Zhiyang Daoren was certain Gu Junshi would not pass the Immortal-Asking Stone. He was impatient to witness the village woman’s humiliation.
"Everyone, stand back…"
He waved his hand, dismissing the onlookers, then reached into his empty, wide sleeves. With a pull, his palm revealed a golden compass, palm-sized.
A compass?
Why such a grand display for a small item?
Liu Jiangfusheng was puzzled, but Gu Junshi subtly pulled him back a step.
Zhiyang Daoren performed a stance and tossed the compass into the air. It spun and rotated, growing a hundredfold in an instant, like a miniature golden island suspended above. A vast shadow instantly enveloped them, and the light plummeted into darkness.
Liu Jiangfusheng looked up, stunned: "…"
"Already astonished, young man? Your life will be utterly overturned. The ebb and flow of tides, the moon in the sky, its rise and fall, waxing and waning, ceaselessly for ten months. A single divine spirit transcends birth and death."
"Hahahaha… Freedom is good, to shed one’s form and ascend to the Great Luo Heaven—"
With a hearty laugh, Zhiyang Daoren pulled Liu Jiangfusheng and the others onto the compass and, with a flourish of his skill, rode the wind away.
The compass was Zhiyang Daoren’s artifact. Gale-force winds howled at high altitudes, but the artifact’s protective barrier shielded them from external disturbances. Standing on the golden artifact, Liu Jiangfusheng nervously and excitedly gripped Gu Junshi’s hand. His vision broadened, the distance becoming vast and far-reaching; a solitary city and ten thousand mountains lay prostrate beneath him.
For the first time, he felt the profound difference between an immortal cultivator and a mortal. One in the heavens, one in the abyss, ten thousand miles etched upon their heart. He felt a majestic, mountain-shattering aura surge within his chest.
"Doesn't it feel captivating, this feeling of the Five Sacred Mountains and Nine Continents submitting to your feet?" a voice suddenly asked in his ear.
Liu Jiangfusheng snapped back to attention, looking at Gu Junshi, whose expression was serene. Since he had known her, she had never seemed moved by anything. Even in this scene, which would be heart-stopping for any mortal, she appeared to be experiencing something commonplace.
"It is captivating," he replied.
After hearing his honest answer, a smile, unreadable, touched Gu Junshi’s lips. "And to what extent would you go for such captivating things?"
Liu Jiangfusheng gazed at her, lost in thought, feeling her words held a depth he couldn't comprehend.
The speed of such a high-grade flying artifact was beyond ordinary imagination. Soon, they traversed the lower sixty-six realms and arrived at the boundary between the mortal world and the cultivation world. Here, the two realms interlocked, and the concentration of spiritual energy was exceptionally high. The sky was a clear azure, as if all impurities had been filtered out, pure and spotless, with not a wisp of cloud.
"We're about to cross realms. Stand firm!"
Zhiyang Daoren’s voice boomed. He then produced an eight-foot red banner from his sleeve’s Qiankun pouch…
Seeing his Taoist robe and the compass and banner he carried, Gu Junshi found him quite the divine quack.
"Since you wish to apprentice, let me show you the true capabilities of a Nascent Soul cultivator," she said, pinpointing Zhiyang Daoren's true cultivation level.
At this time, Liu Jiangfusheng was still a novice regarding the cultivation world. Naturally, he didn't understand the cultivation ranks or what "Nascent Soul" signified. He simply followed Gu Junshi’s words and watched Zhiyang Daoren’s spellcasting intently.
The man who, not long ago, was jesting and scolding like a volatile old man, now seemed to cast off all worldly dust. His robes fluttered as he stood at the edge, tearing open the protective barrier. With a wave of his hand, the eight-foot banner expanded and swelled, creating a tempestuous surge of air. Gripping the banner’s head, he kicked off the ground and leaped, instantly teleporting into the air.
With a flick of his hand, the banner split into two, then four, then eight. A vast expanse of red stained the clear sky. He let out a low cry, his gaunt frame erupting with immense power. The red tide rolled and churned like a furious sea, rushing towards the realm barrier. As they collided, the sky seemed to tear open, and a “torrent” of immense spiritual energy cascaded down.
This scene was undeniably breathtaking, at least for Liu Jiangfusheng, leaving an indelible memory.
"The barrier is open, enter quickly!"
He turned and beckoned, and the three of them transformed into a beam of light, surging into the gradually restoring “torrent.”
***
The boundary between the mortal and cultivation worlds was a defense line established by dozens of powerful beings pooling their strength. It was not something ordinary cultivators could easily breach. Even Zhiyang Daoren, with his cultivation, would be drained of spiritual power and left breathless after opening it once. A panting Zhiyang Daoren dropped the two of them at the entrance of the Great Evolution Sect and quickly urged them to undergo the Immortal-Asking Stone test, then retreated to a side to rest and recover his energy.
From the moment Liu Jiangfusheng was brought to the cultivation world by the compass to his landing, he had been in a state of constant wonder, his worldview being refreshed.
The Great Evolution Sect was not an ancient sect with a long history; it had only been established for a few hundred years. Its foundation and grandeur could not be compared to larger, more opulent palaces.
However, the Great Evolution Sect possessed a unique architectural style. It utilized five peaks as platforms, with mountains floating in the air, enveloped by immortal clouds, and white cranes soaring. Wisps of white mist and distant waterfalls appeared hazy, and the trees by the water were veiled in ethereal mist. The staggered high platforms, layer upon layer, formed a unique lineage, yet at first glance, they seemed to embrace each other, indicating that the sect had incorporated the meaning of "When hearts are united, they can move Mount Tai."
Upon a flight of stone steps leading to the heavens, stood a snow-white stone with inch-long cracks. If someone without immortal cultivation aptitude touched it, there would be no reaction. Only those with spiritual roots could cause its veins to deepen to the color of the vast ocean and burst forth with light.
"Fusheng, hurry and test yourself."
Zhiyang Daoren urged him when he remained motionless for a long time. He was full of confidence in Liu Jiangfusheng, his anticipation making him somewhat excited.
But Liu Jiangfusheng’s lips were tightly pursed in silence. Although the painful cycles he had experienced had prematurely matured and twisted his mindset, he was fundamentally still a frail, amnesiac youth. This spiritual root test was of utmost importance to him.
Therefore, he was nervous and somewhat afraid.
What if his aptitude was poor after the test, or not as extraordinary as the old Taoist believed…
Gu Junshi seemed to have read his thoughts. She took his hand and personally led him, step by step, onto the stairs that made him hesitant.
"Do not worry. Although Zhiyang Daoren acts erratically, he did not lie."
Her black hair swayed like jade, and her gentle demeanor brushed past Liu Jiangfusheng’s eyes. With her words, he seemed to instantly relax.
"You believe in me?"
She also wanted to know how far the one favored by the Heavenly Dao could go.
"The answer is before you. Go."
She released him and gave him a push forward.
Liu Jiangfusheng was propelled to the front of the Immortal-Asking Stone. As he approached the stone artifact, a hint of icy chill permeated the air. He took a deep breath, preventing any thought of hesitation or retreat, and with a surge of resolve, placed his hand on the Immortal-Asking Stone.
Thump… thump… thump…
Suddenly, radiating from the point of contact on his palm, the cracks on the Immortal-Asking Stone erupted with light. One inch, ten feet… Blue, glittering light spread outward in a thin ring from beneath Liu Jiangfusheng’s feet. The blue light stretched until it became pure white, and finally, the horizon turned crimson, a brilliant and radiant spectacle. One square, ten directions illuminated, the heavens and earth transformed.