Bai Lu entered the White Jade Sect as a Core Disciple.
However, the sect was not quite what he had imagined.
His talent was the lowest, even lower than that of the Outer Disciples, yet he sat among the Core Disciples and was treated with respect by some elders.
Bai Lu was not naive; he knew exactly why this was.
It was all because of Chen Xia.
His excitement cooled significantly, realizing that he was nothing more than a beneficiary of Chen Xia's influence.
But he was not willing to give up. He had promised Chen Xia that he would become a Great Cultivator and return to the streets with honor, to find Chen Xia in their small house.
He did not want to disappoint Chen Xia, so he trained harder than any other cultivator, almost never socializing with others and staying in his cave dwelling.
The conditions in the sect were far better than those of his previous solitary training.
Thus, Bai Lu set a goal for himself: to reach the bottleneck of the Early Nascent Soul Stage within thirty years.
The boat docked.
Chen Xia arrived at the small house alone. He continued his usual routine of lounging in a rocking chair, passing the time and occasionally contemplating the true essence of the Dao.
Chi Yu's originally planned hundred-year seclusion had been delayed. According to Qiu Li, this meant Chi Yu was likely making a breakthrough.
And what realm would Chi Yu, who was already a Saint, break through to?
Second Path Sage or Great Saint?
Both options were excellent; Second Path Sage had a higher potential, while Great Saint had greater combat prowess.
Chen Xia once retorted, "Why not a Great Saint of Second Dao?"
Qiu Li was silent for a moment before responding, "Bold."
Indeed, only you would dare to think so.
This was, of course, a joke. It was impossible to be a Great Saint of Second Dao. But either a Second Path Sage or a Great Saint would be enough for Chi Yu to become a peak existence in the Star Region.
This made Emperor Capital sigh, reminiscing about how the Supreme Race from the Blue Sky Sword Sea, who once followed him, had now surpassed him and become a top figure in the Star Region.
He marveled at the wonders of time and the trials of years.
Chen Xia continued to wait, for Chi Yu to emerge from seclusion, for his main body to recover, for the Blue Sky Sword Sea cultivators to gather, for the Immortal Sword to return...
For the Blue Sky Sword Sea to retrace its steps.
Beyond the Celestial Curtain.
Emperor Capital and Qiu Li sat facing each other, both silent, gazing at the star river below. After a long pause, Emperor Capital finally spoke.
"Why did you call me out here? Trying to be mysterious, huh? Believe it or not, I could hammer you to death in two moves!"
Qiu Li rolled his eyes. "So why don't you tell Chen Xia that you could hammer him to death in two moves?"
"Heh, I've said it before, didn't expect that, did you?" Emperor Capital boasted.
"And then what?" Qiu Li pressed.
"And then I got hammered, obviously. Do you have to ask? You don't have much brains, do you?" Emperor Capital retorted disdainfully.
Qiu Li took a deep breath, not wanting to argue further. He crossed his arms, using his Divine Ability Small Universe to isolate their surroundings before asking seriously.
"Do you remember that black figure Chen Xia summoned last time?"
"Yes, it really went all out when it hit me. Chen Xia said it was his avatar, and I didn't believe it at first, but later, seeing how obedient it was to Chen Xia, I believed."
Qiu Li tapped his knee, thinking, then asked, "Did we have a conflict with Li Yang ten thousand years ago?"
"Yes, Jia Bai was up to no good, fixated on Li Yang, and spent a lot of spirit stones to hire us. But we didn't expect Li Yang to hire even tougher people, and everyone at the scene had to pay spirit stones. I remember that person, he was the Lord of Dead Star..."
Emperor Capital's voice trailed off as he suddenly remembered something, looking at Qiu Li's face and saying in a low voice, "Are you saying Chen Xia's avatar is the Lord of Dead Star?!"
"I sensed a similar aura, so it's highly possible!" Qiu Li replied.
"Avatar, Lord of Dead Star, if that's the case, what realm should Chen Xia be in? He has no spiritual energy fluctuations, but he must be hiding it himself!"
"We don't know yet, and we shouldn't try to test him. With the Great Heaven in turmoil and the Star Region not faring well, having Chen Xia as a guardian adds a layer of security."
The two sat on the Celestial Curtain, discussing Chen Xia in detail.
After they finished.
Below the Celestial Curtain.
Chen Xia's eyes revealed the flow of the Time Dao, showing the scene of the Celestial Curtain and the positions of Emperor Capital and Qiu Li.
He cultivated the Time Dao.
The past cannot be concealed!
The seasons change, and winter arrives, with the wind howling.
Bai Lu set off early, carving a mark on the wall of his cave dwelling, which already had forty-three marks.
This represented forty-three years passing.
His current realm was the Mid Nascent Soul Stage, far exceeding his expected progress. This was due to the abundant resources and good pills of the White Jade Sect.
His own efforts were secondary, as all Core Disciples of the White Jade Sect were diligent.
Nevertheless, he was still happy. Today, he left his cave dwelling to relax and stroll around, also to respond to his master's invitation to visit the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
Along the way, Outer and Inner Disciples greeted him, saying "Senior Brother, hello."
Bai Lu responded to each one, arriving at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
The kindly old man in a purple fire-patterned jade robe was his master, and the other cultivators were his fellow Core Disciples.
"Bai Lu," the old man called out, then smiled, "Since everyone is here, let's go in."
The group entered the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, which was more about viewing treasures than scenery.
Bai Lu didn't recognize most of the treasures, awkwardly following behind. He couldn't comment on the treasures.
His fellow Core Disciples discussed enthusiastically, occasionally glancing at Bai Lu, but their looks were not of concern but disdain.
For this Core Disciple with the lowest talent, they had no good feelings.
Good background? So what, they all had good backgrounds.
The elder sensed the atmosphere but did not intervene.
Bai Lu, who had started by walking with his head held high, now walked with his head down.
He didn't dare to look.
He was afraid.
Not being thick-skinned, he felt every moment was a torment.
When the viewing was over and everyone dispersed,
Bai Lu came to his senses, realizing he was drenched in sweat.
He truly wasn't suited for cultivation.
Neither in talent nor temperament.
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
