In the bamboo building’s first-floor corridor, Chen Ping’an held a booklet. Nuanshu and Xiaomi Li sat on either side, heads tilted, peering at the third page’s contents, the “Chronicle.”

The white-haired boy smugly declared, “My ambition lies in detailing events, shining brilliantly for millennia! Old Ancestor Yin Guan, were it not for your reminder that the Chronicle’s writing should be simple and unadorned, I would have shown you what’s called ‘elegant and substantial’!”

Chen Ping’an chuckled, rolled up the booklet, and rapped the white-haired boy on the head. Nuanshu continued to sew cloth shoes, while Xiaomi Li immediately looked away.

Chen Ping’an, still tapping the boy, said with amusement, “Could the esteemed compiler explain the meaning of those three annotations?”

It turned out that the Chronicle recorded: “Chunping Year Six, January 27th. Liu Baqiao, a Nascent Soul sword cultivator from Fenglei Garden, accompanied Nangong Xingyan, an eighteen-year-old Sea Gazing sword cultivator, to visit Luopo Mountain. They discussed with Mountain Lord Chen Ping’an about attending the peak-opening ceremony for Fenglei Garden’s Golden Core sword cultivator, Xing Youheng. The Mountain Lord will descend the mountain on the Summer Solstice. January 28th, Liu Baqiao and Nangong Xingyan returned home via Niujiao Ferry at the hour of Si.” (Note 1: False reporting of age; Nangong Xingyan’s true age is twenty-one. Note 2: Liu Baqiao walked into the mountain, lending his Dragon Spring Sword Sect’s pass and sword talisman to Nangong Xingyan. Note 3: Regarding the congratulatory gift for Fenglei Garden’s peak-opening celebration, whether the Mountain Lord will pay out of his own pocket or select from Luopo Mountain’s Spring Treasury is yet to be determined.)

The white-haired boy said aggrievedly, “Isn’t more detail better?”

Chen Ping’an returned the booklet to the white-haired boy, hesitated, and said, “Create a supplementary volume, with all the annotations included. In the future, only three to five people from Luopo Mountain will be allowed to read it.”

The white-haired boy tentatively asked, “Three to five people…just the Mountain Lord, the Law Enforcer, the Chief, the Spring Treasury Master, and the Old Cook? What about Nuanshu and the Right Protector? Can’t even Mr. Xiao Mo see it?”

Chen Ping’an smiled, “What, trying to sow discord already?”

The white-haired boy raised two fingers, righteously saying, “The sun and moon can attest, heaven and earth are my witness!”

Chen Ping’an turned his head and saw a group of three approaching the bamboo building, all with joyful expressions, including the Fox Country Lord who had come from the Lotus Root Blessed Land.

The Law Enforcer, Changming, treated the Lotus Root Blessed Land, already ranked as a top-tier blessed land, as if it were her own meticulously tended garden. Every time she entered, she would take one to five gold essence copper coins from those spiritually rich landscapes and prosperous cities, refine them, and condense them into mystical “stations.” Mountains had mountain ranges, rivers had waterways, and wealth also had “wealth routes.” Of course, these gold essence copper coins were all from her private savings.

Chen Ping’an roughly guessed the situation in the Blessed Land, but only smiled and remained silent.

Pei Xiang performed a Wanfu bow, her face full of smiles. “Good news!”

Zhu Lian smiled, “As soon as the Young Master returns home, good fortune arrives. Truly a new atmosphere for the new year.”

Chen Ping’an gestured for the three to sit down and chat, asking with a smile, “What exactly happened?”

Pei Xiang sat on the steps, turning to explain to the Mountain Lord, “Double happiness! The Blessed Land simultaneously produced ‘two golds.’ Yu Zhenyi left a considerable amount of luck to the Songlai Country’s Lakes and Mountains Sect when he ‘ascended to immortality,’ as a kind of ancestral blessing. As a result, someone accidentally stumbled upon a fortuitous encounter and successfully formed a Golden Core! There was also a pure martial artist who also broke through to the Golden Body Realm around the same time.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and asked, “The first Golden Core cultivator isn’t the old emperor of Nanyuan Country, Wei Liang? As for the seventh-realm martial artist, is it Arm Saint Cheng Zongyuan? General Tang Tieyi, or Dowager Zhou Shuzhen of Nanyuan Country?”

Zhu Lian shook his head and said, “The Lakes and Mountains Sect Qi cultivator is named Gao Jun, Gao of ‘high,’ Jun of ‘gentleman.’ The pure martial artist is named Zhong Qian, Zhong of ‘affection,’ Qian of ‘beautiful.'”

Changming smiled, “The appearance of a Golden Core cultivator and a Golden Body Realm martial artist in the Blessed Land isn’t a big deal in itself. The most important thing is that it shows the Blessed Land is operating on the right track. Spring planting, autumn harvest, the cycle of heaven. Natural growth, vibrant life, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth flows in all directions. If the auspicious omens and the rise of spirits were just signs, now it truly has the atmosphere of ‘lands of fish and rice, reaping under the shade’ as described in ancient immortal books.”

Yu Zhenyi was once the first transcendental being in the Blessed Land to transition from martial arts to immortal cultivation.

Returning to simplicity after achieving enlightenment, reverting to youth, Yu Zhenyi, a close friend of Zhong Qiu since childhood, ultimately appeared in the capital of Nanyuan Country with a childlike face and the bearing of an immortal wielding a sword.

Before his “immortal transformation and ascension,” Yu Zhenyi left two books for the Lakes and Mountains Sect. One was a compilation of martial arts insights from various schools, and the other was the “immortal heavenly book” that helped him attain enlightenment and ascension.

As a result, it meant the Lakes and Mountains Sect had increasingly secured its position at the top of the “mountain,” because the Taoist teachings left by the first Ancestor Yu Zhenyi had proven not to be high-sounding nonsense only for display, but something truly capable of being learned and applied. It was as if a ladder to heaven had been erected for the future disciples of the Lakes and Mountains Sect, and now it depended on whether this second-generation Ancestor of the Golden Core land immortal could maintain this excellent situation.

