Chen Ping’an, reeking of alcohol, returned to his residence in Cloud Citadel.

The walls of the house were painted with a circle of snow-mud talismans, which could deter petty thieves but not enlightened immortals, but it was better than nothing.

Entering the courtyard, Chen Ping’an gently shook his azure robe, dispersing all the alcohol fumes. He walked into the usual cultivation place of that esteemed Xu, and sat on a futon that could gather spiritual energy from heaven and earth. Chen Ping’an had already hung the couplet behind the wall. The originally empty room now had some scholarly atmosphere with this couplet. Chen Ping’an planned to hang this couplet on the first floor of the bamboo building when he returned to Fallen Mountain in the future. He would never sell it, but keep it as a family heirloom, just like the cursive calligraphy scroll written by the county magistrate after he was drunk.

Chen Ping’an took out that vermilion Taoist jujube wood token. He had to hurry up and refine it successfully, otherwise any Qi Refiner could easily open the door and enter. Simply performing a minor refinement to make it ethereal and store it in the Qi Palace was not very meaningful.

In this world, there are three stages to refining objects. Minor refinement makes the object ethereal, like the immortal coins in hand, inevitably going back and forth. Middle refinement is like building an ancestral hall on a mountain, truly rooted in the Qi Palace. And major refinement turns the object into the cultivator’s natal treasure.

Before refining the miniature object, Chen Ping’an took out three treasures to feast his eyes and nourish his heart.

Back in that water palace, Chen Ping’an had made three deals with Sun Daoren using talismans.

A carved wooden statue of Yuanjun, lifelike and beautiful.

A round fan. The most interesting thing was the embroidery on the fan itself, which was a picture of a maiden in her boudoir holding a round fan. The graceful lady was teasing a yellow oriole on a branch in the painting.

Dragon King Baskets, a pair of them, were engraved with “Conquering Dragons” and “Hidden Serpents” respectively.

Chen Ping’an planned to give the wooden statue to Li Huai.

As for the round fan, he would give it to the pink-skirted girl. On Fallen Mountain, the busiest person every day was not the head steward Zhu Lian, nor Cen Yuanji who diligently practiced boxing, let alone Zheng Dafeng who basked in the sun and moon every day. It was only Chen Ruchu, the little girl. Chen Ping’an even believed that as long as Fallen Mountain existed, Chen Ruchu would continue to be busy, carrying a bucket, holding a rag, with a string of keys jingling around her waist. Every day, she would greet Cui Cheng with a “peaceful morning” at the bamboo building, hand a handful of melon seeds to Pei Qian, pour a spoonful of water on the flowers and trees, wipe the bamboo building clean, and regularly purchase necessities for the mountain in the small town and county seat.

In Chen Ping’an’s view, how could this not be a big deal?

It was a very big deal.

Anyone who wasn’t blind should see it and take it to heart.

Not to mention other cultivators outside Dragon Spring County’s Fallen Mountain, even on Fallen Mountain itself, who would dare to bully the pink-skirted girl? Just try it.

This wasn’t Chen Ping’an being partial, but in Chen Ping’an’s eyes, the pink-skirted girl was the one least likely to make mistakes. No one could compare to her, and Chen Ping’an was no exception.

Therefore, he chatted about the weather, the land, and people’s hearts with Sun Daoren.

He listened to the trivial matters told by the wild cultivator Jinshan.

Chen Ping’an felt very happy, a twofold sense of comfort.

Chen Ping’an picked up a small bamboo cage, and the other connected bamboo cage swayed gently.

What was swaying in his hand at the moment were two real mountains of gold and silver.

Chen Ping’an was actually a little unsure how to place this pair of Dragon King Baskets. Firstly, this pair of Dragon King Baskets were severely damaged, and repairing them would definitely require a large sum of immortal coins. Secondly, the Dragon King Basket, although extremely useful and could capture dragons and other creatures in the world, possessing innate suppression methods, was also very particular. Unlike many offensive magical treasures that could be used immediately, the Dragon King Basket, without unique immortal techniques to cooperate with, was very likely to be like a meat bun thrown to a dog, never to return.

Chen Ping’an thought about it and decided to take it one step at a time.

Since he now had an extra miniature object, without the need to spend extra money, then he would definitely acquire two imitation sword of Sword Immortal natal treasure forged by Hate Sword Mountain.

If the price was cheaper than expected, three would also be fine.

When he arrived at the Dragon Palace Cave, he would first determine the price of the Dragon King Basket, and then see if there were any generous spendthrifts.

For such a once-in-a-century item, why talk to me about repair money?

However, he would not sell the Dragon King Basket if he could help it.

After all, it wouldn’t do to always fool his founding disciple with quantity over quality when it came to gifts.

Chen Ping’an began to calm his mind and gather his Qi, refining the token miniature object.

This matter was not urgent and could not be accomplished overnight.

Two hours later, Chen Ping’an stopped at a refining bottleneck, put on a magic robe, and turned to refine the spiritual energy contained in the magic robe.

His mind sank into silence.

Unknowingly, it was already midnight. Chen Ping’an opened his eyes and exhaled a heavy breath, gently waving it away.

