Fusion!
Ye Xuan couldn’t help but be curious about this question. If Qingqiu and the others fused again, how terrifying would that be?
At that moment, Qingqiu suddenly smiled. “Brother, Miss Qin is here!”
Ye Xuan turned to see Qin Guan approaching from a distance.
Today, Qin Guan wasn’t in her usual short-sleeved skirt but wore a deep blue long dress, giving her a more refined and intellectual air.
She walked up to Ye Xuan and smiled. “It’s time to head to the Other Shore Star Domain!”
Ye Xuan nodded slightly. “Alright!”
He turned to Qingqiu.
Qingqiu smiled gently. “Go ahead. I’ve got things covered here!”
Ye Xuan nodded. “Good!”
As he and Qin Guan prepared to leave, Qingqiu suddenly called out, “Brother!”
Ye Xuan stopped and turned to her. Qingqiu smiled. “If you’re in danger, come back!”
Come back!
Ye Xuan laughed heartily. “Definitely!”
With that, he and Qin Guan vanished at the edge of the starry river.
Qingqiu gazed at the distant starry horizon, lost in thought.
…
Other Shore Star.
This time, Qin Guan brought over a hundred thousand people, entering the Other Shore Star Domain openly and boldly!
On the cosmic ship, Ye Xuan turned to Qin Guan. “Will Great Chu retaliate against us?”
Qin Guan smiled. “Most likely not! Unless they’re confident they can defeat Miss Qingqiu, they won’t dare act rashly again!”
Ye Xuan nodded. “Then we can focus on building the academy and the Immortal Treasure Pavilion!”
Qin Guan nodded. “We need to set them up as quickly as possible!”
She turned to Ban Gong beside her. “Speed is key!”
Ban Gong nodded. “Understood!”
With that, he led his team away.
As Qin Guan was about to speak, she suddenly turned to the right. “They’re here!”
Ye Xuan looked in the same direction. A middle-aged man approached slowly.
It was Chu Tianxing, the current overseer of Great Chu in the Other Shore Star Domain!
Chu Tianxing reached Ye Xuan and Qin Guan, smiling slightly. “Miss Qin, Young Master Ye, greetings!”
Ye Xuan and Qin Guan exchanged a glance, then Ye Xuan smiled. “Hello!”
Chu Tianxing glanced around before smiling. “I’m Chu Tianxing, currently in charge of all Great Chu’s affairs here.”
He paused, then clasped his fists. “Previously, Great Chu offended you both due to certain matters. On behalf of Great Chu, I apologise.”
An apology!
Ye Xuan’s expression turned a bit strange.
Chu Tianxing smiled. “I hear you two plan to establish an academy here?”
Ye Xuan nodded. “Yes.”
Chu Tianxing nodded. “Over the years, Great Chu has built some connections in the Other Shore Star Domain. If you need any assistance, just say the word, and we’ll do our utmost to help!”
Ye Xuan hesitated, then said, “That’s a bit much to ask, isn’t it?”
Chu Tianxing smiled. “Consider it amends.”
Ye Xuan said seriously, “We’re just starting out, and funds are tight, so…”
Asking for money!
Chu Tianxing’s expression froze. He hadn’t expected such bluntness when he was just being polite!
Ye Xuan watched him, waiting for a response.
Chu Tianxing thought for a moment, then opened his palm. A storage ring floated to Ye Xuan. He smiled. “Young Master Ye, Great Chu is also rebuilding, so funds are tight. This is a small sum—please forgive us!”
Ye Xuan glanced at the ring. Inside were five hundred million cosmic divine veins!
Five hundred million!
Ye Xuan pocketed the ring and smiled. “It’s enough!”
Chu Tianxing nodded, smiling. “Then I won’t disturb you further. If you have time, please visit Great Chu as our guests!”
Ye Xuan smiled. “Sure!”
Chu Tianxing nodded and vanished into the depths of the starry sky.
Ye Xuan handed the storage ring to Qin Guan.
Qin Guan looked at him. “What’s this for?”
Ye Xuan said, “For the families of the intelligence agents who died.”
Qin Guan was silent for a moment before taking the ring.
Ye Xuan turned toward Great Chu’s direction, saying softly, “They’re not fighting us anymore! In the past, Great Chu would’ve gone all-in against us.”
Qin Guan rolled her eyes. “You’ve had it so rough before, you’ve got persecution syndrome now!”
Ye Xuan laughed heartily.
Qin Guan said, “Great Chu is showing goodwill. That’s perfect! We can now focus on developing the Immortal Treasure Pavilion and Guanxuan Academy!”
Ye Xuan nodded. “What we need most is time!”
He looked at Qin Guan. “Where’s the small pagoda?”
Qin Guan blinked. “I’m not done with it yet!”
Ye Xuan hesitated, wondering if this rich lady might not return it!
As if reading his mind, Qin Guan rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, I’m not coveting your pagoda! I’m having my people study it to see if they can replicate its functions. Of course, it won’t be as heaven-defying as Miss Qing’er’s, but even one percent or one-thousandth of its power would be great!”
