Chapter 348: Studying the Gods

Just as Shen Xinzi was inwardly impressed by Pan An’s understanding of the human heart, Long Qing couldn’t help asking, “You’re this powerful—why are you staying in Medicine Valley?”

Shen Xinzi smiled gently. “I’m not a member of the Taixuan Sect. I just like the atmosphere here. I wanted to stay for a few hundred years to figure out some confusion in my heart.”

A few hundred years...

Long Qing looked at Shen Xinzi differently. He started to believe what he said.

“You claim to be a Roving Immortal—how do you prove that? I’m not a little kid!” Thirteen-year-old Long Qing saying he wasn’t a kid made Shen Xinzi chuckle even more.

Shen Xinzi grabbed Long Qing by the shoulders and, before Long Qing could react, leapt into the air.

The scene in front of Long Qing blurred, and he instinctively shut his eyes. When he opened them again, the sight took his breath away.

He was actually in the sky!

Below was an endless sea of clouds. Looking up, the starry sky stretched overhead. It was like standing in the night, only the stars were brighter—so many of them, packed densely, even more than the flowers and grass in the valley!

Long Qing’s mouth dropped open, his bright eyes filled with wonder.

The vast starry sky hung above his head. In that moment, Long Qing’s world expanded infinitely. He twirled in place, completely unaware there was no ground beneath his feet.

Shen Xinzi stood to the side, smiling softly.

He suddenly understood how Grandmaster Bodhi must have felt.

No wonder Gu An said Grandmaster Bodhi was especially fond of Sun Wukong.

Long Qing spun around a few more times before suddenly realizing he was floating in the air. Startled, he quickly grabbed Shen Xinzi’s robe sleeve.

“Is this really the sky?” He looked up at Shen Xinzi, asking eagerly.

Seeing how fearless this kid was, Shen Xinzi’s opinion of him rose even more.

Shen Xinzi replied, “Yes. We’re far above the ground. With the speed you had chasing the White Spirit Mouse, it’d take you at least twenty years to get here.”

Long Qing’s eyes widened. He instinctively looked down, seeing only thick clouds. Looking into the distance, he saw a patch of blue—he didn’t know what it was.

Then he looked up again, pointed at a shooting star, and asked, “What’s that?”

Shen Xinzi raised his eyes. “That’s a Celestial Ascendant returning. He’s very far from us.”

“Celestial Ascendant… Can I go to the stars someday?”

“You can’t. Only those who reach the Celestial Ascension Stage can cross the invisible wall of the sky.”

“Celestial Ascension… I want to cultivate! I want you to be my master! Teach me how to reach that stage!”

Long Qing clenched his fists, full of determination.

He hadn’t even started absorbing spiritual energy yet. Gu An had said he’d start teaching him at sixteen, and no other disciple was allowed to teach him in secret.

Because of that, Long Qing hadn’t shown his talent yet.

But Shen Xinzi could see that Long Qing had solid potential. Even if he wasn’t a top-tier genius, he certainly wasn’t ordinary.

He sighed again—how did Gu An always manage to find prodigies?

Just like the Nine-Fingered Divine Lord, he suspected someone powerful was backing Gu An.

But what kind of expert could even evade his perception?

Maybe it was the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path—or perhaps some other grandmaster. The Taixuan Sect had no shortage of high-level cultivators now, some even beyond his understanding.

In any case, when he heard Long Qing’s request, Shen Xinzi was genuinely pleased. He smiled kindly. “Reaching the Celestial Ascension Stage is extremely difficult. Are you ready to put in the effort?”

Long Qing nodded earnestly. “I won’t let you down!”

“Then what are you waiting for? Kneel and bow to your master!” Shen Xinzi said with a laugh.

He wanted to follow Grandmaster Bodhi’s example—maybe through taking a disciple, he too could gain some enlightenment.

Long Qing immediately knelt and paid his respects. Looking up at Shen Xinzi, he asked, “Master, I heard Medicine Valley once produced a genius named Yang Jian. Can I catch up to him?”

