The bamboo hut, separated from the corridor by a single wall, was a world apart.

Inside, it resembled a boundless realm of cosmic nothingness. Chen Pingan sat cross-legged, eyes closed in repose, a severely damaged crimson Daoist robe and two broken sword fragments hovering before him.

This was the price Chen Pingan had to pay for his life-or-death struggle with Ma Kuxuan.

On the robe, “transmuted” from Chen Pingan’s very essence when he ascended to the Immortal Realm, numerous “篆文” (seal script), of varying colors and depths, were stirring restlessly, as if seeking to break free from their confines.

These were the true names of great demons, stitched onto Chen Pingan’s body by the Seamstress back in the prison, using secret techniques. Woven together, they resembled a vast expanse of rooted duckweed, swaying gently with the current.

And the roots of this duckweed were connected to Chen Pingan, who was in harmony with half of the Great Wall of Sword Qi.

The deeper the color of the demonic characters, the greater the ripples they created in the robe’s watery patterns. This presaged either ascension or advancement within the Immortal Realm.

As for the true names of demons in the Jade Purity Realm, they remained obediently dormant. No matter how much the “weeds” of characters embedded in the robe struggled, they remained immobile.

Chen Pingan was already an Immortal, and unless they obtained some great opportunity, they could not break through this invisible barrier, one of the manifestations of the Great Dao.

This ethereal constraint would exist continuously, in a manner akin to Daoist traces. It wasn’t that Chen Pingan could directly decide whether a great demon could break through to a higher realm on their cultivation path, but he could at least infer the current level, depth of cultivation, and even aptitude of a demon cultivator based on the strength of these true names.

This could be considered Chen Pingan’s hard-earned reward for “harmonizing with the Dao” of half of the Great Wall of Sword Qi. A Chen Pingan clad in white, eyes the color of pure gold, and wearing a Daoist coronet, floated back from a great distance. The style of the coronet was likely inspired by the golden coronet of the newly ascended Void Sovereign Wang Jia of Fuyu Continent. The lotus coronet had transformed into a more presumptuous design, and had even acquired a name: “Jade Capital Mountain.”

Chen Pingan granted the other himself a certain degree of freedom, mainly to protect and observe Ding Daoshi’s path.

Chen Pingan’s true form did not open his eyes, but frowned slightly and said, “You’ve only just cleaved open the primordial chaos, taking the first steps of creating a world. You’re far from being able to slack off, aren’t you?”

The coronet-wearing Chen Pingan squatted beside the broken sword, Night Wanderer, and said, “The old saying that ‘the beginning is always the hardest’ doesn’t apply here. Rest assured, I’m not qualified to say anything about being a person, but when it comes to getting things done, I’m definitely more reliable than you.”

Chen Pingan remained silent.

The coronet-wearing Chen Pingan smiled and said, “Between the ninth and tenth realm of a pure martial artist, they need to shatter the Heavenly Gate. Similarly, today’s savage realm Immortals in the Jade Purity Realm, those who bear true names, will need to inform you and say hello when they prove the Dao and ascend in the future.”

Chen Pingan said, “In the prison, I asked the Seamstress when I would truly be able to exert a substantial effect. The Seamstress’s answer was the Ascension Realm.”

At that time, Chen Pingan felt that the Ascension Realm was too far away for him.

Once he reached the Ascension Realm, he could trip them up on their path.

This situation was somewhat similar to that of a certain elusive fourteenth realm existence, who forcibly interrupted Chen Pingan’s three sword refinements, leaving even Bai Jing, who was helping to protect him, helpless.

Those ghostly tricks couldn’t kill Chen Pingan, whose physique was resilient and whose spirit was stable, but they could certainly disgust Chen Pingan, who was constantly running into obstacles during his rare seclusion.

The key was that Chen Pingan wasn’t sure if the other party would attempt a fourth time. This was the tiresome part of having to guard against a thief for a thousand days.

The coronet-wearing Chen Pingan was annoyed and said, “How could you even strip me of such insignificant memories?”

Chen Pingan folded his hands over his abdomen, his breathing long and even. With each exhalation and inhalation, a dazzling and brilliant galaxy would appear in the boundless void, while a large number of starfish-like constellations would disappear. The cycle continued, with life and death constantly in flux. The coronet-wearing Chen Pingan sat on the long sword he had temporarily pieced together. “Even if you reach the Ascension Realm one day, it’ll be, at most, a bit interesting, but not very meaningful. At most, you’ll sneakily set a trap, remotely deploy means, disrupt the mind, and delay a certain demon cultivator’s seclusion, only to worry that you might inadvertently help them hone their Daoist heart. Wouldn’t that be a waste?”

“So, it’s only when you become a fourteenth realm existence that things will become both interesting and meaningful.” “This saying may not be accurate either. Whether we can reach the Ascension Realm, we need to first see the effects of this observation, and we need Ding Daoshi to help us verify the feasibility of this ascension method. Harmonizing with the Dao is something that will take an unforeseeable amount of time. Heaven knows what the situation in the various worlds will be like at that time. After a hundred years, even fourteenth realm cultivators may not be worth much. The various worlds may be shattered, or maybe there will be peace and tranquility? Don’t let us work so hard to harmonize with the Dao, only to find that the day lilies on the table have gone cold.”

