Lingtai Prefecture was remote, and its heritage lagged far behind other prefectures. Lacking deep foundations and missing many secret records and ancient texts, the local cultivators' horizons were inevitably somewhat limited—a helpless reality. Thus, when faced with an inexplicable situation like Shi Yu's colorless Dao Platform, they had no way to verify or investigate it.
Fortunately, no matter how they probed, every check yielded the same conclusion: Shi Yu's foundation was incomparably solid, her meridians were wide throughout her body, and her spiritual energy flowed completely unobstructed. It was unquestionably not the mark of Mortal Dao Foundation Establishment.
The group decided not to dwell on the matter any longer.
“Alright, now that Little Yu'er is out, let us not gather here.”
The group left the spot and walked toward the exit of the Array Association.
Along the way, Master Ji looked at Shi Yu and said with a smile, “Your Foundation Establishment this time was quite a bit faster than expected. The president even mentioned that if you hadn't emerged after another half a month, he would postpone the Golden Core Ceremony until you left seclusion. We couldn't let you miss such a major event, after all.”
Shi Yu blinked and looked at President Song. “In that case, President, is your Golden Core Ceremony coming up very soon?”
President Song stroked his beard and smiled. “Everything is prepared. Now that you've successfully completed your seclusion, invitations can be sent out far and wide starting today.”
A warm feeling filled Shi Yu's heart, knowing President Song had been waiting for her all along, willing to delay the ceremony rather than host it without her.
“Then I must properly prepare a celebratory gift,” Shi Yu said with a soft chuckle.
President Song gave her a mock glare and chided lightheartedly, “You silly girl, as long as the thought is there, that's enough! Gathering cultivation resources isn't easy. Do you really think I'm lacking for whatever you can bring?”
Shi Yu curved her eyes into smiles and pressed her lips together without replying, though an idea was slowly taking shape in her mind.
Reaching the main entrance of the Array Association, the group paused there and chatted for a few more moments.
Suddenly, Shi Yu heard a long-unheard, clear voice of a young man call out behind her: “Ah Yu.”
Her expression froze. Pausing for a moment, she slowly turned around.
Standing behind her was a young man with silver hair and silver eyes. Beneath the sunlight, his skin possessed a delicate, suet-like jade texture. He possessed strikingly exquisite looks, and as his gaze fell upon her, his eyes stirred with emotions that were hard to decipher.
“Qingzhou...?” Shi Yu looked up slightly at him. The slit pupils in his silver eyes, naturally belonging to a serpent and ever vigilant and sharp, gradually softened into round pupils the moment he clearly saw her, revealing a misty, longing attachment.
Stepping forward, she carefully appraised him from head to toe. She realized Qingzhou had grown somewhat taller than when he left. His long hair, which had once cascaded down his shoulders and back like a waterfall, had been cut short at some point, now only four or five inches long, tied low and resting against his shoulder.
Two years had passed since Qingzhou departed without farewell on the cloud boat. Now that he suddenly appeared before her eyes, he seemed slightly unfamiliar, leaving Shi Yu unsure of what to say for a moment, struck somewhat silent.
Connected to her in mind and heart, Qingzhou also faintly sensed the slight unfamiliarity in Shi Yu's heart. He couldn't help but hesitate nervously, standing frozen in place, not daring to step forward.
Exhaling softly, Shi Yu's eyes curved gently as she asked, “When did you get back?”
Peeking at her expression, Qingzhou answered cautiously, “I came back two days ago.”
“You came back two days ago—have you been waiting here for me all this time?”
“Mm.” The young man nodded, looking endearing and well-behaved.
President Song and Master Ji exchanged a look, their eyes carrying a hint of peculiarity. With their cultivation, it was naturally easy to see that Qingzhou had also recently broken through into the Foundation Establishment Realm.
When he left, his cultivation had been merely at the fifth layer of the Qi Refining Realm. In just two years, who knew what fortuitous encounters or opportunities he had encountered for his progress to be so astonishingly swift...
Yet, despite his cultivation reaching Foundation Establishment, this young man bearing spirit beast bloodline showed such a bashful, submissive posture before Shi Yu, which was truly...
