The entirety of Linzi held its breath, all eyes upon the Feng Gu case, though the gaze was shrouded in shadow. As the labyrinthine complexities of the investigation began to surface, the case transformed from mere curiosity into a thing to be shunned. No one dared to speak of it openly, yet every soul with the slightest inkling of its progress watched with bated breath. This, it seemed, was poised to become the most significant political tempest to sweep through the land since the demise of Jiang Wuqi! Who could hope to remain untouched?

Jiang Wang, Jiang Jueye, a pivotal figure in this unfolding drama, tasked with overseeing the investigation’s progress, did not allow this entanglement to disrupt his rigorous cultivation. Having stepped into the Outer Building Realm, his discipline now encompassed not only the fundamental practices but also the nurturing of the Hidden Star Sea and the tempering of the Star Building. So long as one aspired to ascend further, there was always a path to tread, always work to be done. Even focusing solely on Dao techniques, the nascent Dragon Tiger demanded ceaseless practice for true mastery, while Flame Flower Burning City, the next supreme-grade Dao technique on his path, awaited its thorough comprehension.

Furthermore, the five instantaneous Dao techniques carved into his Inner Mansion – Rotten Wood Decision, Eight Sounds Burning Sea, Sound Hearing Immortal State, Five Senses Hell, and Angry Fire – all possessed room for refinement in the Outer Building Realm. Eight Sounds Burning Sea and Sound Hearing Immortal State, being his own creations, would naturally evolve with his expanding vision, birthing new insights. However, the improvement of Rotten Wood Decision, Five Senses Hell, and Angry Fire would undoubtedly be hastened by the Dao Performing Platform within the Taixu Illusion Realm. That, alas, required “merit”…

The channels for acquiring merit within the Taixu Illusion Realm were limited. Beyond contributing substantial techniques, the only reliable source lay in the Sword Discussion Platform. Jiang Wang, having been invincible at the Inner Mansion level, found the Outer Building Sword Discussion Platform almost entirely within his grasp. Five battles a day, and to this very moment, he had not tasted defeat. Should this continue, he might very well ascend to become the first Outer Building cultivator in Taixu with an undefeated record.

The reason for limiting himself to five battles a day was simple: beyond the demands of cultivation itself, five focused, high-quality battles provided more than ample harvest. If mere victory was the goal, easily dispatching opponents, then five, fifty, or even five hundred battles would be indistinguishable for Jiang Wang. That was not cultivation. Jiang Wang did not seek the hollow pleasure of crushing the weak. What he relished was the “uniqueness” he perceived in each opponent, the flashes of inspiration they displayed in combat, the battle choices that made his eyes gleam. It was the accumulation of these nuances that fueled his growth, strengthening him with each encounter.

Thus, he often suppressed his true might during battles, experimenting with novel ideas that one would hesitate to employ in a life-and-death struggle, offering his opponents greater opportunities, and in turn, granting himself more avenues for learning. Yet, even with this approach, in the battles within the Four Grade Sword Discussion Platform, he had yet to encounter a single instance of genuine threat. After all, as an Inner Mansion cultivator, he had once faced down and shattered four mighty Outer Building Realm demons simultaneously. Ordinary Outer Building cultivators, even the elites capable of entering the Taixu Illusion Realm, could scarcely pose a challenge. Especially now, with the rapid expansion of the Taixu Illusion Realm, a tide of cultivators was surging in… and among them, the weak were growing in number.

Of course, with the base population expanding so rapidly, the strong cultivators active within the Taixu Illusion Realm would also increase. The strong would inevitably converge at the peak. And Jiang Wang, without a doubt, was destined to walk that path to the summit.

Within the Four Grade Sword Discussion Platform, the victor of each battle was awarded two hundred points of merit, while the loser forfeited four hundred. It was evident that as one progressed, the demand for merit within the Taixu Illusion Realm only intensified. How much merit could one afford to lose? Judging by the visible trends, later on, one who wished to spar without restraint against cultivators of the same realm would need to contribute as many techniques as possible to the Dao Performing Platform. The strong, armed with merit, would press forward, while the weaker would be compelled to continuously offer techniques and Dao arts to offset the cost of using the Sword Discussion Platform, maintaining their progress through sustained combat and striving to evolve into the strong.

