Before Zhu Weihui even returned, his legend had already spread.

Throughout Fenglin City, his name echoed, stirring excitement and pride in every man, woman, and child. Maidens and young wives alike were captivated, their hearts drawn to this heroic figure.

It was said that Zhu Weihui, alone and armed with only his spear, journeyed to Wangjiang City. Yet, Lin Zhenren, the object of his quest, chose to avoid confrontation.

Undeterred, Zhu Weihui descended upon the Wangjiang City Daoist Academy, challenging and defeating every ranked master on their merit list.

Only Fu Baosong, who fought with desperate abandon, earned a grudging evaluation of “barely watchable.” For all others, Zhu Weihui’s verdict was a dismissive “mere riffraff.”

Eventually, the Head of the Wangjiang City Daoist Academy could tolerate it no longer and personally intervened.

He was a seasoned cultivator at the peak of the sixth-grade Ascending Dragon realm.

Zhu Weihui met him head-on, his fighting spirit soaring. After a protracted battle, as the Head’s strength began to wane, Zhu Weihui emerged victorious!

To defeat a City Daoist Academy Head while still a student within the City Daoist Academy was an unparalleled feat, one not achieved in Qinghe Prefecture for nearly a century.

Legend had it that at that moment, Zhu Weihui, his spear held high, laughed heartily, his voice echoing throughout the entire city, lamenting the lack of worthy opponents in Wangjiang and his inability to find a single defeat.

The City Lord of Wangjiang, enraged, intervened. After a single exchange, Zhu Weihui gracefully withdrew.

Thus, his name became renowned throughout the Zhuang Kingdom!

If his previous pursuit and slaying of the Heart-Devouring Demon had a hint of opportunism, his direct defeat of a peak sixth-grade Ascending Dragon realm expert and his safe retreat from a fifth-grade Inner Palace realm expert undeniably cemented Zhu Weihui’s strength.

The Deputy Head of the National Daoist Academy had personally issued an acceptance letter, and Grand General Huangfu himself extended a special invitation to join the Ministry of War, offering him a position as a general with actual authority from the outset.

The Flame’s End Spear became famous across the land, and Zhu Weihui’s ascent was meteoric.

Leaving aside Zhu Weihui’s choices for the moment, the emergence of such a formidable figure brought more than just prestige to the Fenglin City Daoist Academy.

Previously, in the Three City Discourse, Wangjiang City claimed the most important five-year championship, overshadowing Fenglin City. However, after Zhu Weihui’s recent display, Fenglin City now stood unmatched, even within the entire Qinghe Prefecture. In the resource allocation at the end of the year, they were rightfully poised to claim the lion’s share. This meant more Channel Opening Pills, more excellent instructors…

The Fenglin City Daoist Academy only accepted ten inner disciples each year, not because only ten people in the entire Fenglin City region were capable of cultivation, but due to limited resources, making it impossible to train more. Next year’s situation might be vastly different.

As for the other protagonist in this affair, Lin Zhenren, he did not fade into obscurity either.

It was said that at the time, he was engaged in an urgent mission and was unable to disengage. This was why Zhu Weihui was able to challenge the academy with such impunity.

Upon returning to the city and hearing of the situation, Lin Zhenren publicly burned his whip and swore an oath, acknowledging his current lack of strength but vowing to bear the humiliation and cultivate diligently, proclaiming that he would avenge Wangjiang City’s great shame in the future. This earned him some respect from certain quarters.

…

Jiang Wang asked curiously, “Was the Azure Python burned?”

Zhao Rucheng burst into laughter, “No, he didn’t bring the Azure Python Whip that day. The whip he burned belonged to his younger brother. You can see he specifically swapped it out before making his appearance!”

Even Ling He couldn’t help but chuckle at this.

After the three brothers chatted idly, Jiang Wang shared the Primordial Stellar Array Diagram he used for foundation building. He hadn’t mentioned it before because he himself was unsure of its effects and feared it might do more harm than good.

But now that his foundation was successfully laid, he had experienced the advantages of the Primordial Stellar Array Diagram and felt that the time spent was well worth it, a case of sharpening the blade before the cut. Compared to the time spent using the Primordial Return Array Diagram, it was insignificant.

