Su Fu said nothing.
The Daoist bowed again, “Lord Su, the Pavilion Master, sincerely invites you. I hope you will give us the honor.”
After speaking, he stepped aside and made a “please” gesture.
The Daoists behind him silently parted, opening a path.
Chesia was still whispering anxiously in Su Fu’s ear: ‘Don’t go! I can sense that the aura of that formation is extremely complex, entwined with the power of fate, unfathomable.’
‘Even I can’t control fate—there’s nothing I can do to guarantee your safety.’
It was the first time Su Fu had seen her so nervous, but it was easy to understand; everyone had their own expertise.
Chesia excelled at seduction, at manipulating human weakness, but fate was clearly not a rule she was skilled in.
Just then, several subordinates of the Director of the Imperial Observatory had already drawn their swords, their blades pointed straight at the group from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.
The atmosphere grew instantly tense.
“My lord, these people come with ill intent! Please fall back, we’ll cover your retreat!” The leader looked solemn, clearly prepared for a bloody battle.
But Su Fu simply lifted her hand slightly to signal them to stand down.
She took a step forward and asked, “I have no dealings with your pavilion. Why does your Pavilion Master wish to see me?”
The Daoist smiled slightly and replied, “Naturally, it’s because we know Lord Su is extraordinary, so the Pavilion Master greatly values you and wishes to receive you personally.”
Su Fu raised an eyebrow, ‘Receive me? Setting up a great formation just to welcome me?’
But with things as they were, and so many people here, there was probably no way to avoid it even if she wanted to.
Besides, the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion held a high and powerful position.
If she ran now, she could forget about competing for the title of General, let alone becoming the Arkmaster.
Besides, it wasn’t her who should be afraid.
“Fine,” she said simply, “Since the Pavilion Master wants to meet me, lead the way.”
The Daoist’s face lit up at her reply, but he looked at the others and said, “The Pavilion Master invites only Lord Su. The rest of you, please wait here.”
The men of the Director of the Imperial Observatory instantly showed displeasure, their swords coming out partway again.
Su Fu waved her hand, “Wait here for me, there’s no need to worry.”
The leader’s face twisted with reluctance, but in the end, he could only grit his teeth and nod, “Yes, my lord!”
After leaving the Celestial Gathering Pavilion, the Daoists immediately formed a protective formation around Su Fu.
Wherever they passed, the crowd would unconsciously back away, forming a passage, their gazes full of awe.
Su Fu followed them across spiraling bridges, past one lofty building after another, until at last they arrived at their destination—the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.
This tower was extremely tall, seemingly the second highest point of the whole Immortal Ship, built entirely of white jade, with wind chimes hanging from above.
When the breeze blew, they rang with clear, pleasant sounds.
Su Fu only glanced at it once before following the Daoist to the very top of the pavilion.
The higher they went, the quieter it became, until, standing at the summit, the whole majestic Immortal Ship was laid out before her.
She was awestruck by the view for a moment.
From the red-tiled buildings of the Alchemy Division in the east rose plumes of multicolored smoke, the alchemy furnaces burned strongly.
From the west, in the Workshop of Heavenly Crafts, came the rhythmic pounding of hammers and machinery, a regular thundering.
To the north was the Patrol Guard camp, with orderly rows of soldiers drilling.
And to the south was the bustling district of the Cloudsea Chamber of Commerce, merchants gathered in prosperity.
Between all these, countless small Immortal Ships shuttled back and forth, endlessly busy.
Far in the distance, shrouded in clouds and mist, was the tallest tower—surely where Chesia had said the Immortal resided.
“This Immortal Ship is truly marvelous,” Su Fu sighed.
“Self-sufficient, orderly and safe—such a rare thing.”
Of course, it would be even better if she could control this floating city herself.
The Daoist smiled when he heard this and said, “Lord Su has a discerning eye. Our Immortal Ship is indeed unique under heaven. Whether it’s formations, artifacts, or alchemy, it brings together the very best.”
“If you like the scenery here, Lord Su, you may visit often in the future.” The Daoist paused for a moment then said, “But now, please follow me— the Pavilion Master is waiting for you.”
Reluctantly withdrawing her gaze, Su Fu followed him through a long corridor, then through an archway, arriving at a spacious circular hall.
Suspended in the hall’s center floated a huge three-dimensional map.
When Su Fu stepped closer, she saw it was covered with densely-marked routes and places.
“This is the ‘Sea and Sky Grand Map,'” the Daoist said with pride, “It records every sailing route and all destinations the Immortal Ship can reach.”
“Every mark represents a place we can go.”
Su Fu’s attention was instantly captured.
The routes crisscrossed in a dense web, stretching across all sea and sky.
