Chapter 18: Since None of You Wish to Become My Disciple, I Shall Give Birth to One Myself
On the other side, Gu Qing caught up with Lin Chuqing and changed the topic. "Sister Chuqing, how do I go to the Star Temple to take a master?"
Lin Chuqing took a deep breath to calm her unsettled emotions. "The Star Temple is not in the Desolate Ancient Realm. It drifts within the cosmic void, and without cultivation at the Void Dao Realm, it is impossible to cross the void."
"But you need not worry. The phenomenon you awakened will certainly have been sensed by those old monsters. The Star Temple also has treasures that sense the Star Physique, so they will definitely send someone to fetch you."
"How long will that take?" Gu Qing felt a chill in his heart. A sect floating in the cosmic void—how powerful must that be?
Calling it a Celestial Palace Immortal Sect would not be an exaggeration.
"Hmm…" Lin Chuqing pondered and secretly sent a voice transmission to her master. After receiving the reply, she said, "Uncertain, but at most not more than three months."
The distance was too great, and Gu Qing's exact position was unclear. Searching would take time.
It had already been two months since Gu Qing awakened the Zhou Tian Star Physique. The people from the Star Temple should be arriving soon.
Gu Qing only needed to wait with peace of mind.
After sharing some knowledge of the cultivation world with him, Lin Chuqing bid farewell.
Her mind was in turmoil and she could not accept that Lin Chen liked her. She only wanted to leave quickly.
"This is a Mother-Child Communication Jade. No matter the distance, we can still exchange messages." Lin Chuqing took out a crystalline jade pendant.
"Mm, Sister Chuqing, take care. I will definitely come find you." Gu Qing put away the pendant, then thought for a moment and handed her another jade slip.
It contained the inheritance of the Yin-Yang Dao Song cultivation method.
The system's rewards of techniques and martial skills were all recorded within jade slips and could also be directly infused into the mind.
"What is this?"
Lin Chuqing swept her spiritual sense across it and her face immediately changed.
With her vision, she could see this was an incomparably profound cultivation method.
"Hurry and put it away." Gu Qing's expression grew serious.
"Alright." Lin Chuqing nodded. Looking at the tall and handsome Gu Qing, her eyes held nothing but his figure.
"Tsk tsk, what a sweet couple!"
Hiding in the void, He Ni watched their gazes intertwine like threads. She could not help but click her tongue in praise, watching with great interest.
In her life she had no other hobbies—only pairing couples together.
Seeing sweet lovers was like experiencing her own love, instantly making her feel younger by millions of years.
"Eh eh eh, that's enough from you two. Since you've already exchanged tokens of affection, come with me now."
From high above came a playful voice.
No matter how one tried to hide it, the intent in their eyes could not be concealed.
She felt fortunate that she had sensed Lin Chuqing's unstable emotions earlier and looked a few more times out of worry.
She sighed inwardly—young people were truly impulsive, never thinking of consequences.
"Master, you were spying again." Lin Chuqing's face flushed crimson, wishing she could find a hole to hide in.
Flustered, she rode a cloud away in embarrassment, like a fleeing fairy.
He Ni immediately gave chase, but before long, she returned once more.
"Hm?"
Seeing the suddenly appearing broken sword, Gu Qing's expression changed. Gripping the Tiger Soul Halberd, a sense of danger rose in his heart.
Though the sword showed no heavenly vision and was covered in cracks, it emanated an extreme lethal threat.
"You need not be tense. I now have only a wisp of remnant soul."
He Ni's voice was cold and ethereal, like celestial music.
"A remnant soul? Then for what matter has senior come?"
Hearing the words "remnant soul," Gu Qing grew even more tense.
In the cultivation world, it was common for remnant souls to seize the bodies of prodigies.
Fortunately, with his foster father by his side, he had detected no malice from the sword. Otherwise, Gu Qing would have left immediately.
"Your talent is good. Do you have interest in taking me as your master?"
Her voice remained airy and ethereal, but Gu Qing heard a faint tension in it.
What was she nervous about?
Gu Qing hesitated slightly, then said with a troubled face, "I thank senior for your great favor, but I already have a master's inheritance."
