The earthen path, worn smooth by countless steps, crunched softly beneath the solitary tread of Chen Ping’an. He strolled along the paddy fields, the golden stalks swaying gently in the breeze, for an old friend had arrived. Qi Shou, from the bastion city of Wu Kui, now held the mantle of leadership amongst the Punishers of the Realm.

Qi Shou, never one for pleasantries, cut straight to the matter at hand. “If you did not seek me out in the Spring Citadel, a weight would hang heavy upon my heart. Better by far to deliver myself to your doorstep, and endure the lash of your sharp tongue.”

For it was widely known that the young Hidden Official of Summer Palace, secluded and cryptic, possessed a veritable arsenal of soul-piercing wit, each barb a perfectly honed, ethereal blade.

Chen Ping’an chuckled. “Qi Shou, my dearest companion, now elevated to such a distinguished rank! I am more likely to offer flattery than to presume to instruct one so newly invested with the power of the Punisher.”

They walked together, shoulder to shoulder, along the narrow embankment. Qi Shou broke the silence, “I heard the former Punisher was named Hao Su? When Ning Yao returned to Ascendant City, she spoke little of your journey to the desolate lands. I know only his name.”

Amongst the sword cultivators of the Punishers, a lingering unease persisted. Their ancestral line was broken. Hao Su, the previous Punisher, had remained unseen since the war’s end.

In stark contrast, the lineage of Hidden Officials remained unbroken. Through ages past, the succession was assured. Though their reputations might vary, their accomplishments wax and wane, the Hidden Officials, at least, possessed verifiable records, a clear ancestral tapestry.

As for Xiao Xun, the former Hidden Official who had forsaken Sword Qi Great Wall, neither the sword cultivators of Summer Palace, nor the folk of Ascendant City, harbored ill will. Now, they spoke of her freely, with a touch of sorrow. Her three companions in betrayal – Zhang Lu the gatekeeper, Luo Shan, and Zhu An – were not reviled. If curses were uttered, they were directed at Zhang Lu, branded a useless coward who should have committed wholly to the path of treachery, and followed Xiao Xun into the vastness of the Radiant Land.

Chen Ping’an nodded. “Hao Su hailed from a fractured paradise within the Fuyu Continent. He spent his early years at Sword Qi Great Wall imprisoned by the old deaf man, and thus, remained obscure. Yet his swordsmanship was formidable, beyond mere ascension. He returned to the Radiant Land, sought out the architect of his homeland’s ruin – a venerable ascended cultivator from Middle Earth Divine Continent named Nan Guang Zhao – and severed his head, leaving it as a grisly offering at the gates of the fallen paradise. He then ventured with us into the desolate lands, where he slew Xuan Pu, the ascended demon of Immortal Hairpin City. This appeased the venerated Literary Temple, a measure of atonement. Now, he travels to Azure Clarity, a protector for Dong Huafu and the wandering swordsmen.”

Qi Shou produced a seal, procured from a silk merchant by arrangement, and gifted with careful craftsmanship. “Alas, I could not find the finest plum blossom edition of Kang Jie’s *Collection of Clods*.”

Chen Ping’an glanced at the seal. He recognized the inscription upon its base: *And I alone have not yet known the Four Quarters.* It perfectly reflected Qi Shou’s circumstance, his very soul.

He had neither ventured to the Radiant Land, nor explored the desolate lands. The world stretched boundless before him, yet he remained confined. At his heart, Qi Shou was ambitious.

Qi Shou clasped the seal in his palm, as though it were a talisman. “My ancestor?”

Chen Ping’an teased, “Qi, the ancient swordsman, needs no fret. His name is known throughout the Radiant Land. Dragon Elephant Sword Sect boasts both him and Lu Zhi, two ascended cultivators in one order! Who would not tremble? Add to them Shao Yunyan and the Rouge Mistress, two top five guardians to oversee earthly matters! And Qi, the ancient swordsman, has collected a dozen disciples of exceptional talent, hailed as the *Eighteen Sword Seeds*. Dragon Elephant Sword Sect, in less than a century, with a few more guests and subsequent disciples, will soar to become the most eminent sect in the Radiant Land!”

Qi Shou hesitated, as though struggling to voice a difficult thought. He paused, stooped, and tucked the seal within his sleeve. He reached to grasp a golden head of heavy-thought rice, ripening beside the path, only to be met with Chen Ping’an’s rebuke. “Must your hands always be meddling?”