According to Cui Dongshan’s profound saying, within a human body is a small world, and ordinary mortals replace many lives. The cultivation of Qi Refiners is even more about removing the dross and retaining the essence, using the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to temper their muscles and bones, open up their Qi Palaces, and refine their souls. All of this is the work of subtle details.

Therefore, cultivators are no longer human.

This wasn’t just a frightening statement.

Chen Ping’an turned to patrol his Qi Palace with his mind.

The Water Mansion was still not closed, and the stream containing water spiritual energy flowed gurglingly. This was just the scene after Chen Ping’an drank the water droplets condensed on the tips of the green bamboo leaves. He had not yet absorbed the more refined and concentrated blue brick water energy. The green-clad children were even more busy, and the white-painted rivers and mountains in the Water Mansion were becoming more and more colorful as the green-clad children painted them.

The small pond suspended beneath the “Water” character seal seemed to have widened a bit, and the water was also deeper.

Chen Ping’an was hesitating whether to perform a middle refinement of those Taoist temple blue bricks and then pave them on the floor of the Water Mansion.

Even without the wisps of water energy, the material of the Taoist temple blue bricks themselves was very valuable.

Chen Ping’an had initially planned to bring the thirty-six blue bricks, which had been drained of water energy, back to Fallen Mountain, where they could just pave six small paths for practicing the six-step stance of the Mountain-Shaking Fist.

For himself, Pei Qian, Zhu Lian, Zheng Dafeng, and Cen Yuanji.

Of course, there was also the very congenial Lu Baixiang.

Wei Xian could be excluded.

Sui Youbian could also be excluded. She was already at the Jade Tablet Sect in Tongye Continent, transitioning from a pure martial artist to a cultivator, wanting to become a female sword immortal who would ascend with her sword in the vast world.

However, if the blue bricks could add to the beauty of the Water Mansion, then the six blue bricks belonging to Chen Ping’an could all undergo a middle refinement.

Heaven suspended the “Water” character seal, the ground paved with blue bricks, and the walls painted with murals.

Chen Ping’an felt that in this way, his Water Mansion could be called a place of great grandeur.
Those one hundred and twenty-two pieces of emerald glazed tiles, let’s keep them for now, their origins are unclear.

Huan Yun didn’t dare to make a rash judgment at the time, only certain that they were definitely priceless. If they originated from the same source as the Glazed Pavilion of White Emperor City in the Central Earth, that would be even more shocking.

Legend has it that the most precious objects in that Glazed Pavilion, besides the twelve glazed beams, were the glazed tiles on the roof ridge.

Chen Ping’an collected his thoughts, got up and left the house, practicing the Six-Step Stance in the courtyard.

Unexpectedly, another guest arrived in a hurry.

It was Wu, the Law Enforcement Ancestor of the Colorful Sparrow Mansion, her face full of unconcealable joy.

Chen Ping’an then took Wu to the pavilion on top of the artificial mountain. Wu’s trip was to bring Chen Ping’an a first-class Dharma Robe from the Colorful Sparrow Mansion.

Wu said that after the caisson was moved to the Colorful Sparrow Mansion by the Mansion Master, it was extremely compatible with their mountains and rivers, and it could not only stabilize the mountains and rivers, but also gather the luck of the eight directions. This was even without refining it, only temporarily placed in the Ancestral Hall, and it already had such mysterious signs. After refining it, it would be even more amazing. It was simply a foundation stone for the sect’s Immortal Family Ancestral Hall. Therefore, Sun Qing earned too much from the Cloud Top City deal and felt uneasy, so she had to send a Dharma Robe as compensation. If Sword Immortal Chen didn’t accept it, that was fine. Anyway, she, Sun Qing, had already been polite. If Sword Immortal Chen was also polite, then she wouldn’t be polite.

Chen Ping’an repeatedly said, “Don’t be polite, I won’t be polite.” He took the gorgeous Dharma Robe of excellent quality from Wu’s hand and put it into the miniature space of his token.

The only flaw was that the style of this Colorful Sparrow Mansion Dharma Robe was too feminine, not as good as the Snow Flower Dharma Robe of the Flesh-Smoothed City female ghost, which he, Chen Ping’an, could wear.

Wu didn’t stay too long, but left behind several large jars of tea, saying that it was the only remaining Little Mysterious Cliff tea of the Colorful Sparrow Mansion this year.

Wu finally smiled and said, “Even if Sword Immortal Chen wants to sell it, please sell it for a high price, otherwise it won’t be worthy of the name of the Colorful Sparrow Mansion’s Little Mysterious Cliff.”

Chen Ping’an was a little embarrassed, and said, “Please tell Mansion Master Sun that I will keep a jar of Little Mysterious Cliff to give away.”

Wu smiled knowingly, nodded, and left on the wind.

As soon as Wu left, Shen Zhenze arrived right after.

Chen Ping’an had just sat down, so he had to get up again to greet him.

The Cloud Top City Lord smiled and said, “Wu wouldn’t be inviting Mr. Chen to be a mountain shrine, would she? You can’t go, you can’t go. The orioles and swallows will confuse the eyes and only delay Mr. Chen’s cultivation.”

Chen Ping’an shook his head and said, “The Colorful Sparrow Mansion has no such intention.”

