Chapter 1058: A Lonely City Amidst Colorful Clouds

Chapter 1058: A Lonely City Amidst Colorful Clouds

At the mountain gate of Fallen Mountain.

A burly man and a sword-carrying youth wearing a tiger-head hat descended together from the sky.

Jun Qian smiled and said, "We're here."

Bai Ye glanced at the continuous peaks and vein connections of Fallen Mountain, nodded, and said, "Good feng shui."

Jun Qian said, "Even better atmosphere."

Immortal Wei, having just finished exchanging books, quickly stood up and inquired, "May I ask who these two honored guests are?"

Jun Qian cupped his fists and said, "My name is Liu Shiliu, I am Senior Brother Jun Qian to your Mountain Lord. The person beside me is a friend of mine, named Bai Ye."

Immortal Wei was startled once and then again, then suppressed a laugh, his face taut, barely able to hold it in. A clever idea struck him, so he quickly performed a Taoist greeting, bowed his head, and said, "I am the Taoist Nian Jing, my Taoist name is Immortal Wei. By the Mountain Lord's grace, I am now the gatekeeper of Fallen Mountain. This poor Taoist greets you, Immortal Master Liu and Sword Immortal Bai."

The first shock came from hearing that the other party was actually that "Senior Brother Jun Qian" of Mountain Lord Chen. The second shock came from hearing "Bai Ye," but then looking at the other's appearance and attire...

Sensing the Taoist hairpin on the other's head, Jun Qian was also startled.

Little Junior Brother, you managed to win over that cute and lively Little Rice Grain, and you even managed to win over this... Taoist?

Ten thousand years ago, they had crossed paths quite a few times, you could say they became acquainted through fighting.

Back then, Jun Qian had "gone to visit out of admiration," but of course he couldn't win. Fortunately, the number one Taoist in the human world was good-tempered and didn't mind.

Immortal Wei straightened his back and raised his head, feeling puzzled. Why hadn't that white-haired boy shown up immediately? Ever since he became the registry officer, whenever a guest arrived, the white-haired boy would be sure to appear first thing.

Jun Qian asked, "Where's Little Rice Grain?"

Immortal Wei smiled and replied, "Today's morning patrol lessons are already over. Lately, she likes to go patrol around Yellow Lake Mountain."

Jun Qian gave an "eh" of surprise. Little Junior Brother's mountain seemed to have quite a few important figures visiting recently.

Immortal Wei thought for a moment, then said a polite word to the handsome youth, "Sword Immortal Bai, that's a good name."

Bai Ye asked, "What do you mean?"

Immortal Wei was immediately a bit embarrassed. What did he mean? It was just a polite remark. How was this poor Taoist supposed to explain?

The atmosphere grew a bit awkward. Unfortunately, Old Divine Immortal Jia, who never knew what awkwardness was, wasn't present.

Jun Qian smiled and explained, "Reverend Immortal Wei, he really is Bai Ye."

Immortal Wei felt helpless. The youth already claimed to be Bai Ye; if he wasn't called Bai Ye, what else could he be called?

Jun Qian said, "There's an unwritten rule: drink a cup of tea before climbing the mountain. What do you say?"

Bai Ye said, "Then when in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Jun Qian then led Bai Ye to sit at that table.

Actually, Jun Qian just wanted to sit here, drink tea, and crack some melon seeds while waiting for that little girl who served as the Right Protector of Fallen Mountain for his little junior brother.

As for what his friend Bai Ye thought, it didn't matter anyway.

A little girl in black seemed to have received a message. She rushed frantically from the back mountain, climbed over the peak of Gathering Spirit Peak, and ran all the way down the mountain.

The Left Senior Brother of the good Mountain Lord—she had already met him long ago. The rumors outside were all lies. How could he have a bad temper? He was so approachable!

He was a sword immortal as big as a table!

That Mr. Jun Qian was also extraordinary and even more amiable.

And he had fists as big as bowls, just like in the books: a hero walking the rivers and lakes, beating all opponents under heaven with his fists.

For the Right Protector of Fallen Mountain, at least a Qi refiner, she was actually running until she was drenched in sweat.

Behind the little girl in black followed a white-haired boy.

Without Little Rice Grain blocking the front, the registry officer really didn't dare show himself today.

It was the white-haired boy who had carried Little Rice Grain to the foot of the back mountain, but Little Rice Grain insisted on being put down and wanted to run all the way to the mountain gate at the front.

The white-haired boy had no choice but to let Little Rice Grain run on her two legs like cartwheels.

Little Rice Grain ran faster and faster. After passing the mountain gate archway, she stopped, grinned, and said, "Mr. Jun Qian, you're here."

Jun Qian had already stood up, smiling. "Little Rice Grain, sorry to keep you waiting."

Jun Qian glanced at Bai Ye. Bai Ye felt somewhat helpless but had to stand up as well.

Little Rice Grain looked at the youth wearing a tiger-head hat, trying hard to keep a straight face, her faint yellow brows furrowed.

Although the little girl was actually holding back a laugh, to outsiders, she might look like she was sulking.

Bai Ye seemed to find it amusing and said with a smile, "Go ahead and laugh if you want."

Little Rice Grain scratched her face, then shook her head vigorously like a rattle-drum.

The white-haired boy was unusually restrained, speaking timidly, "Mr. Jun Qian, and this... Immortal Master Bai, I am the registry officer. According to our mountain's rules, may I record your names?"

Bai Ye said, "My name is Bai Ye, from the Central Earth Divine Continent in the Haoran world. Currently, I cultivate at the Mysterious Capital Temple in the Azure Sky Heaven."

Little Rice Grain let out a "wow."

She secretly gave Jun Qian a thumbs-up.

Upon hearing this, Immortal Wei's body tilted, and he fell straight off his bamboo chair, inadvertently knocking a book out of his sleeve. With lightning speed, he kicked it toward the residence of Big Wind Brother.

Feeling that this was disrespectful to the book, he tiptoed over there, turned his back to the table, picked up the book, blew on it, gently patted it, and tucked it back into his sleeve.

Then he pulled out another book of sages from his other sleeve, turned around, held it with feigned seriousness, and sat back down on the bamboo chair to read.

The white-haired boy recorded the two "visitors" in the registry, then quickly slipped away, excusing himself from hospitality. After all, Little Rice Grain was there.

Sitting at the table, tea had already been served for the guests. Reverend Immortal Wei was quite skilled in dealing with people, leaving no loose ends.

Little Rice Grain looked at Mr. Jun Qian. Liu Shiliu looked back at Little Rice Grain.

Would it be too stingy?

Rest assured, of course not.

Little Rice Grain took a large handful of melon seeds from her sleeve and piled them in front of Bai Ye, then gave another large handful to Mr. Jun Qian.

Then the little girl felt a bit awkward and wanted to open her beloved cloth satchel.

Bai Ye smiled and divided half the melon seeds back to the little girl in black.

Although Wei Bo was puzzled why Zhu Lian and Jiang Shangzhen hadn't immediately appeared at the mountain gate, he still quickly came to the table at Fallen Mountain.

Wei Bo made a bow and said, "I am Wei Bo, the minor god of Piyun Mountain. Greetings, Mr. Liu and Mr. Bai."

Jun Qian stood up and returned the bow to this Mountain Lord Wei.

Bai Ye's expression was indifferent; he only nodded in acknowledgment.

If he cared about such formalities, Bai Ye wouldn't have chosen to set his dojo on an isolated island overseas in the first place.

Wei Bo asked, "Should I inform Mountain Lord Chen?"

Jun Qian waved his hand with a smile, "No need. Let Little Junior Brother attend to his own affairs. We don't need him to bother with us. As for hospitality, Bai Ye is happy that no one pays him attention."

Little Rice Grain stopped in the middle of pulling out dried fish from her cloth satchel.

Jun Qian added, "Of course, Little Rice Grain is an exception."

Little Rice Grain grinned happily and distributed the dried fish.

Bai Ye glanced at Jun Qian.

Jun Qian smiled and said, "Eat up. Why are you staring? I've tried them; the flavor is quite good."

Bai Ye had no choice but to pick up a dried stream fish, chewed it slowly, and saw the little girl sneaking glances at him from the corner of her eyes. He had to say, "The taste is not bad."

Little Rice Grain was thrilled. She took another pack of dried fish from her cloth satchel and placed it on the table.

Then she patted her satchel and said decisively, "There's more!"