Chen Ping’an settled beside him, choosing a stone and cleaning his cloth shoe upon it. He chuckled. “Feiran is now universally recognized as the Overlord of the Desolate. Yet you, Qi Shou, have not even claimed the title of Ascendant City Lord, regarded only as half a lord. I should champion you against such injustice.”

*If you cannot bear to speak, then I shall provide the stage.*

Qi Shou spoke slowly, “Chen Ping’an, am I doomed to never become the city lord?”

Chen Ping’an asked, “Why do you ask this?”

Qi Shou said, “Intuition.”

Chen Ping’an scoffed. “You are no woman. Only women possess accurate intuition.”

Qi Shou rattled off a string of questions, “What is the meaning of those two empty chairs in the ancestral hall? Is this your doing? Or an old decree from Old Sword Immortal? Ning Yao has never spoken of their significance. The world has speculated for years, with no certain answer.”

The most credible theory held that one chair was reserved for a future city lord, the other for the foremost warrior beneath the Fivefold Heavens.

Such a notion would befit the style of Old Sword Immortal.

Chen Ping’an shook his head. “I do not know either. Perhaps it was Old Sword Immortal’s command to Ning Yao. I shall ask her when next we meet.”

In truth, Chen Ping’an intended to question Chen Ji, or rather, Old Sword Immortal Chen Xicai himself.

Qi Shou pressed, “If you were to guess, what would you say?”

Chen Ping’an considered, then spoke softly, “The past is past, the future yet to arrive. The two chairs shall remain forever vacant, and yet, not empty, but as two sword cultivators sitting beside one another. They represent not Qi Shou, fretting over his claim to the lordship, nor even Ning Yao, the undisputed foremost. They are, rather, all sword cultivators of the forgotten past, and all sword cultivators yet to come.”

Qi Shou pondered this, finding Chen Ping’an’s impromptu answer strangely insightful, and profoundly intriguing. He could not help but marvel, “Ah, the mind of a scholar!”

Chen Ping’an bristled. “I share a moment of truth with you, and you respond with ingratitude. Do you crave reprimand?”

Qi Shou folded his arms, gazing upon the golden paddy field, much like the seal he had long desired. The inscription on its edge read, *May the land provide, time and season prosper, and bone and flesh be healthy…*

It was only his deep friendship with Chen Ping’an that had compelled him to patronize the shop of Master Yan, forced to hold his nose and swallow his pride to procure the seal that had so captivated him.

Qi Shou was silent for a time. Then, he said, “Though it seems the least likely outcome, my instinct tells me that the name newly etched upon the city wall will not be that of my ancestor, nor Ning Yao, nor Hao Su the Punisher, nor Lu Zhi. It will be yours.”

Chen Ping’an laughed, dismissing the notion. He placed a hand upon the earth of the rice paddy. “Only one thing brings me… satisfaction. Yes, the accomplishment of this deed soothes and delights me.”

Qi Shou turned, and saw the man’s profile, his eyes bright, a rare and unconcealed pleasure radiating from his very being.

Chen Ping’an raised a hand, two fingers joined, and made a slicing motion downward, then across. Then, he splayed his fingers wide. “Hui Ting, the desolate land sword cultivator of Red Leaf Sword Sect, wielding the soul-bound blade *Rouge Powder*, I cleft her in two, then severed her waist. With Taoist lightning spells, I incinerated her soul. I stripped her of her demon name. Such torment was most gratifying. Had I not been obliged to engage in sword duels, I had many more methods to inflict upon Hui Ting.”

Qi Shou, alongside Nalan Caihuan and Mi Yu, was known for his ruthless tactics upon the battlefield. Yet, Chen Ping’an’s words sent a chill down his spine.

Still, the knowledge that Hui Ting had finally met her end filled Qi Shou with relief. He turned and clasped his fist in a gesture of respect. “A splendid deed!”

Chen Ping’an said, “Hui Ting sought death to save a friend. Perhaps, in the eyes of desolate land cultivators, she was a heroine?”

Qi Shou sneered, “She was fortunate to have eluded my grasp.”

Chen Ping’an clicked his tongue. “Had she fallen to you, would you have been able to eliminate her under the noses of Tuoyue Mountain and Yuanxiong? You must remember that the chief disciple of this desolate great patriarch was a formidable ascended sword cultivator.”