After Shen Zhenze sat down, he said, “Mr. Chen, since the Colorful Sparrow Mansion doesn’t have this vision, why doesn’t Mr. Chen put his name down with us here? In addition to the annual tribute of Immortal Coins, this mansion, as well as the entire Su Yu Street in Cloud Top City, with thirty-two mansions and shops, all belong to Mr. Chen.”

Chen Ping’an said, “It’s not that I don’t want to agree with the City Lord, it’s just that I can’t agree.”

The trip to the Northern Ju Lu Continent had many worries.

Gao Cheng of the Bone Beach Jingguan City, the mastermind behind hiring the assassins of the Deer-Cutting Mountain, and the death of Huai Qian.

Chen Ping’an didn’t want to involve more people. Alone, traveling around, with only fists, swords, and wine as companions, it was more refreshing.

Shen Zhenze didn’t say anything more.

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “City Lord, although I can’t agree to become a Cloud Top City shrine who earns money lying down by collecting rent, I appreciate the City Lord’s kindness. When I feel the time is right, I will take the initiative to ask Cloud Top City for a Su Yu Street.”

Shen Zhenze nodded and said, “Then it’s settled.”

Even if he, Shen Zhenze, couldn’t wait until that day, it didn’t matter, Cloud Top City still had Xu Xingjiu.

Shen Zhenze was a very straightforward person.

He didn’t stay too long, and left after finishing his business.

Chen Ping’an also asked Cloud Top City for some Mountain and Water Gazette, new and old were fine.

Shen Zhenze agreed, saying that he would have Xu Xingjiu send them over later.

Chen Ping’an then practiced his stances and boxing around the stone table in the pavilion, seemingly asleep, the intent of his fists flowing throughout his body.

After practicing for two hours, he returned to the house to rest for a while, and then sat on the futon to start refining spiritual energy.

Near noon, Chen Ping’an took out the spiritual artifact obtained from the ferry of the Hemp Robe Sect and placed it on the stone table in the pavilion. A celadon brush washer, continuously polishing the mountain’s foundation. Therefore, once the restriction on the Sharpening Mountain was opened, it would be like a landscape painting in a mirror. As long as cultivators did not leave the Northern Ju Lu Continent, they could clearly see the landscape painting of the Sharpening Mountain. If they looked from across the continent, it would be very blurry.

Although Chen Ping’an had built a Water Mansion, he didn’t have any water techniques to protect himself. He had to pinch out a yellow paper Great River Rushing Talisman and gently crush it. Suddenly, the brush washer was filled with water, surrounded by clouds and mist.

In an instant, a very flat and huge bluestone platform appeared above the brush washer. This was the most famous Sharpening Mountain in the Northern Ju Lu Continent, more familiar to cultivators than any dynasty’s mountain range.

Above the bluestone mountain platform, neither side had yet appeared.

The scenery outside the mountain platform could not be seen, just like the white mist of the Immortal Mansion ruins, there was a clear boundary line.

This made Chen Ping’an a little regretful. He had originally wanted to see the viewing mountain peak bought by the Qiong Lin Sect.

And this sect, known as “Two Sleeves Clean Qiong Lin Sect, Invincible Killing Power Jade Purity Realm”, was one of the targets Chen Ping’an wanted to deal with most on this trip to the Northern Ju Lu Continent. Of course, it wasn’t to admire the Jade Purity Realm Sect Leader who “Sword Immortal Admits Defeat to the Upper Five Realms”, but because this wealthy Qiong Lin Sect was the largest buyer of Li Zhu Cave Heaven’s Natal Porcelain in other continents back then, without exception.

Of course, Chen Ping’an couldn’t take the initiative to find the Qiong Lin Sect.

Chen Ping’an’s Parcel Shop wasn’t for nothing. He needed to let the other party take the initiative to come to him.

How the two sides could meet reasonably and legitimately, at what time and place, all required Chen Ping’an to build step by step, carefully laying the groundwork and grasping the timing.

A sect that could be ridiculed by cultivators from across the continent showed that the other party was extremely patient. At the same time as being patient, they might do things without any bottom line. This was the truly terrifying opponent.

Xu Xingjiu brought a large stack of Mountain and Water Gazette to visit, and smiled: “Mr. Chen is also…”
… watching the Sharpening Mountain?”

Chen Ping’an took the gazette and said with a smile, “If you’re not busy, sit down and watch together.”

Chen Ping’an took out two pots of Immortal Family wine, handed one to Xu Xingjiu, and the two sat facing each other, slowly drinking.

In the battle of Sharpening Mountain, Huang Xi, a rogue cultivator among the ten young people in the Northern Ju Lu Continent, and Xiu Niang, a martial artist, were close in ranking, one fourth and one fifth.
Recent news from the Mountain and River Gazette brings forth yet more speculations regarding the cause of the duel between the two individuals. Some suggest it stems from love turned to hate, while others claim that Huang Xi, despite her young age, has been excessively ruthless, inadvertently slaying a loved one of the martial artist, the Embroiderer.

Xu Xingjiu produced a snowflake coin and gently tossed it into the brush pot on the table. In an instant, it vanished, transforming into a wisp of spiritual energy that melded into the mountain and river aura of Dili Mountain, tens of thousands of miles away. All spiritual artifacts and treasures capable of carrying a “mirror flower water moon” effect possess this “coin-eating” power.

