The Fish Scale Wharf was constantly expanding to accommodate more large ferries like the Tung-yin, transforming a temporary ferry crossing into a permanent one. It was said that the Yun-yan Kingdom’s court had outsourced the production of official aged vinegar, Yi wine, and ink. Some audacious youths from the capital city were night fishing here, not far from the pleasure boats wafting with the scent of rouge and powder. The hosts engaging in lively banter were mostly powerful figures from the lower reaches of the mountains, hosting immortal masters from the peaks. They appreciated the moonlight, discussed relationships, and spent fortunes on drinks. These men clinked glasses and addressed each other as brothers, and both their surnames seemed to be ‘Money’. The youths by the river whispered among themselves, speculating which boats belonged to which imperial relatives or sons of high-ranking officials. Occasionally, a woman would stumble to the boat’s railing, dab her mouth with a handkerchief, and tidy her makeup. After hesitating, she would discard the handkerchief instead of putting it back into her sleeve and hurry back into the revelry.

Nowadays, everyone in the court and the public knew that the owner of the Tung-yin Ferry was a sect-headed immortal mansion. Moreover, the court had imposed a curfew, forbidding idlers from approaching the Tung-yin Ferry and disturbing the sword immortals’ quiet cultivation. Therefore, the waters around the Tung-yin Ferry were relatively tranquil. Occasionally, a small boat would approach, and a warrior, nimble as a wild bird darting from the reeds, would perform qinggong, lightly touch the water surface and warn the small boat to turn back immediately. The warrior would grumble inwardly, then reverse course, bow low, gather his qi, and tread on the water as lightly as a feather, as if walking on flat ground, wanting to sneak back to the shore. On the way, he noticed two figures looking towards him from the boat’s railing – a man in a blue robe with a gentle expression, and a long-bearded Daoist carrying a whisk and a sword.

The warrior was startled and hurriedly stopped, bowing to the two unfamiliar immortal masters on the boat as an apology. To his surprise, the man in the blue robe returned the bow with a smile. This made the warrior, who had been swallowing his frustration at Fish Scale Wharf, pause in confusion. He assumed the man’s realm must be low, and his status ordinary. Yet, the warrior couldn’t help but wonder, how could someone of ordinary status reach the Tung-yin Ferry?

The entire capital region of the Yun-yan Kingdom was outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense. Fish Scale Wharf, being of utmost importance, prompted some of the warrior’s peers to joke that if a dog relieved itself on the road, they would have to report it to the court for record.

Lu Yan laughed, “Didn’t they recognize your identity?”

Chen Pingan said helplessly, “Dongshan said that the Yun-yan Kingdom’s court might be expressing their gratitude by keeping only text records of all registered Qingping Sword Sect and Jade Decree Sect cultivators, without any visual representations.”

Lu Yan teased, “That’s quite the profound awe.”

Chen Pingan didn’t elaborate. In the old Tung Leaf Continent, any sect-headed immortal mansion was the undisputed Lord of Heaven, and the immortals’ joys and sorrows were like the weather.

The mountains and rivers were beautiful, like a beautiful, mute woman full of affection.

A man’s life floats like dust on the roadside, worldly affairs are like ripples on the water.

Lu Yan continued the previous topic, saying, “I will strive not to delay Mountain Lord Chen’s cultivation for too long.”

Chen Pingan replied, “Is protecting the Dao not a form of cultivation?”

When Daoists descended from the mountains, aside from experiencing the mortal world to temper their Dao hearts, it was nothing more than seeking immortal opportunities, gathering rare treasures, accumulating merit, and increasing their Dao power.

There were also three external matters that, though occasional, were of great importance. The first was guarding a pass for someone, like the Qing Shen Dynasty’s state preceptor, Yao Qing, guarding the pass for the ghost Xu Juan.

The second was to guide people, to usher them up the mountain. To put it bluntly, it was to seek out cultivating talents, accept them as disciples, strengthen the sect, and continue the Dao lineage.

