Chapter 41 Gu Qi's Past (Bonus Chapter)
Gu Qi was born in a rather wealthy town in the Yue Kingdom of the Northern Region. His parents were from a prominent local family. Because they had him late in life, they loved him dearly from the moment he was born.
His father named him Qi, which was his mother's surname. His name was a combination of his parents' surnames.
Just as all parents hope their children will become successful, Gu Qi's parents also placed high hopes on him.
Gu Qi did not disappoint his parents. He was not only handsome, but also a child prodigy with a photographic memory. He could read many books by the age of three or four and often showed unexpected talents that amazed people. Everyone who had seen him said he was a reincarnation of a deity.
When Gu Qi was six years old, he met Danyangzi, the leader of the White Lotus Mountain in the Northern Region. Danyangzi saw that he had extraordinary talent and took him in as his last disciple. From then on, Gu Qi embarked on the path of cultivation.
Although his parents were reluctant to part with him, they didn't want to hinder their son's progress. Becoming an immortal was something even emperors dreamed of. So Gu Qi bid farewell to his parents and went to White Lotus Mountain to cultivate.
His talent was so exceptional that it made his fellow disciples envious. He reached the Foundation Establishment stage at fifteen and condensed his Golden Core at twenty-one. His master, Danyangzi, was overjoyed and resolved to pass on his mantle to Gu Qi, intending for him to succeed him as sect leader in the future. However, when Gu Qi's fellow disciples learned of Danyangzi's intentions, they became even more envious and distanced themselves from him.
Gu Qi was always very lonely on Bailian Mountain.
One day, Gu Qi discovered a very interesting fellow among the outer disciples named Han Wen. He and Han Wen met over a spirit beast and ended up fighting. That was the first time Gu Qi had encountered an opponent of the same cultivation level. Through this fight, they became friends.
He was puzzled. With Han Wen's cultivation level, why would he be content to be an outer disciple? Han Wen only said that he had no great ambitions and simply wanted to find a quiet place to cultivate and pass the days casually. At that time, Gu Qi was still very naive, and he believed whatever Han Wen said.
He later discovered that Han Wen had come to Bailian Mountain with a purpose; he was a spy.
Gu Qi felt he had been deceived, but instead of exposing Han Wen, he questioned Han Wen privately.
Han Wen told him that he was actually a cultivator from the Qingyun Sect in the Eastern Region, who had come to the Northern Region with his younger brother for training. His brother had been poisoned and was on the verge of death, and only the Nine-Turn Ice Heart Lotus from White Lotus Mountain could save him. The Nine-Turn Ice Heart Lotus was the treasure of White Lotus Mountain, and the sect leader would certainly not use it to save outsiders. He could only infiltrate White Lotus Mountain and wait for an opportunity to steal it.
Gu Qi was moved by these words. He felt that although Han Wen had deceived him, it was understandable. He told Han Wen, "The Nine-Turn Ice Heart Lotus is in the forbidden area. Your cultivation level is not high enough to enter, and even if you do, you won't be able to get out."
Han asked, "I've already lost one brother, I can't lose another. Even if it means death, I'll give it a try."
Gu Qi was afraid that Han Wen would die, so he stopped him and secretly sneaked into the forbidden area. He took the Nine-Turn Ice Heart Lotus and gave it to Han Wen, saying, "This lotus has already been refined into a magic weapon. It is just placed in the forbidden area to absorb the extreme cold energy every day to enhance its power. I am giving it to you so you can save your brother, but you must return it to me after seven days."
Han Wen stared at him in shock.
Han Wen patted his chest and promised that he would return the Nine-Turn Ice Heart Lotus within seven days. But Gu Qi waited and waited, and on the seventh day, as the sun set, he still hadn't returned.
When the master emerged from seclusion, he quickly discovered that the Nine-Turn Ice Heart Lotus was missing. He was furious. He knew that he could not hide the fact that he had been to the forbidden area, so he had no choice but to admit it.
Stealing a sacred artifact from the sect and giving it to an outsider is a capital offense. His master was extremely disappointed in him, and he thought his master would kill him with a single blow, but in the end, his master couldn't bring himself to do it. He gave him a hundred lashes and sent him to the Ice Abyss to reflect on his actions for ten years.
During those ten years in the Ice Abyss, he was filled with remorse and hated Han Wen to the core—that despicable and shameless man who had deceived him. He secretly vowed that if he ever encountered Han Wen again, he would kill him. After leaving the Ice Abyss, his master's attitude towards him became much colder. He felt sad and knew it was his fault; he had been too naive.
To please his master, he went to the Bottomless Glacier. The so-called Bottomless Glacier was a huge glacial rift valley that stretched across the continent, its depths unfathomable. The deeper he went, the colder it became, a cold so intense it could even freeze one's primordial spirit.
However, many medicinal herbs and treasures also grow on the glacier's sheer cliffs.
The Nine-Turned Ice Heart Lotus, the most prized treasure of White Lotus Mountain, was also discovered beneath the bottomless glacier. Gu Qi thought, perhaps there are more Nine-Turned Ice Heart Lotuses there.
He nearly died in the bottomless glacier, where the extreme cold was terrifying, and snow demons roamed. But he did find the Nine-Turn Ice Heart Lotus. Although this Nine-Turn Ice Heart Lotus was not as old as the one the founding ancestor had collected, with careful cultivation, it could still grow into the treasure of White Lotus Mountain.
He was excited to take the flower back, but he ran into Lou Tingxue, the young master of the Xuanbing Divine Palace, who was murdering people to steal his treasure. Lou Tingxue wanted his Nine-Turn Ice Heart Lotus, but he naturally refused. In the ensuing struggle, he severely injured Lou Tingxue and then left.
He had always wanted to bring the Nine-Turn Ice Heart Lotus back to the sect to atone for his mistakes and win his master's favor. Unexpectedly, Lou Tingxue was ruthless and cruel. Instead of going to White Lotus Mountain, that guy went to Yue Kingdom, found the Gu family, and slaughtered the entire Gu family.
His parents, all his relatives, had died at Lou Tingxue's hands. That bastard even brought their heads to him and threw them at his feet. Grief, anger, and hatred drove him almost mad. He killed Lou Tingxue, tore him to pieces, extracted his soul and refined it, causing his soul to scatter. He also killed everyone from the Xuanbing Divine Palace present.
Lou Tingxue is the only son of the Palace Master of the Xuanbing Divine Palace, so naturally the Palace Master wouldn't let him off the hook. As one of the four major sects of the Northern Region, the Xuanbing Divine Palace far surpasses White Lotus Mountain in strength. His master, for the sake of White Lotus Mountain, expelled him from the sect and severed ties with him.
He fled alone, but was caught and seriously injured by the people of the Xuanbing Divine Palace, and fell into the bottomless glacier.
He was smashed to pieces, and just when he thought he was going to die, he saw a calico cat.
The cat has fluffy fur and heterochromatic eyes that are azure and golden-red, like jewels.
The adorable calico cat licked his wound, and it miraculously healed. The strange cat then brought him three cultivation manuals: the Primordial Dividing Light Sword Manual, the Myriad Manifestations Technique, and the Nine Heavens Thunder Control Technique, before disappearing.
It's a strange cat, but it feels familiar, as if I've known it for a long time.
He cultivated these three techniques in an ice cave at an unknown depth in the bottomless glacier and successfully formed his Nascent Soul.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com