When they left that small world, Liu Baiyi and Xiao Jian Daoist couldn't help but glance at Wu Wang's neck.

Of course, they didn't think his neck was particularly beautiful.

—The pinnacle of male neck beauty in contemporary times likely belonged to the Young Master of the Big Wave Tribe from the Northern Wilderness.

They were simply curious about the necklace on Wu Wang's neck and wanted to know what kind of treasure it was.

Wu Wang discovered that the necklace his mother had given him had the wonderful functions of purifying and storing Divine Power. He unceremoniously took the Divine Power from three 'White Flowers' to store within it.

Wearing this necklace, Wu Wang could feel the pure Divine Power, like the Spiritual Energy between Heaven and Earth, converging into every part of his body.

He could feel his body constantly growing stronger!

The power bestowed by the gods was indeed much easier and far too effortless to obtain than cultivating on one's own.

Fortunately, Wu Wang had already experienced this rapid increase in strength while practicing the Praying Star Technique, so he would not lose himself in the gods' calls of 'handsome.'

With a flash of light, the three of them returned to the underground training ground.

Wu Wang turned to look behind him, only to see flat stone walls. This made him think again of the dozen or so figures sitting silently in that great hall.

Most of their forms were somewhat ethereal.

He asked, "Master Liu, those senior experts..."

"The foundation of the Human Domain."

Master Liu spoke calmly, his words carrying deep meaning. He gave Wu Wang a few significant glances and then smiled, saying, "Now that this matter is concluded, I will continue my retreat to comprehend the Great Dao. Wuwang, you must now cultivate in peace and not wander around recklessly. The most important thing is to assimilate the power you've gained. This bi-daily sparring can be put on hold for now. When you feel you've reached a bottleneck, or can't absorb any more, you can come here directly with Xiao Jian."

Xiao Jian Daoist muttered discontentedly, "Does that mean I have to be on call whenever you need me?"

"What? Not satisfied?" Liu Baiyi turned and glared at Xiao Jian, scolding, "Why are you so stubborn? Your master is providing you with an opportunity, and you're still complaining!"

Xiao Jian Daoist forced a smile. "Wuwang Palace Lord can call on me anytime. There's no conflict at the borders currently, so I don't have much else to do."

Wu Wang cupped his hands in thanks and repeatedly assured him he would, though he didn't plan to bother Xiao Jian Daoist unnecessarily.

A beating sought out of obligation held no thrill.

Liu Baiyi led them out of the underground area. This time, he chose to enter seclusion in his own residence and directly pushed them out the door.

Wu Wang once again thanked Xiao Jian Daoist, who insisted it was unnecessary. Xiao Jian Daoist then gave Wu Wang a knowing look, led him to a corner, and set up several layers of Barriers.

"Wuwang Palace Lord, I have a small matter to ask you."

"Senior, please speak freely."

Xiao Jian Daoist smiled. "Your way of addressing people is quite chaotic. You call my master 'Senior' and 'Pavilion Master,' and my master treats you like a junior. Just call me Dao Brother or Dao Friend."

Wu Wang cupped his hands. "Dao Brother, Dao Brother."

Xiao Jian Daoist stood with his hands behind his back, pondered for a moment, and then whispered, "Wuwang Palace Lord, you may not understand me very well."

Wu Wang was speechless. Why did this sound like there was a slightly indecent ambiguity to his words?

Fortunately, Xiao Jian Daoist's next words were not about 'getting to know him deeply.' Instead, he looked at Wu Wang and asked, "What is your relationship with the Star God?"

"That..." Wu Wang found it difficult to answer for a moment. After all, only Senior Shen Nong currently knew of his mother's unusual identity.

Moreover, this was a secret that absolutely could not be leaked.

Xiao Jian Daoist stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at Wu Wang, and said slowly, "The path of Cultivation I follow values the authenticity of one's heart. I trust only what my eyes see and my ears hear. I do not follow others blindly, nor will I fully believe something just because my master said it. I bear no ill will towards you, Wuwang Palace Lord. However, ever since my master found me, asked me to assist you in your Cultivation, and told me your true identity, I've had this knot in my heart that I just can't get over. So, I asked a friend from the Four Seas Pavilion to inquire more about the affairs of the Northern Wilderness."

A slight smile touched Wu Wang's lips, but he looked up intently at Xiao Jian Daoist and asked, "Dao Brother, do you think I am harmful to the Human Domain?"

"No." Xiao Jian Daoist's gaze was very complicated. He sighed and said, "That is also the most painful part of this for me. I may not know the specifics, but from the replies of my master and Pavilion Master Feng Zhizi, I learned that you have made incredible contributions to the Human Domain—contributions so great that both Pavilion Masters would be willing to trade their lives for them. Yet, I still want to ask, and I must ask."

