Beneath their gazes at the railing of the ferry, the mountains and rivers of the earth meandered like silken threads. Raising their sights, if it were said that the heavens had no four walls, then the vision of man was like an invisible barrier, each person imprisoned within.

Xiao Mo asked, “Is Master waiting for someone?”

“I am waiting for the master of this ferry.”

Chen Ping An turned his head to glance at the third floor of the ferry, then withdrew his gaze, continuing his stroll with Xiao Mo at the bow of the ship. In truth, the ferry beneath their feet, named Sweet Spring, was a celestial treasure capable of summoning clouds and rain. Since the founding of the Great Li Dynasty by the Song clan, until over a century ago, when the Song clan had yet to shed their status as a vassal of the Lu clan dynasty, beset by internal and external troubles and a weak nation, they often needed to borrow this mountain ferry from the Everspring Palace to resolve droughts in local prefectures, inviting celestial masters to perform rituals and bring down sweet rain. It was said that the Great Li court had accumulated a mountain of debt for this, and the Everspring Palace never pressed the Song clan for repayment. Therefore, when the Great Li Dynasty rose to prominence, several Song emperors treated the cultivators of the Everspring Palace with exceptional favor. If not for the Everspring Palace’s continued lack of a Jade Purity Realm cultivator, its ascension to a major sect would have been beyond doubt. Presumably, the Great Li Emperor would have broken precedent to personally attend the celebratory events.

Chen Ping An explained, “Our boarding earlier was uninvited. If we were to depart without a word, it would be a breach of etiquette, something greatly frowned upon on the mountain.”

“If we were to proactively visit the ferry’s steward, the Everspring Palace might easily overthink things.”

“It is more casual in the Northern Entire Reed Continent. The customs of the two places are different; one could say that each region nurtures its own people.”

Xiao Mo smiled, “Being by Master’s side, I am influenced and enlightened, and I can learn much about worldly wisdom that is beyond books.”

Chen Ping An did not take the bait, but merely told Xiao Mo about the past of the Everspring Palace and the Great Li Song clan.

Xiao Mo then held this local Great Li immortal mansion in higher regard, saying, “Having weathered hardships together, the Everspring Palace can be considered to have seen the clouds part to reveal the moon.”

Chen Ping An nodded, “Sharing the same boat, it is indeed a karmic blessing.”

“Xiao Mo, when you leave Fallen Peak in the future, the other places in the Vast Expanse are fine to go, but you must travel to the Northern Entire Reed Continent.”

“Yes, Xiao Mo will definitely travel north to that place when the opportunity arises.”

Chen Ping An led Xiao Mo from the bow to the stern of the ship, looking to the north.

If a sword immortal from the Northern Entire Reed Continent were to die in a foreign land, throughout the continent, as long as one was a sword cultivator, regardless of friend or foe, there would be a custom of sacrificing swords to the continent.

Just like in the Ghost Domain Valley of the Skeleton Beach, the city lord Gao Cheng would proactively offer his fist, even at the cost of immense spiritual energy, to open the heavenly restrictions, just to allow the sword cultivator Pu Rang to offer a sword in sacrifice, ascending higher into the sky.

It was as if in the matter of sword sacrifice, the Ghost Domain Valley could not fall behind others, and the sword light could not be lower than others.

And the Wooden Robe Mountain, the sworn enemy of the Jinguan City, would never take the opportunity to launch any attacks on Jinguan City.

However, Chen Ping An did not say much to Xiao Mo about this matter.

Although that scene was magnificent and soul-stirring, it was best never to see it again.

In the foreign battlefields of Sword Qi Great Wall and Treasure Bottle Continent, the sword immortals of the Northern Entire Reed Continent, who could have remained uninvolved, had fallen in too great a number.

On the third floor of the ferry, a beautiful female cultivator who had achieved success in cultivation and maintained her youth, dressed as a matron, without makeup, with a dignified demeanor, had accidentally met Chen Ping An’s gaze. She forced herself to remain calm, sighing softly in her heart. Whether it was a blessing or a curse, one could not escape it. She could only appear in person. The woman was the current steward of the Sweet Spring Ferry. If she could, she would like to pretend she had seen nothing, quietly boarding without concern, and disembarking without interference. She blamed herself for not being able to resist the urge to investigate, looking at the bow of the ship a few more times.

