My low-key cultivation of immortality was discovered by the emperor in my diary.

Time flies by, but tranquility endures. (Note 1)

On another clear, frosty morning, Chu Lengyu gazed at the rising light and sighed, "Unconsciously, a month has already passed..."

She reached out and caught a snowflake that was drifting down in the wind, letting it swirl gently in her palm without falling or melting.

Outside the window, everything is covered in silver, but the pine trees remain evergreen, and the mountains stretch far and wide.

The system notification sounded in her ear precisely on time.

【drop! 】

[The host has completed yesterday's diary entry.]

[Congratulations, host, on successfully completing your thirtieth diary entry!]

[Reward Received: Nine Heavens Starry Sky God-Slaying Array!]

【Do you want to claim the reward now? 】

This reward made Chu Lengyu's eyes light up.

The formation she had been waiting for finally appeared.

After choosing to receive it, a flood of information entered her mind.

At the same time, a specially made storage bag appeared in front of Chu Lengyu. Intricate array patterns were faintly visible on the bag, with stars flowing and dazzling light shining.

This bag is called the Star Bag. It is engraved with arrays both inside and out. It can absorb the power of stars that are wandering in the world and store it inside. It can be considered a support treasure.

With the system's assistance, Chu Lengyu instantly refined the bag, taking out all the array materials stored inside, including a star map, a main array plate, nine array flags, and eighty-one top-grade star stones!

The starstone shone like a galaxy, exceptionally beautiful, and its rich star power made her room shine.

The Nine Heavens Stars Annihilation Array is a rare ancient array in the cultivation world. It combines the power of the stars in the heavens and can not only imprison all things, but also contains the power to annihilate gods.

When setting up the formation, eighty-one top-grade star stones are needed as the array eyes. They are carefully arranged according to the ancient star charts to form a star net that covers the heavens and the earth.

This net can actively capture and guide the power of the stars in the heavens, forming countless starlight threads and weaving a starlight cage.

The starlight threads contain a unique power of star destruction. Once they touch a living being, they can severely damage its physical body and primordial spirit, and can even kill a Nascent Soul expert.

Once this formation is set up, its power will be at least at the mid-stage of the fifth rank, instantly becoming the most powerful treasure in Chu Lengyu's hands.

In terms of rank, it is second only to the Yao Guang Immortal Boat, which she received as a diary reward when she went to Zhenbei City.

Chu Lengyu was in a hurry to clear out the clutter in her storage bag because she had accumulated more and more diary rewards recently and needed more storage space.

After surviving the minor tribulation of the forty-nine lightning strikes, she had almost completely used up her resources.

The Shennong Herbal Pills for healing and detoxification were exhausted, the Tortoise Spirit Shield and the Lightning Strike Stone turned to ashes after the lightning tribulation, and the Heavenly Net Umbrella was reduced to a pitiful skeleton.

However, she managed to capture the demon's silver scimitar by chance, which can be considered a supplement. Although the scimitar was tainted with demonic energy, it can still be used after being cleansed and reforged with spiritual power.

The demon was annihilated by heavenly lightning, leaving behind only a demonic energy bead of unknown purpose. Chu Lengyu had no clue about it and simply kept it as a collectible.

After that, the system continued to give her random rewards every day, the highest of which was a Yao Guang Immortal Boat.

Its hull is a hundred feet long, and the whole body is made of rare spirit wood. It is carved with a variety of formations and inlaid with spirit stones of various colors. It is dazzling and extremely beautiful.

The sails are woven from the finest spiritual silkworm silk, making them both light and strong. They can withstand the fierce winds from the heavens and ensure the stable flight of the Yao Guang Immortal Boat.

Chu Lengyu was overjoyed at first, but after studying it, she was greatly disappointed.

Although this immortal ship is marked as being at the peak of the fifth rank in the system, its actual body is nothing but flashy and impractical. Apart from its speed, size, and appearance being worth mentioning, its offensive and defensive capabilities are only at the level of the fourth rank Nascent Soul stage.