Bai Ye was speechless.

Jun Qian burst out laughing.

His friend Bai Ye had finally met his match.

---

Lu Chen first sent a secret letter to Mysterious Capital Temple. It could even be called a family letter. This poor Taoist was very familiar with Mysterious Capital Temple; visiting there was like going home, as everyone in the world knew.

As for doing Little Junior Brother a small favor before leaving the Haoran world, did that count as a favor? This poor Taoist and Mountain Lord Chen were bosom friends who met when they were both nobodies!

After that came a true long-distance journey.

Within South China City, Lu Chen, for once, went through the ritual of fasting, bathing, and changing clothes, seriously entering secluded meditation in his dojo before daring to go against the current.

Along the way, Lu Chen, wearing a lotus crown, waded through the water and saw many bizarre and unbelievable things and scenes.

The two large sleeves of his Taoist robe dragged out dazzling seven-colored glaze colors.

Unfortunately, no one witnessed this scene along the way.

Finally, Lu Chen encountered a "passerby," but unfortunately, the figure flashed by before he could speak. The other seemed to be a female Qi refiner, and she only exchanged a glance with Lu Chen.

Afterward, he encountered another figure, huge as a mountain compared to Lu Chen—a barefoot giant. With each step, there was a thunderous roar, and the splashes at his feet often contained countless fragments of glaze scattering in all directions.

Lu Chen then rolled up his sleeves and collected a few larger glaze fragments from the "vicinity." He laughed and thanked the Daoist friend, who was either heading to the future or returning to the past. But the burly man only ran with his head down and paid him no attention.

Wading through the River of Time, encountering a fellow traveler on the path was as difficult as reaching the sky, and clearly seeing their face was even harder.

At that moment, Lu Chen didn't even dare to calculate with his fingers. There were countless whirlpools in the river beneath his feet; one misstep could trap him deeply. Especially when encountering certain true enlightened beings in the "present," the scene was as dangerous as water hitting rocks, swirling and surging. Lu Chen didn't want to end up stuck somewhere for a few hundred years. As for the fleeting images on the "riverbank," they were all blurry fragments of scenes. After seeing them, if he tried to remember, even with his high cultivation, he would feel dizzy, because each image symbolized an unspeakable heavenly secret.

No one knew how long had passed. Fortunately, Lu Chen had been prepared. For three thousand years, every brief glimpse into the River of Time was a training exercise. Additionally, Lu Chen had once been pulled into that great world by the Buddha, so the passage of time, even if infinitely long and endless, was still not a big problem for him. Otherwise, for an ordinary Fourteen Realm cultivator, this state of "emptiness within emptiness" and "non-existence within non-existence" would have tortured their Dao heart into collapse.

Lu Chen finally stopped and let out a long breath. He had arrived! Finally, he had found it!

The large stack of azure and purple talismans in his two Taoist sleeves had all turned to ashes.

The scene before Lu Chen was like arriving at a vast, boundless water surface, flat as a mirror. The ground beneath his feet was covered with countless grains of sand, colorful and dazzling.

The "water surface" was like a thin layer of glaze. Upon closer inspection, each grain of sand was actually a star, piled layer upon layer.

At the extreme distance where Lu Chen strained his eyes, there was a long chain like an iron lock spanning a river, stretching across heaven and earth like a line. If one had to name it, it could probably be called "causality."

But Lu Chen still hadn't found the ancient deity he wanted to talk to.

One of the duties of the Gatekeeper was to guard the River of Time against those who died later and those who committed rebellion.

Even if he turned back now, it wouldn't be a wasted trip, as he had finally seen a large group of "living beings," including ancient ghosts, strange beasts, immortals, and gods.

There was a woman with an indistinct face, wearing a cyan long dress. Her sleeves fluttered slowly, giving the beauty of a mural lady with wind-blown ribbons.

She was kneeling, with a small low table before her holding a few ancient-style pottery wine vessels.

There was a huge suspended mountain continuously sinking, perhaps taller than the five sacred mountains of the Central Earth combined. But the truth might be that it was shorter than a speck of dust in the Haoran world.

On the mountain peak was a headless figure holding his head in his hands. On the head, there were many eyes like the holes of a beehive. After discovering Lu Chen, they either blinked or closed, buzzing.

A strange being kept speaking, writing with fingers, and chanting two-character Buddhist verses in a nasal tone, as if annoyed by being interrupted, it shouted, "Noisy!"

After a moment, the strange being began to repeat the two words: "Freedom."

Occasionally, there would be slight variations. The strange being wept loudly and muttered, "Not free from causality. Not enough. Far from enough."

On a snow-white platform seemingly forged from countless snowflake coins, various sacrificial altars were set up. Wisps of incense smoke rose slowly but fell again, each at different heights.

It seemed to be an ancient method of entertaining gods to seek longevity.

"Next door" to the platform was a small ancient wooden boat. A "purple robe" painted with dragons floated at the bow, sneering in ancient language, "The path is already broken, and you still try to connect heaven and earth? How can a minor witch compare to a major witch!"

A man with extremely long eyebrows and very pale skin, looking like an ancient enlightened true immortal. Probably rarely seeing guests here, his face gradually became clear, handsome in appearance, but it was still hard to hide the dullness in his eyes. The man sat cross-legged near the long chain, holding a large halberd across his knees. Perhaps having not spoken seriously for too long, his voice was hoarse like a knife sharpening stone. He laughed and asked, "Who comes from where and when?"

But soon he mocked himself: "You definitely can't understand. It's been eight thousand years since that catastrophe."

Lu Chen couldn't understand the other's language, but he calculated in his heart.

Understood. This was a Qi refiner from a long time in the future.

At least it meant that in the distant future, there would still be Qi refiners who could come here. That was good. But thinking again, maybe not. What if they were pure martial artists?

A woman who had shaved off her eyebrows lightly lifted the back of her hand, looked at it repeatedly, then raised her head, looking with interest at the Taoist who had come from afar.

In addition, there was a group of beings, shadowy and indistinct.

Lu Chen roughly calculated that most of them were connected to the Barbarian Wilderness by the Great Dao.

That made sense. Demon cultivators were naturally strong in the physical body, climbed to the summit faster, feared nothing, and always liked to break all old celestial laws and new rules with their own hands.

An old, stooped man wearing a tall crown, staggering unsteadily, came to about "a dozen steps" from Lu Chen and actually asked in the refined language of the Barbarian Wilderness, "Is Lu Fayan dead?"

Lu Chen smiled and replied, "If the senior was an old friend of his, you can cry. If you have a grudge, you can let it go because Lu Fayan has already been eaten by someone."

The old man in the tall crown nodded, staring intently at this "young Taoist."

Lu Chen smiled and asked in the Barbarian Wilderness refined language, "May I ask the senior's Taoist name?"

The old man in the tall crown squinted and said, "I don't have any Taoist name. I once used the alias Zhang Jiao. Let me think, I need to think carefully. Ah, I remember. I haven't done any great deeds. I just specialized in killing the Stagnation Realm martial artists of the Barbarian Wilderness. Hehe, those fellows, each one looked down on everyone else. Except that they couldn't go up on the arena to fight, they were fine in every other way."

Lu Chen nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice: "I once asked a certain expert about fighting. What if the opponent didn't cooperate with the stance or moves? Senior, guess what that expert answered? The answer was extremely interesting. He said, 'No matter how many types of boxing you know, when you step into the arena to fight to the death, it's all just wild swings.'"

The old man in the tall crown nodded. "The expert has expert insight. Unfortunately, I can't meet them."

Lu Chen still nodded vigorously and said, "Don't meet him. Definitely don't meet him. I'm afraid the senior would be beaten to death in a few punches by him."

The old man in the tall crown stared at Lu Chen for a while. "I believe what you said. You really have met that fellow."

Lu Chen took a step forward, and the old man immediately retreated all the way back, laughing. "A fine Taoist, why learn swordsmanship? Shouldn't cultivation be single-minded?"

Having scared off a peak Flying Ascension Realm demon of the Barbarian Wilderness with a feint, Lu Chen stopped, triumphant. "Can't scare an old thing like you to death?"

The old man hesitated but still chose to continue retreating and eventually dissipated into a white mist.

Lu Chen crouched down, stretched out his palm, and gently pressed it against the layer of glazed water surface.

Looking down, it seemed he saw a butterfly fluttering in the "water."

