No wonder.

No wonder Mu Wanqiu carried such resentment when she saw me.

Gu Shen sighed lightly. He understood that this resentment was not solely because he hadn’t informed the Angel Envoy about his survival.

Another part of the reason was Mu Wanqiu’s defeat, losing to Bai Xiu.

"Do you want a fight in the Pure Land?"

Gu Shen said sincerely, "No matter what, I am the Divine Throne. Fighting here, your chances of winning are nearly zero..."

These words were harsh but truthful.

"What’s the point of fighting here? Just wait, I’ll come to Changye myself!"

Mu Wanqiu snorted coldly, leaving a sentence before cutting off the Spiritual Link: "You still owe me two things. We’ll talk when we meet!"

Only Shen Li remained in the Spiritual Wilderness.

"Tsk..."

Little Iron Man rubbed his chin and murmured, "Mu Wanqiu coming to Changye to fight you, that’s something to look forward to."

"What are you looking forward to?"

Gu Shen felt a headache looming.

"How about choosing Spring Rain Temple as the location? That’s where I used to get beaten."

Shen Li coughed.

What he’s looking forward to couldn’t be clearer... he’s obviously expecting Mu Wanqiu to lose again.

"You better pray Mu Wanqiu isn’t serious, if she comes to Changye to challenge me, I’ll suggest she stays a few more days after the fight."

Gu Shen said earnestly, "While she’s here, maybe I can guide her cultivation."

Shen Li: "???"

Little Iron Man looked horrified, already envisioning scenes of Mu Wanqiu losing twice and then tormenting him.

"Don’t be like this!"

Shen Li shouted angrily, "Didn’t you just say there’d be a great reward?"

Gu Shen smiled, "The Netherworld King’s great reward is ensuring no matter how intense the situation gets, you’ll definitely not be beaten to death."

...

...

In the following days, Gu Shen lived quite leisurely.

He first reunited with some old friends and went to the old alleys of Snow Forbidden City for hot pot lamb.

Unfortunately, Chu Ling’s Divine Embryo’s essence was still condensing, and he couldn’t appear at the moment...

For the majority of the time,

Gu Shen stayed at Divine Temple Mountain, trying to find the "Black Flower countermeasure" left behind by Mr. Gu Changzhi but never found anything.

Perhaps this so-called "countermeasure" requires him to turn all the Black Flowers white?

Or maybe, he was just overthinking it from the start.

Gu Shen’s mood was calm; after becoming an observer, his heart rarely stirred.

Now, during his meditation and cultivation, he could focus on four things at once.

According to Alf, the god of forge and craftsmen was not a Divine Throne skilled in combat, but he clearly and specifically divided the cultivation states of Transcendents into several major stages. After "Heart Flow," it’s endless cascading.

Focusing on four tasks is probably what’s meant by "Four-layered Heart Flow."

Gu Shen absorbed the essence of Black Flowers while contemplating the Breath of Autumn.

The remaining two mental focuses were on comprehending Life Flame and Pure Land...

These two domains were now stuck at the position of Great Success, unable to advance further.

After mastering the Great Achievement Domain, the circumstances Gu Shen faced were a complete reversal of what happened before.

He was initially stuck in Chi Huo cultivation.

But now, for the second domain of Chi Huo, Gu Shen had an approximate direction for extension in mind, and if things went smoothly, it wouldn’t take long to condense...

The second domain of a Transcendent often complements the first domain.

Life Flame has yet to acquire the trait of "elementalization." The second domain will substantially complete the attack strength of the "fire element" and "spiritual element," as the offensive power of the first domain is somewhat weak.

Generally, when Gu Shen wants to eliminate enemies, the Pure Land contains intent of slaughter and Silent Annihilation more effectively than Chi Huo, and more directly so.

Chi Huo is inclined towards an auxiliary function.

It often exhibits the effects of "hypnosis."

On extremely significant occasions, Chi Huo takes charge of opposing the Pure Land in "elemental repulsion," stirring up forces that disrupt rules... Such a degree of destructiveness isn’t something Chi Huo can emit on its own.

In essence,

before the second domain of Chi Huo is unveiled, Gu Shen relies heavily on the lethal means of Pure Land.

However, now he vividly feels the bottleneck in Pure Land cultivation.

Though Pure Land is a Divine Miracle bestowed by Mr. Gu Changzhi, he wishes to extend in the direction of "slaughter" and "frost," but cannot proceed as smoothly as Chi Huo.

The innate ability of Transcendents, under such circumstances, demonstrates an irreplaceable advantage.

It’s akin to prosthetics versus one’s own arms.

Initially, prosthetics are convenient, but they cannot grow alongside oneself.

Chi Huo was awakened first, accompanying his power from the start.

This power matches perfectly with Gu Shen.

Every pitfall on Gu Shen’s path forward, Chi Huo has faced alongside him. This low-glowing flame accompanying the Valleys has finally ascended to the mountain peak.

For the weak flames, the most difficult moment is when they first ignite.

Once truly ignited and spread into a raging fire, the flame will no longer be extinguished, only become more intense.

