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My dear brother Jiang Wang, may this letter find you well.

Why such formality, you ask? Because I, Jiang Anan, have already successfully completed Foundation Building! I am now a great cultivator of the Wandering Pulse realm! You can no longer coax me like a child of three.

(A lengthy list of examples was omitted here.)

Don’t think that buying me treats will suffice. I am not necessarily a glutton. If you provoke my displeasure again and again… humph. (Here, a drawing of an angry, puffy little person was included.) Next to the angry little person, another drawing depicted an adult holding the child’s hand. The adult had no facial features, but the word “Disobedient” was scrawled across its forehead.

Uncle Ye praised me again today! He said I…

Sister Qing Yu praised me…

Senior Brother Fang praised me…

(A string of slightly boastful remarks was omitted.)

Brother, I haven’t been lazy at all each day. Senior Sister Great King says I’ll be able to fly soon! Next time we meet, let me be the one to take you soaring, alright?

Where did you get that black fruit you brought me? A friend of mine wants to try it too and has been searching everywhere. Please reply quickly after reading this letter! (A drawing of a little person running was added.)

Signature: Little Hero Jiang on the Cloud, Obedient Anan beneath the Maple.

When this letter reached him, Jiang Wang was already residing in his separate dwelling on Xia Mountain in Linzi. The affairs of the Taixu Corner Tower were stable and no longer required his constant presence. With the Yellow River Meeting fast approaching, it was only proper that he remain in Linzi during this period.

Since the beginning of the year, he had exchanged few letters with Anan. Of course, the scarcity was primarily due to his own infrequent replies. Too many events had transpired, leaving him with little time to spare. Before embarking on his sea journey, communication had even been completely cut off. Anan, however, had sent letters regularly via cloud crane. Yet, sometimes the speed of the cloud crane couldn’t match Jiang Wang’s rate of movement.

Jiang Wang received this cloud crane transmission after completing his cultivation session in the quiet room. A smile graced his lips as he read through the letter, the sunlight streaming through the window seeming especially bright. Anan’s letter mentioned her successful Foundation Building, which was certainly excellent news. Jiang Wang had initially taken four months to complete his Foundation Building with the Zhou Tian Star Fight Array Diagram. Jiang Anan, using the Nine Heavens Diagram, had taken five months. The Nine Heavens Diagram was an array diagram on the same level as the Zhou Tian Star Fight Array Diagram, and quite challenging. Jiang Anan, after all, was still young, unlike Jiang Wang who had experienced life-or-death situations multiple times before his Pulse Opening. Considering this, her speed was absolutely not slow. Lingxiao Pavilion truly had effective teaching methods.

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Wang picked up his cloud brush to reply:

To the world’s best sister, Jiang Anan, upon receiving this letter:

Your successful Foundation Building indeed makes you a little genius. You have taken a solid step on the path of cultivation. Brother knows, you are always this good.

There is just one point I wish to make. Greatness is never something one claims for oneself based on power. Rather, it is when you, as an extraordinary person, accomplish extraordinary deeds, and others praise you, that you will be described as great. You may not need to understand these words now, or you can ask your Sister Qing Yu. I believe she can provide you with a more vivid explanation.

Everything is well on brother’s side. The people here are kind, though I do miss you a little. I greatly look forward to the day you take brother flying.

Also, which friend are you referring to?

Furthermore, your writing doesn’t seem to have improved much. Are you not practicing enough?

Signature: Great Hero Jiang.

He reread the letter before transforming it back into a cloud crane. Then, he took out Ye Qing Yu’s letter to read.

Ye Qing Yu’s writing was as elegant and serene as ever. She carefully recounted several amusing anecdotes about Jiang Anan and specifically detailed her cultivation progress. Only a few casual sentences about herself were included, a mere passing mention. However, at the end of the letter, she wrote:

“Please take Anan into consideration, Daoist Friend, and do not act recklessly.”

She must have learned about the events on Tianya Terrace… Although he didn’t know how the news spread so quickly, considering the Cloud Country’s ubiquitous trade network, it wasn’t difficult for them to obtain intelligence from overseas, especially concerning major events that had already circulated throughout the nearby seas.

