The Emperor of the Great Sui Gao Clan attended the Banquet of a Thousand Elders. The envoy from the Great Li was none other than the same Minister of Rites who had visited Dragon Springs County years ago – Chen Ping’an would certainly recognize him at a glance.

Amidst the sea of white hair at the grand feast, seated on either side of the Great Li Minister were Song Jixin and Xu Ruo, both using aliases. Zhi Gui was nowhere to be seen.

Xu Ruo retained his wandering swordsman attire, with his blade slung across his back.

Perhaps only that young Embroidered Tiger knew the enormity of what Xu Ruo had accomplished.

He had faced Mister Fan directly, promising on behalf of the Great Li Song Clan that a branch of the Merchant Alliance could be allowed to enter this ravenous feast that encompassed a continent’s worth of territory, allowing it to flourish without interference from the Great Li Song Clan for thirty years.

Xu Ruo sipped his wine, his thoughts not on these grand schemes, but rather on how to cultivate Dong Shuiing, who still bought wontons every day, into a true Bladesman of Debt.

Song Jixin gazed upon the Emperor of the Great Sui Gao Clan, then surveyed his surroundings, feeling a palpable sense of decay permeating the Great Sui court, both above and below.

Zhi Gui, or rather, Wang Zhu, remained alone in the desolate guesthouse.

A tall, slender middle-aged Daoist, employing an illusion to conceal his true appearance, arrived at the guesthouse with two cultivators from True Martial Mountain. They found Zhi Gui leaning against the railing beneath the eaves, listening to the tinkling of the wind chimes.

The middle-aged Daoist dispelled the illusion, revealing his true face, wreathed in immortal aura. He wore a fish-tail crown atop his head. Simply standing in the courtyard, he exuded an air of immeasurable Dao, as if coexisting with Heaven and Earth, a man like a great mountain standing between Heaven and Earth.

Zhi Gui merely glanced at this Divine Edict Sect Dao Lord, the master of the Treasure Bottle Continent’s Daoist orthodoxy, Qi Zhen. She paid even less attention to the sword-bearing cultivator from True Martial Mountain. Her attention was focused on the young man with a black cat perched on his shoulder. He was gentle and refined, not unlike the simpleton from Apricot Blossom Lane she remembered. His complexion was slightly pale, and he looked at her with a warm smile, but deep within his eyes was a burning possessiveness.

Zhi Gui didn’t particularly like this fellow, not because she had any personal animosity towards him, but because this Ma Ku Xuan’s grandmother was utterly detestable. All the uncouth habits a common woman should or shouldn’t have seemed to be embodied by that old crone. Whenever Zhi Gui went to draw water from the Iron Chain Well and encountered that old woman, she was sure to hear a few sarcastic remarks. If Zhi Gui hadn’t been so tightly bound by the rules of the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven, she would have had a hundred ways to make that gossiping old woman suffer a fate worse than death. Later, Old Yang went insane and bestowed a stroke of good fortune upon the old woman, turning her into the River Goddess of the Dragon Whisker River in the town. Zhi Gui could only continue to wait for the opportunity. One day, she would make that old woman, whose real name was Ma Lanhua, taste the torments of hell.

As for what would happen to Ma Ku Xuan at that time, did she care? Not at all.

Qi Zhen smiled and said, “Young Lady Zhi Gui, what Headmaster Lu instructed me to do has been done. The Divine Edict Sect has recently acquired a brand new Shattered Blessed Land. I welcome Young Lady Zhi Gui to enter it to seek opportunities. I am willing to escort you along the way.”

Tracing back to the source, Qi Zhen was of the Dao Second’s lineage, but Lu Chen was one of the Three Great Headmasters, and now he was responsible for guarding the White Jade Capital. Qi Zhen was naturally delighted to be able to do something for Lu Chen. Being favored by Headmaster Lu, Qi Zhen was certain that his future advancement to the Ascension Realm was no longer a pipe dream. When Qi Zhen was young, he had received a prophecy from a transcendent expert, “Even immortals must quench their thirst with the thought of plums.” Before the twelfth realm, it was a very auspicious saying, but when Qi Zhen advanced to Celestial Sovereign, it was almost an ominous prediction of reaching the end and slowly waiting for death. And Headmaster Lu Chen was one of the few great figures in all the heavens who liked to change the fates of people he favored, and it was said that Headmaster Lu liked to do four idle things, one of which was the carving of rotten wood.

