Chen Ping’an rose alone and strolled along the ridge between the rice paddies. An old friend had come to visit, Qi Shou, who had journeyed from Martial Eminence City and was now the leader of the Punishments Official lineage.

Qi Shou cut straight to the chase, “If you don’t come to Fountain Prefecture to find me, I’ll have to live with constant anxiety. I might as well deliver myself to your doorstep and invite a few scoldings.”

Everyone knew that the young Hidden Official of the Summer Abode was full of strange remarks, like he had a whole basketful of Natal Flying Swords, each piercing straight to the heart.

Chen Ping’an chuckled, “Qi Brother and I are bosom buddies. Now that Qi Brother has been promoted, I’m too busy fawning over you to dare point fingers at a newly appointed Punishments Official.”

The two walked side-by-side along the ridge. Qi Shou said, “I heard the previous Punishments Official was called Hao Su? When Ning Yao returned to Ascension City last time, she didn’t go into detail about your trip to the Savage Desolation. Even now, I only know his name.”

For the sword cultivators of the Punishments Official lineage, there was a persistent, though minor, unresolved issue: their “family tree” had been severed. The previous Punishments Official had never revealed himself until the end of the war.

In contrast, the Hidden Official lineage had an unbroken succession. Regardless of the reputation, cultivation level, or achievements of each Hidden Official, at least their history was traceable, and their lineage was clear.

As for the previous Hidden Official, Xiao Xun, betraying Sword Qi Great Wall, not only the current sword cultivators of the Summer Abode, but the entire Ascension City, didn’t harbor much resentment towards her. Therefore, when discussing Xiao Xun now, there was no taboo. Instead of deliberately avoiding the topic, they often spoke with regret. As for the three sword cultivators who defected with Xiao Xun—Zhang Lu, Luo Shan, and Zhu An—no one would openly curse them either. If there were any curses, it would be directed at Zhang Lu for being a useless good-for-nothing. If he had already chosen betrayal, he should have been more decisive and followed Xiao Xun all the way to Vast Expanse.

Chen Ping’an nodded, “Hao Su came from a shattered Blessed Land in Swaying Continent. He spent his early years at Sword Qi Great Wall in Old Deaf’s prison, so he wasn’t well-known. But his swordsmanship was actually very high; he was a Flight Ascension Realm cultivator. He returned to Vast Expanse once and directly found the mastermind behind the destruction of his homeland, an old Flight Ascension Realm cultivator from Central Earth Continent named Nan Guangzhao. Hao Su chopped off his head and casually tossed it at the mountain gate. Last time, Hao Su came with us to the Savage Desolation, and he also killed the Flight Ascension Realm great demon Xuan Pu of Immortal Hairpin City. That was his way of making amends to the Confucian Temple. He’s now in Azure Abyss, offering protection to Dong Painting Talismans and his group of wandering sword cultivators.”

Qi Shou took out a seal he had asked someone to buy from the Yan family’s silk shop and smiled, “It’s a pity I couldn’t get the best plum blossom edition of Mr. Kangjie’s ‘Collection of Striking the Earth’.”

Chen Ping’an glanced at the seal, recognizing the seal with the inscription “And I Alone Have Yet to Reach the Four Directions.” It suited Qi Shou’s situation and mindset.

He had neither been to Vast Expanse nor to the Savage Desolation. The world was so vast, yet he could only remain in one corner. In the end, Qi Shou was simply ambitious.

Qi Shou clutched the seal in his hand, as if it were a hand warmer, and asked, “My Old Ancestor?”

Chen Ping’an teased, “Old Sword Immortal Qi doesn’t need your worries. He’s already famous throughout Vast Expanse. Dragon Elephant Sword Sect has both him and Lu Zhi, two Flight Ascension Realm cultivators in one sect, both sword cultivators. Who wouldn’t be afraid? Plus, there’s Shao Yunyan and Madam Tuo Yan, two Upper Fifth Realm retainers, helping with administrative affairs. The dozen or so nominal disciples that Old Sword Immortal Qi has taken in there all have excellent aptitude, known as the ‘Eighteen Sword Scions.’ They’re all top-notch sword immortal embryos. Dragon Elephant Sword Sect won’t need a hundred years; with a few more guest elders and more second-generation disciples, it will become one of the top sects in Vast Expanse.”

