Safe Space

This Great Dao was extremely difficult; according to ancient records, those who had successfully walked this path could be counted on one's fingers.

But at the moment of enlightenment, Gu Chengyin knew this was the most suitable path for him.

He was born with a deep mind, adept at calculation, and accustomed to holding everything in his own grasp.

For a person like him, walking an ordinary Great Dao would mean either being trapped by love or burdened by it.

One day, he would inevitably stumble over the word "love"; this was a foreseeable certainty.

Only the Dao of Supreme Emotionlessness could allow Gu Chengyin to retain his emotions without being controlled by them.

Just like a moment ago.

In the instant his Dao Heart broke through, Gu Chengyin immediately made a decision.

To stop all thought and completely immerse himself in desire.

This decision sounded utterly absurd, but at the time, it was the only correct choice.

And the reason he made this decision was Lin Qingyan.

This Golden Core fairy's perception and talent were truly terrifying.

So terrifying that Gu Chengyin had to force himself to stop thinking and smooth out all his electrical fluctuations to completely evade her senses.

A breakthrough in the Dao Heart was inherently the greatest anomaly.

If he had let his thoughts race then, allowing the electrical signals on his body to fluctuate abnormally due to the breakthrough, Lin Qingyan's keen senses would have definitely noticed something.

And once she discovered he was walking the Dao of Supreme Emotionlessness, she could easily deduce much more.

Like his true motives, or how much calculation was hidden behind his seemingly genuine tenderness.

Gu Chengyin didn't dare take that risk, so he chose the most extreme method.

Stop thinking and completely immerse himself in desire.

What was desire?

It was his fondness for Shangguan Yunying, his infatuation with Lin Qingyan, and his enjoyment of having the romantic blessings of both beauties.

These were the things they hoped to see in him, the things they firmly believed in.

When Gu Chengyin magnified these emotions to the extreme, when his entire mind was filled with them, that slight fluctuation of his breakthrough was naturally completely masked.

Facts proved his judgment was correct.

Lin Qingyan indeed failed to notice that trace of anomaly.

It could also be that the situation at the time was too ambiguous, leaving her no time to divide her attention.

After all, a Golden Core fairy making such a move on Shangguan Yunying, just to snatch him away—she barely had time to feel ashamed and angry afterward, so how could she have the mind to investigate anything else?

The corners of Gu Chengyin's lips curled up slightly, but the smile in his eyes was so faint it held almost no warmth.

Now, he sat here, separated from Lin Qingyan by a distance of three feet.

If it had been before, even with this distance, he would have had to be extremely cautious.

He wouldn't dare let his thoughts become too active, terrified that Lin Qingyan would sense something.

Time and again, the lessons he learned kept Gu Chengyin constantly on alert.

But now...

Gu Chengyin lowered his eyes, feeling the faint, almost imperceptible fluctuation of his Dao Heart.

It was different now.

Although the Dao Heart didn't bring as significant an improvement as a breakthrough in cultivation base, it was crucial in certain hidden aspects.

Such as masking perception.

Such as resisting the dizziness from electrical signals.

These were things the Dao Heart could accomplish.

Previously, because he was merely at the Foundation Establishment realm, Gu Chengyin had no power to resist Lin Qingyan.

Her Golden Core-level talent was like an omnipresent net.

As long as she wished, she could capture the fluctuations of his thoughts and observe the electricity on his body at any time.

Ever since he learned Lin Qingyan could sense electricity, Gu Chengyin hadn't even dared to think too much.

He had to keep his mind taut at all times, packaging his thoughts carefully.

But now...

Gu Chengyin raised his eyes and glanced in Lin Qingyan's direction.

Her eyes were still lowered, immersed in her own world, the flush on her face not yet fully faded.

Her expression carried traces of annoyance, shyness, and distraction.

From beginning to end, she hadn't cast a single glance his way.

Gu Chengyin's mind stirred, and he thought of the phrase "Supreme Emotionlessness."

If it were before, he wouldn't have even dared to think about it.

Because the moment a thought arose, Lin Qingyan's perception would instantly capture it.

Then she would discover that Gu Chengyin was walking the Dao of Supreme Emotionlessness.

She would discover that all the tenderness this man showed her was not what she thought it was at all.

But now, Gu Chengyin thought about it.

He thought about it clearly and plainly.

And Lin Qingyan had no reaction whatsoever.

The profoundness in Gu Chengyin's eyes deepened a bit more.

Although he couldn't be sure how much of his true thoughts a Golden Core Dao Heart could mask, he could be certain that as long as they weren't pressed against each other, no matter how close the distance, Lin Qingyan could no longer sense his electricity like before.

This was a very important advantage, not because Gu Chengyin wanted to harm Lin Qingyan.

Rather...

Gu Chengyin lowered his eyes, concealing the fleeting sharpness within them.

He was accustomed to holding everything in his own hands.

Habit.

This word meant too many things to Gu Chengyin.

In this world, nothing naturally belonged to him.

Because Gu Chengyin was an outsider; he did not belong to this world.

If he wanted something, he had to fight for it himself.

If he got something, he had to figure out how to keep it.

Once he kept it, he still had to guard against it being snatched away by others.

Therefore, Gu Chengyin developed this habit of holding everything in his own hands.

Whether it was power, status, connections, or emotions.

They were all just pieces on his chessboard.

Including Shangguan Yunying, including Luo Zhao, and including Lin Qingyan.

It was very heartless, and very cold.

But this was reality, the reality of the path of immortal cultivation.

If not for this habit, Gu Chengyin believed he would have died countless times over by now.

Or perhaps locked in some dark room, never to see the sun again for the rest of his life.

Gu Chengyin's gaze fell on Lin Qingyan once more.

Her eyes were still lowered, and the expression on her cold, stunningly beautiful face was complex.

There was annoyance, shyness, distraction, and a kind of bewilderment that even she might not have realized.

Gu Chengyin understood this bewilderment.

This was the bewildered helplessness of a woman who had never felt love before, suddenly realizing she had fallen in love.

Lin Qingyan had dedicated her heart to the Dao, pure and free of desires, having never been moved by anyone.

She thought she would continue like this forever, until she ascended and transcended the mortal realm.

But she never expected that one day she would meet Gu Chengyin.

A man who made her heart race, made her blush, and made her do absurd things.

Lin Qingyan didn't know what to do; she only knew she wanted to have Gu Chengyin.

Because she wanted him.

Gu Chengyin took all these expressions into his eyes, but his face remained impassive.

When his Dao Heart could mask his true thoughts, Lin Qingyan's guard against him dropped to its lowest point.

Not out of trust, but because she believed she could control him.

This was the confidence brought by absolute power, and also the laxity brought by absolute power.

And this laxity gave Gu Chengyin exactly the space he needed most.

A safe space.