441: Chapter 441 Boarding the Ship

An unknown amount of time passed. Xiao Lingxian only felt the initial numbness of the flames washing through her Meridians slowly transition into the subtle, stinging pain of tempering her bones. Every inch of skin and every blood vessel underwent a transformative rebirth under the searing heat of these scarlet flames.

By the time she regained consciousness from her heightened state of perception, the first layer of flames had already begun to subside.

The young girl stood in the Void Realm, her Physical Body radiating a faint golden luster. It was lustrous and translucent, as if she possessed golden skin and jade bones that naturally emitted light.

The remnants of her past mortal Impurities, Karmic Obstructions, and turbid yin energy were all refined by the flames, dissipating into wisps of gray mist. Her once wide Meridians now appeared even more unobstructed and resilient, allowing her spiritual power to flow without any hint of stagnation.

But before she could even catch her breath or savor the benefits of this physical transformation, the second layer of flames suddenly ignited.

This time, the flames were no longer a blazing scarlet, but had turned into a gentle yet highly penetrating gold, like molten gold liquid, wrapping around her cultivation base layer by layer.

"If the Dao foundation is unstable, the cultivation base is like a tree without roots..."

Having learned from the previous experience where resisting the first layer head-on led to a backlash, Xiao Lingxian simply stopped obsessing over defense. Instead, she completely opened her mind and spirit, allowing the golden flames to burn and permeate at will.

She could clearly feel that the subtle hidden dangers left behind from her past cultivation due to rushing for success—the slight instabilities hidden deep within her Dao foundation—had nowhere to hide under the illumination of these golden flames, being stripped away and refined bit by bit.

If someone with a superficial cultivation base and an unsteady Dao foundation faced this tribulation, at best their Realm would drop, and at worst their Primordial Qi would be destroyed.

Hundreds of years of bitter cultivation could be wiped out in an instant, with no hope of recovery.

Fortunately, although Xiao Lingxian's cultivation base was not forged and fortified to the peerless degree of her Revered Master Chen Xuan's through the System, it was still considered extremely solid.

After all, while practicing in the Dao Seeking Sect, she lacked neither Cultivation Techniques nor Spiritual Qi, and the Medicinal Pills she used were of the highest quality. Xiao Lingxian had taken it one step at a time without the slightest negligence; her Dao foundation had long been firmly established.

The golden flames filling the sky gradually retracted, turning into tiny specks of golden light that merged into Xiao Lingxian's body like stars.

In an instant, she felt her Sea of Consciousness become clear and her Dao Heart become transparent. The agitation previously caused by the burning flames vanished completely, replaced by a sense of clarity and physical comfort, as if her heart were a bright mirror.

...

The three tribulations of lightning, wind, and fire all subsided. The remaining power of the tribulation in the world gradually dissipated, turning into wisps of pure Spiritual Qi that merged into the Void Realm.

Chen Xuan's feeling about it was that only the initial Lightning Tribulation had produced a slight illusion.

He reckoned it was because his thoughts weren't entirely clear.

As for the following two tribulations, although he didn't know how it was for others, for him, it seemed like he was just going through the motions.

Before he could even get a taste of it, the scenery had already changed.

"This must be the downside of using cheats; many things lose their gaming experience," Chen Xuan lamented to himself.

He recalled his past life of working like a beast of burden once more, which finally suppressed the upward curve of his lips.

Deep Blue, add points again!

Just as Chen Xuan was feeling sentimental, the Void Realm before him suddenly tore open, and a staircase connecting heaven and earth slowly emerged.

This was the path to board the boat.

The stairs were forged from an unknown white jade, flowing with a warm rosy light. The end of the stairs was lost in the sea of clouds, and amidst the swirling mist, the silhouette of a giant boat was faintly visible.

"Wanqing and Lingxian should be fine, but I wonder if that girl Xuanxuan can successfully cross it."

Chen Xuan glanced back once before turning to board the boat.

He remembered that the goal for both Dongfang Li and Number Seven was to find an ancient book on this immortal ferry. That book recorded the entire past of the cultivation world; any information one desired could be found within it. There were even rumors that only this book recorded the method for Immortal Ascension.

He just didn't know if that ancient book could reveal the identities of the other owners of the Chaos Void Jade.

Although the path to the boat was over ten thousand feet high, requiring a step for every stair, Chen Xuan moved as if the earth were shrinking beneath him.

Before long, he reached the top of the stairs. Passing through the sea of clouds, the full view of the guixu immortal ferry boat finally came into sight.

The hull of the boat was a thousand feet long, with carved beams and painted rafters adorned with patterns of flying celestial beings and flowing clouds.

In the center stood a three-story cabin, surrounded by black and white Qi, which drew in the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to form a vortex. On both sides of the deck stood twenty-four coiled dragon pillars, and nearby grew a patch of unknown spiritual flowers and exotic grasses, their fragrance filling the air and refreshing the mind.

Just as Chen Xuan was observing the immortal ferry,

A small figure suddenly ran quickly from the direction of the pavilion, her footsteps light like a deer leaping through the forest.

Before Chen Xuan could react, the young girl had already reached him.

She then stood firmly, her hands folded at her side, and bowed in greeting. Her voice was as crisp as a silver bell:

"Disciple Shen Mutao pays respects to Revered Master!"

"Revered Master, your Disciple has been waiting for you here for ten thousand, three hundred and forty-two years."

Chen Xuan was slightly startled. His gaze swept over the girl and then around the empty deck. Confirming there was no one else around, he couldn't help but ask in return:

"Revered Master? You mean me?"

[Name: Shen Mutao]

[Cultivation: Body Integration Level 5]

[Spiritual Root: Peak-grade Metal Spiritual Root]

[Physique: Glazed Immortal Fetus]

[Aptitude: Easiest to Ascend]

[Glazed Immortal Fetus: Flawless Dao Heart, stable immortal foundation. Will never develop Heart Demons or be stained by Karmic Fire in this life.]

Meets the requirements for taking a Disciple.

Chen Xuan was a bit surprised. What was going on?

Shen Mutao stood up. She wore her hair in double buns, her strands dark and shiny. Her soft, rounded face showed two shallow dimples, making her look very lively.

"Yes, Revered Master! You are the one your Disciple was looking for! Is there a problem?"

"Why do you call me Revered Master?"

Chen Xuan's eyebrows twitched slightly as he asked back.

When it comes to such windfalls from the heavens, people always try to find out the reason; otherwise, they always feel uneasy and unsettled.

"Ah?"

Shen Mutao blinked her large eyes and tilted her head. "I am already your Disciple. If I don't call you Revered Master, then what should I call you?"

She thought for a moment, and her eyes suddenly lit up as she spoke tentatively:

"Maybe... Dad?"

“Pfft—”

Chen Xuan pressed a hand to his forehead, instantly reminded of that Jade-Faced Poison Immortal from his own Sect.

After coughing twice, Chen Xuan quickly changed the subject, his tone becoming gentler:

"Never mind, just calling me Revered Master is fine. Do you know anything about this boat? Can you tell me about it?"

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a fragrant peach blossom cake appeared in his palm, which he handed to the girl.

This was a trophy he had confiscated from that gluttonous girl earlier; using it to coax someone now was just right.

Shen Mutao immediately reached out her small hands with a beaming smile, took the pastry with both hands, and bowed obediently:

"Thank you for the reward, Revered Master!"

"Revered Master, your Disciple actually doesn't know much."

She raised her fair, tender little hand and gestured toward the area ahead, her small face filled with seriousness:

"I only know that there are three levels here, divided according to Tool, Law, and Dao."

"But you can't go up to the third level. At least, I've never been there once."