She was truly curious about that legendary blue-shirted sword immortal.

She took a deep breath, smoothed her temple hair, and tidied her robes.

Earlier, a disciple of Yu Hong had gotten into a dispute with someone. In a martial arts contest, mountain ferries always handled such matters of the martial world with a loose exterior but a tight interior. But if it were a battle of immortals, they would have to ask them to disembark.

Then, someone on the Sweet Spring Ferry had discovered that among the crowd watching the excitement, there seemed to be two Qi Refining cultivators who were not registered, both unfamiliar faces. Upon closer inspection, they were almost scared out of their wits. One of them was actually the Sect Master Chen of Fallen Peak, who had stirred up trouble at the Positive Sun Mountain, euphemistically calling it observation, demolishing their ancestral hall and erecting a stele at the border.

The female cultivator specifically responsible for checking for anomalies on the ferry quickly found the steward and asked her to decide.

Should they expel them? Or request compensation?

Of course, the decision was left to the steward: whether to invite the sword immortal for wine or tea.

The stewardess calmed her mind slightly. Then she performed a hand seal and cast a translocation spell, arriving on the deck of the ferry. She walked briskly towards the blue-shirted sword immortal at the stern of the ship, who was accompanied by only one attendant.

It was no exaggeration to say that she was steeling her courage and putting on a brave face.

Compared to ordinary mountain sects, the Everspring Palace had one of the most well-informed peaks in the Treasure Bottle Continent.

She was a Golden Core Earth Immortal of the Everspring Palace, serving as an enshrined elder, and had a seat in the ancestral hall, and a seat relatively close to the front. So, compared to the registered cultivators of the Positive Sun Mountain, Old Dragon City, and Cloudglow Mountain, she knew more about the inner workings of the mountains and had heard more shocking truths.

Seeing the young mountain master of Fallen Peak, she gathered her robes and curtsied, performing a graceful greeting, “Greetings, Mountain Master Chen, my name is Gan Yi, Daoist name Frost Mist, currently serving as the steward of this ferry.”

The female cultivator was afraid that her name might sound presumptuous, so she quickly added, “It is the ‘Gan’ of sweetness, the ‘Yi’ of pleasantness.”

Chen Ping An clasped his fists in greeting, “Greetings, Steward Gan.”

Xiao Mo looked at Gan Yi, her spirit concentrated in her eyes.

This Golden Core female cultivator had bright eyes and two dimples on her cheeks. So the woman before her was one who looked kindly.

Chen Ping An helped introduce, “My enshrined one, Xiao Mo. The ‘Xiao’ of small, the ‘Mo’ of unfamiliar.”

Xiao Mo bowed in greeting, with a warm smile, softly saying, “It is my honor to meet Immortal Master Gan.”

Gan Yi quickly returned the greeting, “Gan Yi greets Immortal Master Xiao Mo.”

Heaven knew if the other party was another hidden sword immortal?

The Everspring Palace had learned its lesson in this matter, so Gan Yi could not help but be careful.

Gan Yi tentatively asked, “Is Mountain Master Chen returning to Fallen Peak on the way?”
Chen Ping’an shook his head, “I have two old Jianghu friends on the boat. I just came over to take a look and have a drink before heading back to the capital. Xiao Mo and I were a bit presumptuous to board the ship earlier, so I should apologize to Steward Gan.”

He almost blurted out that the mooring fee for the Lique Spring ferry at Ox Horn Crossing could be waived.

Fortunately, he stopped himself.

It would be too much like trying to appear generous when talking about this with the ever-prosperous Evergreen Palace.

Gan Yi’s mind raced, and she asked cautiously, “Are the Mountain Lord Chen’s friends perhaps Grandmaster Yu?”

Actually, she didn’t want to ask, as it could create complications, but she didn’t dare not to.

There was no choice; when chatting with these high-ranking mountaintop cultivators, their words often had hidden meanings and subtexts.

Seemingly all nonsense, yet not a single word was wasted.

She dared not treat this young sword immortal, born of humble origins, as a simple-minded mountain cultivator who succeeded by luck alone.

If it was Yu Hong…

Then the ferry fee for their group had already been collected. Returning the money? That would be too crude.

But there were other ways to make amends, such as personally delivering a few jars of Evergreen Palace immortal brew.

