Rules are shackles only for those who fear them.

The small courtyard, bathed in the veil of night.

Amidst the bright moonlight and chirping insects, Li Junzi did not agree right away, but rather expressed that she needed a little time to think it over.

However, regardless of her final answer, she would absolutely lend a hand in whatever areas she was willing to help with.

Lin Luoyu and Cui Hao each brought over a small stool. A Nascent Soul cultivator and a Golden Core cultivator sat just outside the door, much like children gazing at the twinkling stars in the night sky.

Besides Lin Luoyu and Cui Hao, there were also several Confucian cultivators from Junzi Mountain outside the courtyard, heads bowed as they flipped through books by the moonlight.

The book Li Junzi was writing was in its final stages, with not much content left. She was currently burning the midnight oil to rush the draft, so she simply told Lin Luoyu and Cui Hao to go play off to the side.

Candlelight pierced through the window screen.

Lin Luoyu slowly withdrew her gaze.

"Teacher Li has changed even more than our cultivation levels have," Cui Hao said, holding a book he had casually picked from the bookshelf, his head lowered as he read. "The most difficult thing in life is to see things clearly. Teacher Li is no longer bound by worldly prejudices."

Listening to Cui Hao's words, Lin Luoyu pressed on, asking,

"Hearing you say that, it sounds as if you have seen through things as well."

"Naturally." Cui Hao looked up, a smug expression on his face. "My realm is not something a petty Mingli realm Confucian cultivator like you can understand."

As his voice faded, the gazes of at least half the Confucian cultivators reading nearby shot over.

A petty Mingli realm Confucian cultivator?

Even if he was a Daoist immortal, he couldn't just spout such words looking down on Confucian cultivators, could he?

So many Confucian cultivators were stuck at the Wielding Brush and Copying Book realms, unable to advance even an inch toward the Mingli realm...

Facing their stares, Cui Hao didn't bother defending himself at first. Instead, utilizing the Mingli realm's ability to write on thin air without material, he lifted a finger and wrote out: I also cultivate Confucianism.

Confucian righteous qi flowed, and the five words Cui Hao wrote shone brighter than the bright moon.

Based on this move alone, he was undoubtedly a Mingli realm cultivator.

After Cui Hao showed off his hand, the majority of the Confucian scholars glaring at him could only silently bury their heads back into their books.

Seeing this, Lin Luoyu shook her head helplessly—her junior brother had managed to show off big time once again.

Cui Hao's smug expression softened as he gently waved the book in his hand and said,

"This is a good thing. If you want to do good deeds, you must not have any psychological burdens. Looking at it now, Teacher Li's path to becoming a Sub-sage is at least more than half complete. Perhaps all that is missing is a final push from our master."

Lin Luoyu looked up at the bright moon and whispered softly,

"Is that so?"

Cui Hao chuckled softly, waving the book in front of Lin Luoyu's face.

"When doing what one wants to do, even amidst ten thousand difficulties, one will still find joy in it. Why don't you take a look, Senior Sister?"

Lin Luoyu reached out and took the constantly waving book from Cui Hao's hand, simultaneously raising it to smack the increasingly arrogant Cui Hao on the head.

Smack!

The sound of the book, accompanied by the sound of someone's head experiencing enlightenment, overpowered the chirping of the insects.

"Senior Sister, you hit so hard! Even Third Senior Sister has never hit me this hard!" Cui Hao clutched his head, his tone full of grievance.

A smile tugged at the corners of Lin Luoyu's mouth as she leisurely flipped to the first page.

"I usually don't have time to dote on my junior brother. Today is a rare opportunity, so naturally, I have to double it."

"You call this doting?"

"Oh? Does it not hurt?"

"It hurts..." How could Cui Hao dare to say it didn't hurt.

"Then isn't that settled?"

Cui Hao rubbed his head and glared at the surrounding Confucian cultivators who were suppressing smiles, before speaking slowly,

"Senior Sister, you didn't use to be like this."

"I just learned it from you... How did you put it?" Lin Luoyu looked down at the book, replying with a smile. "It's because I've seen things clearly. Next time you have any insights, you can tell me first. I will definitely master them completely and let you know whether I'm a genius or not."