Chen Pingan ignored him.

The coronet-wearing Chen Pingan flicked his sleeves, raised his arm, and pointed with two fingers at the true name of a great demon on the broken robe.

The true name of that Immortal Realm demon was gently pressed down, as if a person had fallen to the ground and couldn’t get up. The crimson robe was indented in one place.

On the side of the Savage World, a great demon Immortal Sovereign, who was toasting and feasting with esteemed guests at his own dojo, suddenly felt stifled and his Daoist heart shook.

He immediately ordered the activation of the mountain protection array, and without hesitation, sacrificed two semi-Immortal artifact natal objects, deployed divine abilities, and carefully inspected his jurisdiction in his Dharma Idol form.

A good banquet filled with distinguished guests was thrown into chaos, and the Immortal Sovereign even began to personally investigate whether there were any spies hiding among the guests.

The coronet-wearing Chen Pingan smiled and said, “As long as you reach the fourteenth realm, you can still execute those below the Ascension Realm, even across a world.” “Besides, with my help, it will be very easy to find the whereabouts of those in the Ascension Realm in the future. Aren’t you yearning for the style of the ‘private swords’ of the Great Wall of Sword Qi in the past? Of course, we can also learn from them, sneakily go to the Savage World, and along the way, kill those above the Fifth Realm, and those below the Fourteenth Realm, including those in the Ascension Realm, and kill them all in one go.”

Chen Pingan still kept his eyes closed and said calmly, “Did eating a watermelon make you swell up like this?”

The coronet-wearing Chen Pingan was momentarily speechless. After a long silence, he hugged the back of his head, shook the coronet on his head, and mocked himself, “You’re ruthless to yourself.”

Chen Pingan smiled and said, “You’ve got it backwards. I’ve always been lenient with myself and strict with others.”

The coronet-wearing Chen Pingan wanted it back. The preface and opening of the book carefully written for Ding Daoshi were quite good.
Never would have Chen Ping’an opened his eyes and said, “Idleness is also idleness, let’s help with two serious matters.”

With minds connected, the white-robed Taoist could neither avoid nor escape, and could only jump down from that broken sword, waving his sleeve.

Within the realm of Grand Void, a towering Dharma Image appeared, making the two Chen Ping’ans appear as small as mustard seeds.

The Dharma Image’s hair, nails, skin, flesh, tendons, and blood vessels were all stripped away, leaving only a skeleton and countless meridians, along with the “Qi Apertures” serving as connecting points. Chen Ping’an had displayed similar “hanging image” star chart twice before. Once, it was for his closed-door disciple Zhao Shuxia, guiding him in boxing techniques, teaching him how to use pure true Qi, like a fire dragon running through water, in a more intuitive way, calling it martial arts.

So where lies the path? Explaining to Zhao Shuxia the entire origin and development. The other time was at the Great Wood Temple in the Lotus Root Blessed Land, preaching to the local Qi cultivators and martial artists, essentially opening a magnificent landscape painting for both sides, no longer the state of being at the bottom of a well, unable to see one’s fingers. Whether practicing martial arts or refining Qi, they could avoid many detours. In the eyes of the Blessed Land Qi cultivators at the time, there were various guesses and explorations regarding the number of Qi Apertures in the human body. Even Sun Wan’yan, with her good cultivation aptitude, only dared to lean towards the number of three or four hundred.

However, the image that Mountain Lord Chen revealed at that time showed a multitude of Qi Apertures in the human body, scattered like stars, with a solemn atmosphere, totaling more than a thousand!

The Taoist-robed Chen Ping’an looked up at the Dharma Image with golden light sparkling inside, “The human body is a small universe. Each Qi Aperture is both a ferry and a Daoist temple.”

He raised his sleeve, pointing, “You haven’t been idle either. The Golden Essence Copper Coins can be used like this? Each Golden Essence Copper Coin is a Fulu ship anchored at sea?”

It turned out that the number of Qi Apertures in this image was significantly greater than the two previous publicly revealed images, at least four hundred more.

And the number needed for Chen Ping’an to upgrade the quality of the flying sword Well-in-Moon, according to Zheng Juzhong’s deduction, was exactly one thousand five hundred.

The old ascensionist from Floating Continent, Yang Qiangu, called him a ghost, and was also afraid of Zheng Juzhong. Indeed, such reverence was not excessive at all.

“The wooden figure that your neighbor Wang Zhu deliberately chopped into a defective product and left for you was your first contact with human acupoints. The key was lost by Song Jixin, but the wooden figure was left by Zhigui. You have two awkward good neighbors.”

“During your travels, you intentionally purchased various medical books from the towns and cities, coordinating them with the mountain Daoist books and secrets collected along the way, gradually accumulating the number of Qi Apertures you knew to seven hundred.” “By browsing the secret files of the Summer Resort Palace and the treasured books in the Literary Temple’s Merit Forest, and carefully recording those secret realms that had been verified as ‘chicken ribs’ by senior Qi cultivators, or lost because many Immortal Mansion sects regarded them as closely guarded secrets, you gained great harvests. In fact, at this point, you had already obtained accurate identifications for nearly one thousand and sixty Qi Apertures. Right?”

