39: To meet or not to meet?

In fear and remorse, Zhao Gang's Divine Soul was extracted by Gu Qiuyue using a secret technique and sealed within a glazed lamp.

After dealing with everything, Gu Qiuyue showed no emotional fluctuation.

She returned to the main seat and softly asked the maid beside her, "Where are they?"

The maid respectfully replied, "Reporting to the Alliance Leader, Mr. Su's cloud brocade has arrived thirty li outside Tianshu City."

A faint, unnoticeable smile finally appeared at the corner of Gu Qiuyue's mouth.

"Pass on my secret order."

Her voice returned to its usual calmness, "Activate the Heavenly Eye Grand Array. I want to see every moment of Revered Master after he enters Tianshu City.

Additionally, notify all dark departments of the Master-Seeking Alliance within the city. They must ensure Revered Master's safety!"

The flowing light cloud brocade silently passed through the invisible protective light barrier of Tianshu City, slowly descending onto a white jade plaza on a floating island.

This was one of the main entrances for external visitors.

"Sixth Junior Sister, that little money grubber, has really made a name for herself over the past century."

Mu Qingxue remained silent. She could feel that this city, though seemingly free, was actually enveloped by an invisible heavenly net.

Su Lin looked at everything before him, feeling both comforted and a hint of heartache.

For Sixth Disciple Gu Qiuyue to establish such a foundation, the effort and hardships she endured over the past century were certainly no less than any other disciple.

"Three Seniors, please stop."

A guard captain, dressed in the Master-Seeking Alliance's standard armor and a Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Initial Stage, respectfully stepped forward, holding an ancient water mirror.

"According to the rules of Tianshu City, all first-time visitors entering the city need to register to ensure the city's safety."

These words were spoken neither humbly nor arrogantly, clearly a routine procedure.

Su Lin smiled faintly and nodded.

It was at the moment their figures were reflected in the water mirror.

Tongtian Treasure Pavilion, ninety-ninth floor.

Gu Qiuyue quietly watched the scene displayed in the huge water mirror before her.

A century of anticipation, a century of loneliness, a century of searching... at this moment, all transformed into overflowing tears, silently streaming down her perfect, flawless face.

"Revered Master..."

She tremblingly reached out, wanting to touch the warm figure in the mirror, but her fingertips only met the cold surface of the mirror.

However, when her gaze moved from Revered Master and fell upon Mu Qingxue and Luo Ximei beside him, the water mirror automatically marked their information.

Mu Qingxue, Cultivation: Void Refining Peak Stage.

Luo Ximei, Cultivation: Body Integration Early Stage.

Although she had long known the cultivation of her Senior Sisters, when it was truly presented before her eyes, her heart still trembled.

Void Refining... Body Integration... these two terms, like two sharpest daggers, fiercely pierced into her heart.

Gu Qiuyue slowly lowered her head.

Her aura, among her sisters, was so insignificant... Gu Qiuyue, Cultivation: Nascent Soul Late Stage.

An extreme sense of inferiority and panic tightly gripped her heart, making her almost suffocate.

"Am I... qualified to see him?"

She slumped despondently into the armchair made of ten-thousand-year divine wood.

Yes, she possessed wealth that could rival a nation, she controlled the continent's strongest intelligence network, and a single word from her could erase a second-rate Sect from existence.

But these... these were all external things!

Seventh Junior Sister, as pure as an immortal, was already a Void Refining mighty figure, sufficient to shield Revered Master from all hardships.

Fifth Senior Sister, as enchanting as a demon, had even stepped into the Body Integration realm, enough to protect Revered Master for all eternity.

They stood beside Revered Master, so naturally, so radiantly, like the most perfect companions.

And what about me?

A mere Nascent Soul Stage.

A merchant reeking of money.

A "weakling" who only hid behind the scenes, using Spirit Stones and schemes to manipulate people's hearts.

A century ago, she was already the slowest in cultivation among her sisters, only able to rely on her petty cleverness to follow behind everyone.

A century later, she was still the one left farthest behind!

He would definitely be disappointed to see me, with my current lowest cultivation... He would think I am his most failed disciple... his disgrace... This thought, like a venomous snake, frantically gnawed at her Dao Heart.

She didn't even dare to imagine that trace of... even a one-in-ten-thousand chance of disappointment that might flash in Revered Master's eyes when he saw her.

That would be more unbearable than killing her.

"No... I can't see him..."

Gu Qiuyue painfully closed her eyes, her delicate body trembling uncontrollably.

But the next moment, in the water mirror, Revered Master's gentle smile, his doting gaze, pierced through her emotional defenses like the warmest sunlight.

"No... I want to see him..."

"I want to see him!"

To see, or not to see?

Desire and fear, like two giant beasts, frantically tore at each other in her Sea of Consciousness.

This "pulling sensation" drove her almost to madness.

"Alliance Leader?" The maid beside her, sensing her chaotic aura, called out softly with concern.

This soft call instantly woke Gu Qiuyue.

She abruptly opened her eyes, the struggle and pain in them completely fading, once again replaced by absolute calmness.

Yes, I am Gu Qiuyue.

I am the Revered Master of Tianshu City, the Alliance Leader of the Master-Seeking Alliance.

I can be insecure, I can be afraid, but I must never... lose control.

"Pass on my order."

Her voice returned to its usual flatness, but with a hint of undetectable hoarseness.

"Activate the Heavenly Eye Grand Array, and project all footage of Mr. Su and his party after entering the city here."

"Also, do not disturb them. Let them... wander freely."

"As you command."

Tianshu City, White Jade Plaza.

Su Lin and the two had just finished registering and were about to look around.

"Revered Master, where are we going?"

Luo Ximei held Su Lin's arm, curiously observing the bustling crowd around them.

"Sixth Junior Sister's city seems to have many interesting places."

"No rush," Su Lin smiled gently, "Let's just walk around first and see how this girl has managed this city."

The three walked side by side, like ordinary Cultivators, merging into the flow of people in Tianshu City.

However, their combination was simply too eye-catching.

And Mu Qingxue and Luo Ximei were even more like two brilliant stars.

Although both had suppressed their cultivation to the Nascent Soul Stage, their peerless beauty and distinctly different temperaments still made them the focus of everyone's attention.

No matter where they went, they would cause gasps of admiration and uncontrollable exclamations.

"Revered Master, look there!" Luo Ximei suddenly pointed to a magnificent, bustling pavilion not far away.

A huge plaque hung above the pavilion's entrance, bearing three grand characters written in Dragon and Phoenix style—Ten Thousand Treasures Tower.

"This is the largest auction house under Sixth Junior Sister's command."

Luo Ximei explained, "It is said to contain countless rare treasures. Shall we go in and take a look?"