"Ask what?"

"You are recorded in the Northern Wilderness as the person who ascended to Moon Ritual status through the Praying Star Technique in the shortest time in tens of thousands of years. You are the sole inheritor of the Bear Hug Tribe, which already shows the potential to dominate the situation in the Northern Wilderness. You are the first person to simultaneously cultivate both the Praying Star Technique and the Human Domain's Cultivation methods, even possessing such an inconceivable Golden Dragon incarnation capable of absorbing Divine Power to strengthen yourself... Fellow Daoist, what is your purpose for coming to the Human Domain?"

Wu Wang began, "I..."

"Wuwang, don't rush to fob me off with some random excuse." Xiao Jian Daoist raised his hand and swore an oath in the name of his own Dao. If he were to reveal Wu Wang's words to a third person, his Great Dao would crumble on its own.

Xiao Jian's eyes were filled with bitterness as he spoke softly, "Wuwang, just level with me. Why did you really come to the Human Domain? If it's for Lifespan, someone like you who can directly draw on Divine Power hardly seems to be lacking in it."

Wu Wang took half a step forward and asked softly, "Do you truly wish to know?"

Xiao Jian Daoist stared at Wu Wang and took a step back. "I truly wish to know!"

"Are you certain you want to know?"

"I am certain I want to know!"

"Alright!" Wu Wang stood tall and straight, his hands clasped behind his back, his presence distinguished as he declared, "I came to the Human Domain to find a Dao companion!"

"Eh? This?" Xiao Jian Daoist was genuinely taken aback.

The feeling was like bracing himself for a bloody storm and a bleak future, only to take a step forward and find a picturesque scene of willows, flowers, a small bridge, and flowing water.

Xiao Jian Daoist became frantic. He stamped his feet, his thick neck flushed, and he shouted within the Barrier, "What kind of reason is that? Aren't you going to discuss the relationship between the Human Domain and the extraterritorial Human race? Aren't you going to talk about the future power dynamics of the Great Wilderness? I've spent the past few days reading the entire history of the Northern Wilderness just to talk to you about this! I even crammed information about the impact of that newly emerged Star God Cult on your Northern Wilderness! I even used Daoist liquor I've treasured for thousands of years to get a load of exclusive information from Pavilion Master Feng! And you're telling me you came to the Human Domain for matchmaking?"

"Indeed," Wu Wang said earnestly. "I can swear to the Star God, this truly is my greatest motivation."

"No, you..."

"Dao Brother." Wu Wang's expression turned serious. He gazed at Xiao Jian Daoist and spoke slowly, "The Northern Wilderness is different from the Human Domain. Its customs are simple and unspoiled, and its development in various aspects is not as advanced as the Human Domain's. It's precisely because of this that we have the advantage of having shed all artifice and preserved our innocence. Dao Brother, let me ask you, what is the primary imperative for all living beings?"

Xiao Jian Daoist frowned in thought, hesitating several times as if wanting to speak.

Wu Wang said, "Is it to be born? To live? To survive?"

"Indeed, the foremost matter is survival."

"You are half-wrong." Wu Wang said unhurriedly, "This question must be viewed from two perspectives. The first is the individual, like you and me, a single member of the Human race. The other is the group, the aggregation of individuals, like the Hundred Races of the Great Wilderness. When discussing individuals like you and me... come, let's walk and talk."

Xiao Jian Daoist nodded slowly. Surrounded by the Barrier, the two of them strolled and chatted along a garden path.

Wu Wang said, "Given the premise of limited Lifespan, individual Reproduction is the guarantee of a group's continuation; it is the primary imperative that living beings must follow. Our descendants carry our traits; this is the continuation of our bloodline. If we understand bloodline as a kind of fundamental particle, assembled according to some Great Dao, then the way these tiny particles are combined determines the differences in bloodlines. Overall similarity defines us as a group, while minute differences define each individual. The Cultivation methods of the Human Domain, by extending Lifespan, have paradoxically hindered the Human race of the Human Domain from contemplating matters beyond Cultivation..."

The Young Master's voice became more melodious and ethereal. Xiao Jian Daoist's face grew increasingly solemn and earnest.

After a moment, the Daoist clasped his hands in his sleeves, his body slightly bowed, subconsciously adopting the posture of a Disciple.

In Master Liu's attic, the Pavilion Master himself, about to enter seclusion, watched this scene with utter perplexity.

He desperately wanted to hear what the two were discussing. But Xiao Jian was, after all, his own Disciple, and a master, even if he could break his Disciple's Barrier, should respect his Disciple's privacy.

An hour later, Wu Wang and Xiao Jian Daoist had walked a large circle and returned near Wu Wang's residence.

