After Jiang Qingshan left, only three people remained in the room.
The candlelight flickered, casting three silhouettes onto the carved window lattices, stretching and shrinking, brightening and dimming.
Gu Chengyin stood by the window, his back to the moonlight, making the expression on his face difficult to see.
Lin Qingyan stood beside him, as quiet as a shadow.
Her cold eyes remained fixed on Gu Chengyin, never shifting away for even a moment.
Elder Qiu looked at the two of them, a complex mix of emotions in his heart.
Having lived for over sixty years, he had seen countless outstanding figures and unparalleled geniuses.
But someone like Gu Chengyin, he was truly seeing for the first time.
From the moment the sect inspection team arrived at the Qingjian Sect, everything seemed very natural, as if it was meant to develop this way.
But Elder Qiu had a feeling that whether it was the mutation of the Qingjian Sect's elders, Lin Qingyan's breakthrough, or the so-called inheritance token, the Qingyun Token.
It was highly likely that Gu Chengyin was pulling the strings behind the scenes, perhaps having set the script in advance.
And then step by step, he pushed everyone to act according to his script.
But a guess was ultimately just a guess; there was no evidence.
Elder Qiu suppressed the surging emotions in his heart and was about to speak, but Gu Chengyin spoke first:
"Elder Qiu, are you heading to the Divine Capital later?"
Elder Qiu paused, then nodded:
"This matter is of great importance. I must report it."
As Elder Qiu spoke, his gaze fell on Gu Chengyin's face, trying to discern something from that youthful visage.
But Gu Chengyin's face held only calmness; not a single ripple could be seen.
Elder Qiu withdrew his gaze and looked at Lin Qingyan, saying:
"Now that all those in the know have sworn a deadly oath, with Lord Jingzhe here, you are still very safe."
Elder Qiu paused, his eyes falling on Gu Chengyin once more, his tone becoming profoundly meaningful:
"As long as Junior Preceptor Gu does not go out and speak carelessly, nothing should go wrong."
These words were implicit, but the meaning was crystal clear.
Whether you are safe or not depends not on others, but on yourself.
If you can't keep your mouth shut, no one can protect you.
Hearing this, a trace of surprise appeared on Gu Chengyin's face, and he said with great innocence:
"What does Elder Qiu mean by this? This concerns my own little life, how could I possibly go around talking nonsense!"
Elder Qiu looked at Gu Chengyin, smiling without a word.
Gu Chengyin did things methodically, calculating every step without leaving anything to chance.
Would he not know the gravity of the situation? Would he not know what should and shouldn't be said?
Of course he knew.
So Elder Qiu was reminding him: although I don't know what you are scheming, don't go too far.
The surprise on Gu Chengyin's face gradually faded. He coughed lightly and shifted the topic:
"Ahem, since Elder Qiu is going to report, could you pass on a message for me?"
Elder Qiu's expression hardened.
Pass a message?
He narrowed his eyes slightly, a bit more interest appearing in his gaze:
"Oh? Feel free to speak, Junior Preceptor Gu."
Gu Chengyin looked at the moonlight outside the window, his tone brimming with an aura of concern for the nation and its people:
"The inheritance of the Qingjian Sect concerns the future of the entire cultivation world."
"Although I am a descendant of the Immortal Clan, I also know the gravity of this matter and would never treat the lives of billions as a trifling matter."
The moonlight behind Gu Chengyin cast his face in a hazy halo of light.
"But after all, this matter is of utmost importance, and I am merely at the Foundation Establishment Realm."
"If someone is dead set on bringing harm to me, I would be powerless to defend myself."
As soon as these words came out, Elder Qiu frowned.
Lin Qingyan stuck to Gu Chengyin almost every moment of the day.
From the Divine Capital to the Luo Capital, and from the Luo Capital to the Qingjian Sect.
This Jingzhe of the Celestial Master Bureau guarded him without leaving his side for a single step.
