Meng Jingzhou, who had been grimacing, suddenly calmed down upon hearing Lu Yang’s words and straightened his already neat collar.

"Nonsense, who’s jealous of this kid."

"I’m merely concerned that his luck in love affairs is too vigorous, which could easily morph into a calamity. That’s all."

Lu Yang nodded, pretending to believe Meng Jingzhou’s absurd story.

"But you mentioned he’s under a curse. What’s that about?"

Meng Jingzhou had previously suffered from curse backlash and had traveled to the Wild State in search of a remedy, knowing too well how troublesome dealing with a curse could be.

Lu Yang turned his head, tossing the question to Fairy Eternity, "Fairy, would you elaborate?"

"It’s quite a simple little curse, one that wouldn’t even affect a cultivator, only causing the young women he touches to have rapid heartbeats. Over time, it could lead to heart disease."

"The issue isn’t severe for now, not yet at the point of causing illness, but given enough time, it will certainly become troublesome."

"Do we know who’s behind it?"

"It’s unclear."

"Is there a way to lift the curse?"

"That’s actually easy. If I recall correctly, your Identity Jade contains Breath Soil, spirit of wood, and Thousand Illusion Bamboo... Simply refine these items into an elixir according to the right proportions, and the curse can be lifted."

Unlike the severe curse Meng Jingzhou had encountered before, which Fairy Eternity wasn’t adept at handling—resulting in her resorting to the Playing Dead Technique—this time was different. This was a minor curse, the likes of which she had encountered many times in Ancient Times, and she could handle it with ease.

"To refine it into an elixir, it seems we need to find an alchemist." Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were both incapable of refining pills.

As long as the curse could be broken, the one who cast the curse would naturally surface when they noticed something amiss.

The two men followed Gu Junye back to his home. The Gu Family was a locally renowned Golden Core lineage, and Gu Junye, the second son of the patriarch, had his own independent courtyard.

Upon returning to his courtyard, as usual, he completed his academy’s assigned homework. By then, night had fallen.

Standing in the yard, he spread his arms wide and slowly closed his eyes, basking under the moonlight.

After a long while, he opened his eyes and gazed at the bright silver moon in the sky, a look of reminiscence in his eyes, as if missing someone from a past era.

Shifting his gaze, he sighed softly, "Who would’ve thought that even the power of the moon’s radiance is so scarce now? The day of my cultivation restoration seems infinitely far away. When will I be able to regain my cultivation level? Could it be that we are now in the age of decay?"

"I truly miss those days when I roamed the world freely. I wonder if the people of this world still remember the title of ’Master of All Laws.’ I’m afraid it has been forgotten."

"The ancients are gone, and the past cannot be pursued."

Feeling a pang in his right eye, he covered it and grimaced, "Swallow the Sky, I fear you’re the only one who still remembers me."

"Young Master, dinner is ready," the housekeeper respectfully called from the doorway.

Gu Junye set aside his nostalgic feelings, "I can’t believe I can no longer fast. If Xuanyuan, the Sword Master, and the Immortal Sage knew, they would probably die laughing."

"We have your favorite ginseng duck soup."

"Got it, I’ll be right there."

After dining with his family, Gu Junye returned to his room, took out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and grasping the hem of his clothes, began to grind and paint.

With intense concentration, he fixed his eyes on the tip of the brush, holding his breath. After an hour, a picture of "Master of All Laws’ Proof of Immortality" sprang onto the paper, and he wrote down his past life’s story in the blank spaces.

At sixteen, he stepped onto the path of cultivation, established his Foundation at seventeen, formed his Golden Core at eighteen, and his Nascent Soul at nineteen. He broke the record for the fastest cultivation speed, becoming the youngest Nascent Soul cultivator and making countless old Nascent Souls hold him in awe, addressing him as a fellow daoist.

Gu Junye put down the brush, satisfied with the painting. Known as the "Painting Saint" in his previous life, though he had lost much of his power, painting such a work was still effortless.