Qi Shou asked with curiosity, “How did you lure Hui Ting into your trap, and prevent Yuanxiong from intervening?”

Chen Ping’an offered no answer.

There existed within the desolate lands a handful of cultivators most despised by Sword Qi Great Wall, yet beyond their reach.

Among them were Shou Chen, chief disciple of Zhou Mi of Literary Sea, and Hui Ting, the insidious assassin who preyed upon female sword cultivators.

Hui Ting was particularly reviled. Shou Chen, though contemptible for concealing his identity and stealing glory upon the battlefield, had engaged in numerous head-on confrontations. Further, Shou Chen’s swordsmanship, though precise, was not targeted. Hui Ting, by contrast, chose only female sword cultivators to elevate *Rouge Powder*, heedless of their rank or age. The women slain by her blade suffered a most wretched fate, their souls trapped and slowly burned within the blade.

Qi Shou asked, “The academy’s location has been secured. Will you not visit?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head. “Another time, perhaps. I must soon return to the Radiant Land.”

Qi Shou grimaced. “The shadow of the Hidden Official stretches everywhere! Even after so many years, it cannot be dispelled. It is quite vexing.”

Chen Ping’an laughed. “Qi Shou, your flattery is impressive. In my ruined mountain sanctuary, you would be fit to serve as an outer disciple.”

Qi Shou prepared to depart. Chen Ping’an spoke suddenly, “Departure draws near. May I, as the former Hidden Official, offer a word of counsel to the newly-appointed Punisher?”

Qi Shou nodded. “I am all ears.”

Chen Ping’an reached out and patted the paddy soil beside him. “Do not seek to erase traces. Rather, seek to cover them. In time, the accomplishments will be yours.”

Qi Shou was taken aback. Had Chen Ping’an truly become so magnanimous?

Upon further reflection, Qi Shou sensed deception. “Do you not intend to return to Ascendant City? Will you not grace us with your presence ever again?”

Chen Ping’an said, “How can you say such a thing? I shall return often.”

Qi Shou scoffed. “Why then speak such empty words?!”

Chen Ping’an sighed. “A scholar, after three days apart, should be regarded with new eyes. Qi Shou, you are no longer so easily deceived.”

Qi Shou stood to leave. Chen Ping’an tossed a seal to him. “Take this.”

Qi Shou caught the seal. It bore no inscription on its edges, only four words upon its face. Qi Shou smiled knowingly, tucked it within his sleeve, and thanked Chen Ping’an.

*The Way is Here*.

In Chen Ping’an’s absence from Ascendant City, some flatterers had sought to emulate the Second in Command, hoping to amass wealth by mass-producing seals. Such trinkets require little capital, and their inscriptions were mere copied verses. It seemed a simple venture, yet none were sold. The merchants were condemned, not only casting their dignity to the ground, but burying it beneath!

Before Qi Shou rode the wind back to Ascendant City, he smiled and said, “Let us strive together.”

Chen Ping’an nodded. “Let us strive together.”

Xiao Mo, squatting beside the white-clad youth, consoled him, “Patriarch Cui, a gentleman knows what to do and what not to do. Some things must be seized with utmost haste, others need not. Let us ease our minds. Perhaps, in a hundred or a thousand years, today’s loss will be revealed as the Way’s design.”

Cui Dongshan forced a smile. “I understand the principle, yet I grieve for our mentor.”

Xiao Mo smiled gently. “Your thoughts would only burden Master further. He, in turn, will grieve for his student.”

“Yet, I wonder. In this seemingly needless circling, in which both Master and Patriarch Cui, the two most brilliant minds beneath heaven, appear less than brilliant, does the true relationship of mentor and student lie?”

“Perhaps I speak nonsense.”

In the arts of swordsmanship, both in solitary practice and in sparring, Xiao Mo believed he was competent.

Yet, the consoling of others was not amongst his strengths. Verily, it was far more difficult than offering a blade.

Cui Dongshan, having listened quietly to Xiao Mo, shook his head vigorously. “Not nonsense!”

After his reunion with Qi Shou, Chen Ping’an retraced his steps, and found Cui Dongshan and Xiao Mo seemingly engaged in pleasant conversation, with smiles upon their faces.