Qi Shou hesitated, as if he found something difficult to say. He stopped, squatted down, and reached out to grab a golden ear of Rice of Deep Thought from the edge of the field. Chen Ping’an immediately chided, “Why are your hands always so restless?”

Chen Ping’an sat down beside him, picked up a stone, and gently scraped mud from his cloth shoes, casually saying, “Fei Ran is now the recognized Overlord of the Savage Desolation. Qi Brother, on the other hand, hasn’t even become the City Lord of Ascension City yet. He’s only called half a City Lord. I have to stand up for Qi Brother.”

Since you’re too embarrassed to bring it up, I’ll give you a platform.

Qi Shou slowly said, “Chen Ping’an, am I destined to never be that City Lord in this lifetime?”

Chen Ping’an asked, “Why do you say that?”

Qi Shou said, “Intuition.”

Chen Ping’an laughed, “You’re not a woman. Women’s intuition is accurate.”

Qi Shou asked a series of questions, “What’s the deal with those two empty chairs in the Ancestral Hall? Is it your arrangement? Or is there a deeper meaning, like something the Old Grand Sword Immortal instructed? Ning Yao didn’t say the reason either. The outside world has been guessing for so many years, but there’s no definite answer.”

The most credible theory was that the two empty seats were reserved, one for the future City Lord and one for the number one person in the Five Colors World.

If that were the case, it would be in line with the Old Grand Sword Immortal’s style.

Chen Ping’an shook his head, “I don’t know either. Maybe it’s really what the Old Grand Sword Immortal told Ning Yao to do. I’ll ask her later.”

In fact, what Chen Ping’an really wanted to ask was Chen Ji, or rather, the Old Sword Immortal Chen Xicai from the early days.

Qi Shou asked, “If you had to guess, what do you think it’s for?”

Chen Ping’an thought for a moment and softly said, “The past is already gone, and the future hasn’t arrived yet. The two chairs will always be empty, but not really empty. They’re like two sword cultivators sitting next to each other, but not a specific person, not Qi Shou, who is still struggling to become the City Lord, not even Ning Yao, who has already firmly secured her position as the number one person in the world. But simply all the sword cultivators of the past who are not forgotten, and all the sword cultivators who will become the future.”

Qi Shou pondered for a while and surprisingly found Chen Ping’an’s impromptu answer to be quite reasonable and interesting. He couldn’t help but sigh, “As expected of a scholar!”

Chen Ping’an said in exasperation, “I finally tried to have a heart-to-heart talk with you, and you’re so ungrateful. You deserve a scolding, don’t you?”

Qi Shou crossed his arms and looked at the golden rice paddies, like the seal he had specially chosen that year. The inscription on the edge read, “May this family have enough, may the times be prosperous, may their bodies be healthy…”

Otherwise, with his and Chen Ping’an’s limited friendship, why would he patronize the Yan family’s shop? He could only grit his teeth, swallow his pride, and ask someone to help him buy the seal he had fallen in love with at first sight.
Qi Shou was silent for a moment, then said, “Although it’s the most unlikely thing, my intuition tells me that the sword cultivator who carved the latest words on the city wall isn’t your Old Ancestor, nor Ning Yao, nor Xingguan Hao Su or Lu Zhi, but you.”

Chen Ping’an smiled noncommittally, spread out a palm, and gently pressed it against the ridge of the field. “There’s only one thing that makes me feel most…proud. Yeah, accomplishing this thing made me feel really good.”

Qi Shou turned his head to look at the fellow’s profile, his eyebrows dancing, his expression showing a rare and undisguised joy, a sharpness revealed without reservation.