Last time, it was Qi Jinglong of the Taiwei Sword Sect and Huang Ting, a female cultivator from Taiping Mountain, engaging in a life-or-death struggle. Both were Yuanying sword cultivators at a bottleneck, which had a significant impact on the landscape of Dili Mountain. After the battle, Dili Mountain’s spiritual energy was severely depleted. If cultivators of the upper five realms were to clash, they would undoubtedly devour even more of the world’s spiritual energy. Yet, Dili Mountain remains so abundant in spiritual energy due to the countless onlookers continuously feeding it immortal coins.

Xu Xingjiu hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, “Mr. Chen, if I have the opportunity to travel far from the mountain in the future, may I visit Mr. Liu at the Taiwei Sword Sect?”

Xu Xingjiu blushed slightly. “I have always admired Mr. Liu.”

Chen Pingan smiled and said, “I can help you give him a heads-up beforehand, but I can’t guarantee that Liu Jinglong will definitely see you.”

Xu Xingjiu’s eyes lit up, and he quickly stood up, cupping his hands to express his gratitude.

Chen Pingan said, “Remember one thing: when you visit Liu Jinglong at the Taiwei Sword Sect, be sure to bring several jars of good wine. If you actually meet him, you don’t need to say much; just start drinking in respect. Liu Jinglong loves wine, but he usually can’t let go of his facade. Someone needs to take the lead. If he says he doesn’t drink, don’t believe him. It just means that you, Xu Xingjiu, haven’t drunk enough.”

Xu Xingjiu exclaimed, “I understand! Mr. Liu is indeed the Land Dragon in my imagination! A sword immortal who is willing to reason with others must be a true man of character!”

Chen Pingan nodded vigorously. “Absolutely.”

Chen Pingan looked at the Dili Mountain on the table. With a wave of his sleeves, the green stone slabs of Dili Mountain suddenly expanded in all directions.

He and Xu Xingjiu were like “two towering gods” personally descending upon Dili Mountain, standing upon the stone slabs.

However, the more important a mountain or river is, the greater the restrictions. And the quality of the spiritual artifact carrying the “mirror flower water moon” effect will also affect the viewing experience.

Chen Pingan discovered that his celadon brush pot could, unsurprisingly, only display the figures of Huang Xi and the Embroiderer, each about the size of a grain of rice.

Chen Pingan had once asked Qi Jinglong if a Grand Sword Immortal’s sword energy could take this opportunity to kill someone on Dili Mountain from tens of thousands of miles away.

At the time, Qi Jinglong shook his head and smiled, saying that immortals might have a chance, but Jade Purity Realm experts shouldn’t even dream of it, because a sword cultivator’s sword energy values sword intent the most and could never be as purely spiritual as an immortal coin, without any other meaning. That little bit of extra meaning would cause the fragile spiritual artifact carrying the “mirror flower water moon” effect to shatter on the spot. However, Qi Jinglong also said that there were indeed some ancient secret arts and unorthodox techniques on the mountain that, historically, had used the bridge of “mirror flower water moon” to wreak havoc on some mountain peaks profiting from it. But cultivators who used such methods had to be very careful to hide their identities, or they would easily become the enemy of an entire continent, potentially piquing the curiosity of immortals or even ascendant grand cultivators.

It was about an incense stick’s worth of time until noon.

Chen Pingan suddenly noticed a tiny ripple appearing in the sky above Dili Mountain.

Then, someone said loudly, “Where is that invincible Jade Purity Realm expert from the Qionglin Sect?”

Soon, another ripple appeared on the Dili Mountain painting, and someone replied, “May I ask what senior has to say?”

The person who spoke first clearly tossed another immortal coin, chuckling, “I regret giving birth to you in the first place.”

The lord of the Qionglin Sect, a respected Jade Purity Realm cultivator, truly had a good temper. Not only did he not curse back, but he also threw another Valley Rain coin, respectfully saying, “Senior is joking.”

The two stopped talking.

However, someone suddenly smiled and said, “Sect Leader He, have you considered it? If you don’t speak, I’ll take it as your agreement.”

Xu Xingjiu whispered, “That must be Xu Xuan.”

Chen Pingan nodded.

Xu Xuan, the top disciple of the number one sword immortal in the north, Bai Shang. He was the second-ranked among the younger generation, even ahead of Qi Jinglong.

A weathered voice rang out, “Oh, are we going to drink Xu Xuan and He Xiaoliang’s wedding wine? Such a match made in heaven, I must drink this toast.”

A woman said coldly and clearly, “I already have a Dao companion.”

A single stone stirred up a thousand waves.

“Congratulations, Sect Leader He.”

“May I ask Sect Leader He, who is the saint who has formed a Daoist partnership with you?”

“Fairy He, my Dao heart is shattered. From now on, the world will be missing a devoted soul.”

In the end, a statement from Xu Xuan silenced the uproar, “It doesn’t matter; once he dies, you’ll be without an immortal Dao companion.”

He Xiaoliang sneered, “Why don’t we two agree on a time to duel on Dili Mountain? If you dare to kill him, I’ll make sure Bai Shang’s bloodline ends.”

Xu Xuan said nothing more.