Otherwise, a mere Martial Appraisal Grandmaster wouldn’t warrant such effort from the Evergreen Palace. Just an aging Ninth Realm martial artist with no hope of breaking through, not even a Peak Realm.

Although the Evergreen Palace wasn’t a sect, it was the foremost native immortal family in the Great Li Dynasty, second only to the Dragon Spring Sword Sect. Moreover, their mountain was close to the Great Li Song clan’s place of origin.

Of course, now there was also the newly established but dilapidated Fallen Peak Sect.

Chen Ping’an shook his head and said, “It’s not Yu Hong, but Old Bangzhu Zhu and Old Gentleman Yu. But coincidentally, both seniors are now serving as elders in the Heat-Subduing Hall.”

Gan Yi, being who she was, immediately understood. At least three jars of wine were in order.

And of course, a share for Yu Hong as well, lest Mountain Lord Chen’s two “Jianghu seniors” find themselves in an awkward position.

Just as Chen Ping’an was about to take his leave, Gan Yi suddenly said, “Mountain Lord Chen, we at the Evergreen Palace were late to realize the matter of Sword Immortal Mi’s protection back then. The Evergreen Palace is eternally grateful. If there was any lapse along the way, we hope Sword Immortal Mi will be understanding.”

In recent years, the Evergreen Palace had dispatched a group of female cultivators from the “Lin You” lineage of Supreme Elders to travel south for training. Everything went smoothly, with no unexpected incidents, except for the one major surprise involving their fellow traveler.

They had passed by Píyún Mountain, and coincidentally, a registered retainer named Yu Mi from the Northern Peak Mountain God’s residence was returning south to his hometown, so they traveled together for protection.

At the time, Píyún Mountain claimed that Yu Mi’s family ancestor was an old acquaintance of Mountain God Wei, that he was a Sea Gazing Realm Qi practitioner with less than sixty years of cultivation, and a proficient sword talisman practitioner with considerable combat strength.

But it was all lies…

Chen Ping’an nodded and smiled, “Okay, it’s a small matter. I can pass on the message. But I’ve also heard Mi Yu mention this matter. From what I gathered, he has a good impression of the Evergreen Palace, saying that the elders on your mountain provided thorough and dedicated protection, and the younger generation was diligent in their cultivation, making it easy to get along.”

A smile appeared on Gan Yi’s face, like she had taken a reassuring pill.

A sword immortal from the Sword Qi Great Wall was unpredictable. It was impossible to let one’s guard down. In the Evergreen Palace ancestral hall, this matter had been mentioned many times, but remained unresolved.

She couldn’t take Mountain Lord Chen’s polite words too seriously.

But if he didn’t even bother with polite words, it would be a serious problem.

She never imagined that today’s casual chat, which was just meant to avoid any blame, would bring an unexpected joy and help Gan Yi resolve a minor but persistent concern for her sect.

During their southern journey, within the borders of the Yellow Court Kingdom, the Evergreen Palace had dealt with a mischievous painting demon from the Cloud Mountain Temple, then freed an old cultivator from his predicament, guided the heroic spirit of a Great Li general back to his hometown in the central Treasure Bottle Continent, and finally, and most importantly, secretly purchased a small piece of ten-thousand-year pine for the late General Su Gaoshan from the Wind and Snow Temple.

The Supreme Elder of the Evergreen Palace and the old ancestor of the Qin clan of Great Salamander Gully had a “story” between them, so the Evergreen Palace felt that this was not entirely impossible. But when they heard that they wanted to buy ten-thousand-year pine, the other party turned hostile and said it was absolutely impossible. Because that ten-thousand-year pine, named “Longing,” grew on the Wind and Snow Temple’s Immortal Platform and nominally belonged to Grand Sword Immortal Wei Jin.

So a group of female cultivators from the Evergreen Palace were rebuffed at the Wind and Snow Temple and returned in disappointment, each one worried about how they would explain themselves to their sect, and how their sect would explain to the patrolling envoy, who was the epitome of Great Li military officials.

Unexpectedly, they found a light at the end of the tunnel. At the Ox Horn Mountain dock on their return journey, “Yu Mi” secretly gave Han Biya a piece of ten-thousand-year pine when he disembarked.

Actually, the Evergreen Palace was extremely puzzled after confirming the authenticity of the ten-thousand-year pine. How did a middle Fifth Realm cultivator, a retainer of Píyún Mountain, obtain this item?