“Lu Chen temporarily lent you Dao techniques, and you excavated your own world, respectively proving and negating those ‘chicken ribs’, and gained additional benefits in terms of quantity. Plus, traveling outside the heavens with her.”

“This is the achievement worthy of boasting about. I estimate that even if Yu Xuan knew, he would be surprised again and say ‘Daoist friend Chen’ once more.” “You said you would treat people with sincerity, and it’s fine if you don’t want to give Sun Wan’yan and them all the Qi Aperture locations, after all, they are outsiders. It wouldn’t be good for them to know too much, and it would be a small variable when they travel outside the Blessed Land in the future. But why even deceive your closed-door disciple Zhao Shuxia?”

Speaking of this, the Taoist-robed Chen Ping’an sighed, “Why deceive yourself and deliberately forget? Does a single sentence ‘I have struggled with myself for a long time’ really require separating into two selves? No wonder Chen Qingliu, an observer, would say you are a pitiful person.”

Chen Ping’an said, “So talkative.” The Taoist-robed man laughed, “You were originally talkative. Once, you murmured to a mountain, but the mountains did not echo back. Your voice will become lower and lower, and your heart will grow older and smaller. Believe me, if you had always had someone to accompany you when you were young, walking the night road with you, you would be so talkative that the other person would definitely find it annoying.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and dismissed it, rising and looking up at the ethereal Dharma Image as tall as a great mountain, with one thousand five hundred shining Golden Essence Copper Coins, each guarding a human Qi Aperture.

Among them, the five natal Qi Apertures containing Grand Refining objects were clear and vivid.

Beyond that, there was even greater phenomena.

However, the other serious matter was relatively more interesting.

Chen Ping’an had the Taoist-robed man create two “Chen Ping’ans,” one real and one fake, within the Mind Image world.

The real one was Chen Ping’an at this moment, and the fake one was Chen Ping’an stripped of his talismanic means.

The two sides faced off, fighting one-on-one. Without suspense, the former won, winning a second-rate genuine work.

Chen Ping’an shook his head, still dissatisfied, and planned to make the strength of the two sides even more disparate, “Remove all magic treasures and external objects, and eliminate all related spells and divine powers from the memories.”

The former easily defeated and killed the latter with overwhelming force, winning that Chen Ping’an who was almost a fake.

Chen Ping’an continued, “Then remove the latter’s martial artist identity.”

The Taoist-robed man shook his head, helpless, “It’s meaningless.”

Chen Ping’an pondered for a moment and said, “Then each remove half, only retaining the identities of sword cultivator and martial artist, pure against pure.”

The Taoist-robed man laughed, “That’s more like it.”

While Chen Ping’an focused on watching the battle, he took out a treasure from his sleeve, a ghostly green magic blade obtained from the immortal Han Yushu. This object had a great origin, obtained by the founding ancestor of the Ten Thousand Yao Sect from Green Dawn Grotto Heaven.

The Taoist-robed man glanced at the magic blade that even Han Yushu couldn’t Grand Refine, noticing a certain thought of the true body, and asked curiously, “It’s not that bad, is it?”

Chen Ping’an said, “It is. You always have to try to know if it will work or not.”

The Taoist-robed man reminded, “Once you choose to walk this path as a key auxiliary means of combining with the Dao, it will be time-consuming, laborious, costly, and mentally draining. There’s no turning back. If it fails, the loss will be too great.”

Chen Ping’an had a smile on his face, his eyebrows dancing, “On this path, progress step by step, constantly correcting, what if it succeeds? If it really doesn’t work, just consider it setting off a large string of firecrackers for the New Year!”

The Taoist-robed man reached out and rubbed his cheeks, “That’s a bit too extravagant.”

One day, when the opportunity to combine with the Dao arrives, within a small world of one’s own…
Heaven and earth resounded in unison, a clap of spring thunder booming across the mortal realm.

The Daoist-robed man chuckled, “Just thinking about it makes me feel so damn good! To hell with success or failure, I don’t care anymore!”

Chen Ping’an’s expression returned to normal, as he calmly stated, “A Daoist should possess such resolve.” Back in the prison, he and the white-haired boy, who liked to call himself “Frost Descent” back then, made a deal worth one Grain Rain Coin. If the boy could earn ten Minor Heat Coins from him through his own abilities, Chen Ping’an would be willing to plead on his behalf with the Old Sword Immortal, giving the boy a chance to regain his freedom.

One of the Minor Heat Coins the white-haired boy earned from the Old Hidden Official was for helping Chen Ping’an locate the six Reserve Sovereign Mountains, guided by the ten Vital Energy Aperture Great Daos.

At that time, Chen Ping’an was about to break through into the Cave Realm, finally having the chance to become a “Middle Five Realms Immortal,” something he had always yearned for. The white-haired boy said that opportunity knocks but once, and suggested striking while the iron was hot. When opening his Cave, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth would pour into his body, allowing a wisp of Chen Ping’an’s spirit to pinpoint the exact location of those six Reserve Sovereign Mountains using the mystical method of “carving a mark on a boat to find a lost sword.”