Regardless, he harbored no malice toward Shi Yu whatsoever and had even given her his life scale, making him a servant beyond loyal. Little Yu'er usually traveled alone, so having someone to handle chores and protect her safety would also offer peace of mind.
President Song and the others withdrew their probing gazes from Qingzhou and said to Shi Yu, “Head back to your cave dwelling early.”
Shi Yu nodded in agreement and walked to Qingzhou's side. “Let's go. We can talk back home.”
...
Along the way, Qingzhou maintained an anxious, restless expression, causing Shi Yu to sigh softly as she watched him.
Qingzhou had left without saying goodbye and stayed away for two years, but the root cause had been for her sake.
Back then, she was troubled by her insufficient cultivation and her inability to sustain the demands of alchemy, so Qingzhou wanted to use the pact established by the life scale between them to feed back energy and help increase her cultivation.
Over these two years, who knew how much hardship he had endured or how many dangerous crises he had faced to achieve these multiple realm breakthroughs?
How could she possibly blame him?
Returning to the cave dwelling, the two sat across from each other.
Looking at Qingzhou's lowered head, Shi Yu spoke softly after a long pause: “You're not allowed to leave without saying goodbye in the future. Even if you have to go, you should let me know.”
Hearing no annoyance or anger in her voice, Qingzhou's heart gradually settled down. He pressed his lips together and nodded. “I will never leave Ah Yu again.”
Seeing the faint glint of moisture and aggrieved feeling in his eyes, Shi Yu guessed that his past two years had likely been far from easy. She couldn't help but stroke his head gently. “Alright.”
A smile touched the corners of Qingzhou's lips as he looked around the cave dwelling.
Seeing that everything remained exactly as it had been when they left, his mood gradually grew cheerful. “Are you hungry, Ah Yu? I'll go make some food for you.”
Now that she had reached Foundation Establishment, she was capable of fasting, so hunger was no longer really a factor. However, spiritual grains and spiritual vegetables could benefit cultivation and physical constitution, so they could still be eaten even if not to satisfy hunger.
So she nodded and went over to help him together.
...
Just like that, another few days passed, and the day of President Song's Golden Core Ceremony finally arrived.
Early that morning, the main city was filled with a joyful atmosphere. The Alchemist Association hosted the ceremony, while the other three associations sent numerous hands to assist. Over a dozen wood-attribute Foundation Establishment Masters exerted their respective techniques to spur the growth of flowers and trees, filling the entire main city with lush blossoms and scattering petals. As the breeze stirred, colorful petals fluttered through the air, wafting a refreshing fragrance across the entire city.
President Liang Guan even brought out an ancient mirror magic treasure long passed down in the Refinement Association. Once activated, the ancient mirror swelled against the wind, expanding from palm-sized to the size of a house in an instant. Its surface cast dazzling treasure light into the sky, instantly sweeping away the clouds above the main city to reveal clear and bright weather.
The ceremony was held on the mountain peak where President Song's cave dwelling was located. Piercing into the clouds and stretching for miles, the mountain featured a vast open clearing at its peak, spacious enough to accommodate thousands of people.
When Shi Yu arrived with Qingzhou, she saw the clearing at the peak decorated with lanterns and streamers. Guests flowed in a continuous stream amid a bustling hum of voices, with laughter and joy ringing out endlessly.
Glancing across the crowd, Shi Yu noted that more than half of the attending guests were Foundation Establishment cultivators. “Practically every cultivator with any standing across Lingtai Prefecture has likely come.”
Lingtai Prefecture had very few Golden Core cultivators; every new one was a major event for the entire prefecture, not to mention President Song's extraordinary status as the head of an association.
Tables and chairs filled the clearing. Disciples in standardized association Taoist robes greeted the guests, announcing the celebratory gifts brought by each before guiding them to their seats.
Seats at the banquet were not explicitly assigned; guests could choose any seat upon entering. However, no one was careless enough to sit randomly; almost everyone estimated an appropriate seat based on their respective faction or cultivation realm.
The moment Shi Yu made her appearance, she instantly drew countless gazes.
Rate on N.U.