Even if Mountain God Wei Bo opened his mouth, the Wind and Snow Temple would not agree.

Who had the ability to bypass the Wind and Snow Temple’s water and mountain restrictions, and the audacity to climb that ancient “Longing” pine tree?

Later, during the fierce battle in Old Dragon City, an unknown sword immortal with extraordinary combat strength emerged. He was elegant, his sword light was like a rainbow, and he liked to dismember or bisect the demon race Earth Immortals.

Moreover, he seemed to be an old acquaintance of the female sword immortal Li Cai of the Northern Ju Lu Continent.

The Evergreen Palace quickly verified this person’s identity by comparing their own intelligence with Great Li intelligence, and discovered that he was actually the “Sea Gazing Realm” “Yu Mi.”

His elder brother, Mi Hu, was an even greater sword immortal who once had the potential to reach the Ascension Realm.

There was a saying in the Great Li border army that the more dead people you’ve seen, the more you look at living people on the battlefield like you’re looking at dead people. When killing, your hand is steady and your heart is even steadier.

This was the case on the battlefield below the mountain, and it must be even more so on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Therefore, the old woman who was the Evergreen Palace elder responsible for protection, who had often been cold and sarcastic to “Yu Mi” during the journey, now often felt a chill in her neck, as if she had taken a walk around the gates of hell.

Chen Ping’an was somewhat puzzled. Given the Evergreen Palace’s transcendent status on the Great Li mountains, and the fact that they had no grudges against the Fallen Peak Sect, Gan Yi shouldn’t be so restrained when meeting him, the Mountain Lord.

Actually, it was quite understandable.
Because Chen Ping’an was still unaware of something.

Outside sects, amongst mountain cultivators, there also existed various “small factions” without sectarian boundaries. For example, the managers of various ferryboats, who often met each other on their travels, would have varying degrees of personal relationships. There were even specialized “Mirror Flower Water Moon” arrangements, facilitating the exchange of profitable opportunities.

And he, the last Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall, thanks to the “Battle of Spring Banner Study” on Upside-Down Mountain, enjoyed unimaginable prestige within this loose “guild” of inter-continental ferryboats.

The stories, embellished and exaggerated, bordered on the mythical.

With the Confucian Temple’s lifting of restrictions on Mountain and Water Gazette reports, allowing unbridled accounts, the tales became all the more shocking…

To the point where, among the ferryboat managers of the vast world, a competition, from the bottom up, emerged inexplicably.

A manager wielding a cross-continental ferryboat looked down upon those managing boats only within a single continent. Those fortunate enough to have visited Upside-Down Mountain and made “humble contributions” to the Sword Qi Great Wall looked down upon those cross-continental boats that had never traded with the Sword Qi Great Wall. Those who had visited Upside-Down Mountain and stepped into the Spring Banner Study to discuss business looked down upon the poor wretches who had never been seated in the Spring Banner Study’s main hall.

And those who had visited the Spring Banner Study and personally participated in that “Summit Conference” looked down upon those who had never personally experienced the “Hidden Official’s demeanor.”

Nowadays, this small group of ferryboat managers, when traveling abroad, held their heads high, regarding all other ferryboat managers as trash.

After all, how could the others know the undercurrents and perils of that conference, where their lives hung by a thread amidst the successive waves in the Spring Banner Study?

A face-off.

The Hidden Official, leading a dozen sword immortals, nearly closed the doors to chop people down.

Gan Yi, as the manager of the Sweet Spring Ferryboat, had naturally heard some veiled and mysterious rumors.

Therefore, Gan Yi was very clear about who she was facing.

Not just Chen Mountain Master, nor just a closed disciple of the Confucian Sage’s lineage, but the last Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Last time, during a discussion in the Ancestral Hall of the Eternal Spring Palace, the Palace Lord had uttered a meaningful remark.

“Our Great Li is not far from the Northern Ju Continent.”

Gan Yi said sincerely, “If Mountain Master Chen is not in a hurry to travel, you might try our Eternal Spring Palace’s rice wine.”

Chen Ping’an politely declined, “I won’t trouble you this time. Xiao Mo and I won’t linger.”

Back then, the Eternal Spring Palace had been actively listed as a candidate sect by the Great Li Dynasty, without much competition.

