Of two brothers, born of the same blood, one was a favored son of the Dao Academy, while the other dwelled in the neglected corners of the family estate, a lone wolf.

The chasm separating their statuses was as vast as the distance between heaven and earth, a disparity that could drive a man to madness. Yet, on Wang Changji’s face, there was not a hint of resentment. From beginning to end, he simply ate his meal with profound tranquility.

It was as if eating was the most important affair in all creation.

He ate at a measured pace, each bite taken with delicate precision.

Having finished his trotters and greens, and swallowed his last mouthful of rice, he finally looked upon his younger brother, his voice gentle: “Changxiang, what is it?”

“Nothing of great import, Brother. I merely completed a mission and thought to come and speak with you.”

“Good boy, eat your greens. Meat alone is not enough.” Wang Changji stroked the ginger cat gnawing on a trotter, his voice a gentle coaxing. Then, turning back to Wang Changxiang: “Speak. You seem troubled.”

“We went to investigate the disappearance in Xiaolin Town, but upon arrival, we found it shrouded in thick fog, a mist that even a Gale Dragon Scroll could not disperse. The entire town was filled with wandering souls, arranged in a formation based on the Nine Palaces, the Nine Palace Wandering Soul Array… Xiaoju!” At this point, Wang Changxiang suddenly barked out in anger.

The reason? The fat ginger cat, annoyed by Wang Changji’s persistent attempts to feed it greens, had lashed out with a back paw, leaving three scratches on Wang Changji’s hand.

“You’re so fierce,” Wang Changji sighed with a hint of helplessness, giving up on his efforts to make Xiaoju eat greens. He gently covered the scratches on his right hand with his left, then turned to Wang Changxiang and said, “You speak of these Daoist arts and formations, but I do not understand them.”

Wang Changxiang lowered his head, his voice softening as well, “But for some reason, I simply wished to speak with you, Brother.”

Wang Changji rubbed his forehead with a finger, “Speak, then. Speak.”

“Do you know, Brother? Someone used the lives of all beings in Xiaolin Town, gathered the wandering souls from years past within the Maple Leaf City domain, and before City Lord Wei arrived, condensed a phantom image of the Gate of Hell to depart!” In this moment, Wang Changxiang was like a child eager to showcase an accomplishment.

“A phantom image of the Gate of Hell? Is it very powerful?”

“To pay such a steep price, it is naturally extraordinary! With a phantom image of the Gate of Hell in hand, one can communicate with the netherworld at any time, anywhere. The power of netherworld Daoist arts can be increased by at least half! Daoist arts that banish ghosts, for example, can completely transcend their rank.” At this point, Wang Changxiang lowered his gaze again: “I know not where the demonic practitioner behind this intends to wreak havoc next.”

“Such matters are for the Department of Justice to handle. If Wei Quji cannot, there is the Prefect. If the City Dao Academy cannot hold, there is the Prefecture Dao Academy. Behind the Prefecture Dao Academy, there is the National Dao Academy. You need not worry so much,” Wang Changji comforted him.

By now, Xiaoju had picked the trotters clean. Without even glancing at the plate of greens, it licked its paws and strutted away with airs of arrogance.

Wang Changji then rose to clear the dishes.

“I shall not keep you,” he said before entering the room.

Wang Changxiang watched in silence as his brother’s back disappeared inside, then turned and walked away. However, as he passed the chaise lounge where Xiaoju lay, he flicked his little finger.

A nigh-invisible wind blade swiftly cut through the air.

Xiaoju sprang up with a start, looking left and right in bewildered suspicion. Half of its long whiskers now fluttered away on the breeze.

“Dare scratch my brother again… Hmph.” Wang Changxiang left with a smile playing on his lips.

He couldn’t help but recall how, when they were young, his brother had yearned so deeply for Daoist arts, how he had loved that extraordinary world. And now, no matter what was said before him, that passion was no longer visible.

It was as if he had already resigned himself to such a life.

Wang Changxiang’s steps, in the end, could not become lighter.

…

Today, the instructor taught the mid-grade D-rank Daoist art, Flame Blade. It was an advancement of the low-grade D-rank Daoist art, Flame Attachment, and one of the foundational fire-element Daoist arts.

It involved gathering flame to form a blade, directly using scorching fire-element Yuan Qi to injure opponents. It was also quite effective against impure beings such as Yin ghosts.

In truth, at this level, Daoist arts were already more potent than weapons forged from ordinary mortal iron.

Jiang Wang had already memorized the incantation seals and important details for this Daoist art. At this moment, however, he suddenly recalled Wei Yan’s long saber. That saber was exceedingly sharp, clearly not an ordinary weapon. For someone of Wei Yan’s strength, mortal iron would only be a burden.

