The sun was setting in the west, with rosy clouds hanging across the sky, varied in form and vibrant in color, like a rainbow piercing through the heavens.
Tao Yao brought an exquisite sandalwood lunchbox, walking along the painted corridor to the pavilion at the heart of the lake.
The pond’s waters rippled gently, with lotus flowers swaying among them, drifting with the ripples stirred by koi fish—an atmosphere of serene tranquility.
Lifting the carved wooden lid, the box revealed an array of delicious delicacies, rich in spiritual essence.
A single meal could rival months of arduous cultivation.
Upon close inspection, Gu Shenzhi found no signs of poison.
Under his double-pupiled gaze, no matter how potent the poison or how intricate the concealment techniques, all were rendered useless.
The spiritual food and rice were of the freshest quality, meeting the standards of an outer sect elder of the Spirit Sword Sect.
The evening meal had been delivered early by the sect’s servants, their attitudes exceedingly respectful, as if fearing to slight Gu Shenzhi, their esteemed guest.
Compared to Yue Xi’s earlier demeanor, it was a world of difference.
Tao Yao inquired and learned that the sect leader had personally instructed them to treat the guests from the Spirit Sword Sect with utmost care, allowing not the slightest disrespect.
Such hospitality shocked even Gu Shenzhi.
If they merely regarded him as a cauldron or a bargaining chip, they could have simply pierced his shoulder blades with a snake-gold lock and thrown him, half-dead, into a water dungeon.
Why treat him with such courtesy?
Gu Shenzhi pondered quietly.
It seemed he was not just a mere cauldron in the eyes of the Moon Shadow Sect.
They likely wanted something from him—something that required his cooperation.
The Moon Shadow Sect had something to gain from him, just as he had something to gain from them.
He was not a magnanimous man.
How could he simply brush off the humiliations he suffered at the Spirit Sword Sect?
Unless his master knelt and repented for their actions, how could he ever feel satisfied?
Gu Shenzhi smiled faintly, draining the spiritual wine in his cup.
The days ahead would be quite interesting.
After the meal, the two returned to their rooms.
Gu Shenzhi “habitually” retired early, while Tao Yao, having just broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, needed to consolidate her realm.
In the west wing, Gu Shenzhi sat cross-legged on his bed, circulating spiritual energy to nourish his qi and refine his spirit.
The spiritual energy here was far superior to that of the Cliff of Reflection, allowing his cultivation to progress at an astonishing pace.
His supreme wood spiritual root voraciously absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy, gradually forming a sizable vortex in the courtyard.
The closer one got to Gu Shenzhi, the denser the spiritual energy became, transforming into a misty haze that poured into his limbs and bones.
After cycling through several grand circuits, Gu Shenzhi relaxed his body, his middle finger, index finger, and thumb touching, hands resting calmly, his mind and spirit at peace.
Gold represents unyielding permanence; elixir represents flawless, radiant perfection.
Unbeknownst to him, Gu Shenzhi’s realm had already reached the late Golden Core stage, with the Spirit Manifestation stage within reach.
In this world, the cultivation realms are divided into ten stages: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Spirit Manifestation, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Void Refinement, Void Illumination, Feather Transformation, and Great Vehicle.
Beyond that lie the Ninefold Thunder Tribulation, the breaking of the Heavenly Gate, and ascension to immortality.
Opening his double pupils, the entire courtyard came into Gu Shenzhi’s view.
No movement, however slight, could escape his dark purple eyes.
Wherever his gaze fell, all restrictive spells and techniques crumbled instantly.
His vision pierced through layers of walls that could block divine sense, reaching a hidden chamber behind the main hall’s bookshelf.
There, the Red Lotus Saintess was in seclusion, her aura faintly tinged with true spirit.
This was the most distinct sign of a breakthrough to the Spirit Manifestation stage.
Upon reaching Spirit Manifestation, a cultivator’s strength would soar dramatically, advancing by leaps and bounds.
When casting techniques, they would no longer wield only fragile, scattered spiritual energy but also condensed, powerful true spirit, capable of unleashing immense force in an instant.
Yet, as Gu Shenzhi marveled at his fiancée’s cultivation, he noticed something unusual.