A pair of extremely pure golden eyes slowly opened, looking down at the young Taoist wearing a lotus crown.

For this ancient high-ranking deity, even if the Taoist had a few thousand years of Dao age, he was indeed still young.

No words, no inner voice, not the slightest ripple.

Like drumbeats, like thunder, like a surging river.

"Lu Chen, three thousand years ago you tried to cross the boundary. Trying again now, to break the celestial law again?"

Lu Chen's body swayed. He had to withdraw his hand and let out a soft sigh. He raised his sleeve, shook out a meditation cushion, and let it float on the water.

Lu Chen sat on the cushion, clasped his hands over his abdomen, and silently began to concentrate, sit in forgetfulness, and fast the heart.

An ancient Taoist stood on the head of an ancient ferocious beast, approaching on the water surface.

"You little Taoist, what are you doing here? Are you at the perfection of Flying Ascension Realm, or Fourteen Realm? Within the orthodox Taoist lineage, who do you call master? Speak quickly!"

Lu Chen ignored him.

"Regardless of whose disciple you are, I am of the same generation as the first Taoist in the human world and that mute youth who liked to hang at the tail of the long line in the past. You should call me Grandmaster Ancestor quickly! That's a huge favor for you. After going back, you can brag to anyone."

Lu Chen only held his breath and focused his spirit. With each breath, true qi condensed at his nostrils like two hanging white serpents. The same scene appeared at the Taoist's heels.

"Little Taoist, I can't tell that you actually have some Dao power. But I wonder how long you can show off here. Maybe you'll even be worse than those pitiful creatures, not to mention exhaling and inhaling true qi; your five senses and internal organs will be shaved away."

"Little Taoist, tell your grandmaster ancestor: how many Qi refiners in your world nowadays are of your mediocre realm? Is there a number in the double digits across the whole world?"

"If you won't say anything, it's fine. Just tell me, did that mute little Taoist who looked at everyone with the same expression ever get beaten so badly that he picked his teeth off the ground?"

Hearing this, Lu Chen finally opened his eyes and rubbed his nose. "He is this poor Taoist's master. Senior, wait a moment. This poor Taoist will go invite my master over to catch up with you."

"Forget it. I have no great enmity with him. Our relationship was average back then. It's better not to meet."

After that, this ancient Taoist indeed stopped speaking.

That strange being who seemed to practice heterodox Dao like a wild fox had been carefully listening to Lu Chen's conversation with the Taoist. After confirming that the young Taoist was indeed a Taoist, he was greatly disappointed, wailed loudly, and couldn't stop crying.

That woman who liked to lift the back of her hand like a white jade bow beckoned to Lu Chen, smiled charmingly, and said, "Taoist, does the human world now have a new master of Qingqiu?"

Lu Chen made a Taoist greeting. "To answer the senior, now the human world doesn't even have Qingqiu anymore, so how could there be a master?"

The woman's expression instantly became complicated, as if she were about to weep or laugh. The so-called vixens of later generations would be ashamed in front of her.

"You come here neither crossing the boundary nor retreating. What do you want to do?"

"Prevent someone from coming here to have a 'trade-off' with my eldest senior brother."

If it were a trade of one Fourteen Realm for another Fourteen Realm, of course, Lu Chen's eldest senior brother would be the loser.

He absolutely couldn't make such a losing deal.

The deity said, "Lu Chen, you have your reasons, and I have my duty. You cannot stay here long. Go back."

Lu Chen said aggrievedly, "My senior brother used to come here often. Why didn't you chase him away?"

The deity said, "It's different. Kou Ming gallops the wind, almost a heavenly gift. It's already a divine power."

Lu Chen said with pitiful eyes, "This poor Taoist asks the heart and interprets dreams. Isn't that also close to divine power?"

The deity said, "The Dao method and divine power are ultimately different."

Lu Chen asked, "Can't you turn a blind eye?"

The deity said, "What do you think?"

Lu Chen immediately leaned back, quickly reaching out to prop himself against the water surface so he wouldn't fall.

The deity said, "They cannot leave. They must stay here. Why do you, Lu Chen, waste your Dao power here in vain?"

Lu Chen bounced up. The meditation cushion was burned by electric sparks like thin threads, blazing into a great fire, and eventually flowed away like water.

Then he stumbled.

After that, Lu Chen's feet seemed to be in mud. Every step he took brought out mud as heavy as mountains.

In an instant, Lu Chen's figure rose from the ground, drifted sideways, and when he landed, it seemed he had sprained his ankle, his knee joint creaking.

Actually, this was why Lu Chen had fallen backward from the railing at the Guoyun Tower Inn earlier.

And why he had sprained his ankle at the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect.

Lu Chen raised his hand, pressed two fingers together, and gently pulled, huffily saying, "If you keep pressing me like this, this poor Taoist will have to use real skills!"

His two fingers seemed to pinch a curtain and lift a corner.

Instantly, the originally bright world was flooded with pitch-black light like ink, seeping into this space like a tide.

The deity shouted, "Stop!"

Lu Chen quickly reached out and wiped away the blackness, pushing it back behind the curtain. Then he seemed to release his fingers, letting the curtain fall again.

Lu Chen said sheepishly, "This poor Taoist was out of line."

A laugh sounded, like an echo in a valley or rolling thunder. "Though it's a dog jumping over a wall in desperation, it does have some Dao power. No wonder you are the personal disciple of the Tao Ancestor."

Lu Chen put his hands on his hips, assuming a street-brawling posture. "Sneaking around, talking coldly. If you have skills, come and jump too!"

As for the other's identity, Lu Chen knew it clearly.

It was a deity under the jurisdiction of the ancient Heavenly Court's Ministry of Thunder, whose divine position still existed.

In the capital of Great Li, the fellow who drove for Nan Zan had once managed the Office of Investigation and Execution.

This deity was considered half a superior to that old driver. But he was still not among the twelve high-ranking deities.

He asked, "Will Ma Kuxuan die?"

Lu Chen said crossly, "I already said back then to let him off. This poor Taoist has already saved him once. Otherwise, he would have been beaten to death by Chen Ping'an long ago. What more do you want from me?!"

The deity fell silent and retreated to his divine position.

Lu Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

Heaven and earth witness, no one is more busy than this poor Taoist.

Although this deity had always hoped Ma Kuxuan would "enlighten" and walk on a divine path.

But this old Ministry of Thunder deity's "dojo" in the human world was not True Martial Mountain where Ma Kuxuan cultivated.

True Martial Mountain, one of the ancestral homes of the military families in Vase Bottle Continent, was actually the dojo of another deity, among others.

If it were truly this deity asking, Lu Chen would have to perform a Taoist greeting and speak carefully. He must observe proper etiquette.

After all, both the Grandmaster Senior Brother and Senior Brother Yu treated this meritorious deity with great respect.

Because in the ancient times, about six thousand years ago, a group of majestic beings with new "divine titles" appeared.

They appeared around the same time as the divine title "Great Sacrifice" of the Central Earth's Ear Mountain wandering, and those terrestrial true immortals with their own mountain governance.

Moreover, the founders of the three religions recognized these divine titles.

For example, one of them, a Divine Lord, had the divine title "True Martial."

In the Azure Sky Heaven's White Jade Capital, the celestial demons outside the heavens feared not only the Tao Ancestor but also this Divine Lord True Martial.

Another Gui tree on the moon bloomed in spring. Palaces in the sky, rain of osmanthus blossoms.

This female deity, who could partially fill the missing divine positions, had the divine title "Guanghan."

But she had never been willing to return to that "dojo."

Lu Chen reached out to his ear and waited for a long time without hearing anything. He then withdrew his hand and tentatively said, "How about each side takes a step back?"

Still silent. Lu Chen breathed a sigh of relief. That meant agreement.

Lu Chen's figure dissipated. At another stop, he reappeared. The previous lively scene was gone, replaced by a vast white fog.

The Taoist wearing the lotus crown stood alone, with only the endless passage of time in heaven and earth.

Lu Chen, for once, had a solemn expression, without any of his usual demeanor.

Then this poor Taoist will wait here for Zheng Juzhong of White Emperor City!

---

In Locust Yellow County, an old house that had never been sold to outsiders.

Dong Shuijing opened the door and laughed. "Oh, if it isn't Lin Yupu. What an honor."

Lin Shouyi stepped across the threshold and extended his hand. "Don't talk nonsense. Hurry up."