Even earlier, while traveling through Tongye Continent with Lu Tai, Lu Tai had explained many secrets and cultivation methods of the mountains to Chen Ping’an, a complete layman.

The great refinement of vital objects by cultivators is not necessarily about quantity. Only geniuses among geniuses qualify to pursue the realm of “the more, the merrier.”

Even “earthly talents” are not qualified to say that, only “heavenly talents” can.

If cultivators can be considered lucky people favored by the heavens, then Lu Tai’s so-called heavenly talent is not just the heavens giving a bowl, but directly sending a large pot and a dining table.

And such figures, rare to find even across the world, include a talisman user in the distant Central Earth Divine Continent, a Wei in the Albinism Continent, and, coincidentally, two right before his eyes.

At that time, Chen Ping’an looked at the guy with a playful smile and thought Lu Tai was a fool talking nonsense, so he didn’t take it seriously.

The Daoist-robed man said, “Lu Tai and the others have appeared at the Great Wall of Swords, not many of them, but among them is someone like the Lantern Festival of the Five Colors World.”

Chen Ping’an laughed, “I can barely take care of myself, I won’t bother with them.”

The Daoist-robed man said, “Reverend Ding’s book is about to turn the page into the second chapter.” Chen Ping’an said, “A descendant of the imperial family, scattered among the common people, experiencing hardships and scorn, meets an extraordinary person who favors the young man, and he begins his path of cultivation. Tell me, isn’t this opening cliché?”

The Daoist-robed man sighed in the tone of the true body, saying, “Great cliché is great elegance. I think the beginning of this story is very exciting.”

Chen Ping’an glanced at the Daoist-robed man, who insisted on his opinion.

Chen Ping’an had to back down a step and said, “When adding my and Xiangtong’s travels through mountains and rivers, remember the plot twists. Don’t make it too stiff, and don’t make the protagonist seem too much like a protagonist.”

The Daoist-robed man looked astonished, “Are you even copying your own book? That’s not good, it makes you seem like you lack learning and talent.”

Chen Ping’an remained silent, staring at the dharma image again, and made a decision.

The Daoist-robed man had no choice but to raise his hands, “Shall we each go our own way?”

Chen Ping’an nodded, sat down again, closed his eyes to rest, and placed his hands together, thumbs touching.

He did not remove the dharma image.

For a “mountain-dwelling cultivator,” time passes slowly, with countless thoughts, unaware of the sunrise, sunset, and weather changes outside the mountain.

According to the white-haired boy, the 365 acupoints in the human body are equivalent to 365 ready-made blessed lands, brought from the womb.

This is the root cause of why all spirits and monsters in the world must cultivate human forms.

Therefore, Chen Ping’an had those heartfelt emotions with Yu Shiwu in the Ma Mansion, that human form is hard to obtain and even harder to obtain again. Back in prison, when he had Nianxin sew his true name, Chen Ping’an’s realm was low, and the number of caves he could open was extremely limited. He only opened ten apertures. At that time, the five elements of his vital objects each occupied one, and the two extra Cage Bird and Well Moon vital flying swords, plus the First Day and Fifteenth Day flying swords that could not yet be refined into vital objects, definitely needed a place to reside. In addition, the Imitation Sword Pine Needle and Cough Thunder had to share a cave. Chen Ping’an simply had no extra vital energy apertures to place them, let alone refine them.

The scale of opening apertures back then was thanks to the three wisps of sword energy he received as a youth, which helped him open mountains and build caves early on.

Otherwise, Chen Ping’an would have been even more stretched and unable to start.

As for refining external spiritual tools and magical treasures into vital objects, Chen Ping’an never even considered it. Refining objects in the mountains costs money! He had no money! Moreover, not all spiritual treasures are suitable for medium and great refinement. Throughout history, there have often been great cultivators who stared blankly at a celestial weapon for hundreds of years, unable to find a method, or unable to break through layers of restrictions, or whose Dao did not match the supreme treasure, so they had to give it up and pass it on to a direct disciple or a grand-disciple.

Today is different from the past.

When the Daoist-robed man came to visit this place again, he marveled. As expected of himself, what a grand gesture.

What he saw was both high and deep. The ten Reserve Sovereign Mountains that had been found were all refined by Chen Ping’an’s true body into vital objects, like commanding troops, stationed in the cave residences, perfectly matching the five elements of vital objects, with a structure of “one master and two servants.” The former had the example of rewarding the latter, and the latter had the duty of paying tribute to the former.

The imitation swords purchased from the Hate Sword Mountain in Northern Club Continent were all refined by Chen Ping’an. Not small refinement, but directly skipping the medium refinement layer and greatly refining them into vital objects closely related to the Great Dao!

In addition, there was also the vital flying sword “” of the demon sword cultivator of the Zheng Rong Sect. The white-haired boy gave him a short sword engraved with the word “Profane.”

The number of vital energy apertures, the quality of the dojo, I want both.