So-called inheritance was merely an excuse. His refusal was clear.
He Ni's inner thoughts roared.
Rejected again.
She never imagined she would be refused, and twice in the same day.
In years past, she was unmatched in her dominance, revered across the heavens, with myriad immortals submitting to her name.
Countless geniuses had knelt at her gate, never receiving so much as a glance.
"Forget it, ignorance is no crime. He surely does not know my depths to refuse me."
She calmed her heart, striving to maintain transcendence, her voice drifting and ethereal.
"Do you know who I am? I can pass to you the Supreme Sword Dao, the method of immortality, and take you to ascend the Immortal Realm."
"Once a master, always as a father. Though senior could grant me supreme fortune, yet…"
"I refuse."
Gu Qing's rejection was resolute.
Her conditions were beyond tempting. Without his foster father, he would have agreed without hesitation.
But with his foster father, he lacked for no inheritance.
Most importantly, if he carried a remnant soul with him, how could he keep any secrets in the future?
Besides, he did not cultivate the sword path.
"Good, good, good!"
He Ni, infuriated, flew away immediately.
Though the two were both perfectly suited to be her successors, she, a Sword Immortal, would never stoop to begging disciples.
If Gu Qing did not wish it, others surely would.
Gu Qing breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed this senior was truly a virtuous elder.
She only sought a successor and bore no intention of seizing his body.
Whoosh!
"Senior, this is—?"
Gu Qing twitched at the sight of the returning broken sword.
"Boy, I discovered a secret realm here with a holy medicine inside. If you take me as master, I will lead you in to harvest it."
The final words were her last stubbornness.
"Holy medicine?"
Gu Qing's heart thumped. Holy medicine—something even Divine Flame Realm experts would fight to seize.
Could there truly be such a thing in this barren place?
Perhaps so. After all, the protagonist had appeared here.
"That's right." He Ni's tone was tense.
"Then congratulations, senior."
Gu Qing fell silent for a moment and gave up. Holy medicine was good, but his secrets were more important. Besides, he had the Golden Gourd—holy medicine was not essential to him.
"You brat…"
He Ni was utterly furious. How could both of them be so stubborn, not even tempted by holy medicine?
She left.
Then returned again.
"Boy, I'll tell you good news. I already obtained that holy medicine, and I can soon reshape my body."
Her tone was full of resentment.
Using holy medicine to rebuild a body left the foundation too weak. She could only recover to the Saint Realm, and it was nearly impossible to ever return to her former height.
But since neither of them would take her as master, she had no choice but to make do.
"…"
What kind of good news was that?
"How about we make a deal?" He Ni's tone was hesitant, as if making a decision.
"What deal?"
"My longsword is an innate spirit treasure, named the Qiankun Sword. Within it lies a Qiankun World, where I will cultivate.
"I can temporarily give you control of the Qiankun Sword, and I can protect your path. In return, if you ever have the chance, you will help me take revenge."
Such fortune?
An innate spirit treasure temporarily under his control, with a supreme powerhouse acting as bodyguard.
As for revenge—she had said only if the chance came, meaning if he surpassed her enemy, it would simply be a matter of convenience.
Such treatment was something only a protagonist would receive.
Could it be his fate had risen to that of the protagonist?
"Pass me the method of control first," Gu Qing said.
"Alright!"
As her words fell, a ray of light shot into Gu Qing's mind, the restriction method for controlling the Qiankun Sword.
"System, is this restriction real? Can it block her from spying?" Gu Qing asked quickly.
[It is real. Once you control the restriction, she cannot observe the outside world without your consent. However, there is one drawback—she can reclaim the restriction at any time.]
"That's fine then."
Every day he freeloaded off He Ni was a day of profit. He had nothing to lose.
"If she left, he'd suffer no loss at all.
"Then it's settled," Gu Qing said to her.
"Mm. Cultivate diligently. If you fail to reach my expectations, our deal will be over."
He Ni sighed inwardly. As she had guessed, these two refused to take her as master because they had astonishing inheritances of their own, unwilling to let secrets be exposed.
But how could their inheritances compare to hers?
Truly abandoning a watermelon to pick up sesame seeds.
"As it should be. By the way, I still don't know your name."