...

...

"Gu Shen, calling me out...Isn’t Mu Wanqiu already here?"

Days later,

Shen Li appeared in Snow Forbidden City, as Gu Shen arranged to meet him by Ninghe Bridge.

He cautiously surveyed the surroundings.

"If Mu Wanqiu were looking for me, she would have definitely given a heads-up to both Central City and Changye beforehand."

Gu Shen smiled and said, "The captain of the North Continent Investigation Corps heading south is no small matter... With your current status, is it possible that you haven’t heard a whisper? She’s been busy dealing with corps duties the past few days, and it might be a while before she arrives. Rest assured, she’s not coming to find me today because of a duel arrangement."

"If not for a duel, then what else could it be?"

Shen Li sighed in relief but was also curious.

"Walk with me."

Gu Shen wasn’t in a hurry to explain his intentions, instead taking a stroll along the Ning River.

Little Iron Man shook his head vigorously: "Not here, let’s find another place. Ning River is too conspicuous."

"Ning River is too conspicuous?"

Gu Shen laughed and asked, "Why, this is Changye; are you afraid of an assassination by a Holy Judge here?"

"You don’t know, the strange things happening these days are scarier than a Holy Judge’s assassination..."

Shen Li recalled his recent encounters with a heavy heart.

"Oh?"

Gu Shen raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Did you do as I advised?"

"As per your advice..."

Shen Li suddenly remembered what Gu Shen had said to him before leaving Changye.

["After entering Snow Forbidden City, try to take deserted alleys."]

"Gu Shen, I’m not as smart as you, but I’m not stupid either—"

Shen Li grinned and said, "Every time I go out, I take the main road."

"..."

Gu Shen looked at Little Iron Man with a sympathetic gaze, "Every time you go out, you take the main road?"

"Do you know who I encounter every time I go out?"

Shen Li’s voice grew tense: "Bai Lu! It’s Bai Lu! That crazy woman, somehow she got word of my movements, and whenever I step out, she 100% shows up on my route..."

He scanned the crowd.

Hmm.

The Ning River was crowded, and no danger was in sight yet.

Gu Shen was silent for a moment and asked, "So... how did you handle it?"

"Of course, I ran away."

Shen Li replied earnestly, "The Bai Family controls Changye’s Wind Eye, I can’t beat Bai Lu, but can I not outrun her? This crazy woman is very fast, and in broad daylight, she can’t make a move, but if I take the alleys, she’ll definitely catch me... and then..."

His voice trailed off.

Because a delicate hand lightly touched his shoulder.

A gentle laugh followed.

"And then?"

Shen Li’s hair stood on end; he hadn’t realized Bai Lu had gotten so close.

"Sorry, I blocked your Spiritual Sense for a bit."

Gu Shen said sincerely, "I heard about some things happening in Changye Village, I think there might be some misunderstanding between the two of you... It’s not good to always be hiding, right? Why not settle things today?"

"???"

Shen Li’s eyes widened as he stared at Gu Shen.

"Gu, you managed to do something decent."

Bai Lu pinched Shen Li’s shoulder, giving Gu Shen a complex look. She hadn’t had a chance to formally meet him since he returned to Changye, but now wasn’t the time for a reunion.

She came out today specifically to find Shen Li!

The last banquet.

The incident where Shen Li beat up a North Continent officer... it caused quite a stir.

Fights aren’t much of a big deal; the customs of the Frontier and Changye were originally biao han. Since both sides agreed to a spar, just leave it at that. The alley fight last time didn’t escalate into a bad drama; the drunk Northern Continent officer was just knocked out and slept it off.

The real "buzz" came from Shen Li’s final words!

He publicly made it clear, telling the Northern people to stay away from Bai Lu!

What kind of talk is that? What does it mean?

Though things had quieted down around Bai Lu since that day, her heart was far from calm...

She kept thinking of that infuriating guy.

"Why are you hiding from me?!"

The witch now yanked Little Iron Man’s collar, speaking fiercely.

This scene gathered quite the crowd.

"What do you think?"

Shen Li complained, "With your demeanor, can I not hide? What did I do wrong for you to be so fierce!"

Bai Lu was taken aback for a second.

She noticed the staring eyes around the Ning River and quickly toned down her aggression.

Noticing a deserted alley nearby, she lowered her voice and commanded, "Follow me."

"Gu Shen, save me! Save me!"

Not understanding the situation, Shen Li cast Gu Shen a bewildered and pleading look.

He couldn’t comprehend why Bai Lu was so persistent in seeking him out.

Gu Shen didn’t move an inch.

In Shen Li’s "desperate" gaze.

Gu Shen, unable to bear it, finally sent a Spiritual Sense message: "Forgot to tell you, when you weren’t in Changye, I attended a banquet and beat up a drunken Northern Continent officer... Hmm, I also helped this Miss Bai Lu out of a bind."

Shen Li still looked confused after hearing this.

"What does what you did have to do with me?!"

"Hmm... perhaps because I used your identity?"

"???"