He also thought of the sword that Li Jianqiu always wore at his waist, believing it must be extraordinary as well.

As he mused, a flicker of envy arose. His own sword had been half-废 after cutting down a怨鬼 last time. He had returned and paid to replace it, but it was still just an ordinary steel sword. Truly powerful swords were beyond his means, and he had no connections to acquire them.

He wondered what power lay within the weapons wielded by those Great Martial Artists who entered the Dao through martial arts?

He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice the atmosphere in the classroom. It wasn’t until Ling He quietly nudged him that he snapped back to reality.

The lecturing instructor was an old man nearing sixty, quite rigid and strict, named Xiao. The students privately called him “Iron Face Xiao.”

The situation was that after Teacher Xiao had finished explaining the techniques, he had randomly selected a few students to practice. When Fang Heling was called upon, he had managed to perform the Daoist art, albeit stumbling. Though the flame of his Flame Blade wavered, he had completed it nonetheless.

Even Teacher Xiao was somewhat satisfied. But then, that fellow suddenly spoke: “Senior Brother Jiang Wang opened his脉 before me, why not also try this Daoist art? If there are any difficulties, he can conveniently seek guidance from our teacher.”

Thus, Teacher Xiao’s gaze fell upon the distracted Jiang Wang.

*Disaster.* Jiang Wang thought. He rose from his cushion and honestly stated: “I have not yet completed Foundation Establishment.”

Fang Heling, who had entered the inner sect at the same time, was already able to perform Daoist arts, while he had not yet succeeded in Foundation Establishment. The other students’ gazes towards him became somewhat strange.

“If you haven’t completed Foundation Establishment, does that mean you don’t need to listen to the lecture?” Teacher Xiao glared, his eyes wide. What he disliked most were students who were lazy and tried to cheat. They had stepped onto the path of the extraordinary, yet they did not cherish it, treating it merely as a tool for showing off to mortals.

“I admit my mistake,” Jiang Wang lowered his head and readily confessed his error.

Teacher Xiao said in a cold voice, “Go back and transcribe the Purple Void Scripture one hundred times. Until you have finished transcribing it, you need not come to my lessons.”

“Yes,” Jiang Wang replied, lowering his head, his heart secretly bitter. The full name of the Purple Void Scripture was the “Supreme Classic of the High Wonder of the Purple Void,” the fundamental Daoist classic of the Jade Capital Mountain lineage. Every Daoist of the Jade Capital Mountain lineage could be said to know it by heart. There was truly no need for transcription; Teacher Xiao was simply imposing a punishment.

Most importantly, this classic contained nearly thirty thousand characters… How long would it take to transcribe all of that?

But he knew he could not refuse, otherwise, with Teacher Xiao’s temper, he might even roll up his sleeves and beat him.

For the rest of the class, Jiang Wang made an effort to concentrate and dared not slack off in the slightest. After much difficulty, he finally endured until Teacher Xiao left with his hands behind his back. Then, Fang Heling sauntered over, still acting smug.

“Ah, Junior Brother Jiang, I am truly sorry. I didn’t know you hadn’t even completed Foundation Establishment yet!” In the path of cultivation, time knows no bounds, and seniority is determined by cultivation level. Fang Heling naturally switched from “Senior Brother” to “Junior Brother,” his tone filled with feigned regret: “After opening my pulse, it took me fifty-three days to successfully complete Foundation Establishment. I felt it was too slow and was ashamed. I thought that with Junior Brother Jiang’s past prestige, you must have completed Foundation Establishment long ago… Alas, look at the trouble this has caused.”

The Foundation Establishment Array Diagram commonly used in the Zhuang Kingdom Dao Academy, the Yuan Returning Array, has eighty-one array points. Based on the gain of two Dao Yuan from cultivating twice a day, it cannot be said that completing Foundation Establishment in fifty-three days is slow. This is because there are also many instances of progress stagnation caused by errors in shifting the array points.

Currently, the fastest record for Foundation Establishment in the entire City Dao Academy is held by Zhu Weiguo. He completed Foundation Establishment in nine days, surpassing all previous records. From this astonishing speed, it is impossible that his Dao pulse true spirit is merely at the level of Jiang Wang’s earthworm true spirit. However, the specific level of his true spirit involves personal privacy and cannot be known.

Speaking of which, for the average disciple of the Maple Leaf City Dao Academy, sixty to ninety days is considered normal.

It’s no wonder Fang Heling was so self-satisfied.

He made no attempt to hide the provocation in his gaze and yearned to see the proud young man before him explode in anger. He had even simulated in his mind how he would brilliantly defeat this bumpkin, who could only rely on swordsmanship, with his Daoist arts in the ensuing battle.

But Jiang Wang merely smiled, then turned and walked away.

There was no anger, no trace of concern.