Is greed bad? In the Immortal Realm, Chen Ping’an wants to go against the grain.

How unorthodox!

Chen Ping’an ignored the arrival of the Daoist-robed man, still sitting like a corpse.

Like a god in a shrine.

All the inch-sized and foot-sized objects were placed at his feet.

Obviously, the true body had only just begun to refine objects.

From the “leaving home” Bao Fu Zhai, to the “taking profit when one can” Hidden Official, to the Sword Immortal Chen, his travels and cultivation life had still accumulated some wealth.

The Daoist-robed man put his hands behind his back, pacing slowly, always looking up at the dharma image.
Within the depths of his Natal Water Mansion, a Water Character Seal slowly rotated. Below, a deep, shadowy pool hinted at the presence of蛟 dragons prowling its depths. Three walls within the mansion depicted lifelike 水神 and 水仙.

In another Natal Qi Mansion, atop a mountain shrine, stood a radiant, translucent pagoda, an imitation of the Jade Capital, exuding grand Daoist energy.

Within a misty, boundless Qi Mansion, a Sword Immortal Banner stood tall, fluttering in the wind, its precious light resplendent.

In a newly opened Qi Mansion, a solitary White Jade Spirit Mushroom, adrift and ethereal, trailed a rainbow of light.

A six-sided seal, imbued with the true essence of thunder and forming a self-contained world of lightning, hung high in the sky. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed, as if a divine being were simultaneously wielding a thousand golden whips, constantly lashing and solidifying the land of the Qi Mansion.

Also crafted were several robes of varying quality, some as vast as the sky, others covering mountains and rivers. Lower-quality robes resembled fleeting clouds in the vastness of existence.

Old Man Yang had once asked, “Chen Pingan, are you full?”

The answer was no.

Chai Wu was Wei Xian’s disciple. Wei Xian, ambitious for officialdom, had joined the armies of Great Li and ventured into the barbaric lands, seeking military merit. He had left the young girl behind.

Because Wei Hailiang said her talent was as good as his capacity for alcohol, Chai Wu had a decent understanding of her martial talent.

Later, another event further solidified her understanding.

Mountain Master Chen, a figure of legend, was said to rarely instruct even his own disciples in martial arts, let alone impart Dao. Yet, this very Mountain Master, who never readily offered guidance in cultivation, had personally imparted Dao to her, resulting in an unexpected outcome—essentially, a case of speaking of chickens to ducks, or playing the lute for a cow. Chai Wu knew she was indeed…

…fortunate enough to cultivate immortal arts, but only to the extent that she “could”!

So, when she ascended from the Willow Tendon Realm, a state said to be capable of keeping people, to the Jade Purity Realm within the Evergreen Cave of Secret Snow Peak, Chai Wu was more bewildered than anyone.

But she quickly realized it must be attributed to the natal flying sword gifted by Mister Xiao Mo. Moreover, those congratulating her were mostly her peers. Sect Master Cui did make an appearance once, uttering strange words, roughly praising her innate talent and asking, now that she was a Fifth-Rank Sword Cultivator, if she would be interested in inviting her master to join the Azure Ripple Sword Sect.

Every ferry, whether crossing continents or traveling short distances, required a test voyage.

Chai Wu boarded the Thunder Carriage ferry, delivered by the Yao Clan of Great Spring to Green Garment Ferry, and followed Overseer Jia, the Old Immortal, northward to her hometown.

But Chai Wu did not go to Sword Worship Terrace, as she found Bai Xuan rather annoying. Nor did she go to Fallen Peak, mainly because she feared the Second Seat Consecrator named “Xie Gou.”

Because she was rumored to be a Dao companion with Mister Xiao Mo, the young girl felt somewhat guilty, so she hid on the ferry, putting off visiting Fallen Peak or Riding Dragon Alley for as long as possible.

Actually, it wasn’t really hiding. Chai Wu liked ferries, liked that feeling of being “high above.”

As a result, even after the Thunder Carriage had returned from North Entire Reed Continent, Chai Wu thought it would be better to delay a few more days, perhaps visiting Cotton Tree Continent and returning next time.

Then, the Enforcer of Discipline, Chang Ming, appeared on the ferry at Ox Horn Ferry, telling the young girl that Xie Gou wanted her to visit Fufeng Mountain to have a chat.

Chai Wu frowned, but dared not refuse.

Reaching the Mountain Master’s personal Daoist site at Fufeng Mountain, a place of scenery so beautiful it left one speechless, was also a rather strange place.

In Chai Wu’s vision, all sights were distorted by light, though the trace was only noticeable upon close inspection.

It was as if all things in heaven and earth were composed of trillions of tiny threads, which swayed slightly when blown by the mountain wind.

Xie Gou leaned against the corridor wall, squinting at the Jade Purity Realm girl.

This was the girl who had received the natal flying sword stripped from Xiao Mo?

Chang Ming nodded to the Second Seat Consecrator, signifying that the girl had been delivered.

Xie Gou cupped his fist in salute to the smiling, long-robed woman. The Enforcer of Discipline, an official rank above his own.

