Mysterious mirror hanging high

Xuan Qingzi? !

When this familiar name appeared, Jing Yu's spirits lifted, and the image of a white-haired old man wearing a tall crown and a green robe suddenly appeared in his mind.

Isn't this an old acquaintance who works in the [Changsheng Palace] and presides over the selection of immortals in the immortal palace?

Jing Yu asked tentatively, "Oh? I wonder which faction this [Xuanqing Supreme True Man] comes from?"

Jian Suyun said with admiration, "Shangzhen Xuanqing doesn't come from any powerful faction. Instead, he's a genuine independent cultivator... He's been cultivating on his own since humble beginnings, relying entirely on his own talent, talent, and luck to reach where he is today!"

"Rogue cultivator?"

Jing Yu thought to himself, "Sure enough!"

Xuan Qingzi is not some casual cultivator!

He is from the legitimate Changqing Immortal Court and is the chief immortal official of the Changsheng Palace. Moreover, how could such a high-level cultivator who is only one step away from becoming a Golden Immortal come here alone?

Most likely, his memory was distorted by a few Dao Zun...

Jing Yu was secretly shocked. These Dao Zuns had gone to great lengths to conceal their actions, even going so far as to redesign Xuan Qingzi's entire life trajectory...

Jian Suyun said, "Remember, Supreme Master Xuanqing established a Taoist lineage in the [Third Heaven], named [Xuanqing Taoist Palace]. Although the immortals in the Taoist Palace disdain to set foot in the First Heaven, it is inevitable that some disciples who have not yet achieved immortality will come down to gain experience."

"If you encounter disciples from the Xuanqing Dao Palace in the future, you must be respectful and neither provoke them nor try to curry favor with them... Otherwise, you will inevitably be drawn into the disputes of the upper echelons, and you will probably end up in pieces, with your body and your Dao disappearing."

Jing Yu and Gu Ming exchanged a glance, then both bowed and said, "Yes, we will follow the instructions of the head shopkeeper."

"Alright, Xuan Jing, now that you've joined the Chamber of Commerce, Gu Ming will take you to choose a cave dwelling and take you on a tour of Baichuan City. Since you're new here, you don't know much about the stories of the Immortal Realm, so it's a good opportunity for Gu Ming to help you clear up some of your confusion."

Gu Ming smiled and said, "Please come in, fellow Daoist."

Jing Yu nodded: "Then I'll trouble you, Daoist Fellow Gu."

----

In the west market of Baichuan City, there is a three-story elegant room called [Shuyuxuan].

The carved wooden window was half open, and the light coming in was cut into slanted squares by the window lattice and fell on the green jade teacup in Jing Yu's hand.

The tea leaves in the cup stretched out like orchids. Jing Yu stroked the warm cup wall with his fingertips, and suddenly looked up at the person sitting opposite him.

Gu Ming, who was sitting opposite him, held an incense burner in both hands. The green smoke in the burner condensed into silk threads, which he was slowly inhaling.

After a while, Gu Ming uttered a slightly satisfied groan, gently put down the incense burner, looked at Jing Yu's curious expression, and couldn't help but smile:

"Fellow Daoist Xuan Jing, please forgive me for laughing. This [Nine-Transformation Divine Incense] has the wonderful power of enhancing the cultivation of the soul. My puppet body has long lost its appetite, so I can only focus on the perception of the soul."

Jing Yu touched his chin and said, "It's not funny, but it's really eye-opening."

"There are no [Spiritual Refiners] in the realm where Fellow Daoist Xuan Jing comes from?"

Jing Yu answered honestly, "There are indeed people who have turned to the ghost path to practice, which can be considered to be leaning towards the spirit lineage, but... I have never seen anyone like Fellow Daoist Gu."

Upon hearing this, Gu Ming said, "We [Spirit Cultivators] are two different things from ghost cultivators. Ghost cultivators usually have their Dharma bodies and Nascent Souls destroyed, leaving only a divine soul. They are forced to turn to the ghost path... But [Spirit Cultivators]? They only focus on tempering their divine consciousness. Generally, they only give up their Dharma bodies, but their Nascent Souls remain."

Gu Ming patted his lower abdomen and made a dull sound. "My Nascent Soul is still here. Although the ultimate goal of the [Spiritual Refiner] is to have only one spirit left, formless and invisible, to travel the heavens... but to achieve this? I'm afraid I may not even be able to reach the immortal realm. It's still a long way to go."

This person then sighed and said, "Spirit Refiners are a very rare lineage in the Immortal Realm. Not many people cultivate them, and only a handful have achieved fame... It's a rare branch among rare branches. Even many cultivators who have cultivated some secret methods to enhance their souls dare to call themselves Spirit Refiners. They don't have much potential."

"Fortunately, I still have self-awareness. I am content to open up a cave in this life, and I don't think about things that far ahead... Whether this lineage can eventually achieve the great Dao is not something I need to consider."

"Forget it, let's not talk about this." Gu Ming smiled and asked:

"Did Fellow Daoist Xuan Jing ascend to the Immortal Realm not long ago? Do you know anything about the Immortal Realm?"

Jing Yuyan said, "I only have a rough idea of ​​it from some jade slips sent down by the seniors who ascended to heaven before. In fact, it's almost the same as being completely in the dark."

Gu Ming nodded and said, "Daoyou, do you know what the fairyland looks like now?"

"I only know that it's shaped like a large funnel, divided into [First Heaven], [Second Heaven], and [Third Heaven]... Within the three layers, the realms are clearly defined and the order is orderly... It seems that there are few immortals in the First Heaven?"

Gu Ming replied, "That's generally correct. The First Heaven is a whole piece of land, the smallest in area. Most of the people living there are ordinary people, low-level cultivators. Among the low-level cultivators, those who have practiced Qi have only reached the Mahayana stage. It's true that there aren't many immortals there."

"The Second Heaven is quite interesting. It is a vast and boundless universe with countless stars."

Gu Ming pointed to the sky and said, "When night falls, the starry sky above our heads will be the Second Heaven."

"The cultivators of the Second Heaven generally live and cultivate on various stars... Occasionally, some strange races will wander the starry sky."

"And the [Third Heaven]?" Gu Ming's face showed three parts longing and seven parts fear. "I haven't been there either. I heard there are many [Floating Islands] there. Some large floating islands are even larger than the entire [First Heaven]. The cultivators of the [Third Heaven] practice on the floating islands."

"Because the Third Heaven is above the Second Heaven, for the cultivators living in the Third Heaven, when they look down from the edge of the floating island, they will see a vast starry sky."

Gu Ming laughed and said, "As for the realm above the Third Heaven? It's said there's a Fourth Heaven... but the Fourth Heaven is still in the process of development and evolution. It's extremely dangerous, with countless unexpected and unimaginable disasters and opportunities. Unless one is incredibly daring, no one would stay in the Fourth Heaven for long."

Jing Yu had been listening carefully, but upon hearing this, he couldn't help but ask, "Fellow Daoist Gu, there's something I'm not sure about... Are the layers of heaven like the lower realm and the immortal realm?"

"Are you trying to ask whether there are any barriers or something like that between the levels of heaven that would hinder the passage of cultivators?" Gu Ming blinked, with an expression that he had expected this.

Seeing Jing Yu nod, Gu Mingyan said, "That's not the case."

"If there isn't one, why..."

Before Jing Yu could finish his question, Gu Ming, as if prescient, chimed in, "Why are there so few immortals in the First Heaven? Why don't we cultivators find ways to live and cultivate in the Second or Third Heaven, where spiritual energy is richer and there are more natural resources and treasures?"