Ma Ku Xuan had eyes only for her, looking at the girl he had long admired, and smiled, “There’s no need to trouble Celestial Sovereign, I can do it.”

Zhi Gui ignored a Daoist Celestial Sovereign, not even correcting her posture, still lounging lazily with her head tilted, looking at Ma Ku Xuan, “You are the good fortune Lu Chen promised to give me? Will you obey my orders from now on?”

Years ago, when Lu Chen was setting up a fortune-telling stall, after seeing the Emperor of Great Li and Song Jixin, he went to Mud Bottle Lane alone and found her, saying that he had relied on a little calculation and obtained a “letting go” from Song Zhengchun that suited Lu Chen’s wishes, so he could legitimately bring Ma Ku Xuan into his pocket, and he Lu Chen planned to give Ma Ku Xuan to Zhi Gui.

Zhi Gui didn’t care about the ins and outs. At first, she didn’t pay much attention, because she didn’t think a Ma Ku Xuan could cause much trouble. Later, Ma Ku Xuan became famous in True Martial Mountain, and broke through realms twice in a row, she felt that maybe Ma Ku Xuan was not one of the five, but maybe there was something else hidden. Zhi Gui didn’t bother to think about it. It was not a bad thing to have another knife in her hand. Now, besides the Fu family of Old Dragon City, she had no lackeys that she could freely call upon.

Ma Ku Xuan nodded and said, “I’ll listen to you. If you want to kill someone, just say it. As long as it’s not an old turtle of the upper five realms, I guarantee I’ll bring back his head. As for the upper five realms, wait a little longer, and it will be the same in the future, and it shouldn’t take too long.”

Because he liked Zhi Gui, Ma Ku Xuan was often complained about by his grandmother in the ancestral house in Apricot Blossom Lane.

Only on this matter would his most doting grandmother say a few words against him.

Zhi Gui asked, “Then can you kill Chen Ping’an?”

The True Martial Mountain Protector felt a pang of anxiety and said in a deep voice, “Impossible.”

Zhi Gui just stared at Ma Ku Xuan.

Ma Ku Xuan smiled and said, “In the Cliff Academy, there is a Sage guarding it, I can’t kill Chen Ping’an. But you can give me a deadline, like a year, three years, or something. But to be honest, if the rumors are true, the current Chen Ping’an is not easy to kill, unless…”

Zhi Gui gave an ‘oh’ sound, directly interrupting Ma Ku Xuan’s words, “Then forget it. It seems you’re not that great either. Lu Chen is not very generous. He gave the descendant of Celestial Sovereign Xie Shi, that silly Longbrow, a pagoda comparable to a celestial weapon, but when it comes to me, he’s so stingy.”

The True Martial Mountain military strategist was afraid that Ma Ku Xuan would be annoyed after hearing these words. He never thought that when he observed his heart lake with a secret technique, it was as calm as a mirror, and even some sparkling light that symbolized joy.
Ma Kuxuan grinned, his eyes gleaming. “Wang Zhu, just you wait. One day, you’ll understand that I am the best. Those so-called priceless Immortal Armaments and heaven-blessed geniuses… in the end, they’ll just be trash and ants beneath my feet.”

Zhigui tilted her head, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes. “What do you like about me? Back in our little town, we barely interacted. I hardly remember you, perhaps we didn’t even exchange words.”

Despite the obvious neglect and indifference, Ma Kuxuan’s behavior was enough to make even the old ancestors of True Martial Mountain gape in astonishment. A rare flush of embarrassment crept onto his face, but he offered no explanation.

Zhigui suddenly chuckled, pointing a finger at Ma Kuxuan. “Aren’t you, Ma Kuxuan, the most renowned heaven-blessed prodigy in the entire Jade Bottle Continent?”