Chen Ping’an raised a hand, two fingers together, slashed downwards, then horizontally across, and finally opened his five fingers. “That barbarian sword cultivator who possessed a natal flying sword called ‘Rouge,’ Hui Ting of the Crimson Leaf Sword Sect, I cleaved her in two with a single sword, then cut her in half at the waist, used a Daoist thunder formation to refine and annihilate her soul, and stripped away her demonic true name. Such a brutal killing was very satisfying. If I hadn’t still had a sword duel to attend to at the time, I actually had many more methods waiting for Hui Ting to enjoy.”

Qi Shou, Nalan Caihuan, and Mi Yu were all sword cultivators known for their ruthless methods on the battlefield, but hearing Chen Ping’an’s words, they still felt a chill run down their spines.

Just hearing that Hui Ting had finally died made Qi Shou feel truly happy. He turned sideways and cupped his fist in salute, “Well done!”

Chen Ping’an said, “However, Hui Ting was saving a friend at the time, and sought her own death. Perhaps in the eyes of the cultivators of the Barren World, she was a hero?”

Qi Shou sneered, “It’s just that this fellow didn’t fall into my hands.”

Chen Ping’an clicked his tongue. “What if she had? Could you have taken down Hui Ting under the noses of Mount Tuoyue and the mastermind? You have to know, this first disciple of a Barren World Great Ancestor is also a deeply hidden Ascension Realm sword cultivator.”

Qi Shou asked curiously, “Then how did you lure Hui Ting into a trap, and how did you prevent that mastermind from saving her in time?”

Chen Ping’an didn’t provide an answer.

In the Barren World, there were always a small number of cultivators that Sword Qi Great Wall hated the most, but couldn’t kill.

Such as Zhou Mi’s eldest disciple, the sword immortal Shou Chen, and this Hui Ting, who acted insidiously and specialized in assassinating female sword cultivators.

And Hui Ting seemed especially hateful. No matter how hateful Shou Chen was, he was good at hiding his identity on the battlefield and liked to pick up cheap battle merits. However, Shou Chen had also had many head-on sword duels in history. Moreover, Shou Chen’s sword strikes were precise and didn’t deliberately target anyone, while Hui Ting only chose female sword cultivators of Sword Qi Great Wall in order to improve the grade of her flying sword “Rouge,” regardless of their realm or age. Each time she succeeded, she immediately withdrew from the battlefield. The female cultivators who were killed by the flying sword suffered extremely miserable fates. Their souls would be imprisoned and refined by the flying sword, burning slowly like a lamp wick.

Qi Shou asked, “The location for the academy has been decided. Aren’t you going to take a look?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head. “I’ll talk about it next time. I’m about to return to the Verdant Canopy.”

Qi Shou curled his lips. “The shadow of Lord Hermit Official is everywhere. So many years have passed, but it seems that you still can’t shake it off. It’s really annoying.”

Chen Ping’an laughed, “Brother Qi, this flattery of yours is of a certain standard. If you come to my Fallen Mountain, you can at least be a handyman disciple in the outer sect.”

Qi Shou was about to get up to leave, when Chen Ping’an suddenly said, “Since we’re about to part, then as the former Hermit Official, can I say a few words from the bottom of my heart to the new Xingguan?”

Qi Shou nodded. “I’m all ears.”

Chen Ping’an reached out his palm and patted the ridge of the field beside him. “Don’t think about erasing the traces, cover them up. Over time, the achievements will all be yours.”

Qi Shou was greatly surprised. Chen Ping’an was actually so open-minded?

But after thinking for a moment, Qi Shou immediately felt that something was wrong and asked, “You don’t plan to return to Ascension City, and you won’t come even the next time the gate opens?”

Chen Ping’an said, “How is that possible? I will definitely come here often.”

Qi Shou laughed and cursed, “Then what nonsense are you spouting with all that empty talk?!”

Chen Ping’an sighed, “One must look at a scholar with new eyes after three days of separation. Now Brother Qi is not easily fooled.”

Qi Shou got up to leave. Chen Ping’an suddenly threw over a seal. “Here, I’ll give it to you.”

