After much deliberation, You Kui decided to test Zhi Meng's true capabilities first.
After all, he was the most powerful Profound God cultivator, one who could withstand the aftermath of an Immortal King's divine ability and survive.
He didn't believe that a monster like Jiang Yu could have a second counterpart in this world.
But then again, for their lineage to suddenly have two Profound God Realm cultivators was a momentous occasion.
The heavy burden on his shoulders had been lifted considerably.
Even if he were to fall one day, their lineage would not decline.
Under the leadership of two peerless prodigies, it would only become more glorious.
After a brief moment of shock, the other lineages also came to the same realization.
Previously, the Desolate Ancient Star Domain lineage had only You Kui. To put it bluntly, if he were to fall, the lineage could be erased from the Starlight Dao Sect.
But now, with two additional Profound God Realm powerhouses and another monstrously talented Gu Qing, the Desolate Ancient Star Domain lineage had risen completely.
If Gu Qing were also made the Divine Son, what would be left for the other lineages in the Starlight Dao Sect in the future?
They absolutely could not let Gu Qing become the Divine Son.
The leaders of the various lineages made the same decision almost simultaneously.
Jiang Yu's peach-blossom eyes, deep as the sea, swept across the assembly, her heart filled with disdain.
A bunch of schemers, who had made no progress in their cultivation and dared not venture out to seek opportunities, were just fixated on the old foundations of the Starlight Dao Sect.
They actually thought themselves to be somebody, simply ridiculous.
When Zhi Meng arrived, she would teach these ants their place.
A mere Starlight Dao Sect was only fit to be a backdrop for Gu Qing.
"Might I ask, Peak Master of Purple Lotus Peak, what is the reason for Gu Qing and Zhi Meng's cultivation levels to improve so rapidly?"
"Have they consumed forbidden elixirs to forcibly elevate their realms?"
At this, a young man stepped forward, cupping his fists as he asked.
His gaze burned as he looked at Jiang Yu, with an air of pressing for an answer.
"Whoa."
In the Purple Lotus Peak main hall, everyone stared at him in shock.
They never expected Shi Qian to be so bold.
In truth, they had the same thoughts. Gu Qing and Zhi Meng must have possessed a great treasure and obtained a major opportunity. They might even have Time Marrow, which was why their cultivation had improved so quickly.
But such things were better left unspoken. Saying it out loud was another matter entirely.
In the cultivation world, probing into another's opportunities was a great taboo. The consequences could be minor or severe; being killed on the spot would be their own fault.
Furthermore, wasn't Shi Qian taking Jiang Yu far too lightly?
Although Shi Qian was at the seventh level of the Celestial God Realm, he seemed to be only one major realm away from Jiang Yu. In reality, their statuses worlds apart.
Celestial Gods and Profound Gods were not even in the same league, operating on entirely different planes.
How could Shi Qan dare to be so arrogant and press Jiang Yu for answers, not fearing being killed on the spot?
In fact, Shi Qian truly was not afraid.
It wasn't that he had some powerful backer, but rather that Jiang Yu appeared kind-hearted and gentle, treating even the outer disciples with the tenderness of water. Since coming to the Starlight Dao Sect, she had never taken a life.
Moreover, Jiang Yu had always been low-key, staying in her seclusion and remaining aloof from the world, as serene as a chrysanthemum.
He, on the other hand, was the Patriarch of another lineage with a Profound God Realm powerhouse, and his own family also had one.
Possessing top-tier talent, he was one of the ten core disciples of the sequence in the Starlight Dao Sect.
With such a prominent identity, he figured that even if Jiang Yu was displeased, she would at most just dismiss him.
After all, he was asking about Gu Qing and Zhi Meng's opportunity, not hers.
Besides, his second sentence had already left them both an out.
And he, at this grand celebration, dared to publicly question a Profound God. What a glorious moment this would be!
He would become the biggest winner of this celebration.
"I don't know!"
Jiang Yu shook her head, her expression composed.
Seeing this, Shi Qian was overjoyed.
Jiang Yu was just as he had imagined, even more gentle and kind than he had thought. She didn't even reprimand him.
"Hm?"
Shi Qian wanted to continue his act. After all, opportunities like this didn't come often, and a chance to show off like this, if missed, would be truly gone.
But just as he was about to speak, he opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.
Shi Qian looked down and saw his body dissolving into specks of light.
Shi Qian looked up at Jiang Yu, shaking his head frantically and mouthing for mercy, but not a sound came out, his face a mask of terror.
He couldn't understand why Jiang Yu had killed him so decisively.
Could it be that Jiang Yu's gentleness and kindness were all an act, and she was actually ruthless and cruel?
But if that were the case, why not continue the act?
Wasn't she afraid of her facade collapsing?
Shi Qian, filled with countless doubts, felt his consciousness sink into darkness, completely turning to ash and dust.
"Hiss."
He was dead.
Shi Qian was truly dead.
Even though everyone had anticipated that Shi Qian might be killed on the spot, seeing him actually beaten to death still sent a chill down their spines.
A Profound God Realm expert was indeed not to be insulted.
Even with two Profound God Realm backers and being a heavenly prodigy with limitless potential, provoking a Profound God expert was a death sentence.