The corners of Ma Kuxuan’s lips tilted upwards. In an instant, he transformed back into the arrogant cultivator the world knew so well, a prodigy whose talents inspired despair in his peers and made seasoned cultivators feel like they had wasted centuries. Moreover, Ma Kuxuan had ventured down the mountain several times to hone his skills, whether facing opponents on the sparring platforms of True Martial Mountain or engaging in life-or-death struggles. He was decisive in his actions, ruthlessly bloody, and swift to end lives. He also had a penchant for eliminating threats at the root, never showing mercy regardless of whether he was justified or not.

Ma Kuxuan slowly said, “I am hardly a heaven-blessed prodigy.”

The black cat perched on his shoulder curled up, raising a paw to lick it with utmost docility.

Zhigui glanced at him, pursing her lips. “Suit yourself.”

Ma Kuxuan asked, “If I were to slay Song Jixin one day, would you be angry?”

Zhigui seemed a bit annoyed, glaring at him. “Ma Kuxuan, please, before you acquire any real skill, try to keep the boastful talk to a minimum. It’s rather irritating.”

Ma Kuxuan chuckled. “I’ll heed your words.”

The True Martial Mountain Protector who had watched Ma Kuxuan grow up step by step had mixed feelings.

Celestial Sovereign Qi Zhen, however, remained indifferent to all of this.

Only out of respect for Headmaster Lu, who had returned to White Jade Capital, did he patiently stand there, watching these youngsters chat like children playing house.

Regardless of Zhigui and Ma Kuxuan’s respective backgrounds, as long as they hadn’t ascended beyond the fifth realm, they were nothing more than delicate porcelain, easily shattered.

Ma Kuxuan said with regret, “I must now make a trip to the Scarlet Brilliance Dynasty to slay a few Earth Immortal Sword Cultivators as a catalyst for breaking through.”

Zhigui said nonchalantly, “I care not where you go.”

Ma Kuxuan laughed heartily, turning to Qi Zhen. “Then, may I request Celestial Sovereign to escort us out of the city?”

Qi Zhen nodded, saying “Until we meet again” to Zhigui, and the three figures vanished without a trace.

The Great Sui Capital’s array detected no anomalies.

They passed through as if it were an uninhabited place.

Throughout the entire mundane world of Jade Bottle Continent, perhaps only the capital of Great Li would give this Celestial Sovereign some pause.

Zhigui leaned on the railing, a touch of drowsiness settling in. She closed her eyes, a slender finger idly scratching against the railing, creating a squeaking sound.

She turned around, leaning her back against the railing, head tilted back, her entire figure possessing captivating curves.

She bent her fingers, flicking them one after another, causing the wind chimes under the eaves to chime melodically.

In the twilight.

Her golden eyes with vertical pupils were wide open.

The strange phenomena dissipated.

She stood up, tall and graceful, smiling as she gazed towards the courtyard gate.

Song Jixin walked into the courtyard, carrying a faint scent of alcohol.

She asked, “Was the Thousand Elders Banquet enjoyable?”

Song Jixin shook his sleeves, lamenting, “Those old geezers at the banquet wished they could skin us three alive, eat our flesh, and drink our blood. It scared me to death.”

Zhigui asked curiously, “Wasn’t a century-long treaty established? We have no grudges with them, and Great Li’s iron cavalry didn’t even pass by their doorstep, heading straight south. Why were they so unfriendly?”

Song Jixin leaned against the railing, pondering for a moment before replying, “They’re just used to living the good life, unable to bear even the slightest grievance.”

Zhigui exclaimed in understanding, “I see. Then this servant is much more amiable than them.”

Song Jixin mistakenly thought she was referring to the petty squabbles in the nearby streets from years ago, laughing, “When I become successful, I’ll definitely help you vent your anger.”

Zhigui hummed in agreement, asking, “Have you managed to decipher any secrets from those three books?”

Song Jixin seemed weary, closing his eyes and rubbing his face with both hands. “Perhaps they’re just ordinary books. I’ve been paranoid for so long for nothing.”

Song Jixin suddenly reached into his sleeve, pulling out a yellow four-legged lizard that looked like it could be found in the countryside, tossing it onto the ground. “At the Thousand Elders Banquet, it was constantly restless. If Xu Ruo hadn’t suppressed it with his sword intent, it probably would have lunged at the Great Sui Emperor and eaten his head for a midnight snack.”