Shen Xinzi helped him up and replied, “Yang Jian was indeed exceptionally gifted. But your master is more powerful than his master. You’ll definitely surpass him one day.”

Long Qing’s face lit up with excitement.

Meanwhile—

Inside the pavilion, Gu An’s lips curled into a faint smile as he read.

“Surpassing Yang Jian isn’t hard. But within the next hundred years…” Gu An thought to himself, already looking forward to Shen Xinzi’s expression after guiding Long Qing’s cultivation.

With Shen Xinzi’s level of mastery, maybe he really could help Long Qing unravel the mysteries of the Primordial Return Divine Path.

Half an hour later—

The door creaked open as Long Qing stepped inside. He walked up to the table and looked at Gu An, his expression complicated.

Gu An glanced up and smiled. “What’s wrong? Did the Ox Demon King bully you again?”

Long Qing shook his head, then added, “Master, you’re the most important person to me. Do you believe that?”

That made Gu An laugh. Was this kid feeling guilty?

“Is that so? Then I’ll have to see how you show your filial piety in the future,” Gu An said with a drawn-out tone, his eyes drifting back to the book in his hands.

Long Qing answered seriously, “I’ll definitely be good to you!”

Once I become an immortal, I’ll make sure the Taixuan Sect honors you.

With that thought, Long Qing’s willpower surged once more.

Seeing Gu An not responding, he curiously asked, “Master, what are you reading? Can I have a look?”

Gu An closed the Adventures of the Green Hero, shot him a glance, and said, “If you’ve got nothing to do, go chop firewood!”

The moment Long Qing heard that, he bolted.

“Immortals don’t chop wood!”

Throwing back that bold remark, he dashed off, leaving Gu An smiling as he returned to his reading.

Two days later—

In a quiet corner of Medicine Valley, within a bamboo grove, Shen Xinzi and Long Qing sat in meditation side by side.

“Master, why haven’t I produced any spiritual power yet?” Long Qing couldn’t help opening his eyes to ask.

Shen Xinzi, eyes still closed, replied, “Not many people can form spiritual energy within two days. Don’t rush.”

But he was puzzled too. Why is it taking so long?

Then he recalled Yang Jian’s early cultivation—he also started off slowly. Maybe Long Qing had some special constitution.

He dismissed the thought. He had plenty of patience, not one to get agitated.

Suddenly, a figure darted across the bamboo grove’s sky, prompting Shen Xinzi to look up.

“It’s him…” Shen Xinzi murmured.

“Who?” Long Qing asked curiously, having also seen the figure.

Shen Xinzi shook his head and said nothing.

Long Qing’s eyes flickered, and he immediately got up and ran out of the grove.

Shen Xinzi followed, not angry at all. After all, the kid was only thirteen.

Inside the pavilion—

Gu An swapped out his book for Romance of the Gods, flipping through it carefully.

Bang—

The window suddenly swung open, startling Gu An. He turned to look, then broke into a joyful smile.

“Senior Brother Li! You’re back?” Gu An asked excitedly.

Li Ya landed gracefully, straightening his robe as he snorted, “What? Not happy to see me?”

“Of course I am! Come on, sit!”

Gu An put down Romance of the Gods and got up to brew tea.

Li Ya sat at the table, catching a glimpse of the book. He grinned. “After all these years, you’re still reading that? Don’t tell me you’re like those guys trying to comprehend the Dao from Romance of the Gods?”

While pouring tea, Gu An replied, “Just reading for fun. The stories in this book definitely don’t compare to your real-life adventures. So tell me—how have things been? Any injuries?”

Li Ya’s face turned serious. “With my current abilities, how could I possibly get hurt? Besides, I’ve got Divine Anomaly City in hand. Since you’re so eager, I’ll tell you everything. You might want to grab a pen and jot it down.”

Gu An brought the hot tea over and set it in front of Li Ya, then sat down with a smile. “True, with Divine Anomaly City, even my disciple Long Qing wouldn’t stand a chance of getting hurt.”