Translator: Fate Proofreader: Silavin Gu Xianer’s actions immediately shocked everyone as the scene fell into complete silence for a moment! Everyone was staring at her with their minds confused because this was a great opportunity for her to make a name for herself. Many of the other disciples had their eyes turned red in envy while their breathing accelerated. [She is already at the eighteenth step, so why didn’t she continue moving up?] They were all feeling anxious for her. If it was them, they would definitely ignore everything and move forward no matter what the cost was because this was the only chance for her to surpass Gu Changge, which would earn her millions of praise from all sides of the world. Even the elders couldn’t help shaking their heads and sighed as they couldn’t understand why Gu Xianer would give up such a chance and chose to tie with Gu Changge. From their point of view, Gu Xianer’s status would be different from now on since it was certain that she would be a disciple of the Grand Elder. Once she missed the opportunity to surpass Gu Changge, there would be no second chances. Meanwhile, far away on the top of a cloudy mountain, the Grand Elder couldn’t help but feel a little confused after watching all this. He witnessed Gu Changge and Chu Wunian’s previous exchange, but he didn’t expect Gu Changge to defeat him so easily. Gu Changge’s powers were definitely one of the best among many prodigies he had seen over countless years. If he wanted to preserve his position as the heir of Skyward Schloss in the future, he could no longer count on Chu Wunian and the others, so he was left with Gu Xianer as the only option. Even though she wasn’t able to break Gu Changge’s record, he would still accept her as his disciple. However, what confused him was why Gu Xianer chose to give up even though she could still take a step forward. [Could it be that there is an unknown secret between her and Gu Changge? Or does she have other considerations?] On the Skyward Path, Gu Xianer slowly stepped down. With a gorgeous face and green clothes, her body looked slender and thin. Her steps were firm and her expression looked calm as she didn’t feel any regret or resentment toward not breaking the record left by Gu Changge back then. However, when Gu Xianer thought about the expression on everyone’s face just now, she couldn’t help but shake her head inside her heart. She could already tell that the reason Gu Changge felt that she could easily break his record was because he no longer cared about the record he had set back then. If he were to take the path once more, he could definitely reach higher steps than he did before. Even though talent was predetermined and many people spent their entire lives just to take one step, Gu Changge was obviously far different from them since those rumors of his achievements at a young age weren’t just idle talk. Not only did he have her Daoist Bone inside his body, he also possessed a talent that no one end could compare to, even till day [Even if I break his record, what can it prove? Does it prove that I’m now stronger than Gu Changge’s past self? That’s pointless.] “Xianer, why did you stop? I believe you could still take a few more steps.” Seeing her going down the Skyward Path, Gu Changge understood her intention, but he still shook his head in pity as if he felt sorry that she could only reach the eighteenth step even though she had the ability to reach higher steps. However, she only gave him a glance and ignored him. She originally wanted to scold him for calling her ‘Xianer’ because she felt weird and uncomfortable hearing him calling her that way. [He is clearly my greatest foe, and I can’t wait to turn him into ashes and feed on his flesh. But… I can’t do anything when he likes to constantly hang around me and anger me on purpose. Those masters of mine are already shameless enough, but they are nothing compared to him. If I can easily defeat him, I’ll definitely beat him up.] “I don’t need your concern.” She coldly moved her head away. “I know it’s not my concern, but you’ve really disappointed me. I have high expectations of you, but this is what you show me?” Listening to her words, Gu Changge spoke in a faint sarcastic tone while the smile on his face finally faded away. Hearing his voice, she was immediately exasperated after forcing herself to calm down. “Gu Changge, don’t think that you can always bully me…” Just like an angry little kitten, she glared at him. [What does he mean ’this is what I can show him’? I know that he is saying this to me on purpose, but I won’t allow someone, especially him, to say that to me.] It felt as though he was saying that it wasn’t okay for her to not follow his words and not live up to his expectations. As a matter of fact, it also felt like he was telling her that it was foolish of her to dream that she could take revenge on him with such pitiful ability. Naturally, she wouldn’t and couldn’t allow him to utter those words because she had a strong self-esteem. “What are you saying? Do you really think you can actually stop me?” The sarcastic expression on Gu Changge’s face didn’t seem to be fading away as he made sure that he would bully her till the end. At the moment, Gu Xianer was on the brink of losing it as her body trembled in rage. No one has ever been able to make her so angry with just a few words like him. She couldn’t wait to immediately take out the sword that her master gave her and chop his body into bits. Looking at the scene, all of the disciples and elders suddenly seemed to have something in mind. After all, there seemed to be a great conflict between Gu Xianer and Gu Changge, but it was clear that Gu Changge