The maidservant squatted down, taking out a Grain Rain Coin and placing it in her palm.

The four-legged lizard cowered, not daring to swallow the treat.

Song Jixin bent down, looking at the little creature with budding horns on its forehead, helplessly saying, “Look at how timid you are. Compare that to your water dragon counterpart from the Scroll Brook, and it’s like heaven and earth.”

Song Jixin ignored it, yawning as he went inside to sleep.

Zhigui shook her hand, but the four-legged lizard still didn’t dare to approach.

“Good for you, knowing better.”

Zhigui smiled and tossed the Grain Rain Coin in her palm into her own mouth. The little creature seemed aggrieved, hissing softly.

Zhigui clenched her fist, slamming it down on its head. “Three years without business, and a single deal can last three years, don’t you understand?”

She stood up, kicking the four-legged lizard out of the courtyard. “You have no skill whatsoever, yet you dare to covet the national preceptor’s ancient remains. It’s one thing to drool in secret, but you got caught red-handed! How did I end up with such a useless thing?”

Zhigui sat on the steps, taking off one of her embroidered shoes and waving it at the creature.

The little creature obediently came to her feet, and she, still angry, picked up the embroidered shoe and tapped it lightly.

At Cloud-Draped Mountain in Dragon Spring County, a new Deer Forest Academy was established. The Great Sui Prince Gao Xuan was studying here, something that neither Great Sui nor Great Li concealed.

This was Gao Xuan’s second time entering Dragon Spring County, once in the heavens, needing to walk a celestial ladder within the Li Orb Grotto-heaven. This time he was on the earth, truly on the territories of Great Li.

Cloud-Draped Mountain was now the Northern Peak of Great Li. The mountain was new, the academy was new, from the instructors imparting knowledge to the young scholars seeking wisdom, it was all new.
The Linlu Academy was established by the Dali Dynasty, lacking the esteemed title of the “Seventy-Two Academies.” Neither the Mountain Lord nor the Deputy Mountain Master were particularly renowned. Moreover, one of the academy’s figures was a former old servant from the Huangting Kingdom, once a tributary state of the Sui Dynasty. Nevertheless, it was common knowledge that the Linlu Academy was striving to be among the “Seventy-Two,” a goal that the Song family of Dali was determined to achieve.

Initially, Gao Xuan had anticipated conflicts within the academy. At the very least, he expected cold shoulders or veiled probes, similar to Li Baoping and Yu Lu’s experiences at Cliff Academy of Donghua Mountain, where they inevitably faced the hardships of being newcomers. However, after several months at the Linlu Academy, Gao Xuan felt a sense of disappointment. It seemed that neither the instructors nor the students placed much importance on his status as a prince from an enemy state. Almost no one displayed overt hostility.

This perplexed Gao Xuan for quite some time until the old ancestor of the Geyang Gao family, who cultivated in seclusion on Piyun Mountain, enlightened him with a few words.

The Dali Dynasty, in its mere century of existence, had risen from a vassal state of the Lu Dynasty, a mire of eunuch interference and consort clan dominance, to become the northern hegemon of Bao Ping Continent. This ascent was marked by constant warfare, death, and the annexation of neighboring states. Even the citizens of Dali’s capital came from all corners of the land. Unlike the Sui Dynasty, many people’s current status bore no resemblance to that of their ancestors two or three centuries prior.

Gao Xuan grasped the point immediately: flowing water does not stagnate, and a turning hinge does not decay.

However, the Gao family’s old ancestor, who had once worked as a storyteller in the Sui Dynasty’s capital, lamented, “Flowing water? More like flowing blood, wouldn’t you say?”

Whenever he had free time, Gao Xuan would carry his book chest and wander through the mountains west of Longquan County or stroll through the streets of the small towns. He would also explore the newly built county city to the north. He would even make a detour to a mountain god shrine on the north side of town to eat a bowl of wontons. The shop owner, surnamed Dong, was a tall, amiable young man. Over time, Gao Xuan befriended him. When Dong Shuijing was not busy, he would personally cook a couple of home-style dishes, and the two would share some wine.