Almost all the rules within the Taixu Illusion Realm were openly designed to promote the evolution and innovation of Dao techniques, to encourage the transformation of martial arts. It wasn’t necessarily about the raw power or efficacy of these Dao techniques; the key to earning more “merit” lay in their unique novelty, their ability to spark new ideas. This collection of countless techniques, in turn, would only make the Dao Performing Platform increasingly formidable.

One could easily envision a future where the Taixu Illusion Realm, having evolved to a certain stage, would accelerate the pace of Dao technique innovation to an unprecedented degree, potentially even reshaping the very landscape of the cultivation world… It was for this very reason that the powers of the world yearned to intervene, to oversee the operation of the Taixu Illusion Realm. Even a force as potent as the Taixu Sect could only share in the realm’s immense power. The difficulty in promoting the Taixu Illusion Realm in its early stages stemmed precisely from its visibly staggering potential! Conservatives would inevitably stand in the way, and the vested interests tied to the existing order would fiercely resist. How the Taixu Sect persuaded the various powers to join forces and lay the foundation for the Taixu Illusion Realm – that, too, must be a tale of epic proportions…

Of course, that story had yet to reach the ears of the current Jiang Wang.

As one who emerged victorious from every battle, he had no need to fret over the “price” of the Sword Discussion Platform. Regardless of the cost, he was always on the winning side, beholden to no one. His daily five battles within the Taixu Illusion Realm netted him a steady thousand points of merit, far exceeding the monthly gift of merit from his Blessed Land. The Blessed Land of Forty-nine Hug Fushan Mountain yielded a mere three hundred and forty points, insufficient to offset even a single loss in the Four Grade Sword Discussion Platform. The value and the difficulty of acquisition were clearly mismatched. Thus, the significance of the Blessed Land surely lay beyond the mere gift of merit, and indeed, beyond that single doorway leading to the Hongmeng Space. What truly compelled those formidable cultivators to challenge him so eagerly must be a promise of far greater rewards.

Jiang Wang could only speculate, for ever since inheriting the Blessed Land, he had been unable to grasp this hidden incentive. Yet, he was not anxious. At the very least, he could now gauge the strength levels of his opponents, no longer in the dark as he had been before, when he could not even comprehend the nature of his losses. He was advancing with measured steps, steadily approaching the realm of those true powerhouses, each step firm and unyielding. He knew that one day, he would stand among them. Even if his Blessed Land were to be stripped away, his levels reduced, and the Blessed Land itself lost, he would not be disheartened… for he knew, he would win it back.

Having fought five intense battles and meticulously reviewed each one, Jiang Wang was on the verge of exiting the Taixu Illusion Realm when a water-blue paper crane fluttered into view. Reaching out, he caught and unfolded it. It was a letter from Zuo Guangshu. He had exchanged many messages with Zuo Guangshu in recent days, but the young man had been acting rather strangely, meandering from one topic to another, making it difficult to follow. Jiang Wang, for his part, had remained consistent, refraining from inquiring about Zuo Guangshu’s cultivation, instead focusing on the intricacies of Flame Flower Burning City and how Zuo Guanglie had previously employed the technique…

Today’s letter, too, held a certain inexplicable quality: “Has the Golden Feather Phoenix Immortal Flower of the Qi country bloomed?”

Jiang Wang replied: “I only know of Phoenix Immortal County.”

“I’ve heard it’s quite beautiful.”

“Is that so? I haven’t seen it.”

After a moment, Zuo Guangshu’s letter returned, equally perplexing: “Uh, is Brother Du Gu doing well recently?”

Jiang Wang replied: “I am doing very well.”

Zuo Guangshu, perhaps genuinely lacking further conversation, twisted back to his earlier theme: “Jing and Mu are greatly increasing their troops on the Musheng front line. A major war is unavoidable. In this time of global turmoil, please take care of yourself, Brother Du Gu. I am also doing very well in the Chu country, my cultivation is progressing very fast… Right, will you still be coming to the Mountain Sea Realm?”