The third was to protect someone’s Dao. For example, in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, Jiang Shangzhen, as Zhou Fei of the Spring Tide Palace, wanted to help Lu Fang of the Bird’s Eye Peak break through a barrier of love. Jiang Shangzhen spent considerable time on this, but the problem was that the sword cultivator Lu Fang had never broken his inner demon. It was estimated he was still stuck in a ghost wall within the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. According to Chief Zhou, if Lu Fang had been willing to enter the Jade Decree Sect earlier, he wouldn’t have had to go to the Lotus Flower Blessed Land at all. Forced melons are not sweet, but they quench thirst. Unfortunately, Lu Fang, the stubborn fool, would not see reason.

Previously, in the private Daoist temple at the Foot of the Swaying Mountain, the old abbot had given two comments on Xun Yuan, his half-neighbor, one negative and one complimentary.

One was that Xun Yuan’s mind wasn’t broad enough, making him one of the culprits responsible for the continent’s sinking. “What is cultivation? Only personal interests. The ills of the Tung Leaf Continent, Xun and Du share half the blame.”

The other was praise that wasn’t stingy: “Disciples like Zheng Juzhong and Xun Yuan are indeed welcome in abundance.”

Lu Yan stroked his beard and smiled, “If Mountain Lord Chen is so polite, then this poor Daoist will truly take advantage of you.”

Chen Pingan nodded, “Please, don’t be a stranger.”

The reason Lu Yan wanted Chen Pingan to be his Dao protector wasn’t because Chen Pingan was the only one he could find. Wandering the world for three thousand years, Lu Yan still had a few Daoist friends.

Like the Fire Dragon Real Man, who came to the Tung Leaf Continent with him, was a friend of many years. But as the Fire Dragon Real Man himself said, the matter of guarding a pass was easy, and he was willing to undertake it and would not refuse. However, the matter of protecting the Dao required a lot of effort, and he would have to find someone else. He did not have the patience for that.

Someone on the mountain had made an analogy that helping someone guard a pass was like working a short-term job, and helping someone protect the Dao was like working a long-term job.

Chen Pingan said, “I hope the result is just protection, where I have no merit but only a little effort.”

Lu Yan smiled knowingly, “If that’s truly the case, then it would be best.”

The implication was excellent. The easier it was for Chen Pingan to protect the Dao, the less he had to get involved, putting in effort without actually doing much. Naturally, it meant that Lu Yan’s cultivation would be smoother.

Lu Yan suggested, “Mountain Lord Chen might as well just enter that blessed land with an avatar. That should be enough.”

Chen Pingan was hesitant to decide how to enter the blessed land, saying, “I know very little about that place. Does Senior have any detailed records like gazetteers that I can study beforehand?”

Lu Yan shook his head, “This poor Daoist only has some hearsay and can’t offer much inside information. I only know that because it is a top-grade cave heaven and a mid-grade blessed land, it has always been said to be ‘top-heavy and bottom-light,’ with extremely strict entry and numerous barriers. This poor Daoist was able to experience it only because the Saintly Master helped mediate, giving me an exception. The Saintly Master also told me explicitly that an exception comes with a price, but he didn’t specify what that price was, only letting me consider it carefully before making a decision.”
Chen Ping’an pondered in his heart, “A blessed land of medium quality? That means there aren’t many Qi Refinement cultivators, and their realms are limited?”

During his travels, Li Bao’an had once discussed a similar issue with Cui Dongshan.

At that time, the white-robed youth smiled mischievously and asked the little girl in the red cotton jacket a question: “Have you ever bought hot tofu at a street stall?”

It turned out that in the eyes of numerologists, from the vast world to any blessed land, the total amount of heaven and earth spiritual energy, and the dynasty’s fortune, is a fixed quantity of one.

Therefore, every martial artist who becomes a grandmaster of the Jianghu, and every cultivator who attains the realm of Earth Immortal, is like cutting tofu on a cutting board. First come, first served. The weight of the tofu determines the level of achievement…

Li Bao’an’s subsequent question caught the carefree Cui Dongshan off guard, “Do you have to pay to cut a piece of tofu? Is the price fixed for anyone who buys tofu from the vendor, or are there discounts?”

Chen Ping’an asked a crucial question, “Does the venerable one know who is in charge of that grotto-heaven?”

Lu Yan hesitated for a moment and said, “The Three Daoist Ancestors only established some rules in the beginning and didn’t interfere in specific matters. It is said that only a few truly manage things, each with a divine title.”