They returned together to their own wine shop in Ascendant City. As soon as it was known that the Second in Command had returned and was personally serving customers, old patrons arrived in droves, many riding their blades from the four tributary cities. They were mostly drunkards and bachelors, and some who were both. The wine shop quickly overflowed, but unlike past occasions, the patrons did not clamor for tables. Instead, they chose to squat by the entrance, for the Second in Command always preferred to drink by the roadside. He listened to the boisterous pronouncements of his friends, the wine fumes rising thick into the air. As in days gone by, he listened more than he spoke. The revelry exposed many deeply-hidden toadies, such as the golden core Song Youwei.

As dusk descended, and it drew near to closing time, Chen Ping’an, who had drunk copiously throughout the day, instructed Tao Ban to bring out several jars of Mute Lake Wine, and instructed Feng Kangle to ask his father to prepare a table of rustic dishes.

Zheng Dafeng asked with curiosity, “What is the purpose of this? What could you gain by intoxicating me? Further, you have already vomited thrice. Can you truly endure?”

Chen Ping’an declared heroically, “Enough talk! We shall drink until one of us falls!”

Zheng Dafeng laughed. “Then we must agree beforehand. No one shall urge another to drink. Each shall only imbibe as they please.”

Chen Ping’an agreed without hesitation.

Xiao Mo and Cui Dongshan sat at a table apart.

Yet, before Chen Ping’an and Zheng Dafeng had drunk two bowls of wine, a young man with the visage of a scholar approached the wine shop.

Zheng Dafeng glanced at him, recognizing the man. He was a tutor at the city’s academy, named Wu. He had visited the wine shop several times in past years, but was no frequent customer, averaging perhaps once or twice a year. Yet, each time, he would pore over the Worry-Free Plaques within the shop.

In the past, Master Wu would order a bowl of Bamboo Sea Grotto liquor, costing a single snow coin. The last time, however, he had ordered Mute Lake Wine, and taken away a jar.

Zheng Dafeng remembered so clearly only because the man’s scholarly aura was so rare upon Sword Qi Great Wall. Like himself, he possessed the innate refinement that came from literary pursuit.

Xiao Mo narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the man. He immediately changed tables, and spoke by heart sound, “Master, this man is not simple. His bearing is peculiar, as though he is aware of my scrutiny, and deliberately revealing his complexity.”

Xiao Mo hesitated, and offered his conjecture, “Could he be Palace Master Wu?”

Chen Ping’an nodded. “It must be.”

Then, Chen Ping’an looked at Xiao Mo, asking silently, *Still laughing?*

Xiao Mo was aggrieved, as he had not mocked his master.

Chen Ping’an rose and bowed in greeting.

Wu Shuangjiang merely clasped his fist in return.

Wu Shuangjiang took his seat, and said, “At the academy, I am known as Wu Yu. Summer Palace holds records of my name. You are welcome to examine them.”

Upon hearing this alias, Chen Ping’an was speechless.

Zheng Dafeng was puzzled once more, and asked, “Like that Mu Mao? Another old friend?”

Chen Ping’an introduced, “He is Palace Master Wu of Sliced Time Palace.”

Zheng Dafeng understood. “No wonder.”

Wu Shuangjiang laughed, clasping his fist in greeting, “For many years, I have not spent a single copper, but have freely enjoyed Master Zheng’s eloquent pronouncements, which I always use to flavor my wine.”

Zheng Dafeng, still with one leg propped upon a long bench, set down his wine bowl and clasped his fist in return. “Master Wu, you flatter me.”

Chen Ping’an was silent for a long moment. Then, he asked, “The calendar?”

Wu Shuangjiang nodded. “It was my handiwork. But the favor owed to Ascendant City, I have repaid.”

He had helped Ascendant City eliminate three minor threats, without which, Ascendant City’s expansion would have been delayed by thirty to fifty years.

This was not the scheme of Jade Capital. Taoist Second Master would not deign to such actions. And the Grand Ancestor’s direct disciple, the young Taoist bearing the Taoist name Mountain Green, possessed neither the mind, nor the courage for such.

One must never underestimate the vision and the meticulous planning of certain strategists.

Some may possess only a few coins in their pocket, yet dare to dream of amassing a fortune.

For ordinary men, this would be a wild fantasy. But there were always a few, who could turn dreams into reality.

But Wu Shuangjiang had neither the inclination nor the obligation to reveal this to Chen Ping’an.

