Chapter 109 Heartless Love (Part 4)

The black banner is embroidered with the patterns of the sun and moon in gold thread, and in the middle is a camel-dragon turtle with thick limbs. The two characters "Qiankun" are divided into black and white on both sides of the turtle's body, appearing and disappearing in the clouds.

"Legend has it that the Camel Dragon Turtle was an ancient mythical beast that could find the world's most precious treasures and move mountains and seas. In the end, it died from exhaustion after carrying an ancient divine dragon. Therefore, people believe that it represents wealth and power, and it is often embroidered on storage bags for good luck." An older young man was explaining to a group of teenagers, "The Qian and Kun Towers of Wangyue gather talents from all over the world, so it is not surprising that they embroider the Camel Dragon Turtle on their flags."

“But the dragon came to life,” a young man in red blurted out, “what kind of good omen is that?”

"..." The young man was silent for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Hu Jingchen, be careful what you say."

After all, this is on the flying boat of Qiankun Tower, and a slight mistake could bring trouble upon oneself.

Hu Jingchen shrugged with a grin, "Okay, I was just saying."

At only sixteen years old, he had already reached the Great Perfection of the Integration Realm. He would have been the center of attention in any sect, but he had always cultivated in the deep mountains and forests with his rogue cultivator parents, following a path that remained detached from worldly affairs. For more than ten years, he had not revealed a single word about himself in the Pingze Continent. The Qiankun Tower somehow found out about him, and a year ago, the invitation quietly fell into his hands. His parents were of average talent and their cultivation was not particularly profound. Since he accepted the invitation, they had frequently encountered accidents and almost lost their lives. Moreover, he was alone and weak, so in the end, he could only board this flying boat, which he was somewhat unwilling to do.

And he is not the only one on the list of people to be nominated.

They were all young, mostly unknown but exceptionally talented. At such a young age, they had already reached heights that ordinary cultivators might never be able to achieve in their entire lives. Moreover, whether they were rogue cultivators hiding their identities or secrets deliberately protected and concealed by sects and families, they were all on the list without exception.

There were even five- or six-year-old children who had already reached infancy.

These young but highly talented children were placed on the first page, alongside the experts from the True Immortal Realm. It's unclear what criteria were used to select them.

"I never imagined that Pingze Continent was truly a place where hidden talents reside." Jiang Xiangyun leaned lazily against the window, tilting his head to look at Jiang Gu, who was looking at a map of Wangyue Continent. "I just encountered a thirteen-year-old True Immortal. I never thought these two words could be put together in my life. He probably won't even be a hundred years old before he ascends directly. The Jiang family doesn't even know he exists."

He is now at the early stage of the True Immortal Realm. At this age, having such a level of cultivation is already a testament to his genius and the result of his hard work. However, it wasn't until he boarded this flying ship that he realized what a true genius is.

"I heard that the child has always stayed in a village of mortals, raising ducks and chickens, chopping wood and farming every day, saying it's to cultivate his mind and body, and that cultivation is like playing a game for him." Jiang Xiangyun looked at Jiang Gu with a smile, "Seventh Brother, what do you think?"

Let alone Jiang Gu, even a "genius" like him who has been nurtured by his family since childhood feels far inferior.

"Regardless of cultivation level, surviving is the only true skill," Jiang Gu said.

If someone else had said this, Jiang Xiangyun would have been dismissive, thinking it was just sour grapes. But since Jiang Gu said it, it made Jiang Xiangyun's eyes look more serious.

In just five years, Jiang Gu skipped the mid-stage of the Void Refinement Realm, skipped the Integration Realm, and directly cultivated to the Great Perfection of the Mahayana Realm. This cultivation speed would be acceptable for someone with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, but Jiang Gu only had a single spiritual root that he had cleansed. In fact, he only cleansed the wood spiritual root from his dual spiritual roots when he reached the Mahayana Realm. His cultivation speed was terrifying.

Compared to geniuses with extraordinary talent who can enter the True Immortal Realm at a young age, Jiang Xiangyun felt a stronger sense of crisis from ordinary people like Jiang Gu who would do anything to climb up the ladder.

He even had a premonition that if things continued like this, one day Jiang Gu would leave him far behind.

"Seventh Brother is right." Jiang Xiangyun crossed his arms and laughed. "I was also annoyed by the chatter of these kids. Speaking of which, your little apprentice was about this age when he was taken away, wasn't he?"

Jiang Gu looked up at him, his expression indifferent.

Jiang Xiangyun pushed open the window and looked at the group of teenagers outside. "I think Hu Jingchen's features are somewhat similar to your little apprentice. I heard he doesn't have any lineage or sect. It wouldn't be bad to take him as an apprentice."

"This is unnecessary." Jiang Gu had no intention of taking on any more disciples.

"Tsk, your ruthlessness is truly admirable." Jiang Xiangyun, having clearly made a fool of himself by chatting with Jiang Gu, grabbed Yao Li, who was passing by the window. "Uncle, shall we talk?"

Yao Li's name was also on the roll call. This time he did not board the ship as an attendant, but he seemed to keep his duties in mind.

The pair of gloomy eyes under the bamboo hat glanced at him, but did not refuse. "Yes, young master."

"..." Jiang Xiangyun sighed softly.

He was naturally playful and fun-loving, but unfortunately, Jiang Gu and Yao Li were both taciturn. He would often talk a lot but only get a brief "hmm" in the end, which was simply torture.