The ascent to heaven, the change of heaven and earth. Some of the ancient deities, such as the Wind God, were able to retain their divine positions. Later, mountain-top cultivators only knew the channels through which these deities traveled to the human world, which were mostly the ancestral courts of military strategists in various continents. However, where they resided, or rather, where they were imprisoned, remained a matter of speculation. After all, the Three Daoist Ancestors could not allow these deities to scatter outside the heavens. Otherwise, the meticulous ascent to heaven, attracting the return of all gods, would have caused the gradual collapse of all avenues, and the human world would have been in chaos. Not to mention favorable weather, even the separation of the netherworld and the alternation of seasons would have become a luxury. The Three Daoist Ancestors would have to disperse their Dao and mend the gaps in those avenues.

And this group of ancient deities, as well as the new deities born with the four continents, their “golden bodies” were fixed “above the clouds” where the grotto-heaven and blessed land were connected.

That’s why Lu Yan said, “The rules there are strict.”

Chen Ping’an changed the topic and asked, “What is the biggest impression the venerable one has after traveling through the Azure Firmament?”

Lu Yan smiled and said, “The color of the Azure Firmament there is truly ‘vibrant and dripping,’ as if it is about to drip onto the earth.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and said, “It’s like the glaze of a certain type of porcelain in my hometown. I must take the opportunity to see the unique scenery there.”

Lu Yan lightly waved his horsetail whisk and smiled, “I once encountered an extraordinary person in a certain mountain who said that the invisible time in this world is smelted from fragments of golden bodies.”

Chen Ping’an asked, “What is smelting?”

Lu Yan said, “Incense offerings.”

Chen Ping’an pondered for a moment and said, “A fantastic idea.”

Lu Yan said, “This person also said that dreams are one of the incense burners.”

Chen Ping’an shook his head and said, “Hard to believe.”

Lu Yan took out an unremarkable yellow silk pouch from his sleeve and handed it to Chen Ping’an, briefly explaining the contents of the pouch, “A dozen or so items, each packed in a small pouch. Besides the five-colored soil from the great mountains of the Vast Expanse and the Azure Firmament, there are also a few not-so-precious, but not-so-common magical treasures. Headmaster Chen can count them yourself later. Consider it a reward for the upcoming Dao escort mission.”

Chen Ping’an reached out and gently pushed the pouch back, politely declining, “I cannot accept a reward without merit. It’s not too late to discuss this when the Dao escort mission is accomplished.”

“It’s just a deposit. The rest will be calculated separately at that time.”

Lu Yan handed the pouch to Chen Ping’an and smiled, “On the way here, Fire Dragon True Man said that when giving gifts, especially to Headmaster Chen, it’s best to give them one by one, to show more courtesy and affection. I found it troublesome, so I skipped it.”

Chen Ping’an put the pouch into his sleeve and gave the Pure Yang True Man a Daoist greeting.

Fire Dragon True Man laughed and said, “Counting money, staring at a lonely ingot of silver on the table is not as enjoyable as looking at a pile of copper coins.”

Cui Dongshan chimed in, “Exactly, exactly. A Grain Rain Coin is not as festive as a mountain of Snowflake Coins.”

Pei Qian said, “Grain Rain Coins and Lesser Heat Coins have a premium when converted to Snowflake Coins. Master is practical and doesn’t care about appearances, so he will definitely choose the former.”

Cui Dongshan pretended to suddenly understand, and took out a folding fan from somewhere, striking his palm with it, “I was one step behind. It seems that the eldest senior sister understands the master better.”

As he spoke, he glanced at the pouch and reminded his master in his mind, “The most valuable thing is the pouch itself.”

Fire Dragon True Man said in his mind, “Your existing Five Elements natal objects are already of good quality. This Pure Yang Daoist friend especially likes to travel to famous mountains and rivers. The gifts he gives correspond to each of the Five Elements. It may be a bit of an exaggeration to say that it’s like sending charcoal in the snow, but it would be an understatement to say that it’s just icing on the cake. When you return to your mountain dojo, carefully refine them, and I believe it will be of great benefit, helping you take your Immortal realm to the next level without any difficulty. This is what it means to know if someone is an expert with just one move.”