Everyone couldn't help but feel a sense of schadenfreude.
Go on, keep being arrogant?
Shi Qian actually wanted to make a name for himself by stepping on the face of a Profound God Realm expert. He truly dared to think it.
Did Shi Qian go mad from wanting to make a name for himself, or had his cultivation addled his brain?
Jiang Yu was gentle and kind, but that didn't mean she was someone to be trifled with.
And by provoking a Profound God expert, Shi Qian died for nothing. Even if his family's Profound God Realm Patriarch and Master found out, they could say nothing.
Even if they wanted to retaliate against Jiang Yu, they probably couldn't.
After all, sitting beside them was the strongest Profound God expert, one who could withstand the aftermath of an Immortal King's divine ability and survive.
But then again.
What kind of divine ability was that?
Although Profound God and Celestial God experts were not on the same level, a Profound God could slay a sea of Celestial Gods with a flick of a finger.
But Jiang Yu had only looked at Shi Qian once, and he was reduced to dust. They couldn't even see any traces of her casting the spell. This divine ability was just too bizarre and terrifying!
You Kui secretly wiped away a cold sweat.
Jiang Yu had shown him mercy back then.
Even he hadn't been able to see any traces of her divine ability, which just showed how terrifying Jiang Yu was.
The strongest Profound God expert, the glory of his life, had ultimately changed hands.
A sense of defeat rose in You Kui's heart.
But thinking of Jiang Yu's low-profile nature, he found a small comfort in his soul.
Fortunately, no one knew about him being beaten like a dog.
"Does anyone else have any questions?"
Jiang Yu swept her gaze around, her eyes as tender as water, her voice soft and melodious, like a celestial sound.
Everyone shook their heads repeatedly, many of them pale-faced, unconsciously taking a step back.
After all, one only has one life, and it should be cherished.
"Since there's nothing else, this celebration is over."
Jiang Yu waved her hand listlessly, disappearing first.
She had no sense of belonging to the Starlight Dao Sect. She had come here purely out of consideration for the Starlight Divine Temple.
And to pave the way for Gu Qing and those few Patriarchs of the Starlight Divine Temple.
"Should I go and pick up A Qing?"
Returning to her cave dwelling, Jiang Yu activated Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing, her gaze piercing through endless time and space to glance at Gu Qing, who was meditating on a flying vessel.
"Not bad. He knows to cultivate the mind before cultivating the Dao, consciously tempering his state of mind. It's not a waste of my painstaking efforts." Jiang Yu withdrew her gaze, her expression filled with gratification.
In truth, she had long noticed that Gu Qing's state of mind was fragile. Though he seemed clever and steady, ruthless and experienced in his actions, he was just a young man at heart.
Such a state of mind was fine for a mortal, but for a cultivator, it was too tender.
After all, for many cultivators, even just flying on a sword to travel takes years to calculate.
But Gu Qing wasn't willing to take a single detour, always wanting to find a shortcut to the heavens, to reach the pinnacle in a single step.
Always obsessing over her Purple Lotus Rebirth Technique.
Little did he know that a towering skyscraper starts from the ground, and glory can only be earned by oneself.
Even a blacksmith needs to be strong himself.
It was indeed the right decision to have Zhi Meng take Gu Qing to temper his state of mind, allowing him to understand the hardships of being a cultivator and the importance of one's state of mind.
Gu Qing had proven the Chaos Indestructible Dao Fruit several thousand years earlier than she had expected, which just showed how important a state of mind was for a cultivator.
It was just a pity that Zhi Meng was single-minded in her pursuit of the Dao, with no mind for marriage.
Or perhaps, Zhi Meng couldn't bring herself to lower her pride, her self-esteem preventing her from accepting becoming a dao companion with her own disciple.
This dashed her hopes of being able to taunt Zhi Meng.
"The Great Dao is heartless..."
I wonder what changes will come to A Qing after his state of mind improves, and whether he'll still be willing to play the role of a couple with me in the future.
Jiang Yu propped her chin in her hand, her peach-blossom eyes, shimmering like water, as deep as the sea. She fiddled with a communication jade, murmuring to herself.
"Being invincible is too lonely."
"Immortality is even more tedious and dull."
"True freedom is too hard to come by."
"A Qing is still the best."
"He's just a bit of a scoundrel."
Thinking of Gu Qing's wolfish words and tiger-like remarks, a faint blush appeared on Jiang Yu's flawless face.
She suddenly didn't want to see Gu Qing anymore, afraid that he would hug her leg at the slightest provocation and say things that would make her blush and her heart race.
Jiang Yu shook her head, not thinking about it any further, and glanced at Zhi Meng again. Her red lips curled slightly: "After waiting for so long, it's finally time to reel in the net."
[
Dear Readers,
If you've been enjoying the story, please consider supporting me directly on Patreon. Your backing makes it possible for me to keep creating the content you love.
What you get:
$5 tier: 20 chapters per month
$10 tier: 40 chapters per month
$15 tier: 60 chapters per month for both novels
Join now and instantly unlock + 60 chapters for all novels for first month— that's 120 chapters immediately upon joining.
Your support means everything. Thank you for helping me continue this journey with you.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/JoyceCruize?vanity=user
]