Zhong Qiu and Cao Qinglang, although also from the Blessed Land and now accomplished cultivators, had a layer of separation from the Blessed Land, because they had embarked on the path of cultivation in the Great Canopy World. Therefore, they were not recognized as legitimate by the new world, just as they had not been listed in the ancestral hall’s genealogy. Thus, the “legitimate” first land immortal was still Gao Jun of the Lakes and Mountains Sect. His future cultivation would be relatively smooth, as if he were favored by the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, like the eldest son expected to inherit the orthodoxy.

Chen Ping’an said, “Is Wei Liang still at the Dragon Gate Realm?”

Pei Xiang nodded, “Wei Liang has been stuck at the Dragon Gate Realm bottleneck for the past few years. He has closed up in cultivation twice, but has failed to break through the bottleneck.”

Chen Ping’an said, “Find an opportunity to talk to him. Wei Liang is too focused on gains and losses, so don’t let him accidentally become possessed. Perhaps the first to notice the Blessed Land’s celestial phenomena wasn’t you, but Wei Liang.”
That Wei Liang, the Supreme Emperor of the Nanyuan Kingdom, failed to become the first Golden Core cultivator didn’t surprise Chen Ping’an much. Wei Liang was, after all, advanced in years and started his cultivation late. He officially embarked on the path of cultivation at the age of sixty. Though he possessed secret manuals—stone boxes containing three volumes of Daoist scriptures gifted by the Fallen Mountain according to their agreement—and the Nanyuan Kingdom had selected a location brimming with dragon qi for this abdicated emperor, constructing a secret Daoist sanctuary, Wei Liang’s own cultivation aptitude was indeed exceptional, his speed of advancement undeniably swift. Although it could be considered a shortcut, it still fell within the realm of unorthodox methods on the mountain, rather than wicked and heretical practices. Wei Liang had everything going for him in terms of location and resources, yet Gao Jun of the Lakeshore Sect beat him to the punch. It was as if Wei Liang, having calculated every move, lacked only the opportune “timing,” which in essence was the orderly operation of the Great Dao within the Lotus Root Blessed Land, manifesting as an invisible “repulsion” towards external forces.

However, according to the initial agreement between Fallen Mountain and the Nanyuan Kingdom, Fallen Mountain only guaranteed that Wei Liang would reach the Middle Five Realms. The fear was that human ambition would be insatiable. Once one reached a higher vantage point, their horizons would broaden, and their ambitions would grow, like a stomach that expands, always feeling hungry and never full.

Zhu Lian said, “The fact that Wei Liang failed to be the first to form a Golden Core due to the suppression of the ethereal Great Dao is actually a good thing for Fallen Mountain. It means the Great Dao of the Lotus Root Blessed Land is becoming more refined. Perhaps in the future, there will even be a chance for a legendary ‘Little Heavenly Emperor’ to emerge.”

These “Little Heavenly Emperors,” as they were jokingly called, were the lords of the blessed lands, similar to the Flower Mistress of Hundred Flowers Blessed Land or the Lady of Azure God Mountain in Bamboo Sea Grotto-Heaven, born in response to the times and extremely rare.

Chen Ping’an said calmly, “The catastrophe that befell Cloud Grotto Blessed Land serves as a lesson. Such things are unpredictable, with both good and bad potential.”

Jiang Shangzhen had always suspected that the manipulation of the old fogeys in the Jade Rule Sect’s Ancestral Hall was only the surface cause of the incident in Cloud Grotto Blessed Land.

But Jiang Shangzhen had searched for so many years and still hadn’t found that hidden entity.

This led to an extremely mysterious standoff, with the Jiang family and this deeply concealed entity each holding claim to half of Cloud Grotto Blessed Land.

Zhu Lian smiled and said, “If such a Daoist friend truly appears, all the Master needs to do is personally step forward and chat with them for a while, engage in a Daoist discourse, and it will be settled.”

Moreover, Fallen Mountain’s cultivation and nurturing of the Lotus Root Blessed Land could be said to be both benevolent and just.

Chen Ping’an gave a wry smile. “Easier said than done.”

Back when Chen Ping’an was about to leave the Lotus Flower Blessed Land—before it was divided into four by the Old Taoist—he met with Emperor Wei Liang, who主动设宴 in a 京城酒楼. At that time, the Emperor, still in his prime, had lofty ambitions, striving to govern well and unify the world. Later, the world fell into turmoil. Zhong Qiu resigned as State Preceptor. Wei Liang, faced with the choice between unifying the world and achieving immortality, chose the latter,主动退位 to his son, Crown Prince Wei Yan, while the Second Prince Wei Yun was placed under house arrest. Later, Wei Xian once returned to the blessed land. As the founding emperor of the Nanyuan Kingdom and the first monarch in history to dispatch alchemists in search of immortality, this ancestor met with the Supreme Emperor Wei Liang and the new ruler Wei Yan, his “descendants.” According to Pei Qian, the scene was quite amusing. It was probably from that moment on that Wei Liang harbored the desire to cultivate. However, Wei Liang, through State Preceptor Zhong Qiu, reached a verbal agreement with Fallen Mountain: Wei Liang would join the Fallen Mountain’s register in the future, “ranking among the immortals,” but he hoped to personally witness the unification of the world by the Nanyuan Kingdom. In essence, Wei Liang was testing Fallen Mountain. If he succeeded in cultivation, since he would be able to command wind and rain, he would help the Nanyuan Kingdom annex the three forces, including the Songlai Kingdom, as an immortal.

Fallen Mountain neither agreed nor disagreed at the time, simply because Wei Liang didn’t fully understand. Once there were more and more Qi Refiners in the world, no one would dare to claim sole dominance, and a system of checks and balances would naturally form. Throughout the world, the Qi Refiners in the Imperial Observatory of each country would “monitor” the martial arts grandmasters. Daoist exchanges between Qi Refiners, the competition for limited resources among those with similar Daoist lineages, and the emergence of mountain treasures, the competition for every budding cultivator, were often accompanied by the fall of older Qi Refiners in scheming battles. In addition, the various targeted measures taken by the martial soldiers against many Qi Refiners would also appear one by one.