Fire Dragon True Man hesitated for a moment, but still didn’t reveal something. In fact, the real “reward” Chen Ping’an should ask for is a good discussion with the Pure Yang True Man, to learn some “family secret” Daoist mental techniques. To meet the Pure Yang Daoist but not exchange Daoist techniques, to not discuss the Golden Elixir Dao, is no different from returning empty-handed from a mountain of treasures.

To put it bluntly, this kid is too concerned about this and that when doing business with people. In the end, he’s still too thin-skinned, just a piece of tender tofu.

Chen Ping’an returned to the wine table with Lu Yan.

Xie Gou had already told Cui Dongshan about the Daoist cultivator, letting Sect Master Cui decide whether to bring her up the mountain.

Unexpectedly, Cui Dongshan listed the female cultivator and her fellow Daoists’ backgrounds, Daoist titles, and sects, as if he knew them like the back of his hand.

Xie Gou was puzzled and asked him if he had long admired the woman’s aptitude. Cui Dongshan laughed and said that he didn’t have the ability to foresee the future or have a heavenly eye. He was just well-informed. That group of a dozen or so people arrived in the capital earlier than you and the master. He often visited the ministries and departments when he was free, flipped through the files of the Ministry of Punishments, and remembered them after a few glances. He didn’t pay attention at first, and almost missed this great opportunity. Vice Minister Xie, rest assured, since it’s a talent personally recommended by Vice Minister Xie, I and the Green Willow Sword Sect will definitely cultivate her with emphasis.
Cui Dongshan, curious about Xie Gou’s affairs, wondered if he had ever considered establishing his own sect one day.

Xie Gou, however, lacked enthusiasm. He said, even with a personal disciple, a whole group of grand-disciples and great-grand-disciples, finding a suitable sanctified ground for opening a sect, establishing a grand school, and even having subordinate sects, what then? Cultivation was still a solitary journey. Could anyone else truly do it for you?

Cui Dongshan nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice, chanting, “Everyone has their own aspirations, all good, all good.”

The arrival of True Lord Fire Dragon was like a large bowl of sobering soup poured over Feng Xuetao’s head.

Though nervous, Feng Xuetao remained resolute, not uttering a single soft word.

After all, he was an old-timer Ascendant Realm cultivator, and Aiai Continent had strained relations with Northern Ju Continent. In any case, it was inappropriate to show any fawning demeanor toward True Lord Fire Dragon.

Moreover, as a rogue cultivator, he had some experience in understanding people’s hearts.

Indeed, the old True Lord didn’t mind at all, but rather looked at Feng Xuetao with appreciation, smiling as he took a seat. He even drained a bowl of wine and wiped his mouth. The old True Lord said amiably, “Fellow Daoist Qingmi, I have drunk the ‘penalty wine’. However, the word ‘North’ must remain. Although you Aiai Continent have recently added two new Fourteenth Realm cultivators, Liu, the God of Wealth, and Wei, the Genius, you are all good, and your ability to make money is unmatched in all Nine Continents. But there is one thing you are not good at: fighting.”

When it came to fighting, Feng Xuetao didn’t dare to speak out of turn. Qingmi of Aiai Continent was never among the elite Ascendant Realm cultivators of the Great World.

Especially after personally venturing into the Wildlands, Feng Xuetao’s ambition had waned even further.

Cui Dongshan transmitted his voice, “Brother Feng, quickly seize the opportunity and ask, is it true that a senior of the Fourteenth Realm can fight two others of the same realm?”

Feng Xuetao ignored him. Was he an idiot? Daring to ask such a question was just asking for a beating.

Xie Gou, however, had no such concerns and asked directly, “Having achieved Dao Union, what kind of scene is the world in your eyes?”

True Lord Fire Dragon stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before slowly saying, “The mysteries within cannot be fully explained. I can only say this: in my eyes, the world is a stove, and you all are firewood.”

Xie Gou asked, “Is the invisible spiritual energy that flows throughout the world the spark that you can use at any time?”

True Lord Fire Dragon remained noncommittal, smiling, “It is quite strange that a friend of the Dao has not yet ascended to the Fourteenth Realm. Serving as a Second Seat Enshrinement is a waste of talent.”

Xie Gou followed up, “Does Couching Dragon Peak lack a First Seat?”