Dong Shuijing looked puzzled. "What?"

Lin Shouyi said, "A congratulatory gift."

Dong Shuijing was amused. "You're imitating Mountain Lord Wei."

Lin Shouyi said, "I borrowed some Grain Rain coins from Chen Ping'an. I need to pay him back early."

Dong Shuijing chuckled. "You scared me. I thought you were getting married."

Lin Shouyi raised his foot as if to kick him. Dong Shuijing sidestepped and laughed. "A scholar uses words, not fists."

If Mountain Lord Chen were to say it, it would be "two chicks pecking at each other."

Lin Shouyi said, "Same old rules, quick about it."

Dong Shuijing went to the kitchen to light the fire and made two bowls of wontons.

While Dong Shuijing was busy, Lin Shouyi, sitting at the Eight Immortals table in the main hall, turned his head and stared blankly at the willow tree in the courtyard.

As for the well beside the tree, Lin Yupu didn't even look at it.

When Dong Shuijing came out carrying two large bowls of steaming wontons, Lin Shouyi had already withdrawn his gaze.

Lin Shouyi took the bowls and chopsticks and asked, "Do you know why Chen Ping'an called us here this time?"

Dong Shuijing shook his head. "I didn't ask."

Lin Shouyi started eating the wontons and began to criticize them. Dong Shuijing couldn't be bothered to listen and just ate his own.

Back in the school days, he couldn't stand this guy, not because Lin Shouyi was from a rich family, but because he always wore a sour look on his face.

Later, Dong Shuijing found Lin Shouyi even more annoying.

It was because of their peer, Li Huai's older sister.

That slender woman like a willow branch, and she had such gentle eyebrows and eyes.

Dong Shuijing asked, "How much do you owe Chen Ping'an?"

Lin Shouyi said, "One hundred."

Dong Shuijing nodded. "I'll front the money for you."

Lin Shouyi said, "Grain Rain coins."

Dong Shuijing feigned surprise. "I thought it was Small Snow coins."

Lin Shouyi cursed him as a local tyrant.

Dong Shuijing said, "You have such a good relationship with Chen Ping'an. Why are you willing to owe me a favor?"

Lin Shouyi said, "Over in Plane Leaf Continent, they're digging a great river. Everywhere costs money."

Dong Shuijing said, "There's no place I don't need to spend money?"

Lin Shouyi spat, "You, Dong Half-a-City, only have places to make money."

He had to admit, Dong Shuijing was a born moneymaker. Just one of his businesses impressed Lin Shouyi when he heard about it.

He had contracted several fairy mountains with decent spiritual qi, especially clear water veins, and made some potted plants specifically to cheat the high officials and nobles of the mortal world.

Euphemistically, it was said that saving money for descendants wasn't reliable; it was better to pre-order a fairy plant in a pot. To form the potted plant, it would have to be carefully cultivated for decades or even several jiazi.

If someone had one or two potted plants, the mountain fairy mansion would carefully record the file. According to each customer's requirements, it was agreed in advance that descendants could only take it home in a certain year. Of course, it could also be converted into immortal money on the spot, but taking the item early or exchanging it for money was not allowed. Unless the family had truly fallen on hard times and couldn't even open the pot, the family member could go to the mountain to exchange it for a slightly discounted amount of immortal money. The fairy mansion that cultivated the potted plants could even help keep a family genealogy... Anyway, it was meticulous and comprehensive.

Lin Shouyi heard that indeed a large number of nobles and rich gentry from various countries were tempted and paid money. In the countries below the mountain, countless people followed suit.

To do business to this extent, Lin Shouyi had to admire Dong Shuijing's business acumen.

And this was just one of Dong Shuijing's many business avenues.

Dong Shuijing suddenly cursed, "Worthless!"

Lin Shouyi glared. "Even more useless than me!"

They started pecking at each other again.

Layer upon layer of clouds above, and below the clouds was the mortal world, never tiring to look at.

Ma Yuan had drunk some wine, and his poetic inspiration was abundant, but he needed to compose a preface first.

Unlike many scholars, Ma Yuan liked to recite and personally transcribe the prefaces of various poems and songs.

Minister of Justice Zhao Yao rode a ferry belonging to the Great Li military. On this trip home, Zhao Yao also brought along his superior Ma Yuan and a Director of the Revenue Bureau, Guan Yiran.

Zhao Yao had been summoned by that "Little Master Uncle." Guan Yiran was taking public advantage for private benefit, "happening to pass by" to visit friends. Mountain Lord Chen of Fallen Mountain and Jing Kuan, who had just become the governor of Baoxi Commandery for a few days, were both good friends who could drink bland wine until they vomited.

The ferry detoured far around the Northern Sacred Mountain Piyun, which meant it was already near Oxhorn Ferry.

Ma Yuan stood by the railing on the observation deck outside the cabin, lightly tapping the railing. Seeing this beautiful scenery, he was inspired and began to compose poems and couplets.

Zhao Yao and Guan Yiran sat inside drinking. Guan Yiran turned his head and laughed. "Uncle Ma, showing off your literary talents again? Do you want me to help compile your several thousand doggerel poems into a book, find a bookshop, and spend money to publish them? No worries about sales. There are so many government offices in the capital. Every official from the second rank down to the ninth rank, I'll give each one a copy, and I'll recover my costs. This deal is doable! If I add the accompanying capital, I can make a big profit!"

The Minister, interrupted in his thoughts, didn't turn his head, just raised a finger.

Zhao Yao smiled. "If the Minister truly wants to publish a collection of poems, even without using official connections or just using a pseudonym, the sales wouldn't be a problem."

Guan Yiran teased, "Vice Minister Zhao, how do you get promoted? Why didn't you flatter earlier? Our Uncle Ma is about to go to the Sunken Sun Ferry. Are you trying to warm a cold stove?"

Zhao Yao asked directly, "Even after going to the Barbarian Wilderness, you still hold the honorary post of Minister? Will you resign?"

Guan Yiran lifted his chin. "Only the big officials qualified to attend the small court meetings in the imperial study know about such things. Ask the man himself."

Ma Yuan walked back into the room. "No need to resign. The Ministry of Justice has you as Vice Minister sitting in. There won't be any trouble. Besides, the high positions in the six ministries can't be completely static, but they can't change too frequently."

Guan Yiran laughed heartily. "For Vice Minister Zhao, that's not good news. You need to drown your sorrows in wine. Come on, Vice Minister Zhao, let's have a drink."

Zhao Yao felt a bit helpless.

This current head of the Zuoyang Ma clan, not long ago, was actually the Minister of Revenue. He had been transferred flat to be the head of the Ministry of Justice—neither a promotion nor a demotion.

The previous Left Vice Minister of Justice, Mu Yan, was promoted to Minister of Revenue, replacing Ma Yuan as the country's Financial Minister.

The various bureaus of the Ministry of Justice, as well as the offering cultivators registered there, were naturally happy with this. After all, Ma Yuan's shrewdness and ability to generate wealth were well-known throughout the court and the public.

Regarding that war, among the heads of the six ministries of the Great Li court, the debate over who had the greater merit was only between Shen Chen and Ma Yuan, unrelated to those like Li Minister of Rites Zhao Duanjin.

Also from the pillar clans, Cao Ping and Yan Jiao had already gone to the Sunken Sun Ferry in the Barbarian Wilderness to join Song Changjing and the vassal king Song Mu.

And this head of the Poyang Ma clan was a fat man with a fierce face. If Ma Yuan wasn't wearing official robes and court boots, he looked like nothing more than a wealthy old man from a small county. Couldn't be more than that. A county's richest man wouldn't look like Ma Yuan. But appearances are deceiving. Although Ma Yuan was stout and round, he might scare timid people if he walked alone at night in the capital. Women might think it was a rapist, men might think it was a robber. But this Minister Ma, who had managed the Great Li money bag for many years, was renowned for his brilliant literary talent. His delicate small regular script was so consummate that even Old Master Zhao, the ancestor of the Great Li Dynasty's official script style, said that Ma Yuan's small script was the exact opposite of his appearance.

Meaning, the uglier Ma Yuan was, the more beautiful his calligraphy.

And Ma Yuan, recognized as one of the Great Li heavy officials considered an arm by National Teacher Cui Chan, was indeed an uncommonly refined official.

He was also one of the two fastest-promoted officials in the Great Li government in recent decades. Ma Yuan in the northern capital and Liu Qingfeng in the southern accompanying capital.