Previously, during the Confucian Temple’s discussions in the Central Earth, Song Changjing had even requested three additional sect slots from the Confucian Temple. The Eternal Spring Palace still hadn’t rushed around like the Righteous Sun Mountain and the Cloud Glow Mountain, seeking connections, not thinking of fighting for a place for themselves, probably fearing that the Great Li Song Clan would be embarrassed. From this, it could be seen that the Eternal Spring Palace’s sense of propriety was exceptionally good.

Although Chen Ping’an already knew that the three places had long been arranged by the Great Li Dynasty, namely, the Righteous Sun Mountain’s lower sect, named “Bamboo Mountain Sword Sect” by the Bamboo Emperor, a large temple near the Dragon Pool of Wild Goose Mountain, and Cao Rong’s Taoist temple.

Therefore, the Eternal Spring Palace would not break the rules and squeeze into the ranks of sects. However, the identity of a sect candidate was not a mere decoration. Once the Great Li iron cavalry established military merits in the Barbarian Desolate Land, the Eternal Spring Palace, even without Jade Purity Realm cultivators, could still obtain permission from the Confucian Temple to fill the vacancy. The lower sect of the Divine Edict Sect and the Cloud Glow Mountain would have to wait even longer.

Seeing Chen Ping’an unwilling to stop for a drink, Gan Yi was visibly disappointed.

It was just that she didn’t dare to joke with Chen Ping’an casually.

Otherwise, Gan Yi would have had a sincere remark, not entirely a joke, to say to this Hidden Official.

As long as Mountain Master Chen was willing to visit the Eternal Spring Palace as a guest, even if it was just to drink a few cups of wine and leave, just the selection of the people responsible for serving the wine would have those crazy girls fighting tooth and nail, regardless of any sisterhood.

It should be known that the female cultivators of the Eternal Spring Palace have always been extremely open-minded about matters of love between men and women.

Some young female cultivators had even declared that if Sword Immortal Chen personally visited, and she could serve wine and show her face, she would deliberately twist her ankle, not hoping to fall into his arms, but at least being supported by Sword Immortal Chen’s hand would be unavoidable.

Chen Ping’an had no idea about these murky secrets of other mountain factions.

But if he really knew, the Eternal Spring Palace wouldn’t even think about seeing Mountain Master Chen’s face for at least several hundred years.

Chen Ping’an said goodbye.

A figure in a blue shirt transformed into dozens of fine sword lights, flashing across the ferryboat.

Xiao Mo smiled, bowed her head, and bid farewell to Gan Yi, then disappeared into thin air.

There wasn’t the slightest ripple of spiritual energy on the Sweet Spring Ferryboat’s side. The ferryboat’s formation was like a mere formality, but Gan Yi wasn’t surprised.

At dusk, the clouds burned like fire.

Because Chen Ping’an wasn’t in a hurry to return to the Great Li capital, the sword light condensed into a figure in the distance, then dissipated again, reassembling hundreds of miles further north.

No longer using this yet-to-be-mastered escape technique, Chen Ping’an walked forward on a sea of fiery red clouds, smiling and saying to Xiao Mo beside him, “There’s a saying back home, ‘Evening fire burns the clouds, travel a thousand miles tomorrow.’ Actually, before taking root in the Carp Leaping Grotto Heaven, very few people really traveled that far. They mostly went around in circles, at most going into the mountains to chop firewood and burn charcoal, and then having to return home. The round trip might only be a hundred or so miles of mountain and river road.”

The kiln fire on his hometown’s land had seen countless sunrises and sunsets in the sky.

Because of Zhou Haijing first, and then Zhu Fengxian and Yu Cangmang, Chen Ping’an realized that, in addition to its own Mirror Flower Water Moon, the Fallen Phoenix Mountain also needed to use it to gather various news from the mountains of a continent. Therefore, in addition to having someone begin to prepare for the establishment of an intelligence agency, the expense of simply watching the Mirror Flower Water Moon of various immortal residences would require a considerable amount of immortal money. If one wanted to watch the Mirror Flower Water Moon of other immortal residences and fairies, they would have to buy a large number of mountain spiritual instruments. Fortunately, in addition to spending money, Zhu Lian, Great Sword Immortal Mi, and Chen Lingjun were all very suitable for this… the best of the best.

The Fallen Phoenix Mountain’s protective mountain formation was both offensive and defensive.