True Lord Fire Dragon was known as a master of conversation, able to answer any question and warm any cold atmosphere. “If Mountain Lord Chen doesn’t mind me poaching talent, there’s no harm in being a nominal First Seat Enshrinement.”

Xie Gou grinned and said, “Forget it, a woman doesn’t marry two husbands.”

True Lord Fire Dragon immediately transmitted his voice, “As long as Fellow Daoist Bai Jing becomes the First Seat Enshrinement of Couching Dragon Peak, he can openly go to Aiai Continent with me and meet Liu, the God of Wealth, and Wei, the Genius. A two-on-two fight is as fair as it gets, and it will be justified. As long as we don’t get too heated, the Confucian Temple won’t be able to say anything.”

Xie Gou’s eyes lit up, “Leading the charge? Let me test whether I can take on two at once? If things look bad, you can lend a hand?”

Xie Gou was extremely curious about the capabilities of these new Fourteenth Realm cultivators.

True Lord Fire Dragon put down his wine bowl, wiped his mouth, and smiled, “Some things are best enjoyed in thought. Once you’re happy, that’s enough.”

Perhaps feeling that it was rare to have such a sophisticated gathering, the old True Lord was in high spirits and spoke at length about his own cultivation experiences. “Whether it comes naturally or purely by luck, as long as a cultivator successfully enters the Fourteenth Realm, it is equivalent to finding a path that infinitely approaches longevity. Then, just slowly endure. For pure martial artists, there is the saying that ‘a fist is afraid of the young’. But for cultivators, nearing the peak, one must still consider that the longer one’s Dao Age, the higher one’s cultivation. New Fourteenth Realm cultivators become old Fourteenth Realm cultivators. When the struggling wife finally becomes a mother-in-law, she will naturally be qualified to look down on the next batch of new Fourteenth Realm cultivators.”

“Many Ascendant Realm cultivators with decaying forms often mistakenly believe that cultivation is just this. I also had a bleak period of Dao Heart regression.”

“Who among those who can ascend to the Ascendant Realm isn’t a heaven-chosen genius? When they first attained Ascendance, who didn’t have a heart of courageous advancement? But as time goes by, cultivation is hindered, and it is inevitable that they become lazy, then believe that there is no hope for the Great Dao, and become completely discouraged. Little do they know that there are a total of fifteen realms in cultivation, like a three-part book. When the Nascent Soul Realm breaks through and enters the Upper Five Realms, they will think that they have come to the third part of the book. But when they reach the Immortal Realm, they will be shocked to discover that they are still only in the second part?”

Hearing this, Feng Xuetao interjected, “The scarier part is being in the Ascendant Realm and fearing that you are only in the first part of the book.”

Lü Yan smiled, “By this analogy, after Dao Union, one must fear that one’s cultivation career is only a preface, right?”

True Lord Fire Dragon laughed heartily, simply raising his wine bowl, “Nothing is better than a cup in hand; outside the cup, there are no worries.”

Xie Gou echoed, “Falling asleep until waking naturally, waking when the meal is ready.”

Cui Dongshan praised, “Good poem, no strict rules, but full of flavor.”

Only Pei Qian remained focused, eyes and nose aligned, silently drinking. Everyone else instinctively looked at Mountain Lord Chen, whose talent and poetic reputation had spread throughout several Heavens.

Taking advantage of the presence of both the Pure Yang Daoist and True Lord Fire Dragon, Feng Xuetao felt that the atmosphere was good, and with the courage of wine, he asked a rather vulgar question, “Can an Ascendant Realm cultivator not necessarily defeat a Fourteenth Realm cultivator?”

As far as he knew, A Liang had two spars with True Invincible Yu Dou in the Outer Heavens of Azure Underworld. This was a fight between an Ascendant Realm Sword Cultivator and a Fourteenth Realm cultivator. The only spectators were Outer Demons.

In the overseas regions of Southern Prosperous Continent, Chen Chun’an intercepted the Wildlands’ Liu Cha. This was a life-or-death struggle between an Ascendant Realm Consummate Scholar who carried the sun and moon on his shoulders and a newly advanced Fourteenth Realm Sword Cultivator.