For now, it was only Ascendant City that would use this new calendar. But if in the future, the entire Fivefold Heavens were to adopt this book, and it were to spread throughout the world, then Wu Shuangjiang would possess the means to repay the second favor.

Xiao Mo procured a set of bowls and chopsticks, and offered them to Wu Shuangjiang.

Wu Shuangjiang smiled and nodded in thanks. “You are welcome to visit Sliced Time Palace in Azure Clarity in the future.”

Xiao Mo smiled faintly. “That is up to Master.”

Cui Dongshan carried a bowl of wine to the table, and sat upon the same long bench as Xiao Mo, facing Wu Shuangjiang. He smiled cheekily. “How wonderful, to encounter Palace Master Wu wherever I go.”

Wu Shuangjiang said serenely, “It is the work of fate.”

Cui Dongshan clicked his tongue in wonder. “Palace Master Wu is truly worthy of the title. Spirit united with the Great Void, the Taoist reaches beyond the boundaries of heaven and earth. Now, all the heavens lie open before him.”

Wu Shuangjiang said, “Some things, are not the exclusive domain of Zhou Mi and Xiu Hu. Others can do them as well.”

Cui Dongshan asked with a smile, “I imagine that in the Western Buddhist Kingdom, Palace Master Wu has some dormant avatar, awaiting the day of its awakening?”

Wu Shuangjiang’s true form must still be wandering the desolate lands.

In the interconnected Radiant Land and desolate lands, wherever Wu Shuangjiang traveled, the Outerworld Demon residing at the grass hut in Riding Dragon Alley – now an outer disciple of Ruined Mountain – witnessed all with his own eyes.

Seeing that Wu Shuangjiang remained deaf to his words, Cui Dongshan flared up. “So it is *From the Splendorous Realm of Reality, one goes to be a Great Celestial*! Palace Master Wu, such audacity, such skill!”

Chen Ping’an shuddered at these words.

Master had mentioned that upon exiting his seclusion, Wu Shuangjiang had appeared at the Great Black Tortoise Temple to meet with Taoist Sun and Bai Ye. Master had assessed Wu Shuangjiang’s initial elevation to the fourteenth realm as “imperfect.”

Previously, at the Ning Estate, Chen Ping’an had seen the Frostfall Jade seals, and had mistakenly believed that Wu Shuangjiang had merely sent a seed of his spirit, hidden long ago within Sword Qi Great Wall through the Crane Stork Inn and the Inverted Mountain. So, Wu Shuangjiang had, in addition, separated another seed of his spirit, and sent it to the Western Buddhist Kingdom?

Did he take elevation to the fourteenth realm so lightly?

What skill, what gift, what hubris, must a cultivator possess, to dare to undertake such a dangerous deed?

Could it be?!

Chen Ping’an grew pale in an instant, and quickly lowered his head to drink.

Wu Shuangjiang drank a mouthful of wine, and laughed. “It is not that only Grand Instructor and Qi Jingchun can do this. Wu Shuangjiang can do it as well. It is simply a matter of imitation. Opening a mountain is hard, but once a path has been cleared by one’s predecessors, climbing becomes much easier. One simply follows behind. Like the Inscription Compass that Hidden Official gave to Marquis Gao, so long as one follows the rules, things are much easier. As for the words Hidden Official spoke to Qi Shou regarding *covering*, I would not dare to hope for that. At my core, I am… a scavenger. At most, a wall-builder. The predecessors have erected a sturdy corner, and the successors may add straw to the wall. It will still provide shelter. I possess neither the confidence, nor the power, to achieve the Way in this fashion. Nor do I aspire to it. I need not expend so much effort on this path.”

Cui Dongshan scoffed. “Just like the crafting of the four imitation immortal blades. All scavenging scraps from others!”

Wu Shuangjiang smiled faintly. “Then why not try it yourself?”

Cui Dongshan rolled up his sleeves, and pointed at Wu Shuangjiang. “Do not provoke me! I am young, and hot-tempered! As a young man in his prime, I act without foresight, and am easily incited!”

Previously, upon the Night Boat, Master had been ambushed by this Wu Shuangjiang. Then, it was a four-man assault. How fitting, that now it was four again, only now Chief Zhou was replaced by Guardian Xiao Mo.

A fight was at hand!

Further, they were in Ascendant City. If Teacher’s wife chose to unleash her blade, hmm.

