One knew not how long had passed before Jiang Wang finally regained his feet.

No matter how he strove, he could not soothe his Dao pulse’s true spirit, nor could he decipher the mystery of that black candle whose origins remained unknown.

Though the unease in his heart lingered, it was the promise of Dong A that offered him a flicker of support.

He surveyed the world around him. Zhuang Country, though small, possessed a national might not to be underestimated. Once awakened to a threat and poised to strike back, even a cult like the White Bone Dao, dormant for centuries, would find it difficult to cause significant turmoil.

Furthermore, Zhuang Country had engaged in a fierce battle with Yong Country at its founding, emerging victorious. For so many years, under Yong Country’s persistent targeting and hostility, its national fortune had remained stable, a testament to its strength.

“Even if a catastrophic disaster were to descend immediately… Dong Yuan and City Lord Wei are both formidable cultivators. Ji Xuan, the County Chief of Qinghe, is nearby, and Qingjiang is not far either. With a hundred years of alliance behind them, the Lord of Qingjiang would not stand by and watch a city under Zhuang Country’s domain be wiped out.”

“And, as White Lotus mentioned at Yuheng Peak last time, Zhuang Country possesses a powerful expert capable of the ‘Chi Chi Tian Ya’ divine ability. If something were to happen in Fenglin City, they could arrive instantly. What’s more, there are the neighboring cities of Wangjiang and Sanshan…”

“Yes, City Lord Dou Yue Mei possesses the ‘Move Mountain’ divine ability and boasts exceptionally strong combat prowess. She would not ignore a threat to a neighboring city.”

Jiang Wang rationally analyzed and cataloged all the favorable factors. From his conclusions, it seemed likely that he was merely overly concerned.

Yet, that stubborn sense of unease persisted, refusing to dissipate. He decided to simply ignore it and continued towards the courtyard gate.

He thought, “I’ll chat with Ru Cheng for a bit, then buy some good food for An An, and then head home.”

It was then that he saw Tang Dun, standing at the entrance of the Dao Yuan.

“Tang Dun!” Jiang Wang called out.

At that moment, Tang Dun, dressed in a short jacket and cotton trousers, was intently staring at the pair of exquisite jade lions guarding the entrance.

Hearing the call, he jumped in surprise and turned his head, appearing a bit bewildered, before finally spotting Jiang Wang.

“Mister Jiang…” he greeted.

Jiang Wang had told him countless times not to call him ‘Mister’ anymore, feeling he was not yet worthy of such a title. But Tang Dun was incredibly stubborn on this point.

Normally, it wouldn’t matter how they addressed each other in private, but calling him ‘Mister’ so close to the main entrance of the Dao Yuan was bound to earn him a good laugh from any instructor who overheard. And if that instructor happened to be Xiao Tie Mian…

Jiang Wang swore he absolutely did not want to copy the Dao scriptures again.

“What are you doing here?” Jiang Wang quickly asked.

Tang Dun offered a simple smile. “I want to cultivate here next year, so I came to take a look.”

Perhaps even he felt a bit awkward saying this, subconsciously reverting to “I.”

“Do you just *know* you’ll definitely pass the exam next year?” Jiang Wang deliberately teased.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Tang Dun replied urgently. “Mister, you’re the fiercest one here! The top scholar! How could I not pass the exam when I’m learning from you?”

Thankfully, the weather was cold and freezing, and no one else was outside the Dao Yuan entrance admiring the jade lions. Otherwise, Jiang Wang truly would have wanted to cover his mouth.

With so many senior brothers inside the Dao Yuan, he, a newly promoted inner disciple of less than a year, dared to claim he was the fiercest? If these words were to spread, they would undoubtedly stir up quite a bit of trouble.

Yet, Tang Dun remained completely serious, without a hint of jest.

“Alright, alright, stop looking. Let’s head back,” Jiang Wang said dismissively.

Of course, he knew that with Tang Dun’s current strength, passing the outer disciple examination was practically guaranteed. There was even a possibility he could enter the inner sect before the end of next year.

This man had a solid foundation and was willing to endure hardship. He never slacked even slightly when it came to following Jiang Wang’s cultivation instructions.

“Mister, what do you want to eat today? I’ll go to the market to buy it,” Tang Dun offered diligently on the way.

Gui Xiang Zhai, where An An loved to eat, was not far from the Dao Yuan’s main entrance. Jiang Wang bought several portions of pastries while saying, “You don’t need to cook today. When An An finishes school, we’ll find a good restaurant and have a luxurious meal.”

Being freed from the chore of cooking actually left Tang Dun a little disappointed. “That might waste money.”

