Dream World

Jun Anshi snorted and stopped talking.

After a moment of silence.

"Fellow Daoist, what is your name?"

Jun Anshi spoke up again.

"I am Jun Anshi from the Celestial Holy Land. What about you?"

The other side of the tree trunk was silent for a while before two words drifted over:

"Xuanxu."

"Xuanxu?"

Jun Anshi paused for a moment.

"Is that your real name or a fake one?"

"A code name."

"Oh."

Jun Anshi nodded and didn't press the matter. There were plenty of people in the secret realm who didn't want to reveal their true names, and she wasn't hell-bent on digging into someone's background.

She just felt that although this black-robed person dressed strangely and spoke coldly, he didn't give off an annoying vibe.

In fact, he even gave her an inexplicable sense of security.

She didn't know why she felt this way.

"Fellow Daoist Xuan,"

Jun Anshi shifted into a more comfortable position against the tree trunk.

"How long do you think we will be trapped here?"

"I don't know."

"Aren't you anxious?"

"Being anxious won't help."

Jun Anshi fell silent for a moment and sighed softly.

"True."

She looked up at the "sky" above her that reflected the water's surface, and then at her own reflection sitting on the water.

The time it takes half an incense stick to burn slipped away in silence.

Leaning against the parasol tree trunk, Jun Anshi unknowingly fell asleep for real.

Perhaps it was because this space was too quiet, or perhaps the parasol tree emitted an inexplicable aura that brought peace to one's mind.

Gu Changyuan did not sleep.

He leaned against the other side of the trunk, his eyes half-closed and his breathing steady, but his consciousness remained completely awake.

Above the parasol tree, a leaf suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

The leaf appeared without any warning.

The color of the leaf was constantly changing.

Emerald green, purple-gold, silvery-white, and dark blue—four kinds of light alternately flowed through the leaf.

Then, the leaf transformed into a beam of green light.

The light poured down from the top of the tree canopy, enveloping the entire parasol tree and swallowing Gu Changyuan and Jun Anshi, who were leaning against its trunk.

Jun Anshi opened her eyes within the light.

The next instant, the scene before her suddenly became clear.

They were standing in a plaza.

The plaza was paved with massive white jade stones, surrounded by twelve stone pillars coiled with dragons.

In the center of the plaza stood a circle of people.

Some wore Daoist robes, some wore armor, and some wore ordinary cloth garments.

There were men and women, old and young, with varying levels of cultivation.

The only thing they had in common was that they were all looking at Gu Changyuan and Jun Anshi.

Standing at the very front of the crowd was a man.

He looked to be in his early thirties, with a handsome yet unassuming face.

He wore a long cyan robe. There was no gorgeous embroidery or complicated patterns on the robe, only the simplest shade of cyan.

His long hair was tied up with an emerald jade hairpin, with a few strands of hair falling over his shoulders.

He simply stood there, releasing no aura and using no power, yet he naturally became the center of this world.

Immortal Emperor Cangwu's gaze fell on Gu Changyuan and Jun Anshi, his cyan eyes deep and bright.

He slowly spoke, his voice gentle.

"Are you willing to take me as your master?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding crowd instantly exploded into an uproar.

"What? Immortal Emperor Cangwu actually wants to take two Soul Formation stage cultivators as his disciples?"

"Am I seeing things? If an Immortal Emperor takes a disciple, they should at least be at the level of an Immortal Lord or Immortal Venerable, right? Soul Formation stage? They aren't even Immortals!"

"..."

Whispers rose and fell, every voice clearly reaching the ears of Gu Changyuan and Jun Anshi.

Their faces were written with shock, confusion, envy, and jealousy. Various emotions intertwined, making the entire plaza extraordinarily lively.

Gu Changyuan ignored those voices.

Standing in the crowd, he shifted his gaze away from Immortal Emperor Cangwu and began to observe this space.

Although everything here felt extremely real, Gu Changyuan could tell that this world was an illusory space.