Occasionally, Gao Xuan would visit an abandoned residence. It was said that the head of the household, a man named Li Er, had been dispossessed by his wife’s family, who were trying to sell the property for a high price. However, they seemed to be facing obstacles at the county government’s household registry, as they lacked the land deed.

Inside Gao Xuan’s book chest was a Dragon King Basket.

Every day, using the secret technique passed down by the Gao family’s old ancestor, he would infuse the basket with Xiaoshu coins, making the spiritual energy within as dense as water.

Inside the bamboo fish basket, a golden carp swam leisurely.

It was there that Gao Xuan first met Li Er, and of course, Chen Pingan.

Before coming to this place, Gao Xuan had prepared himself for the possibility that he might one day have to hand over the Dragon King Basket and the golden carp to some powerful figure in the Dali Dynasty as the price for his peaceful studies at the Linlu Academy.

However, neither County Magistrate Yuan nor Prefect Wu had ever come to see him.

One day, Gao Xuan was washing his face by a stream when he suddenly turned and saw a handsome man in a snow-white robe with a golden earring dangling from his ear.

Gao Xuan quickly stood up, bowed, and said, “Gao Xuan greets the North Mountain Deity.”

Wei Bo, the North Mountain Deity of Dali, smiled and said, “No need for such formality. I’ve noticed you’ve been wandering around quite a bit, and carrying that Dragon King Basket all the time isn’t ideal. If you trust me, why not open the basket and release the golden carp into the stream? Nurturing it with spiritual energy alone is like raising it in stagnant water. Over time, it will lose its spirit. While it may lead to rapid advancement in the short term, it will eventually be stuck at the Yuanying realm bottleneck. Although releasing it into the water will mean it absorbs less spiritual energy each day and its cultivation progresses more slowly, in the long run, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.”

Wei Bo pointed into the distance. “From here to the Dragon Whisker River and then to the Iron Talisman River, it can swim freely. I will inform the River Matriarchs and the River Deity so that they don’t restrict its cultivation.”

Gao Xuan hesitated.

He had never interacted with this Mountain Deity of Dali before. How could he trust him?

The golden carp inside the fish basket was hailed by his old ancestor as a creature that had the potential to leap over the Dragon Gate of the Central Earth and transform into a true dragon.

On the path of cultivation, the human heart is treacherous, and schemes abound.

If someone were to forcefully seize this great opportunity, Gao Xuan would have to accept it, given his dependence on Dali. Accepting the situation would only strengthen his Dao heart. Adversity could temper his nature.

But if he were tricked and lost a fortune that was already his, it would damage more than just a golden carp. It would create flaws and gaps in Gao Xuan’s path to cultivation.

Wei Bo smiled. “It’s alright. You can release it whenever you feel ready.”

Wei Bo was about to turn and leave.

Suddenly, the Gao family’s old ancestor appeared beside Gao Xuan, having flown in from Piyun Mountain. He said to Gao Xuan, “Listen to Mr. Wei. It will be beneficial in every way.”

Seeing his old ancestor appear, Gao Xuan no longer hesitated. He opened the bamboo chest, took out the Dragon King Basket, and released the golden carp into the stream.

With a joyful flick of its tail, the golden carp darted downstream.

Gao Xuan squatted by the water, holding the empty fish basket, and murmured, “Long confined in a cage, now returned to nature.”

Zhao Yao had left Lizhu Grotto-Heaven in an ox cart, according to his grandfather’s plan, to cultivate in a celestial sect located in the central part of Bao Ping Continent, near the Western Sea.

However, along the way, he encountered a young man with a mole between his eyebrows who called himself Embroidery Tiger.

In the end, Zhao Yao handed over the Spring Word Seal that his teacher had given him because the other person was Cui Chan, the national preceptor of Dali.

Among the younger generation in the town’s school, Zhao Yao had spent the most time with their teacher. Even Li Baoping and Song Jixin, an age-mate whom Zhao Yao admired, were no match for him in this regard.