Jiang Wang pondered for a moment, then picked up his brush again. He meticulously narrated the events before and after the battle on Tianya Terrace, carefully omitting the extremely dangerous parts and trying his best to simplify the process. He also couldn’t help but exaggerate a little about the support and protection the Qi Country offered him, portraying the entire Tianya Terrace battle like a spring outing. Finally, he wrote:

I desire to go to Guan He Tai and compete with the heroes of the world. If I am fortunate enough to achieve recognition, then I can establish a firm foothold in the Qi Country. At that time, I can bring Anan to my side without worry of others. Wandering alone for over a year, I often think of my young sister, weak and alone, causing Daoist Friend worry. My heart is uneasy. In this battle, I must strive with all my might. Please take good care of yourself, Daoist Friend. I am eternally grateful.

Just as Ye Qing Yu’s letters were always signed “Qing Yu on the Cloud,” Jiang Wang’s reply letter’s signature was, as always, “Little Jiang beneath the Maple.” He released the cloud crane, watching it fly away, and gazed blankly at the empty window for a while. It wasn’t yet time for Xia Mountain’s maples to turn crimson, but he imagined Anan would enjoy the splendor of the maple glow and the evening sunset. The seven great scenic spots of Linzi were all worth visiting. And that eight-sound tea… it wasn’t convenient for little Anan to go to such places, but he could find a way to have the shop deliver it. And food, drinks, entertainment… Jiang Wang snapped back to reality, a smile blooming on his face once more.

Some people rejoiced, while others grieved. Some were full of ambition, while others were burning with anxiety.

Chong Xuan Sheng, who was staying in Tianfu City and collaborating with the De Sheng business firm on sea trade, was currently very annoyed. The reason was that the Taixu Corner Tower’s exclusive business now had a competitor. Not in the Qi Country, of course, but in the nearby islands. Another Taixu Envoy had emerged on the nearby islands, a person named Hua Man Lou. This individual hailed from a sect called Cang Lan Sect, which could be described as completely unknown. To the extent that even though they were part of the Town Sea Alliance, they didn’t even hold a single seat. Hua Man Lou was even more obscure than the Cang Lan Sect itself. Even within the Cang Lan Sect before this, not many people knew of him.

His approach after obtaining the Taixu Corner Tower stood in stark contrast to the methods employed by Jiang Wang and Chong Xuan Sheng. He established the Taixu Corner Tower on Star Pearl Island, the location of the Cang Lan Sect. This island was situated south of Small Crescent Island, resembling a star arching over the moon, hence its name, Star Pearl. Hua Man Lou’s Taixu Corner Tower didn’t charge any fees; he directly cooperated with the Town Sea Alliance, contributing the Taixu Corner Tower to them. Any cultivator could exchange their sea merits for the qualification to enter the Taixu Corner Tower. This encouraged more cultivators to venture into the *mi jie* to fight, and the cultivators fighting in the *mi jie* could then use their sea merits to cultivate in the Taixu Corner Tower, forming a virtuous cycle.

Although Star Pearl Island was far from Tianfu City, and exchanging sea merits for Taixu Corner Tower qualification was less direct than simply paying money, in short, it didn’t significantly impact the business of Jiang Wang and Chong Xuan Sheng. But everything is most feared by comparison…

“Many people are scolding you now,” the shadow guard reported quietly. “They say your body is covered in dirty fat that can’t be cut away even with a knife, and that you are a miser…”

“That curse is quite creative,” Chong Xuan Sheng analyzed professionally for a moment, then suddenly became angry. “They understand nothing!”

“Doesn’t earning Dao Yuan Stones also require effort? This is also a very good cycle! When the people are rich, the country is strong; when the country is strong, it can guard the sea borders! How can those wagging tongues understand my painstaking efforts?!” After a pause, he smacked his lips and said, “Something’s not right! Jiang Wang is the Taixu Envoy, why are they scolding me?”

The shadow guard shrank back. “They say Jiang Qing Yang is a man of deep emotion and righteousness, a promise worth a thousand gold. He views fame and fortune as dirt, so how could he be so stingy? He must be busy with cultivation and has been deceived by others, entrusting the wrong person and allowing you, this treacherous merchant, to manipulate things and make a huge fortune…”

Chong Xuan Sheng: … Although he always believed that uttering vulgarities was not a sophisticated way to curse, at this moment, besides cursing, he truly didn’t know how else to express his mood.