He tidied up his Four Treasures of the Study and fell into a peaceful sleep.

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Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, hiding on the rooftop, looked around awkwardly, not wanting to continue their surveillance of Gu Junye.

"Old Lu, keep an eye on this kid. I’m going out for a bit."

Lu Yang grabbed Meng Jingzhou, who was ready to flee, "Don’t even think about running. Did you forget the oath we swore when we became brothers, to share weal and woe together?"

Meng Jingzhou retorted angrily, "Bullshit, I never became sworn brothers with you!"

"I think this young man is quite suitable for cultivation," Fairy Eternity concluded after observing for a long time.

"Why?" Lu Yang didn’t understand.

"Yingtian Immortal and the others used to talk like this, saying it’s the mindset of the strong, and they encouraged me to learn from it. Although I don’t quite understand their thinking, there must be something to it, which might actually be helpful for cultivation," she said.

Lu Yang: "..."

Early in the morning, Gu Junye washed his face, got himself neat and tidy, and jogged to the academy.

"The Great Era is approaching, and even though I’m not of age for cultivation yet, I can prepare in advance. Jogging strengthens the body and builds physical fitness," he reasoned.

Gu Junye struck a pose, his eyes cold yet resolute, and quickly jogged toward the academy.

Gu Junye loved to jog in the early morning when the streets were sparsely populated, so he didn’t have to worry about bumping into pedestrians.

As he turned a street corner, a figure suddenly rushed out—it was the pitiful-looking Mu Xi.

Gu Junye’s habit of jogging to the academy was well-known, and Mu Xi had waited there early just to bump into Gu Junye!

Her scheme was successful!

Seeing Gu Junye getting closer and unable to stop, Mu Xi felt a thrill of joy. She pretended to be startled, screamed, and left her hands awkwardly in the air, making it easier for Gu Junye to catch her.

But soon Mu Xi couldn’t laugh anymore as Gu Junye sent her flying two meters away, sprawling on the ground.

"Junior Sister Mu Xi, are you alright?" Gu Junye watched her vigilantly, for his Master of All Laws eyes perceived that this girl might have an enchanting immortal body, which could bring chaos to the nation in the future, and he should avoid too much contact.

"I’m, I’m fine," Mu Xi felt like she had been hit by a horse carriage when Gu Junye bumped into her; now her head was spinning.

Despite the future troubles she might cause to the nation, Gu Junye, feeling guilty for knocking her down, kindly helped Mu Xi up.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Junye."

Gu Junye frowned and corrected, "There are distinctions between men and women. We don’t have much of a relationship, so you shouldn’t address me so intimately."

"Moreover, your academic performance is too poor. My mother has always taught me not to associate with those who have poor academic records."

Mu Xi: "..."

Out of guilt, Gu Junye took Mu Xi to the academy. Her cheeks flushed, and the male students at the academy felt envy seeing them together.

The female students felt the same.

However, some classmates thought they were a natural match, a perfect couple.

Mu Xi secretly looked up to gauge Gu Junye’s reaction. Noticing that Mu Xi was looking at him, Gu Junye frowned inwardly. Could it be that Mu Xi had seen the Swallow the Sky beast sealed within his eyes?

The teacher came on stage with an iron ruler and textbook, beginning today’s lesson.

The academy advocated not just book learning but also physical strength. After an hour of teaching, the instructor had the students run around the academy.

After the run, Mu Xi’s face changed suddenly.

"Junior Sister Mu Xi, what’s wrong?"

"I lost the jade bracelet my father gave me! I had it clipped in my book while I was jogging, and now I can’t find it!"

"What? How can this be good?"

Hearing this, the classmates became somewhat agitated; everyone knew about Mu Xi’s jade bracelet and its considerable value.

"Search—It must be hidden in this room!"

"Right, it has to be here!"

Following someone’s suggestion, the classmates echoed the sentiment.

Soon, the jade bracelet was found.

"Mu Yu, it was you who stole it!"