Despite it being a minor breakthrough in the Spirit Manifestation stage, the spiritual energy was remarkably thin.
The pitifully sparse energy in the secluded chamber could easily be mistaken for that of a Qi Refining cultivator attempting a breakthrough.
Gu Shenzhi finished the remaining spiritual tea in his cup, savoring a moment of blissful tranquility, as if time itself stood still.
Though the tea was cold, he felt a faint warmth in his heart.
Every night, Taoyao would prepare tea in advance to spare her young master from midnight thirst.
Ordinary maids would not care for their masters half as attentively as Taoyao did for Gu Shenzhi.
Perhaps it was the clarity that came after quenching his thirst, but a terrifying suspicion gradually surfaced in his mind.
Could the anomalies during the Red Lotus Saintess’s seclusion somehow be related to him?
His supreme wood spirit root was like a dry sponge, greedily absorbing all the surrounding spiritual energy.
This power was extremely domineering.
Though Gu Shenzhi had tried to restrain it, it still devoured the spiritual energy within a radius of several miles like a vortex.
Now, the spiritual energy in the courtyard was less than a third of its usual amount.
If this situation were allowed to continue, even if his fiancée did not succumb to qi deviation, her cultivation heart would be damaged, and her realm would plummet.
Realizing the severity of the issue, Gu Shenzhi was horrified. He immediately rushed out the door, skimming across the lake like a dragonfly touching the water’s surface, forgetting even to tie the silk scarf that concealed his double pupils.
Under the moonlight, his eyes shimmered with a dark purple glow, deep and unfathomable, like stars in the night sky.
The Red Lotus Saintess held an exalted position in the Moonshadow Sect.
As the direct disciple of the Black Lotus Demoness, she was second only to her master, revered even by elders who addressed her as “Saintess.”
If even a single hair of hers were harmed tonight, the Moonshadow Sect would never forgive him, and the consequences might even implicate Taoyao.
For the sake of his maid’s life alone, the Red Lotus Saintess must succeed in breaking through her cultivation without the slightest mishap.
In the blink of an eye, Gu Shenzhi arrived at the main hall’s entrance.
As Yuexi had said, the three-story building at the center of the grounds was surrounded by various prohibitions: lightning strikes, flames, scorching poison, and random void transmissions.
Their power was formidable, equivalent to a full-force attack from a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Even a slight brush could cost him half his life.
Gu Shenzhi was momentarily startled, sensing danger, but after carefully observing the arrangement of the prohibitions, he hopped forward with confidence.
To him, the concealment techniques applied to the prohibitions were utterly ineffective.
Even an immortal’s lingering illusions would be like flimsy rice paper, easily pierced by his double pupils.
Left foot landing, right foot lifted, he leaped and spun lightly.
Under the cold moonlight, the youth breached the door like a streak of white light.
Entering the main hall, Gu Shenzhi dashed straight toward the hidden chamber without a moment’s hesitation.
With a wave of his hand, he blasted the bookshelf blocking his path into splinters.
Dust filled the air, and the hidden chamber gradually came into view.
With just a glance inside, Gu Shenzhi froze in place, his heart racing.
His eyes revealed a stunned expression, and his breathing quickened.
The unconscious girl had skin as smooth as jade and brows like ink paintings.
Her delicate nose was charming, her vermilion lips alluring and enchanting.
Snow-white hair cascaded around her, illuminated by beams of moonlight, giving her an ethereal, painting-like beauty, as if she were a fairy descended to earth.
Her red-and-white qipao lightly draped over her graceful, alluring figure, accentuating her soft, sensual curves that stirred the heart.
Her slender legs were slightly parted, wrapped in pristine white stockings that highlighted her translucent, jade-like skin.
The peaks of her chest seemed ready to burst forth, like a pair of lively white rabbits.
Her waist was soft and slender, without a trace of excess, like a delicate branch bearing ripe fruit or a white tree adorned with plum blossoms.
Rather than a peerless beauty of the mortal world, she seemed more like an immortal fallen to earth.
Though Gu Shenzhi had long heard of his fiancée’s reputation as the foremost beauty of Muyun Province, he had never taken it seriously.
In his eyes, no woman in the world could possibly surpass his master’s beauty.
But now, he regretted that thought.