Chapter 42 Sweat Profusely, Goddess
"Good!"
Zhimeng let out a light laugh, as if she did not understand the hidden meanings in the words of those old monsters, giving no trace of joy or anger.
"Ahem!"
"What I just said was somewhat ill-considered. The Holy Son is fine, do you not agree?"
"Indeed, indeed."
"Young people should not stand too high too quickly. They need more tempering."
The death of the Pure Yang Dao Body was of little consequence to the Starry Sky Temple. At most, they could cultivate another in the future. Their temple was never short of powerhouses.
But the Zhou Tian Starry Sky Body was different. It could not be lost, not even slightly. They had a complete inheritance that could allow Gu Qing to smoothly become immortal and establish his own lineage.
"Zhimeng, I have already contacted the Immortal Realm. They bestowed treasures upon us. We must ensure nothing goes wrong, understood?"
The ancestor of the Starry Sky Temple spoke in a deep voice.
"Rest assured, I will devote myself fully to cultivating him."
Zhimeng's eyes darkened. For the Zhou Tian Starry Sky Body, the Starry Sky Temple of the Immortal Realm was truly willing to pay any price.
After all, the Immortal Realm and the Mortal Realm were different cosmic planes. To break through the void and send treasures across required a cultivation at the Heavenly Origin level.
…
Ten days. Gu Qing needed only ten days to break through to the peak of the Spirit Refining Realm's ninth level.
Looking around, he saw only a vast ocean. After all, his cave dwelling was so immense that its end could not be seen.
The treasure liquid he poured out was less than half used. He collected it all back, then silently called out.
"System, display my attribute panel, and also analyze the strength of my physical body."
[Name] Gu Qing.
[Realm] Spirit Refining Realm, ninth-level peak.
[Constitution] Supreme Dao Bone, Chaotic Star Body.
[Talent] Innate Dao Seed, brilliance throughout the ages!
[Fate] Variable.
[Destiny] Unknown.
[Fortune] Three hundred and twenty-one thousand.
[Innate Divine Abilities] Chaotic Treasure Seal, Yin-Yang Wheel, Star-Plucking Hand, Chaotic Sword Art, Seven Stars Fist, Star-Shattering Finger, Great Sun Divine Fist.
[Divine Abilities] Eight Desolation Annihilation (minor accomplishment), Spatial Shift (minor accomplishment).
[Treasures] Reincarnation Divine Halberd, Golden Gourd, Spatial Divine Pattern.
[Eternal Flame] Heart of Ice and Fire.
[Innate Spiritual Root] Nine-Colored Soul Lotus.
[Technique] Chaos Immortal Scripture (original creation).
[Physical Body] Comparable to a Heaven-rank treasure, difficult for Void Dao Realm to harm.
"Not bad, not bad. Heaven rewards diligence, toil bears fruit. This is what I deserve."
The Chaotic Star Body had completed its transformation, his physique comparable to a Heaven-rank treasure.
Furthermore, the divine abilities Gu Qing had been cultivating and deducing for over a year, along with the Minor Sword Art, had finally become his innate divine abilities.
"Gu Qing, come to my Goddess Hall."
As the cave dwelling above grew calm again, a smile appeared in Zhimeng's eyes.
She wondered how much Gu Qing had gained in these ten days of seclusion.
"He should have broken through to the second level of the Spirit Refining Realm," she murmured softly.
For an ordinary divine body, ten days was far from enough to break through in the Spirit Refining Realm. After all, the higher one advanced, the harder each step became.
Upon reaching the Void Dao Realm, even breaking through a minor level would be counted in years.
But Gu Qing possessed the Zhou Tian Starry Sky Body, the supreme divine body famed for its fastest breakthroughs.
Reaching the second level of the Spirit Refining Realm in ten days should not have been a problem.
Yet, when she saw Gu Qing in person, her composure faltered.
Spirit Refining Realm, ninth level? One level per day?
Zhimeng could not fathom how Gu Qing had achieved this.
"Reckless! Why would you rush to break through realms so quickly? Do you not know it will deplete your potential?" Zhimeng's voice carried anger.
"Master, my realm is very stable."