He believed that Wei Liang had already realized this. With the rise of the Lakeshore Sect in the Songlai Kingdom and the emergence of more and more Qi Refiners, cultivating on the mountain was clearly more advantageous and had greater staying power than the Nanyuan Kingdom. It was hard to say who would annex whom in the next few decades. Therefore, the Nanyuan Kingdom had to expend more effort to vigorously support the Mountain Gods of the Five Peaks and the True Gods of the rivers and lakes to resist the cultivators of the Lakeshore Sect.

Pei Xiang said, “Mountain Master, on the way here, Zhu Lian and I discussed with the Law Enforcement Elder Chang Ming that we should meet Gao Jun and Zhong Qian to fulfill our duty as hosts.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and asked, “How did this Golden Body Realm martial artist break through?”

Pei Xiang smiled charmingly and said, “He was an originally unknown young martial artist from the Northern Jin Kingdom. He had good aptitude and even better luck. He caused a great commotion in the capital of the Northern Jin Kingdom, escaped the capital, and was trapped in an encirclement. He was pursued by two Sixth Realm martial artists, yet he managed to kill one of them in a counterattack, thanks to his breakthrough at the last moment. During his escape, he obtained a martial fortune that both sides of the enemy had not expected.”

Saying this, Pei Xiang glanced at the smiling old man beside her with a charming look in her eyes.

In the hands of the Old Taoist with boundless Daoist power, the Lotus Flower Blessed Land’s ten people could strike the drum for immortal fate once every sixty years. “Noble Son Zhu Lian, Banished Immortal Zhu Lang” almost accomplished an unprecedented feat. In the capital of the Nanyuan Kingdom, he killed nine people alone. What was even stranger was that Zhu Lian could have struck the drum alone to “ascend to immortality,” but instead, he seemed to be tired of living and deliberately gifted a head to Ding Ying. The young Ding Ying, who obtained the silver lotus Daoist crown, began his ascent to the peak of martial arts from that moment on.

Zhu Lian smiled and said, “I wonder when the Lotus Root Blessed Land will produce its first true sword cultivator.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “Such things cannot be forced. We can only wait patiently.”

Once a blessed land ascended to the upper ranks, its “heavenly Dao” bottleneck became stable and unbreakable by human or financial means.

There was a chance for cultivators above the Fifth Realm to emerge, breaking through the bottleneck from within and ascending to the vast world.
A low-grade blessed land, constrained by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, makes it exceedingly difficult for local Qi Refiners to ascend to the Cave Realm. In a mid-grade blessed land, cultivators have a chance to form a Golden Core, becoming terrestrial immortals who permanently reside on land, with the hope of their Yin Spirit wandering afar. However, the creation of a Yang Spirit external avatar is difficult. In a high-grade blessed land, Qi Refiners have the potential to form a Golden Core, nurture a nascent soul (Yuan Ying) with the vitality of heaven and earth, and even take it a step further. They might rely on immortal techniques, secret manuals, and Daoist scriptures, or create their own Daoist lineage, ascending to the Jade Purity Realm in one fell swoop.

Chen Ping’an smiled and stood up, saying, “Then I’ll go meet that Earth Immortal, Gao Jun. Wei Liang and Zhong Qian, you guys chat. After you’ve all finished chatting, we’ll hold another Ancestral Hall meeting on Jise Peak.”

Zhu Lian nodded.

Pei Xiang’s lips curled up, the Mountain Master truly never fails to surprise.

At Secret Snow Peak, Cui Dongshan tentatively offered a suggestion.

Let their Immortal Guard Daoist make a trip to Lotus Root Blessed Land. As long as his feet touch the ground, the Immortal Guard wouldn’t even need to say or do anything.

It would likely be more effective than dropping a hundred Daoist scriptures into the blessed land.

This kind of mystical and profound matter probably wouldn’t work for anyone else, truly only the Immortal Guard Daoist would do!

However, after hesitating, Chen Ping’an still didn’t agree to it.

It wasn’t that he didn’t hope that Lotus Root Blessed Land could increase its “Daoist aura,” but he worried that this action would invisibly diminish the Immortal Guard’s own fortune.

If throwing the Immortal Guard into the blessed land was a half-serious joke, then Cui Dongshan even proposed a “far-fetched” idea.

All sentient beings in Lotus Root Blessed Land should have the opportunity to cultivate and practice martial arts.

The courts of various nations, Jianghu sects, and mountain immortal abodes should widely open their doors, not only refraining from prohibiting the circulation of martial arts manuals and Daoist secret texts, but also vigorously printing related books.

Wild grasses would grow luxuriantly, brimming with vitality.

At the time, Chen Ping’an only asked one question, “In the tens of thousands of years of history of the various heavens, have any large or small sects possessing blessed lands ever had such a precedent?”

Cui Dongshan replied, “There have been, but none of them succeeded. The aftereffects were great, the hidden dangers were numerous, and they almost all turned into a mess, causing their respective blessed lands to gradually recover their vitality only after hundreds of years of recuperation. So they usually choose a low-grade blessed land. Liu of Aiai Continent, skilled in talismans, and Shu, the cave master of Tianyu Cave of Liuxia Continent, have all made similar attempts. However, they weren’t dedicated enough. It’s a case of a weak foundation causing the earth to shake. So the biggest mistake was that they thought too little and did too much, just blindly messing around. The fundamental reason for their failure was that their underlying thinking wasn’t complete, precise, or stable enough. The establishment of those fundamental rules was extremely improper in terms of density. They relied solely on a bunch of amateurs in their seclusion to create. The so-called derivation of the Great Dao and the evolution of the meridians were just nonsense.”

“Then where do you get the confidence to be able to accomplish this?”

“Of course, it’s because I have Teacher, and Teacher has a prized student like me. Teacher controls a crucial major direction, and the student is responsible for formulating a dozen fundamental principles and adjusting tens of thousands of details, working together seamlessly.”

In the northern part of Tongye Continent, the ancestral mountain of Little Dragon Pool is named Dragon’s Slumber. The mountain peak where the Ancestral Hall is located is also named Heart’s Desire Peak, a name full of poetic charm.