Xu Xingjiu sighed with regret, “I never expected Sect Leader He, such a celestial being, to have a Dao companion. I wonder which man is so blessed.”

Chen Pingan suddenly noticed that the sword immortal senior across from him didn’t look too happy.

Chen Pingan lowered his head and took a sip of wine, his expression returning to normal.

It was almost noon.

A streak of white light pierced through the sky and landed in the central area of the Dili Mountain stone slabs.

On the edge of Dili Mountain, a woman wearing a veiled hat stepped onto the green stone slabs, with a long saber and a short sword hanging from her waist.

Chen Pingan controlled the Dili Mountain painting, which was rising with clouds and mist, trying to make both combatants appear in the painting as much as possible. Whether their faces could be seen clearly was not important at all.

In fact, many Qi Refiners watching the duel on Dili Mountain with the “mirror flower water moon” effect might not see the two combatants’ specific moves from beginning to end. They were just watching for fun. Many middle-five-realm cultivators would not even see the figures in the painting a few times, at most seeing the dazzling lights blossoming from the attacking magical treasures and immortal techniques.

Therefore, there has always been a rumor in Northern Ju Continent that unless one is a Golden Core Earth Immortal, one should not expect to understand even a bit of the secrets of those dueling on Dili Mountain.

Regarding the origins of this female master, the Embroiderer, especially her martial arts lineage, no Mountain and River Gazette in Northern Ju Continent has been able to explain it clearly.
Xu Xingjiu quickly began to rejoice that he had come here, instead of staying by his master’s side to watch the battle of Dilishan. In the past, when he watched the Dilishan battles with his master, Shen Zezhe would often adjust the angle of the painting and constantly shrink its size, but he would still miss many key scenes. But in Xu Xingjiu’s view, none of them were as accurate in grasping the battle situation as this Sword Immortal senior. The elusive embroideress, her punches, and the wild cultivator Huang Xi’s overwhelming spells and the delivery of his offensive magical artifacts, although some omissions were inevitable, Xu Xingjiu found that this was the first time he had watched a Dilishan battle so “genuinely,” with each link closely connected, so that he could at least roughly see the thread of the mutual slaughter.

Chen Ping’an focused on watching the battle, constantly switching the painting.

The female martial artist, at least based on the strength she had shown so far, was a genuine Distant Journey Realm cultivator, punching extremely fast and possessing an incredibly tough physique.

And this was without her drawing her swords.

As for whether she was a Peak Realm martial artist, they would just have to wait and see.

The appearance and age of a martial arts grandmaster, unlike the cultivators on the mountain who were difficult to discern, and the higher the realm of a pure martial artist and the faster they ascended, the less directly linked the two became.

Especially female martial artists, who would probably be even more so, and could also delay the aging of their appearance.

Huang Xi was an extremely young Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, a few years younger than Qi Jinglong. Those ranked third and fourth on the list were not even a hundred years old.

The existence of these cultivation geniuses was in itself a kind of pressure, and would indeed make those Golden Core Earth Immortals who were easily two or three hundred years old feel that their long years had been wasted on nothing.

Suddenly, the landscape painting became blurred and erratic.

Chen Ping’an was stunned.

Xu Xingjiu quickly and skillfully threw in a few Snowflake Coins, and the painting became clear again.

Chen Ping’an then felt that this mirage of a fairy mountain was truly a profitable business. But if Luo Po Mountain were to have this business in the future, how would they make money? Could they rely on Zhu Lian and Zheng Dafeng telling stories? Chen Ping’an was worried that Luo Po Mountain’s reputation would be ruined. In the future, when his disciples went down the mountain to train, perhaps the women would be fine, but wouldn’t the men be treated like thieves by everyone? Chen Ping’an couldn’t think of any other avenues. Could he pull Qi Jinglong to Luo Po Mountain to be a teacher in a school, sitting and discussing Taoism once or twice? Zhu Lian, the old cook, could cook a large table of sumptuous dishes? Or could Pei Qian perform a set of Mad Demon Swordplay? Could Wei Bo play chess with others?

Chen Ping’an dispelled his distracting thoughts and continued to concentrate on watching the battle.

For some reason, both sides seemed to be in no hurry to decide life and death.

Xu Xingjiu was already feeling dizzy and drank a mouthful of wine to calm his nerves.

Chen Ping’an remained as still as a mountain, still maneuvering the mirage painting, shifting and moving it.

Xu Xingjiu admired him even more.

Chen Ping’an asked, “How long was the most prolonged battle in Dilishan’s history?”

Xu Xingjiu said, “The longest battle in history involved a Jade Purity Realm Sword Immortal and an Immortal Realm cultivator, one attacking with all their might, the other defending desperately, evenly matched. It seems like they fought for about a month.”

Chen Ping’an reached out his fingers and rubbed his brow. If he watched until the end, how many Snowflake Coins would he have to spend?

Xu Xingjiu added, “There was also a battle between two Sword Immortals in history that only took half an hour, directly depleting Dilishan’s spiritual energy. No matter how frantically the spectators threw down Immortal Coins, it was a drop in the bucket. Therefore, only the mountain mansion near Dilishan could see some of the details of that earth-shattering battle. However, I heard that the sword qi surged out of Dilishan, and in order to protect their mountain from being affected, Qionglin Sect had to activate their great Mountain-River Array, consuming over a hundred Valerian Coins in one go, and borrowing two hundred more from the cultivators on the mountain, which they later repaid in double. Since then, Qionglin Sect has stored three hundred Valerian Coins on the mountain as a permanent precaution.”