Wu Shuangjiang looked at the white-clad youth who was itching for a fight. “This me, is only of Jade purity rank. Why make such a fuss? A Cui Dongshan is more than sufficient.”

Chen Ping’an glared at Cui Dongshan. “Show more respect to Palace Master Wu.”

Zheng Dafeng urged, “Hurry, Old Cui, have another drink.”

Cui Dongshan could only down another bowl.

Wu Shuangjiang gently swirled his wine bowl, and turned to Chen Ping’an. “I have sought you out today because I do not wish her half guardian, who may seem to be making great strides upon the path of cultivation, to inexplicably meet some great disaster within a century. If that were to happen, not only would you fail to protect her, but you would drag her down, and she, so tenderhearted, would never stand aside. What would be the purpose of my then turning against you? None whatsoever. So, you must understand, it is time to pay heed to those cultivators in the fourteenth realm, and those in the ascending realm who have the potential to rise.

“This is no far off threat, but an imminent danger. A moment of carelessness, and it will be upon us.

“Like myself.”

Chen Ping’an nodded. He had already harbored such concerns, and had recognized the many changes that had followed “the changing of the heavens.” He could not allow a second Bai Min of swordsmanship, or Wu Shuangjiang of the Night Boat. Once was possible, twice was acceptable, but never a third time!

But Chen Ping’an could not deny that had Wu Shuangjiang not appeared today, his vigilance would not be sufficient. Certainly not by Wu Shuangjiang’s standards.

Wu Shuangjiang asked with a smile, “Chen Ping’an, you do not believe that those peak ascending cultivators, whose progress has been stalled for millennia, are merely dazed and idle?”

Cui Dongshan slammed the table. “Our Xiao Mo is merely sleeping!”

Xiao Mo smiled and nodded, supporting his statement. “A ten thousand year dream. Well-rested.”

Wu Shuangjiang ignored this, and said, “In the last ten thousand years, the height and depth of the Way has not increased by leaps and bounds. Even scholarship has never truly escaped the confines of the hundred schools of thought. As for the even greater barrier of language, we need not speak of it. But with the fusion of the Taoist heart with humanity, the breadth and reach of the Way far exceeds that of ten thousand years ago.”

Xiao Mo nodded. “By Master’s side, I have glimpsed it. I have even thought upon it. But I cannot express it as succinctly as Palace Master Wu.”

Cui Dongshan cried in anguish, “Xiao Mo, have you defected?”

Xiao Mo smiled sheepishly. He was merely speaking the truth. But still, he felt a twinge of guilt, and drank a bowl of wine.

Chen Ping’an humbly sought guidance. “Excluding the great cultivators whom I met at the riverside conference, whom else could possibly cross that threshold?”

Wu Shuangjiang proceeded to “guide Chen Ping’an over the mountains and rivers of cultivation.”

Cultivators in the fourteenth realm.

Leaving aside Asia Saint and the other great scholars who were one with the land.

The Grand Instructor of Jade Capital, first disciple of the Taoist Ancestor, was nowhere to be found.

Apart from the Confucian Li Xisheng of Lucky Street, and the Taoist Zhou Li, who had gone from Divine Decree Sect to Azure Mystery Sect to oversee the Taoist canon, one other remained a mystery.

Bai Ye was reborn. Ah Liang had declined. Liu Cha had declined.

Sword cultivator Feiran, and the old cultivator who served as the master of Karyakaya, the fallen monarch, and who had taken the name Lu Fayan, had long been consumed by Zhou Mi, the former prevailing.

Then, there was Wu Shuangjiang of Sliced Time Palace, who had tempered his demon into a companion.

There was also White Emperor City, Zheng Juzhong, the one wielding two fourteenth realm abilities.

He was a magical paragon, who toiled to prove whether he was the Taoist Ancestor.

Taoist Second Master, Yu Dou. He possessed a robe bestowed directly by the Taoist Ancestor, and wielded *The Canon*, one of the four immortal blades.

It was said that Grand Instructor had entrusted all of Jade Capital to this junior, no wonder that Yu Dou was considered the foremost Taoist cultivator after the three founders.

Third Instructor Lu Chen, possessing the five dreams and seven minds. Others might seek unity with the Way, Lu Chen sought dispersal.

In the desolate lands, Chusheng, who had founded the Hall of Valor.

