Seeing her like this, Lingyan sighed helplessly and changed the subject.
"Your fellow disciples are treacherous; it's good to stay away from them. How about you come with me for now?"
"...Alright, thank you very much, Immortal Master!"
The moment Lingyan appeared, a voice in Gu Zhong's heart kept calling out, yearning to get closer to her.
Unexpectedly, it actually came true.
One after the other, just like back then.
The difference was that Lingyan said a few more words than before.
"How could your level of skill be stagnant?"
"This disciple is unworthy and has no talent whatsoever in the path of cultivating immortality."
Upon hearing Lingyan's question, Gu Zhong clenched his hands at his sides for a moment, then let them loosen weakly, and replied in a low, dejected voice.
"May I have the honor of inspecting your inner chambers?"
Lingyan had long wondered about Gu Zhong's stagnant cultivation level.
If one truly lacks talent, how could one soar to great heights with just one stroke of luck, unless one reshapes their spiritual roots and veins? It's simply illogical.
The task of observing the inner court is generally undertaken only by those who have the utmost trust in their closest relatives or elders.
After all, it concerns a vital point; if a villain were to gain an opportunity to infiltrate, the victim would be either killed or maimed.
Perhaps because Lingyan had saved him twice, or perhaps because of the inexplicable trust and affection in his heart, Gu Zhong did not refuse her, but instead readily agreed.
With permission, Lingyan transformed her spiritual energy into fine threads, inserted them into Gu Zhong's dantian, and probed inwards along the spiritual meridians.
However, the result shocked her in an instant.
With all of Gu Zhong's spiritual roots extracted, even the best Heavenly Spiritual Vein is like a rootless duckweed without a foundation.
No matter how much spiritual energy circulates within her body, it cannot be retained, which explains why she has made no progress over the years.
However, since Gu Zhong was able to step into the threshold of cultivation and enter the Qi Refining stage, her spiritual root must have been extracted after she entered the immortal realm.
Who on earth would do something so heinous and devastating, severing humanity's path to immortality?
After much thought, Lingyan could only get one person—Yao Yun.
As Gu Zhong's master, he was the only one who could explore Gu Zhong's inner workings, and should also be the only one who could discover the problem with Gu Zhong's spiritual root.
"Immortal Master? Is there something amiss?"
Seeing Ling Yan's solemn expression, Gu Zhong asked hesitantly.
Seeing that Gu Zhong was completely unaware, Ling Yan was unsure whether she should tell her the truth.
For many years, Gu Zhong has always firmly believed that diligence can make up for lack of talent, and he has never stopped studying hard even when there is no improvement.
If they knew that with her current physique, all her cultivation efforts would be in vain, it would be a devastating blow to her.
But if we conceal this matter and let her go further and further down the wrong path, how is that any different from fooling her?
Sometimes, a white lie can be far more hurtful than the truth.
Ling Yan stared at Gu Zhong for a moment, and in those obsidian-black eyes, she saw an inextinguishable will and an indomitable spirit.
She forgot that the God of War is never easily defeated.
With such consideration, how could they not accept the facts?
"Do you know that you have no spiritual roots at all?"
Chapter 75 Astrologers and Defiant Ones (Part 4)
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Upon hearing this, Gu Zhong's pupils suddenly widened, and his face instantly turned pale.
"What...does this mean?"
Without realizing it, even his voice was trembling.
"In this situation, no matter how you cultivate, you won't be able to retain spiritual energy... therefore..."
With a heavy heart, Lingyan decided to make her point even clearer.
Gu Zhong opened his mouth, wanting to speak several times, but then swallowed back the words that were about to come out.
His well-defined knuckles clenched into a fist, held tightly, as if he were using all his strength to calm his emotions.
"Immortal Master, is there any way?"
In the end, she only asked this one question, looking at Ling Yan with pleading eyes.
Don't investigate the reasons, only seek the result.
It seemed like this was the last glimmer of hope, and one couldn't bear to disappoint her.
“Reshape the spiritual root”.
Lingyan couldn't bear to disappoint her.
Even though no one had ever tried this method before, or rather, no one who had tried it had ever succeeded, she still wanted to fight for Gu Zhong.
In the original storyline, regardless of what kind of opportunity Gu Zhong obtained, correcting this problem ultimately proved that it was possible.