As for why Guan Yiran could speak so freely in front of Ma Yuan, it was because Ma Yuan's examination mentor back then was Guan Yiran's great-grandfather.

The Minister of Personnel was an iron rice bowl, while vice ministers and directors came and went.

Furthermore, before Ma Yuan reached the third-rank high official, every triennial capital inspection of officials, whether Ma Yuan was serving in the capital or locally, he consistently received an A grade without any surprises.

This allowed Ma Yuan, from the pillar clan of Poyang Ma, to be promoted three times in seven years when he was in the Ministry of Personnel!

This earned Ma Yuan the enviable official nickname "Ma Jia" (Ma A-grade).

So in the Ministry of Revenue, although Ma Yuan was the most foul-mouthed, he never cursed Guan Yiran.

Of course, besides this connection, Guan Yiran's accounting skills, especially auditing, were indeed not bad.

Night was deep. In the eastern part of Vase Bottle Continent, the Azure Luan Kingdom, which had already shed its status as a vassal of Great Li.

Li Bao, who had been Minister of Rites for many years, was hosting a guest today. The guest was a person unknown both on and off the mountains in Vase Bottle Continent.

Liu Suo.

This young Qi refiner was a native of Azure Luan Kingdom.

Li Bao appeared as an elderly man full of scholarly air. After he closed the study door, he transformed into the Great Li Dynasty's Imperial Textile Commissioner Li Baozhen.

In his early years, when Li Baozhen was the head spy of the Great Li Green Wave Pavilion, he had assumed an official identity here in Azure Luan Kingdom, rising quickly and soon becoming Vice Minister of Rites.

He had presided over several metropolitan examinations, truly a man wielding the literary authority of a nation.

Moreover, Li Baozhen was also the de facto power behind the throne of several former vassal kingdoms of Great Li, including Azure Luan Kingdom. All the immortal mansions on the mountains and the martial arts sects off the mountains were under Li Baozhen's control.

Liu Suo originally didn't want to see Li Baozhen, but one of his secret residences had been burglarized. Without thinking, he knew it was Li Baozhen's uninvited taking.

On the table were two bowls, one of ink and one of clear water.

This study had no books of sages whatsoever, only miscellaneous books "unhelpful for imperial examinations and useless for the world's hearts and people."

Li Baozhen poured himself a cup of wine, sat down first, and gestured with his hand twice, signaling the guest to make himself at home.

Liu Suo hesitated, then sat on the chair opposite him.

Sitting opposite was like a game of chess.

Li Baozhen smiled and asked, "Wang Yifu, have you seen him over the years?"

Liu Suo remained silent.

Back then, Liu Suo's own master, later the Minister of Rites in the Great Li accompanying capital, Liu Qingfeng, had been a county magistrate in a small county of Azure Luan Kingdom. Wang Yifu was the county sheriff at the time. Later, when Liu Qingfeng was transferred to a remote border commandery to be its governor, Wang Yifu followed him and became his carriage driver all the way. Liu Suo, as Liu Qingfeng's book boy, or half a student, had a good relationship with this straightforward Sheriff Wang back then, because Wang often accompanied his master in drinking.

It seemed that whenever Sheriff Wang spoke, their master, who always frowned alone in thought, would talk a little more.

He recalled that once during a drinking session, Wang Yifu asked their master a question about how he viewed the mountains.

Liu Suo had had some wine and couldn't remember much, but one of the maxims from that exchange between his master and Sheriff Wang was still deeply etched in his memory.

In his master's view, the so-called immortals of the mountains, the cultivators of the Dao, were just mortal men with bigger fists, nothing more. There were almost no exceptions.

Liu Qingfeng also had a question at that time, which he asked Liu Suo, but it was more likely a self-questioning, related to whether or not to follow the rules, including the rule-makers themselves.

Li Baozhen pointed at a booklet on the table and smiled. "Liu Suo, you are supposed to be a very cautious person. So I'm even more curious. What were you thinking, not keeping this in your heart but daring to write it on paper?"

The booklet contained a carefully linked plan, its spearhead directed at a great figure who could kill Liu Suo with a flick of a finger.

They were about the same age, but their realms were vastly different.

Liu Suo still didn't speak.

Li Baozhen asked, "Or did it come from Minister Liu's idea, and you just helped take notes?"

Liu Suo finally spoke. "If it were my master's idea, then the moment you obtained the booklet, you were already within his calculations."

Li Baozhen nodded. "Probably."

He recalled a time when he had witnessed one of Old Minister Liu's "appetizers." A guilty mountain sect was about to leak a scandal and sought Liu Qingfeng's help through connections. Liu Qingfeng helped fabricate a similar scandal, causing a huge uproar on the mountains. All the mountain newspapers talked about it. Naturally, the result only proved the sect's innocence. Then came another round of slanderous rumors about the sect. The cultivators worked hard to prove their innocence again. After that, when the real scandal was "exposed," people on and off the mountains ignored it and no longer bothered to get to the bottom of it.

Li Baozhen confronted Liu Qingfeng, who only said lightly, "That's called watching a spectacle. The same spectacle often doesn't get lively."

Of course, as a reward, that small but well-off sect secretly sent a large sum of immortal money to the Revenue Ministry in Luo Capital.

To this day, Li Baozhen doesn't know if the real victims of that scandal, a small martial arts sect that didn't have time to expose their enemy, ever received a justice they deemed satisfactory or truly recognized.

As for the booklet on the table, Liu Suo's recorded plan targeted Chen Ping'an as the first move.

It was Ruan Xiu of Dragon Spring Sword Sect.

This would make the sudden rise of Chen Ping'an and Fallen Mountain seem more reasonable.

Especially the "reason."

The two were already secretly betrothed.

Then two small sects that had used the mountain newspapers to publicize this matter were wiped out, killed by sword qi.

Of course, no one would believe this was a tactic of Fallen Mountain.

But this was only the first link, a small seed.

However, some observant people might begin to suspect at this stage whether it was a frame-up by Zhengyang Mountain.

And Ruan Qiong of Dragon Spring Sword Sect, the chief offering of the Great Li Dynasty, knew that this was false and the contents of the mountain newspapers were even more false. But what about his relationship with Fallen Mountain?

The second link would involve Shujian Lake and Gu Can.

This could be cross-referenced with a certain travelogue.

Li Baozhen turned his head to look at the two bowls on the table and smiled. "Gu Can is the bowl of ink. No matter how you stir it, it's still ink. Chen Ping'an is the bowl of clear water. Dip a little ink in it, and it starts to turn from clear to muddy."

Liu Suo nodded, not denying this view.

"Liu Suo, do you have a grudge against Chen Ping'an?"

"No."

"From the first meeting, you disliked him?"

"When we first met, I thought he was the same kind of scholar as my master—gentle, approachable, able to cultivate himself, teach others, and get things done."

The first meeting was on the road outside Lion Grove in Azure Luan Kingdom. To give way to a little black charcoal on the road, his master's oxcart plunged into a pond, and they became drenched.

But Chen Ping'an's behavior at that time made Liu Suo feel favorable. As his master said, regardless of the family—wealthy or poor—if a child makes a mistake, the adult cannot simply apologize on their behalf. The child must understand the mistake and then correct it.

"Then you think his luck is too good? Young as he is, he gained sudden fame, achieved great feats in a foreign land, became the closed-door disciple of a Confucian sage, and his Dao companion is the number one in the Colorful Heaven. It seems all the advantages in the world have been taken by him alone. You envy him and think heaven is unfair? You want to fight for justice for your master, Old Minister Liu?"

"I don't envy him. I have carefully studied his rise. I must admit that all those benefits are what he, Chen Ping'an, deserves."

In the Great Li officialdom, the two fastest promoted were Financial Minister Ma Yuan and Accompanying Capital Minister of Rites Liu Qingfeng.

The most interesting part was that the entire officialdom knew that Liu Qingfeng was the Emperor's appointee to monitor the Luo King Song Mu, yet Song Mu always treated him with respect.

The reason the Accompanying Capital Luo Jing never became Song Mu's personal fief was because of Liu Qingfeng.

The book boy Liu Suo and the retainer Wang Yifu were the two who had followed Liu Qingfeng the longest. Especially Liu Suo, who had been by his master's side since childhood.

But Liu Qingfeng, because he was not a cultivator, had died. The old man hadn't even considered becoming a deity.