Xu Xingjiu’s body suddenly emanated spiritual energy, and he stood up, planning to take his leave.

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “Good thing. Once the cave opens, you can ascend the tower and view the vast ocean.”

Xu Xingjiu rode the wind away. Cloud Top City had already prepared his breakthrough ground.

He had been on the verge of a breakthrough for days, just waiting for a subtle opportunity.

After Xu Xingjiu left, his master, Shen Zezhe, would help protect him.

It could be as short as three to five days, or as long as two or three years. No one could say for sure, and it wasn’t necessarily better to break through faster, nor was it necessarily more stable to break through slower. It all depended on fate.

A hundred skeletons and orifices, scattering the clear wind. Deep in the center of the water, seeing through the true face.

Unfortunately, Chen Ping’an had not yet experienced this scene.

His path through the three realms of Qi Refining had been circuitous, with some small bumps.

Chen Ping’an continued to watch the battle.

On Dilishan, both sides in the battle had heavy killing intent.

But they were still probing each other, obviously looking for an opportunity to kill with one strike.

Chen Ping’an himself had already thrown in several Snowflake Coins.

He drank a few mouthfuls of wine. He had only ever picked up snacks from the dishes, never thrown them in.

These two battling people were a little unkind.

An hour later.

Chen Ping’an sat cross-legged on the stone bench, his chin resting on his hand, and a small mountain of Snowflake Coins had accumulated beside him.

Judging by the posture of those two, they could fight for a long time.

After another hour or so, the peak of Chen Ping’an’s little mountain of Snowflake Coins had been flattened.

A master threw down a Valerian Coin and laughed and cursed, “You two dogs! If you really want to love each other and kill each other, why do you have to cheat others of their Immortal Coins! Huang Xi, since you are a sword cultivator, if you don’t die in Dilishan, you brat will eventually suffer my sword!”

It turned out that the wild cultivator Huang Xi was a deeply hidden sword cultivator.

And the martial artist embroideress also surprised everyone, as she was proficient in many Immortal spells.

Although it looked like they were mutually honing their skills, the killing intent was heavy when they fought. Chen Ping’an was a little curious about what kind of grievances had occurred between the two of them that they had to place the place of life and death in Dilishan, under the public eye.

At some moment during the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Chen Ping’an stood up and suddenly crushed a large handful of Snowflake Coins directly into spiritual energy, doing his best to maintain the landscape painting created by the celadon brush washer.

The female martial artist seemed to have sacrificed a mountain treasure of extremely high quality, like the light of the sun, covering the entire Dilishan. Even just looking at the landscape painting, Chen Ping’an felt a little dazzled.

This caused the Mountain-River fortune of Dilishan to be disturbed like turbid water, making it difficult for the spectators to see clearly.
Chen Pingan could only faintly see a slender black line, cleaving open the dazzling light that enveloped the heavens and the earth.

A moment later.

On the stone platform of砥礪 Mountain.

Huang Xi, whose flesh and blood had melted away for the most part, almost reduced to half a skeleton, was still alive! In contrast, that female martial artist, the Embroiderer, with her astonishing techniques, had vanished without a trace. It was unknown whether her body and soul had been completely annihilated, or whether she had managed to escape to a distant place on the verge of life and death.

Huang Xi staggered a few steps before rising into the air on the wind, departing from砥礪 Mountain.

Chen Pingan sighed with emotion. As long as the disparity in cultivation realms wasn’t too great during a battle to the death, a thousand different techniques and methods ultimately couldn’t compare to a single sword.

One sword to break all laws.

Chen Pingan put away the celadon brush washer and the pile of snowflake coins.

This observation had yielded some gains.

The female martial artist Embroiderer’s fist techniques and the essence of her martial intent were very interesting, seemingly at the opposite extreme of Gu’s Mountain-Shaking Fist and Cui Cheng’s fist techniques from the Bamboo Lodge.

In the pavilion, Chen Pingan imitated a crude, similar stance, using the female martial artist’s way of delivering fists and palms, slowly practicing the foundational stances and throwing punches.

After a moment, Chen Pingan stopped and retracted his fists because he simply couldn’t learn it. There wasn’t the slightest hint of martial intent taking hold.

However, the benefit wasn’t in the stances themselves. Chen Pingan had anticipated this. The real advantage was that Chen Pingan’s understanding of the world’s fist techniques had broadened, allowing him to be more prepared when facing enemies in the future.

Chen Pingan began to close his eyes and rest, striving to remember more of her martial intent, even if he could only use a few similar forms, it would at least be a smokescreen.

After opening his eyes, Chen Pingan started to stroll around, practicing more and more. Once he had a rough understanding, he inexplicably thought of a sad matter.

There weren’t many of those gold-material talismans left.

Only ten remained.

He had to budget carefully.

The ancient talismans recorded in the *Dan Shu True Traces* were impossible for Chen Pingan, a mere Qi Refiner of the Third Realm, to draw, except for entry-level talismans like the Yang Qi Lamp-Lighting Talisman.