However, he soon found like-minded "friends".

That day, Jiang Gu had just finished cultivating when Jiang Xiangyun dragged him to the main hall on the top floor of the flying boat. Even if they kept switching between teleportation arrays, it would take half a year to travel from Pingze to Wangyue. With so many people in the same space, they would inevitably have to interact.

But Jiang Gu didn't expect that Jiang Xiangyun would get directly involved with the person in charge of the flying boat.

The other person looked to be in his early twenties, with a gentle and refined appearance, like a handsome young man who had stepped out of a traditional Chinese ink painting. He had a gentle smile on his face, and his clean and gentle demeanor made it hard not to feel good about him, as if he were another Song Sui in the world.

"Seventh Young Master, I have long admired your name." Xiao Qingyan cupped his hands, his gaze lingering on Jiang Gu's face for a moment, momentarily stunned.

"Young Master Xiao." Jiang Gu returned the greeting, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat when their eyes met. Immediately afterwards, a burning sensation came from the side of his neck. The scar that had disappeared before reappeared on the side of his neck for a moment, and it was frighteningly hot, but it quickly disappeared again, as if it were just an illusion.

Xiao Qingyan instinctively covered her forearm and looked at Jiang Gu in surprise.

Seeing the two of them looking at each other, Jiang Xiangyun teased, "Hey you two, there's another living person here. Could it be that you've fallen in love at first sight?"

Xiao Qingyan chuckled and said, "Brother Jiang, please don't tease us. Please, both of you."

Jiang Gu lowered his eyes indifferently, but his heart was strangely troubled. Back in the Chaolong Secret Realm, it was Wei Feng who removed the seal on the scar on his neck, which is why he believed that Wei Feng was the object of his love tribulation. But now the scar has reappeared, and he is even reacting to Xiao Qingyan. Is it because Wei Feng is dead and another person has appeared to take his place... or has he misunderstood the meaning of the seal, and the object of his love tribulation is not a predetermined one?

That's utterly absurd.

Jiang Gu frowned, his gaze falling unabashedly on Xiao Qingyan. The other's cultivation was similar to his own, and in just a brief exchange, he could tell that Xiao Qingyan was a gentle and polite person. But since he was in charge of escorting the flying boat this time, he was definitely not a simple character. If he killed him to prove his Dao...

Xiao Qingyan was talking to Jiang Xiangyun when she noticed Jiang Gu's gaze. She turned around and gave him a gentle smile, "Seventh Young Master?"

"Is Young Master Xiao married?" Jiang Gu asked bluntly.

Xiao Qingyan paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Not yet, but I was betrothed to someone when I was young. Later, their family disappeared, and the matter was left unresolved."

Jiang Gu nodded and then fell silent.

Xiao Qingyan, not hearing anything further, asked with curiosity, "Seventh Young Master—"

Before he could finish speaking, his expression suddenly changed. Jiang Xiangyun and Jiang Gu, who were beside him, reacted just as quickly. The three of them leaped into the air at the same time, and the next instant, the spot where they were was struck by lightning, leaving only charred and smoking wooden planks.

However, this was not the only place that was attacked. Most of the cultivators on the massive flying ship were at the Mahayana stage or the True Immortal realm, so their reactions were quick. However, the attackers came with great force, and before these chosen ones could find their location, the entire flying ship had been charred black by lightning and turned into dust that fell to the ground.

The group had no choice but to hover in mid-air on their swords. However, no matter which way they went, there was only endless seawater in all directions. It was unknown how long they would have to wait to fly to the Moon Gazing Continent.

Before there was time to panic, dark thunderclouds rolled in, crackling with azure lightning. A gale swept through, and the sea instantly became turbulent, turning everything pitch black, as if an ancient beast had opened its jaws to devour everything.

"Don't panic, everyone!" Xiao Qingyan's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears through spiritual power. "Please sheathe your swords and enter the protective formation."

A giant gourd-shaped magic array suddenly appeared behind him, surrounded by disciples of the Qiankun Tower dressed in uniform. The Kunlou disciples wore black, while the Qianlou disciples wore white, totaling two hundred people. The Qianlou disciples were scattered around the magic array, and when the cultivators from Pingze Continent entered, they instinctively stood in front of them to protect them. Sure enough, the lightning seemed to have eyes and stopped attacking.

As the lightning grew increasingly fierce, even cultivators at the Mahayana stage could not withstand it, and cultivators from Pingze Continent successively hid in protective formations.

Jiang Gu and Jiang Xiangyun exchanged a glance and decided not to rush into the magic array.

"Perhaps it was all orchestrated by Qiankun Tower itself," Jiang Xiangyun transmitted his voice. "Let's wait and see."

Jiang Gu nodded almost imperceptibly.

Yao Li, who was standing nearby, suddenly exclaimed, "Watch out!"

A sword light shot straight at Jiang Gu, who quickly retreated dozens of feet. The surging waves crashed down, revealing Lu Ziming's face.

"Long time no see, Fellow Daoist Jiang," he said.

"Why waste words with him? Just kill him!" Lu Ziming said again.

To onlookers, it sounded like he was talking to himself, but Jiang Gu knew it was Lu Zhenyi and Lu Ziming talking. They hadn't met for months on the flying boat.

Jiang Gu glanced at Jiang Xiangyun and Yao Li beside him, and had already made up his mind. However, just as he was about to fight back, his wrist was suddenly grabbed by someone.