The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Chen Dong soon arrived at the mountaintop. The vegetation had grown wildly, but thankfully, the Array was still there.

Although Chen Dong was out of the special bone fragments, his mastery of Teleportation Arrays was supreme.

He simply took out a few Low-Grade Spirit Stones, carved inscriptions on them, and used them as a replacement.

After a dizzying flash, Chen Dong was back in the Qiankun Realm. Without hesitation, he flew directly toward the Cold Pool where he and Tian Sisi had first met.

Perhaps because of the resurgence of Spiritual Qi, the Qiankun Realm was vastly different. The concentration of Spiritual Qi was hundreds of times greater than before, even denser than that of the mortal world. Moreover, the realm's boundaries had expanded immensely.

Before, reaching the boundary meant encountering invisible barriers and a thick black fog. Now, those barriers had retreated for thousands of miles; even Chen Dong's Divine Sense couldn't reach the new edge. 'It seems this Qiankun Realm holds some significant secrets,' he thought, 'but now isn't the time to uncover them.'

Given his speed, Chen Dong quickly arrived at the Cold Pool. Just as he'd expected, a lovely figure was sitting by the edge. She held a palm-sized Ancient Mirror in her hand, her fair feet dangling and playing in the water. With the bright twin moons reflected in the pool, she looked just like a Moonlight Fairy.

Seeing Chen Dong arrive, Tian Sisi froze and asked coldly, "What are you doing here?"

"I... I want to share eternity with you!"

"Hah. Save that for your Murong Zhi!"

Chen Dong stepped closer. "No, I mean it!"

Tian Sisi's brow furrowed, her expression turning icy. "Get out! Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

Chen Dong shook his head. "I'm not afraid. The path of cultivation is a lonely one. I want to walk it with you."

Tian Sisi's grip on the mirror in her hand tightened instantly, and her body trembled slightly.

"You... you should just leave!" she said, clenching her jaw tightly, trying not to reveal her inner turmoil.

"I would cross ancient rivers of stars and traverse three thousand worlds just to find you. I will never leave! Even if you strike me down, I will come back to life and return..."

Tian Sisi drew her long saber and pointed it at Chen Dong.

"Stop talking!"

'Their beginning may have been an accident, but she couldn't forget everything Chen Dong had done to help her reach Core Formation. The memories replayed vividly in her mind. She wanted to believe every word he said, but the fact that he had another Dao Companion was like a fishbone stuck in her throat. She was afraid she would give in if he continued.'

Yet Chen Dong continued to walk forward. The blade trembled before dropping to the ground. Then, locked in an embrace, they tumbled into the Cold Pool together.

'That other Dao Companion... to hell with it! I won't think about it.' Tian Sisi responded to him with fiery passion...

From within the Jade Embryo, Mu Qingzhu let out another miserable shriek. "He's at it again! Damn you, Chen Dong! You rotten Chen Dong! You're a beast! Worse than a beast! Noooooo..."

「Three days later.」

By the Cold Pool, Chen Dong was demonstrating the Dragon and Phoenix Treasure Manual for Tian Sisi and trying to comprehend the Yuqing Immortal Technique for himself, all while enduring Mu Qingzhu's incessant verbal abuse.

Tian Sisi lacked a Fire Spirit Root, possessing a Top-Grade Wood Spirit Root instead. As a result, she couldn't comprehend most of the Techniques within the Dragon and Phoenix Treasure Manual. The True Dragon Heaven-Stealing Technique, however, was an exception. This technique could drastically extend one's lifespan, so she could cultivate it until she found a more suitable Profound Pill Technique.

In addition to extending lifespan, the Spiritual Qi cultivated through the True Dragon Heaven-Stealing Technique was attribute-less, allowing a cultivator to switch to a different elemental technique at any time.

Unfortunately, the Yuqing Immortal Technique could not be revealed to others. Otherwise, Chen Dong would have liked to demonstrate it as well, as it was an existence even more profound than the Dragon and Phoenix Treasure Manual. Chen Dong guessed that the Yuqing Immortal Technique was not a top-tier Magic Dao, but a supreme-grade one.

Over the past three days, Chen Dong had also tried to discuss the Yuqing Immortal Technique with Mu Qingzhu, but she simply ignored him and kept cursing at him.

"Beast! Shameless! A disgrace to all people! Parasite..."

After a while, Tian Sisi shook her head. "This Technique and I are not fated. It's been three days, and I can't comprehend it at all!"

Chen Dong felt a pang of regret. 'It seems she can't even comprehend the True Dragon Heaven-Stealing Technique.' He had been focusing his demonstrations on that specific technique. With Tian Sisi's aptitude, if it were possible for her to learn it, she should have grasped some inkling by now. It was simply a matter of incompatible fate.

Tian Sisi said calmly, "Actually, two years ago, I was already thinking of going to the Floating Shadow Realm to explore. But I thought you might come back for me, so I waited at the Military Suppression Department. Now that you're here, why don't we go to the Floating Shadow Realm together? The path of cultivation is incredibly difficult without a proper Technique. In two years, I've only reached the Third-Layer Profound Pill, and I can't seem to break through to the fourth layer."

Chen Dong was stunned. 'Three layers in two years? What more could she ask for? Even cultivators in the Wangyou Realm with proper Techniques aren't that fast!' Being hit with such a massive humblebrag from his own Dao Companion dealt a heavy blow to Chen Dong's ego; after all, two years had passed, and he hadn't even reached the Profound Pill stage yet.

Just then, a sword-messenger flew to Tian Sisi's side. It carried a message, which she took and read.

"It's a message from the Chang God Department. The negotiations between the two realms are complete. The Floating Shadow Realm is still unwilling to provide High-tier Techniques. To obtain Orthodox-grade Techniques, we must join one of their sects!"

From his conversations with Tian Sisi over the past three days, he had learned that the Floating Shadow Realm categorized Techniques into several grades: Primary, Auxiliary, Exquisite, Orthodox, Profound, and the legendary Supreme grade.

The Cultivation Techniques corresponding to the Profound Pill stage were of the Exquisite grade. However, Exquisite-grade techniques were only enough to cultivate at that level; they could not support a breakthrough from Profound Pill to Nascent Soul. To truly glimpse the Great Dao, one needed an Orthodox-grade technique at minimum.

As for the two major techniques Chen Dong knew, the Dragon and Phoenix Treasure Manual could be cultivated to the Mahayana Stage. In the Wangyou Realm, it was considered a top-tier Magic Dao, which would equate to a Supreme-grade technique in the Floating Shadow Realm's system. And that didn't even account for the far more profound Yuqing Immortal Technique, which could lead one all the way to ascension.

Tian Sisi spoke with determination. "I'm planning to go to the Floating Shadow Realm and join a sect. Are you willing to come with me?"

Chen Dong smiled faintly. "Of course!"

'I might possess supreme techniques, but I would have had to go to the Floating Shadow Realm eventually anyway.'