"He Ni."
"Then I'll just call you He Ni. Calling you senior feels too distant."
"As you like. I'm going to reshape my body now—do not disturb me unless necessary."
"Alright."
After chatting for a while, Gu Qing sealed the Qiankun World and slung the sword across his back.
This was He Ni's requirement. The Qiankun Sword needed to absorb dimensional spiritual energy to sustain her cultivation, so it could not be stored in his body.
"Little brat, you finally fell into my trap. No matter how cunning you are, you'll have to drink your granny's foot-wash water."
Seeing her scheme succeed, He Ni cursed proudly, but thinking of what she was about to do, her spirit dimmed.
She murmured, "This is your fault. Since neither of you would take me as master, I'll just give birth to one myself.
"Once I rebuild my body, I'll seduce you, trick your heart and body, then leave carrying your child. That way you'll lose both wife and son, left with nothing.
"A child born of the Innate Dao Body and the Zhou Tian Star Physique will be the Innate Star Dao Body. I'll pass down all my lifetime's knowledge to that child, just so you regret not becoming my disciple…"
Unaware of this, Gu Qing glanced at the communication jade and was surprised. Lin Chen and his father had been crippled.
That was fast.
They lost everything as soon as they lost the protagonist's halo.
Still, it saved him the trouble of taking action.
After sending several messages to the Grand Elder, Gu Qing picked a mountain peak, set down a formation disk, and quickly arranged a formation.
"System, what kind of treasure is this?"
He lifted the massive sword like a door panel and asked.
[It is a complete piece of Reincarnation Iron Mother.]
"The divine iron mother used for forging artifacts?"
Gu Qing's eyes lit up, asking further.
[Correct!]
"Tsk, as expected, anything the protagonist valued is extraordinary."
First the Golden Gourd, now Reincarnation Iron Mother.
If he had not intercepted them, Lin Chen's cultivation would have soared, allowing him to counterattack all the way.
"How do I refine it into a magic weapon?"
Gu Qing caressed the giant sword, eager to forge it into a Fangtian Halberd.
[Refinement is unnecessary. Complete divine iron has its own spirit. If you can gain its recognition, the treasure will form by itself.]
"How do I gain recognition?"
[With a drop of blood. Once recognized, you must nourish it with your essence, energy, and spirit.]
Hearing this, Gu Qing immediately cut his finger and let blood drip onto it.
The runes on the giant sword lit up at once, releasing waves of ominous dark light.
"Recognition successful!"
Following the system's method, Gu Qing poured his essence, energy, and spirit into the sword, while imagining the weapon's desired form.
Buzz—!
The giant sword erupted with runes and dark light, carrying the aura of endless reincarnation, madly devouring his essence, energy, and spirit.
Before long, the divine halberd took shape—two meters and twenty centimeters long, double crescent blades, with blood grooves on the spear tip.
It matched exactly the form Gu Qing had envisioned, like a work of sci-fi art.
"After devouring half my essence, energy, and spirit, it's only a Yellow-grade magic treasure?"
His face was pale, as though he had lost too much blood.
Fortunately, Lin Chen had not performed blood recognition. Otherwise, he would have been sucked dry.
[Host, do you perhaps misunderstand divine iron? Only Divine Flame Realm cultivators can refine divine iron into divine artifacts, and even then it requires thousands of years of nurturing.]
[That you, host, could refine it into a Yellow-grade magic treasure is only because your blood qi is like a vast ocean and your life source is exuberantly strong.]
[If an ordinary Profound Core Realm cultivator tried, at best they could refine it into a low-grade spirit weapon.]
"I see."
At the system's explanation, Gu Qing immediately pictured those familiar protagonist scenes of wielding a low-grade spirit weapon to cleave apart others' treasures in style.
Shaking his head, he stored the divine halberd in his dantian to be nourished and silently thought.
"System, I want to draw a lottery."
As soon as the words fell, a great wheel appeared in his mind, the pointer spinning rapidly.
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained an immortal-grade cultivation method: Indestructible Heavenly Art.]
"Indestructible Heavenly Art? Is it that ruthless one's technique…"
Gu Qing silently accepted it, and an immense flood of memory surged into his mind.
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