Chapter 448 - 403: Jiang Qiu Preaches the Dao, Shangguan Yue Breaks Through Again, Becoming Even Younger

The Jiang Qiu of the past was just a young man who needed her care, but now he had become an expert far beyond her comprehension. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of wistfulness. As an elder figure to him, she hoped to contribute in her own small way.

This was no empty boast; she did possess some unusual abilities. "If you need to find the core area of the Eight-direction Reversing Ship, you can take me with you," she said. "My senses feel incredibly sharp right now. I can easily detect an area’s attribute and what kind of Laws it possesses. I can even make lower-level restrictive Laws simply ignore me."

Jiang Qiu was stunned to hear this. Even Xue looked over, tilting her head. "Is Instructor Shangguan that amazing?"

Since Xue and Jiang Qiu were practically one and the same, even sharing memories and thoughts, she knew exactly who Shangguan Yue was in Jiang Qiu’s mind. She had been his instructor, a figure he held in high regard who had offered him significant help. But ever since Zuo Xuan’s rampage across Blue Star, her realm had been insufficient. It was only now that she had finally broken through.

It was astonishing that such a breakthrough could grant her such an absurdly powerful ability.

"Yes, it seems this is what the Path of Returning to Simplicity is like," Shangguan Yue said with a sweet smile, her chubby cheeks making her look like a lively and adorable little girl. "I hope this ability of mine can be of help to you, Jiang Qiu."

Of course this ability would be helpful to Jiang Qiu. It was practically a human radar, one that even possessed a certain signal-jamming function. Monitoring-type Laws, for example, would be rendered useless. No one would know he had infiltrated the Eight-direction Reversing Ship.

Jiang Qiu was naturally delighted by this and promised to take Shangguan Yue with him when he went to the Eight-direction Reversing Ship.

And that day wasn’t far off. It was said that the Thunder Clan and Zuo Xuan had already joined forces. Their cooperation had taken shape, and soon the grand army of the Thunder Clan and Zuo Xuan would advance into the Thunder Restricted Area. A great war would erupt in less than half a month.

Before that, however, Jiang Qiu decided to give Shangguan Yue some help—ideally, he’d help her break through another level. He wasn’t sure if she could advance that quickly, though. After all, he himself had needed Luo Beixing to teach him about ’My Dao’ before he could enter the Dao Entry Realm.

He soon took Xue and traveled to Shangguan Yue’s location. He knocked on the door, and a little girl who looked about ten years old stood on her tiptoes to open it. Her adorable, wide eyes were far more captivating in person than they had been over the communication link.

The serving maids were all waiting outside and wouldn’t enter without being summoned. Jiang Qiu followed Shangguan Yue inside, where he took out some fairly useful resources for her from his Dragon Spirit Space and began to impart some of his understanding of the Great Dao.

Though months of wandering had depleted the vast fortune Jiang Qiu had acquired from the Soul Race, there were still some things he hadn’t been able to use at the time which were now very useful to Shangguan Yue.

It’s often said that what leaks between the fingers of a Fusion Realm expert is a mountain of treasure to someone in the Peeping Dao Realm.

This was exactly the case now. When Shangguan Yue saw the resources, all overflowing with incredibly dense Spirit Charm, she was completely stunned. Her small, delicate lips parted, her eyes sparkling more brightly than Luminous Pearls. "So... so many resources? These all look like incredibly precious Treasures of Heaven and Earth!"

Indeed, they were all extremely valuable items obtained from the Soul Race. They were precious enough to hold some attraction even for Fusion Realm experts, but Jiang Qiu hadn’t used them due to mismatched Spirit Attributes and other factors, so he had simply held onto them. Resources like these were impossible to find on Blue Star. The planet was too barren; it couldn’t even produce a single Fusion Realm expert.

That was why Shangguan Yue was so shocked to see what Jiang Qiu had given her. Her heart began to pound, and a warm, tingly sensation spread across her cheeks.

