Upon entering the Black-Raven Secret Realm, Chen Yue immediately summoned her Magical Treasure.
It was an exquisite and delicate crystal umbrella.
The crystal umbrella was translucent, shimmering with a faint white radiance. When opened, it scattered light like stars, exceptionally beautiful.
Chen Yue held the crystal umbrella with one hand, then pulled Xiaolian close to her side. With her cultivation level and strength, she didn't need to summon a Magical Treasure for protection, nor did she need to employ any immortal arts. She didn't even need to circulate her Spiritual Power; her unique true body alone could withstand the toxicity within the green mist.
The reason she summoned the Magical Treasure was solely for Xiaolian's safety.
"Having a protective Magical Treasure is so convenient!"
Gazing at the fluorescent crystal umbrella, Xiaolian was filled with envy. She was still young, her cultivation was not high, and her strength was not great. Coupled with her usually playful nature, she had practiced very few immortal arts. Although she had refined a few Magical Treasures, they were all little trinkets for amusement, possessing no real power to speak of.
"How many times have I told you, if you don't like cultivating immortal arts, you must refine a protective Magical Treasure. Don't spend all day refining those useless little things..." Noticing Chen Yue was about to start lecturing her again, Xiaolian responded unhappily, "Sister, don't just stand there talking without feeling any pain in your back, alright?
Do you think everyone is as monstrous as you?"
Rolling her eyes, Xiaolian looked at the crystal umbrella and muttered, "This Starry Crystal Umbrella—Master spent a full three to four hundred years refining it back then. Even someone as powerful as Master took that long. For other cultivators, it would take at least seven or eight hundred years to refine. But you...
you actually refined it in just a few years...
Hmph!
Truly monstrous!"
Chen Yue shook her head slightly and replied softly, "Refining a Magical Treasure has nothing to do with talent. As long as one has perseverance, even the most powerful treasure can be refined one day."
Refining Magical Treasures indeed had nothing to do with talent or comprehension.
However, it was related to the strength of one's Spiritual Power. The stronger the Spiritual Power, the easier the refinement. For example, those geniuses possessing Great Nature Color Souls had Spiritual Power imbued with color-soul attributes, allowing them to refine Magical Treasures much faster than ordinary cultivators.
Fearing Chen Yue would seize this chance to preach some grand principles, Xiaolian quickly changed the subject, asking, "Huh? Where's that little nouveau riche called Chiyan Gongzi?
I don't see him."
Xiaolian scanned their surroundings but didn't spot Gu Qingfeng's figure. She murmured, "Could that guy have been infected by the green mist and melted into a puddle by the poison?"
The Black-Raven Secret Realm was filled with green mist everywhere, and it was pitch black to boot. Relying on the naked eye alone made it difficult to see anything. Chen Yue extended her divine sense to probe the area and, not far ahead, she suddenly discovered a lone, wandering ghost.
It really looked exactly like a lone, wandering ghost.
This ghost wore clean white clothes, floating leisurely in mid-air, moving with the wind like a wisp of smoke. It was eating Redleaf Monster Fruitlets while admiring the scenery of the Black-Raven Secret Realm.
It was truly admiring.
Just like appreciating some beautiful scenery.
It couldn't be more leisurely or more carefree.
"Hey, you surnamed Gu, so you're here."
Xiaolian followed Chen Yue as they rode the wind over. The two of them saw that Gu Qingfeng had neither summoned Spiritual Power to protect his body, nor employed any immortal arts, nor summoned any Magical Treasure. He was just floating there, completely exposed, which greatly surprised them both.
"You...
you clearly have a very ordinary true body, not a treasure body. How can you possibly withstand the toxicity of the green mist?"
Xiaolian wore an expression of astonishment. Beside her, Chen Yue was also puzzled. She was certain that apart from the aura of his Purple Mansion, Gu Qingfeng had no other spiritual auras on him. In other words, he possessed neither a treasure body nor a color-soul true body, just a very ordinary true body. She truly couldn't figure out why.
"What's so impossible about it?"
Gu Qingfeng admired the scenery within the Black-Raven Secret Realm while simultaneously extending his divine sense to probe the area in all directions. Tossing another Redleaf Monster Fruitlet into his mouth, he chuckled nonchalantly, "Little sister, let me tell you, I was born with divine strength. Not only am I immensely powerful, but my physical body is also an indestructible diamond body. Forget this little green mist poison, even if I swallowed the Great Desolate Ancient Orchid Grass, famed as one of the most virulent poisons between heaven and earth, I wouldn't even bat an eye."
"Pah!
Braggart!
Shameless!"
Xiaolian was utterly disdainful. "Born with divine strength?
Indestructible diamond body?
And the Great Desolate Ancient Orchid Grass?
Ancient texts record that even immortals and demons would die without fail if they ate that stuff, and you wouldn't even bat an eye?
You really can blow your own trumpet."
"Hahaha!"
Gu Qingfeng laughed heartily. With nothing else to do, teasing a little girl was quite enjoyable.
The Black-Raven Secret Realm was larger than he had imagined.
The environment here was extremely harsh, filled with countless flying beasts and monstrous creatures. The sky was constantly filled with the cawing of crows. Furthermore, the secret realm contained many dangerous spiritual vortexes.
"Don't think I don't know! Hmph!
I've long since inquired about your affairs. You failed your Foundation Establishment before, heard you were almost dead, and later, with the help of Ouyang Ye from the Yunxia Sect, you managed not to starve to death."
Standing beside Chen Yue, Xiaolian smugly speculated, "Then you entered the Yunxia Sect. Not long after, you accidentally discovered a mysterious cave dwelling near the Yunxia Sect. At that time, several chief disciples from your sect and Qing Ning from your alliance entered the cave dwelling with you, right?"
"Oh!
Little sister, not bad, you even know about that?"
"Tch, this young lady not only knows these things, I also know why you were able to attempt Foundation Establishment again after failing."
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng turned around, squinting his eyes with a smile, his interest piqued. "Do tell."
"You must have encountered some fortuitous encounter in that mysterious cave dwelling, right?
Ate some immortal pill?
Or met some great expert who enlightened you?
Right?"
Noticing Gu Qingfeng's strange expression, Xiaolian became even more convinced of her speculation. "Ever since you left that cave dwelling, you succeeded in Foundation Establishment very quickly, and you established a very powerful mutated body at that. If you hadn't had a fortuitous encounter, it would have been impossible for you to succeed in Foundation Establishment!
Well?
I guessed right, didn't I?"
Gu Qingfeng felt rather speechless. Shaking his head with a laugh, he said, very much at a loss for words, "Alright, let's say you guessed right."
"What do you mean 'let's say' I guessed right? It's the truth, alright? Dare you say it's not?"
Gu Qingfeng shrugged and responded casually, "That's right, it is indeed the case."
"Sister, did you hear that? This guy finally admitted it."
Xiaolian was very pleased, showing off her deduction to Chen Yue. "Sister, I told you long ago this guy must be a nouveau riche, but you didn't believe me. Do you believe me now?"
"Nouveau riche?"
Gu Qingfeng raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"You don't even know what a nouveau riche is?
It's someone like you who gains without labor, yet has explosive luck, obtains great opportunities, stumbles upon fortuitous encounters, hits the jackpot!"
"So that's called a nouveau riche. That's quite an apt description."
Gu Qingfeng rode the wind, floating forward, and laughed. "Speaking of which, I really am a bona fide nouveau riche. Although becoming one was a bit difficult, I guess I still made it."