A celestial being had arrived in Ascending Immortal City, and Du Guqing was well aware of this fact. She had cleverly managed to sneak out of the city while Du Guqing was preoccupied with the celestial, slipping away unnoticed.
Now that she had been apprehended and was confused about why she hadn't laid eyes on the celestial being, she hadn't anticipated that the fortune-teller before her had accurately predicted her father's death. Ming Shifei's affirmation of the prediction only added to her disbelief; it seemed completely absurd and unscientific.
Nevertheless, Ming Shifei's confidence had taken root. While Du Guqing still regarded Jiang Bai with hostility, a trace of fear had crept into her gaze as well. This was an impressive accomplishment. A celestial being! A powerful celestial being!
It had been years since any cultivators had ascended to immortality within the Celestial Spirit World. Despite being recognized as the youngest Core Formation cultivator, Du Guqing understood that achieving immortality was a monumental task, akin to reaching the heavens. The road to immortality was fraught with obstacles, and only a select few geniuses succeeded.
To become an immortal required talent, luck, strength, and resources—any one of these components missing could thwart the entire endeavor.
Yet, despite being just an eighteen-year-old girl on the brink of adulthood, Du Guqing felt an instinctual urge to argue. However, Ming Shifei, her mentor and one of the few who truly understood her, anticipated her thoughts.
"Miss, Mr. Jiang Bai is a distinguished guest of the city lord; it's crucial that you don't offend him. We cannot let today's events leave this room!" He gazed at her earnestly.
Realizing the gravity of the situation from Ming Shifei's serious demeanor, Du Guqing nodded, agreeing to keep her thoughts to herself.
However, when she spotted Jiang Bai's mysterious smile, she found the figure seated at the head of the table quite irritating and immediately stuck her tongue out at him, revealing her playful side.
Jiang Bai, pleased to have gained a hundred luck points for no particular reason, was in remarkably high spirits, especially since his reserve of spirit stones was nearing a thousand, enough to cover his daily expenses. Yet, he was not one to let Du Guqing off easily; he couldn't simply allow himself to be bullied without retaliation. Besides, he sensed that this girl had some wealth.
Looking towards Du Guqing, he remarked, "Miss Du Guqing is just being playful; Mr. Ming is exaggerating."
Surprised by his comment, Du Guqing didn't expect the fortune-teller to defend her.
"I'm about the same age as Miss Du Guqing; we were simply making a bit of noise, not intending to disturb the two seniors."
Ming Shifei nodded approvingly at Jiang Bai's earnestness. Despite Du Guqing being known as the princess of Ascending Immortal City, Ming Shifei felt he had authority over her as her mentor. Still, he dared not assert superiority over Jiang Bai, whose extraordinary fortune-telling ability commanded his respect. The prospect that Jiang Bai might predict his own demise was an unsettling thought.
"Mr. Jiang, you are too modest. The city lord treats you as an equal; we have no right to regard you as a senior," Ming Shifei stated.
"Alas! Mr. Ming, you're also exaggerating!" Jiang Bai responded, "We must not neglect courtesy!"
Reluctantly, he conceded, "Let's treat each other as equals then. I'll dare to call you both 'brother' and hope you won't reject it!"
Though Ming Shifei and Xie Bao protested that it was overstepping, their respect for Jiang Bai grew. After some playful banter, Jiang Bai successfully got them to refer to him as 'Brother Jiang' and 'Brother Xie.'
Jiang Bai also noticed that the relationship among the trio—Ming Shifei, Xie Bao, and Du Guqing—was not typical. If he wanted to win over this wealthy girl, they could serve as valuable allies.
The four of them exchanged stories and jokes in the front hall, filling the room with laughter. Cultivators often led monotonous lives limited to training and meditation, making the vibrant humor from Jiang Bai's past experiences refreshing.
Xie Bao especially enjoyed the tales, his expression reflecting a sense of camaraderie, as if they were old friends reuniting after a long separation.
During their conversation, Jiang Bai discovered that Ming Shifei was Du Guqing's mentor, while Xie Bao trained her in combat. Their personalities clashed, with Xie Bao finding Ming Shifei overly pretentious and Ming Shifei viewing Xie Bao as a reckless fool who lacked sophistication.
In summary, they were both at odds with each other, but deeply cared for Du Guqing.
Once, Xie Bao had suffered severe injuries in battle and was saved by Qin Xiaofeng. Grateful, he pledged allegiance to the Qin family. Qin Xiaofeng was generous, embracing Xie Bao as a trusted subordinate, disregarding his previous connection to Du Guqing.
Feeling guilty about changing his loyalties, Xie Bao insisted that Du Guqing stop calling him 'master' and instead refer to him as 'uncle.'
This incident caused frequent conflicts, with Ming Shifei scolding Xie Bao for being obstinate.
Reflecting on their intertwined fates, Jiang Bai gently nudged the conversation back to Du Guqing.
Despite still harboring some annoyance, Du Guqing no longer viewed Jiang Bai with outright hostility. She was beginning to acknowledge his fortune-telling abilities, even declaring him a clever rogue.
Yet she couldn't shake her irritation over him revealing her whereabouts to her father.
"Miss Du Guqing, it's impressive that you've already reached the early Core Formation stage at such a young age!"
His genuine envy shone through as he spoke, which pleased Du Guqing immensely.
Proud of her accomplishments, she recognized that being the youngest Core Formation cultivator was no small feat.
Her combat master, Xie Bao, shared in her pride, enthusiastically relaying her remarkable achievements to Jiang Bai as a father might boast about his daughter.
"It goes without saying! Young Miss Yue's talent is unparalleled in the entire Celestial Spirit World!"
"Although she still lags slightly behind the top ten on the Genius Rankings, she is youthful and will inevitably surpass them!"
"Uncle Xie, you flatter me! I'm still far from matching Brother Lin and the others!" Du Guqing responded with a blush, feeling bashful.
"The Genius Rankings?" Jiang Bai asked, intrigued.
This was the first time he had heard of such a thing.
"Mr. Jiang is unfamiliar with the Genius Rankings?" Ming Shifei inquired, his curiosity piqued.
"I'm just a person from another world; how would I know about it unless you tell me?" Jiang Bai thought to himself, feeling a bit awkward.
"I'm just an ordinary person trying to make it through each day; I haven't spent time learning about it."
With this vague explanation, Ming Shifei, not doubting him, began to outline the various star rankings within the Celestial Spirit World.