Gu Qing released his full aura. His Dao rhythm was profound, already surpassing the limits of his realm.
Zhimeng fell silent. She felt secretly relieved that her disciple had not seen her true face.
She said softly, "You must never do this again in the future."
"Understood, Master."
Truthfully, Gu Qing himself had not expected to advance so quickly. It was all thanks to the Nine-Colored Soul Lotus.
After all, the Spirit Refining Realm tempered the primordial spirit, which was the hardest to enhance. Normally it could only be accumulated over time, or with treasures that nourished the primordial spirit.
"Hmm."
Zhimeng gave a soft acknowledgment, then said calmly, "Do you have any difficulties in cultivation?"
"I do."
Gu Qing's eyes lit up, and he laid out all the cultivation problems and strange ideas he had pondered.
Each was an eternal puzzle with endless variations. Zhimeng considered them with great care, answering cautiously.
"Master, the human body is like a universe, containing infinite treasures. How should we excavate them, evolving the body into a cosmic celestial body?"
"Human flesh and blood cells can regenerate. How can we make the best use of this, to achieve rebirth of severed limbs at will, or Nirvana by thought?"
"If I refined a divine body as if it were a divine pill, using Yin-Yang and Five Elements as fuel, and Creation as power, could I refine the patterns of laws?"
As Gu Qing spoke one outlandish idea after another, Zhimeng's brows knit tighter and her fists clenched. She wanted nothing more than to knock him out with a punch.
What kind of questions were these? Could he not ask something more normal?
She wanted to rebuke him, but on closer thought, Gu Qing's ideas, while outrageous, still carried some logic.
Looking at his boundless thirst for knowledge, Zhimeng took a deep breath and spoke slowly.
"Disciple, your cultivation is still too low. It is not suitable for you to know too much yet. Focus on comprehending your current realm."
Having ideas was good. She could not discourage his ambition.
"Ah…"
"Alright."
Gu Qing was a little disappointed. The questions he had asked were not made up nonsense; they were real, feasible problems that troubled him.
He came up with a new idea.
Transforming divine abilities into cultivation methods.
Gu Qing combined the Nirvana by fire and cocoon-breaking rebirth of the Immortal Heaven Art with the fusion of the Chaotic Treasure Vase.
He created a brand-new method of smelting, one that simultaneously evolved body, soul, and cultivation.
Unfortunately, Zhimeng did not know and could give him no inspiration.
"What a cultivation fanatic…"
Ji Ning, standing in the corner, felt conflicted.
Ever since returning to the Starry Sky Temple, Gu Qing had ignored everything else, caring only for cultivation.
He had cast aside two beautiful women, radiant and alluring.
She had thought she would be holding a human baby this year, but now it seemed there was little hope.
"Master, I discovered a secret. If I engrave divine ability traces into my body as much as possible, will it increase the probability of awakening innate divine abilities?"
Gu Qing asked with excitement.
"Impossible… Have you tested it? What is the success rate?"
Zhimeng instinctively wanted to deny it.
After all, the awakening of innate divine abilities was closely tied to one's constitution, unrelated to how many divine abilities one cultivated or how they were cultivated.
But Gu Qing was so abnormal that she could not bring herself to deny him outright.
"My Star-Shattering Finger, Seven Stars Fist, and Great Sun Divine Fist all succeeded."
Gu Qing himself found it strange.
If innate divine abilities were so easy to awaken, they would have long been universal.
Yet he had truly awakened them all. This was bizarre.
A freak…
Zhimeng let out a long breath of relief, grateful she had not immediately dismissed it.
"This is due to the uniqueness of your constitution. Others cannot replicate it," Zhimeng replied.
"Perhaps."
Gu Qing took a sip of tea, poured her a cup as well, then continued asking.
"Master, before cultivation, human meridians are fragile, but after cultivation, they become as tough as dragon sinews, able to bear the might of divine abilities.
If we opened acupoints into inner cave heavens, could they possibly give birth to divine beings of law?"
He wanted to know whether the sword qi within his acupoint cave heavens could nurture a living divine sword.
This question was better suited for He Ni, but she had never taught him how to refine and nurture acupoints. Asking her would only reveal his desire for her core inheritance.
