"Starry Cosmos Divine Body…"
On the flying boat, the woman's face was filled with joy, her hand holding the mirror trembling slightly.
If there was anything the Star Temple most desired in a disciple, it was without doubt the Starry Cosmos Divine Body.
It could perfectly inherit the Star Temple's orthodoxy.
"If those old monsters knew this person had awakened the Starry Cosmos Divine Body, they'd carry their coffins here to fight for him!"
Muttering this, she immediately sent the news back to the Divine Lady to prevent anyone else from stealing him.
At once, with a wave of her hand, Gu Qing was lifted by a gentle force from within the city and brought before her in an instant.
"Senior." Gu Qing cupped his fists in the junior's salute, but the woman dodged aside.
She was merely a servant, unable to bear such a great gift from the disciple of the Divine Lady.
"Call me Ji Ning. No need for formality," she said solemnly.
"Also, since you have awakened the Starry Cosmos Divine Body, our Divine Lady of the Star Temple wishes to take you as her disciple."
Finally, you've arrived.
Gu Qing feigned restraint and nodded, showing his willingness.
Ji Ning let out a sigh of relief. Everything was proceeding smoothly. Excellent.
"Do you have any unfulfilled wishes? I can help you accomplish them."
Gu Qing's eyes lit up. From her attitude, it was clear she sought to please him. His value to the Star Temple was extraordinary.
Then… making a few small requests should be fine.
"I would like a batch of beast corpses. Is that possible?" Gu Qing asked tentatively.
He did not know how long it would take to return from the Star Temple.
So he wanted to collect more beast liquid while he could.
With this expert's power, killing fourth- or fifth-rank beasts would be no problem.
"Of course."
Ji Ning nodded.
Though his request was odd, to her it seemed normal.
She had lived over three thousand years and immediately thought he needed beast corpses to temper his body.
Such cultivation methods existed even within the Star Temple.
"Star Temple? Did they come here because they sensed a Star Physique prodigy?"
Chu Yao murmured, and Gu Qing's figure surfaced in her mind.
She could not see through his cultivation, but instinct told her the Star Temple had come for him.
That was no illusion—selling treasure medicine alone proved it.
No ordinary person would do such a thing.
…
Ji Ning put away the flying boat and, with the youths, stepped into the Monster Beast Mountains.
She performed some unknown divine art, causing beasts, herbs, and ores to fly into her storage ring.
Step by step, spanning thousands of miles, in moments she had slaughtered the entire mountain range's beasts.
"So strong!"
Gu Qing's heart surged, his mind ablaze.
This was the model of his generation, radiating invincible might.
"Senior Ji, why hunt beasts like this?"
Beside Gu Qing stood a cold, moonlike beauty. She asked softly, curious.
"I don't know."
Gu Qing replied casually, his gaze fixed upon Ji Ning's peerless figure.
At this moment, he thought only of becoming stronger, not of humoring women.
"Excellent."
Admiration shone in Ji Ning's eyes.
At first, she had esteemed him only because of his Starry Cosmos Divine Body.
Now she admired his firm heart for the Dao.
Not like the boys nearby, whose eyes clung greedily to Su Qingyue, eager to flatter at every chance.
Such lustful men, no matter their talent, would achieve little in the end.
"Let's go."
Ji Ning summoned the flying boat. It rose into the stars, leaping through space.
Gu Qing's eyes roamed across it.
It was a flying treasure.
Outside it seemed a small airship, but within was a world, with tens of thousands of rooms, cultivation chambers, plazas, and arenas.
"Even a scrap of this material is worth more than a top-grade spirit weapon," Gu Qing thought, his understanding of the Star Temple deepening further.
"Gu Qing, the Divine Lady is about to descend. Prepare yourself," Ji Ning said seriously, handing him a storage ring filled with beast corpses.
"Prepare for what?"
Gu Qing was puzzled.
Did she mean to prepare a disciple's ceremony gift?
In truth, the duties of master and disciple were simple.
A master imparted techniques and guidance, while a disciple carried out tasks and paid tribute in resources from time to time.
But that was only in small sects.
In great sects, elders and mighty figures lacked nothing, so they did not require resources from their direct disciples.
Instead, they poured effort into nurturing them.
"Naturally, it is…"
Buzz—!
At that moment, time seemed to stagnate; golden lotuses bloomed in the void and divine radiance filled the sky.
An unrivaled figure descended like a god, bathed in sacred light, majestic and untouchable.
