In a daze, Zhao Lianyun was brought into a small, enclosed chamber.
"Where is this?" She opened her eyes and looked around.
The chamber was utterly silent — a silence so deep it seemed to have seeped into every brick, every inch of wall.
The room was not bright. A dim, flickering glow, like candlelight, drifted through the air in silken threads, barely allowing Zhao Lianyun to see.
"Come here." From within that light came an aged, ancient voice.
Zhao Lianyun obeyed and walked toward the source of the sound.
As she drew closer, she saw a figure that matched the voice — still aged and ancient.
She was the Supreme Grand Elder of Spirit Affinity Hall.
The Supreme Grand Elder gazed at Zhao Lianyun with deep, penetrating eyes, then shifted her gaze to the Love Gu perched on Zhao Lianyun's shoulder.
Her expression stirred slightly, then quickly settled into calm.
"Kneel," the Supreme Grand Elder said.
Zhao Lianyun felt that although this old woman appeared unremarkable and elderly, upon first meeting her, she possessed an supreme authority. Her plain tone carried a force that brooked no disobedience.
So Zhao Lianyun lowered her head and noticed a meditation cushion on the brick floor.
She knelt on it with both knees, keeping her upper body straight, her eyes fixed on the old woman before her.
But the old woman said, "Look straight ahead."
Zhao Lianyun looked forward, and the light in the chamber suddenly brightened. She gasped and involuntarily widened her eyes.
For she could now clearly see that the wall directly in front of her was covered, densely packed, with small tablets that looked like stone and jade.
"These are all Life Tablet Gu. Every name on these tablets belongs to a former Fairy of Spirit Affinity Hall — from the very first generation, all the way to the present," the Supreme Grand Elder said slowly.
Zhao Lianyun's breathing grew suddenly ragged. Her gaze swept across the wall before her. The tablets were countless, so many that her eyes could barely take them in.
In the upper-left corner hung the first Life Tablet. On it was the title of the first-generation Fairy — Water Nun.
The second-generation Fairy was named Xun Yu.
The third was Huixin.
…
She also saw Mo Yao, Lianxiang, and others — names she recognized.
Looking at these names, Zhao Lianyun found her breathing growing ever more difficult. She was like a child gazing up at the night sky, beholding the brilliant stars scattered across the heavens.
She knew that every one of these names represented a star in the world of Gu Immortals. Nearly every generation's Fairy of Spirit Affinity Hall had been a Gu Immortal of fame across the Central Continent! They transcended the mundane, standing head and shoulders above the rest. They were like pearls strung together, linking past to present, weaving countless threads of brilliance and glory throughout the long history of Spirit Affinity Hall since its founding.
Zhao Lianyun stared, almost transfixed, when the Supreme Grand Elder suddenly spoke: "From this day forward, you are the current Fairy of Spirit Affinity Hall. Your Life Tablet Gu shall be hung at the very last position on the wall."
In that instant, Zhao Lianyun's heart seemed to skip a beat.
She widened her eyes and looked at the old woman beside her, joy entangled with a thousand questions. "How can this be? Am I dreaming? By the rules of Spirit Affinity Hall, I haven't earned the right — I…"
As she spoke, a thought struck her, and she quickly shifted her gaze to the Love Gu on her shoulder. "Could it be because of this Gu?"
The Supreme Grand Elder nodded slightly. "This is the Love Gu. You have already earned the Love Gu's recognition."
From the moment Zhao Lianyun lost consciousness until she awakened, she had already been inside this chamber.
She had not seen what the Love Gu looked like. But she knew that the Love Immortal Gu was Spirit Affinity Hall's most treasured Gu — the one that guarded their very foundation!
"Could this really be the Love Gu?!" Zhao Lianyun's delicate body trembled violently, her voice breaking.
The Supreme Grand Elder nodded slightly once more.
Zhao Lianyun panted heavily several times. Immense joy crashed down upon her heart, then rapidly overflowed, giving her the sensation of being struck in the head by overwhelming happiness.
But this happiness had come too suddenly, too overwhelmingly. She had no expression of joy on her face — only a trace of fear and unease.
She was terrified that all of this was false. She worried that everything was just a dream from her unconsciousness.
So she widened her eyes and asked the Supreme Grand Elder urgently, "Why?"
This single word contained far too many questions.
Why had the Love Gu chosen her?
Why had she become a Fairy of Spirit Affinity Hall?
What was the true reason all of this was happening?
The Supreme Grand Elder did not answer directly. Instead, she let out a long, deep sigh, then spoke in a measured, unhurried tone: "You must have read the Records of the Human Ancestor. In one of its chapters, it is told thus:"
*The Human Ancestor obtained Love, Courage, and Betrayal. He was no longer unable to move forward because of fear.*
*He continued on his way.*
*One day, as he walked along the road, he heard a voice calling from behind: "Human Ancestor! I've finally found you. Slow down and wait for me."*
*The Human Ancestor stopped and turned his head to see a Snow Person running up to him.*
*"What business do you have, Snow Person?" the Human Ancestor asked curiously.*
*The Snow Person gasped for breath. "Human Ancestor, I've finally found you. I am the strongest Snow Person in my tribe. Snow People fear fire, but I was determined to prove that isn't true. I've traveled the world and conquered the Bright Splendor Wheel Fire in the heavens, the Green Divine Stone Furnace Fire underground, and the Surging Dragon Fire of the seas. But recently I heard that there is a fourth kind of fire in this world — the Fire of Love. Once ignited, it can burn every living thing in the world to ash. I don't believe it. I heard you recently obtained the Love Gu, so I've come to test it."*
*"The Fire of Love?" The Human Ancestor was curious. It was the first time he had heard of such a thing.*