Chen Qingliu the Dragonslayer, who had served as the cultivator of Zheng Juzhong. As the world no longer held true dragons, he had fallen to the ascending realm. If a true dragon were to appear, he would ascend to the fourteenth realm. His path resembled that of a Buddhist great vow.

Three Mountains, Nine Marquis. The founder of the talisman, from whom at least half of the seventy-two schools of talisman magic claimed descent.

Zou Zi. Who claimed half of the Yin Yang School, who had forged his own path, a “unity with the five elements.”

Old Chicken Broth Monk, the monk Shen Qing, who possessed “the power of half a fourteenth realm cultivator, and the defense of one and a half,” so that even an ascending sword cultivator might hack at him for three days and three nights without effect.

The blind man of Desolate Ten Thousand Mountains, whose path remained a mystery.

Old Master of Observatory. Who sought unity with “the timing of heaven.”

Wu Shuangjiang said, “You must pay particular heed to Wu Zhou, the female Taoist of Azure Clarity. Her Taoist name is Tai Yin. You met her at the riverside conference.”

“Her path can be described as *tempering matter*.”

“In the past ten thousand years, Azure Clarity had gathered only eighteen ancient divine relics. Jade Capital keeps records of each one. In addition to possessing one divine relic of great rank, Wu Zhou possesses the divine power of the *builder*, one of the twelve high-ranked deities. She has also acquired five elemental artifacts of such poor quality that they do not even make the list. Even if no single item is of great rank, their sheer number makes them formidable. Further, she is known as the foremost alchemist in the world, and can forge demigod items, and even immortal items. As a cultivator of the fourteenth realm, she has remained in seclusion for many years. No one knows how many immortal items she possesses.”

“Wu Zhou possesses an unyielding Taoist heart. By the Way of alchemy alone, she would never have reached the fourteenth realm, but rather, it would have weighed her down. So, she sought a shortcut. She transmuted her own Taoist heart, body, hair, flesh, and bone, into a realm of Emptiness. In the end, she used her own *nothingness* to bear the *existence* of her artifacts, which Lu Chen aptly described as *dismemberment*. Few know of this. Lu Chen divulged this secret at Sliced Time Palace.”

Hearing this, Zheng Dafeng could not resist interrupting. “Isn’t this broad too fierce? Who would dare to marry her?”

Wu Shuangjiang laughed. “Whether or not anyone would dare is another question. Wu Zhou remains unmarried, possessing pride in her heart, and she has the right to be proud.”

Chen Ping’an had heard Lu Chen speak of the martial masters of Azure Clarity. Lu Chen mentioned Wu Zhou often, with no small amount of “labor.”

Wu Shuangjiang took a bite of food, and sipped his wine. “Had Wu Zhou not feared Jade Capital and Yao Qing, then White Lotus, the wielder of the Mountain Breaking Short Pike, would have died long ago. Had Yao Qing not provided protection in secret, and reached some accord with Wu Zhou, then White Lotus would not be the female master of the Azure Divine Empire, nor would she have risen to the Transcendent realm.”

“If I am not mistaken, Wu Zhou has set her sights upon you.”

“So you must be careful. Wielding the *Executioner* and *surveyor* blades is like a child carrying gold into the marketplace. No man would resist the temptation.”

“Once the three founders are gone, and you have not yet reached the fourteenth realm, should you ever meet Wu Zhou, ha.”

Chen Ping’an nodded. “I will be wary.”

In the future, should he travel to Azure Clarity, he must conceal himself from Jade Capital, and Wu Zhou. He must never be found.

Chen Ping’an did not wish to emulate Li Zhen and Huai Qian.

To be hunted by a fourteenth realm cultivator bent on robbery and murder, and caught unawares, would be disastrous.

Talisman is Xuan, Unity is Galaxy. Given that Highest Sage had “paved the road,” for him, then Yu Xuan’s ascension was a foregone conclusion.

Senior Left and Right.

The Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, Zhao Tianlai. Wielder of the immortal blade *Ten Thousand Ways*.

Liu Jubao, the God of Wealth of Aiai Continent.

Bai Min of swordsmanship, formerly one of the three wonders of the Radiant Land.

Sun Huaizhong, the master of the Great Black Tortoise Temple. The fifth strongest cultivator in Azure Clarity.