Chang Ming patted Chai Wu’s head gently and said, “Don’t be nervous when you see your Consecrator.”

Chai Wu shrank back.

Chang Ming took out two bags from her sleeve and placed them on the corridor.

Xie Gou asked, “What’s that for?”

Chang Ming laughed, “Just some golden spirit coins, for when they’re needed.”

Xie Gou frowned.

Chang Ming explained, “Don’t worry, it’s not using our capital.”

Xie Gou nodded.

Indeed, Fallen Peak didn’t like that kind of “I think it’s this way” or “I’m doing this for your own good” nonsense.

After the Enforcer of Discipline, Chang Ming, left the mountain, Xie Gou asked, “Can you drink?”

Chai Wu blushed and honestly replied, “I drink a little, whether there’s something to celebrate or not.”

Xie Gou waved his hand and said, “That’s great! Let’s have a few drinks together, warm up the relationship.”

Chai Wu sat on the steps, took off her boots, and sat facing the sable-hatted girl. Two jugs of wine and two large white bowls were placed in the middle of the corridor.

Before drinking, Xie Gou asked, “Can you see what’s different here?”

Chai Wu looked cautious and said, “What do you mean by different?”

Xie Gou asked, “What do you think?”

Chai Wu’s forehead was covered in sweat. Xie Gou smiled and gestured, “Don’t just sit there, let’s drink.”

They each poured wine, acting with formality. The wine bowls clinked together. Chai Wu had originally planned to take a sip, but when she saw the other party raise her head and drink it all in one gulp, the young girl had no choice but to follow suit.

Xie Gou wiped his mouth and asked, “Little girl, do you know what a sword cultivator is?”

Chai Wu looked blank.

She had only cultivated for a few days, how could she answer such a question?

So, Xie Gou changed the subject and repeated the content of the magical arts given to the eight cultivation seedlings on Flower Shadow Peak of Jumping Fish Mountain, “Do you understand?”

Chai Wu nodded, “I understand.”

Xie Gou asked, “Can you learn it?”

After a moment, Chai Wu nodded, “I can barely manage.”

What Xie Gou saw was the state of the inner world of Chai Wu’s human body, and he had to admit that this “barely manage” was truly a great strain.

In truth, she had learned everything.

He thought to himself, it wasn’t that there was anything wrong with his imparting of Dao, but rather that the students who were fortunate enough to hear the Dao were simply hopeless!

Xie Gou poured another bowl of wine, raised his thumb, and exclaimed, “Wow, it’s actually a miniature Bai Jing!”

Earth materials matched earth immortals, heaven materials matched heaven immortals, that was the simplest method of calculation in the remote, vast ages of antiquity.
Judging by aptitude and inherent qualities, Xie Gou felt that among the younger generation in both Luopo Mountain and Qingping Sword Sect, Cao Qinglang and Bai Xuandu fell somewhat short.

Xie Gou now wondered if the little girl named Sun Chunwang would give him an unexpected surprise.

It was likely as Wei Bo had said, that in the eyes of their small circle of peak cultivators, everything below ascension was merely so-so.

If one were to ascend to a higher plane, would the older generation of fourteenth realm cultivators not view the newly arising Dao Integrators of this era in the same way?

Xie Gou laughed, “Our Mountain Lord has struck gold. No wonder he couldn’t teach you Daoist techniques.”

Chai Wu blinked, seemingly in disbelief, and quickly lowered her head to drink.

Xie Gou narrowed his eyes and said, “Little girl, why bother playing the fool every day, deceiving yourself? Do you have so little faith in this world? You’ve been in the Jade Pure Realm for so long, haven’t you recovered yet?”

Chai Wu hesitated, then raised her head, her eyes shining brightly.

Xie Gou said, “Too clever by half. You can fool simpletons like Bai Xuan and Sword Immortal Mi, even Cui Dongshan, but our Mountain Lord Chen?”

Chai Wu was at a loss for words.

Xie Gou asked, “Do you like hiding on the ferry so much, feeling the further away from the ground, the higher and better you are?” Because Chai Wu shared a common Daoist origin with Xiao Mo, and Xie Gou and Xiao Mo were “a match made in heaven, practically betrothed and ready to consummate their vows tomorrow”, Chen Ping’an had told Xie Gou a rough outline of Chai Wu’s childhood experiences and how she met Wei Xian. When she was four years old, the little girl with a tragic background was hidden in a dilapidated tomb by her parents, who were fleeing from disaster, in a hanging basket that contained all the food they had left.

Chai Wu finished the wine in her bowl, raised her arm to wipe her mouth, then looked up, shielding her eyes with her hand, her expression calm. She nodded and said, “I think the sunlit world is in high places.”

Xie Gou smiled, with neither pity nor surprise, and simply raised his wine bowl, “Let’s have one.”

Chai Wu poured a bowl of wine, blushing, and said, “I’m drinking too fast. I’m afraid I’ll say drunken words and go on a rampage later.”

Xie Gou said, “Then just take a sip.”

Chai Wu was greatly relieved and said, “Okay!”

Xie Gou suddenly asked, “Why don’t you become my disciple?”