It already had the Old Guan Master’s Five Sacred Mountains True Form Chart, and in addition, a sword immortal painting was hanging in the old mountain god temple on the mountaintop.

This time, the journey to the depths of the Barbarian Desolate Land had been quite fruitful. Just talking about the Jade Tablet City of the Cloud Pattern Dynasty, Chen Ping’an had obtained twelve flying swords from Emperor Ye Pu, whose Daoist name was “Unique Step.”
Adding the array diagram gifted by Taiping Mountain, the offensive sword array built in the Fallen Mountain’s Ancestral Hall on Jise Peak would possess formidable power. Killing Jade Pure cultivators and deterring Immortals.

However, the constant need for funds easily disheartened heroes. Fortunately, Chen Ping’an remembered that he was an unrecorded honorary guest of the Liu Clan in Aiai Continent.

Being a recorded guest required showing one’s face, and the guest was expected to report in periodically. Unrecorded guests had no such obligations, essentially receiving money for doing nothing.

Beside him, Xiao Mo, ever nimble-fingered, was weaving a pair of Cloud-Treading Void-Stepping Shoes on the cloud path. Their snow-white luster hinted at their high quality.

Walking as if on solid ground above the sea of clouds, Chen Ping’an casually asked, “Xiao Mo, when do you think Wei Jin will ascend to the Ascension Realm?”

Xiao Mo pondered for a moment, “Wei Da Jianxian’s talent is quite good, and he also obtained that opportunity. If he doesn’t fight, doesn’t temper his Dao heart in life-or-death situations, and doesn’t engage in deadly sword duels with those of higher sword skill, I estimate it will take four or five hundred years of slow, steady progress before he even sees the Earth Immortal bottleneck…”

At this point, Xiao Mo quickly corrected himself, “Times have changed. It should be called the Immortal Realm now.”

Chen Ping’an asked, “Were Earth Immortals from the ancient era all so powerful?”

Xiao Mo chuckled, “Not particularly strong, but definitely not weak. It’s just that Earth Immortals ascending to become gods was extremely difficult. The first hurdle alone was like facing a peak Immortal Realm sword cultivator in a duel. After that, there were two more hurdles waiting. Legend has it that one of those hurdles involved the Daoist’s temperament, which seemed rather ethereal and elusive. So even with those two Ascension Platforms, most Earth Immortals didn’t dare to step onto them, as it would be like seeking their own death. If they waited until their physical bodies and souls decayed, only to desperately try to prolong their lives with a gamble, they would certainly die. So there was a frustrating paradox, which ultimately resulted in a very limited number of Earth Immortal men and women successfully ascending in that era.”

“When Xiao Mo wasn’t practicing swordsmanship and was very bored, I would sit near the Ascension Platforms and watch others ascend. Many times, I never saw anyone reach the highest Heavenly Gate. Without exception, they all perished midway. Those Daoists’ flesh and souls were like… flowers blooming, all that arduous cultivation ultimately just adding a grand rain of spiritual energy to the mortal realm. I always thought it was a pity.”

“If Wei Jin had been born in that era, I estimate he could have successfully reached the top of the Ascension Platform.”

Chen Ping’an laughed, “Just based on Wei Da Jianxian’s generosity in buying wine, landing in the Ascension Realm wouldn’t be difficult.”

Regarding that ten-thousand-year pine tree named “Longing,” Wei Jin, the sole cultivator on the Immortal Terrace, actually had a headache.

If the ancient pine hadn’t been connected to the mountain roots and difficult to transplant, Wei Jin would have had it moved to Big Salamander Stream, Green Water Pool, or Wenqing Peak long ago.

Otherwise, the Wind and Snow Temple would be exhausted from dealing with all the social calls, because there were too many registered Immortal Masters and dignitaries requesting branches, leaves, and bark from this ten-thousand-year pine, whether it was ordinary women from the foot of the mountain or female cultivators on the mountain who had not yet severed their Red Dragons. Boiling medicine with the ten-thousand-year pine was an excellent immortal elixir.

But when facing various forces that came to purchase this item, the Wind and Snow Temple never agreed to outsiders, appearing particularly unapproachable in this matter.

Although Wei Jin had told the Sect Master twice that when he wasn’t cultivating on the mountain, the Ancestral Hall could freely dispose of this “Longing.”

