Gu Qing was thrilled.
Although he had gazed at the stars on Canglan Star and imagined the prosperity of the upper realm, when he truly found himself within this colossal city, he was speechless for a moment.
Even reading the descriptions of Celestial Pivot City in the Qin Family’s ancient texts was far less shocking than seeing it with his own eyes.
If Canglan Star was an elegant ink wash painting, then Celestial Pivot City was a canvas splashed with the most intense colors of light and shadow.
It was dusk.
The lingering glow of the distant sun had not yet faded, while the city’s lights had already ignited the entire sky in a rising and falling rhythm.
Not ordinary fire, but flowing spiritual light.
Gu Qing looked up, his heart shaken.
Countless suspended pavilions were arranged in an orderly fashion, relying on massive anti-gravity formations to float in orderly layers among the clouds.
Between the pavilions, rainbows formed from pure light connected them.
Countless cultivators in robes of various colors rode magical treasures, flying swords, and even streamlined metal shuttles, weaving through strictly defined air lanes on either side of the rainbow bridges.
The buildings lining the streets soared into the clouds, with huge light-screen projections flowing and flickering on their outer walls.
“‘Beauty-Preserving Pill’ newly released by Ding Pavilion. Lock time, retain your heart.“
“Annual masterpiece—’Mountain-Cleaver’. Top choice for the middle three realms. Pre-order now for a ten percent discount.“
On the left was a massive phantom image of a stunningly beautiful female cultivator holding a pill, her voice transmitted precisely into the ears of passersby via a formation.
On the right, a flying sword emitting a chilling aura darted and demonstrated within a light screen, with fiery text burning and dancing beside it.
There were no mortals here.
Or rather, even those who seemed like mortals wore clothing with faint spiritual energy fluctuations, moving goods between shops, bustling about.
Technology and cultivation, the ancient and the modern, were perfectly connected here by a bond called “spiritual energy.”
Gu Qing stood at a street corner, watching all this, his eyes reflecting the myriad flowing lights, somewhat dazed.
He suddenly realized that the prosperity he had seen on the Qin Family’s main star was far, far inferior to what lay before his eyes.
The world outside and Canglan Star were completely on two different levels.
After a long while, he pressed a hand to his chest.
This place was too prosperous.
So prosperous that it made him, a person from the “bottom,” feel incredibly alienated and insignificant.
“Focus on the task at hand.”
Gu Qing gathered his thoughts and blended into the flow of people.
His goal was clear—a bookstore, or a place known in the cultivation world as a “Scripture Repository” or “Myriad Scrolls Tower.”
He needed knowledge.
He needed the most detailed diagrams of the human body’s meridians, annotations on basic cultivation methods like the Eternal Verdant Qi-Introduction Art, and, even more, the cultivation world’s understanding of the “Tongyou Realm” and higher realms.
Soon, a majestic shop came into view.
[Path-Seeking Bookstore]
A sandalwood plaque hung high, each character faintly containing a sense of the Dao.
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he could see neatly arranged jade slip shelves inside, with many cultivators using their spiritual sense to browse the contents.
Gu Qing’s heart leaped with joy, and he raised his foot to enter.
However, just as his foot was about to cross the threshold, he stopped.
If he bought jade slips, how would he take them back?
The stern, rigid face of Qin Momo appeared in his mind.
“Anything brought into Moon-Dwelling Courtyard, this old woman must inspect.”
Gu Qing slowly withdrew his foot and retreated into the shadows of the street.
Jade slips?
That would be walking right into a trap.
If she discovered they contained things like Detailed Explanation of Qi Refining for Beginners, Complete Atlas of Meridians and Acupoints, Treatise on Re-cultivating Waste Meridians…
What would she think?
A matrilocal son-in-law suddenly starting to study such things.
Either he harbored delusions of grandeur, or he had ulterior motives.
Even worse, once the Qin Family realized he wasn’t a “waste,” the consequences would be unpredictable.
Gu Qing shook his head.
No, he couldn’t bring physical items back.
Not even jade slips.
“Should I memorize everything here on the spot?”
He smiled bitterly.
Cultivation texts were as vast as the sea.
A basic annotated text could easily contain hundreds of thousands of words, accompanied by complex meridian diagrams.
Relying on rote memorization was simply not feasible.
He walked along the street, somewhat agitated.
His initial excitement about the city gradually faded, leaving only the pressure of reality.
Should he really go and beg Qin Xiyan?
No.
She was already tired enough.
He couldn’t distract her with these matters.
