The glittering stars still hung high within the Grotto-Heaven, moving in an eternal, unchanging pattern.
After calculating the time, he naturally opened his eyes and emerged from that state of profound mystery. Entering it again would require choosing the right moment.
Forcing it would achieve nothing.
"One day remains. I should take a good look at this Grotto-Heaven."
A day could be both fleeting and interminable.
Since Lu Qing had gained a small insight, he understood that space, worthy of standing alongside time as a Great Dao, was not governed absolutely by one's cultivation level. That faint spark of inspiration from the unseen was what mattered most.
Lu Qing strolled through this place, from the southern skies to the northern earth. The starry sky here was so lifelike that reality and illusion could not be told apart.
He walked upon the water. Though he knew there was only water beneath his feet, he still felt as though he were standing upon solid ground.
"Celestial stars fall into the water, and the water reflects the celestial stars. They complement one another in perfect harmony."
Lu Qing seemed to be traveling through a world of star seas, while starlight occasionally fell overhead like shooting stars.
After taking it all in, he sorted through his present circumstances as well.
"By the proper reckoning, I am now at the first realm of Golden Core. Hmm, in the Primordial Era's terminology, that would be the first turn of the Golden Core."
Within the Grotto-Heaven, whether one cultivated or meditated in contemplation, there was a peculiar tranquility to it. The chaotic clamor of the outside world was shut away.
There were no figures and no living sounds. Only the heavens and celestial stars revolved without end, while the bright sea of the Milky Way endured forever.