Jiang Wang considered this, then replied: “I am in the Qi country, entangled in various matters.”

Soon, the paper crane returned once more: “Doesn’t matter, you can come or not come.”

Jiang Wang sent a letter back, but it was like a stone dropped into a vast ocean; there was no reply for a long time. He had probably gone to cultivate; the young man was always very diligent. A heart as mature as Jiang Jueye’s would not engage in petty squabbles with a child. He shook his head and dismissed the matter, exiting the Taixu Illusion Realm.

His most pressing concern at the moment remained the Feng Gu case. Lin Youxie’s years-long pursuit of truth, Feng Gu’s death unleashing a torrent of clues, the covetous gaze fixed upon the position of North Yamen Commandant, the shadowy figure lurking in the mortuary, the veiled threat sent directly to him by a certain entity… Too many factors intertwined, rendering this case exceptionally weighty. It was not merely complex. It was like a vast fishing net, cast years ago, its depths shrouded in mystery, though everyone knew it was entangled with countless secrets, ensnaring too many lives. To lift it would require more than just the strength of one arm. A single misstep, and anyone who touched this net would be dragged down into the abyss. Just like that coachman, now vanished, a person who seemingly “never existed.”

He had even specifically used the Remembrance Technique to simulate the coachman’s soul information, but the connection had vanished. Perhaps he had been killed, or perhaps a powerful being had erased the possibility of tracking him… Whichever the case, a pawn like this, with years of seemingly clean background in the North Yamen, deployed solely to deliver a warning to Jiang Wang, was sufficient proof of the power wielded by the person behind the scenes. Or perhaps, the opposite was true? Perhaps they sought to provoke him, to make him unwilling to let this matter rest?

A thousand threads, impossible to unravel one by one. Jiang Wang simply ceased overthinking and resolutely followed his own course. As a supervisor, he was deeply involved in this case. The other two investigators, Zheng Shangming and Lin Youxie, both required his cooperation. He held the initiative, and there was no need to engage in a dance with those in the shadows.

He sat quietly in his room for a while, the night already far advanced. Zheng Shangming’s messenger arrived at the Jiang residence precisely under the cover of darkness, bearing a letter, insisting that it be delivered only into the hands of Jiang Wang himself. Housekeeper Xie Ping personally escorted the man to Jiang Wang’s courtyard.

The man was unremarkable in appearance. He carefully observed Jiang Wang for a few moments before presenting the letter clutched in his embrace: “The Young Master said this letter must be opened by Jueye himself, not to pass through the hands of others.”

“I am grateful for your trouble,” Jiang Wang accepted the letter. The man simply bowed, then turned and departed without delay. Xie Ping intended to see him out, but in a blink, the man had vanished. Zheng Shi, having held the position of North Yamen Commandant for many years, was no ordinary individual, and the talents under his command, those were the resources at Zheng Shangming’s disposal. Unlike a certain individual named Jiang, whose very housekeeper was hired with the help of Chongxuan Sheng. If he were to hire people off the streets, who knew their true nature, or if they were all spies for others?

True noble houses could rely on slaves born within their households, their loyalty and reliability unquestioned after generations of service. Someone like Jiang Jueye was still in the stage of an upstart.

As Jiang Wang opened the letter, he instructed, “It’s late, go down and rest… Right, with winter approaching, allocate some silver to buy winter clothes for everyone, upstairs and down. Be generous, buy those with sufficient material.” He wouldn’t have thought of such a detail himself had not Du Gu Xiao’s letter reported her work in Qingyang Town, specifically mentioning this expenditure, thus prompting him to have Xie Ping handle it as well.

“Understood!” Xie Ping departed with renewed vigor. His family’s master might be a little poor, but he treated his people exceedingly well!