In fact, the talismans Chen Pingan drew as a pure martial artist were easier to create and of higher quality than the ones he drew as a Qi Refiner.

Unfortunately, talismans drawn by a martial artist couldn’t seal mountains or close doors, and the spiritual light of the talisman’s core faded too quickly.

Chen Pingan took out the ten gold talismans from his storage treasure, counting them over and over again. Of course, he wouldn’t magically find an extra one.

Leaving the pavilion, he sat on the futon in the house, took the Immortal Sword hanging on the wall, laid it across his knees, and then carefully took out the Sword-Nourishing Gourd, cautiously guiding the shattered sword aura away from it.

For the next ten days.

The market outside Cloud Citadel no longer saw that young peddler from the Parcel Shop selling talismans.

In the capital city of Great Li, the young Emperor held a small court session in the Imperial Study as usual.

More than twenty generals, ministers, and dukes gathered in the hall. The Imperial Study wasn’t large, and it felt slightly crowded with so many people.

The oldest was the Minister of Personnel, Lord Guan. It seemed that the grand court sessions alone had already drained too much of the old man’s energy. He was currently dozing off in his chair, holding a small charcoal brazier wrapped in cotton cloth. This was a gift from the late Emperor, and palace eunuchs would take care of it. Whenever there was a small court session in the winter, they would bring it and give it to the hundred-year-old Minister without him needing to remind them.

Right now, the old man was snoring softly, but from the Emperor to the other important officials of Great Li, none of them intended to wake him up. Anyway, he would wake up and say a few words when the conversation reached something he considered important.

A Minister of the Ministry of Justice, in his prime, was reporting the aftermath of an important matter to the gathered officials.

The female cultivator who had used the alias Shi Qiu had been rescued and her current whereabouts were unknown.

The previous two groups of retainers and spies from the Zhu Ying Dynasty, some with high cultivation and some with low, were without exception all cautious and steady old agents. They had crossed continents to Bei Ju Luzhou, and打醮 Mountain, to investigate the files and records of everyone who had traveled on the ferryboats in the past. They hoped to find clues, to find the crucial evidence that Great Li Dynasty colluded with 打醮 Mountain to frame Zhu Ying sword cultivators.

In fact, one of the groups had succeeded. They hadn’t returned to Bao Ping Continent on the intercontinental ferry, but had instead detoured and traveled the seas. However, they were intercepted and killed at sea by Great Li cultivators.

The most troublesome was still that 打醮 Mountain woman named Qiu Shi.

During a mirror-flower-water-moon technique, she had surprisingly revealed a heavenly secret, saying that it was Sword Tomb Master of Bei Ju Luzhou who had framed the Zhu Ying Dynasty. This woman hoped that someone could relay this matter to Heavenly Sovereign Xie Shi, and she, Qiu Shi, was willing to die to prove the truth of this matter.

Now, the mountain where Qiu Shi was being held had been sealed off and placed under strict surveillance by Great Li Qi Refiners.

The Upper Pillar Kingdom of the Yuan family, a refined-looking old man, stroked his palm and smiled, “What a situation where one move affects the whole game. I wonder what our National Preceptor’s Green Wave Pavilion is busy with.”

The burly Patriarch of the Cao family leaned back in his chair and sneered, “Even if Green Wave Pavilion makes mistakes, it’s still better than you Yuan Yunshui, who only knows how to spout saliva in court, doing more practical things. Yuan Da Pillar Kingdom is best at scolding heaven, earth, and colleagues. You’re the best at finding faults, Yuan Yunshui.”

The Yuan Clan Patriarch smiled and said, “Cao Qiao, I am still currently the Upper Pillar Kingdom. As for whether you think you’re the Grand Pillar Kingdom, I’m not so sure.”

The Minister of Rites had been wandering his mind for thousands of miles.

As always.

The Minister of Justice, who was also in charge of many mountains, rivers, gods, and ghosts, would be an unremarkable middle-aged man if not for the conspicuous official robe he wore. He took the initiative to intervene in the messy affairs of the two Upper Pillar Kingdoms, saying with a straight face, “Lord Cao, Lord Yuan, every word spoken here at the small court session will determine the fortune, misfortune, life, and death of Great Li’s citizens. Can you put aside your personal grievances for now?”

An elderly member of the Song Imperial Clan, who now managed the royal genealogy of the Great Li Song Clan, said with a chuckle, “My goodness, I almost thought Great Li was surnamed Yuan or Cao. It scared this old Song fellow to death.”

A general who had failed to lead his iron cavalry south like Cao Ping and Su Gaoshan, was short and extremely sturdy. He looked somewhat comical sitting in the chair, but the words he spoke carried a heavy weight. He said in a deep voice, “Instead of wasting time like this, it would be better to have that troublesome打醮 Mountain female cultivator taken care of as soon as possible. If Green Wave Pavilion likes to freeload, then let the military cultivators under my command do it. I guarantee that even the mastermind who rescued her will be dealt with.”
The young emperor did not sit behind his desk, but moved a chair closer to his ministers. He remained silent, sitting by the brazier, bending over and reaching out his hands to warm them.

Beside him was an ordinary boxwood chair that had stood in this room for over a century.

