Appetizers

Gu Chengyin could even feel that the spiritual energy concentration here was at least several times higher than the outside world.

"As expected of the Divine Capital's Celestial Master Mansion..." Gu Chengyin sighed inwardly.

Lin Qingyan's steps were light. She didn't turn her head, but seemed to know what Gu Chengyin was observing, and spoke indifferently:

"The Celestial Master Mansion was built by Taizu, dedicated exclusively for the royal family's offerings and cultivation."

"There are thirty-six spirit-gathering arrays within the mansion, nine spiritual vein springs, and a scripture pavilion, an alchemy room, an artifact forging room, and a martial arts arena are all readily available."

Gu Chengyin nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over what he saw along the way.

Cultivators walked about the mansion in twos and threes, mostly wearing the unique Daoist robes of the Celestial Master Mansion. The lowest cultivation base among them was the early Foundation Establishment stage.

The reason Gu Chengyin took the initiative to reveal the Azure Cloud Art to Lin Qingyan was because he had keenly discovered something.

Lin Qingyan shared the same stance as him.

That was, they both found Emperor Luo displeasing.

This could be glimpsed from Lin Qingyan's previous reference to him as a "dog thing."

Although he didn't know the exact grudge between Lin Qingyan and Emperor Luo, it didn't matter.

The enemy of an enemy is a friend.

As long as they had the same stance and interests, he could reach a cooperation with Lin Qingyan.

Not to mention, she was a ready-made Golden Core stage expert with an extraordinary status.

If he could really win her over, the returns would be simply unimaginable.

Lin Qingyan led Gu Chengyin all the way through, bypassing several pavilions, passing through a bamboo forest, and finally arriving in front of a seven-story pagoda.

The pagoda was made entirely of green jade, gleaming with a warm luster under the sunlight. The body of the pagoda was carved with complex cloud patterns and runes, with spiritual light faintly flowing over it.

The pagoda was about ten zhang tall. Although not considered magnificent, it possessed an ancient and heavy aura.

"This is the Serenity Pagoda, my place of cultivation." Lin Qingyan pushed open the pagoda door and walked in first.

Gu Chengyin followed closely behind.

The space inside the pagoda was much larger than it looked from the outside.

The first floor was spacious and empty, with only a meditation mat in the center. The surrounding walls were inlaid with luminous pearls, emitting a soft halo.

There was a faint scent of sandalwood in the air, which brought peace to one's mind upon smelling it.

When the pagoda door slowly closed, completely isolating the inside from the outside, only the two of them were left inside.

Only then did Lin Qingyan turn around, look at Gu Chengyin, and say:

"This pagoda is a specially refined magical treasure that can shield all auras, whether it be spiritual energy fluctuations, divine sense probing, or sound and images."

"So you can cast your techniques with peace of mind. Not a single trace will leak out."

Hearing this, Gu Chengyin was slightly stunned.

He hadn't expected that this entire pagoda was actually a magical treasure.

How many heavenly materials and earthly treasures must this have cost?

Just how rich was the abominable Great Luo royal family! This was too extravagant!

Lin Qingyan walked to the meditation mat in the center and sat cross-legged.

That mat was also extraordinary, woven from thousand-year ice silkworm silk. Sitting on it could calm the mind and assist in cultivation.

Gu Chengyin looked around and fetched an ordinary mat from the corner himself.

Although it couldn't compare to Lin Qingyan's, it was still clean.

He placed the mat opposite her, about three feet away, and then sat down cross-legged as well.

The two sat facing each other, with nothing in between.

The soft light inside the pagoda highlighted Lin Qingyan's jade-like skin and made her eyes look even deeper.

Gu Chengyin took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

He did not directly circulate the Azure Cloud Art, but first looked inward at his dantian to inspect it.

The azure-gold true essence slowly rotated within his dantian, a bit more condensed than before.

His cultivation had already reached the middle Foundation Establishment stage, only a hair's breadth away from the late stage.

He then began to circulate the Azure Cloud Art.

The azure-gold true essence surged through his meridians, circulating repeatedly along a specific route.

With every complete circulation, an aura completely different from ordinary spiritual energy emanated from his body.

That aura was very faint, so faint that it was almost undetectable, but it carried an indescribable profoundness.

It was as if it pointed directly to the origin of the Great Dao.

Gu Chengyin deliberately controlled this aura, letting only a single thread leak out, no more and no less.

Lin Qingyan's originally placid face instantly showed emotion.

Without hesitation, she immediately reached out her hand, her slender fingers grasping the void.

That thread of immortal dao aura was accurately captured and condensed in her palm.

Lin Qingyan looked down at the pale golden aura in her palm, feeling the dao rhythm contained within, her voice trembling:

"This is indeed a complete immortal dao!"

She closed her eyes, her divine sense completely immersed in the aura in her palm.

In a trance, she seemed to see a great path leading to the heavens. Although it was blurry and distant.

But it truly existed, and it was truly passable!

This was not a specific cultivation method, nor the steps of cultivation, but a guidance of the Dao, a direction of immortality.

In the current cultivation world, the immortal dao had been severed.

Many Golden Core real persons spent their entire lives bitterly searching for a method to break through, searching for that severed immortal path.

But at this moment, Lin Qingyan truly felt from this thread of aura that the immortal path was not severed!

Although this immortal dao was completely different from the Nine Heavens Lightning Attraction Art she cultivated.

But the Great Dao had thousands of paths, all leading to the same destination.

A complete immortal dao, even if it wasn't the same path she cultivated, was enough to provide a precious reference.

She could use this complete intent of the immortal dao to compare it with her own cultivation method, to discover the missing parts, and even attempt to repair and complete it.

Lin Qingyan was completely immersed in this comprehension.

The ionizing aura around her began to flow spontaneously, and golden lightning faintly appeared in the air, emitting a subtle crackling sound.

But right at this moment.

Gu Chengyin suddenly interrupted the release of the aura.

That thread of azure-gold immortal dao aura instantly dissipated, as if it had never appeared.

Lin Qingyan abruptly opened her eyes.

Her cold face revealed obvious dissatisfaction.

She had been immersed in comprehension, attempting to complete her own immortal dao based on this ethereal, complete immortal dao intent.

Although the progress was slow and she had only touched the surface, it was the first time she saw hope.

What did Gu Chengyin mean by disconnecting at this critical moment?!

Was he playing with her?!

The air inside the pagoda suddenly turned cold.

The ionizing aura around Lin Qingyan began to fluctuate violently.

The pressure inside the entire Serenity Pagoda suddenly increased, like the suppression before a storm.

Gu Chengyin, however, did not change his expression.

He looked at Lin Qingyan with a gentle smile on his face:

"Auntie, please don't blame me, I didn't do it on purpose."

"It's just that although cultivation is good, one cannot overdo it."

"Comprehending the immortal dao also requires a gradual process. If one is greedy for too much and seeks speed, it is easy to suffer cultivation deviation."

These words sounded high-sounding; anyone who heard them would think he was a junior considering his elder.

But Lin Qingyan understood the subtext.

There is no free lunch in the world.

If she wanted the complete immortal dao and wanted to continue comprehending, she had to exchange something for it.

That thread of aura just now was a sample, a bait, an appetizer to let her taste the sweetness.

The real feast was still to come.

And if she wanted to eat it, she had to pay the price.

Lin Qingyan stared coldly at Gu Chengyin.

She remained silent for a long time.

Inside the pagoda, there was only the soft halo of the luminous pearls and the ionizing aura in the air that had not yet fully subsided.