As for what exactly the small tripod furnace Gu Qingfeng gifted was.
Luo Xuan Ancestor didn't know, and Luo Xuan Mingyue knew even less.
However, it looked rather exquisite, and Luo Xuan Mingyue took a liking to it at first glance. After accepting the small tripod furnace, she hurriedly expressed her thanks.
Luo Laoba beside her didn't say anything out loud, but inwardly, he seemed rather resentful toward the old master, feeling that he was too biased, always thinking of Luo Xuan Mingyue for any good thing, while when it came to him, the old master couldn't even be bothered to make an introduction.
Fortunately, Gu Qingfeng had quite a few trinkets on hand. Noticing Luo Laoba's thoughts, he casually gave him a flying sword.
Luo Laoba was overjoyed and immensely grateful, kneeling and bowing repeatedly to Gu Qingfeng.
Although Luo Xuan Ancestor didn't want his descendants to accept gifts from Gu Qingfeng, since Gu Qingfeng insisted, he had no choice but to keep thanking him.
"Old master, there's no need for such courtesy with me."
Gu Qingfeng disliked formalities and was not an overly sentimental person. Seeing Luo Xuan Ancestor continuously thanking him, he immediately changed the subject, smiling, "I heard your eldest granddaughter is also cultivating in the Shangqing Sect?"
Whenever Luo Xuan Mingyue was mentioned, Luo Xuan Ancestor's face would always beam with pride. He nodded and affirmed, "This little granddaughter of mine is not only an inner disciple of the Shangqing Sect but also serves as an outer elder."
"Is that so? Excellent, excellent. Boundless prospects."
Gu Qingfeng nodded in praise, not out of mere politeness but genuinely believing that becoming a disciple of the Shangqing Sect indeed promised boundless prospects. Regarding the background of the Shangqing Sect, others might not know, but he had some understanding. The true backing of the Shangqing Sect held considerable influence not only in the Nine Heavens but was also a major power throughout the entire Great Desolate Celestial Realm, occupying a pivotal position.
Of course.
This was something he only learned later when roaming the Great Desolate Celestial Realm.
Not just the Shangqing Sect.
Many major sects in this world had certain connections with the giants of the Great Desolate Celestial Realm. To be precise, it wasn't only this world; countless great thousand worlds were the same. To mention just the Shangqing Sect, it wasn't unique to this world; Shangqing Sects existed in many great thousand worlds, and almost all were branches of the Celestial Realm giants.
"Kid Gu, do you know who my little granddaughter's master is?"
"Who?"
"You know him too."
"I know him?"
Gu Qingfeng was somewhat puzzled, as the people he knew in the Shangqing Sect were quite limited.
"Kuishui, you should still remember him, right?"
"So it's Elder Kuishui. How could I forget?"
Back when he was cultivating in the Shangqing Sect, although many within the sect couldn't tolerate him, it didn't mean everyone felt that way. On the contrary, there were quite a few open-minded people in the Shangqing Sect, such as Elder Kuishui, who was one of them and had given him considerable help.
"Is Kuishui still an elder of the Shangqing Sect?"
"Yes, but he's no longer an outer elder; he's an inner elder now."
"And his cultivation? What level?"
"His cultivation... that's not too clear."
Luo Xuan Ancestor looked at Luo Xuan Mingyue and asked, "Girl, what is your master's current cultivation level?"
"Nine years ago, during the descent of the Heavenly Mandate, my master leveraged the extraordinary radiance of nature to ascend to the rank of Luo Tian Upper Immortal in one fell swoop."
"Luo Tian Upper Immortal, that's truly impressive."
Cultivators dreamed of attaining enlightenment and becoming immortals one day, believing that only by achieving immortality could they consider their merits complete.
In truth, only after truly attaining immortality would one realize that achieving immortality was not the end of the Immortal Dao; quite the opposite, it was merely the beginning.
In other words.
Only by attaining immortality did one truly embark on the path of cultivation.
The only difference was that before immortality, one sought the immortal, but after becoming immortal, one sought the Great Dao.
The path to immortality might be rugged, but with perseverance and determination, one could eventually attain immortality in the current era.
The path of the Great Dao, however, was different. It was an extremely long road with no end.
Yes.
No end.
No one knew exactly how to seek the true Great Dao.
On the path to immortality, seclusion for ten or a hundred years was already considered long.
But on the path of the Great Dao, ten years?
A hundred years?
Even a thousand years were but a fleeting cloud to an immortal. Some immortals went into seclusion for as little as several thousand years, others for tens of thousands. Many immortals cultivated and cultivated until gradually... they cultivated themselves to death...
Not because their cultivation went awry.
Nor because their lifespan was exhausted.
But because the seclusion lasted too long, their essence, qi, and spirit gradually faded, their vitality dissipated, and they directly sat in meditation until death.
Exaggerated?
Not at all.
Immortals sitting in meditation until death was a common occurrence. Even if they didn't die, some would develop a kind of senile dementia, becoming muddle-headed and insane. Others, too focused on comprehending a certain divine ability, might not even realize they had died. By the time they figured it out, perhaps only a wisp of remnant consciousness remained. These were all perfectly normal occurrences.
"Since your master has already cultivated to the level of Luo Tian Upper Immortal, why is she still serving as an elder in the Shangqing Sect? Hasn't she considered ascending?"
"Master says she might never ascend to the Celestial Realm in this lifetime."
"Why?"
Gu Qingfeng frowned and asked, "Although this world is now experiencing a resurgence of all things, and spiritual energy is incredibly abundant, it still falls far short compared to the Great Desolate Celestial Realm. Moreover, when all is said and done, this world is still a great thousand world, suitable only for cultivators seeking immortality, not for immortals seeking the Dao."
"Master says the Great Desolate Celestial Realm is very chaotic and full of all sorts of people. Various ancient monsters and world-wrecking demons gather there. Minor immortals like us, if we ascended to the Celestial Realm, might not even know how we died."
Luo Xuan Mingyue's words seemed filled with apprehension and fear toward the Great Desolate Celestial Realm.
She had heard many terrifying legends about it.
Leaving aside those fearsome ancient monsters and world-wrecking demons, she had heard that in the Great Desolate Celestial Realm, there were terrifying Yin Winds. It was said that if a gust of Yin Wind swept past, by the time you came to your senses, you'd be nothing but a skeleton. Besides that, there were all sorts of terrifying spatial rifts. If you accidentally fell into one, you might never come out for all eternity.
This was why many immortals who had attained enlightenment preferred to stay in this world rather than ascend to the Celestial Realm.
In their view, staying in this great thousand world might not be too beneficial for cultivation, but at least it was relatively safe. Once they ascended to the Great Desolate Celestial Realm, who knew what they might encounter? If they ran into some Yin Wind or a bloodthirsty world-wrecking demon, they probably wouldn't even have a chance to struggle.
And by then, wanting to return would be extremely difficult.
Because of the existence of world barriers, if one ascended to the Great Desolate Celestial Realm and wanted to come back, one would need to break through the world barrier. That thing wasn't something just anyone could breach. Even if you truly had the capability, forcibly breaking through the world barrier would violate the laws and order of heaven and earth, incurring judgment.