Yet Liu Suo would not hold a grudge against a scholar his own master had recognized.

Before his death, Liu Qingfeng had smiled and said to Liu Suo that the only person who could perfect the many policies of National Teacher Cui Chan in the future would not rely on schemes, not on visible tedious merits, but on purity, on righteousness, on the true merits unseen in the human heart. Cui Chan had intentionally left room for it because he himself had said, "Those who learn from me will live; those who imitate me will die."

Just like everything Li Baozhen had done in Azure Luan Kingdom, when Liu Qingfeng saw it, he only commented lightly, "We hunt righteousness with unrighteousness. Where's the sense of achievement?"

And at that time, Li Baozhen had to sincerely praise the other for being one step ahead.

The Legalist cultivator Wei Liang had helped National Teacher Cui Chan erect a stele on the mountain peak of a continent.

And Liu Qingfeng had personally written the grading of the continent's spirit registry, which was later almost directly copied by the Confucian Temple.

"Then I would be utterly puzzled, unable to understand. No enmity, no grievance, what do you seek by doing this?"

"I seek nothing."

Hearing this, Li Baozhen was finally greatly surprised, not feigned. He asked, "Liu Suo, is this pure malice?"

Liu Suo began to shut his mouth again, even closing his eyes.

Li Baozhen twirled the empty wine glass in his hand and smiled. "Liu Qingfeng must have warned you at some point. If someone threatened you, like me, you should just betray him to save your own life?"

Liu Suo opened his eyes and nodded. "Commissioner Li, your foresight is indeed accurate. My master also told me to quickly forget the content of that conversation, otherwise, I would surely fail to deceive you."

His master hoped he could become a second Li Baozhen, but smarter. It was just too difficult.

Li Baozhen asked, "Do you know why I have never done that?"

Liu Suo replied, "Because you guessed that my master would do that, so you found it uninteresting. You always don't bother with things that aren't interesting."

Li Baozhen smiled and nodded. "To be precise, it's both uninteresting and meaningless."

Liu Suo retorted, "Then how can you be sure my master didn't guess that you would do that?"

Li Baozhen's smile froze.

Liu Suo laughed. "Commissioner Li, you don't have to pretend. In the end, you are just afraid of a living Minister Liu. To be precise, even dead, you are still afraid. Afraid that he left a countermeasure specifically for you."

Li Baozhen smiled brightly and nodded vigorously. "Then I'll ask you one thing. Is there such a trump card?"

Liu Suo sneered. "If I say yes, you won't fully believe it. If I say no, you'll still be doubtful. So whether I say it or not, may I ask, Commissioner Li, what is the point of this question?"

Li Baozhen threw the wine glass back onto the table and clapped his hands. "Liu Suo, I've finished my questions. Do you have anything else to say?"

Liu Suo closed his eyes. "We are both just waiting to die."

Li Baozhen sneered. "Obscure and pretending. Do you think you are Liu Qingfeng?"

Outside the study door, a light round of applause sounded.

Liu Suo smiled indulgently. "Here he comes."

I have been deliberately not mentioning the name Chen Ping'an, but you, Li Baozhen, just wouldn't believe it. You kept saying Chen Ping'an again and again. Who can you blame?

Li Baozhen tried to steady himself, looking toward the door, his face pale. "Who?!"

A blue-clad figure with a jade hairpin stepped into the study as if entering an empty room. "What a coincidence. Minister Liu is no longer here, but I am still here. If you want to kill Liu Suo, it's never your turn."

Behind this person followed a young retainer in a yellow hat and green shoes, holding a green bamboo staff.

Li Baozhen asked, "How could it be you?!"

"Without coincidence, there would be no story."

Chen Ping'an stood behind a chair, heavily pressed down on Liu Suo's head, gently twisted it, and smiled. "You didn't learn the good things, but you had to learn the bad. Be careful, you might really die."

Li Baozhen wanted to communicate telepathically, wanted to call out his eldest brother's name, but found himself "speechless." Not only could he not speak, but the telepathic means of a Qi refiner were also completely useless.

Then Li Baozhen was horrified to find that at this moment, in this place, Chen Ping'an actually had a pair of pure golden eyes.

---

A lonely city amidst colorful clouds.

Inside White Emperor City, this indistinct realm of the Great Void mixed truth and falsehood. Countless flying swords moved chaotically, their speed irregular, their timing erratic. If you looked long enough, even the boundary between motion and stillness might disappear. Such a vast number of flying swords were either purchased by Zheng Juzhong over three thousand years, received as offerings, collected from secret realms, or "copied from true originals." Even so, more than half of the flying swords were "imagined" by Zheng Juzhong through years of Dao derivation and calculation.

Zheng Juzhong, who was looking up at a celestial star chart, withdrew his gaze. "This path probably won't work."

The other Zheng Juzhong shook his head. "Not necessarily."

"Exhausting all human intellect, this is all I can achieve. Should I find someone else to help? But who? There is no more Cui Chan in the world."

"Wait a little longer."

"For example, first play that game of chess with Kou Ming of White Jade Capital?"

Kou Ming of White Jade Capital, his Dao method soaring like a dragon.

I have the skill to slay dragons; please take a look at my sword.

Besides Zheng Juzhong, the only White Emperor City cultivators who had ever been to this secret realm in history seemed to be the founding disciple Fu Jin and the closed-door disciple Gu Can.

Sword cultivator Fu Jin had once sat here in meditation for over a month, gaining nothing.

Gu Can was even more indifferent than his senior brother Fu Jin. He only asked his master some layman questions. "If a sword cultivator has a flying sword but no master or family heritage, in their ignorance, do they need to find the flying sword's innate divine ability themselves?"

"Of course. But the difficulty varies greatly. A sword cultivator searching for and verifying a flying sword's ability is like groping for fish in water. Some are hidden and the water is deep, requiring patient exploration. Some are obvious, clearly visible, requiring little effort. The depth of the water has nothing to do with the grade of the flying sword; it's all luck. Many flying sword abilities are like a dragon stranded in shallow water; the sword cultivator can easily grab the dragon's whiskers and drag it ashore, making it their own. Some innate abilities are like a small fish swimming in the deep sea; the sword cultivator expends great effort to find it but gains little, can only console themselves that something is better than nothing, or that fate plays tricks. Among these, many future famous great cultivators are actually hidden sword cultivators, but they are too embarrassed to admit it. They have good cultivation talent and climb the heights effortlessly, but because of the low grade of their flying sword, their sword practice talent is poor. Thus, they are ashamed to speak of it and dare not call themselves sword cultivators. As for why there are almost no solitary sword cultivators in the world, one reason is that mountain sects spare no effort to find sword cultivator seeds. At the slightest hint of unrefined jade, they bring it back to the mountain to carefully polish it, sparing no expense to cultivate it. Furthermore, the birth of a natal flying sword can be traced. The Sword Qi Great Wall, the Northern Jurchen Continent, the ancient Shu region of Vase Bottle Continent, and a few other blessed places have a far higher probability of producing sword cultivators than elsewhere."

"What about sword cultivators with two or even more natal flying swords, or one flying sword with several innate abilities? Do they have an inherent advantage?"

"For the sword cultivator themselves, yes. The 'interpretation' of similarities between flying swords, or the 'complementarity' of opposites among the secondary innate abilities, can provide different degrees of enhancement. But in the grand scheme of sword cultivators and history, it's not necessarily so. For example, your master master only had one natal flying sword, but for all flying swords related to water methods, no matter how many sword cultivators combine their swords, facing that one sword, they still must bow like subjects before a monarch."

"Is naming each flying sword a great learning? I've heard that the name of a flying sword is like the fist technique of a mortal martial artist, not to be revealed."

"Setting aside those sword cultivators who deliberately mystify or grope in the dark, if a flying sword's name is too grand, it's an empty shell, and the name and substance will clash, affecting the flying sword's innate ability. If the name is too modest, it squanders the treasure, because it means the oblivious sword cultivator hasn't yet understood the true connection between the flying sword and its innate ability."

"I have only one more question. Can the origin of a flying sword only be determined by fate?"

"It is all predetermined beyond fate. To say that a sword cultivator can only rely on fate is not wrong, but it's not entirely correct."

In the midst of the clouds stood a large banner. Beneath it, a stone table was carved with a chessboard, with two pots of chess pieces placed on it.

An old man in blue robes stood with his hands behind his back. Above his head was a line known throughout several worlds: "I concede the initiative to the whole world."

