The title "Li Dog" was more than just an insult to Li Haowen.

It was picking at his scars.

Because the "Dog" in "Li Dog" truly signified "a stray dog without a home."

After the Heavenly Summit Mountain Cataclysm, Wei Mian, the Sword Master Elder of Yuanhua Mountain in the Kongshan Sect, was wrongly executed as a scapegoat by Huo Mu. Li Haowen's identity plummeted overnight from being the highly valued chief disciple of Yuanhua Mountain to a discarded pawn.

That was the most painful period of Li Haowen's life. His master and his closest friend had both perished, he was betrayed by the sect he had trusted, and ostracized by his former fellow disciples.

Fortunately, the Grand Elder who was temporarily acting as the Sword Master Elder of Yuanhua Mountain at the time strongly protected Li Haowen. Otherwise, his life's trajectory might have led him to defect from the Kongshan Sect, go directly to the Qingque Kingdom to find Ding Qiu, and join the "Ding Bandits."

But if that had truly happened, the Kongshan Sect's efforts to eradicate the "Ding Bandits" would have been greatly intensified. They would likely have dispatched Peak Elders or Offering Elders at the Myriad Transformations Realm to personally intervene and wipe out those insignificant pests.

And under such circumstances, the Ding Bandits would most likely not have been called the Ding Bandits, but rather the Li Bandits.

Elder Li's reputation in the cultivation world of Chenping Continent was still far too terrifying.

What Bai Jinye had just said was not an empty statement, but a fact that lay before Li Haowen, one he had always been well aware of.

"Thank you for your concern, Elder Bai."

Li Haowen let out a faint "smile." This middle-aged man with graying temples hadn't genuinely laughed in who knows how many years.

Then, he continued:

"These so-called empty titles stopped mattering to me from the very day the Heavenly Summit Mountain Cataclysm occurred."

"After experiencing all that you've been through, Elder Li, being able to maintain such a state of mind shows that your future prospects are truly limitless."

Bai Jinye remarked with such emotion.

Limitless?

Li Haowen said nothing.

He knew his own limits. If he hadn't come to Du Cang Mountain to cultivate and had spent his entire life training only in the Kongshan Sect, the highest achievement he could ever hope to reach in this lifetime would be the peak of the Unity Realm, or perhaps the early stage of the Divine Ability Realm.

As for Chu Xiyao, Liang Qianbo, and Bai Jinye, now hailed as the "Three Heroes of Spirit Connection" on Du Cang Mountain, the accomplishments they could attain might also be limited to the Divine Ability Realm or Dao Union Realm.

Among the cultivators of their generation, the only one with true hope... or rather, the one who was almost certain to step onto the Immortal Ascension Realm, was actually just a single person.

Qin Qingyu.

During the years when Chu Xiyao, Li Haowen, and others were still languishing at the peak of the Spirit Connection Realm, Qin Qingyu had already cultivated over nine thousand strands of innate true energy. She only needed another year, or perhaps even less than a year, before she could truly step into the Upper Three Realms.

At the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry nearly thirty years ago, Qin Qingyu, Chu Xiyao, Li Haowen, and the others had all been at the same starting line.

But now, more than twenty years later, Qin Qingyu had left the prodigies of her generation behind by an entire major realm.

This was also why, in an era where the path to immortality was severed, Qin Qingyu was able to become the only cultivator in thousands of years to be hailed as having "aptitude for Ascending to Immortality."

"There's something else."

Bai Jinye spoke, his gaze falling upon Lu Chenzhou, who was still standing in the training grounds.

"True Person Kong asked Elder Li to look after that little girl from the Xuan Sheng Sect a bit."

As he said this, Bai Jinye gently shook his head:

"What do you plan to do about Lu Chenzhou?"

Bai Jinye could naturally see what Lu Chenzhou's current reaction, standing in the training grounds, signified.

He would probably cause trouble for that little girl from the Xuan Sheng Sect.

As a cultivator of the same generation, and someone with a good relationship with Liang Qianbo of the Wind Ravine Valley, Bai Jinye naturally knew Lu Chenzhou, who had been overshadowed by Liang Qianbo his entire life. He also understood exactly what kind of temperament Lu Chenzhou had.

Knowing he was inferior to Liang Qianbo, Lu Chenzhou always deliberately put on a dissolute and carefree act, pretending that everything Liang Qianbo had wasn't won by Liang Qianbo himself, but was something Lu Chenzhou looked down upon and intentionally conceded to him.

It was frankly quite laughable.

With that kind of mindset, even if he were given cultivation talent surpassing Liang Qianbo's, Lu Chenzhou was destined to never amount to anything significant in this lifetime.

However, his little act worked surprisingly well on female cultivators from first-rate or second/third-rate cultivation sects who were inexperienced and overly naive.

For those second and third-rate cultivation sects on Chenping Continent, the mere halo of the three characters "Wind Ravine Valley" was enough to make people overlook many flaws.

Combined with Lu Chenzhou's "prodigal son" performance, over the years there had indeed been many naive female cultivators who fell for his tricks.

But his little schemes, in the eyes of He Qingling, who came from a top-tier sect and was highly intelligent, were simply beyond foolish.

Given Lu Chenzhou's petty and vengeful nature, he definitely wouldn't let He Qingling off so easily.

Although he would never dare to do anything too excessive on Du Cang Mountain, Lu Chenzhou was certainly capable of causing some minor trouble for He Qingling.

"I'll keep a close eye on him."

Li Haowen said slowly.

"Heh."

Staring at Lu Chenzhou's back in the training grounds, Bai Jinye suddenly couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Who knows what's going on inside that fool's head. The fact that Steward Chen favored He Qingling at the Du Cang Mountain ferry dock a year ago should be known to everyone, yet he insists on poking that hornet's nest."

As he spoke, Bai Jinye shook his head:

"Then again, if he weren't this stupid, Lu Chenzhou wouldn't be Lu Chenzhou."

...

Du Cang Hall.

Twelve coiling-dragon jade pillars stood tall within the great hall, making the figure of the Ascended Steward in plain white daoist robes, seated upon the white jade throne at the far end of the hall, seem very small.

Yet within this hall, it was precisely he who exuded the most terrifying pressure and aura.

Chen Yan gently closed his eyes. At this moment, every subtle movement happening on Du Cang Mountain was fully within his perception, including the sparring match between He Qingling and Lu Chenzhou just now, as well as the conversation between Li Haowen and Bai Jinye.

They were just petty squabbles among the younger generation. With Chen Yan's current realm and status, he naturally wouldn't interfere in any way.

Or rather, he didn't care in the slightest.

Then, Chen Yan slowly opened his eyes.

At some point, the young cultivator in plain-colored daoist robes was already standing before his white jade throne, hands clasped behind his back, gazing at him.

"Master."

Despite now being the esteemed Steward of Chenping Continent, Chen Yan still maintained one hundred percent respect for the Immortal Venerable.

Mr. You, who appeared completely calm and carefree, slightly raised his chin, then smiled and said to Chen Yan:

"One piece of good news and one piece of bad news, which do you want to hear first?"

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