Jiang Wang chuckled. “You will also become a cultivator later, possessing extraordinary power. Once you are extraordinary, you will transcend the mundane. You cannot be so fixated on money anymore.”

“Extraordinary cultivators still need to eat,” Tang Dun mumbled back, unconvinced.

An honest person has their own honest stubbornness. But he didn’t know that at a certain realm, cultivators truly didn’t need to eat. Even Jiang Wang, currently only in the Zhou Tian realm, no longer had a great need for food. With the small Zhou Tian cycle established, his Dao Yuan generated energy ceaselessly, enough to sustain his physical body’s needs. The reason he still ate three meals a day was primarily to satisfy his palate and out of habit formed over many years.

“Why do you want to cultivate?” Thinking of Tang Dun entering the Dao Yuan next year, Jiang Wang, as his nominal ‘Mister,’ asked.

Tang Dun honestly replied, “I was originally a constable. I just thought I could keep everyone safe. I didn’t think about doing anything else. I don’t have many skills, just these two hands. But Niu Er… the matter with Niu Er, I knew I was useless… I could only catch the thieves in town, but I couldn’t even keep everyone safe.”

He continued, “When I’m as fierce as Mister Jiang is now, I’ll go back to town and be a constable again!”

Cultivation was not inherently noble. It was merely a neutral term, representing a process of exploring one’s own limits.

Some cultivated to become strong, others to show off in front of people, to rise above others, and so on. Some were driven by hatred, greed, or desire, while others, truly, possessed ideals.

These were all human desires. In essence, there was no inherent high or low difference.

In the earliest times, “ideal” was a word that stood above all else.

But one knew not when it began, that now, it had fallen to being constantly ridiculed by others.

It was almost synonymous with hypocrisy, a companion to empty dreams.

But this was not the problem of ideals themselves. It was merely that ideals were often used as a facade by others.

When they became tainted, they were discarded.

Jiang Wang was silent for a while, saying nothing. He merely instructed, “Go to the Dao Yuan dormitory and call for Ling He. I just realized, since we’re eating out, we might as well invite everyone together. It’ll be lively before the New Year.”

“Alright!” Tang Dun, having a task to do, became very energetic and immediately ran towards the Dao Yuan.

Jiang Wang then turned around, preparing to conveniently go and call for Zhao Ru Cheng.

Just at that moment, he felt a violent tremor beneath the sky.

*Ka cha!*

The ground behind him cracked open with a giant fissure! At the bottom of the fissure, surging hot lava churned.

Pedestrians on the street screamed in panic. Those who fell in didn’t have time to save themselves, while those who escaped fled in a panic, without regard for direction.

Jiang Wang suddenly turned, only to see Tang Dun falling, his limbs flailing in disarray!

His body was enveloped in swirling purple Qi, already exceeding Tang Dun’s physical form. With this two breaths of buffer, he plunged a sword into the rock face, then flicked out a vine snake with his backhand, catching Tang Dun just before he was swallowed by the lava.

*Hong! Long long!*

Trapped within the ground fissure, they could not see the situation outside, but they were acutely aware of one fact – more and more fissures were spreading!

Tang Dun, suspended above the river of lava, shouted for the first time.

His voice was drowned out by the roaring sound of the cracking earth, but Jiang Wang could discern the shape of his mouth.

He was shouting—

“Senior Sister An An!”

Both had received Jiang Wang’s guidance in martial arts, and An An would noisily claim to be the Senior Sister, which Tang Dun also followed.

Although this “Senior Sister” still required him to pick her up and drop her off at school.

In this moment of sudden upheaval, he urged Jiang Wang to abandon him and go save An An.

In fact, this was also Jiang Wang’s immediate decision. Tang Dun was merely trying to alleviate his inner guilt.

If there were only a single ground fissure that suddenly opened, Jiang Wang could still protect Tang Dun. But since this kind of ground disaster had spread throughout the entire city, his first and only consideration could be Jiang An An.

Jiang Wang exerted force with his hand, tossing Tang Dun out of the ground fissure. Then, without a second thought, he rushed out with the momentum.

His body transformed into a beam of white light, instantly crossing the entire city and crashing into Mingde Hall!

This was a secret technique he had obtained from the black candle: the White Bone Escape Method. By offering lifespan to supplicate the White Bone Venerable Deity, one could temporarily shuttle between Yin and Yang!

Fourteenth year of Yong Tai, Zhuang Li, Qinghe County, Fenglin City.

The earth dragon turned its body, and the ground cracked open.

Countless dead and injured, a scene of human misery.

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