Jiang Wang unfolded the letter and read, a slight surprise flickering in his eyebrows. Zheng Shangming’s letter addressed the matter of the catcher in the mortuary, stating only that he was a person dispatched by the Yangxin Palace to monitor the case, and that Feng Gu’s corpse had not been tampered with, the man having merely conducted a cursory check… Jiang Wang had not anticipated Jiang Wuxie’s involvement in this matter. Yet, upon reflection, the power struggles within the upper echelons of the entire Qi country were limited to these few factions. With the assassination case of Consort Lei from that year involved, how could the Yangxin Palace not pay attention?

Jiang Wuxie, this individual, had always struck Jiang Wang as somewhat frivolous, lacking seriousness. The court and the populace alike criticized him, labeling him “excessively luxurious,” “frivolous and unfit to rule.” But Jiang Wang had never underestimated him, and the more he understood Jiang Wuqi, the more he came to appreciate Jiang Wuxie’s significance. The reason was simple—if Jiang Wuxie were merely mediocre, how could he possibly contend with Jiang Wuqi? Emperor Qi had numerous children, and mediocrity was not in short supply! The presence of the Yangxin Palace alone solidified Jiang Wuxie’s standing. He held weight equivalent to that of the Crown Prince, the Master of Hua Ying Palace, and the Master of Changsheng Palace. To dismiss Jiang Wuxie as a mere dissolute prince would be to deem these figures as fools.

Returning to the matter at hand, Jiang Wuxie’s entry into the case, while logical, undoubtedly added several layers of complexity.

“Reading letters by lamplight, Jiang Jueye is truly diligent and eager to learn!” Chongxuan Sheng’s voice resonated from the doorway. Jiang Wang had already sensed his approach, and so merely remarked, “It’s a letter from Zheng Shangming. Why have you come at this hour…”

Chongxuan Sheng entered the room, his gaze upon Jiang Wang holding a certain complexity. “There’s news of Gong Sunyu.”

“Where?” Jiang Wang casually folded the letter and said directly, “Arrange for me to see him.”

“The carriage is already prepared,” Chongxuan Sheng said. “I entrusted someone a few days ago to purchase several boxes of supplements. They’ll arrive in Linzi after dawn. At that time, I’ll go see my grandfather, and you can hide in one of the boxes. Once we reach the Marquis’s residence, you can disguise yourself as someone going out of the city to buy goods and leave. There shouldn’t be many people daring to monitor the Bowang Marquis’s residence. The shadow guards will take you directly to the target location.”

“Can’t we go now?” Jiang Wang asked.

Chongxuan Sheng’s mood soured. “Do you think it’s normal for me to go see my grandfather in the middle of the night? If it were you, wouldn’t you be suspicious? Besides, dawn is only a few hours away. Jiang adult, have you forgotten that you still have to go to Changsheng Palace to investigate the case later?”

Jiang Wang turned to look out the window, feeling as though the day had passed by in a flash. “Is Gong Sunyu in a very distant place now?” he asked.

“Not very far, only Bi Wu County,” Chongxuan Sheng replied. “But you definitely won’t make it in time if you go now, and he… why are you so urgent to see him?”

“Alright, we’ll discuss it tomorrow then.” Jiang Wang did not answer, only saying, “I’ll study my Dao techniques for a while longer.”

“Then…” Although he saw that Jiang Wang wasn’t very inclined to talk at the moment, Chongxuan Sheng still knocked on his chair. “What I said to you during the day, have you thought about it?”

“Still thinking,” Jiang Wang smiled, then turned the question back. “Speaking of Dao techniques, when will you be able to unleash the Chongxuan Divine Ability?”

“Divine Ability, after all, depends on luck,” Chongxuan Sheng grinned. “Then you cultivate, Fourteen is still waiting for me.” His rotund figure ambled out of the room. With his intelligence, even feigning being led astray by Jiang Wang’s topic was difficult to do naturally.

Jiang Wang remained silent for a moment, then quickly immersed himself once more in the world of Dao techniques. Compared to the intricate troubles of the mundane world, the vastness of the cultivation world was far more intoxicating. Until the long night yielded to dawn. Until the morning light streamed into the room.