Today, an Ancestral Hall meeting is about to be held.

The new Mountain Master is an immortal with the Daoist name “Dragon Beard,” Situ Mengjing, from the Great Dragon Pool of Middle Earth Divine Continent.

He sat in the central seat of the Ancestral Hall, facing the door and with his back to the hanging portraits on the wall.

It was somewhat comical, because this Middle Earth Immortal, according to the genealogy of the Great Dragon Pool, was actually higher in seniority, Daoist age, and realm than those “ancestors” of the Little Dragon Pool in the portraits. Therefore, the matter of the “new Mountain Master” offering incense was waived, as those in the portraits really couldn’t bear the reverence of Immortal Lord Dragon Beard.

This was Situ Mengjing’s first time presiding over an Ancestral Hall meeting. His previous return was only to announce that Little Dragon Pool would be closed off for sixty years, and that hadn’t even gone through an Ancestral Hall resolution.

Naturally, there wouldn’t be any objections, and the Little Dragon Pool cultivators wouldn’t dare to disagree even in private.

After all, Immortal Lord Dragon Beard was once the most likely candidate to succeed the Sect Master position of Great Dragon Pool. It was just that Situ Mengjing himself was unwilling at the time.

Situ Mengjing was the first to arrive, and he began to close his eyes and rest his mind as soon as he sat down, his hands clasped together.

An immortal, imposing without anger.

Back then, when Huang Ting questioned Little Dragon Pool with his sword, he only delivered three strikes to completely destroy the spirit of the entire immortal abode.

One strike directly cleaved open the mountain-protecting formation, the second strike seriously injured the then Mountain Master Lin Huizhi, and the third strike directly split the Ancestral Hall in two.

This was the demeanor of a Sword Immortal.

Onlookers would feel dizzy and shaken, their hearts stirred, but the hapless parties forced to face the sword would only be disoriented and terrified.

From the name of the sect, Little Dragon Pool, it is extremely fond of water. The mountain is surrounded by wetlands and swamps, with well-developed waterways crisscrossing. There is a Stone-Boiling Terrace in the mountain, and a Rolling Mountain River outside. It really isn’t very compatible with mountains. The two mountain-protecting enshrined guardians are a rare Moon-Picking Ape and an ancient turtle said to be thousands of years old. As for the two old fish who had become spirits in the Rolling Mountain River, they were both Golden Core Realm cultivators, each occupying a tributary of the Rolling Stone River, calling themselves the Stream River Great Sage and the Huangshui Great King.

In Tongye Continent after the war, a mountain that originally had two Nascent Soul Realm Earth Immortals was already considered a first-class mountain sect.

In the northern part of Tongye Continent, apart from the Yugui Sect, which was a lean camel bigger than a horse, the Golden Summit Temple, Qingjing Mountain Qinghu Palace, and White Dragon Cave were actually inferior to Little Dragon Pool.

As a result, Mountain Master Lin Huizhi and her junior brother Quan Qingqiu were personally detained by Situ Mengjing and taken back to the Great Dragon Pool. What their fate was, Little Dragon Pool still hadn’t received any news, and didn’t dare to inquire at will.

Even setting aside this highly respected Immortal Lord Dragon Beard, although Little Dragon Pool had now lost two Nascent Soul Ancestors, it still wasn’t too shabby.

Today, there are about twenty genealogy cultivators attending the Heart’s Desire Peak Ancestral Hall meeting. Apart from one Golden Core Earth Immortal, who is the closed-door disciple of the previous Mountain Master Lin Huizhi, the rest are Dragon Gate Realm and Sea-Viewing Realm cultivators.

In addition to the two mountain-protecting enshrined guardians, and the two, also Golden Core Realm, Stream River Great Sage and Huangshui Great King, Little Dragon Pool still has as many as five Golden Core Earth Immortals.

And the six important guest retainers who were originally qualified to participate in the meeting, the nominal enshrined guardians of other sects, Little Dragon Pool didn’t invite any of them this time.
For instance, the Chief Guest Elder, a Nascent Soul old immortal with the Daoist name “Water Lily,” didn’t even return to the mountain to attend such an important conference.

Conversely, the martial artist Cheng Mi, who managed the affairs of the Wild Garden, was unexpectedly invited to participate in this council—Sito Mengjing personally sent someone to summon him.

After everyone, including Sito Mengjing, had taken their seats, he opened his eyes and said indifferently, “Hong Yan, fetch Linghu Jiaoyu.”

Hong Yan, a direct disciple of Quan Qingqiu, had recently been temporarily managing the specific affairs of the Little Dragon Pool. As a Golden Core female cultivator, she immediately rose, took her leave, and hurried to find Linghu Jiaoyu.

When the maiden was brought to the Ancestral Hall, Hong Yan arranged for her to sit near the door.

Linghu Jiaoyu, Daoist name “Fushu” (Dispelling Heat).

A registered cultivator with a Daoist name undoubtedly meant she was a cultivator of the Middle Five Realms.

A jade snail, a magical artifact, hung from her waist. According to the mountain’s classification, it belonged to the category of “Calling the Mountain,” a magical treasure used to “instruct” mountain spirits and land deities of lower ranks. However, the snail’s grade ultimately couldn’t compare to the Mountain-Driving Bell, which could relocate mountains and leverage mountain ranges.

The maiden was also the only registered Little Dragon Pool cultivator whom Huang Ting found pleasing to the eye during his thatched-hut cultivation there.

In the Jade Tablet Sect’s Ginger Clan Cloud Grotto Blessed Land, Linghu Jiaoyu was listed on the Rouge Rankings of Flower Goddess Mountain, and was the youngest female cultivator to be so honored.

Originally, ancestral hall council meetings weren’t her concern. The maiden had been wandering idly,

Not far from the Heart’s Desire Peak, where the Ancestral Hall was located, there was a sealed immortal grotto, its stone wall engraved with the characters “Another Heaven” in clerical script.

The previous Mountain Lord, the Pure Frost Immortal Lin Huizhi, had once secluded herself here to heal after receiving a sword strike from Huang Ting.