Chai Wu shook her head, “I already have a master.”

Xie Gou sighed like his Mountain Lord, “You don’t understand wine, you’re clueless.”

Chai Wu’s eyes were firm.

Xie Gou clearly had a plan in mind and said, “You can acknowledge Wei Hailiang as your father, wouldn’t that be even closer? Then acknowledge me as your master.”

Chai Wu was stunned. Could it be done that way?

Two visitors arrived who, in theory, should never have appeared in the territory of Luopo Mountain.

One was a cold, stern young man, and the other was a thick-browed youth. They were both personal disciples of Ma Ku Xuan.

Previously, they had been staying on the summit of Zheyao Mountain, near the Mountain God’s temple, watching the movements in the capital of Yuxuan Kingdom from afar.

A white-haired child suddenly appeared out of nowhere, asking them if they wanted to ascend the mountain. If they did, they would have to register their names.

The young man, calling himself “Wang Zu” in both name and Daoist title, said that he was not ascending the mountain today, but was simply looking for someone, Chen Ping’an, your Mountain Lord.

The youth beside him, with a wood-chopping knife at his waist, said his name was Gao Ming, and asked the dwarf who claimed to be compiling the register if he could also register his name even if he didn’t ascend the mountain.

The white-haired child said there was no such rule. Upon hearing that Gao Ming was in the Middle Five Realms, he lost interest.

If he were a rare cultivator of the Lower Five Realms, he might have made an exception.

The diligent compiler now had two registers, a main one and a supplementary one.

The main register was, of course, for important matters, while the supplementary register was for everything else.

An old hunchbacked man in cloth shoes came from the mountain. When he reached the mountain gate, the old man gestured for them to sit down at the table and chat slowly.

Seeing that they didn’t move, Zhu Lian smiled and introduced himself: “Zhu Lian, I manage miscellaneous affairs at Luopo Mountain. Our Mountain Lord is currently in seclusion and cannot personally receive guests.”

Wang Zu said indifferently, “Since he refuses to show himself, then we shall leave.”

Gao Ming exclaimed, clearly unwilling to leave just yet. He had long admired the renowned Luopo Mountain and the well-known Mountain Lord Chen.

The youth had indeed found a common ground: they both had wood-chopping knives at their waists. They would probably have something to talk about if they met.

Although Old Ma had a foul mouth, he was still generous with a few kind words when talking about Chen Ping’an. Zhu Lian smiled and said, “Don’t think our Mountain Lord is being haughty, or misunderstand that he’s simply using seclusion as an excuse to get rid of you. To put it bluntly, I don’t often have to personally greet guests at the mountain gate. To tell you the truth, the Mountain Lord is indeed in seclusion. Otherwise, he would definitely be willing to meet you. I’ve said the unpleasant and the pleasant, it’s up to you to decide whether to leave or not.”

Wang Zu seemed to be determining the truth of the old man’s words. Gao Ming was a blabbermouth, saying, “Regardless of whether it’s true or not, even if it’s a lie, a great steward who can manage everything is willing to come to the foot of the mountain to deal with us, which is giving us enough face. Don’t the books say that the doorman of a prime minister is a third-rank official? Moreover, Zhu Lian is a great steward. Senior Brother, you’re not enough here with your ‘Double Gold’, so don’t be pretentious. Listen to me, don’t rush to leave, sit down and chat slowly.”

The so-called “Double Gold” refers to a person who is simultaneously in the Golden Body Realm and the Golden Core Realm.

The previous one was Grandmaster Wen, who is now a boxing instructor in Tiaoyu Mountain.

Among the numerous letters sent to the sword chamber on Jise Peak like snowflakes, one came from the Jade Regulation Sect of Tongye Continent, inviting Chen Ping’an to attend the Jindan celebration of Qiu Zhi of Jiuyi Peak. Bai Xuan’s Heroic Register was described by Zheng Dafeng as a Register of Life and Death, but the old cook said it was an Edict of Loyalty with bones of iron. Among those listed on the register was this talented swordsman, the Peak Lord of Jiuyi Peak, Qiu Zhi, a peer of Bai Xuan whom he met and became friends with on Qingping Peak. There were also two generals, Bai Shou, the Peak Lord of Pianran Peak of the Taiwei Sword Sect in Northern Club Continent, who could hold the rear. Wen Zizai of Lingfei Palace in Treasure Bottle Continent could serve as the vanguard.

Flipping through the Heroic Register every day with moistened fingers, Bai Xuan himself felt that the lineup he had painstakingly assembled was terrifyingly strong.

Wang Zu said, “I am accompanying my junior brother here this time.”
Gao Ming transmitted his thoughts, saying, “Old Ma told me a name. He said that as long as someone actively came to Mount Luopo and told Chen Ping’an, a great opportunity would be waiting for me. Chen Ping’an definitely wouldn’t let me come for nothing.”

Zhu Lian nodded, focusing his voice into a line and whispering, “Revered Immortal Gao, you can either find a place to stay in the town and wait for our Mountain Master to come out of seclusion, and I will inform you. Or you can tell me the name, and I’ll relay it to the Mountain Master. Revered Immortal, leave an address, and the Mountain Master will personally seek you out.”