Several emperors of the Great Li Dynasty had “grown up watching” this very chair.

The late emperor had touched it as a child, but never sat on it. This new emperor, too, had only touched it, never sat on it.

The dragon throne had seen several emperors come and go, but this chair, rarely sat upon, had never been replaced.

Outside the Imperial Study, in the corridor, an old eunuch softly announced, “The National Preceptor has arrived.”

The high-ranking officials of the Great Li Dynasty, qualified to attend this small court assembly, rose one after another. Even the old Lord Guan shifted in his seat, placed his hands on the armrests, seemingly awakened, and rose to welcome that Embroidered Tiger.

The young emperor, though not rising to greet him, straightened his back.

An old Confucian scholar stepped through the doorway, bowing and paying respects to His Majesty the Emperor, with not a trace of arrogance in his demeanor.

Emperor Song He nodded with a smile.

Cui sat down on a chair, turning his head to look at the old Minister of Personnel, Guan, who still had his hands on the armrests, and chuckled, “Minister Guan, are you rising or sitting?”

Old Lord Guan smiled, “National Preceptor, forgive my old bones. As one ages, all that’s left is squatting in the privy with no results, and taking small advantages. Everything else is difficult.”

Cui waved his hand. “Let’s discuss serious matters.”

With the arrival of the National Preceptor, the atmosphere in the entire Imperial Study instantly became solemn.

Everyone involuntarily braced themselves, giving their utmost attention.

Cui said, “Today, I intend to discuss with you the current state and trends of the Zhu Ying Dynasty, Shujian Lake, and the Qingluan Kingdom. If we can establish respective regulations, then in the future, on the mountains and below them in Treasure Bottle Continent, there will be laws to follow and reasons to adhere to. Therefore, today’s discussion can be said to determine the national destiny of our Great Li for the next century. Every word spoken today will be recorded without error. Who coughed, who dozed off, how many cups of tea were drunk, who spoke foolish and misleading words, who offered insightful words beneficial to the Great Li’s destiny – all of this will be clearly seen by future emperors and generals qualified to sit in this room.”

Cui concluded, “Whether His Majesty the Emperor can become the foremost monarch in the history of Treasure Bottle Continent, whether our Great Li cavalry can force everyone in the Vast World to open their eyes wide and carefully observe our Great Li Dynasty, firmly remembering the emperor’s name and who the famous ministers and generals by his side are, depends on your words and deeds today.”

Cui stood up, his expression solemn.

At the small court assembly.

The young emperor slowly stood up, his heart filled with excitement.

The civil officials rose and bowed.

The military generals rose and clasped their fists.

On Gold Armor Continent, at an ancient battlefield, the remnants of collapsed divine statues littered the ground.

The violent winds here could make any Qi cultivator below the Golden Core Earth Immortal realm feel like they were experiencing a fate worse than death after just an incense stick’s worth of time.

Many pure martial artists also liked to come here to temper their bodies, but most did not survive. The sudden gusts of wind were untraceable. Some were as fine as sword qi, fragmented and fluttering like goose feathers. Some winds could engulf a ten-mile radius, all like a Sword Immortal unleashing his sword. After some of these winds passed, even a Golden Body Realm martial artist would be reduced to dust.

A young woman who had once broken through a bottleneck with the strongest Fifth Realm under heaven was able to live here for many years, drifting and unpredictable, thanks to a unique talent.

Now, she was throwing punches like thunder at a white-robed man who was walking slowly.

He was only in the Golden Body Realm.

She could probably kill an ordinary Golden Body Realm martial artist with a single punch.

But facing this Golden Body Realm martial artist, who was even younger than her, she had already delivered thousands of punches, but without exception, they had all been negated by his own fist intent.

Simply put, he hadn’t even fought back, yet she, a pure martial artist with hopes of entering the Golden Body Realm with the strongest Sixth Realm, hadn’t been able to touch even a corner of his robe.

This white-robed young man’s Golden Body Realm was indeed just the Golden Body Realm.

Unfortunately, he was Cao Ci, who had traveled from the Central Earth Divine Continent.

Every realm of Cao Ci’s was an unprecedented martial arts realm.

The young woman, who had come here to train at a young age, had not believed it at all.

Then she experienced a complex emotional journey of eager anticipation, tentative punches, all-out effort, gradual despair, and eventual numbness.

Just as she was about to stop punching, Cao Ci finally spoke his second sentence, “Since your fist intent keeps rising, why stop punching?”

After that, the young woman gritted her teeth, persevering and punching furiously.

Previously, Cao Ci’s first sentence was spoken after that Liu Youzhou spoke.

At that time, that Liu Youzhou from Snowdrift Continent, relying on Cao Ci’s presence, had made a harsh statement to her, “Huai Qian is right. In Cao Ci’s eyes, your Sixth Realm is just paper and mud, easily shattered.”

Cao Ci, not wanting her to misunderstand, had no choice but to say his first sentence after meeting her, “I never said such a thing.”

At this moment, Liu Youzhou was squatting on the palm of a fallen statue, on the huge palm, a dense clump of flowers and plants had grown.

It was strange that they had not been swept away by the violent winds of the ancient battlefield.

Liu Youzhou couldn’t quite understand how a sect that almost always had someone among the Central Earth Ten Generations list…