As Zhao Yao traveled, he managed to turn danger into opportunity, thanks to a cultivation technique and two celestial artifacts that Cui Chan had given him as compensation.
Only in the end, as Zhao Yao approached that immortal cave dwelling, the ox cart had already reached the foot of the mountain. Yet, the haggard and weary Zhao Yao suddenly changed his mind. He abandoned the ox cart, released the water buffalo from its bonds, and continued westward towards the great sea alone. Finally, he found a legendary immortal ferry crossing, boarded a ferry to the isolated immortal island overseas, and then transferred to another ferry to continue towards the Central Earth Divine Continent. After all, in the entire Treasure Bottle Continent, only Old Dragon City had intercontinental ferries, and most of those were trade ships from the Upside-Down Mountain. Therefore, Treasure Bottle Continent Qi refiners who wished to go to the Central Earth Divine Continent could only use Zhao Yao’s method, repeatedly utilizing the short-to-medium distance ferries of the sea immortal sects.

However, after more than half of the journey, the immortal ferry Zhao Yao was on encountered a calamity. It was struck and shattered by a swarm of flying fish, covering the sky like locusts. Zhao Yao and the vast majority of passengers fell into the sea. Some died instantly. Zhao Yao escaped death thanks to a protective magical artifact, but the vast ocean seemed to offer only a dead end. Sooner or later, he would be buried in the belly of a fish.

Two Golden Core cultivators on the ferry attempted to escape by riding the wind. One tried to break through the formation of flying fish, but died in despair, lost in the endless swarm, his body shattered to pieces. The other, seeing the situation was dire, exhausted his energy and had no choice but to descend into the sea.

Zhao Yao sat on a giant piece of wreckage from the ferry, tightly clutching his package. He drifted aimlessly for an unknown amount of time, his face withered and gaunt, feeling more dead than alive.

Finally, unable to hold on any longer, Zhao Yao fainted and fell from the giant piece of wood into the sea, relying on the last glimmer of light from his protective magical artifact to drift with the waves.

When Zhao Yao groggily opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a bed. He jolted awake and sat up. It was a fairly spacious but simple thatched hut. The walls were bare, but the place was filled with books, so many yellowed texts that it was almost impossible to walk.

Zhao Yao, now skin and bones, got up and found that his package was placed on the bedside. He opened it and found that everything inside was still there, relieving him of a great burden.

Following a narrow path carved through stacks of books that were half his height, Zhao Yao walked out of the thatched hut. After pushing open the door, the wilderness opened up before him, revealing that the hut was built on the edge of a cliff. He could see the sea as soon as he stepped outside.

Zhao Yao also saw a sheathless sword, stuck diagonally into the top of the mountain, covered in rust and lacking any luster.

Zhao Yao walked to the edge of the cliff, staring blankly at the bottomless depths below.

Just as Zhao Yao was about to take a step forward, a gentle voice spoke from beside him, “Heaven never seals off all paths. Are you so disappointed in yourself?”

Zhao Yao, with tears in his eyes, turned around and saw a tall and slender man in a blue robe, gazing out at the sea.

Zhao Yao, still a young man, wiped away his tears and suddenly asked, “Esteemed sir, you must be a secluded expert. Would you accept me as your disciple? I want to learn immortal arts!”

The man shook his head and smiled, “I have never been a disciple myself, and I never accept disciples. It’s too much trouble. I will let you recover here and then send you away.”

Zhao Yao asked, “Where is this place?”

The man smiled, “The mortal realm, where else could it be?”

Zhao Yao, perhaps throwing caution to the wind, and at his most desperate and vulnerable, impolitely pressed, “I want to know, where in the mortal realm is this?!”

The man was not angry, and smiled, “I am not deliberately playing riddles with you. This is just an ordinary place with no name. It is not some immortal residence. The spiritual energy is thin. It is not too far from the Central Earth Divine Continent. If you are lucky, you might encounter fishermen or pearl divers.”

After that, Zhao Yao stayed there to recuperate. As time passed, he realized that the man, apart from his impressive footwork, was actually quite ordinary.

Even though the few thatched huts on the mountain were filled with books, the man rarely spoke profound words. He ate every day and often went down the mountain to walk by the sea.

Zhao Yao spent his days reading books, or sitting by the cliff, lost in thought.

