My little sect, which disappeared a thousand years ago, has become a sacred site!

Xu Mengyao thought about it and decided she didn't like those formalities either.

She turned to look at Dugu Shiling:

"Shiling, right? I don't like all that complicated stuff either. You can just do a formal apprenticeship ceremony, and that'll be considered becoming an apprentice. How about that?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Dugu Shiling immediately knelt down and respectfully bowed.

"Disciple Dugu Shiling greets Master."

Xu Mengyao handed the child in her arms to Zhuge Sijue, stepped forward to help her up, and gave her a gentle smile:

"Alright. From now on, you will be my disciple, Xu Mengyao."

With a wave of her right hand, a spatial ring appeared in her palm.

The ring was entirely ice-blue, with a faint aura of coldness emanating from it; it was clearly no ordinary item.

Xu Mengyao handed it to Dugu Shiling:

"Some of the cultivation techniques here were bestowed upon you by your grandmaster. Now, I will pass them on to you. There are also some resources that will be helpful for ice-type cultivation."

She paused, looking at her newly accepted disciple with expectation in her eyes:

"From now on, I will cultivate diligently."

Dugu Shiling respectfully accepted the spatial ring with both hands, holding it tightly in her hands, and bowed deeply.

"Thank you for your kindness, Master. I will certainly cultivate diligently and live up to your expectations!"

Gu Changyuan watched from the side and nodded in satisfaction.

The moment Dugu Shiling became Xu Mengyao's disciple, he clearly felt a subtle feedback of cultivation emanating from Dugu Shiling.

Nascent Soul cultivation level.

Although it's not high, with her talent, it's only a matter of time before she improves.

He stepped forward and waved his right hand—

Another spatial ring appeared in her palm and slowly floated to Dugu Shiling's front.

"Now that the apprenticeship is complete, I, as the grandmaster, naturally cannot be left out."

He spoke casually:

"This spatial ring also contains cultivation techniques and resources suitable for your practice. Take it and use it."

Dugu Shiling was about to accept the gift and express her gratitude—

Xu Mengyao put her hands on her hips and complained with a dissatisfied look:

"Master! Couldn't you have given it to me later? What if Shiling dislikes what I gave her now?"

In the past two days, she had heard a lot about her master's deeds.

The crushing battle against the Imperial Court Immortal King two days ago gave her a completely new understanding of her master's strength.

Her master's current wealth is probably even greater than she imagined.

How could the resources he provides be bad?

The ring I had just given her suddenly seemed...not so precious anymore.

Dugu Shiling opened her mouth, wanting to say, "No, anything given by Master is definitely the best."

Gu Changyuan waved his hand dismissively, looking completely unconcerned.

"I gave it to her at the same time. Besides, my little grand-apprentice will need Shiling's help to take care of him later."

"We can't rely on you, my mother who's always bouncing around like this, can we?"

Xu Mengyao's two children were both girls.

The older sister's name is Zhuge Mengbing, and the younger sister's name is Zhuge Mengxue.

Both of them possess ice-type physiques with a talent level of nine.

When these two little girls grow up a bit, Gu Changyuan will naturally have them become disciples of the Celestial Sacred Land.

As for whether the Zhuge family will agree?

Oh.

The strength he had just demonstrated was enough to make the Zhuge family willingly agree.

In fact, it's something you can't even get what you want.

Upon hearing her master's words, Xu Mengyao's cheeks puffed out slightly, and she whispered in defense:

"No, of course I'll take good care of them."

Gu Changyuan shrugged, his face completely nonchalant:

"Once the two little rascals grow up and can run around, it will be lucky if they find you within half a day."

Upon hearing this—

Xu Mengyao was speechless for a moment.

She opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but when the words reached her lips, she realized that... she really couldn't guarantee it.

After all, these two children were truly an accident.

She didn't even know she was pregnant until she was close to giving birth.

These past few days, she's been staying in Tianji City. If it weren't for the child needing care, she would have dragged Zhuge Sijue out to play long ago.

But while you might think that, you can't admit it out loud.

Xu Mengyao instantly became righteous and moved closer to Zhuge Sijue.

"How could that be! Husband, please speak to Master on my behalf!"

Zhuge Sijue was taken aback when he was suddenly called out.

He was holding one cub in his left arm and another in his right arm; the two little creatures were fast asleep with their eyes half-closed.

He looked at Gu Changyuan with an innocent gaze, still somewhat bewildered.

Huh? Me...me?

Should I speak of Master?

You must know that nowadays, the entire Zhuge family, from the head of the family to the servants, all revere this Holy Ancestor as a god, and dare not even breathe loudly.

They are always there for you, no matter what you ask for, and there is never any questioning of them.

He was naturally present at the previous Imperial Court Immortal Battle and could sense the strength of this Holy Ancestor.

Even his Immortal King Ancestor was extremely respectful in front of his senior, addressing him as "senior" repeatedly.

What dares he, a mere junior who hasn't even reached the level of a half-immortal, say?

Of course not.

Zhuge Sijue coughed lightly, trying to make his expression appear calm:

"Ahem... Mengyao, Master did this for Shiling's own good."

Besides, Shiling certainly wouldn't complain about something her master gave her over something so trivial, right?

Dugu Shiling was standing to the side, listening blankly to her master and grandmaster bickering, unable to get a word in edgewise.

Seeing her master frantically giving her signals, she immediately understood and nodded repeatedly in agreement:

"Yes, yes, yes! Master is right!"

Whether it's something given by her master or her grandmaster, Shiling cherishes it all and would never disdain it!

She spoke with such sincerity that she was practically ready to swear an oath.

Since her apprentice had said that, Xu Mengyao went along with it.

"Since Shiling has said so... then alright."

Gu Changyuan could naturally see that she was taking the opportunity to back down, but he didn't point it out.

He smiled and turned to look at Dugu Shiling:

"Alright, now that the apprenticeship is complete, I'll take Shiling to meet her father first. It'll be good for the father and daughter to catch up."

Xu Mengyao nodded:

"Um."

Gu Changyuan waved his right hand—

The two disappeared into the courtyard in the next instant.

......

The residence of the Zhuge family and the Dugu family.

This is a quiet and elegant courtyard, adjacent to the residences of the Gongsun, Xuanyuan, and Shangguan families.

The families had been on good terms for generations, so they naturally arranged their residences in one place for easy access.

At this moment, there are guests in the living room.

Dugu Qirong, the head of the Dugu family, sat in the main seat and was talking to the two people opposite him.

Sitting opposite them were Gongsun Yangguang, the head of the Gongsun family, and a middle-aged man—Gongsun Zhihe, an elder of the Gongsun family.

Beside Gongsun Zhihe stood a young woman, the very woman Gu Changyuan had noticed at the Zhuge family banquet.

At this moment, she was still wearing a light blue dress, her appearance was beautiful and her temperament was otherworldly.

She lowered her eyes slightly, standing quietly behind her father, neither humble nor arrogant, yet possessing an undeniable presence.

It was Gongsun Qingling, the most outstanding genius of this generation of the Gongsun family.