Wang Zu asked with suspicion, “You’re not going to ask about that ingrate’s whereabouts?”

In Treasure Bottle Continent, there are quite a few people who know that Ma Kuxuan has a maidservant and two disciples. Mount Luopo and the Northern Peak Pīyún Mountain have such a close relationship; there’s no reason for them not to know about this.

Ma Kuxuan gave him such an unlikable name; her true name is actually Su Qingshen.

She followed the general direction of that golden light, going alone to the Central Earth Divine Continent.

Isn’t this like searching for a needle in the ocean?

True, a woman’s heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea.

They don’t even understand what that golden light is or what it contains.

Because Master Ma Kuxuan personally told the three of them that if he lost, he, with his special status, would definitely not be reincarnated.

Even though he was saying things that sounded like a dying wish, they saw a kind of… ease and anticipation on Ma Kuxuan’s face.

Wang Zu was saddened by this. Even the firewood-chopping youth, who was even more easygoing than “Old Ma,” the kind who could sleep soundly even if the sky fell, was heartbroken at the time.

Perhaps Ma Kuxuan couldn’t stand the atmosphere, he kicked his little disciple in the crotch, and the latter howled, saying that if he broke it, he would fry him a plate of egg fried rice.

At the time, Su Qingshen’s face didn’t show any particular emotion.

Zhu Lian smiled and said, “Our Mount Luopo won’t be so down on its luck that we need to make things difficult for a young woman.”

Wang Zu seemed to be waiting for this answer and said, “Senior Brother Gao can reveal the name today, but I want to gamble. I’ll tell you when I reach the Yuanying Realm and hit a bottleneck.”

The implication was that he planned to use the name to exchange for a guaranteed Jade Pure Realm breakthrough. But if he smoothly broke through the bottleneck, he would reveal the secret later.

He was betting that Mount Luopo and Chen Ping’an would neither make things difficult for Su Qingshen nor for himself, Ma Kuxuan’s first disciple.

Then the name he knew would be of great use at a crucial moment.

Zhu Lian nodded and smiled. “As expected of Ma Kuxuan’s first disciple, bold and daring, even willing to gamble.”

Ma Kuxuan left Chen Ping’an with three riddles.

The answer actually has two layers. Even if Chen Ping’an knew the three names, he would still have to guess who they were and what they would do.

A group of uninvited guests from the Azure Nether World, led by the newly-ascended Fourteenth Realm Zhang Fenghai, stood on the plain south of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Besides him were Xin Ku from Runyue Peak, Lu Tai from the Central Earth Lu Clan, Lü Bixia, and Yuan Ying and Shi Xingyuan, whose two masters, Liu Qi and Cao Zu, were now in the Great Harmony World.

They all looked up at the inscriptions on the city walls.

This is it, the place that has been a battleground for millennia.

There once was someone wearing a bright red Dharma robe, standing here holding a sword, a person who was the focus of the world’s attention.

On the mountain path of Jise Peak, the white-haired boy who was patrolling the mountain with Xiao Mili suddenly stopped. He reached out and covered his forehead, swaying back and forth as if drunk.

A tall, old Taoist priest tore through the sky, neither greeting the chaotic White Jade Capital nor reporting to the Great Harmony Confucian Temple, directly arriving at Mount Luopo.

As luck would have it, a young man in green robes had one foot on a bench, chatting with Immortal Attendant Daoist.

Seeing the majestic old Taoist priest, he sensed something was wrong, shrank his neck, and was about to run away. He had had a small misunderstanding with that old senior with profound Taoist magic before.

But the old Taoist priest reached out and grabbed him by the back of his collar, lifting him high up. “Want to run?”

Chen Lingjun, with his feet dangling in the air, began to play dead.

Xie Gou put his hands on his hips and laughed loudly, “Wahahaha, Old Man Bixiao, long time no see! Where’s my Xiaomo?”

The old master of the East Sea View Taoist Temple, Daoist title Bixiao Cave Master, said, “Xiaomo needs to seclude herself in the Bright Moon Daoist training ground, the length of time is uncertain, so I came to tell you.”

Xie Gou looked at Bixiao Cave Master.

The old Taoist priest transmitted his thoughts, “Sun Daoren of Xuandu Temple and White Jade Capital passed a sword across states. Yu Dou, wearing a feathered coat and holding a celestial sword, took the initiative to leave White Jade Capital to receive the sword.”

“After a while, Wu Shuangjiang, Gao Gu, Jiang Xiu, three old and new Fourteenth Realm experts, plus a flying sword cultivator Baolin, jointly challenged White Jade Capital with their swords.”

Xie Gou’s expression became solemn. “The result?!”

The old Taoist priest said calmly, “They all died.”

Xie Gou raised his palm and rubbed his chin.

Daoist Immortal Attendant hesitated again and again, but still got up and gave the old Taoist priest a salute.

The old master had no choice but to throw Chen Lingjun away.

This Bixiao Cave Master, who was said to never forgive people, turned around and returned a salute to the Taoist priest with the wooden hairpin in his hair.