Only when Zhao Yao felt bored one day and tried to pull out the sword in the ground did the man stand by his hut and remind Zhao Yao with a smile not to touch it.

Zhao Yao asked curiously, “Does this sword have a name?”

The man shook his head, “It never had one.”

Zhao Yao asked again, “Are you someone who failed the imperial examinations? Or are you escaping enemies, which is why you left the mainland to live in seclusion here?”

The man still shook his head, “Neither. It’s not as complicated as you think. I just agree with a saying: ‘Life is truly difficult, and the great Dao has many forks. Since the road is difficult to walk, stop, take a break, and think it over.'”

Zhao Yao tentatively asked, “Are you really not a reclusive expert, like a Land Immortal in the Golden Core or Nascent Soul realm?”

The man smiled and asked, “I am naturally not a Land Immortal. Besides, whether I am or not, what does it have to do with you, Zhao Yao?”

Zhao Yao stayed there for almost two years. The island was not too big. Zhao Yao could now explore it on his own. And indeed, as the man said, if he was lucky, he could encounter fishermen going out to sea, and pearl divers taking a great risk for the chance to become rich overnight.

Zhao Yao’s state of mind gradually calmed down, and he took the initiative to tell the man that he wanted to travel to the Central Earth Divine Continent.

The man smiled and nodded, “Be careful on the road. Remember not to be disappointed in yourself again. Perhaps that is the most disappointing thing of all.”

Zhao Yao was a little embarrassed. Finally, he took out the wooden carved dragon paperweight. “To repay your life-saving grace, I want to give this to you.”

The man waved his hand, seeming a little helpless. “When did the world outside become a place where saving someone within one’s power is such a morally lofty act?”

Zhao Yao stubbornly said, “But you saved me without expecting anything in return, and the person saved cannot be unconcerned! This is already the most important object I own. It is fitting to use it to repay you, sir.”

The man smiled, “Then it means that the world hasn’t become too bad after all.”

However, the man still did not accept the paperweight in the end.

Zhao Yao rode a self-made raft to the mainland. Standing on the raft, Zhao Yao bowed to the man on the shore to say goodbye.

After that, the man continued to live his leisurely life.

One day, the long sword on the top of the mountain trembled slightly.

The man stood beside the sword, looked towards the direction of the Treasure Bottle Continent, and smiled, “Don’t bother digging up old history.”

The sword’s trembling gradually subsided.

Afterward, two visitors appeared out of thin air on the island, an old Daoist with a wine-stained nose, and a young Daoist, the latter of whom quickly squatted on the ground to vomit.
From the alleys of that village in the southeast of Treasure Bottle Continent, to the western shores, then to a solitary island guarded by a celestial clan with the character “Sect” in their name, and finally here, the young Taoist had vomited again and again.

The old Taoist quickly crouched down, gently patting his disciple’s back, apologizing, “It’s alright, it’s alright. After this bout… maybe one more, uh, or perhaps two, and we’ll get through it.”

The young Taoist, having almost retched up his bile, asked with reddened eyes, “Master, you say that every time! When will it end? Can you at least give me a definite answer?”

The old Taoist, adorned in strange Taoist robes with sleeves that seemed to have fiery dragons roaming within, wore an embarrassed smile.

The young Taoist stood up and asked, “Master, you said you’d take me to meet the person you admire most, but you’re unwilling to reveal their origin. Why is that?”

The old Taoist smiled without a word, looking up and asking, “Open your door. We master and disciple are here to beg for a cup of tea. Is that alright?”

The man sighed, appearing by the sea, standing ten feet away from the pair. “I’m just a scholar, and you, an outsider Grand Celestial Master from Dragon Tiger Mountain, yet you wish to contend with me in the arts of lightning and talismans?”

The old Taoist had already used his divine abilities to prevent his disciple from hearing the man’s words.

Some things were best kept from this foolish disciple.

The short old Taoist asked with a smile, “Won’t even let us in? What, does that mean you’ve agreed to compete in the Daoist arts? If I can enter, I win, and then you lend me that sword?”

The man shook his head. “Do you really have to be so persistent?”

Zhang Shanfeng, the young Taoist, couldn’t hear what his master and the blue-robed man were saying at all.