On the battlefield of Old Dragon City in Treasure Bottle Continent, True Dragon King Zhu had a limited exchange with the Wildlands’ throne-bearer, Fiery Consort, and the Zhu Yan.

In the territory of Lifting Moon Mountain, the young Hidden Official and Yuan Xiong, the eldest disciple of the Wildlands’ Great Ancestor, engaged in a contest of strength between two Fourteenth Realm cultivators. However, neither side was a pure Sword Cultivator in the true sense.

Some results were logical. Some victories and defeats were unexpected.

True Lord Fire Dragon said with a smile, “What is meant by ‘defeat’? Is it a draw when one is at a lower realm, or a retreat, or a kill? Fellow Daoist Qingmi’s wording must be more precise, otherwise it will be difficult to clarify.”
Feng Xuetao questioned, “Could it be that a cultivator in the Ascension Realm actually has a chance to slay someone in the Fourteenth Realm?”

True Man Fire Dragon stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, “Before this year, there would be absolutely no chance of victory. A single realm’s difference is the difference between Heaven and Earth. After this year, it’s hard to say.”

“I once discussed this matter with friends, and we reached a consensus: if an Ascension Realm cultivator can escape unscathed from a Fourteenth Realm opponent, without damaging their Dao foundation, that can be considered a victory.”

True Man Fire Dragon fell silent for a moment, then said, “For example, Fellow Daoist Chunyang, if he were walking down the road and had a dispute with some newly-ascended Fourteenth Realm cultivator from a certain world, and reason couldn’t prevail, forcing them to fight, then Fellow Daoist Chunyang would have a significant chance of winning if the battle truly ignited his spirit.”

Lü Yan chuckled softly and shook his head slowly, “Such a hypothetical situation isn’t reliable.”

Xie Gou laughed heartily, unable to close his mouth. “Haha, what if Bai were a pure sword cultivator? What if the Chicken Soup Monk possessed supreme treasures of attack similar to the Four Immortal Swords? What if the Old Blind Man had refined one or two Natal Words? And what if Zhou Mi secretly ate two or three Fourteenth Realm cultivators? Or if most of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Realm great demons in the Wilderness perished? What if the Little Master isn’t bound by the rules? What if the Cave Master of Bixiao encountered a world where toads won’t eat water? If there is a thousand years of peace in the Human Realm… and if I were to ascend to the Fourteenth Realm, gathering twenty or so major and minor Daos, interconnected like the sea and land, with a sword qi as vast as a river… Hahaha…”

True Man Fire Dragon glanced at the sword cultivator Bai Jing, who had the appearance of a young woman in a sable hat.

Could she truly possess twenty-odd profound Dao veins?

Even though he had long known her to be a cultivator of extraordinary talent and possessing great foundations, True Man Fire Dragon couldn’t help but be surprised when Bai Jing stated the truth.

Having seen many great tides and waves, True Man Fire Dragon considered only a handful of people to be true cultivating geniuses, like Wei She from the distant past, and Zuo You in more recent times.

Chen Ping’an smiled and reminded him via telepathy, “What’s the point of talking about this? When traveling the world, don’t flaunt your wealth.”

Xie Gou answered righteously, “Mountain Master, you don’t understand. My words and actions now are filled with deep cunning and terrifying schemes. This is a smokescreen, using a military tactic, the ‘Feign Weakness’ strategy from the Thirty-Six Stratagems.”

Chen Ping’an was skeptical. Whether Bai Jing, the ancient sword cultivator, had any cunning, and how deep that cunning was, was hard to say. But Xie, the Second Seat of Fallen Peak, was someone who would give himself the nickname “Doggy”… Chen Ping’an found a reference and asked, “Of the Daos cultivated by Han Qiaose of White Emperor City, how many are to your liking?”

Xie Gou chuckled dryly, and vaguely replied, “I don’t speak ill of fellow Daoists behind their backs.”

The old True Man stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, “Before the rain, the scenery did indeed have some notable points. For example, Ning Yao and that Fei Ran from the Wilderness, as co-rulers of their respective worlds, were in a league of their own in the Ascension Realm. Therefore, even Fourteenth Realm cultivators would avoid provoking them if possible, because even if the Fourteenth Realm won, it would ultimately lead to a lose-lose situation in the long run. After all, such actions were akin to making enemies with the entire world, leading to endless troubles and a significant erosion of the Great Dao.”