Passing by the grotto, Linghu Jiaoyu went to the pine tree where chess was played. Seeing that no one was around, she carefully examined the ancient pine tree and then crouched down to look at the bottom of the stone table.

It seemed the young Hidden Official had frightened the girl badly, leaving her with lingering fears, always feeling that his talismans and flying swords were everywhere.

The Great Dragon Pool’s founding master, the current Mountain Lord’s teacher, had once played a game of incomplete chess with the Myriad Jade Sect’s immortal Han Jiangshu. Since then, Little Dragon Pool cultivators, as well as visiting cultivators, had been unable to break the deadlock. The stone table, chessboard, and chess pieces formed a profound array that could stabilize the mountain’s foundation and water veins.

However, the young Hidden Official, when visiting, had played two moves here, reportedly causing a celestial phenomenon that drew down the stars, completely overwhelming the old game and creating a true, settled game.

Then, Linghu Jiaoyu was quickly summoned by the Golden Core Ancestor to attend the council meeting. The maiden sat down in a daze, her mind a blank.

Sito Mengjing got straight to the point, “Lin Huizhi and Quan Qingqiu have both been removed from the Great Dragon Pool registry. Their Dao lineages in Little Dragon Pool will be preserved, but the cultivators’ seniority will be reduced by one level.”

As the Immortal Lord finished speaking, the two portraits on the wall fell to the ground with a crash.

The gathered cultivators exchanged uneasy glances.

There were two young female cultivators, twin sisters, who, apart from slight differences in their eyebrows and expressions, were identical in features and figure, as if cast from the same mold.

Both sisters were direct disciples of Lin Huizhi. Although they had ascended the mountain late, their seniority was high, and their talent was exceptional. They were already in the Ocean-Gazing Realm.

Upon hearing this, their faces turned ashen.

Sito Mengjing continued, “My taking over as Little Dragon Pool Mountain Lord is merely a temporary measure. The mountain will be sealed for sixty years, and I will serve as the Little Dragon Pool Mountain Lord for those sixty years.”

“Within these sixty years, ancestral hall council meetings will be conducted with the current number of attendees. Generally, the number will only decrease, not increase, unless I personally invite someone to take a seat.”

“Apart from Zhang Liuzhu’s Chief Guest Elder being retained, the stipends of all other guest elders and honorary offerings who did not attend today’s meeting will be suspended. Each should receive a letter severing ties, stating that they need not come to Little Dragon Pool in the future.”

“The Wild Garden will be closed. Those who should be killed will be killed, and those who should be released will be released. Those who harbor hatred for Little Dragon Pool but don’t deserve to die will also be released. This matter should first be clarified with the Heavenly Eye Academy. If the academy is willing to accept the demons, they will be sent there. If not, they will be allowed to leave Little Dragon Pool territory and fend for themselves. Cultivators will secretly monitor them, with Golden Core Hong Yan and martial artist Cheng Mi leading the monitoring teams. They can disregard the mountain-sealing restrictions. If they discover any demon daring to commit crimes, they can be executed on the spot without reporting to the Little Dragon Pool Ancestral Hall. However, any Little Dragon Pool cultivator who dares to kill indiscriminately will suffer the same fate as the demons. Once the hall’s law enforcement confirms the matter, they can be executed on the spot without notifying me. If the law enforcement dares to administer rewards and punishments improperly, I will execute them on the spot, and I will not need to notify the Great Dragon Pool.”

Three consecutive pronouncements of immediate execution sent a shiver of fear through everyone in the ancestral hall.

Next, Sito Mengjing directly confined the Star-Picking Ape and the Old Turtle, ordering the two mountain-guarding offerings to enter the “Another Heaven” immortal grotto to contemplate their transgressions for sixty years.

The Old Turtle stood up tremulously, without any superfluous words, simply saying, “Respectfully abide by the Immortal Lord’s decree.” His figure was forlorn as he walked out of the ancestral hall. The Star-Picking Ape, its face filled with fury, wanted to speak, to defend itself, or to demand an explanation from the Immortal Lord. However, Sito Mengjing directly struck it out of the hall with a wave of his sleeve, chair and all. Then, with a flick of his finger toward the door, the Star-Picking Ape, roaring in its true form, was sent flying out of Heart’s Desire Peak as if struck by a heavy hammer. Its massive body plunged into the Huang River, sinking to the bottom, and the river was instantly stained with blood.

As for the Liuhe Great Sage and the Huang River Great King, their fates were even worse. They were directly expelled. In addition to being immediately removed from the ancestral hall’s Mountain and Water Register, Sito Mengjing forbade these two old fish demons, both Golden Core cultivators, from appearing in the vicinity of Little Dragon Pool.

So many changes, and all of them significant, yet the registered cultivators in the ancestral hall didn’t dare to breathe loudly. The atmosphere was heavy, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The two old fish demons were still grateful, bowing and thanking the Immortal Lord who had issued such an inhumane decree. Both proactively promised that they would never mention the old events again. After leaving Little Dragon Pool, they would change their appearances, use aliases, establish new abodes, and cultivate with utmost diligence. They would never dare to act recklessly, lest they be traced by someone with malicious intent, causing the slightest damage to Little Dragon Pool’s reputation.

Sito Mengjing said indifferently, “I hope you will do as you say.”

This was the power of a Central Earth Immortal.

Moreover, the Dragon Beard Immortal’s family name was “Sito.”

Furthermore, in Little Dragon Pool, the new Mountain Lord was executing family law, perfectly justified.
Then there was Linghu Jiaoyu, who suddenly obtained two strokes of immense fortune, enough to make even a Nascent Soul Earth Immortal envious.

Situ Mengjing generously bestowed two treasures, unprecedented in their value, upon this Cave Realm female cultivator who was attending the Ancestral Hall assembly for the first time.

A Gǔyǔ Gourd.

It once belonged to the previous Mountain Master, Lin Huizhi, and was also the Mountain Master’s token and a treasured artifact for guarding Little Dragon Pool.