Leaving aside other factors, the Dao Vortex formed by the Primordial Return Array Diagram only produced three units of Dao Essence daily. The Stellar Nebula Dao Vortex formed by the Primordial Stellar Array Diagram produced a full nine units daily.

As the number of Dao Vortexes increased, this gap would widen significantly. Eventually, it would more than compensate for the extra time spent in the early stages.

However, Ling He merely offered a wry smile, “How can the Grand Heavens Palace accommodate such a complex array diagram?”

Zhao Rucheng explained from the side, “That’s why that senior of mine said your channel opening was perfect.”

Only then did Jiang Wang realize the unique aspect of his Grand Heavens Palace.

Although his Dao Meridian True Spirit was merely an ordinary earthworm, the scale of his Grand Heavens Palace far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators!

Typically, cultivators could only slowly expand their Grand Heavens Palace after establishing three Dao Vortexes and completing the first Minor Cycle.

Taking Ling He’s Grand Heavens Palace as an example, he could at most fit a single foundation-building diagram of the Primordial Stellar Array. Before his Grand Heavens Palace expanded, he couldn’t possibly fit a second one. This meant that if he chose the Primordial Stellar Array Diagram, he would be stuck between the first and second Dao Vortexes, in a difficult predicament.

However, as soon as Jiang Wang opened his channels, his Grand Heavens Palace was already vast and magnificent.

He finally deeply understood why Dong A said the Primordial Return Array was the most widely applicable foundation-building diagram. It was no wonder that the three major Daoist traditions used the Primordial Return Array as their general foundation-building diagram.

As for Zhao Rucheng, the scale of his Grand Heavens Palace was naturally not an issue. But after comparing, he found that the Primordial Stellar Array Diagram was only on par with the foundation-building diagram he had received the previous night, so he had no intention of changing.

In terms of cultivation, to avoid the conflict, consumption, and even collapse of the entire Dao Vortex system, one generally wouldn’t change their foundation-building diagram unless they started completely over.

…

Time passed quickly.

On the day of departure, the assembled team gathered at the South Gate as agreed.

Upon seeing Jiang Wang, Li Jianqiu’s eyes lit up, “Congratulations, Junior Brother, on successfully laying your foundation!”

Jiang Wang felt a bit sheepish, “What’s there to congratulate about laying a foundation? Senior Brother Li, don’t tease me.”

Huang Azhan, who was nearby, also nodded in satisfaction and patted Zhao Rucheng’s shoulder, indicating his high regard, “Congratulations, Junior Brother Zhao, on successfully opening your channels!”

“…Get lost!”

The environment of Sanshan City could by no means be described as good. The official road wound through hills and valleys, winding and long.

The cost of maintaining such an official road was considerable. Even though the Zhuang court bore the major part of the expenses for official roads in various places, the remaining portion was not easily borne by Sanshan City. Especially since Sanshan City was originally poor in resources and had no notable specialties, making it less prosperous.

Even though Jiang Wang and the others were extraordinary cultivators, they felt slightly weary upon arriving at Sanshan City.

He had made a few friends in Sanshan City before, but Jiang Wang did not contact them in advance.

He couldn’t afford a千里傳聲匣 (thousand-mile voice transmission box), his cultivation was not high enough for flying sword messages, and writing and sending letters might not be as fast as him arriving himself. So, he simply decided to greet them if he ran into them.

Such things as clearing out fierce beasts were naturally not to be missed by local cultivators like Yang Xingyong and Sun Xiaoman.

Sanshan City was built amidst surrounding mountains, and the city’s structure was significantly different from Fenglin City.

The entire city had only one city gate, facing the only extended official road.

And upon entering the city gate, the first building encountered was the City Lord’s Mansion, with its rough and unadorned style. This meant that everyone entering Sanshan City had to bypass the City Lord’s Mansion on either side.

From this layout, it seemed that this city was not particularly welcoming to outsiders.

However, the people of Sanshan City who came and went were all enthusiastic, their laughter unrestrained.

Judging from their attire, the living conditions of Sanshan City residents were generally not as good as those of Fenglin City residents, but their spirits were full, and in their eyes, one could see confidence in life.

Although the beast calamity had caused this city to suffer greatly, the sounds of hawking and laughter seemed to have never ceased.

People came and went, some staying, some leaving. This was what was called, the human world.