The Demon Lord of All Forms

Chapter 61 Qin Youwei

After passing through a series of palace corridors, the two arrived at the gate of a jade palace that was as black as ink and exuded a chilling aura.

The Jade Palace is entirely constructed of a certain type of black jade, with a smooth, mirror-like surface that reflects the shimmering light of the sea of ​​clouds. Above the lintel are three large, silver-white characters: "Northern Heavenly Palace," written in vigorous and powerful strokes, with a faint shimmering light within them.

Entering the Jade Palace, the interior space is astonishingly vast. The pillars are hundreds of feet tall, with lifelike reliefs of the Xuanwu divine beast coiled around them, as if they might swim out of the stone pillars at any moment. The dome is inlaid with countless precious stones and gold, shimmering with light, like a sky full of stars inverted above your head. Clouds and mist surge on the ground, reaching above your ankles with each step. Walking among them is like walking on clouds, as if you have entered a celestial realm.

The two continued forward, passing through the empty hall, around a huge screen, and stopped in front of a room at the back of the Jade Palace.

Meng Nanyi stepped forward and said respectfully, "Master, I have brought the person."

"Come in."

A slightly languid voice came from inside the door, soft and gentle yet distant.

The door opened silently, and Gu Changyuan followed Meng Nanyi inside. The room was empty, with no extra furnishings, only a soft couch and a few lamps that burned continuously. Water vapor swirled and surged in the air, enveloping the entire room in a hazy mist.

A woman sat cross-legged on a soft couch, dressed in a dark black Taoist robe. Her long hair was casually tied up with a jade hairpin, with a few strands falling over her shoulders. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, but her eyes held a hint of languor.

The woman opened her eyes, her pupils like deep pools, clear yet unfathomable. Looking at Meng Nanyi and Gu Changyuan before her, a smile appeared on her face.

"Thanks for your hard work."

"This is my duty as a disciple." Meng Nanyi said calmly, stepping aside and standing with his hands at his sides.

Qin Youwei's gaze fell on Gu Changyuan. She didn't rush to speak, but first looked him up and down. Then, a wisp of water light flew out from her fingertip and landed on Gu Changyuan.

Gu Changyuan's body trembled violently as he felt an invisible force seep into the depths of his soul, like a hand flipping through every memory in his soul.

A bright light shone from Gu Changyuan's brow and spiritual altar, and his pure soul slowly rose, hovering three feet above his head like a bright moon in the sky, its silvery-white light illuminating the entire room.

The soul was astonishingly large and solidified to the point of being almost tangible, completely disproportionate to Gu Changyuan's Longevity Realm body, as if the soul of a giant had been stuffed into the body of a dwarf.

Meng Nanyi, standing to the side, looked at Gu Changyuan's soul with a look of astonishment. She had been cultivating for many years and had seen countless geniuses, but this was the largest and purest soul she had ever seen. It was simply not something that a cultivator in the Longevity Realm should have.

"As expected, his talent is remarkable." Qin Youwei looked at Gu Changyuan's soul with a satisfied smile on her face and her eyes flashing. She quickly browsed through the memories carried in Gu Changyuan's soul, from Gu Changyuan's "birth" to "growth" and then to "cultivation", all of which were exposed under her divine sense.

A moment later, Qin Youwei waved her hand to send Gu Changyuan's soul back into her body, then stood up and walked to Gu Changyuan.

Qin Youwei wasn't very tall, only reaching Gu Changyuan's shoulder, but she had an aura that made people afraid to look directly at her, as if she wasn't a person, but a bottomless ocean.

"I am Qin Youwei, the Palace Master of Xuanwu Palace. Would you be willing to become my disciple?"

Gu Changyuan looked at Qin Youwei, and without hesitation, smiled, clasped his hands, and bowed, saying, "Disciple greets Master."

After speaking, he performed the disciple's salute, his movements were standard and natural, without the slightest hint of reluctance.

Qin Youwei smiled and nodded, saying, "Although you have extremely high aptitude, the sect rules cannot be changed. I can only make you an inner disciple directly. If you want to become a true disciple, you need to defeat other inner disciples and enter the top three at the True Disciple Ceremony three years later to become a true disciple of my Huangtian Sect."

Gu Changyuan looked at Qin Youwei and asked, "So long?"

Qin Youwei shook her head and said, "It's already very short. Even if you have good aptitude, you need to abolish your current Longevity Realm cultivation in these three years, and then start cultivating the profound arts of my Xuanwu Palace. In three years, even if you have good aptitude, you can only reach the Dao Embryo Realm at most. Many of those inner disciples have experienced several True Inheritance Ceremony, and their cultivation has long reached the Dao Embryo Realm. They have also mastered many supernatural abilities and have magic treasures in their hands. It won't be easy for you to catch up with them in three years."

Hearing Qin Youwei's words, Gu Changyuan's gaze shifted, and he said with a smile, "Since Master also knows it's not easy, then why not give your disciple some financial assistance as a gift for becoming a disciple?"

Qin Youwei looked at Gu Changyuan, her expression stunned. She hadn't expected her new disciple to be so bold as to ask for things so soon after becoming his disciple.

Meng Nanyi, standing to the side, frowned, feeling that Gu Changyuan was being too presumptuous.

Qin Youwei stared at Gu Changyuan for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing: "You've got some nerve."

After thinking for a moment, a sword blade as green as jade flew out from Qin Youwei's sleeve. The sword was about three feet long, and its entire body was a clear and bright green. There were faint water ripples flowing on the blade, and an ancient character "锋" was engraved on the hilt.

The longsword hovered in front of Gu Changyuan, emitting a clear, melodious hum.

"The Sharp Arrow Sword is a magical artifact I forged in my early years. Consider it your gift for becoming my disciple."

Gu Changyuan held the jade longsword in his hand, feeling the warm and cool sensation emanating from its blade. He smiled and, in front of Qin Youwei, put the longsword into his storage bag.

Qin Youwei looked at Gu Changyuan and continued, "Your cultivation needs to be abolished as soon as possible. Although your foundation is pure, your grade is too low. Do you want to abolish it slowly by yourself, or should I abolish it for you now?"

Gu Changyuan didn't hesitate. He didn't care about his cultivation level anyway. Looking at Qin Youwei, he said decisively, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Master."

Qin Youwei didn't say anything after hearing this, and gently patted Gu Changyuan's chest with her palm.

An invisible force seeped into Gu Changyuan's internal organs, meridians, and acupoints, sweeping over him like a tidal wave and instantly dispelling all of Gu Changyuan's cultivation power.

A sense of emptiness washed over him, as if his internal organs had been hollowed out. Gu Changyuan's face turned pale, but he remained motionless, not even frowning. He simply stood there quietly, feeling his cultivation level plummet from the Longevity Realm to that of a mortal.

The feeling of falling from a height, which might be unbearable torture for ordinary people, was like a gentle breeze to him, nothing to worry about.

Qin Youwei nodded upon seeing this, a hint of approval flashing in her eyes, and said, "As an inner disciple, you are qualified to cultivate a complete Xuan Gong, or choose one of the three major sect manuals of my Xuanwu Palace and obtain the first three levels."