Wu Wang laughed. "Dao Brother, do you still think Reproduction is such a simple matter now?"

Xiao Jian Daoist let out a long sigh and said, "Listening to Wuwang's words, I finally understand the vastness of the heavens and the profundity of the earth. I see now that I was merely a frog at the bottom of a well, clinging to a few ancient texts and thinking I had some substance. Indeed, to discard complexity and preserve simplicity, to cast aside all that is cumbersome and examine the most primal impulses, the most primal desires, the most primal needs—this is how you and I can draw closer to nature. But Wuwang, I'm still somewhat puzzled. Could it be that the current state of the Human Domain is actually a misstep?"

"No, the path of the Human Domain cannot be judged as right or wrong, only by how far it has progressed."

"How far?"

"Come, let's take another walk."

Wu Wang gestured invitingly. Under the watchful eyes of Liu Baiyi, Lin Suqing, and Immortal Mu, he and Xiao Jian Daoist were once again enveloped by the Barrier.

They continued to walk and talk leisurely, occasionally smiling, occasionally engaging in debate.

Then, another hour later.

The two dispelled the Barrier around them. Xiao Jian Daoist's gaze towards Wu Wang was now filled with reverence. He promptly gave him a deep bow, folding at the waist.

"Thank you, Wuwang Palace Lord, for enlightening me on the Great Dao."

"I dare not claim such an honor," Wu Wang returned the bow, speaking warmly. "We were merely discussing some issues."

"I dare not disturb Wuwang any longer," Xiao Jian Daoist said. "Later, if Wuwang requires a sparring partner, please be sure to seek me out. It would grant some peace to my Dao heart."

Wu Wang nodded with a smile, cupped his hands, and turned to leave with a flourish.

If I can't fool him anymore with this, I'll just have to resort to throwing an apple at his head!

Xiao Jian Daoist sighed softly to himself. He then turned, clasped his hands behind his back, and headed towards his own residence at the other end of the main pavilion.

Eh? Initially, I wasn't going to ask about these things... but what he said is just too reasonable.

On his way back, Xiao Jian Daoist savored Wu Wang's words, especially these few sentences:

"The most primal impulse is actually the most powerful driving force. Survival and Reproduction are prime examples."

"Complexity has its advantages. Using intricate rules to construct a stable structure is an inevitable result of group development."

"Using the most complex constructs to protect the purest nature—isn't that the Dao Realm pursued by Human Domain cultivators? As one's Dao Realm becomes more profound, the object of pursuit becomes purer. Conversely, the purer one becomes, the easier it is to elevate one's Dao Realm."

"Complexity and simplicity are in a constant state of evolution. The extreme of complexity is a return to simplicity, while the extension and accumulation of simple things will inevitably lead to the emergence of complexity. Just like your sword, Dao Brother. It has not yet reached the extreme of complexity, so how can it return to simplicity, how can it return to the One?"

Xiao Jian Daoist's advancing figure suddenly stopped.

He stood beside a bamboo grove, on the smooth stone path, his eyes devoid of expression, his body like a clay statue.

The purest nature?

Master, I want to practice the Sword Dao.

Why?

Using a sword is so stylish!

He recalled the principle: "With complex rules creating a stable structure, the extension and accumulation of simple things will lead to the appearance of complexity."

Xiao Jian Daoist's right hand made an empty grasping motion, and a Longsword appeared in his palm. He thrust forward, then flicked it upwards, beginning to execute simple sword forms.

Because he had been immersed in the Sword Dao for countless years, each move now seemed to carry a certain Dao rhythm.

Stab, slash, cloud, smear, hang, lift, twist, pick, point, burst, intercept...

A series of unrelated and disconnected basic sword moves were repeatedly practiced by Xiao Jian Daoist. In the process, the moves began to connect, and sequences started to form, growing increasingly intricate.

Before long, faint phantoms appeared around him, these phantoms executing complex sword routines.

Xiao Jian Daoist himself stood silently, deep in thought, lost in reminiscence.

At some point, a faint smile touched his lips, and he let out a soft breath.

"Master, you taught it wrong."

In the pavilion, Master Liu's face darkened. He almost rushed over to question him. How could I have taught it wrong?

"The pinnacle of Sword Dao is not to first add and then subtract." Xiao Jian Daoist murmured to himself, "The highest realm of Swordsmanship is not simply 'no-move,' a return to the Dao. To reduce sword moves to the point of having no moves is merely to fall to an inferior path. The real 'no-move' is actually like this."

Xiao Jian Daoist closed his eyes and swept his Longsword forward. There was no Mana empowering it, not even the slightest whistle of the blade.

