"Closed? Why closed?"
Qi Tian was startled. If the Heavenly Gate led to the Celestial Realm and the end of cultivation was ascension, why would it be closed?
"Some things, you cannot know yet. Until you reach the Self-Sovereign realm, I cannot tell you, or else... your soul will be annihilated." The Qi cultivator shook his head, not pursuing the matter further.
If he continued, with Qi Tian's current cultivation, he wouldn't last three seconds.
"Alright."
Qi Tian was also straightforward. Since he couldn't know, he wouldn't pursue it. Wasn't it just the Self-Sovereign realm? He would try his best, and soon he'd reach it.
These past few days, although he hadn't made progress in researching Sun Essence Gold, he had taken the opportunity to thoroughly re-examine his Hundred Refinements Divine Mechanism. Details they had previously overlooked were now all perfected.
In simpler terms, he was now confident and capable of forging a spiritual artifact.
He touched his arm. While its current strength was slightly lacking, it was sufficient for forging a spiritual artifact.
Moreover, without the Qi cultivator needing to say more, he had probably guessed the contents. The moment it flashed into his mind, he had sealed away that portion of his memory himself.
As a precaution, he didn't want to be annihilated at such a young age for knowing things he shouldn't.
"I'll break through to the Self-Sovereign realm right now and show you. Then I'll know everything," Qi Tian declared. He had already taken out the materials he had prepared. These were good things for forging spiritual artifacts that Lin Xiao had helped him prepare. All the spiritual stones he had were used to purchase these materials.
"Now?"
The Qi cultivator looked at Qi Tian curiously. "You've already found a way to break through?"
"As a disciple of the Artifact Sect, isn't there only one way to break through?"
Facing Qi Tian's confident response, the Qi cultivator was taken aback.
If she said the wrong thing, not only would she, but also her family and Jiang Yuan's family, have to be buried with her! That Imperial Daughter intended to use herself and Jiang Yuan as bait!
Although the Imperial Daughter hadn't stated it very clearly at the time, her phrase, "For your family, you know what to choose," and the palpable killing intent made Yan Zhi Fei realize she truly had no other choice.
Compared to her family's safety, she had no alternative but to follow their arrangements.
After everyone settled in, the driver started the car.
All three sat in the back seat, with Jiang Yuan and Yan Zhi Fei squeezing Chu Feng in the middle, one on each side.
As if that wasn't enough, Jiang Yuan, following the Imperial Daughter's instructions, would occasionally make contact between parts of her body and Lin Xiao's. She wished she could disappear into the ground. Such shameless actions were a huge blow to her self-esteem.
However, compared to surviving, her so-called self-esteem seemed insignificant.
It wasn't just Jiang Yuan; Yan Zhi Fei was also the same. If any other man were in their position, they might have lost control and gone along with their actions.
Chu Feng, sitting in the middle, let their actions continue. He remained silent, offering no response. His silvery-gray eyes stared into the rearview mirror, his gaze having crossed with the driver's several times.
The driver, noticing Chu Feng's silvery-gray eyes, felt his palms sweat involuntarily on the steering wheel.
Those eyes made him feel utterly uncomfortable.
Was this Chu Feng even a man?
Both these girls were beautiful and had great figures. They had been teasing him so many times, yet Chu Feng remained unfazed. Or perhaps, did he have eyes for an even better woman, and these couldn't satisfy him?
Chu Feng naturally had a more perfect existence in his heart. Furthermore, because he harbored no attraction towards these two women, he was more interested in the person who was threatening them.
Only that person could pique Chu Feng's interest slightly.
"By the way, I've heard there's a very remarkable woman in this Imperial Capital named the Imperial Daughter. Have you heard of her?" Chu Feng suddenly asked, glancing at the two women beside him.
"Imperial Daughter?"
Upon hearing the name, both Jiang Yuan and Yan Zhi Fei's bodies stiffened noticeably.
How did Chu Feng know about the Imperial Daughter?
The driver's expression shifted, and he remained silent.
"I've heard that this Imperial Daughter is also an extraordinary woman. She should be in her sixties or seventies this year, yet she appears to be in her prime. Men in the Imperial Capital who wish to have a connection with her could form a line from the Second Ring Road to the outskirts. Her reputation is widespread."
"However, I've heard she has a peculiar habit: she particularly enjoys tormenting men... I've also heard she keeps many male consorts. Each one is meticulously selected before being allowed into her presence. I hear there are requirements not only for physique and looks but also for academic knowledge."
As he spoke, Chu Feng touched his own face. A smile of unknown meaning played on his lips, as if he were asking himself, or perhaps asking the other three in the car, "I wonder if someone like me would have a chance to gain the Imperial Daughter's favor."
The atmosphere in the car grew somewhat heavy.
Jiang Yuan quickly said, "I... I'm also here in the Imperial Capital for the first time, so I don't know. Zhi Fei, do you know?"
"I also..."
Yan Zhi Fei hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.
She didn't know why Chu Feng suddenly brought up the Imperial Daughter.
Was it simply because they were in the Imperial Capital that he was curious about who the Imperial Daughter was, or did he know that the person behind the current events was the Imperial Daughter?
"What a shame... Driver, do you know? You're a native of the Imperial Capital, aren't you?"
Chu Feng suddenly engaged the driver.
"Ah... I don't know either."
The driver smiled. "Perhaps people like me don't have the opportunity to come into contact with such matters."
"Is that so? From the way you speak, you sound like a true local. I didn't expect a native of the Imperial Capital to have never heard of the Imperial Daughter." Chu Feng sighed regretfully. "I heard that any man who can establish a connection with the Imperial Daughter can live a lifetime without struggle. Sometimes, just enduring a whipping from her could earn you a small house in the Imperial Capital."
"Impossible, right? Even a small house costs millions. If a whipping could get you millions, I'd be happy to do it too." The driver immediately chimed in.
"Exactly! A moment of pain in exchange for a lifetime of comfort, who wouldn't be willing? Ah, I don't want to work hard anymore. I wonder where I can go to meet this Imperial Daughter. Perhaps I'll be noticed and become her male consort."
Chu Feng's lamenting demeanor made it seem as if he genuinely wished to live off a woman's wealth.