"Do you know the subtleties of the Void Dao Realm?"
Zhimeng was silent for a moment before countering with a question.
"I know."
Gu Qing nodded and said, "The Void Dao Realm is to perceive the essence of heaven and earth, to open up a cave heaven world, holding heaven and earth within one's palm, able to annihilate mountains and rivers in an instant.
We must continuously deduce myriad laws within the cave heaven world, letting inner and outer worlds resonate, seizing the chance to comprehend heavenly laws, perfecting our Dao, absorbing the power of heaven and earth, transforming ourselves…"
"And what of the King Realm?" Zhimeng pressed on.
"The King Realm is when inner and outer worlds merge, commanding the power of heaven and earth…"
Gu Qing replied quickly.
When integrating the Chaos Immortal Scripture, he had studied the realms thoroughly.
The Venerable Realm was mastery of laws, becoming a supreme of humanity.
The Saint Realm was refining the laws of the saintly path, resonating with all heavenly laws, and patrolling heaven and earth.
The Divine Fire Realm was igniting the immortal divine fire. As long as the fire endured, the soul would never perish.
At this thought, Gu Qing's eyes lit up.
The method he proposed of nurturing divinities within cave heavens resembled the current cultivation system.
The only difference lay in gathering the power of the human body versus gathering the power of the acupoints.
"It seems you've already thought of it."
Seeing this, Zhimeng smiled faintly.
Even gathering the strength of the whole body to ignite divine fire was as difficult as ascending to heaven, let alone igniting it within a single acupoint.
And birthing divine beings? Even more absurd. Could the human body truly nurture such things?
"Master, if I fused a divine object into myself, or invested a strand of my soul as a sacrifice to be nurtured as a divine being, would this work?"
Gu Qing asked.
"…"
Say no more…
Within her sleeve, Zhimeng's fists clenched tightly. She wanted to strike him.
What kind of ridiculous questions were these?
Yet, annoyingly, they contained a shred of reason, though impossible to achieve.
But cultivation itself was defying heaven, turning the impossible into possible.
So, was Gu Qing right?
Yet she did not know how to do it. How was she supposed to answer?
"Master, Master…"
"Disciple, I know you are impatient, but do not rush. Your current cultivation is still too low. You must not reach too far. Be steady, build your foundation step by step… In short, you must cultivate well, study the insights of your predecessors… also, experience the myriad states of life… comprehend them…"
As she spoke, Zhimeng's eyes flickered and she added, "In our Starry Sky Temple, there is an ancestor who has surpassed the Divine Fire Realm. His mastery touches upon creation itself, his cultivation encompassing heaven and earth, capable of anything…"
"An ancestor beyond the Divine Fire Realm?"
Gu Qing was stunned. He never imagined such an existence could be in the world.
"Naturally!" Zhimeng nodded with a smile.
"Then…"
"As your master, I will ask him on your behalf. Even if it costs me everything, I will ensure you can listen to his Dao."
"Master, that must not be. I think it's better to forget it."
"It's fine. You are my disciple."
"Alright, the ancestor has agreed. You may go now."
Before her words had even fallen, Zhimeng waved her sleeve and transported Gu Qing away.
"Hu!"
She let out a long breath. Her ears were finally at peace. She had never met such a troublesome little monster.
Still, truth be told, Gu Qing's strange ideas had inspired her greatly.
Her beautiful eyes gleamed with divine light as she silently deduced their feasibility.
"Tsk, to think that the talented, noble goddess would one day be drenched in sweat."
Standing in the corner, like an invisible person, Ji Ning could not help but gloat.
Though even she felt her scalp tingling as she listened.
Her mind could not help but imagine: if Gu Qing's wild ideas could really be realized, what kind of monster would be born?
"Hmm? Who is muttering about me?"
Holy Dao laws spread out around Zhimeng, making her seem like a supreme goddess, sacred and untouchable.
The thoughts of a Saint surged out, patrolling the world.
Ji Ning sat silently, unmoving as a mountain.
"No one? Was it an illusion…"
Zhimeng whispered, then her gaze landed on Ji Ning.
"You will follow Gu Qing and record his every move."
"Yes."
Ji Ning responded, her figure fading like a ghost.
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