Three days later.
Outer perimeter of the Grave Guarding Forbidden Ground.
Shen Ruochu arrived outside the forbidden ground accompanied by Lin Qing.
Lin Qing spoke softly to comfort her. “Don’t be afraid. Senior Brother Gu is actually a very good person.”
“And you must seize this opportunity. If Senior Brother Gu is willing to guide you alone in cultivation, he must be considering taking you as a disciple. This is an enormous opportunity. You must grasp it.”
“Back then, Peak Master Chen also personally guided Senior Brother Gu in cultivation.”
“Look at him now. At only nineteen years old, he is already the number one figure of Transcendent Peak and the primary candidate to inherit the position of Peak Master.”
Shen Ruochu hesitated slightly but said nothing.
In these three days, she could feel that Senior Sister Lin Qing was truly a kind person.
Her words were sincere and well-intentioned.
But Lin Qing did not know that between her and Gu Chengxing, there was no possibility of reconciliation.
“Go on. Don’t be afraid.”
“Although this place looks frightening, it is actually very safe.”
Shen Ruochu nodded lightly and said softly, “Senior Sister Lin Qing, I understand. You don’t need to worry about me too much. You should head back first.”
“It’s fine. Just go in. Don’t miss the appointed time.”
Shen Ruochu obediently agreed. When she came back to her senses, the gentleness on her face gradually faded, replaced once more by solemn coldness.
Ahead lay darkness and eeriness. Weeds grew wildly, and the air felt gloomy.
She stepped forward and entered the forbidden ground.
Her figure flickered. A flash of white filled her vision. When she opened her eyes again, Gu Chengxing was already standing before her.
She had entered the Grave Guarding Forbidden Ground.
“You’re here.”
Gu Chengxing examined Shen Ruochu carefully.
She was clean, tidy, cold, and… cute.
He sighed inwardly. Her condition was acceptable.
After three or four days of recovery, the overwhelming sorrow around her had finally lightened somewhat.
Of course, her hatred toward him had deepened even more.
Gu Chengxing did not mind.
The more she hated him, the stronger her desire for power would become. The stronger she became, the greater his chance of returning to Blue Star.
“Follow me. Do not wander around.”
Gu Chengxing spoke softly and turned to walk forward at a steady pace.
Shen Ruochu clenched her palm slightly and followed in silence.
This was, after all, a forbidden ground. The terrain was extremely uneven, riddled with pits and stones, overgrown with wild grass.
Moreover, the weather within the forbidden ground was perpetually harsh. Thunder rumbled endlessly.
To Gu Chengxing, this was nothing.
But for Shen Ruochu, it was torment.
Especially when they passed through a stretch of extremely muddy terrain, lightning flashing above. Startled by the thunder, she misstepped and lost her footing.
Thud!
With a muffled sound, Shen Ruochu fell to the ground. Her once white clothes were immediately stained with mud.
Gu Chengxing clearly knew what had happened behind him.
But he did not intervene.
Hearing the faint rustling sounds, he sighed helplessly and turned around.
Shen Ruochu struggled in the mud for quite some time before finally managing to stand up.
The moment she raised her eyes, she saw Gu Chengxing staring at her without blinking, his expression unreadable. His gaze was not exactly cold, but it certainly carried no kindness.
Gu Chengxing simply watched her quietly until she, now far behind, gradually caught up.
Neither of them spoke.
He turned and continued walking.
She lowered her head and followed behind.
After walking for about two hours, they arrived at a forest of tombstones.
This was the Nameless Stele Forest of the Grave Guarding Forbidden Ground, one of its most distinctive landmarks.
It was also an extremely suitable place for cultivation.
The killing aura here was most suited for tempering intent.
Intent referred to special abilities such as Wind Sword Intent, Thunder Sword Intent, or other forms of martial intent.
Back then, at the age of ten, Gu Chengxing had mastered Minor Mastery-level Wind Sword Intent here.
Sword Intent was unrelated to one’s cultivation realm. As long as one’s comprehension was high enough, it could be achieved.
In the original plotline, the first time Shen Ruochu displayed something astonishing was when, without any cultivation, she mastered an intent.
If he remembered correctly, the intent she grasped was killing intent.
Pure killing intent. She had never killed a single person, yet because of hatred, her entire being was filled with killing aura.
“Do you see the blank tombstone on the far left?”
Gu Chengxing pointed toward a smooth, empty stone tablet ahead.
He was already accustomed to Shen Ruochu’s silence, so he continued, “That will be your practice target.”
As he spoke, Gu Chengxing took out dozens of low-grade spiritual weapons from his spatial ring and tossed them onto the ground. At the same time, a pill flew directly into Shen Ruochu’s mouth.
She instinctively tried to spit it out.
“Swallow it. It’s a Fasting Pill. After consuming it, you won’t need food for one month.”
“Pick any spiritual weapon. Within seven days, I require you to leave a mark on that blank tombstone, by any means.”
“If you fail…”
Gu Chengxing paused, then smiled faintly. “By the way, your Sister Ling’er is still in the capital. I’ve been keeping an eye on her.”
A trace of guilt rose in his heart.
That was a lie.
Ling’er would not easily reveal his information for Shen Ruochu’s sake, and Shen Ruochu, for Ling’er’s sake, would comply with his instructions under certain conditions.
Shen Ruochu gritted her teeth and looked at the blank tombstone. Covered in mud, she appeared almost comical, yet her expression grew even colder.
Gu Chengxing noticed that she had become completely calm, showing nothing outwardly.
Such an expression did not belong on a child’s face.
He could not help but curse inwardly. What a sin. I truly am a beast.
But in truth, if he had not bound Shen Ruochu to his side, her situation during this period would likely have been far more miserable.
In the original plotline, at this time, Shen Ruochu and Ling’er, having lost their family’s protection, struggled desperately to survive. They even resorted to begging. They encountered coercion, robbery, even human traffickers. The dangers were endless. At their lowest point, Shen Ruochu fell gravely ill and nearly died.
Only three years later, when Ling’er accidentally awakened a King-level bloodline talent and was discovered by the Demon Domain’s royal court, did she make arrangements for Shen Ruochu before being forcibly taken away. Otherwise, the little girl might not have survived.
Comparing the two scenarios, Gu Chengxing felt somewhat relieved.
Clang, clang.
The dozens of low-grade spiritual weapons lay scattered at Shen Ruochu’s feet.
Gu Chengxing turned and left.
Looking at the spiritual weapons spread across the ground, Shen Ruochu frowned and instinctively pursed her lips.
Each low-grade spiritual weapon would cost at least 1000 spiritual stones outside. For ordinary disciples, that was an enormous sum of resources.
But for Gu Chengxing, it was trivial.
From the moment he entered Transcendent Peak, he had been a True Disciple. He had never worried about spiritual stones in his life.
Shen Ruochu began selecting at random.
Blade, spear, sword, axe…
She tried each in turn.
Clang, clang.
The forest of tombstones echoed with sharp metallic sounds.
She was alone here.
She was somewhat afraid.
But fear would never solve anything.
Only strength could.
Clang.
She slashed, thrust, chopped, swung wildly, sliced, stabbed…
One weapon after another. One awkward movement after another.
She tried for a long time.
In the end, she picked up the low-grade spiritual sword.
She had a premonition that learning the sword suited her best.
The sword was more fluid and seemed easier to grasp.
Thus, she began attacking the blank tombstone continuously with the long sword.
Her movements were clumsy. The blade wavered unsteadily.
The little girl clenched her teeth.
Killing intent stirred in her heart.