, to me, she's nothing more than an ant. She is no longer worthy of being my opponent."
It seemed she had still underestimated Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu's ability to join the Starlight Dao Sect was likely related to her Dao of Divination.
However, many divine treasures are protected by natural arrays that sever heavenly secrets, making them impossible to divine.
If they could be divined, the countless cultivators in the Immortal Realm who practiced the arts of divination and prophecy would have long since plundered all the treasures clean.
Therefore, without the aid of a divine treasure, no matter how monstrous Jiang Yu's talent was, what could she accomplish in a few hundred years?
After all, how many heavenly prodigies and monstrous talents, even the direct descendants of Immortal Kings, with no lack of heavenly materials and earthly treasures, still took millennia to break through to the Profound God Realm.
Still, as the saying goes, it would be considered impressive if Jiang Yu could fully transform her immortal essence.
He had her figured out.
Fine, whatever makes you happy.
Gu Qing estimated the journey. If he activated the automatic flight function, it would take at least three to five years to reach the Starlight Dao Sect.
So, he took out ten drops of Time Marrow and said, "Master, you should go to the Wuji Tower first to stabilize your cultivation level. I also need to temper my state of mind."
Gu Qing glanced at the vast expanse of the world outside, his thoughts drifting.
The Immortal Realm was too boundless and immense, and fortunately, he had the Spacetime Shuttle to traverse time and space.
Even so, it would still take several years.
Without it, Gu Qing wouldn't even know how to get to the Starlight Dao Sect.
Relying on sword flight, he could forget about reaching it in less than a few million years.
As for using the cross-domain teleportation arrays, that was an option, but it would also take a very long time.
After all, there were no teleportation arrays that went directly to the Starlight Dao Sect, and they weren't available everywhere.
Furthermore, using the cross-domain teleportation arrays cost Immortal Source and Immortal Source Liquid, the prices of which were terrifyingly expensive.
Many cultivators simply couldn't afford it, and those who could would rather fly for several hundred or thousand years than use them.
Only under special circumstances, or for those who truly lacked for Immortal Source, would they choose to ride the arrays.
Gu Qing was very fortunate to have the Spacetime Shuttle; otherwise, just traveling would take over a hundred years. What was the point of even going then?
"Alright."
Hearing the first part, Zhi Meng immediately rejected the idea.
After all, piloting the flying vessel for several years would be too arduous, and she couldn't bear to let Gu Qing suffer.
But when she heard that Gu Qing wanted to temper his state of mind, the words on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back, and she simply said, "Alright."
It was good for Gu Qing to temper his state of mind; that was a great thing.
She did indeed need to enter seclusion to comprehend the laws of heaven and earth and balance the newly fused Dao Fruit.
Gu Qing released a large amount of Primordial Yellow Mother Qi, went to the bow of the ship, and sat down to temper his state of mind.
As for one's state of mind, one only knows through experience.
If he had to name a flaw in himself, it would definitely be his state of mind.
After all, his path had been too smooth, and his growth too fast, causing his state of mind to lag behind.
Without a powerful state of mind to control the boundless Great Dao, one's divine abilities and techniques could never be perfectly unleashed.
Moreover, a cultivation level that is unstable is prone to leading one astray, breakthroughs are slow, the mind becomes restless, and one cannot settle down to cultivate.
If one possesses a strong heart, unmoved by external things, with a mind as still as water, enlightenment comes naturally, and one's cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds.
Gu Qing was able to prove the Chaos Indestructible Dao Fruit, and besides having many treasures to aid him, the most important factor was his state of mind.
Even though he knew proving the Chaos Indestructible Great Dao was difficult, and he couldn't even see a glimmer of hope, Gu Qing never gave up, persisting in his bitter cultivation for several hundred years.
Zhi Meng's ability to fuse the Heavenly Thunder Pearl was also certainly greatly related to her powerful state of mind.
As the saying goes, one must cultivate the heart before cultivating the Dao. This was no lie.
Meanwhile, at the Starlight Dao Sect.
Purple Lotus Peak was holding a grand celebration to celebrate Jiang Yu's breakthrough to the fourth level of the Profound God Realm and her becoming a Peak Master.
And the star of this celebration, Jiang Yu, faced the congratulating crowd with a calm expression, her voice gentle as she thanked them.
She also announced to everyone that Gu Qing and Zhi Meng would be arriving soon.
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the crowd varied.
The Desolate Ancient Star Domain lineage, of course, was ecstatic.
After all, he was one of their own.
Their lineage was already in decline, propped up only by a single ninth-level Profound God Realm expert, and they had no heavenly prodigies to speak of.