"Not bad, blood qi like an ocean."
Gu Qing exceeded her expectations; he was clearly not from a backwater place.
The heirs of those immortal powers did not have a tenth of Gu Qing's vigor.
With Gu Qing as a disciple, she would no longer have to watch her detested younger sister flaunt before her.
Moreover, this generation's Sacred Son was inadequate to bear the Star Temple's banner — she planned to replace him.
"Will you accept me as your master?"
"I will."
Gu Qing immediately accepted, though his expression was slightly awkward.
He no longer had precious treasures—only some spirit stones remained.
He could hardly present spirit stones as a formal disciple's gift; it felt too vulgar.
Oh well—vulgar it would be.
"Master, this is my disciple's initiation gift."
Zhimeng glanced at the storage bag with her divine sense, amused, and spoke softly.
"If it is my disciple's sincere intention, then I will accept it."
Although she despised those useless spirit stones and wouldn't stoop to pick them up if dropped, they represented Gu Qing's sincerity, so she would take them.
Thinking it over, Zhimeng suppressed the urge to bestow him a treasure.
Not because she was stingy, but because she knew nothing about Gu Qing and could not decide what to give him—her trove of relics was simply too vast.
Ji Ning watched with some vexation; she had told Gu Qing to prepare for Zhimeng's descent, not to prepare a disciple's gift.
Gu Qing breathed a sigh of relief — he had finally completed the apprenticeship ceremony and stepped into a brand-new phase of life.
He took out a communication jade and sent Lin Chuqing a message.
…
"Divine Lady Zhimeng…"
Lin Chuqing received the message and showed a look of delight.
She had heard the legends of Zhimeng: three thousand years ago the most stunning divine lady, peerless in prowess, who had suppressed an era.
Even Lin Chuqing's refined master could not match her.
The two were archrivals.
"Damn it, it's that flirtatious fox. If I'd known she would take disciples, I would have taken Gu Qing away at all costs."
Upon hearing Zhimeng's name, her teeth ground in fury.
"My disciple, I pin all my hopes on you. Once you succeed, you must suppress her completely. Do not go easy just because she is your lover's master."
She had no hope of defeating Zhimeng in her lifetime, but she believed Lin Chuqing could.
"Master, Zhimeng is already a Saint-realm powerhouse who surveys the heavens and participates in creation. Is it appropriate for us to speak so of her?"
Lin Chuqing said helplessly.
Saint-realm Dao laws pierce heaven and earth and mirror the heavens; their words would certainly reach Zhimeng. Besides, by the time Lin Chuqing reached the Saint realm, Zhimeng would likely have ascended to the Immortal Realm.
Lin Chuqing was not arrogant enough to think she could defeat such an unparalleled divine lady.
"Hmph. She dares to seduce other people's men — am I not allowed to curse her? Also, keep a close eye on your lover. Zhimeng loves seducing married men; people like Luo Rou and I will never stand with her."
"Alright, alright, master, calm down. We've arrived at the sect; let's go inside first."
Lin Chuqing felt a headache coming on.
Her master usually presented as poised and gentle, a true paragon of refinement, but mention Zhimeng and she could rant nonstop for days.
Her approach was simple: if you can beat someone, beat them to death; if you cannot beat them, curse them to death.
No one really knew the roots of their hatred.
Thankfully, Zhimeng did not stoop to Luo Rou's level, or she would be dead ten times over.
Once back at the sect, Lin Chuqing found an excuse and slipped away.
Entering her closed-seclusion cave and shutting down the arrays, she finally relaxed.
Being sandwiched between two supreme beings was too stressful.
She opened the spatial jade bottle and murmured, "Mysterious… I wonder what Gu Qing gave me."
When she looked inside, she was stunned.
"Such pure vitality—one breath and the body refines."
"And there is no resistance; it can raise the body without limit."
Many worldly treasures exist without side effects, yet all have resistance or usage limits. Gu Qing's beast liquid, however, showed no resistance—an unheard-of rarity.
Recognizing its value, Lin Chuqing stored it to return to Gu Qing later.
Receiving Gu Qing's message, she pressed her lips together.
"Let us encourage one another... I will not disappoint."
Lin Chuqing whispered and began contemplating the Yin-Yang Dao Song.
The more she studied, the more alarmed she became.
What cultivation method had Gu Qing given her?
With that art and the beast liquid, her Immortal Spirit Dao body would further ascend, forging an unparalleled foundation for eternity.
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