In fact, Zhang Shanfeng was shocked to discover that he would forget the man’s features immediately after seeing them.

The old Taoist laughed heartily. “Oh dear, are you getting angry? Come out and hit me if you dare!”

The man twitched the corner of his lips.

Zhang Shanfeng suddenly heard his master’s shameless words and couldn’t help but gently remind him, “Master, although you’ve always claimed to be an enlightened cultivator, as a Qi Refiner from the mountain, shouldn’t you pay more attention to etiquette and decorum when calling on someone?”

The old Taoist repeatedly nodded in agreement, then glared at the man. “Using such tricks, what kind of hero are you!”

The man said, “You can’t even draw that sword. What’s there to lend?”

The old Taoist’s expression turned solemn. “Even at my current cultivation level, I still can’t draw it?”

The man nodded. “Even if you reach a higher realm, you still won’t be able to wield it.”

The old Taoist sighed heavily.

Dragon Tiger Mountain had once had a secret matter.

The old Taoist had promised the previous Grand Celestial Master that he could only rightfully return to Dragon Tiger Mountain after slaying that ascending realm demon.

Now, the odds of victory were eight to two, heavily in his favor, but if it came to a fight to the death, the odds would be fifty-fifty.

The old Taoist glanced at his disciple, upon whom he placed the most hope, and resolved to give it a try!

The man suddenly looked at the young Taoist. “This boxing intent of yours?”

Zhang Shanfeng, currently carrying an ordinary peach wood sword from Dragon Tiger Mountain and a broken ancient sword engraved with the characters “True Martial,” was at a loss upon hearing the blue-robed man’s question.

The old Taoist proudly boasted, “What do you think? Pretty impressive, right? My disciple created it himself!”

The blue-robed man revealed a rare hint of admiration. “Perhaps it can open up a new path for martial arts in the world, and even create much merit. More importantly, his heart is sincere. You’ve taken in a good disciple.”

The old Taoist grinned from ear to ear, starting to spout nonsense, “Oh, it’s nothing, nothing. I have at least seven or eight more disciples like him.”

Zhang Shanfeng didn’t think his master was exaggerating, nor was he disheartened by it. Back when he cultivated on the mountain, he was indeed the most mediocre person in terms of aptitude, far inferior to his senior brothers and sisters, and even inferior to some junior Taoists of his nephews’ and nieces’ generation…

The man laughed. “I’ve heard a bit about the Dragon Tiger Mountain incident from back then. You want to take this disciple up the mountain to pay respects to the ancestors? That’s harder than ascending to heaven. Coincidentally, that demon has indeed crossed the line.”

The man thought for a moment. “Wait for me for the time it takes to burn one incense stick.”

He turned and walked up the mountain peak.

The blue-robed man casually grabbed the long sword stuck in the mountain peak and held it in his hand.

This worldly man, who only admitted to being a scholar, didn’t have any elated expression, and even after drawing the long sword that an outsider Grand Celestial Master couldn’t draw, it didn’t trigger the slightest change in the heavens and earth.

It was like any poor scholar who had toiled over his books, sitting in his study, picking up a brush, wanting to write a small article.

He went to a bottomless abyss in the Central Earth Divine Continent that no one dared to enter, and with one sword strike, annihilated that thirteenth realm demon entrenched at the bottom of the abyss, destroying both its form and spirit.

Returning to the mountain peak, he re-inserted the rusty long sword back into the ground, walked down the mountain, and said to the old Taoist, “Now you can ascend Dragon Tiger Mountain.”

The old Taoist said with a playful smile, “How embarrassing, great kindness needs no thanks. We’ll be taking our leave now, and will visit again later.”

He grabbed Zhang Shanfeng’s arm, who was still looking bewildered, and used his magic, directly shrinking the distance by millions of miles, going to a high mountain in the mainland of the Central Earth Divine Continent.

The blue-robed man didn’t mind, standing in place, continuing to watch the sea.

Zhao Yao was young and ignorant at the time, and once asked him if he was a disillusioned person.

That question was quite interesting.

Because this scholar had always been praised as the most successful person in the world.

First, set a small goal, such as 1 second: