Chapter 73 : A Reluctant Request
Jiang Mo woke up, her gaze somewhat dazed, her entire being dizzy and disoriented, unaware of when or where she was.
She felt as if she had taken a nap and had a long dream. The dream was accompanied by excruciating pain, containing her past and present lives, with Senior Sister illuminating her dreamscape like a beam of light. As a result, the first half of the dream was oppressive and painful, while the latter half suddenly brightened. Upon awakening, she felt a mixture of emotions—her resentment had disappeared, but she missed Senior Sister and wanted to see her immediately.
With this thought, Jiang Mo quickly turned her head to look around for her, only to discover that she was neither in the guest quarters of Mount Tianyang nor in her residence on Mount Mingxia, but in a completely unfamiliar place.
Was this some kind of palace hall?
Jiang Mo wondered uncertainly, instinctively becoming vigilant. Looking around, she realized she wasn't lying on a bed, but soaking in a pool of spirit spring water. Before she could question her situation, a somewhat familiar voice rang out: "You're awake?"
Looking toward the voice, who else could it be but Divine Lord Zhiming in his dark robes?
Actually, Divine Lord Zhiming had been in the room all along, but when Jiang Mo looked around, she had unconsciously overlooked him. Suddenly hearing his voice startled her, but once she confirmed it was someone familiar, seven-tenths of her vigilance subsided, leaving the remaining three-tenths to make her ask suspiciously: "Divine Lord Zhiming? What is this place, and why am I here?"
Divine Lord Zhiming had been watching over the little white tiger for quite some time. Although the injuries from the heavenly lightning were severe, as long as a breath remained, it was a simple matter for him to restore her. However, after repairing the physical injuries, he discovered that this little white tiger had been subjected to a heavenly inquiry of the heart.
The so-called inquiry of the heart was naturally a kind of test. But just as divine beasts never face lightning tribulations except during ascension, he had never heard of the Heavenly Dao questioning a divine beast's heart—divine beasts are born with spiritual clarity and transcendence, untroubled by worldly matters. Even celestial demons wouldn't target them, so there was naturally no need for an inquiry of the heart—this little white tiger before him indeed harbored many secrets, so he watched with interest, waiting for a result.
But now the little white tiger had awakened, appearing confused and forgetful of past events. His gaze immediately became somewhat peculiar, and he truthfully said: "This is my Zhiming Palace. You were accidentally struck by tribulation lightning earlier, don't you remember?"
Hearing this, Jiang Mo was momentarily bewildered. Thinking back carefully, she found that her last memory contained only a flash of white light and the system's panicked shout.
So she had been struck by tribulation lightning?
Jiang Mo thought hazily, then looked around, trying to find the system but discovering no trace of the familiar light cluster. She opened her mouth to call for the system, but suddenly remembered that Divine Lord Zhiming could understand what she said, so she changed her words: "Then, Divine Lord, how much time has passed? Has the... Nascent Soul lightning tribulation ended?"
At this moment, Jiang Mo didn't feel alarmed, because she had already checked herself and found nothing wrong. As for the system not being by her side, wasn't it normal that it couldn't keep up with Divine Lord Zhiming? It was probably somewhere looking for her right now.
Divine Lord Zhiming observed her reactions closely, raising his eyebrows with some surprise, but still answered: "You've been here with me for three days now, and that Nascent Soul lightning tribulation ended long ago."
Three days had passed—not only had Yun Qingyue's Nascent Soul lightning tribulation ended, but the sect competition had probably finished as well?!
Upon hearing this, Jiang Mo was stunned, murmuring involuntarily: "That long?" After such a long time, Senior Sister hadn't come to see her, and the system was nowhere to be seen—what had happened?!
The little white tiger grew restless, instinctively paddling her limbs to swim to the edge of the spirit spring. Using all four limbs to climb out, she found herself completely soaked, with her fur clinging to her body. With Divine Lord Zhiming present, and him being male, she felt too embarrassed to stand up, so she crouched there displaying some helplessness. The soaking wet cub looked extremely pitiful.
Divine Lord Zhiming had been observing her all along, but the more he watched, the more puzzled he became—heavenly inquiries of the heart were extremely rare, but no matter who encountered them, the result would never be this calm, as if nothing had happened.
Typically, those qualified to provoke a heavenly inquiry of the heart were mostly individuals with extraordinary talent who had strayed from the right path. These people would either have their dao hearts collapse under the heavenly inquiry, never recovering or even falling into demonic cultivation. Or they would pass the heavenly inquiry, thereafter finding their true path, strengthening their dao hearts and soaring to great heights. But regardless of which outcome, after experiencing a heavenly inquiry, their changes would be profound.
But the little white tiger was different—she was like someone who had taken a nap, and upon waking, all her experiences seemed to have vanished along with the dream. She was still that confused little white tiger, with the heavenly inquiry leaving no trace imprinted on her heart.
Divine Lord Zhiming couldn't understand that Jiang Mo, who grew up in a peaceful society, would have no thoughts of slaughter or plunder. Born ordinary, she would have no ideas of boundless greed. She was just an ordinary person who hadn't been in the cultivation world for long. Even when the heavenly inquiry tried to stir up all her negative emotions, those emotions were negligible compared to cultivators in the cultivation world who could kill without remorse.
She wasn't a blank slate, but she was certainly not a great villain either. Such a Jiang Mo was almost harmless in the eyes of the Heavenly Dao... Indeed, she was truly harmless. After the inquiry, what truly aroused the Heavenly Dao's wariness was probably only the system.
Divine Lord Zhiming had not yet become an immortal or a god, and his understanding of the Heavenly Dao came only from glimpses obtained through divination. Unable to figure it out, he didn't trouble himself further. With a wave of his sleeve, the soaked little white tiger on the ground was instantly dried. She stood up and shook her fur, which became extremely smooth, and her bones made cracking sounds as if she had received a complete set of washing, care, and massage, feeling extraordinarily comfortable.
Jiang Mo loosened her body and immediately felt the enhancement in her physique. Combined with being struck by lightning earlier, she knew she had benefited considerably from Divine Lord Zhiming again. She slightly bowed her head to him and said: "Thank you, Divine Lord. I will certainly repay you generously in the future."
She had nothing now, so all she could promise was the future.
Divine Lord Zhiming, however, maintained his unconcerned appearance, still saying: "It's nothing, as long as you take good care of Xuanqing Sect in the future."
Jiang Mo agreed again, her attitude significantly more solemn than before—although she had reached an agreement with Xuanqing Sect from the beginning, with the sect investing resources in the early stages in exchange for her protection and guardianship in the later stages. It was a fair trade for both parties, and she didn't feel she owed them anything, remaining carefree without guilt. After all, a divine beast's growth period lasted three thousand years—this was something everyone knew, wasn't it?
But now her mindset had changed. Regardless of the transaction, the fact remained that Divine Lord Zhiming had saved her in her time of peril. She didn't believe that with her cultivation not even at the Golden Core realm, she could withstand a Nascent Soul lightning tribulation without any harm.
Divine Lord Zhiming had saved her, and this debt of gratitude was attributed to Xuanqing Sect, inevitably giving her a sense of indebtedness. Moreover, three thousand years was truly too long. She had found a light she wanted to chase, and even if it was just to pursue and protect that light, she needed to strengthen herself as quickly as possible!
An inexplicable sense of urgency arose in Jiang Mo's heart, perhaps not only because of her promise, but also due to a premonition from the depths of her being.
Divine Lord Zhiming easily noticed her change, and his heart unavoidably relaxed—he thought so, how could anyone experience a heavenly inquiry and remain unaffected? It was just that this tiger cub was a bit slow, only now showing a reaction.
As for whether the little white tiger remained lazy or became motivated, Divine Lord Zhiming didn't really care. After all, he himself wasn't the type to strive hard either, often just sleeping behind closed doors when he had nothing to do. His cultivation grew naturally with the wind, and his divine abilities would automatically be comprehended and inherited as his cultivation increased. That beast life was more comfortable than having a cheat code—what did striving have to do with Divine Lord Zhiming?
And as for ascension, he would have to wait until the little white tiger grew up a bit more anyway, so he wasn't really in a hurry.
Jiang Mo naturally didn't know Divine Lord Zhiming's thoughts. After expressing her gratitude, she wanted to leave. Firstly, she didn't know how Senior Sister was doing after her tribulation, and she needed to see her to feel at ease. Secondly, with the system not by her side and her sudden disappearance for three days, the system would probably be crying again, wouldn't it?
Thinking of the system's piercing cries, Jiang Mo instinctively shuddered, then said to Divine Lord Zhiming: "My body seems to have no major issues now. If there's nothing else, could Divine Lord please send me back to Mount Tianyang or Mount Mingxia?"
Divine Lord Zhiming hadn't intended to keep her, but upon hearing this, he still smiled: "You truly do like that young girl very much."
For the thirty-something-year-old Yun Qingyue, being called a "young girl" by the eight-thousand-year-old Divine Lord Zhiming was not excessive at all, and the little white tiger didn't refute this. She merely pawed at the ground, somehow acting shy—she had always been clingy with Yun Qingyue because the latter was beautiful, had a good temperament, and was the first person she had met in this world. But after the previous "dream," she felt something had changed.
Divine Lord Zhiming noticed her reaction but didn't pay much attention to it. He flicked his finger, sending a beam of spiritual light toward the little white tiger, which disappeared into the golden bell hanging around her neck. Then, with a sweep of his wide sleeve, he prepared to send the little white tiger back.
But just as he raised his hand to tear through space, the little white tiger stuck her head out from his sleeve, stammering hesitantly: "Um, Divine Lord, I have one more request." Without waiting for Divine Lord Zhiming to agree or refuse, she continued: "I'm congenitally deficient, my cultivation has fallen to the level of a mortal, to the extent that I can't receive any blood inheritance. Cultivators' techniques might not be suitable for me either. In the future, could I possibly ask Divine Lord to guide my cultivation?"
Leveling up by defeating monsters was a shortcut, and the game system's enhancement of her was visibly effective, but Jiang Mo always felt it was somewhat insubstantial. She almost instinctively seized this opportunity, wanting to try the orthodox divine beast's path of cultivation.
Divine Lord Zhiming fell silent upon hearing her request, his delicate brows and eyes showing rare hesitation—divine beast inheritances always came from bloodlines, they didn't need anyone to teach them, because they were born with innate knowledge. But now there was a little white tiger asking him to teach cultivation. On one hand, he didn't know how to teach; on the other hand, the White Tiger's cultivation method would definitely differ from the Black Tortoise's, wouldn't it?
Divine Lord Zhiming was quite troubled, but facing the little white tiger's bright, expectant eyes, he found it difficult to refuse. After much hesitation, he finally agreed: "In three days, come find me."
After saying this, he took a step, bringing the little white tiger directly across space to Mount Tianyang.
When the little white tiger rolled out of his wide sleeve and stood steady, then looked back, where was Divine Lord Zhiming's shadow to be found?