But in the next instant, phantoms erupted from his forehead. These phantoms danced with swords, simultaneously unleashing every sword move and Sword Control technique Xiao Jian Daoist had learned since the beginning of his Cultivation.

The sword moves multiplied, the sword force growing ever more complex.

The bamboo grove silently disintegrated. The phantoms around Xiao Jian Daoist occupied an area a hundred yards in radius.

Viewed from above, it formed a perfect circle. Inside, innumerable phantasms had already taken on the momentum of a roaring tsunami.

CRACK!

The Longsword in Xiao Jian Daoist's hand suddenly shattered, from tip to pommel, turning entirely into powder.

Yet he smiled and formed a sword finger. His fingertips vibrated subtly. The surrounding phantoms collapsed, transforming into streams of light that converged towards his fingertips, coalescing into a resplendent, multicolored phantom blade.

"The extreme of complexity is simplicity."

"The Great Dao ultimately returns to One."

"Man and sword need not become one. The Dao is the sword, the Dao is me, I am the sword."

"Isn't using a sword stylish?"

"The purest intent is simply the desire to draw the sword."

Xiao Jian raised his right hand, his sword fingers pointing forward.

The Barrier layers surrounding the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion shattered simultaneously. The azure sky was suddenly marked with a faint scratch. A thousand miles away, the Cloud Path collapsed. Even further, thousands of miles away, a violent wind arose, dispersing the continuous overcast clouds.

From all corners of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion, gazes fell upon Xiao Jian Daoist.

This Transcendent Sword Cultivator, who had the appearance of a middle-aged scholar, wore a gentle smile. He slowly opened his eyes. Yet, he possessed no trace of an oppressive aura nor any fluctuation in his own aura, appearing just like an ordinary mortal.

He had taken the most critical step after the Transcendent Realm.

"Master, this is the Cold Light Sword. But this is not the sword at the end of my Disciple's Dao."

Xiao Jian Daoist turned around and, facing Wu Wang who stood before the distant pavilion, made three deep Daoist bows.

"Many thanks to Wuwang Palace Lord for your guidance! Many thanks to Wuwang Palace Lord for your guidance!"

With that, he turned and strode away, his face alight with ecstasy, his eyes brimming with satisfaction.

Wu Wang also revealed a slight smile upon seeing this.

The Human Domain has gained another expert, one whose upper limits are comparable to Master Liu's. Truly excellent. However, I must also be more careful. I can't keep spouting these theories just to fool others. This time it ended well, but what if it led someone to Qi deviation? Wouldn't I be harming them then?

Having gained another powerful ally... Not bad. Truly... not... bad...

SWISH!

SWISH, SWISH, SWISH!

A number of figures suddenly appeared before Wu Wang. Heaven and Earth roiled violently, and ripples spread through the air, layer upon layer.

Dozens of elderly men and women stood before Wu Wang, looking at him with eager anticipation.

Wu Wang subconsciously took half a step back. The group of seniors synchronously took half a step forward.

CREAK—

The wooden door was pulled open. Immortal Mu looked at Wu Wang with complex eyes.

A flash of blood-red light appeared to the side. The Grand Elder calmly stepped in front of Wu Wang. He faced not Wu Wang, but the crowd of elders, voicing the unspoken desire of many masters present.

"Sect Master, do you have some time? Perhaps we could also go... for a walk?"

Wu Wang's forehead was covered in black lines.

「Meanwhile, in a warm pavilion in the Ji Family's backyard.」

Ji Mo placed the Jade Talisman on the table, his face showing a hint of hesitation.

An aunt at his side urged him, "Don't dwell on this anymore. Our Ji Family has done what we could. If we interfere further, it might only bring more trouble."

"Indeed, our Ji Family has done what we could—sending people, acting as mediators, exhausting all connections to invite a high-ranking person to persuade them."

Ji Mo rubbed his temples and spoke in a low voice, "The rules of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion are firm; we cannot break them. A Military Family directly intervening in a Sect conflict is also a great taboo in the Human Domain. But Aunt, I cannot bear to see Yao'er suffer. The Ji Family has done what they should, but as her husband, I cannot simply do nothing."

The dozen or so figures within the warm pavilion fell silent.

"Why not ask Wuwang Palace Lord for advice?"

"What does this have to do with Brother Wuwang?" Ji Mo shook his head. "Friends should not be cultivated for utilitarian purposes; that's the principle you taught me."

"But..."

"I've made up my mind. Le Yao and I shall advance or retreat together. The Ji Family must not become further entangled. If I can't even protect my own wife, I will have no right to lead the Ji Family in the future, let alone claim to protect you all."

Ji Mo stood up, his gaze indescribably firm, a faint dignity enveloping him.

"Do not try to persuade me further."

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