Many regions were specially marked: some clearly visible, such as Mount Penglai, Kunlun, Fangzhang Mountain, and numerous other divine mountains from different pantheons, like Olympus, Asgard, Ramna Naga, and so on.
But other areas’ markings were blurred, almost as if purposely concealed from her.
Su Fu: “…..”
The Daoist apologized, “I hope Lord Su can understand—this is the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion’s self-protection system.”
“These places… you’ve all been there?” Su Fu changed the question.
The Daoist smiled, with a hint of pride, “One could say, wherever we want to go, we can go. The Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion divines the celestial omens to predict danger and guide direction.”
“That’s why we are in charge of plotting the ship’s routes, deciding its destinations. If not for the Pavilion’s guidance, the Immortal Ship would be lost in the endless Cloud Sea. At the same time, we also control the ship’s core formations…”
The Daoist explained at length.
Su Fu more or less understood—Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion were the helmsmen, the ones who ‘steered the ship.’
They used divination to determine where the Immortal Ship would go, and what route to take.
So, if she could control the Pavilion, wouldn’t she be able to go anywhere she wanted?
She could travel to other maps for battle, or head for those resource-rich secret realms on the divine mountains.
Su Fu’s expression shifted immediately— ‘this Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion… What a place! So much power, and such a view.’
She liked it.
The Daoist was already boasting about the Pavilion Master, “Our Pavilion Master is extremely skilled in divination, and his studies of formations are truly uncanny.”
“It could be said he has dedicated his whole life to the Immortal Ship’s grand formation.”
He looked at Su Fu with deep meaning and continued, “The Pavilion Master truly values you. He may even be thinking of grooming you as his successor—what an incredible blessing! You must know, even previous Generals and the Immortal aboard have always shown the utmost respect for the Pavilion Master.”
Su Fu: “…..”
“…Tch?”
Does he really believe that?
She glanced at the Daoist, and to her surprise, he really did sound sincere.
‘No way—does he honestly think so?’
Just then, a voice filled with surprise and delight rang out: “Young friend, you are truly brilliant—heaven must have destined me to meet you!”
Su Fu turned to look, and saw an old man with snowy white hair entering.
He wore white Daoist robes, a single simple wooden hairpin in his bun, his beard and hair as white as snow, but his eyes sharp and spirited.
She thought, with this old man praising her so effusively and activating a grand formation about fate—could it be that he’s detected something unusual about her?
Ever since she’d gained the favor of destiny, she had always been surrounded by a wisp of golden fortune.
This old man had some skill indeed—but how had he noticed?
The Daoist beside Su Fu gave a deep, respectful bow and withdrew silently, leaving the space to the two of them.
The Pavilion Master was all smiles, stroking his long beard he said, “I have long heard of your great name, Lord Su. Meeting you today, your bearing is indeed exceptional.”
“Even this old man feels the urge to take you as my disciple!”
Su Fu: “…..”
‘So he was just an old faker.’
She stared at him steadily.
On the surface, he spoke of taking her as a disciple, but the formation had already been activated.
Through the True Sight of Heaven, invisible golden lines filled the space, forming an inescapable net.
Within those lines lurked deadly intent—at a single word from the Pavilion Master, the formation would turn to a killing array, destroying everything inside.
Su Fu smiled slightly, produced the Golden Cudgel, and slammed it hard onto the ground!
“BANG!”
With a thunderous sound, the moment the staff struck the floor, the entire formation trembled violently, as if a still lake had been shaken.
The previously invisible lines now shimmered into sight, quivering in the air.
Su Fu tilted her head with a mocking smile, “Is this how you take disciples? The sort that kills them?”
Unexpectedly, when she exposed him, the Pavilion Master was not angry—instead, his delight grew, and he even trembled with excitement: “Good! Good! You truly are one blessed by destiny! You can actually see this formation at a glance! Excellent, excellent!”
He no longer concealed anything, directly revealing the massive array beneath the floor, with Su Fu standing at its very center.
Only now did Su Fu see the array’s full structure, countless tangled lines dividing into outer, middle, and core layers, all inscribed with strange, complex symbols.
The Pavilion Master watched Su Fu’s stunned face with satisfaction, his wrinkles smoothing out.
“As long as I devour your fate, I can finally repair this formation and take the Immortal Ship to the next level!”
Su Fu’s expression grew a little odd, “Repair? You mean, you need to devour fate… to repair the array and upgrade the Immortal Ship?”
“Exactly!” The Pavilion Master stroked his beard with immense pride.
“I have named this array the ‘Swallowing Heaven Fate-locking Array.’ As long as I can devour enough high-quality fate, the Immortal Ship will advance further, unlocking new abilities—speed, defense, access to new locations! We can finally go to those mysterious places we could never reach before!”