"Hey! Second Master Gu!"
Gu Qingfeng was reclining in a chair, sipping wine and admiring the boundless Great Desolate that resembled a brilliant starry sky, when a voice suddenly called out. He turned his head to see a burly man walking towards him.
It was none other than Lei Lie.
"I heard from the maidservants that you'd woken up, so I've been looking for you everywhere. Didn't expect to find you here."
Lei Lie had a forthright personality and was not one to stand on ceremony. After walking over, he plopped himself down directly.
"What's the matter? Looking for me for something?"
"What could possibly happen on this big ship? Just looking for you, old man, to have a drink."
As he spoke, Lei Lie pulled out two jars of fine wine, opened one, and handed it over. Gu Qingfeng accepted it but didn't immediately start guzzling; instead, he set it aside.
Although he was fond of wine, he wasn't about to start downing jar after jar the moment he woke up. Raising the wine cup in his hand in a gesture, he asked with a smile, "How come you're alone today? Where are your brothers?"
"Those little brothers have all gone into seclusion to cultivate. There's still a stretch of journey before we reach Lingluo Heaven Domain. Since we're idle anyway, might as well cultivate."
"Then why aren't you cultivating?"
Gu Qingfeng could see that Lei Lie's current Cultivation Level was that of a Grand Luo Golden Immortal at the Nine Luminaries Perfection stage. One could say he already had one foot over the threshold of a Spirit Immortal. With just a little more effort, he could break through in one go and become a Spirit Immortal.
In the Great Desolate, Grand Luo Golden Immortals might be a dime a dozen, found everywhere across the myriad heavens and worlds, countless in number. Even on this Xuantian Great Vessel, seven or eight out of ten people were Grand Luo Golden Immortals.
But the existence of a Spirit Immortal, whether in terms of Cultivation Level and strength or status and position, was not something a Grand Luo Golden Immortal could compare to.
A Grand Luo Golden Immortal was a process of tempering the immortal spirit, integrating it with Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, and fusing the immortal spirit with the physical body. Cultivating to the Nine Luminaries Perfection, if one could break through and attain the status of a Great Desolate Spirit Immortal, it meant not only the unity of spirit and body but also integration into the Great Natural Order.
The Great Natural Order was Heaven and Earth, and Heaven and Earth was the Great Desolate. Hence, those who achieved spiritual communion and subtle entry were also called Great Desolate Spirit Immortals.
As the saying goes: the transformation of breath; change leads to Yin-Yang spiritual communion, transformation leads to Five Elements subtle entry—this is spiritual communion and subtle entry.
Those who achieve spiritual communion and subtle entry unite spirit and body, integrating into the Great Natural Order, becoming a part of it, a single spirit within Heaven and Earth. Only by becoming such a spirit can one achieve true agelessness and deathlessness.
For a Great Desolate Spirit Immortal, the physical body is the immortal spirit, and the immortal spirit is the physical body—indistinguishable from each other. If a Spirit Immortal wishes, they can transform into numerous avatars.
Therefore, once one cultivates to become a Spirit Immortal, even if the physical body is destroyed, it's not a big deal.
"It's not that I don't want to cultivate, it's that I don't dare to."
"What's there to not dare about?"
"Second Master Gu, look, I've already cultivated my Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm to Nine Luminaries Perfection. I'm just one step away from crossing into the Great Desolate Spirit Immortal realm. But... how should I put it? This step isn't easy to take. If I don't take it well, I'm afraid I'll never be able to integrate into the Great Natural Order in this lifetime. I might even turn to ashes and smoke."
Lei Lie wasn't exaggerating.
That final step from Grand Luo Golden Immortal Nine Luminaries Perfection was indeed not easy to take.
After all, it was the unity of spirit and body.
If the union wasn't done well, not to mention failing to integrate into the Great Natural Order, many had turned to ashes and smoke on the spot.
Although Lei Lie was born with a forthright nature and his courage was certainly sufficient, being forthright didn't mean being careless, and being brave didn't mean being reckless. He was well aware that even though he had reached Nine Luminaries Perfection, his journey here had been far too smooth. In other words, he had taken the previous steps too quickly, resulting in a foundation that wasn't too stable. So, at this final juncture, he must consolidate his Cultivation Level and absolutely not rush for quick success.
Moreover, he possessed three great Fortunes, each one extraordinary.
These things were quite intimidating when summoned normally and had brought Lei Lie many benefits over the years, even allowing him to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat multiple times.
The only thing that displeased Lei Lie was that whenever it came time to break through his Cultivation Level, these Fortunes not only failed to help him in the slightest but instead became a burden.
If one compared Cultivation Level realms to a mountain, then Fortune was like stones carried on one's back. Usually, at the foot of the mountain, using these stones to fight or show off was quite satisfying. But when it came time to climb the mountain, others ascended to the summit lightly and easily, while Lei Lie, carrying three large stones, found the climb a burden. Not only did he need to exert more effort than others, but when he reached the mountainside, he might even become physically and mentally exhausted from the weight of the stones and roll back down.
Gu Qingfeng nodded, indicating his understanding.
One must know that back in the day, he himself had been laden with Fortunes, each one mysterious and bizarre. Not only were they a burden during Cultivation Level breakthroughs, but even in daily life they were a burden for Gu Qingfeng, because those Fortunes were beyond his control. The Fortunes also looked down on each other, and some even had designs on his physical body. So, back then, Gu Qingfeng not only had to constantly guard against these Fortunes fighting amongst themselves but also guard against which Fortune might want to devour his consciousness and seize his body.
There was one sentence Lei Lie said that Gu Qingfeng strongly agreed with: it was during fights that the power of Fortune was most evident. So, a burden was just a burden. As long as one could survive when encountering danger, such a burden really wasn't much.
The two chatted idly like this for a while. Gu Qingfeng asked, "Brother Lei Lie, do you know that little lady over there?"
"Which one?"
Gu Qingfeng pointed at an elegant woman sitting alone on a chair in the distance. "That one."
"Oh, her!"
Lei Lie glanced at the elegant woman, seeming somewhat apprehensive, and said in a low voice, "I don't know that little lady. I only know she calls herself something like Cloud Mist Immortal. As for who she is, I'm not too clear either. But... this little lady is incredibly formidable."
"Oh? How so?"
Gu Qingfeng asked with a smile, "Judging by your expression, it seems you've suffered at her hands?"
"Second Master Gu, you truly have sharp eyes. I did indeed suffer at her hands."
Lei Lie said cautiously, "Right after we boarded the ship, I was drinking with a bunch of brothers at the Spring Full Pavilion. This little lady was there too, and she was alone. I was a bit drunk at the time. I have this flaw—when I drink too much, I tend to brag and do some ruffian-like deeds for no reason. After drinking too much that time, egged on by my brothers, I thought I'd go tease this little lady."
"And then?"
Gu Qingfeng asked with keen interest.
"And then... how should I put it? I don't know why, but the moment I said I wanted to invite her over for a couple of drinks, then... then I felt like I had inexplicably fallen into hell. It was truly like that. The feeling was utterly terrifying, like having a nightmare. By the time I came to my senses, I was drenched in a cold sweat from sheer fright! Since then, I haven't dared to provoke that woman again. Even now, thinking about it gives me the creeps!"