In fact, the number of days that Wei Jin had cultivated at the Wind and Snow Temple, after his first descent from the mountain, could be counted on one’s fingers. Otherwise, Wei Jin wouldn’t have even been away from his own mountain when he entered that closed-door life-or-death cultivation at the Nascent Soul Realm.

This led Wei Jin to wonder if the Wind and Snow Temple simply didn’t want to sell the ten-thousand-year pine and was deliberately using him as a shield.

On his last return to the Wind and Snow Temple, Wei Jin had an idea: take on a disciple in name only?

No matter how unattached he was to the Wind and Snow Temple, the Immortal Terrace lineage still needed to be carried on.

So when they reunited at the Sword Qi Great Wall, Wei Jin, this Fallen Mountain honorary guest, asked the Mountain Master to help him look for a suitable sword cultivator seed.

Wei Jin only had one request: the aptitude for cultivation could be average, but the child had to be a native of Treasure Bottle Continent.

After all, it was his first disciple. As for his future closed-door disciple, Wei Jin would naturally choose them himself.

So in addition to asking Chen Ping’an to help him choose a disciple, he also discussed one thing with Chen Ping’an: if he was interested in that ancient pine, he could go to the Wind and Snow Temple himself to purchase it. Furthermore, he, Wei Jin, had already agreed to it, so as long as the Wind and Snow Temple had no objections and Fallen Mountain could afford the price, the ancient pine could be moved to Fallen Mountain.

However, Chen Ping’an had no such thoughts. It wasn’t that he wasn’t envious or tempted, but rather that the Wind and Snow Temple was very likely waiting for the ten-thousand-year pine to succeed in its transformation, which might allow it to soar into the upper five realms and then rightfully become a guardian offering of the Wind and Snow Temple.

Especially with the death of the Mountain-Moving Old Ape from Zheng Yang Mountain, Treasure Bottle Continent once again lacked an upper five realm spirit monster, and the Wind and Snow Temple was even less likely to sell that ten-thousand-year pine with prospects of ascending to the Great Dao.

Moreover, since the ancient pine was named “Longing,” it must also have some unknown great Dao connection.

Chen Ping’an naturally didn’t need to embarrass himself by going to the Wind and Snow Temple.

At the Sweet Spring Ferry, Gan Yi didn’t withdraw her gaze for a long time.

Now all the cultivators of the continent were regretting one thing: it was a pity that Wei Da Jianxian of the Wind and Snow Temple didn’t bring back one or two sword immortal seeds from the Sword Qi Great Wall for Treasure Bottle Continent.

Regardless of how the other seven continents of the Vast World viewed these children from foreign lands, just speaking of Treasure Bottle Continent and Northern Entire Reed Continent, they could walk sideways.

The mountain cultivators of the two adjacent continents in the north and south were all their Dao protectors.

Gan Yi had actually wanted to ask a question earlier: did Chen Mountain Master’s Fallen Mountain have any young sword cultivators from the Sword Qi Great Wall cultivating on the mountain?

It was just that she wasn’t a sword cultivator herself, so it wasn’t appropriate to ask.

Before moving away, Gan Yi smiled charmingly, full of grace and charm.

Ha, the Hidden Official had ridden her ferry.

She could brag about it to others later.

Time to go drink.

In the Dali Capital, early in the morning, Xun Qu, a clerk of the Honglu Temple, came to the Rumor Mill Pavilion again to deliver some court gazettes from the Six Ministries to Mr. Chen.
After returning to the capital last night, Chen Ping An discovered that Ning Yao was still in closed-door cultivation in the guest house. Chen Ping An then spent the entire night reading in the book chamber. Little Mo, on the other hand, hung the “No Worries” plaque, cast an illusion spell, and casually strolled through the brightly lit capital city. After returning to the alley, he stayed in the outer courtyard, weaving several azure-colored Daoist robes.

He was concerned that if he followed his young master to the Defeated Mountain, the gifts he prepared might not be sufficient.

Chen Ping An led Little Mo out of the alley to meet Xun Qu.

Xun Qu noticed that today, Mr. Chen had an additional young-looking attendant by his side compared to last time. Xun Qu only knew that his name was Little Mo and that he was a enshrined cultivator of Defeated Mountain.

He appeared to be a friendly and affable immortal master from the mountain.