In fact, there were others in this league, such as Xin Ku of Leap Month Peak and Gui Ke of the Wilderness. There were five worlds, forming a perfect hand.

“Next are Fellow Daoist Chunyang and City Lord Zheng, those who can merge with the Dao as they please.”

“Slightly inferior are Celestial Master Zhao, Yao Qing, and the others, already blessed with luck and complete merit, making merging with the Dao a natural outcome.”

“Then there’s Fellow Daoist Xie and Fellow Daoist Mo Sheng, as well as Hao Su and others. Their sword hearts are pure, and as sword cultivators, they possess a natural advantage with immense killing power, but the bottlenecks are even more difficult to break through. The post-rain scenery is a clear testament to this. How many sword cultivators have climbed to a higher level?”

“Following that are those Ascension Realm cultivators skilled in battle, like Tao Ting from the Wilderness. Their numbers are greater. As for those after that, there’s nothing worth discussing.”

These four types of cultivators are what the summit collectively calls the “Strong Ascension Realm.” When facing the Fourteenth Realm, the first two can protect themselves, and the latter two still have a chance to fight. However, the specific outcome, whether it’s a contest of victory or defeat, or a fight to the death, largely depends on the Fourteenth Realm’s determination to kill and the Ascension Realm’s willingness to fight to the death, exchanging their true body’s Dao life for the opponent’s loss of cultivation.

During this period, there were also a few special cases that even the Fourteenth Realm found troublesome, such as one of Lu Zhi’s Natal Flying Swords, forcing even the seemingly invincible Fourteenth Realm to carefully consider the cost.

Pei Qian was quite surprised because she hadn’t expected True Man Fire Dragon to place Xie Gou and Mr. Mo Sheng after Celestial Master Zhao and the others.

The old True Man stroked his beard and smiled, “As for matters between Fourteenth Realm cultivators, this poor Daoist is still a newcomer, a young pup, so I won’t speak carelessly.”

Why did Wu Shuangjiang painstakingly plot for so long, just to forge four imitation Immortal Swords before daring to ignite the atmosphere of chaos and lead the rebellion?

It was because Wu Shuangjiang felt that his Fourteenth Realm lacked sufficient killing power.

Zheng Juzhong and Yu Dou, a guest in White Emperor City, had a heated exchange.

Zheng Juzhong possessed three Fourteenth Realm incarnations, and Yu Dou wasn’t even in the White Jade Capital, yet Zheng Juzhong still lost by a hair’s breadth.

True Man Fire Dragon suddenly stood up, gave a meaningful look, and Chen Ping’an silently rose to his feet, following behind him.

The old True Man walked to the top deck of the ferry, leaned on the railing with both hands, and asked with a smile, “Mountain Master Chen, what are your thoughts now, after our departure from the island back then?”

During the climb, winds blew from all directions. Ascending from the Nascent Soul Realm to the Jade Purity Realm required passing through a heart trial and facing inner demons, the key being a flawless Dao heart.

Ascending from the Ascension Realm to merging with the Dao, the bottleneck lies in whether one’s special skill can resonate with the Dao of Heaven and Earth. Reaching the summit, one must stand out uniquely.

At the table, Pei Qian quietly asked, “Senior Brother, does Master seem a little nervous seeing the old True Man?”

Cui Dongshan feigned ignorance, “An illusion, perhaps?”

The old True Man helped to provide an explanation, “A thousand thoughts, a mix of emotions, a bittersweet feeling?”

Chen Ping’an honestly said, “I can’t explain it clearly in a short while.”

The old True Man raised his head and looked at the sky, laughing, “Wanting to return the world to the world, must one first complete oneself? Don’t rush, take your time.”

Chen Ping’an leaned on the railing, lost in thought.

The bright moon hung in the sky, and the old True Man pointed to the heavens, saying something that seemed like nonsense, “If I remember correctly, the ancient Heavenly Court had four Heavenly Gates.”

Chen Ping’an seemed to snap out of his daze and gave a concise statement, “Leaving the mountain.”

The old True Man hummed in agreement, nodding slightly, “Interesting.”

Tonight, the heart of Heaven and the moon are perfectly round.

(End of Chapter)