Gu Liangyuan understood the principle of moderation and felt that the timing was just right. With a wave of his hand, a gentle force lifted Qian Qiu to her feet.

  Qian Qiu raised her head and saw that her once-smooth forehead was now marked with a bruise from her earlier kowtowing.

  Although Qian Qiu felt the sting on her forehead, she was immersed in the joy of her scar disappearing and her gratitude towards Gu Liangyuan, paying little attention to it.

  Gu Liangyuan flicked his fingers, and a soft energy brushed over Qian Qiu's forehead.

  Qian Qiu noticed the change on her forehead, touched it, and felt the burning sensation replaced by a coolness.

  Gu Liangyuan's gentle voice reached Qian Qiu's ears: "It's hard to heal, so don't bruise it again."

  Hearing this, Qian Qiu felt warmth overflowing in her heart.

  How could it be? How could the immortal master be so gentle!

  Seeing that it was enough, Gu Liangyuan waved his hand: "Alright, I don't need you to be a servant. Just serve me diligently in the future. You may leave."

  Qian Qiu left the Emotionless Hall in a daze, looking at the bright moon in the sky, feeling as if everything today was like a dream.

  It wasn't until a mountain breeze blew by, causing her to shiver, that she gradually came to her senses.

  She made up her mind to serve Gu Liangyuan well in the future to repay today's kindness.

  "Unfortunately, I have no spiritual root and cannot cultivate, so I am of little use to the immortal master.

  He doesn't eat grains and is not like ordinary people. How can I repay him..."

  ***

  The night passed without words, and the next morning, Gu Liangyuan opened his eyes from meditation and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

  "This Void Spirit Root is indeed extraordinary. One night's effort is worth a month's hard cultivation before."

  "It's just that my cultivation technique is holding me back a bit; otherwise, I could have achieved even more."

  While Gu Liangyuan was pondering, Qian Qiu entered with a towel on her shoulder and a wooden basin in her hands.

  "Immortal Master, I am here to assist you with your washing."

  At Gu Liangyuan's level, his body was free of impurities, so there was no need for washing.

  However, Qian Qiu was not a cultivator and clearly did not understand this.

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  Seeing Qian Qiu's expectant eyes, Gu Liangyuan did not refuse and went through the motions of washing.

  Seeing Qian Qiu's Devotion Value had reached 75, Gu Liangyuan knew that raising it to 80 would happen naturally.

  During the day, Gu Liangyuan circled the holy land again but still found nothing.

  However, he unexpectedly learned that on September 9th, the Four Great Holy Lands would open their gates to recruit disciples.

  This surprised Gu Liangyuan because, in the past, the holy lands only accepted disciples from subordinate sects and opened their gates to recruit widely every eight years.

  But it had only been five years since the last opening.

  Moreover, all Four Great Holy Lands were opening their gates together, which surely hid some secret he was unaware of.

  "Forget it, these matters are too distant for me. I should focus on improving my strength first.

  Perhaps I can take advantage of this opening to recruit some disciples."

  The golden crow set in the west, and the jade rabbit hung in the sky.

  Four days passed in the blink of an eye.

  That evening, Gu Liangyuan sat by the bedside, looking at Qian Qiu below, a hint of joy in his eyes, as Qian Qiu's Devotion Value finally reached 80!

  At this moment, Qian Qiu was kneeling opposite Gu Liangyuan, gently washing his feet.

  She rubbed and kneaded gently, her expression solemn and serious, as if she were holding a treasure, carefully tending to it, afraid of displeasing Gu Liangyuan.

  Suddenly, Gu Liangyuan's voice reached her ears: "Do you want to cultivate immortality?"

  Qian Qiu's hands paused, then resumed: "I would like to, but I was born without a spiritual root and cannot cultivate the immortal path."

  After spending a few days together, Qian Qiu spoke more casually with Gu Liangyuan, no longer as sensitive as before.

  Perhaps it was precisely because of this that her Devotion Value could reach eighty.