Qi Shou caught it in his hand. The seal had no inscription on the sides, only a four-character inscription. Qi Shou smiled knowingly, put it in his sleeve, and thanked Chen Ping’an.

“The Dao is in this.”

In fact, in the years that Chen Ping’an was not in Ascension City, some pretentious fellows wanted to follow the Second Shopkeeper’s example and make money by selling seals in batches. Anyway, this thing didn’t cost much, and the content of the inscription was just copying books. They always felt that it was a simple job without any threshold. As a result, they couldn’t sell a single seal, and they were scolded until they were covered in blood. The Second Shopkeeper just threw his face on the ground, but you guys are burying it underground?

Before Qi Shou rode the wind back to Ascension City, he laughed, “Let’s encourage each other.”

Chen Ping’an nodded, “Let’s encourage each other.”

Xiao Mo squatted beside the white-robed youth and comforted him, “Sect Master Cui, a gentleman does what he should do and doesn’t do what he shouldn’t. Some things must be fought for day and night, and some things don’t have to be fought for day and night. You and I both should set our minds at ease. Why not cheer up and see what happens in a hundred or a thousand years? Perhaps today’s loss is in accordance with the Great Dao.”

Cui Dongshan squeezed out a smile. “I understand the principle, but I feel sorry for Teacher.”

Xiao Mo smiled and said, “If you think that way, it will only add to Master’s worries. Master will only feel sorry for the student in return.”

“But I also feel that having such a seemingly self-inflicted roundabout way makes both Master and Sect Master Cui, the two most intelligent people in the world, seem less intelligent. Maybe that’s the true Master and student relationship?”

“It seems like I said some nonsense.”

Whether it was practicing swordplay alone or dueling with others, Xiao Mo believed that he was quite good.

Only comforting others was truly not Xiao Mo’s forte. It was indeed much more difficult than handing over a sword.

After quietly listening to Xiao Mo’s words, Cui Dongshan shook his head vigorously and said, “It’s not nonsense!”

After Chen Ping’an reminisced with Qi Shou, he returned along the ridge of the field and found that Cui Dongshan seemed to be chatting well with Xiao Mo and had a smile on his face.
Together they returned to their own wine shop in Ascension City. As soon as word spread that the Second Proprietor had not only returned but was personally opening the doors and welcoming guests today, old customers flocked in. Many even rushed over from the four vassal cities on their swords, mostly drunkards and bachelors, or sometimes both. The wine shop was soon overflowing. However, unlike before, they didn’t fight for tables, preferring to squat by the roadside near the entrance, as the Second Proprietor was wont to do. Listening to the boisterous discussions of his old friends, each talking loudly, the air thick with the aroma of wine, it was just like the old days. The Second Proprietor listened more than he spoke. At least this drinking session flushed out many deeply hidden spies who had been feigning sobriety, like the old Golden Core, Song Youwei.

As dusk deepened, and the wine shop was about to close, Chen Ping’an, who had already drunk his share during the day, asked Tao Ban to bring out a few jars of Silent Lake wine, and told Feng Kangle to ask his father to prepare a table of simple dishes to go with the wine.

Zheng Dafeng asked curiously, “Why? What good would it do to get me drunk? Besides, you’ve already thrown up three times. Can you really handle it?”

Chen Ping’an declared grandly, “Enough talk! We’ll drink until one of us falls.”

Zheng Dafeng laughed, “Then let’s agree beforehand, no urging anyone to drink, just each of us drinking our own fill.”

Chen Ping’an agreed without hesitation.

Xiao Mo and Cui Dongshan sat at a nearby table.

But Chen Ping’an and Zheng Dafeng had barely drunk two bowls of wine when a young man in a green robe slowly approached the wine shop.

Zheng Dafeng glanced at him, recognizing him as a teacher from the city’s academy, surnamed Wu. He’d been to the wine shop a few times over the years, but not regularly, maybe once or twice a year. However, each time he came, he would look at the lucky plaques inside the shop.