still cared about her a lot. Especially after listening to his words, they perceived him to feel sorry for her. That she couldn’t surpass the record that he set back then. [She probably chose to stop because of Gu Changge. What harmonious siblings.] Many ignorant disciples even felt a little envy of such a harmonious scene. … Soon, news about the Skyward Path spread forward from the various peaks of Skyward Schloss’ divine island, causing shocks and uproars everywhere, especially the news about Gu Xianer’s ability to reach the eighteenth step, which received a huge reaction. Because of that, many powerful forces began to secretly look into her background. In the end, they found out that she was indeed related to the Immortal Gu Family and was involved in a major incident. As for what that incident was, no one knew. The Immortal Family had always stood firm with their power spanning over many eraa. Thus, if they wanted something to be concealed from the world, no one would know about it. All of a sudden, Gu Xianer’s name was spread across the great sects and became well-known among every prodigy. As for how Gu Changge easily crushed Chu Wunian that day, who was also a young prodigy and a Direct Disciple of Skyward Schloss, it left them in shock. From then on, they started to realize that Gu Changge’s abilities had now become even more unfathomable. For his peers, his ability naturally gave them a lot of pressure. Those many young prodigies who once swore to see him as their ultimate enemy, now swore to never underestimate him. In a short period of time, the heirs of every faction, Immortal Cults, Ancient Royal Families and Ancient Immortal Races in the Inner Domain began to feel a weight on their shoulders as they quickly looked for opportunities or shut themselves away from the outside world just to achieve some kind of breakthrough. … In the Xuanqing Heaven, where the Ancient Immortal Race—the Ye Family—resided, there was a brightly celestial island with mist steaming in the middle. Inside the palace, a stunningly-beautiful young girl in a purple skirt listened to the various news coming from the outside world. At the same time, the expression on her face was constantly changing from a trance, to confusion, and to disorientation, which was very strange. “Lady Ye, are you still feeling guilty about what happened to Ye Chen? Many months have passed since then, so at this point, you should stop thinking about it,” A beautiful middle-aged woman next to her kept on urging her to let go with a worried look on her face. The two of them were Xue Yi and Ye Liuli who just returned to the Ye Family from the Overworld. Ever since they left the Ancient Sky Domain and parted with Gu Changge, they stayed in the Overworld for some time before returning to the Ye Family in the Beyond. However, Xue Yi couldn’t help but feel weird about Ye Liuli’s recent state because her mind would drift away from time to time, as if she had lost her mind. Whenever she asked her what was going on, she would tell her that she was fine, so she guessed that she was just feeling sad about Ye Chen’s death. Listening to Xue Yi’s words, Ye Liuli suddenly came back to her senses and froze for a moment before wondering. “Xue Yi, what are you talking about? Ye Chen is dead. He is just a little bug with a bad heart. Why would I care about him?” That caused Xue Yi to be startled. [Could it be that she is in such a state of distraught that she has completely forgotten about Ye Chen? But it’s better this way. She almost offended Prince Gu because of him back then. Now, I’m hearing rumors about Prince Gu every day in the Beyond and I finally realizing just how terrifying he is. Even if Ye Chen didn’t die, he would still end up living in fear of him after advancing to the Beyond.] Then, she suddenly revealed a hint of joy on her face. “You’re right, Lady Liuli. Ye Chen is nothing but a puny bug. Why would you care about him?” Ye Liuli nodded her head as she quickly composed herself, but inside her heart, she kept on mumbling the same thing. [Why am I so concerned about the news of Gu Changge recently? And why would I unconsciously call him ‘Master’?] For some reason, she felt that she had forgotten about something important, but no matter how hard she tried to remember, she just could not. Then, a sound was suddenly heard coming from outside the palace. A tall handsome young man came in with a divine golden-armored garment. His body seemed to be enveloped in sunlight, and even his hair was extremely radiant. Just like a young emperor, his aura was boundless and overwhelming. “Liuli, what’s on your mind lately? How come you didn’t even notice me coming in?” he said with a smile, giving others a sense of warmth. “Brother? Why are you here? Have you heard any news about the Young Master of the Eternal Gu family lately?” Seeing her brother, Ye Liuli couldn’t help but ask with a smile on her face. The young man was her older brother and the current heir of the Ancient Immortal Race—Ye Langtian. Even though he hadn’t shown himself to the world yet, there were still many rumors about him circulating among the realms. Others labeled him as the Almighty One and even said that he was one of the few people who could go head-to-head with the Young Master of the Gu Family, Gu Changge. After hearing his little sister’s question, he chuckled faintly while a hint of light flashed through his eyes. “Sister, why are you bringing up Gu Changge again? Some time ago, I heard that he went down to the Overworld to find an item and you happened to meet him. Are you missing him already?” It was easy for him to find out everything since he could just ask Xue Yi for a clear answer.