Yao Qing, the “Elegant Minister” of the Azure Divine Dynasty. Severed the three corpses, then refined them. When he reclaimed the three corpses, it would be the day of his ascension.

Former surveyor, Taoist name Fu Kan, peak ascending realm, and now the companion of Xu Juan.

Long ago, she had been among the ten strongest cultivators in Azure Clarity, but had since been forgotten.

The night watchman of Sliced Time Palace, nicknamed Whitey.

“My Whitey, to some extent, is in conflict with Yao Qing. Yao Qing’s Taoist name is *Tomb Keeper*. Whitey’s so-called night watch, is more accurately *soul tending*. Long ago, I sent him to Inverted Mountain, to set up the Crane Stork Inn. Why do you think that was? Was it only to find her? Since I had long placed a seed of my spirit within Sword Qi Great Wall, was it necessary to do so?”

“Su Zi and Liu Qi both have potential. It remains to be seen who will fill the void left by Bai Ye. This contention is a contest amongst gentlemen. There is no need to come to blows.”

Wu Shuangjiang drained his bowl. “It is a pity about Chen Chun’an and Liang Shuang.”

The upright Confucian of Southern Suoso Continent, who carried the sun and the moon, Chen Chun’an.

To stop Liu Cha, the pure sword cultivator of the fourteenth realm, from returning to the desolate lands, he had chosen to sacrifice himself.

Alas, rectitude without tyranny. His writings could not reach the path of heaven.

Liang Shuang, the outsider Celestial Master, who had painstakingly toiled along his chosen path, had lost all hope of the fourteenth realm when he failed in his assassination of Zhou Mi.

The rise of the strategists could not be stopped. The wandering ghosts of separate paths, the flow of divine coin, transmission by blade, mirror flowers and moon water. In addition to the unity of the three founders, others would rise from the hundred schools of thought.

If not for the rules of the Ritual Sage, none of the ancestral founders of the schools would have reached the ascending realm.

But once they did reach the ascending realm, their path would be clear.

Wu Shuangjiang suddenly asked, “Have you had any contact with Wei She?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head. “I have heard of him, but never met.”

He had intended, in his next journey to Aiai Continent, to pay a visit to this old divine, as he would to the Liu of Aiai Continent and Nine Capitals Mountain.

Suddenly, Chen Ping’an’s expression grew strange. Wu Shuangjiang laughed. “Before I left the Radiant Land, I had indeed fought Wei She. In hindsight, I regret my actions. I should not have added insult to injury.”

Wei She of Aiai Continent, with a litany of pseudonyms, the most famous of which being *Master of Thirty-Seven Peaks*, was a renowned old cultivator of the ascending realm.

But his situation was difficult. Like Su Zi to Bai Ye, it seemed that his path had been cut short, reaching a dead end. Now, Wei She seemed to have given up on the fourteenth realm.

Wei She had once risen from the ranks of wild mountain cultivators, rising meteorically to unprecedented fame.

In his youth, amongst cultivators of the younger generation in the nine continents of the Radiant Land, he had been known as invincible in the same realm for five hundred years.

Whether in the golden core or nascent soul realms of the middle five, or the jade purity or immortal realms of the upper five, he had swept all before him, and had never lost in the arts of cultivation.

He had won ninety-six duels upon the mountains.

That record had been broken by some bastard, in a deeply dishonest fashion.

It was said that Realized Dragon had even suffered defeat at Wei She’s hands.

And the old sword cultivator Zhou Shenzhi and Huai Yin, both among the ten of Middle Earth, had also lost to Wei She.

But upon reaching the ascending realm, Wei She had stalled. The people he had once defeated surpassed him one by one.

Perhaps the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. Not only his native Aiai Continent, but even Middle Earth Divine Continent lamented his decline. They could not understand how one who had been destined for great things could “lose face” so late in life.

Thus, in the last thousand years, Realized Dragon had frequently teased Wei She, “The ancients do not lie. To be great as a child is not to be great in old age. Alas, alas.”

But exactly whom had Wei She lost to in his ninety-seventh duel?

Wu Shuangjiang revealed a shocking truth. “Wei She was not as inadequate as the rumors claimed, nor was it that he had failed to find the Way. But one hundred years after his ascension, he had attempted one closed-door ascension, and had failed. As such, Three Mountains Nine Marquis had made a trip to Aiai Continent, voluntarily making half a road, half a door available to