  However, Qian Qiu, despite speaking more freely, clearly understood her position and never overstepped her bounds.

  "What if I could awaken your spiritual root?"

  Hearing Gu Liangyuan's words, Qian Qiu looked up sharply, unconsciously gripping Gu Liangyuan's foot a bit tighter.

  With a nervous heart, she asked, "What does the immortal master mean by this?"

  Gu Liangyuan smiled slightly, making Qian Qiu feel like she was bathed in a spring breeze: "Through these days of observation, I see your temperament is resilient and your nature pure.

  I wish to take you as my disciple, help you awaken your spiritual root, and teach you the path of emotionlessness. What do you think?"

  Though Gu Liangyuan's words were not loud, they resounded in Qian Qiu's mind like a grand bell!

  She opened her mouth, with countless words to say, yet not knowing where to begin.

  In the end, it all turned into one sentence: "Can I really?"

  Gu Liangyuan's expression turned serious, extremely earnest: "If I say you can, then you can!"

  Qian Qiu took a deep breath, her eyes resolute, and performed the grand ceremony of master and disciple to Gu Liangyuan: "Disciple, greets Master!"

  She didn't know if she could cultivate, but she knew this was her only chance to defy fate.

  Moreover, even if she truly couldn't cultivate, sharing this mortal life with the immortal master meant she hadn't lived in vain...

  "Ding, congratulations to the host for accepting the first disciple. The initial task is complete, and the Nascent Soul cultivation reward has been issued."

  With the sound of this prompt, Gu Liangyuan felt a surge of powerful spiritual energy flowing within his dantian.

  His Scripture of Emotionlessness began to revolve uncontrollably, seemingly on the verge of a breakthrough.

  At the same time, the weather changed dramatically.

  A mass of dark clouds suddenly appeared, covering the bright moon in the sky, with faint thunder and lightning contained within.

  Gu Liangyuan's expression changed; he hadn't expected the system's reward to come so quickly and fiercely.

  Moreover, the system's bestowed cultivation wasn't an increase out of thin air but a natural enhancement through spiritual energy infusion.

  Judging by the situation, he would have to undergo a heavenly thunder tribulation, and he wasn't prepared at all.

  Looking at Qian Qiu kneeling before him, Gu Liangyuan had a sudden idea. He flipped his hand and took out a Fragment of the Emotionless Scripture and two spells, handing them over:

  "Qian Qiu, I have a Fragment of the Emotionless Scripture and two spells here, which I will bestow upon you today.

  As the master of Emotionless Peak, according to sect rules, my first disciple must be announced to the world, inviting the other peak masters to witness.

  Soon, I will formally accept you as my disciple."

  Qian Qiu looked at the three scrolls shimmering with light, her heart even more stirred.

  Is this the immortal cultivation technique? I, Qian Qiu, also have the chance to cultivate an immortal technique!

  With excitement, Qian Qiu took them with both hands and kowtowed again: "Thank you, Master."

  At this moment, Qian Qiu's Devotion Value had reached 90.

  However, Gu Liangyuan's mind wasn't on this but was immersed in the system's prompt.

  "Ding, the host has taught the disciple the Triple-Revolution Mystic Art and the Fragment of the Emotionless Scripture, triggering a ten-thousand-fold return. The system returns the reward: Supreme Cultivation Technique, Supreme Emotionless Scripture!"

  "Ding, the host has taught the disciple the Profound-Grade Spell, Minor Geng Metal Technique, triggering a four-hundred-fold return. The system returns the reward: Heaven-Grade Spell, Geng Metal Sword Art."

  "Ding, the host has taught the disciple the Profound-Grade Spell, Fire Dragon Palm, triggering a thousand-fold return. The system returns the reward: Minor Divine Ability, Nine-Dragon Fire-Severing Palm."

  As the system prompts ended, the returned divine ability rewards appeared directly in Gu Liangyuan's mind, requiring no learning, only direct comprehension.

  Gu Liangyuan was overjoyed, not expecting the system to have such a wonderful use.