Han Qiaose's telepathic voice sounded. "Senior Brother, Master has come to White Emperor City."

Zheng Juzhong said, "Let him wait. I'll go right away."

If it were merely learning swordsmanship, for Zheng Juzhong, it couldn't be said to be entirely useless, but the significance was minimal.

Because Zheng Juzhong had already tried it.

So Zheng Juzhong completely abandoned this path. He discarded the Yang Spirit avatar of a Flying Ascension pure sword cultivator as if it were a worn-out shoe.

Facts proved that even becoming a Fourteen Realm pure sword cultivator was still far from the Great Dao that Zheng Juzhong envisioned.

Thus, there must be a sword beyond the sword, seek the Dao above the technique. The path that Bai Ye had taken back then was not bad.

The two Zheng Juzhong merged into one. Looking at those flying swords, he muttered to himself, "Like a person's surname, given name, style name, and alias."

In fact, quite a number of future sword cultivator seedlings had been to this secret realm, but Zheng Juzhong's gains from watching their "nurturing of natal flying swords" were still minimal.

After all, this was not a world with a complete Dao cycle, where the first sword cultivator was born in accordance with heavenly principles.

As for his disciples Fu Jin and Gu Can, they were just lucky not to have their memories erased by Zheng Juzhong.

Under the banner, beside the stone table.

Chen Qingliu stood with one hand behind his back, placing stones on the chessboard by himself.

Zheng Juzhong appeared. "Master."

"I dare not."

Chen Qingliu didn't lift his head. "Afraid of shortening my life."

Han Qiaose was used to this.

Back then, Master and Senior Brother were rarely together, but whenever they met, it was always like this.

It had been three thousand years, and after such a long separation, the master-disciple reunion was still unsurprisingly the same.

Han Qiaose did not know the connection between Master and the blind Taoist of Vase Bottle Continent. As for the carriage driver Bai Mang of Northern Jurchen Continent, or the Confucian scholar Chen Zhuoliu, she knew even less.

Master's Dao roots were not in the nine continents of Haoran, but in a blessed land of Liuxia Continent.

When Han Qiaose first met Master as a young girl, Master was accompanied by a maidservant carrying a short spear, named Xie Shiji.

Han Qiaose's first impression of that burly woman was: this woman is really tall, really big!

But for some reason, Xie Shiji always regarded herself as a maidservant, while Master called her Senior Sister.

Later, Master took Liu Daochun, that troublemaker, as his little disciple, and Xie Shiji showed exceptional care for Liu Daochun, giving him a pink Taoist robe and a glass pavilion.

Han Qiaose had never understood why Xie Shiji favored Liu Daochun.

Later, she asked Senior Brother Zheng Juzhong and got the answer: "A fool seeing another fool, they feel especially close."

But then Han Qiaose had another question, because she felt that Zheng Juzhong was also very close to Xie Shiji, perhaps even closer than to Master Chen Qingliu.

Zheng Juzhong said that Liu Daochun was a half-baked smart person who liked to play dumb, but was actually a true fool. Xie Shiji was not stupid in actions but was willing to be truly foolish in relationships, so she was a true smart person.

Chen Qingliu casually threw the chess pieces in his hand onto the board, looked up, and asked, "Do you know why I refused to teach you swordsmanship back then?"

"It would be best if Master is willing to say a few more words."

Zheng Juzhong's implication was that he, the disciple, already knew the answer. But Master could find something to say; the disciple would patiently listen.

As for this eldest disciple, was there anything he did wrong or bad? No.

On the contrary, regarding the Iron Tree Mountain incident, when Zheng Juzhong dealt with Guo Outing's attempted breach of contract, he climbed the mountain on behalf of his master.

White Emperor City stood firm in the Central Earth Divine Continent, with City Lord Zheng Juzhong recognized as the number one demonic tycoon in the world.

In the past, only the Haoran world acknowledged this. Now, even the Azure Sky Heaven and the Barbarian Wilderness had to grudgingly accept this fact.

Zheng Juzhong of White Emperor City was... unreasonably strong.

Even that old scholar, when drinking with Chen Qingliu in the Grove of Merits, had to say, "When it comes to our ability to take disciples, there's really nothing more to say."

But could it be said that Zheng Juzhong, this founding disciple, was good and pleased his master? Sorry, Chen Qingliu really couldn't like him.

Damn it, this fellow was too smart.

He remembered that back when Zheng Juzhong had just started cultivating, he already loved playing go.

Chen Qingliu felt this was somewhat not minding his own business. A fifth-realm Qi refiner, having this kind of leisure? How could his master rest assured to teach him swordsmanship?

So he played a game with this founding disciple: guessing the color of a chess piece, black or white.

The result: thirty-six consecutive correct guesses!

The young man didn't even look at the hand hiding the piece. From start to finish, he stared intently into Chen Qingliu's eyes.

At that time, Chen Qingliu appeared calm, looking at the disciple across the table whose face was pale but whose eyes sparkled. Chen Qingliu began to wonder: Had he, as a master, stumbled upon a treasure by sheer luck, or had he encountered a monster by not consulting the almanac before going out?

"Among those old beasts of the Barbarian Wilderness that have just awakened, who do you think is most likely to achieve the Fourteen Realm? Well, except for Xiao Mo of Fallen Mountain and Bai Jing, who has turned into a little girl. They are both fine. Though not human, they have human qualities. Unlike some people in certain places who are clearly human but overly immortal. Even their dojos don't have their heads in the sky or their feet on the ground. Hah, neither up nor down, just in the middle, right?"

Chen Qingliu sat down on the stone stool, looked at his two personal disciples standing, and laughed. "Qiaose, don't just stand there. Sit down and talk."

There were only two stone stools by the table. Han Qiaose glanced at her senior brother. Zheng Juzhong smiled and nodded, and only then did she dare to sit.

In other places, Han Qiaose wouldn't be so restrained. But here, sitting usually meant playing go with her senior brother.

Zheng Juzhong didn't mind his master's sharp remarks. He said, "The one using the alias Wang Youwu, with the Taoist name 'Mountain Lord.' His true form is not what our Haoran world considers a mountain lord."

As he spoke, between master and disciple, on one side of the chess table, an aged Taoist appeared, wearing a bamboo crown, carrying a sword, and riding a deer.

Chen Qingliu frowned. "Not that Bai Jing?"

Zheng Juzhong said, "She ranks third. Pure sword cultivators have difficulty achieving the Dao, even if the path they walk is correct and seems only a step away. It's still quite far."

"This ancient demon who usurped the Taoist title 'Mountain Lord,' his opportunity to achieve the Dao lies in the later saying 'Tyranny is fiercer than a tiger.' Thus, ten thousand years later, on the Barbarian Wilderness, the more tyrannical the ways, the higher his Dao power. He can reap the benefits without effort."

"He was able to take the lead because of the arrangements by the Tuoyue Mountain Grand Ancestor and Zhou Mi back then. Driving half a world towards the Sword Qi Great Wall was a preparation for his Dao achievement. I believe that Wang Youwu had already awakened by then and was just pretending to sleep afterward. I suspect he is only half a step away, with one foot already across the threshold, from entering the Fourteen Realm. But he hides it well. So when the war in the Barbarian Wilderness becomes fierce, within a few years, Wang Youwu will become a Fourteen Realm."

Hearing that the human world was about to gain an indisputable Fourteen Realm cultivator, Chen Qingliu was completely indifferent. Instead, he just glanced at the sky.

Among Fourteen Realm cultivators, how could there be no distinction between high and low?

Perhaps Zheng Juzhong was the only one who dared to casually call Zhou Mi by name in the human world.

As for the other handful of great cultivators, it wasn't that they were necessarily weaker than Zheng Juzhong, but their status made it inappropriate. In short, each had their own concerns.

Chen Qingliu asked, "Ranked second, is that the nameless one deliberately hiding from Bai Ze?"

Zheng Juzhong shook his head. "It's the one using the alias Li Gou."

A young boy with double pupils, who had appeared beyond the heavens before.

Chen Qingliu frowned. "Hasn't that path of refining objects to achieve the Dao already been taken by someone else?"

On the Azure Sky Heaven side, there was a Wu Zhou with the Taoist name "Taiyin" who had taken the lead.

According to reason, every path to the Fourteen Realm for a great cultivator was a single-log bridge.