Therefore, when they had learned that Gu Qing had awakened the Heavenly Star Divine Body and that his combat prowess and breakthrough speed far surpassed all previous Heavenly Star Divine Bodies, You Kui was beyond excited. He had opened a cross-domain teleportation array at any cost, bestowing treasures upon the Patriarch of the Starlight Divine Temple and Gu Qing.
But when Gu Qing saw that it was Immortal Source Liquid, he couldn't be bothered to take it.
Although Immortal Source Liquid could rapidly increase cultivation, strengthen the body, expand the foundation, and deepen one's roots, it was still no match for Primordial Yellow Mother Qi.
You Kui had also left a way to contact him, telling him to reach out the moment he ascended.
Not long after Jiang Yu and Gu Qing parted ways, she contacted You Kui.
Originally, You Kui hadn't paid much attention to Jiang Yu; his main target was Gu Qing, wanting to bring him back to the Starlight Dao Sect.
But the moment he spoke, he was beaten into a pulp by Jiang Yu.
You Kui truly didn't understand.
How could a Godfire Realm cultivator who had just ascended from the lower realms suddenly become a Profound God Realm expert?
What was even more outrageous was that Jiang Yu, at the first level of the Profound God Realm, could pin him, a ninth-level peak Profound God, to the ground and rub his face in it.
This was simply unbelievable.
He was known as the strongest Profound God, one who could withstand the lingering aftermath of an Immortal King's divine ability and survive.
Yet, he was left questioning his entire existence by Jiang Yu.
You Kui suspected that Jiang Yu might be an Immortal Emperor reincarnated, but he couldn't detect any transcendent Dao resonance from her.
She was using Profound God Realm divine abilities, specifically his signature move, the Star Divine Abilities.
Jiang Yu was a normal Profound God Realm cultivator, yet she was abnormally powerful.
Of course, none of that mattered anymore.
Since Jiang Yu's fist was bigger, what she said went.
And so, he was brought back to the Starlight Dao Sect by Jiang Yu.
You Kui looked at the stunningly beautiful Jiang Yu, his heart trembling, but he forced himself to ask, "When will Gu Qing and Zhi Meng arrive? What are their current cultivation levels?"
"Reporting to the Patriarch, they should arrive in about five years. Gu Qing is at the second level of the Celestial God Realm, and Zhi Meng is at the third level of the Profound God Realm," Jiang Yu replied.
"Hisss!"
Was that for real?
The heavenly prodigies, who had been plotting how to give Gu Qing a cold welcome, all expressed disbelief upon hearing Jiang Yu's words.
Even before Gu Qing had arrived at the Starlight Dao Sect, legends about him were already spreading.
After all, Gu Qing possessed the Heavenly Star Divine Body, which inherently qualified him to be crowned a Divine Son.
Moreover, Gu Qing was more powerful than any previous Heavenly Star Divine Body, so they had no choice but to take him seriously.
However, when Gu Qing ascended, hadn't You Kui said he was only at the fourth level of the Saint Realm?
Just a few hundred years had passed, and he had broken through two major realms from the fourth level of the Saint Realm.
This speed was simply outrageous.
And Zhi Meng was even more unbelievable.
Proving the Dao from the Godfire Realm to the Profound God Realm?
When had breaking through to the Profound God Realm become so easy for a Patriarch?
And the Jiang Yu before him was also incredibly suspicious.
While others took millennia to break into the Profound God Realm, Jiang Yu had reached the fourth level in just a few hundred years. It looked fake no matter how you looked at it.
You Kui also found it all to be like a dream.
His target had clearly been Gu Qing.
He had wanted to take Gu Qing as a disciple.
But now, in the presence of these two peerless prodigies, Gu Qing seemed to have become the supporting character?
No.
You Kui shook his head secretly.
Gu Qing was definitely not the supporting character.
To break into the Celestial God Realm before even reaching a thousand years of age, Gu Qing was undoubtedly a heavenly prodigy.
It was just that these two women were defying common sense.
Which raised the question: should he still try to take Gu Qing as a disciple?
You Kui glanced at Jiang Yu out of the corner of his eye, frowned in thought, and decided against it.
He was known as the strongest Profound God, a warrior who had fought three other Profound Gods undefeated and survived the lingering aftermath of an Immortal King Patriarch's divine ability. He had no desire to be pinned to the ground and rubbed in the dust again.
If Zhi Meng was a monster like Jiang Yu, the conflict of trying to poach a disciple would be a huge grudge to bear.
But after longing for it for several hundred years, to just give up like this... he found it truly hard to accept.
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