Mr. Wu used to drink the Bamboo Sea Paradise wine, costing one snowflake coin a bowl, but last time he seemed to have switched to a bowl of Silent Lake wine and even took a jar with him.

Zheng Dafeng remembered it so clearly because the man possessed a scholarly air, rare in the Sword Qi Great Wall. Like himself, he possessed an inner refinement, though not as outstanding as his own.

Xiao Mo narrowed her eyes, sizing him up. She immediately changed tables and said in a mental voice, “Young Master, this man is not simple. His actions are rather odd, as if he knows I’m not easy to deal with, and is deliberately letting me know he is not simple.”

Xiao Mo hesitated, then offered her guess, “Could it really be Palace Master Wu?”

Chen Ping’an nodded, “It must be.”

Then Chen Ping’an looked at Xiao Mo, asking if she would laugh now.

Xiao Mo felt somewhat wronged, “I wasn’t laughing at you, Young Master.”

Chen Ping’an stood up, cupping his hands in a respectful bow.

Wu Shuangjiang simply returned the gesture.

After Wu Shuangjiang sat down, he said, “At the academy, I’m known as Wu Yu. There’s a record at the Summer Retreat Palace, if you’re interested you can check it out.”

Hearing this assumed name, Chen Ping’an was speechless.

Zheng Dafeng was even more puzzled, asking, “Like that Mu Mao, another old friend?”

Chen Ping’an introduced him, “This is Palace Master Wu of the Year-End Palace.”

Zheng Dafeng exclaimed, “No wonder.”

Wu Shuangjiang smiled and cupped his fist, “Over the years, I haven’t spent a single copper coin, but I’ve listened to Mr. Zheng’s eloquent words for free, and they always go well with my wine.”

Zheng Dafeng, still with one leg on the bench, put down his wine bowl, and returned the greeting, “Mr. Wu is too kind.”

Chen Ping’an was silent for a long time before asking, “That almanac?”

Wu Shuangjiang nodded, “It was my work. But the favor owed to Ascension City, I’ve already repaid it.”

He had helped Ascension City resolve three small hidden dangers, otherwise, Ascension City’s expansion would have been delayed by at least three to five decades.

It wasn’t a scheme of the White Jade Capital, Dao the Second wouldn’t bother with such things. And that disciple of the Dao Ancestor, the young Daoist with the Daoist name “Shan Qing,” while possessing excellent cultivation aptitude, lacked the wit and boldness for it.

Never underestimate the long-term vision and meticulous methods of some strategists.

There were always some people who, though they might only have a few coins in their pockets, dared to dream of becoming the wealthiest people in the world.

For ordinary people to think like that was wishful thinking, but there were always a few who could make what they imagined come true.

However, Wu Shuangjiang had neither the inclination nor the obligation to explain this to Chen Ping’an.

Currently, only Ascension City was using this new almanac, but if the entire Five Colored World were to adopt it, circulating it throughout the land, then Wu Shuangjiang would have his own means to repay the second favor.

Xiao Mo fetched a set of bowls and chopsticks, handing them to Wu Shuangjiang.

Wu Shuangjiang smiled and nodded in thanks, “You are welcome to visit Year-End Palace in the Azure Firmament World in the future.”

Xiao Mo smiled, “That depends on Young Master’s wishes.”

Cui Dongshan, holding a wine bowl, came to their table, sitting on the same bench as Xiao Mo, directly across from Wu Shuangjiang. He grinned, “It’s amazing how I always run into Palace Master Wu.”

Wu Shuangjiang said calmly, “It’s fate.”

Cui Dongshan clicked his tongue in amazement, “Palace Master Wu is truly Palace Master Wu, his spirit merging with the vastness, his Dao connecting beyond the heavens and earth. He now knows everything about all the worlds.”

Wu Shuangjiang said, “Some things, it’s not only Zhou Mi and Xiu Hu who can do them, others can also do them.”