Hearing this, Cui Hao repeatedly waved his hands in refusal. "I'm not telling you anything anymore, or else you'll end up mastering it all on me later."

Lin Luoyu didn't reply again, instead looking down at the familiar handwriting before her.

This was written personally by Li Junzi.

It didn't contain any profound philosophies, but was rather the most basic literacy primer.

It was so basic that it started from the most fundamental strokes of writing characters.

Lin Luoyu flipped through a few pages and saw a lot of familiar content. It was the material from the several enlightenment books Li Junzi had prepared for her when she first started learning.

Li Junzi hadn't just copied it directly; she had done a very detailed organization and adaptation. Not only did she select the easiest content to learn, but she also arranged it and made meticulous revisions.

The amount of thought and effort put into this kind of alteration and organization... was unbelievably immense.

Seeing Lin Luoyu's slightly shocked expression, Cui Hao chuckled and said,

"Even I underestimated Teacher Li. Over a decade of her blood, sweat, and tears is already in your hands, Senior Sister."

"Senior Sister should understand after reading this book, but you were blinded by your concern for her, whereas I, as an outsider, could see things clearly."

Lin Luoyu closed the book, her gaze gently shifting back to that small silhouette by the window.

Southern Jambudvipa, the capital of the Xuanwu Kingdom.

Zhao Xuan now appeared slightly aged, no longer possessing the youthful vigor of the past. His long reign had also granted this once somewhat immature emperor an imposing aura that looked down upon the world.

However, at this moment, Zhao Xuan was looking with the demeanor of a senior at an acquaintance and someone who seemed like an acquaintance.

The acquaintance was naturally Li Xingtian, whose memorable face and unforgettable fierce aura left a deep impression.

The other person was Chen Baiqing, whom Zhao Xuan found vaguely familiar but couldn't quite recognize. However, after her self-introduction, Zhao Xuan understood that the little girl from back then had grown into the mighty cultivator she was today.

The two Nascent Soul ancestors, whose auras were incomparably pure and thick, sat on either side.

Yet, Zhao Xuan's first reaction wasn't about these two people. Instead, he subconsciously wondered—what realm would Chu Xingchen be at now?

Although rumors and news from the Central Continent had reached Southern Jambudvipa, confirming accurate information about a cultivator of Chu Xingchen's caliber wasn't something Zhao Xuan could do just by wanting to.

Besides fighting, the thing the Eighteen Immortal Sects were best at was blocking and tampering with information.

Sometimes, when Zhao Xuan looked at eight different versions of news regarding Chu Xingchen, he could mostly only read them as stories.

He only knew now that Chu Xingchen was a figure he couldn't even see if he looked up.

Just when Zhao Xuan thought his relationship with Chu Xingchen had ended there, he absolutely never expected that the world loved the trope of sudden twists and turns the most.

Good news—he could latch onto a heaven-defying powerhouse.

Bad news—such a good thing definitely came with a price, and the better the thing, the higher the price.

Chen Baiqing cast a gentle glance at Zhao Xuan and said in a calm tone,

"Since we've met in the past, let's skip the catching up. I did come today to discuss a matter with you."

Hearing this, Zhao Xuan's heart tightened. He subconsciously glanced at the expressionless Li Xingtian before replying softly,

"I am but a ruler of a remote, small kingdom. I don't know how I can be of help to you two exalted immortals..."

"You two exalted immortals must also know... immortals do not interfere with mortal kingdoms. It's not something that can happen just because I am willing."

Chen Baiqing reached out to touch the teacup beside her and said softly,

"Rules only bind those who fear them."

Zhao Xuan's face involuntarily turned a bit pale.

The meaning of these words was obvious: the two people in front of him were not people who feared rules.

Chen Baiqing waited for a moment before shifting the conversation.

"However, we also know the principle that only by following the rules can one endure for a long time."

Li Xingtian looked at Chen Baiqing, listening to what she was saying.

Third Junior Sister... has indeed matured a great deal.

Those few words carried her own distinct style, yet they also bore the shadow of Master.