Gu Chengyin had no idea when Shangguan Yunying would break through to the Golden Core realm.
But he knew one thing for sure—he himself absolutely had to reach the Golden Core realm.
Otherwise, life would become unbearable.
Just imagine the scene: Shangguan Yunying breaking through to Golden Core before him.
Then having two Golden Core fairies serving him alone.
That was a blessing no man could endure.
Forget enduring it, just thinking about that scenario sent chills down Gu Chengyin's spine.
Two Golden Core fairies.
Two!
A mere Foundation Establishment peak cultivator like him, standing before two Golden Core fairies—
That wasn't a blessing. It was a slab of meat on a chopping block, a rabbit in a pack of wolves, a cucumber at someone's mercy.
Gu Chengyin let out a silent sigh.
But all that aside, although Shangguan Yunying was determined and on the verge of reaching Foundation Establishment peak, breaking through to the Golden Core realm wasn't something that could be done overnight.
The Golden Core realm was called "Golden Core" for a reason.
It required condensing true qi into a solid, tangible pill of spiritual energy within the dantian.
This step didn't depend on the quantity of true qi—it relied on one's comprehension of the laws of heaven and earth.
Shangguan Yunying's talent was indeed exceptional, and her cultivation had skyrocketed since she began practicing the Azure Cloud Art.
But the gap between Foundation Establishment peak and the Golden Core realm wasn't a wall—it was an ocean.
Some people swam across it in three to five years, while others spent their entire lives unable to see the other shore.
So no matter how talented Shangguan Yunying was, she couldn't compare to Gu Chengyin, who had his system.
Time-wise, he would definitely break through to Golden Core faster.
Gu Chengyin lightly patted Shangguan Yunying's back twice, his voice low and warm:
"Yunying, I believe in you."
Those words weren't an empty consolation.
Gu Chengyin truly believed Shangguan Yunying could break through to the Golden Core realm.
She had the talent. She had the mindset.
It was only a matter of time.
Shangguan Yunying lifted her head from his chest. Her eyes were still red, but the grievance and resentment in them had mostly faded.
In their place was a soft, needy dependence, as if she'd been soothed.
Her fingers were still pressed against his chest, curling slightly, as if reluctant to let go of the warmth and texture of his robe.
"About you and Lord Jingzhe..."
Shangguan Yunying took a deep breath, as if making a significant decision, and whispered:
"Her Highness and Xiaoli both know now."
Gu Chengyin blinked.
He had just woken up.
It had taken him no more than the time it took to drink a cup of tea to walk from the side hall to the main hall.
In that span of time, he'd done nothing but walk a few steps, without even meeting anyone.
How did everyone already know?
Was news spreading a little too fast?
And...
Gu Chengyin frowned. How interconnected were these three in terms of information sharing between them?
He thought about the relationship between Luo Zhao, Shangguan Yunying, and Gu Xiaoli.
They usually seemed to mind their own business—one serving by Luo Zhao's side, the other running around everywhere.
But there was an unspoken understanding and connection between them, like three trees planted together. Above ground, they grew separately, but underground, their roots were tangled into one mass.
Shangguan Yunying seemed to sense what Gu Chengyin was thinking and explained softly:
"Xiaoli saw you and Lord Jingzhe in the side hall this morning."
"Even though you set up a spiritual force field, it didn't really work on Xiaoli."
Gu Chengyin: "..."
So it was Gu Xiaoli.
A half-step Nascent Soul cat demon. While Lin Qingyan's spiritual force field could block ninety-nine percent of cultivators, Gu Xiaoli was the remaining one percent.
To her, a spiritual force field was probably like a gauze curtain—it could hide things from ordinary cultivators' eyes, but not from hers.
Gu Chengyin shook his head helplessly, the corner of his mouth twitching:
"Fine."
Just two words, but his tone carried a wealth of meaning.
Shangguan Yunying watched Gu Chengyin's resigned expression and couldn't help but curl her lips.
Seeing this man flustered was always entertaining.
"Are you here to see Her Highness?"
The question was casual, as if confirming something trivial.
But Gu Chengyin caught the subtext behind it.
There was no safe way to answer that directly.
A direct answer would be suicide.
Gu Chengyin's hand slid down from Shangguan Yunying's back, settling on her waist, and tightened slightly.
He pulled her closer, turning their proximity into an embrace.
"No."
Gu Chengyin's voice dropped, low enough to sound like a secret meant only for her ears:
"I came specifically to find you."
Shangguan Yunying's eyes lit up instantly.
That brightness wasn't ordinary joy—it was the radiance of light finally reaching someone trapped in a deep well for too long.
Like a lamp being lit at the bottom of a well, its glow shooting up from the mouth, dazzlingly bright.
Her pupils dilated slightly, her lips parted, and her breathing quickened.
Then the light went out.
Like someone splashing a basin of cold water onto the lamp—a hiss, and gone.
Not even a wisp of smoke remained, just a dim, ashen gloom.
Shangguan Yunying's eyelashes drooped, her gaze falling on Gu Chengyin's robe. She bit her lip gently, as if hesitating.
"You should..."
Her voice was as faint as a guilty cat's mew:
"Still hypnotize Her Highness."
Gu Chengyin blinked.
He didn't quite follow Shangguan Yunying's train of thought.
Last night in the bedchamber, Lin Qingyan, Gu Xiaoli, and Shangguan Yunying had already discussed and agreed.
So why was Shangguan Yunying now changing her mind, wanting him to hypnotize Luo Zhao?
"Even though Lord Jingzhe always bullies the weak,"
Shangguan Yunying's voice was muffled, laced with gritted teeth:
"I know she adores you."
"She adores you so much she's given herself to you, so Lord Jingzhe would never harm you."
Shangguan Yunying paused, as if organizing her thoughts.
"But Her Highness is different."
Gu Chengyin didn't interrupt, simply waiting for her to continue.
"When Her Highness found out about you and Lord Jingzhe, she seized that opportunity to recruit Xiaoli and me into an alliance."
Shangguan Yunying looked up, meeting Gu Chengyin's eyes:
"She said it was to stop Lord Jingzhe, but I feel... Her Highness still wants to deal with you."
"She's just using this chance to make Lord Jingzhe an excuse for Xiaoli and me to stand on her side."
Gu Chengyin's expression didn't change, but his thoughts were racing.
Luo Zhao had recruited Shangguan Yunying and Gu Xiaoli.
Formed an alliance.
The nominal target was Lin Qingyan.
But in reality, it was aimed at him.
This unexpected news caught Gu Chengyin off guard.
Not that he was surprised Luo Zhao wanted to deal with him.
After all, Gu Chengyin had come to understand Luo Zhao quite well by now.
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