Cui Dongshan asked with a smile, “I imagine in the Western Buddhist Kingdom, Palace Master Wu also has some incarnation waiting to suddenly awaken one day, right?”

Wu Shuangjiang’s true body was probably still wandering in the Wild Lands.

In the interconnected Magnificent World and the Wild Lands, no matter where Wu Shuangjiang traveled, everything within his sight, the otherworldly demon residing in the grass hut in Riding Dragon Lane, now the outer sect handyman disciple “Konghou” of Fallen Mountain, saw everything as if witnessing it firsthand.

Seeing Wu Shuangjiang play deaf and dumb, Cui Dongshan was filled with displeasure. “Ah, ‘coming from the Hua-yen realm, going to be a Da Luo celestial,’ Palace Master Wu is truly generous, a master of stratagem.”

Chen Ping’an was shocked.

When the Master mentioned Wu Shuangjiang’s emergence, he had taken the initiative to appear at the Great Profound Capital Temple, meeting Sun Daochang and Bai Ye. The Master had given a “flawed” assessment of Wu Shuangjiang’s aura when he had just reached the fourteenth realm.

Previously, in the Ning Manor, Chen Ping’an had mistakenly thought that Wu Shuangjiang had only separated a mustard seed of his spirit, hidden early in the Sword Qi Great Wall through the Crane Tower Inn and the Upside Down Mountain. It turned out that Wu Shuangjiang had also detached another seed of his spirit and sent it to the Western Buddhist Kingdom?

Wasn’t he taking reaching the fourteenth realm seriously enough?
How profound must a cultivator’s Dao be, how outstanding their aptitude, and how extravagant their self-confidence, to dare act so recklessly?

Could it be?!

Chen Ping’an’s face paled instantly, and he quickly lowered his head to drink.

Wu Shuangjiang took a sip of wine and laughed, “It’s not like only the Grand Master and Qi Jingchun can do it. Can’t Wu Shuangjiang do it? It’s just a simple imitation. Starting a mountain is difficult, but once a path has been forged by predecessors, climbing is much easier. Just follow behind.”

Cui Dongshan said in a deep voice, “No, you set off earlier and traveled further.”

Qi Jingchun began this matter in the Li Zhu Cave Heaven, attempting to forge the foundations of the three teachings into one.

As for that Grand Master of the White Jade Capital, being older and having a longer Dao age, he might have thought of this unprecedented path long ago. However, Li Xisheng and the other “three” only truly began to act much later.

Wu Shuangjiang shook her head, “There’s a problem here. Of course, I know that it’s an extremely lofty Dao, but I have no confidence in paving the way myself, so I’ve been guarding the foot of the mountain, waiting for someone to climb and open the path first. It’s like the imprinted compass Your Excellency Hidden Official gifted to Marquis Gaoye; it’s just following the rules, which makes things much easier. As for covering the paddy fields, like the analogy Your Excellency Hidden Official made with Qi Shou, I wouldn’t dare to hope for that. In the end, I’m just… picking up the scraps, at most just building walls. The predecessors built a sturdy corner, and it doesn’t matter if the later generations add some broken bricks and thatch on top, it can still block the wind and rain. I don’t have the confidence or strength to prove the Great Dao with this, and besides, my ambition doesn’t lie there, so I don’t need to labor too much on this path.”

Cui Dongshan sneered, “Just like refining the four imitation immortal swords, it’s all stealing from others!”

Wu Shuangjiang smiled, “Then why don’t you try?”

Cui Dongshan raised his sleeve and pointed at Wu Shuangjiang, “Don’t provoke me. I’m young, with a fiery temper, a vibrant youth, and I act without thinking. I can’t stand being provoked.”

Earlier, on that night-sailing ship, Master was ambushed by this Wu Shuangjiang. At that time, they joined forces as four. Coincidentally, it’s four again now, but Chief Zhou has been replaced by the enshrined Xiao Mo.

It’s a fight!

Besides, they are currently within Flying Ascension City. Once Mistress chooses to deliver her sword with all her strength, tsk tsk.