Traditionally, it could only be passed down through generations of Mountain Masters. According to the ancestral teachings, it could only be refined to a small degree. The Gǔyǔ Gourd could not be refined into a Natal Treasure, somewhat like the talismans on a grand gate of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master’s Mansion, with layers of enchantments. This gourd was also the coveted object of Lin Huizhi’s junior brother, Quan Qingqiu. It could even be said that the reason he descended from Great Dragon Pool was at the behest of his parents, aiming for this quasi-Immortal Artifact. This was because Quan Qingqiu and the Gǔyǔ Gourd were greatly compatible, which would help him increase his chances of ascending to the Jade Purity Realm.

A fishing rod, as short as a sword, with silver threads winding around the bamboo pole, like moonlight flowing.

This was Quan Qingqiu’s ancestral heirloom, equivalent to half a Dragon King Basket, using the moon’s reflection on the water as bait to fish for rare aquatic creatures, especially water sprites and fairies who worship the moon. It was most effective.

Hong Yan, who served as the Law Enforcement Elder of Little Dragon Pool, was filled with envy. Suddenly, she noticed the Dragon Beard Immortal Lord’s gaze. The Golden Core cultivator was immediately horrified, lowered her eyes, and quickly composed herself, daring not to have any more presumptuous thoughts.

However, Hong Yan discovered an unusually long silence in the assembly hall. When she slightly raised her eyelids, she realized that everyone was looking at her. Hong Yan shifted her gaze again and found that the Immortal Lord was staring at her intently.

Situ Mengjing asked, “Hong Yan, tell me, in your opinion, what is cultivation?”

Hong Yan was instantly covered in sweat and said in a trembling voice, “Reporting to the Immortal Lord, cultivation seeks the true self.”

This was one of the Taoist tenets of that Peaceful Mountain. Surely it couldn’t be wrong, right?

Situ Mengjing narrowed his eyes and said, “Oh?”

Hong Yan was sweating profusely, feeling like she was sitting on pins and needles.

“You have cultivated for over two hundred and eighty years, diligently seeking truth. Is it to cultivate a ‘true self’ that covets the Gǔyǔ Gourd and the fishing rod?”

“With such cultivation, where can you not cultivate? Why bother sitting in this Law Enforcement Elder’s seat at Little Dragon Pool, wasting your mind and time? Why not join the two Mountain-Protecting Envoys?”

“What, are you waiting for the mountain to be unsealed after sixty years, and for me to return to Great Dragon Pool, so you can plot again? Who do you want to imitate, your master Quan Qingqiu’s methods? Or Lin Huizhi’s machinations?”

Hong Yan quickly stood up and knelt down again, prostrating on the ground, kowtowing vigorously, and begging the Immortal Lord for forgiveness.

Situ Mengjing leaned slightly, his elbow resting on the armrest, his hands crossed, just watching this Golden Core female cultivator kowtowing incessantly.

Hong Yan only kowtowed. As long as that Immortal Lord didn’t speak, she would continue to kowtow.

The female cultivator’s forehead was a bloody mess, and a pool of blood stained the gilded brick floor.

Cheng Mi, a martial artist who was half an outsider, sat to the side nearest the door with Linghu Jiaoyu on his other side.

As for the Immortal Lord’s power, a Great Cultivator of the Immortal Realm could surely move mountains and overturn seas with ease. If he were to unleash it, Cheng Mi would only feel a few points of surprise at the divine wonder of it all, but not enough to truly shock him or inspire admiration.

The key was that Situ Mengjing was ruthless.

Just this Little Dragon Pool, a grand Immortal Mansion that was originally only one step away from becoming a Sect of the highest order, had lost two Nascent Soul cultivators directly because of this person’s arrival.

Today, there were a total of five Golden Cores in the Ancestral Hall. Two had already been imprisoned, and if two more were driven away, and this Law Enforcement Elder Hong Yan caused any further issues, then there would truly be no Earth Immortal cultivators left in Little Dragon Pool.

Could it be that this Dragon Beard Immortal Lord, or rather, Great Dragon Pool, was planning to completely abandon Little Dragon Pool and Tongye Continent?

Situ Mengjing finally spoke, “From today onwards, Cheng Mi will serve as the Law Enforcement Elder of Little Dragon Pool. Hong Yan will only participate in the matter of supervising the demons in the mountain as an ordinary cultivator, assisting Cheng Mi and atoning for her sins. If she returns without merit, she doesn’t need to see me. She can go directly to the treasury to receive a sum of immortal coins and a spiritual weapon, and her name will be automatically removed from the lineage record.”

Cheng Mi hesitated for a moment, then stood up and clasped his fist. “Mountain Master Situ, I must decline.”

Situ Mengjing asked with a smile, “Do you think it’s inappropriate for a martial artist to serve as the Law Enforcement Elder, given the mountain’s etiquette? Or do you think you lack the ability to be a good Law Enforcement Elder of Little Dragon Pool?”

The Dragon Beard Immortal Lord finally showed a little smile, and the twenty or so people felt as if they had been granted amnesty.

Cheng Mi, a martial general from the battlefield, was always straightforward and spoke his mind directly. “Both.”

This burly man was just a heavily injured Golden Body Realm martial artist, a showy figurehead. Perhaps in some small Tongye Continent countries, he could still swagger around and deceive people with a grandmaster title.

Situ Mengjing smiled slightly. “The rules and etiquette of Little Dragon Pool are now determined by me. As for whether you can be a good Law Enforcement Elder of Little Dragon Pool, you may think it’s impossible, but I think it’s very possible.”

Cheng Mi was speechless for a moment.

Damn it, if you weren’t an Immortal, I would have cursed you already!

Situ Mengjing said, “Little Dragon Pool is already sealed off. It doesn’t need a puppet to go out and deal with people. It only needs a Law Enforcement Elder who is fair in meting out rewards and punishments and impartial in handling matters. As for someone to prop up Little Dragon Pool’s reputation, one person is enough, and that is me.”

“From now on, I will hold three teaching sessions every month, divided into three types. The first type, all direct disciples and inner and outer disciples of the Ancestral Hall, even those without cultivation aptitude, regardless of their status, can participate. The second type, only cultivators of the Middle Five Realms can participate. The last type, all those who are currently experiencing bottlenecks or are preparing to enter secluded cultivation can participate.”

