Chapter 53: Returning to Carefree Peak

After finishing the collection of spiritual stones, Gu Mingxi rested in place for a while and roasted some beast meat to eat.

Once she was well-fed and rested, Gu Mingxi calculated the time she had spent within the secret realm, discovering to her surprise that twenty-eight days had already passed. Only two days remained until the day the secret realm would close.

During these final two days, Gu Mingxi did not bother searching for other fortuitous encounters. The opportunities she had already gathered within the Purple Cloud Secret Realm were more than sufficient, so she decided to spend the last two days quietly cultivating. After all, with the density of spiritual energy in the Purple Cloud Secret Realm being so high, not engaging in cultivation would be somewhat wasteful.

Two days later, Gu Mingxi left the cave and headed toward the exit of the secret realm.

As soon as she arrived at the exit, she saw Gu Ming月 sitting alone beneath a tree, meditating with her eyes closed.

Gu Mingxi stepped forward and walked directly toward Gu Ming月. Sensing Gu Mingxi's aura, Gu Ming月 opened her eyes.

"Mingxi, come sit over here!" Gu Ming月 called out, greeting her.

"Ming月..." After the two of them sat down together beneath the tree, Gu Mingxi evaluated Gu Ming月's cultivation level and nodded in satisfaction. "It seems that not long after you return from the secret realm, you will be able to enter seclusion to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage."

Gu Ming月 must have also gained a considerable harvest in the Purple Cloud Secret Realm, as she was now at the Great Completion of the Qi Refining stage.

Gu Ming月 pulled on Gu Mingxi's arm, leaning her head against Gu Mingxi's shoulder. "I will enter seclusion for Foundation Establishment as soon as we return. Mingxi, are you planning to leave the sect to take on missions?"

Gu Mingxi nodded. "I do have that intention, but you should be able to successfully reach Foundation Establishment very soon. Do you need me to wait for you?"

"That would be great! Then Mingxi, please wait for me. The two of us can take on sect missions together, and by the way, we can make a trip back to the clan. We can look after each other along the way."

"Alright!"

"..."

Gu Mingxi and Gu Ming月 did not chat for much longer before the time arrived for the secret realm to open.

After bidding farewell to Gu Ming月, Gu Mingxi returned to Xiaoyao Peak.

With so many people and mixed company at the exit of the secret realm earlier, it had not been convenient for her to share a portion of her fortuitous gains with Gu Ming月.

Since Gu Ming月 would be entering seclusion for Foundation Establishment right upon her return, the items she had prepared would simply have to wait until Gu Ming月 successfully established her foundation before presenting them to her.

When Gu Mingxi returned to Xiaoyao Peak, she did not see Yuchen, so she went straight back to her own room.

This time in the Purple Cloud Secret Realm, she had obtained ten-thousand-year stalactite milk, along with many precious spiritual herbs and spiritual stones.

Her greatest harvests in the Purple Cloud Secret Realm were undoubtedly the ten-thousand-year stalactite milk and the Enlightenment Tree.

Gu Mingxi took out several small porcelain bottles and began dividing the ten-thousand-year stalactite milk.

"A small bottle for Father, a small bottle for Mother, a small bottle for Master, a small bottle for Ming月... alright, that makes four small bottles divided out..."

After finishing the division of the ten-thousand-year stalactite milk, Gu Mingxi entered her spatial dimension.

She only possessed that limited amount of the ten-thousand-year stalactite milk, and since it belonged to non-renewable resources, there was not much she could afford to give away.

However, the Enlightenment Tree was different. The massive Enlightenment Tree she had planted within her space could produce numerous leaves, making it a renewable resource.

Little Flower had planted the Enlightenment Tree right beside the spiritual spring, allowing the spring water to nourish the tree's root system.

Gu Mingxi approached the Enlightenment Tree without rushing to do anything else.

She simply sat down cross-legged beneath the tree, closing her eyes to feel the Dao rhythm emanating from it.

Ever since Gu Mingxi had transplanted the Enlightenment Tree into her space, Little Flower, aside from cultivating, spent all its time lying down beneath the tree.

Although neither Gu Mingxi nor Little Flower had reached the level where they could comprehend the Great Dao, gaining an early exposure to and perception of the Dao rhythm was an immensely rare opportunity.

Generally, once a cultivator's cultivation advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, they could begin to choose the Great Dao they wished to cultivate in the future.

However, the Dao was something intangible and invisible—it could neither be described nor spoken of in ordinary terms.

To come into contact with the Great Dao prematurely was naturally an exceptionally favorable circumstance.

After all, once a cultivator's strength reached a certain level, the accumulation of spiritual energy was no longer the sole factor driving further progress.

High-level figures like Yuchen now competed primarily in their depth of comprehension regarding the Great Dao.

For a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage like Gu Mingxi to be able to touch upon the Dao rhythm was practically unprecedented.

The reason cultivators were restricted to the Nascent Soul stage before choosing their Dao was precisely because, although formless, the Great Dao carried an inherent destructive force. Attempting to touch and attain it with insufficient cultivation would result in only one outcome: death by body explosion.

In contrast, the Dao rhythm emitted by the Enlightenment Tree was entirely different. It was extremely gentle, and Dao rhythm itself was not the Great Dao; rather, it merely allowed one to perceive the Great Dao in advance.

This was the wondrous aspect of the Enlightenment Tree, as well as its profound preciousness.

Aside from aiding in Dao comprehension, the Enlightenment Tree could also facilitate a cultivator's sudden enlightenment.

Everyone knew how rare a state of sudden enlightenment was, yet the Enlightenment Tree could enhance the probability of a cultivator experiencing such a breakthrough—how precious was that?

After all, some individuals failed to experience even a single instance of sudden enlightenment throughout their entire lives.

As for Gu Mingxi's previous consecutive moments of sudden enlightenment, they could not be used as a standard reference, since no one else in this continent had ever been heard of achieving sudden enlightenment twice in a row; thus, it lacked comparative value.

When Gu Mingxi awoke from her cultivation, she felt a refreshing clarity in her spiritual platform and a profound lightness in her body.

Seeing that Little Flower was still fast asleep, she chose not to disturb it, gently stroked its fur, and began her next task.

She needed to pluck some leaves from the Enlightenment Tree, process them, and prepare them into tea leaves to give away as gifts.

With Little Flower's assistance, Gu Mingxi successfully gathered a large package of tea leaves.

Looking at this large package, Gu Mingxi felt a slight trace of regret. She had originally thought she would be able to process a much larger quantity, but in the end, she had only obtained this single large package.

Still, obtaining even this large package was a wonderful outcome. Gu Mingxi divided the tea leaves equally into five portions.

Having completed all of this, Gu Mingxi first took out a small amount of the Enlightenment Tree leaves and brewed a pot of tea.

"Mmm... not bad..."

The tea brewed from these Enlightenment Tree leaves surpassed tens of thousands of ordinary teas, not only in its effects but even more so in its exquisite flavor.

Gu Mingxi sat in the courtyard as a gentle evening breeze swept past her, stirring ripples of quiet serenity.

Savoring the rich aroma of the tea while absorbing the delicate fragrance of bamboo lingering in the air, she embraced this rare moment of tranquility—a truly stolen half-day of leisure amidst the floating world!