It wasn't the kind of crude illusion that could be seen through at a glance, but an extremely brilliant dream world, similar to Lan Caiyou's divine ability Floating Life Like a Dream.

It was just that this world had the blessing and nourishment of the Cangwu Great Dao, making it much more realistic than the dream created by Lan Caiyou. It covered a larger area and contained a much richer power of the Great Dao.

If it weren't for his ability to see through all things, he probably would have found it difficult to distinguish the real from the fake right away.

Hearing Immortal Emperor Cangwu's words, Gu Changyuan didn't even think about it and decisively refused, his tone straightforward and without the slightest hesitation:

"I am not willing."

He, Gu Changyuan, had roamed the world unhindered for so many years and had never taken anyone as his master, let alone an Immortal Emperor who appeared out of nowhere.

Furthermore, he had a system and his own Dao; he didn't need anyone else to teach him.

The Cangwu Longevity Art was indeed exquisite, and the fusion of the four Great Daos was indeed amazing, but that was at the level of an Immortal Emperor.

For his current self, taking it as a reference was fine, studying it was fine, but to make him perform the ceremony of acknowledging a master and recognizing another person as his teacher—impossible.

Not to mention, this old man had been dead for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, leaving only a wisp of a remnant soul wandering around in this illusion, and he wanted to be his master?

Damn it, I just came to see if my disciple was safe, and you actually dragged me into a trial, tried to take advantage of me, and wanted me to take you as my master?

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Jun Anshi stepped forward and bowed deeply to Immortal Emperor Cangwu. Her posture was respectful, but her tone was so firm that it left no room for negotiation.

"I apologize, Senior. This junior already has a master. My master's kindness to me is as weighty as a mountain, so I cannot take you as my master. Please forgive me, Senior."

Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

There was no hesitation, no wavering, even if the other party was an Immortal Emperor.

"Holy crap! They actually refused?"

"Two Soul Formation stage cultivators rejected the invitation of an Immortal Emperor to take them as disciples?"

"This... this is Immortal Emperor Cangwu! One of the absolute top existences in the Wanluo Immortal Realm!!!"

"Is the world crazy, or am I crazy?"

The onlookers were dumbfounded, their discussions rising in wave after wave.

Some shook their heads and sighed, feeling that these two young people didn't know how to appreciate a favor; some looked disdainful, thinking they didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth; others had strange gleams in their eyes, as if thinking—if you won't take him as a master, can I?

Hearing their refusal, Immortal Emperor Cangwu was slightly stunned.

A glint of surprise flashed in those cyan eyes, as if he had lived for countless tens of thousands of years and taken countless disciples, yet this was the first time he had ever encountered a situation where he was rejected.

This caused a momentary flash of surprise on his face, but he quickly returned to calmness.

As those cyan eyes looked at Gu Changyuan and Jun Anshi, instead of displeasure, there was a bit more appreciation.

To be able to maintain their true hearts and remain unmoved in front of him—this kind of temperament was far superior to those who would flock like ducks the moment they heard an Immortal Emperor is taking disciples.

"To be able to remain unmoved by fame and fortune, and not forget your true hearts," Immortal Emperor Cangwu spoke slowly, his voice carrying approval, "you two are very good."

He paused, his gaze passing over Gu Changyuan and Jun Anshi to land on a certain island amidst the distant sea of clouds.

"Since that is the case, follow me to the Cangwu Immortal Island. There, you may cultivate freely without having to take me as your master."

With that said, he raised his hand and waved. A streak of azure light cascaded down, enveloping Gu Changyuan and Jun Anshi.

Wrapped within the light, the two soared into the sky. They pierced through the sea of clouds, flew past immortal cranes, and headed straight toward the deepest parts of the cloudy expanse.

Immortal Emperor Cangwu did not give them any chance to refuse.

Of course, Gu Changyuan and Jun Anshi had no intention of turning him down anyway.

Entering Immortal Emperor Cangwu's personal domain and experiencing an Immortal Emperor-level cultivation environment was a rare serendipity in itself. Since they were not forced to become his disciples, there was no harm in going to see it for themselves.