Chen Ping An tucked the official gazette into his sleeve. According to the agreement, he was to visit a famous scenic spot in the capital with Xun Qu.

The group walked to a street over half a kilometer long, lined with rare books, ancient paintings and calligraphy, writing tools, and exquisite antiques of all kinds.

This place used to be an official kiln, specializing in firing glazed tiles and azure bricks for the imperial palace. Nowadays, century-old shops abound on this street. This had one advantage: they all valued repeat customers, and no one wanted to ruin their own reputation. Even though some shops inevitably bullied customers, there were very few fakes and imitations. This elegant place in the capital, after all, was a place where if you didn’t have money in your pocket, if your wallet wasn’t full enough, you could only stare blankly, destined to come empty-handed and leave empty-handed.

Chen Ping An, upon receiving Xun Qu’s subtle cue, bought the three books he liked, all with paper as white as jade, and considered excellent editions. Ordinary scholars, like seeing a beautiful woman on the street, could only look, not touch.

Chen Ping An finally gifted Xun Qu six books. Three were charged to the Court of State Ceremonial’s account, totaling about two hundred and eighty taels of silver.

The other three were paid for by Chen Ping An out of his own pocket, as a gift to this young official who was a fellow examinee with Cao Qinglang in the imperial examinations.

On the way back to the Popular Opinion Inn, Xun Qu hesitated again and again, finally asking in a mental voice, “Mr. Chen, aren’t you curious as to why I am a Daoist cultivator?”

Of course, with Mr. Chen’s cultivation and vision, he must have seen through this long ago.

Chen Ping An smiled and said, “Each has their own destiny, no need to delve too deeply.”

The Sea Gazing Realm at thirty years old was actually not a low level.

In the former Treasure Bottle Continent, cultivators in the middle five realms were considered gods and great demons.

Chen Ping An suppressed a smile and asked, “Don’t you know that Cao Qinglang is a fellow practitioner with you?”

Xun Qu was stunned and speechless, shaking his head and saying, “I never noticed.”

Chen Ping An said, “That’s fine. When you meet again in the future, you’ll have more to talk about, discussing cultivation matters.”

Xun Qu couldn’t help but mutter softly, “Good heavens, he’s pretending to be poor!”

Seeing Mr. Chen’s playful gaze, Xun Qu was a little embarrassed, “Mr. Chen, unlike Cao Qinglang, I am genuinely poor, the kind of person who has never been able to hold onto money since I was a child.”

Chen Ping An joked, “In the end, you are still primarily an official. Talented writings are resented by fate, it’s good to be poor. In the future, you’ll write beautifully and become a high-ranking official. When I come to the capital again, I’ll have a backer in the officialdom.”

Xun Qu was speechless.

Unlike his fellow examinee Cao Qinglang, Xun Qu, although he was a second-class Jinshi graduate, had a very low ranking, so his official career started low. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been relegated to the Court of State Ceremonial, a minor department outside the six ministries.

Xun Qu really didn’t think he could become a high-ranking official. Moreover, even if the official hat was bigger, would it be useful to Mr. Chen?

Xun Qu hesitated again for a long time, “My master said that he knew Mr. Chen a long time ago.”

Chen Ping An smiled and said, “Could you ask who the esteemed senior is?”

Xun Qu said, “My master is the Director of the Department of Sacrifices and Rites in the Ministry of Rites.”

Chen Ping An immediately understood, “I see.”

Among the many directors in the Great Li officialdom, the three positions are the most powerful: the Ministry of Personnel’s Department of Evaluation, the Ministry of War’s Department of Military Selection, and the Ministry of Rites’ Department of Sacrifices and Rites. Although they are only officials of the fifth rank, their authority is extremely great. Especially Xun Qu’s mentor, the Director of the Department of Sacrifices and Rites, is also in charge of the evaluation of the merits and demerits of all the mountain and river deities in the Great Li, so he has the reputation of “Little Heavenly Official” in the mountains.

This old director, who has been entrenched in this position for many years, seems to be an old friend of Li Jin, the Water God of the Chongdan River.

His most recent appearance was when he personally went to Red Candle Town to deal with the trouble caused by the Jade Liquid River Water Goddess.

However, such officials, similar to Cao Gengxin, the Overseer of Works in his hometown, were not suitable for Defeated Mountain to actively associate with.