Gu Qing stood at an intersection, his thoughts in chaos.
Just then, a slightly exaggerated voice sounded by his ear.
“Oh, this young master, I see you have an imposing aura, yet your brow is furrowed. Could it be you have a difficult problem to solve?”
Gu Qing retreated half a step on guard and turned to look.
A plump man wearing a deep blue Daoist robe stood there with a beaming smile.
The robe was embroidered with complex circuit diagrams, and a badge was pinned to his chest—”Celestial Pivot Pavilion.”
He toyed with a jade plaque in his hand, spiritual light flowing over it.
“I am an outer sect steward of the Celestial Pivot Pavilion, specializing in solving cultivators’ worries.”
The fat man lowered his voice.
“Are you looking for cultivation methods? Or perhaps… a Dao companion?”
Gu Qing frowned, instinctively wary.
“Not necessary.”
“Don’t be in such a hurry.”
The fat man directly blocked his path, smiling with practiced ease.
“I saw you hesitating outside the bookstore for a long time. Are you looking for some… things your family doesn’t allow you to see?”
Gu Qing: “…”
Although the direction was completely wrong, the conclusion seemed oddly close.
Seeing his silence, the fat man grew even more certain.
“Things like jade slips? Heavy, hard to hide, and easily discovered.”
He shook the jade plaque, and a light screen unfolded.
“Everyone uses this now.”
“Myriad Phenomena Spiritual Communicator. Connects to the Lingnet, searches the entire world.”
“Lingnet?”
Gu Qing’s pupils contracted slightly.
That word was like a key, instantly prying open a certain sealed memory.
Three years ago, his first “meeting” with Qin Xiyan was through a similar magical artifact.
Back then, he thought it was just a communication tool used between great families.
Seeing his reaction, the fat man immediately accelerated his sales pitch:
“The Lingnet covers the entire Big Dipper Star Field! Look up information, study cultivation methods, listen to Dao lectures—it has everything!”
Gu Qing’s heart beat a little faster.
“You can look up cultivation methods?”
“Of course!”
The fat man thumped his chest.
“Basic texts, publicly available heart methods, alchemy and formation diagrams—it has it all!”
Gu Qing took a deep breath.
If that was really true…
Then he wouldn’t need to bring physical items back.
He wouldn’t need to take risks.
He might not even need to face Qin Momo’s inspections.
“How much?”
“Starts at five thousand mid-grade spirit stones.”
The fat man smiled.
Gu Qing’s mouth twitched slightly.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it, but—bringing it back would be too conspicuous.
He pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
“It’s not convenient to take home.”
The fat man’s eyes darted, and he immediately changed tactics, pointing to a distant cyan jade pagoda.
“Then why not go there.”
“Cloud Realm Illusion, Lingnet Inn.“
“Directly experience an access pod. No need to buy a terminal. Go in and you can use it.”
Gu Qing looked in the direction he pointed.
The pagoda was made entirely of cyan jade, with formation patterns flowing over it, spiritual light rising and falling like breathing.
Cultivators constantly entered and exited, their expressions varied.
He could look up information.
No need to take anything away.
He could even hide his traces.
Gu Qing’s heart stirred.
“Thank you.”
He tossed a mid-grade spirit stone and walked straight toward the pagoda.
—
[Cloud Realm Illusion]
Entering the main gate, a cool wave of spiritual energy washed over him.
Gu Qing spoke:
“Open a spot.”
“Immersive Spiritual Pod, fifty mid-grade spirit stones per hour.“
He paid without hesitation.
Soon, he was led to a quiet room.
The room was densely covered with formation patterns. In the center, a reclining chair was connected to a complex helmet-like magical instrument.
Gu Qing sat down and inserted his jade card.
The formation activated.
[Welcome to the Celestial Pivot Lingnet.]
The next instant, the world shattered and reformed.
He seemed to be amidst a vast sea of stars.
Countless points of light floated, each representing a repository of information.
A simple search box appeared before his eyes.
Gu Qing took a deep breath and typed:
[Eternal Verdant Qi-Introduction Art · Detailed Cultivation Explanation & Acupoint Cross-Reference]
“Search.“
The sea of stars trembled.
Information poured down like a waterfall.
Eternal Verdant Qi-Introduction Art Detailed Annotation (Heavenly Dao Sect Inner Sect Edition)
On the Techniques for Sensing Qi in the First Three Layers of the Eternal Verdant Qi-Introduction Art
Meridian Diagrams: Spirit Energy Circulation Pathways from Beginner to Foundation Establishment