Chapter Fifty-Four: Big-Mouthed Liu and the Immortals

A powerful gravitational force, accompanied by a flash of silver light, pulverized the small house and laid waste to the entire courtyard in the process.

Dozens of villagers had come, initially driven by the bonds of neighborly affection built over many years, but Liu Dazui, as always, remained stubbornly unreasonable.

"Forget about whatever natural disaster this is; maybe more rocks just fell from the sky."

As the crowd grumbled and moved away, Liu Dazui, who had sprinted over, ignored the sweat drenching her body. Her legs trembled, and she left a footprint with every step, her eyes burning with desperate hope. She dared not imagine how much longer she could endure her torment; this was her turning point.

A streak of silver light burst from the crater, and then several people appeared out of thin air—or at least, that was how it seemed to Liu Dazui.

"Beep. Energy storage insufficient." Wu Yue focused his intent, and the key responded in harmony.

"Neural wave reception in progress. Neural binding successful."

The house-sized silver craft shrank in the blink of an eye to the size of a palm, transforming into a silver wristband that fastened itself onto Wu Yue’s arm. The little vessel now had a name, given by Yu Fu: the "Galaxy." A fitting name indeed.

Of all those present, only Hou Baiyu’s eyes lit up at the sight of what was clearly a treasure, a flash of greed crossing his face. The others merely glanced at it casually; if there was any curiosity, it was fleeting.

"Absorb energy," Wu Yue commanded silently.

"Energy detection in progress."
"Two major energy sources detected. Translation in progress."
"Spiritual Qi: Estimated absorption time, forty-five days; conversion time, ten days."
"Ordinary sunlight: Estimated absorption time, one hundred fifty-six days; conversion impossible."
"Current distance to base: one hundred seventy-three miles."

Wu Yue fell into deep thought. Regardless of the Galaxy’s current energy shortage, its exterior alone suggested it was far superior to its previous form as a small vat. Yet, that previous absorption, even with the conversion process, had taken less than two hours. Could it be related to the purity of the energy?

Wu Yue pulled the Frost Dragon from his robes. Rhys, having been confined for so long, let out a furious roar. However, it lacked any sense of majesty, appearing only adorable.

"Use that divine ability you unleashed in Blackwood City again," Wu Yue said flatly. Rhys’s roar intensified. *If I could use it, would I still be bullied by you?*

"I knew this world wasn't so simple!" Liu Dazui laughed maniacally. Seeing the grotesque old woman, the group instinctively took two steps back; her laughter was bone-chilling.

Watching Rhys lying listlessly on his palm, Wu Yue frowned, unsure how to communicate with the dragon. This was not the time for exploration, so he decisively tucked Rhys back into his robes as the dragon let out a muffled growl.

"I beg you immortals, take me as your disciple!" After her fit of laughter, Liu Dazui suddenly knelt on the ground, her face full of supplication. Her graying hair matted with mud, she looked utterly pathetic and heartbreaking.

Zhao Qingzhi turned her head away, unable to bear the sight. She had seen this scene too often; every year, countless commoners knelt before the gates of Old Yellow Mountain, begging to enter the path of immortality. But could just anyone become a cultivator? Yu Fu sighed as well; he was the type who mirrored others—strong against the strong, and even weaker against the weak. If you didn't reason with him or show compassion, he was completely at a loss.

"Grandma, are you pulling our leg?" Hou Baiyu rolled his eyes.

"Your eyes must be blind; this is clearly a young woman." Hearing this, Hou Baiyu stared blankly at Li Wenzhang, wondering if the man had bumped his head.

Seeing the group joking amongst themselves while remaining indifferent to her, Liu Dazui shouted, "Look at my aptitude! It must be one in a million!"

This piqued their interest. Aside from unorthodox techniques, most cultivation paths placed great importance on aptitude. First was the quality of one's marrow and the clarity of one's meridians; this was the primary factor upon which the foundation of cultivation was built.

Second was the strength of one's soul. While this mostly determined a cultivator's future potential, it was considered secondary. These two aspects were generally all that mattered, yet they were enough to crush the hopes of ninety percent of aspirants.

"Alright, alright, let's go. We should hurry and figure out where we are," Hou Baiyu said with a dismissive laugh, ignoring the old woman. Wu Yue nodded; he had never intended to take on followers, and Hou Baiyu knew this well.

"But we destroyed her house," Zhao Qingzhi said.

"It’s her good fortune. Don't worry, in a few days, some sort of shrine will appear here. Especially in these deep, desolate mountains."

Hou Baiyu drew a breath, clearly displeased with the extremely thin Spiritual Qi of this place. Naturally, most cultivators felt the same.

Though she knew Hou Baiyu spoke the truth, Zhao Qingzhi, being young, couldn't quite accept just walking away.

"Just take a look for her," Zhao Qingzhi urged. "It won't take much time."

"Fine, fine," Hou Baiyu said, feigning impatience. "I'm really afraid of you."

Hearing this, Liu Dazui stood up. She wasn't used to kneeling before others, even if it were considered proper and reasonable.

Hou Baiyu paused, a sliver of dissatisfaction in his heart. He was not a petty man, but he was certainly not overly tolerant either.

The chasm between immortals and mortals was like a vast abyss. Whether true immortals existed was debatable, though legends claimed that upon reaching that unfathomable realm, one could shatter the void. But this remained a legend; no outsider had ever seen such a being.

However, within the Immortal Spirit Realm, many cultivators became "immortals." That was normal enough—weren't immortals just like this?

Although testing aptitude was a simple task that almost any Golden Core stage cultivator could perform, seeing this person standing before him—her eyes filled with expectation, anxiety, and even a trace of pride that Hou Baiyu couldn't fathom—he noticed one thing missing: awe.

If this were on Spirit Turtle Island... *Hmph.* Glancing at his companions, who were waiting for the result with bored expressions, Hou Baiyu decided not to dwell on it.

He sent a trace of Spiritual Qi into Liu Dazui’s body.

A moment later, Hou Baiyu’s expression grew increasingly shocked and heavy.

"What is it? Is it top-tier aptitude?" Seeing Hou Baiyu’s face, Yu Fu asked anxiously. The others pricked up their ears; logically, this had nothing to do with them, but human curiosity was universal.

Hou Baiyu took a deep breath, his voice dropping to a low, grave tone. "This sort of aptitude..." At the most suspenseful moment, Hou Baiyu suddenly burst into laughter. "Hahaha! It's just ordinary aptitude. You can cultivate, sure, but you're already at this age!"

Hou Baiyu folded his arms, looking at the varied expressions of his companions with a smug grin. *Always calling me, Master Hou Baiyu, stupid? Now you know how good I am! I’ve been tricking people since I was a kid.*

The group immediately unleashed a barrage of insults and physical blows. As Hou Baiyu dodged and parried, laughter filled the air. This was the camaraderie shared among cultivators.

Beside them, hearing these words, Liu Dazui gasped for air and collapsed onto the ground.