Chapter 20: You Are the Most Boring Man I Have Ever Met
After casually finding a mountain peak and setting up his formation, Gu Qing began cultivating.
With refined spiritual liquid, his cultivation advanced like a rocket, breaking through rapidly.
Moreover, the Indestructible Heavenly Art had a special trait: while improving cultivation, it simultaneously strengthened the body and enhanced physique.
Divine Sea Realm third level… Divine Sea Realm fourth level, where true qi liquefied.
Divine Sea Realm ninth level…
The Boundless Dantian could not be filled.
So there was no need to fill it—only to accumulate enough, and then one could break through to the Purple Mansion Realm.
In fact, many prodigies with Spirit Lake or Spirit Sea dantians had never filled them, as the required spiritual energy was far too vast.
And time was also needed for accumulation.
Since the Purple Mansion Realm cultivated the Soul Palace, the amount of true essence had little effect.
At that stage, one could accumulate true essence while cultivating the Soul Palace. Advancing two realms at once saved immense time.
Gu Qing took out the Soul-Nurturing Pill given by Lin Chuqing and swallowed it. The medicinal power transformed into a strange energy that nourished the strength of his soul.
Boom!
A thunderous roar shook Gu Qing's mind, as the ancestral aperture between his brows opened into a cave-heaven world.
This was the Purple Mansion, also called the Soul Palace, the dwelling place of the divine soul.
"So this is divine sense…"
Gu Qing closed his eyes, yet every detail of the surroundings appeared clearly in his mind.
The sensation was miraculous.
For those without divine sense, it was unimaginable how one could see everything clearly with eyes closed.
Packing away his formation, Gu Qing headed directly to the Monster Beast Mountains.
This was his inexhaustible treasure trove.
Catching a black bear, he immediately used the Indestructible Heavenly Art to devour it, testing its refining power.
The art's domineering might exceeded all expectations.
It perfectly refined the bear spirit's blood and flesh essence, and even its soul.
Countless memories flooded into Gu Qing's mind, his face twisting slightly.
The black bear spirit's life felt as though he had lived it himself, granting mastery of all its skills.
"Best not to devour again…" he thought with lingering fear.
Though the Indestructible Heavenly Art refined flawlessly without hidden dangers, making his cultivation soar, the massive surge of soul memories could cause mental collapse or even split personalities.
The ruthless one who became immortal had endured what ordinary people could not.
Gu Qing had no wish to suffer such torment.
Perhaps when his cultivation grew higher, he could resist the soul-memory impact. Then devouring might be manageable, like watching a film—impact limited.
One month later, after slaughtering tens of thousands of first- to third-rank beasts, Gu Qing grew restless.
Why had the people from the Star Temple not yet arrived?
He restrained himself from cultivating further, believing they would soon come. But as he waited day after day, time kept passing.
Unbeknownst to him, those sent to escort him were also frantic.
The Northern Region was too vast, and they naturally searched the great continents rich in spiritual energy first.
They had not yet found Gu Qing, but had already located several Star Physiques and even a Lunar Physique—a harvest indeed.
Still, she had sensed Gu Qing's position and was hurrying toward him.
"Enough waiting. Who knows when they'll arrive? Better to sell goods and improve my cultivation first."
Gu Qing decided to leave the mountains and head for the imperial capital.
Entering Wanbao Pavilion, he immediately requested to see the rich lady Yao.
Arriving at the same private room, Chu Yao was as languidly enchanting as ever.
Clad in a sheer black gown, her curvaceous figure was exquisite, snow-white skin faintly revealed in hazy allure, ensnaring the soul and stirring endless desire.
This enchantress was enchantress itself.
Even fox spirits would kneel and call her ancestor.
"Young Master Gu, welcome." She arched her brows, as though they were longtime friends.
"See how much these are worth."
Gu Qing remained expressionless, sweeping his hand to produce several storage bags before her.
Chu Yao swept her divine sense across and her eyelids twitched.
Six stalks of treasure medicine, tens of thousands of herbs, ten ores for forging magic treasures, and various other valuables.
That was far too much.
Could it be Gu Qing had truly found a great cultivator's cave mansion, one that only he could enter?
But she could not understand—selling other items was one thing, but why even sell treasure medicine?
Treasure medicine was priceless. Even if one did not use it, keeping it in hand was of immense value.
At the very least, in the future it could fetch a high price, better than useless spirit stones.
Perhaps the first time Gu Qing sold them was due to a lack of spirit stones. But now, still selling them—did he truly treat treasure medicine as useless?
At this thought, Chu Yao's brows knitted. Looking at Gu Qing, she felt slightly offended.
What she did not know was that treasure medicine was useful to Gu Qing, but not essential.
He did not need it to break through bottlenecks.
With the Golden Gourd, the beast liquid he refined was better than any treasure medicine.
Though purified spiritual liquid was inferior to treasure medicine, the sheer volume made up for it.
"Six hundred million high-grade spirit stones. No bargaining."
Whether treasure medicine was useful to Gu Qing was not her concern. She was only doing business.
Her divine sense ran swiftly, like a quantum brain, quickly calculating the exact price.
"Deal."
Taking the spirit stones, Gu Qing asked, "Might I have a way to contact you?"
Chu Yao was the heroine, the daughter of Wanbao Pavilion's guild leader, and generous in her dealings. She might be useful in the future.
He could always sell his goods to her.
Ordinary guilds could not handle his stockpile, and he disliked trouble. Selling in batches was too bothersome.
"You…"
Chu Yao froze, looking at him, words stuck in her throat as doubt filled her heart.
From the moment Gu Qing had entered, it had all been business. His gaze held none of the clingy hunger of other men.
Now asking for her contact method, it was mostly to sell treasures later—not to pursue her.
But still…
She could not understand. She, a peerless beauty blessed with both wealth and charm, was right before him. Did Gu Qing not feel even a little tempted?
She was the proud daughter of heaven, possessing beauty and fortune.
Countless geniuses had sought her as the best Dao partner. Countless had pursued her.
"Inconvenient? Then forget it."
Gu Qing rose to leave.
"…"
He made seven hundred million from her, and then just walked away?
"Wait, I will give it." Gritting her teeth, she handed him a communication jade. The two exchanged marks.
"You are the most boring man I have ever met." She shot him a sidelong glance, then strode away, her long legs swaying, her hips twisting with allure as she left the room.
"?"
Gu Qing turned to the old crone at the side and asked, "What was that about?"
"Miss finds you boring," the old woman replied without expression.
"?"
This pair of mistress and servant was baffling.
He had merely sold some goods. How was that boring?
Madness.
"So handsome, yet such a block of wood—hopeless…"
Seeing Gu Qing leave without hesitation, the old crone shook her head.
Truth be told, this was the first time she had seen someone unmoved by her lady.
Boom!
At that moment, starlight flooded the skies as a terrifying aura spread.
The entire imperial capital's millions of citizens looked up together in fear.
A mighty figure was descending.
Had their Great Qian Empire offended this unknown powerhouse?
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