With Lin Qingyan around, even if someone wanted to harm Gu Chengyin, who could possibly touch him?
So this claim of being powerless was a hint to ask for more money?
But the question was, he already had Lin Qingyan, what more did Gu Chengyin want?
He couldn't possibly just want money, right?
Elder Qiu suddenly felt a bit of a headache and said directly:
"Junior Preceptor Gu, time is tight, and I still have to travel."
"Could you speak a bit more clearly?"
Seeing that Elder Qiu did not intend to refuse, Gu Chengyin's expression became serious.
"Elder Qiu, then I will speak frankly. My meaning is actually very simple."
"Although I am merely a Junior Preceptor to the Crown Prince, Chief of the Imperial Household Department, Right Vice Minister of Rites, and Marquis Bingjian."
Merely?
Elder Qiu's eyebrows twitched.
These four identities combined meant that looking at the entire Great Luo, there were very few who could suppress Gu Chengyin.
Yet Gu Chengyin said merely, as if these titles were not worth mentioning at all.
Gu Chengyin looked at Elder Qiu's expression and said with some self-deprecation:
"These titles might be somewhat useful in the imperial court and the mortal realm."
"But in the cultivation world, in the sects, no one listens to them at all."
As Gu Chengyin spoke, he even sighed, his tone very helpless:
"Therefore..."
Before he could finish, Elder Qiu already understood.
Gu Chengyin wanted a title in the Celestial Master Bureau.
Not a temporary one, not a guest elder, nor an honorary one.
But an official, established title belonging to the Celestial Master Bureau.
The name of a person is like the shadow of a tree.
Although the official positions of the imperial court were useless in the cultivation world, the Celestial Master Bureau was different. Their reputation was not just resounding, it was like thunder piercing the ears.
The look Elder Qiu gave Gu Chengyin grew increasingly complex.
Going around in such a big circle, from Lin Qingyan's breakthrough, to the inheritance token, to revealing the Dao patterns, and so on.
Could it be that Gu Chengyin just wanted to add another title to himself, and then wear the tiger skin of the Celestial Master Bureau?
Although Elder Qiu found it somewhat amusing, on second thought, it actually made sense.
Before having an official position, touching Gu Chengyin would at most be seen as a temporary worker failing his job.
But after getting an official position, touching Gu Chengyin would be slapping the face of the Celestial Master Bureau.
The nature of these two things was completely different.
After thinking for a moment, Elder Qiu couldn't help but ask:
"Then does Junior Preceptor Gu have a specific idea? I will report it truthfully on your behalf."
Seeing that the matter had finally reached this point, Gu Chengyin stopped hiding it and said unhurriedly:
"Doesn't the Celestial Master Bureau have a position called Taihe?"
As soon as these two words came out, Elder Qiu's expression froze.
He stared at Gu Chengyin, his gaze as sharp as a knife.
Yet Gu Chengyin seemed oblivious, his voice remaining calm:
"I was just thinking, I am the Junior Preceptor to the Crown Prince after all."
"If the position is too low, it would be a slap to His Highness's face."
"So after thinking it over, I feel that only Taihe is the most suitable for me."
Taihe.
The highest decision-maker of the Celestial Master Bureau.
Because of its transcendent status and the extremely special nature of the Celestial Master Bureau, throughout the dynasties, this position was personally held by the Emperor himself.
Therefore, the current Taihe of the Celestial Master Bureau was none other than Emperor Luo.
Elder Qiu was completely dumbfounded, just staring blankly at Gu Chengyin.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat terribly dry.
He had thought Gu Chengyin might want to be a Manager, or a Chief, or even an Enshrined Elder.
After all, the Foundation Establishment Realm wasn't that weak; although inferior to the Golden Core, it was still passable.
But Elder Qiu never expected that what Gu Chengyin wanted would actually be Taihe.
What was this.
This was breaking ground on Emperor Luo's head!
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
