Gu Jianlin stared at the painting for a long time, silent.
"Back when your father first came to this shop, he too stared at this painting for quite some time. I must say, you two have an undeniably remarkable talent in this regard. This painting is actually a reproduction—its original was destroyed thousands of years ago."
Jing Ci retrieved a bottle with an English wine label from the cabinet, smiled, and walked over to him: "The Eastern Han's 'Annotations of Chu Ci' records mention that in the Northwest Heaven lies a Netherworld Country without sunlight, where a dragon bearing a candle lights the way."
He paused: "Its original was a painting from the Warring States Period, named Jiuyin."
Gu Jianlin squinted his eyes, his pupils trembling slightly: "Candle Dragon Venerable? Is this painting the Candle Dragon Venerable?"
"Not exactly. The figure in the painting is indeed an Ancient God, but it can only be confirmed as being from the Candle Dragon Clan. After all, there are very few who have truly seen the Candle Dragon Venerable."
Jing Ci stood beside him and admired the painting as well, gently twisted open the wine bottle, and swirled its liquid: "And of those who've seen Him and still live, there are only two."
Gu Jianlin stayed silent for a second, glancing at the elderly man soundly asleep on the redwood recliner.
"Yes, one of them is him."
Jing Ci nodded slightly: "However, even our teacher has never seen the human form of the Candle Dragon Venerable. During their fight, the Candle Dragon Venerable had to use Ancient God Transformation in the human world, and his appearance was impossible to discern."
Gu Jianlin asked curiously: "What about the other person?"
Jing Ci pointed at himself: "Me, though to be fair, I was saved by our teacher."
Gu Jianlin recalled the transcendent and enormous image of this person—almost resembling The Immortal of Colossal Spirit.
Undoubtedly, he must be at least Holy Land Level.
"I follow the Ghost Slayer Path, which stems from the legendary, invincible Candle Dragon Venerable. When I advanced to Holy Land Level back then, I wanted to experience that ultimate power myself. At the same moment, a group of Ancient God Clan Divine Servants—ancient ancestors who pledged themselves—had the audacity to provoke me at Buzhou Mountain. You know how it is."
Jing Ci spoke indifferently: "That fight was highly satisfying. And, by the way, I snagged some Dragon Marrow Liquid while I was at it. See, life has a funny way of connecting things. If it weren't for my youthful defiance, insisting on making that journey, and snatching that Dragon Marrow Liquid, you'd have likely been bedridden for half a year after your Ancient God Transformation."
Gu Jianlin thought to himself, no wonder. He had sensed, just before he lost consciousness, that his body was on the verge of collapse.
But after waking up, aside from the side effects of Ancient God Transformation, he felt no other discomfort.
Jing Ci replied indifferently: "No need for thanks. You're my junior brother; no need to be so polite."
Gu Jianlin was startled by the mention of "junior brother."
"By the way, have you read the official Ether Association material, 'Self-Cultivation for Divines'?"
Jing Ci glanced at him and said: "It cites one of our teacher's lines: 'The Divine Path is the strongest path.'"
Gu Jianlin gave a light acknowledgment.
"Just take it with a grain of salt. The Divine Path is indeed strong, but Sword Sect and Ghost Slayer are no slouches either. Our teacher's argument is that he is the strongest among humans, and he is Divine, which makes Divine Path the strongest."
Jing Ci said meaningfully: "But if you broaden your perspective and look at those Ancient Supremes, the Candle Dragon Venerable is acknowledged as the strongest. By that logic, doesn't it mean the Ghost Slayer Path is actually the strongest? If you're considering a class change, it's still possible at Third Rank. You haven't formally apprenticed under our teacher yet, so he can't control your choices."
Just as he finished speaking, the elderly man on the recliner suddenly coughed, looking rather unwell.
Gu Jianlin glanced at the teacher and disciple pair and seemed to understand.
The King of Qing initially set his sights on Gu Jianlin's father.
Yet in the end, his father became a Heavenly Master.
Later, Jing Ci became the elder's disciple but stubbornly chose the Ghost Slayer Path.
Gu Jianlin could faintly sense the old man's resentment.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been fixated on him all this time.
Not to mention his determination to teach Gu Jianlin Ancient God Transformation as soon as he became Divine, fearing he might die.
Quite a touching gesture.
Gu Jianlin turned and slightly bowed to the elder: "Rest assured, I probably won't switch paths."
After all, he was guided by the Qilin Power to choose Divine.
If nothing else, the Divine Path is derived from the Qilin Venerable!
The elder kept his eyes shut, yet his expression softened considerably.
"That's because you've yet to witness the true strength of the Ghost Slayer Path."
Jing Ci shook his head and said: "Have you played 'Devil May Cry'?"
Gu Jianlin didn't understand why he was bringing this up, but he nodded slightly: "I've played it."
Jing Ci smiled and said: "Between Dante and Vergil, whom do you prefer?"
Gu Jianlin pondered for a moment: "If I'm judging the character, it'd be Dante. But when it comes to weapons, I'd pick the Yanmo Blade."
Jing Ci patted his shoulder and said lightly: "Exactly. The abilities of the Ghost Slayer Path, from an external perspective, resemble the Yanmo Blade quite a bit. You'll get to experience it shortly."
He added: "Come on, let me take you somewhere."
Gu Jianlin hesitated for a second and turned back to look at the elderly man on the recliner.
"Don't worry about him. To be honest, the core ability of the Ghost Slayer Path—mastering the Time-Space Gap and Divine Speed Force—is widely recognized as the fastest path, hands down. However, the Divine Path is undoubtedly versatile. I have to admit, in terms of rank, I'm still not faster than our teacher."