An Ancestral Hall assembly, decisive and concise, ended just like that.

This was a world of difference from the previous Little Dragon Pool assemblies, which would often waste an hour or two of time.

Situ Mengjing called Linghu Jiaoyu and went to Cheng Mi’s residence in that wild garden, asking the martial artist to cook three bowls of oil-splashed noodles.

Cheng Mi was indeed skilled at it and quickly brought out three bowls of noodles.

After a bowl of mixed noodles was cooked, he first added some minced garlic, sprinkled a handful of dried chili peppers, and then drizzled hot oil over them. The flavor was absolutely amazing.

Situ Mengjing nodded with a smile, praising it profusely.

Cheng Mi was already homeless. The capital city of his former country was extremely prosperous, with no night curfew since its founding, and brilliant lights that made the night seem like day. It was once praised by the mountain as the City Without Moon.

Previously, the only one he could chat with casually, the chief guest elder with the Daoist name Shuǐxiān, Zhang Liuzhu, had disappeared.

Cheng Mi asked, “Mountain Master, is this all Great Dragon Pool’s intention?”

Situ Mengjing shook his head. “No, it’s just my personal intention.”

Cheng Mi was stunned.
Situ Mengjing chuckled, “Act first, report later. By the time Great Dragon Pool receives the news, what can they do? Replace the Mountain Lord here? Re-hold the Ancestral Hall Assembly, release the Moon-Snatching Ape and Old Turtle again, and invite the Liuhe Great Sage and Huangshui King back? Cheng Mi, if you were the Sect Master of Great Dragon Pool, would you find all this fussing worthwhile?”

Cheng Mi gave a thumbs up, then, realizing it was inappropriate and somewhat disrespectful, quickly withdrew his hand, grinning, “Satisfying.”

Situ Mengjing teased, “Don’t take your thumb away. Too much money won’t weigh down your hand, and too much courtesy won’t offend.”

Cheng Mi took a swig of wine, wiping his mouth, and said with a smile, “To say something unbecoming…”

At this moment, the Dragon Beard Immortal Lord was completely different from the Immortal Mountain Lord at the Ancestral Hall Assembly.

The Situ family was a top-tier aristocratic clan in the Central Earth Divine Continent, with deep roots both on and off the mountains. Besides the main ancestral shrine located in the Central Earth Divine Continent, branch shrines and sub-lineage halls were scattered throughout Golden Armor Continent and Flowing霞洲 Continent. They were the kind of family whose genealogy records alone would fill a room full of cabinets.

Besides Situ Mengjing, the Great Dragon Pool Immortal, the family also had two Jade Purity Realm Sword Immortals. One served as the chief enshrined elder in a certain sect in White Snow Continent, and the other was a rogue immortal, whose ancestral home was of course in the Central Earth Divine Continent, but whose registered residence was in the Flowing霞洲 Continent. Regardless, a family that could simultaneously possess a living Immortal and two Jade Purity Realm Sword Immortals was equivalent to a flourishing mountain sect.

And that rogue immortal was the Flowing霞洲 Continent Sword Immortal, Situ Jiyu. This person was eccentric, always preferring to be alone, and had an extremely distant relationship with the family. Even in his hometown, he had few mountain friends. Later, he went to the Sword Qi Great Wall, but his reputation was not great, after all, the threshold for Sword Immortals was a bit high in that place full of sword cultivators. Situ Jiyu returned to the Vast Expanse World alive, and remained a solitary cloud, never participating in family ceremonies like ancestor worship, and still unwilling to establish his own sect.

Moreover, the Situ family was also famous for another thing, which was that the women of the family were often stunningly beautiful, so the Situ family was recognized as a “den of beauties.”

Situ Mengjing finished his noodles, put down his chopsticks, let out a long breath, and rubbed his brow, feeling a headache.

Situ Jiyu had previously received a flying sword letter that he had sent. Situ Mengjing selectively told him some things that could be told, without involving sect secrets.

Originally, Situ Mengjing had no connection with this Flowing霞洲 Continent Sword Immortal. The last time they met was when Situ Jiyu returned to the Vast Expanse, traveled to the Central Earth, and passed by Great Dragon Pool.

The time before that, Situ Mengjing couldn’t even remember how many centuries ago it was. He didn’t have a deep impression of that unruly clansman.

It was estimated that both sides felt the same way, disliking each other.

Situ Jiyu quickly sent a reply to Great Dragon Pool. When Situ Mengjing opened the letter, he could feel a burst of spittle coming from the letter.

The other party cursed in the letter, “I knew I wasn’t wrong about you, Situ Mengjing. When we first met, I thought you were a glib, hypocritical scholar…”

Situ Mengjing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. To this day, Situ Mengjing still didn’t know what went wrong with his “family letter.”

The general meaning of the previous letter was just that the young Hidden Official would travel to the Flowing霞洲 Continent in the future and promised to have a drink with Situ Jiyu.

“Damn it, Situ Jiyu, that bastard, the wording in his letter was truly unusually indecent. We all share the same ancestor, who are you cursing?”

“Whatever, just treat it as being bitten by a dog.”

Situ Mengjing suddenly asked, “Linghu Jiaoyu, do you know why I want to seal off Little Dragon Pool for sixty years?”

The girl shook her head, not feigning ignorance, but truly not knowing.

Situ Mengjing said, “Great Dragon Pool’s hope that Little Dragon Pool can join the ranks of a proper sect has never changed.”

Situ Mengjing didn’t beat around the bush, and said directly, “I will serve as the Mountain Lord here for sixty years, and personally teach you the Great Dragon Pool secret Taoist methods. Our relationship will be like an unofficial master and disciple. Sixty years later, whether you are in the Golden Core Realm or the Nascent Soul Realm, you will take over the position of Mountain Lord. Even if there are fellow disciples with higher realms than you at that time, such as Hong Yan, who was just stripped of her Law Enforcement status, and the twin disciples of Lin Huizhi, this decision that I am making today will not change. The only exception is if Little Dragon Pool suddenly produces an unparalleled genius like Qiu Zhi of Jade Gui Sect, who can reach the Jade Purity Realm within sixty years. But such a thing is almost impossible.”