She knew that Jiang Qiu had given her exceedingly rare resources. Any single one of them, if tossed onto Blue Star, would be a supreme treasure that would cause nations to go to war. They were treasures capable of safeguarding a nation, or even the entire planet—utterly unique.

Their Spirit Charm was several times denser than even the food she had just enjoyed. After all, food was just food; it wasn’t specifically prepared for her cultivation. How could it compare to the items Jiang Qiu had given her, which were meant specifically to aid cultivation?

Besides, Jiang Qiu was a generous person. He didn’t mind Shangguan Yue consuming his resources, especially since he couldn’t use them himself due to the mismatch in their Spirit Attributes.

He was also not stingy with his comprehension of the Great Dao. He freely imparted his understanding to Shangguan Yue, helping her comprehend her own Path of Returning to Simplicity. Though their Daos were different, the fundamental essence was the same. His higher realm allowed him to explain things that she found profoundly enlightening—enough to help her take another step forward.

And so, Shangguan Yue cultivated while listening to Jiang Qiu’s lecture on the Dao. Xue, meanwhile, floated about the room in boredom, occasionally soaking her feet and idly flicking streams of water about to amuse herself.

Shangguan Yue didn’t quite understand Xue’s existence, but seeing how incredibly close she was to Jiang Qiu—a level of intimacy that even biological siblings couldn’t achieve—she knew their relationship was not simple. So, she didn’t ask.

She only felt a vague sense of regret for her fourth direct disciple, Liu Zili. She faintly recalled the time Liu Zili and Jiang Qiu had left for Northwest Martial University... Ah, well. The future would unfold as it may. What path Liu Zili would walk was up to fate. Shangguan Yue didn’t dwell on it, focusing instead on earnestly listening to Jiang Qiu’s sermon, feeling her own bottleneck beginning to shatter once more.

In less than a week, her aura surged explosively. The shockwaves rippled outwards, startling the numerous maids outside. Initial Tier of Dao Entry, Middle Tier of Dao Entry, High Tier of Dao Entry, Peak of Dao Entry Realm! She had shot straight from the Peak of Peeping Dao Realm to the Peak of Dao Entry Realm in one go, as if there were no barriers at all. The entire process was as smooth as silk.

This promotion speed did surprise Jiang Qiu somewhat, but he felt more gratification and emotion. "Now that Instructor Shangguan is at the Peak of the Dao Entry Realm, her ability to withstand Space-Time Travel will be even greater. It will be more convenient when we go to the Eight-direction Reversing Ship."

"Mhm." Shangguan Yue nodded obediently, looking for all the world like she was the junior...

But in truth, anyone who saw her would only think she was a little girl—perhaps even the daughter of Jiang Qiu and Xue. Her aura was just that juvenile.

Wait... why did it feel like after reaching the Dao Entry Realm, Instructor Shangguan’s aura had become even more childlike?!

Jiang Qiu snapped back to reality. He reached out a large, warm hand and gently pinched Shangguan Yue’s cheek. It was as soft as a steamed bun, and her entire cheek fit into his palm. It was so small, and so pure.

Her height had shrunk to just 1.2 meters, making her look like a kindergartener. The dress that had fit her well before was now slipping off her shoulders. Her tiny body looked like an oversized pixie.

"Instructor Shangguan, you’re so cute right now."

"Nn~" Feeling the gentle pressure on her face, Shangguan Yue didn’t pull away. She tilted her head and smiled slightly. "I feel like my body is filled with power."

"Instructor Shangguan is so interesting now," Xue chimed in, floating closer. She gently lifted Shangguan Yue into her arms. The tiny, delicate face was immediately buried in Xue’s soft chest, a truly amusing sight. "Her aura has really turned into a child’s too."

Shangguan Yue’s face flushed crimson at her words. She clenched her fists, about to say something, but as she inhaled Xue’s unique, sweet fragrance, her chin naturally relaxed, and her face sank deeper into the embrace. She mumbled as if pouting, "There’s nothing wrong with being a little smaller. This way, I can help Jiang Qiu rescue Liu Zili..."