Ye Xuan nodded. “Fair point!”
Qin Guan smiled. “I’ll return it in a bit!”
Ye Xuan nodded. “Alright!”
Over the next half-month, Ye Xuan and Qin Guan worked on building the Guanxuan Academy and Immortal Treasure Pavilion. Qin Guan handled the pavilion, while Ye Xuan oversaw the academy.
With substantial funding, both were completed in less than two weeks!
Ye Xuan’s daily task was visiting talented individuals. Thanks to An You’s intelligence network, he didn’t need to search—just visit.
One day, Ye Xuan and Qin Guan went to a deep mountain to meet an old man.
Yu Shu!
Yu Shu had once founded an academy, but it collapsed within months.
The reason was simple: everyone wanted to learn martial arts, not literature.
No matter how great your knowledge, it couldn’t withstand a blade!
Ye Xuan glanced around, saying softly, “Talented people hide in the mountains and forests. Sigh…”
Qin Guan smiled. “In this world, everyone just wants to get stronger! A hard fist is king. That’ll always be true, but I hope we can change that by establishing a new order!”
Ye Xuan grinned. “Then our fists need to be big enough first!”
Qin Guan nodded. “Exactly!”
She looked into the distance. “Once our academy is strong enough, scholars’ knowledge will have a place. We’ll give them status and power, letting them and the world know: knowledge is power!”
She paused, then added, “Of course, we need balance. Valuing martial arts over literature is bad, but so is valuing literature over martial arts!”
Ye Xuan nodded. “True!”
Qin Guan smiled. “We’re here!”
She looked ahead, where a thatched hut stood. Before it sat an old man in a clean long robe, engrossed in an ancient book.
This was Yu Shu!
Qin Guan and Ye Xuan approached. The old man didn’t even glance at them.
Qin Guan smiled at Yu Shu. “Mr. Yu Shu, we’re from Guanxuan Academy. We’d like to invite you to be a literature mentor. What do you say?”
Literature mentor. Yu Shu looked up at Qin Guan. “The academy that Bamboo Forest Elder runs?”
Qin Guan nodded.
Yu Shu scoffed. “Not interested!”
Qin Guan smiled. “We offer generous compensation. I—”
Yu Shu erupted in anger. “Think money makes you special? Huh? I, an upright scholar, would never bend for mere coin—”
Qin Guan looked at him. “One million cosmic divine veins a year!”
One million!
Yu Shu froze, then stood, clasping his fists. “My apologies for earlier. Miss Qin, I’m willing to join Guanxuan Academy as a mentor.”
He paused, then added, “Can I start now?”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Moments later, Ye Xuan and Qin Guan left the mountain range.
On the way, Ye Xuan said gravely, “I thought he’d hold out longer!”
Qin Guan said softly, “Everyone has a price!”
Ye Xuan nodded. “True!”
Qin Guan smiled. “Let me take you somewhere!”
She soared upward on her sword.
Ye Xuan flicked his sleeve, turning into a streak of sword light to follow.
Soon, Qin Guan brought Ye Xuan to a starry expanse where over a hundred thousand people had gathered—her people, led by Elder Array!
Seeing Ye Xuan and Qin Guan arrive, Elder Array hurried over, bowing respectfully. “Pavilion Master, Young Master Ye!”
Qin Guan nodded. “How’s it going?”
Elder Array said gravely, “It’s very difficult!”
Qin Guan asked, “How difficult?”
Elder Array gave a wry smile. “Too far. Some cosmic barriers are guarded by mysterious forces, making them hard to break through, so progress is slow.”
Qin Guan thought for a moment, then turned to Ye Xuan. “I need your Qingxuan Sword!”
Ye Xuan asked, “You’re building a teleportation array between the Other Shore Star Domain and Ancient Desolation?”
Qin Guan nodded. “Yes!”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “How much will that cost?”
Qin Guan was silent for a moment, then said, “A fortune—about one percent of my assets!”
Ye Xuan’s expression froze.
Good heavens!
That’s outrageous!
Qin Guan smiled. “If the array is built, we can easily travel between Ancient Desolation and the Other Shore Star Domain. We can gradually make contact and expand there!”
She paused, then added, “There’s a saying where I’m from: to get rich, build roads first! We’re doing that now—connecting the two sides!”
Ye Xuan said, “You just need my Qingxuan Sword, right?”
Qin Guan nodded. “Yes!”
Ye Xuan opened his palm, and the Qingxuan Sword floated to her.
Qin Guan shook her head. “You have to use it! Help Elder Array break the cosmic barriers!”
She paused, then added, “Once the array’s built, thirty percent of the profits are yours!”
Ye Xuan immediately said, “What’s that talk? Talking money hurts our bond. Your business is my business. No more talk of money!”
Qin Guan: “…”
At that moment, Little Soul’s voice rang in Ye Xuan’s mind. “Little Master, are you scheming for something bigger?”
Ye Xuan: “…”