"However, for now, you do not need to learn the methods of immortal cultivation."
"Huh? Then what about me?"
"Are you willing to follow me?"
With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Ling Yan decided to test the waters and try to abduct Gu Zhong today.
"I···"
A surge of joy welled up in his heart, and Gu Zhong immediately wanted to nod in agreement.
But then he remembered that he was no longer a rogue cultivator and had a lineage of disciples, which made him hesitate and struggle again.
According to the conventions of the cultivation world, once one joins a sect or faction, one should remain loyal to that sect until the end.
Unless there is a specific reason, very few people can leave their original sect, so choosing a sect is a serious matter.
"No need to worry. I will handle things with the Pure Water Sect. You just need to decide whether to agree or not."
Seeing Gu Zhong's worry, Ling Yan quickly said something, fearing that for such a trivial reason, this silly rabbit would return to that land of jackals.
"Alright, thank you very much, Immortal Master!"
Having received the assurance, Gu Zhong no longer hesitated and immediately agreed.
From beginning to end, she never mentioned Yao Yun once, as if she had forgotten about her master.
Given her sentimental nature, she shouldn't have done this.
However, the moment you learn about something, you already have a guess in your heart.
Fearing the truth would be even more unbearable, and unwilling to have wasted years of friendship, they preferred to avoid facing it for the time being.
Gu Zhong is now like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, ignoring everything.
However, she was strong enough.
Having successfully abducted Gu Zhong, Ling Yan immediately used her spiritual power to write a blunt demand letter, which then transformed into a spirit crane and flew to the Pure Water Sect.
Given the behavior of Yao Yun and his group, they would be too busy currying favor with a major sect like Xingluo Sect, so how could they refuse her request as the young sect leader?
"How can you still call yourself a Celestial Master?"
After Gu Zhong shouted it several times, Ling Yan finally protested in dissatisfaction.
The term "immortal master" is full of respect, but also full of alienation.
"...This disciple truly does not know how to address you..."
Gu Zhong was stunned for a moment, then his face turned red.
"Am I worthy to be your master?"
Only by being her master could she rightfully protect Gu Zhong under her wings and shield her from all storms.
"How...how can I bear such a status?"
Gu Zhong, filled with doubt and shock once again, looked somewhat foolish, which made Ling Yan smile.
"If I say you can handle it, then you certainly can."
The identity of Xingxuanjun's disciple is a position coveted by countless geniuses in the cultivation world. Since Lingyan dared to let Gu Zhong take this position, she must be confident in protecting her.
"Master...Master."
Under Lingyan's intense gaze, filled with spiritual pressure, Gu Zhong finally uttered a soft, hesitant sound, so faint that it was almost inaudible unless one listened carefully.
Upon hearing this call, for some reason, Lingyan suddenly recalled the little prince who used to call her "Master".
After many twists and turns, they are still a master and apprentice.
The cultivation world has been in an uproar recently. Xingxuanjun only went out for a short while, but he actually took in a disciple and even claimed to be his closed-door disciple.
Everyone knows that the Star Luo Sect is the most difficult to enter, let alone the only disciple of the future sect leader. Everyone knows how important this position is.
Despite the uproar, no one outside the family knew who this lucky person was who had won Xingxuan Jun's favor.
Only a handful of people within the Star Luo Sect have ever seen Gu Zhong.
At Lingyan's request, the Pure Water Sect also kept their mouths shut, not daring to reveal that Xingxuanjun had taken in a good-for-nothing.
Although she didn't know why Gu Zhong was valued by Ling Yan, Yao Yun understood a bit about human relationships. No powerful venerable would want their disciple to be talked about behind their back.
The Star Luo Sect Master didn't quite understand why Ling Yan would accept Gu Zhong as a disciple with such cultivation, but he eventually succumbed to her persistent pleading and eloquent arguments, opening the sect's treasure vault and allowing Ling Yan to select rare and precious materials to rebuild her precious disciple's spiritual root.
As for Gu Zhong, although Ling Yan made her suspend her cultivation methods, cultivation is a path of either progress or regression, and it cannot be completely abandoned.
After obtaining Gu Zhong's consent, Ling Yan gritted her teeth and handed her over to a fellow disciple who was a body cultivator, entrusting him with her training.
In this way, although Gu Zhong was spared the torment of being bullied, the two still could not see each other for a long time.