Just like Sword Cultivator Xiao Mo's failure was because Sun Daochang of Mysterious Capital Temple was already on that path.

Zheng Juzhong explained, "Li Gou once chose two paths simultaneously. One was refining objects. The other was eating books, manifesting the Great Dao as a bookworm, building a book city, trying to go against the grain and claim dominance. After Zhou Mi ascended to heaven, it was equivalent to intentionally yielding a nearly heaven-reaching single-log bridge to Li Gou. So Li Gou achieving the Dao through this path is not surprising. It's almost a certainty."

Han Qiaose's eyelids twitched.

Chen Qingliu remained calm. "What do you think about me facing Li Gou?"

Zheng Juzhong said, "He simply doesn't dare to go all out. If he encounters Master, he will only avoid the sharp edge."

Chen Qingliu laughed in exasperation.

Han Qiaose couldn't help but laugh, her tension easing.

Chen Qingliu chuckled. "Then shouldn't I, as the master, thank you, the disciple, properly?"

Zheng Juzhong said, "I should thank Master for not changing the color of the chess piece that time."

Chen Qingliu was silent for a moment, then said, "Actually, by the eighteenth piece, I wanted to cheat you. It's that big fool who stopped me twice telepathically."

Zheng Juzhong said, "I accept the process, and I accept the result. So I have always been grateful to you, Master, and to her."

If there had been a thirty-seventh guess, Zheng Juzhong might have guessed correctly again, but it would have likely damaged the foundation of his Great Dao.

That's why today Chen Qingliu mentioned that Xie Shiji had stopped him twice.

Zheng Juzhong continued, "Wang Youwu, Li Gou. After them comes Bai Jing and the nameless one with some possibility. But besides them, there is actually Feifei. Her opportunity to achieve the Dao will come before Bai Jing. Feifei can achieve the Dao. On the surface, it benefits from Bai Ze's guidance. In fact, it can still be considered an old path laid out by Zhou Mi."

Chen Qingliu laughed. "If Zhou Mi were really as formidable as you say, why would he ascend to heaven and flee ingloriously, only to wait for the three religious founders to merge their Daos and then confront him?"

Zheng Juzhong said, "Zhou Mi of Wenhai back then was, after all, just one person."

Chen Qingliu asked, "What if Zhou Mi had you and the Embroidery Tiger beside him?"

Zheng Juzhong smiled. "It's best not to make assumptions about human affairs. Don't talk about 'ifs.'"

Chen Qingliu clicked his tongue. "A master being taught by his disciple."

Zheng Juzhong propped one hand on the stone table and smiled. "Master."

Chen Qingliu waited for him to continue, but Zheng Juzhong didn't. Chen Qingliu laughed and scolded, "You little brat, playing with me?"

Zheng Juzhong was full of smiles. "Back then, Master taught me many things. Among them, I have always kept one sentence in my heart."

Chen Qingliu said testily, "I'm old, my eyes are dim, and my mind is failing. Don't make me guess. If you have something to say, spit it out!"

Zheng Juzhong said, "Master once said to me, 'Juzhong, you are my only disciple. In the future, you must amount to something and make your master happy.'"

Chen Qingliu looked puzzled. "I actually said something so serious?"

Zheng Juzhong smiled. "It was during a drinking session when Master was drunk and spoke from the heart."

Chen Qingliu rubbed his chin and muttered, "Damn it. If the demon Zheng Juzhong appears in the world, it's my fault, Chen Qingliu?"

Zheng Juzhong raised his hand and waved his sleeve, pointing towards a place in Plane Leaf Continent where the Confucian scholar Li Xisheng was located. He smiled. "Everyone, please watch the trade-off. Cutting the Azure Sky for the sake of Haoran."

Chen Qingliu was stunned, then suddenly cursed, "You little brat! Why are you telling me this? Keep it to yourself! Isn't this basically betraying your master and destroying your ancestors?!"

Sure enough, the feared thing came.

At that moment, a young lad in Taoist robes appeared out of thin air, gently pressing down on Zheng Juzhong's arm. "Scholar, don't be so hot-tempered."

Beside the young lad stood a tall, broad-shouldered sword-carrying Taoist.

The Tao Ancestor, and his second disciple Yu Dou.

Unexpectedly, an old Confucian soon appeared, reaching out to support Zheng Juzhong's arm. "Raise it. Raise it. We scholars, can't we say something bold?"

The Supreme Sage had also arrived, accompanied by the Sage of Rites.

And a worried-looking old scholar.

Chen Qingliu winked at the old scholar.

The old scholar stroked his beard in silence.

Old scholar, it's up to you to smooth things over.

Again, me? Even a donkey gets some straw if it turns the mill. And with such a big scene, can these thin arms and legs of mine meddle? Old brother, don't you feel sorry for me?

Anyway, if something happens to my eldest disciple, I'll go to Fallen Mountain to find your little disciple.

Then I'll try.

Hurry!

The old scholar laughed heartily, reached out early, grabbed Zheng Juzhong's hand, and shook it vigorously. "Brother Zheng, come on, let's you and me play a game of go. I'm afraid to tell you, but my skill has skyrocketed in recent years. Today is different from the past. I won't hide it anymore. I'm sure to win..."

With the old scholar's commotion, the Tao Ancestor and the Supreme Sage almost simultaneously withdrew their hands.

The Sage of Rites smiled. "No need for a trade-off."

But Yu Dou asked, "You want a trade-off?"

"Don't believe me?"

Zheng Juzhong retorted, "Do you dare to bet that I'll trade off even Lu Chen?"

Among the three of us, none will reach Fifteen Realm.

Han Qiaose, the only one sitting, sat frozen in place, trembling, her Dao heart... Forget about the Dao heart.

This was what true immortals fighting looked like. Right in front of her eyes.

It wasn't like young street thugs crossing paths and throwing harsh words.

The old scholar said, "Ai, Brother Zheng, why are you quarreling again? A gentleman uses words, not fists. If you can use your fists, don't use your mouth... Of course, it's best to avoid both quarreling and fighting. After all, the other party is truly invincible, you know. People say the name is like the shadow of a tree; there are only wrong names, but no wrong nicknames. How could it be undeserved? Besides, Grandmaster Lu's realm is high! As for Li Xisheng, forget it. He's one of us now."

The Supreme Sage probably couldn't bear it anymore and coughed as a reminder to the old scholar not to fan the flames here.

The old scholar felt bitter inside. This was called doing the opposite. Otherwise, would Zheng Juzhong listen?

Li Xisheng had already sensed the situation here and wanted to rush to White Emperor City, at worst, play a game with Zheng Juzhong in advance.

If it weren't for wanting to protect Xiao Baoping along her path, it wouldn't matter much whether this game was played sooner or later.

But Li Xisheng was stopped by the Sage of Rites, who only told him to prepare well for the Three Teachings Debate and not to worry about anything else.

The Tao Ancestor looked up at those words.

Zheng Juzhong was indeed a rare genius in ten thousand years. No need to strive for precedence.

The Tao Ancestor said, "Those three games of go should be played as they are."

The Supreme Sage nodded in agreement.

The old scholar nodded. "Three games are good. Two wins and one loss is fairer. In chess, whether you're in a good mood that day, whether you've eaten well, whether you're drinking good wine or bad, your skill fluctuates. It's not reliable. Three games are great. After one game, neither be proud of victory nor discouraged by defeat. Prepare well for the next game."

Chen Qingliu laughed. "The old scholar has quite insight into chess."

The old scholar nodded again. "The insight is quite unique."

The Second Grandmaster Yu Dou, carrying his sword, just looked into the distance towards the direction of the former Inverted Mountain.

The Tao Ancestor telepathically smiled. "Zheng Juzhong, as you see."

Since we have finally met, it is a wish fulfilled.

Within that secret realm of White Emperor City, a third "Zheng Juzhong" appeared, wearing a Taoist robe and Taoist crown, full of Taoist aura. He performed a Taoist greeting to the Tao Ancestor in the outside world.

The Tao Ancestor stepped forward, entering this secret realm, and smiled. "Neither of you is a sword cultivator, so you see more clearly from the sidelines. Let us then follow the vine and talk a few words about 'Sword Dao and Oneness.'"

Unexpectedly, Zheng Juzhong laughed. "I seem more eager to know what is meant by the first 'world's' lost soul."

The Tao Ancestor said, "Names can be forced to exist, but the Dao cannot be spoken."