Wu Shuangjiang glanced at the eager white-clad youth, “This me is only in the Jade Purity Realm. Why make such a fuss? One Cui Dongshan is enough.”

Chen Ping’an glared at Cui Dongshan, “Show some respect to Palace Master Wu.”

Zheng Dafeng urged, “Hurry up, Brother Cui, have a drink!”

Cui Dongshan had no choice but to drink a full bowl.

Wu Shuangjiang gently swayed her wine bowl and reminded Chen Ping’an, “The reason I took the initiative to find you this time is that I don’t want her half-protector to seem to be making rapid progress on the path of cultivation, but then suddenly suffer a major setback within a hundred years. Instead of protecting her, you might implicate her in reckless actions. She’s very soft-hearted. If such a day really comes, she will definitely not stand idly by. What’s the point of me turning against you then? It’s meaningless. So, you must understand one thing: it’s time to pay attention to those Fourteenth Realm cultivators, as well as the Flying Ascension Realm cultivators who have the potential to reach that realm.”

“This isn’t something far off; it’s happening right before your eyes. One careless mistake, and it’s someone you know.”

“Like me.”

Chen Ping’an nodded. Although he actually had similar concerns long ago and had recognized the many changes after the “change of heavens,” he absolutely wouldn’t allow a Pei Min of swordsmanship followed by a Wu Shuangjiang of the night-sailing ship, and then one day another someone doing the same thing! One thing can happen once or twice, but not a third time!

However, Chen Ping’an had to admit that if Wu Shuangjiang hadn’t appeared today, his level of attention would not have been enough, at least not enough in Wu Shuangjiang’s eyes.

Wu Shuangjiang asked with a smile, “Chen Ping’an, you don’t think that besides me, those peak Flying Ascension Realm cultivators who have been stuck in their realms for thousands of years are just spacing out every day, do you?”

Cui Dongshan slammed the table and exposed her, “Our Xiao Mo is sleeping!”

Xiao Mo smiled and nodded, very supportive, “A ten thousand-year sweet dream, slept well.”

Wu Shuangjiang ignored him and said, “For ten thousand years, the height and depth of the world’s Dao methods haven’t seen a leap of several major steps. Even with scholarship, it hasn’t truly broken free from the mold of the early philosophers. As for the even bigger barrier of writing, there’s no need to mention it. However, with the continuous fusion of Dao hearts and humanity, the resulting breadth and scope of Dao methods are incomparable to those of ten thousand years ago.”

Xiao Mo nodded, “Being by the Young Master’s side, I’ve roughly seen it and thought about it, but I can’t express it as concisely and succinctly as Palace Master Wu.”

Cui Dongshan cried out in anguish, “Xiao Mo, are you defecting to the enemy?”

Xiao Mo smiled shyly. He was just speaking objectively, but he still felt somewhat apologetic, so he poured himself a bowl of wine.

Chen Ping’an humbly asked for guidance, “Besides the Grand Cultivators who attended the riverside conference, I’ve met them all. Which other Flying Ascension Realm cultivators have the potential to cross that threshold?”

Wu Shuangjiang then proceeded to “point out the mountains and rivers” for Chen Ping’an.

Fourteenth Realm cultivators.

Not counting the Great Cultivators like the Quasi-Sage and Literary Sage who embody the advantages of the land.

The Grand Master of the White Jade Capital, the Dao Ancestor’s first disciple, is missing.

Besides the scholar Li Xisheng from Fortune Street in Li Zhu Cave Heaven, and the Daoist Zhou Li who went from the Divine Edict Sect to the Azure Profound Sect to oversee the Daoist scriptures, there’s one last person who is currently shrouded in mystery.

Bai Ye reincarnated, A Liang fell from his realm, and Liu Cha fell from his realm.

The sword cultivator Fei Ran and the old cultivator, Lu Fayen, who was the mentor of the old throne great demon, were devoured by Zhou Mi within the literary sea. Moreover, Zhou Mi single-handedly fought, won, and devoured them.