In addition, there is a more practical problem: the Yao Guang Immortal Boat needs to be powered by spirit stones, and the spirit stones are consumed at an extremely fast rate, which Chu Lengyu cannot afford for the time being.

Therefore, this celestial ship, which should have soared through the sky, could only be shrunk to a size of about a foot, like an exquisite wooden carving, lying quietly deep inside the storage bag.

Unless the Great Xia Dynasty can one day discover a vein of spirit stones with abundant reserves, this immortal ship will not be able to freely roam the heavens.

For her personal travels, sword escape is more convenient and faster, while the Yao Guang Immortal Boat seems more suitable for use by cultivation sects, showcasing their strength and grandeur.

In Chu Lengyu's opinion, compared to the Yao Guang Immortal Boat, which was all show and no substance but lacked real value, the other rewards she had recently obtained were much more practical.

For example, there are elixirs such as Xuanhuang Body Refining Powder, Zixiao Barrier-Breaking Pill, and Biluo Spring-Returning Pill, as well as magical treasures such as Lingxi Jade Slip, Flowing Cloud Escape Boots, and Qingxin Glazed Mirror.

Since advancing to the Golden Core stage, Chu Lengyu has clearly felt that the quality of the diary rewards given by the system has significantly improved, making them more in line with the identity and needs of a Golden Core cultivator.

Those useless rewards from the past, such as the Youth Preservation Pill, are no longer available. In their place are these treasures that can truly help her.

The Nine Heavens Star God-Slaying Array that the system provided today is exactly what she needs.

The white mist formation outside the Pine Forest Cottage now appeared particularly shabby and rudimentary in Chu Lengyu's eyes.

The white mist swirled around her, obscuring the vision of mortals, but to her, who had already advanced to the Golden Core stage, it was like a thin veil, easily seen through with a gentle touch.

In addition, its defensive capabilities are too weak and it lacks effective means of eliminating enemies, which is clearly insufficient to meet her current needs and provide her with enough security.

Thinking of this, Chu Lengyu muttered to herself, "This formation is ultimately too childish."

She was quite satisfied with her cleverly set up this formation back then, and even a little proud of it. However, times have changed, and she is no longer the same person she was before. Naturally, her standards have risen accordingly.

It's time to replace it with a more powerful and complex formation. Only in this way can we ensure that she can be at ease and worry-free when she is in seclusion or traveling.

With a flash of inspiration, the main array plate and star map of the Nine Heavens Star God-Slaying Array fell into her hands, and Chu Lengyu began to study them carefully.

This formation is of too high a grade to be fully set up right now. She needs to study it carefully beforehand so that she can save effort in the future.

Relying solely on the power of the stars would probably not be enough to sustain the operation of this formation. Chu Lengyu pondered this intently, gradually turning her attention to the earth veins of the Nine Provinces.

On the day of the Shangsi Festival, if the Nine Provinces Zhen Ding (a magical cauldron) were to appear, it would surely affect the fate of the human race and cause a great change in the world.

If she could take advantage of this rare opportunity to draw upon the power of the earth's veins and refine it into the formation, then the Nine Heavens Star God-Slaying Formation would not only gain the support of the earth's veins, but would also gain another kind of offensive and defensive capability.

_______________________

Note 1: Time flies by, the road to Chang'an is dusty. — Chen Ting, "Butterfly Loves Flowers, Part Two: Fishermen and Woodcutters' Idle Talk"

Time may be short, but it feels long to those who are still; years are few, but they rush by for the busy. — Yu Shaozhi, *Yuan Qiu Su Hua*

The weather is crisp and clear, with heavy frost falling. — Cao Cao, "The Tenth Month of Winter"

Additionally: All names, places, magical treasures, and techniques in this book are fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, or objects is purely coincidental.