Linghu Jiaoyu’s face turned pale, and she said with a trembling voice, “Grand Ancestral Master, why me?”

The girl felt that she was not Mountain Lord material at all. Not to mention comparing with the previous Mountain Lord, Pure Frost, and her Grand Uncle-Master, Quan Qingqiu, even when facing the twin sisters who were Lin Huizhi’s direct disciples, she would feel a bit inferior. So the girl sat at the table, distracted, thinking about how to find a reason to return the two treasures to the Ancestral Hall.

Situ Mengjing asked back with a smile, “Why can’t it be you?”

Linghu Jiaoyu was speechless.

“The head of a family, the head of a mountain, the head of a sect, the head of a country. What do you think these identities have in common?”

Perhaps thinking that the girl couldn’t give an answer, Situ Mengjing answered himself, “It’s the water source.”

“So it’s necessary to rectify the source. Only when the water from the source is clear, even if the water flow is thin, is it better than a turbid source with several seemingly powerful water veins branching out.”

“This statement is not something I came up with, but the young Hidden Official said this to me. It was both a gentle chat and an unambiguous hint.”

Situ Mengjing said with a smile, “So when I proposed to Great Dragon Pool that you serve as the next Mountain Lord of Little Dragon Pool, it was smoothly approved by the Ancestral Hall Assembly and became a final decision. Otherwise, with my realm and qualifications alone, it would be possible, but I would have to argue with people and waste my breath. The reason is very simple: the Fallen Mountain in Treasure Bottle Continent, the Green Plume Sword Sect in Tongye Continent, and the Taiping Mountain of Yellow Court Continent. All of a sudden, you have three more sect allies. Note, it’s you, not Little Dragon Pool. When you become the Mountain Lord one day, Little Dragon Pool can benefit from it.”

Cheng Mi nodded, that was the reasoning.

The girl was first confused, then shocked, and finally enlightened.

Wow, so I’m so amazing, even I didn’t know it.

Charming and adorable.

Situ Mengjing also smiled.
Just like that young Hidden Official’s final conclusion during our casual chat: if you wish to change customs and habits, the first priority is to rectify the source.

In the Pine Murmur Kingdom, at the Lakeside School, there’s an elegant retreat built by the lake, with a plaque that reads “Celestial Realm Pavilion.”

A woman is meticulously copying a Taoist scripture. Her desk faces a window, outside which stand several old plum trees. The fragrance of flowers in a vase blends with the ink on the writing slab.

A secluded, profound realm, a pure-hearted chamber where enlightenment is attained.

Breathing in the lake’s brilliance, drinking the mountain’s verdure; the first phrase speaks of the Lakeside School’s origins. The latter resembles more of a prophecy: “Scrolls of celestial secrets are collected, swallowing the texts of Stone Canal.”

The woman’s Taoist heart stirred slightly. She frowned gently, lifted her head, and gazed towards the entrance. Then, she stood, her breaths long and even, her steps light and agile, moving in harmony with Heaven and Earth.

If one had to use a certain phrase to describe this mystical, profound state, it would be the literal meaning of “acting on behalf of Heaven,” the “acting” of movement, the “behalf” of path.

In the vastness of the Great Balance World, a Golden Core Earth Immortal would not possess such a mysterious aura of resonating with Heaven and Earth.

However, if she were to leave this Blessed Land and journey to the Great Balance World, she would naturally lose this divinely bestowed essence of the Great Tao.

She wore an apricot-colored Taoist robe, her demeanor cold and refined, her features exquisitely beautiful. She looked towards the cyan-robed man standing by the lake.

His appearance differed significantly from the likeness of the past depicted in a treasured hanging scroll of the Lakeside School, but she still recognized him at a glance.

She performed a Taoist salute. “Gao Jun, the current Sect Leader of the Lakeside School, greets the Banished Immortal Chen.”

Chen Ping’an knew then that it was Old Chef and Pei Xiang working together to trick him.

Chen Ping’an asked, “Sect Leader Gao recognizes me?”

Gao Jun’s expression was neither servile nor arrogant. She smiled softly, “I once had the honor of accompanying Ancestor Yu to the capital of the Southern Garden Kingdom. However, at that time, I was still unskilled in my art and my cultivation was shallow. I was fortunate enough to witness the unparalleled grace of Sword Immortal Chen, but could only observe from afar. Now, I can barely recognize Sword Immortal Chen.”

Chen Ping’an cut straight to the chase. “Do you know the origin of this world and its connection with the outside world?”

Gao Jun nodded. “Before Ancestor Yu ‘ascended to immortality,’ he imparted some important instructions to me. Ancestor Yu vaguely mentioned some of his compiled guesses and views. For example, the outside world is called the Great Balance World, with nine continents and rivers. The lands are vast, with ten major grotto-heavens and thirty-six minor grotto-heavens, seventy-two blessed lands, all controlled by sects of true immortals. Our Lotus Root Blessed Land is located within the Tongye Continent. Banished immortals come here to experience mortal life, temper their Dao hearts, wander and play, seeking their own destinies. As for Sword Immortal Chen’s identity, origin, and background, it is a blank slate.”

“I once traveled down the mountain for three years and know that the timing of Heaven has changed. Furthermore, the advantages of geography and the harmony of people have also undergone tremendous changes. Many unprecedented mystical and strange events have occurred in the world.”

“However, in recent years, I have not encountered any banished immortals from other lands.”

Chen Ping’an nodded. “Penetrating the mysteries, understanding Heaven’s will.”

Gao Jun hesitated before asking, “Sword Immortal Chen, may I be so bold as to ask, if I were to engage in a life-or-death Daoist exchange with you, what are my chances of victory?”

Back then, Ancestor Yu only just formed his Golden Core when he went down the mountain to “muddle the waters” in the capital of the Southern Garden Kingdom.

Chen Ping’an had to lie with a clear conscience and give a statement, “Sect Leader Gao currently occupies the advantages of celestial timing and terrestrial advantage. A one percent chance of victory is always there.”