After Mu Sheng left, Han Zhu shook her head, “That woman, dodging responsibility again.”
Anan asked gravely, “Sis, what’s this Past Sect?”
Han Zhu said softly, “A very mysterious force, so mysterious even our Dao Sect hasn’t figured them out. All we know is they come from the past.”
The past!
Anan frowned, “Doesn’t that violate the laws of time and space?”
Han Zhu nodded, “Yes. The Lord of Time and Space has been quite troubled by it.”
She looked into the distance, “What shocks me more is that the Past Sect is hunting Young Master Ye…”
Anan said, “Is he in danger?”
Han Zhu was silent.
At the edge of the starry void, Ye Xuan rode his sword.
His body had reached an unprecedented level of strength.
Not even Heavenless Realm experts, let alone Ancient Dao Realm ones, could kill him now.
The Great Dao Pen suddenly asked, “Where are you going?”
Ye Xuan smiled but didn’t answer.
The Great Dao Pen pressed, “That place your sister showed you?”
Ye Xuan nodded.
The Great Dao Pen said gravely, “Think carefully. That place she showed you isn’t ordinary. Your body’s strong now, but you’re not invincible. If you jump to a new map this fast, you’ll end up the weakling again.”
Ye Xuan frowned.
Having clawed his way up, battered and bruised, he knew one truth: in this world, you might be invincible; in the next, you’re nothing.
The Great Dao Pen added, “Don’t get cocky.”
Ye Xuan sighed softly.
He didn’t want to get cocky.
But…
Looking into the starry depths, he said after a pause, “It’s fine. I don’t believe my luck’s that bad. This time, I’ll keep a low profile. Stay humble.”
He vanished on the spot.
The Great Dao Pen sighed.
Low profile, my foot.
Your “low profile” looks like arrogance to others.
A day later, Ye Xuan entered a chaotic star domain filled with eerie black gas, silent and unsettling.
He scanned his surroundings, eyes wary.
Suddenly, he said, “Little Tower, don’t you have an early warning function?”
Little Tower replied flatly, “What, you think I’m an alarm system?”
Ye Xuan was speechless.
Little Tower continued, “You know how long it’s been since I got an upgrade? How can I keep up with the times?”
Ye Xuan said, “You could at least train a bit.”
Little Tower sighed, “You don’t get it.”
“What the hell?” Ye Xuan jumped, “You’re just lazy.”
Little Tower said, “A lifetime of training doesn’t beat a single upgrade. Tell me, what’s the point of me training?”
Ye Xuan was silent.
The Great Dao Pen chimed in, “Little Tower, that mindset’s no good. Life’s meaning is in the journey. This slacker attitude…”
Little Tower cut in, “You talk about life’s meaning. I’m a tower. Who decided towers have to have meaning?”
The Great Dao Pen was silent.
Little Tower went on, “Stop persuading me. I believe my choice is right. I’ve gotten this far by lying low.”
The Great Dao Pen was speechless.
Ye Xuan was too.
It really had gotten this far by doing nothing.
Little Tower added, “You need to strive. I just need to follow someone awesome. You work hard, that’s your choice. I follow someone, that’s mine. What’s wrong with that?”
The Great Dao Pen said, “Little Tower, have you considered what happens if the person you follow fails?”
Ye Xuan snapped, “Great Dao Pen, stop talking in circles and throwing shade. What do you mean, the person it follows will fail? You think I’m doomed to be a loser? Didn’t you hear Qing’er? In the future, I’m the Mortal Sword Master! An invincible existence! The greatest sword in the mortal realm!”
The Great Dao Pen said, “She also said you’d die.”
Ye Xuan’s expression froze.
Little Tower suddenly said, “Now I know why you’re such a failure, Great Dao Pen. With that brain, you’re only fit to be a pen.”
The Great Dao Pen snapped, “Little Tower, that’s a personal attack.”
Little Tower replied, “People and towers need their own value. I’ve made it this far, and even without the Young Master, with my OP functions, tell me, where wouldn’t I be a big deal?”
The Great Dao Pen was silent.
Little Tower continued, “You? I don’t want to hit you too hard, but you call yourself the Great Dao Pen, and honestly, I haven’t seen you do anything useful. Always trying to show off. Here’s some advice: when you’re down, know your place. Don’t cling to past glory—it’s gone. The past is the past, the present is now. You’ve been with the Young Master so long—calling him Young Master isn’t too much, is it?”
The Great Dao Pen was silent.
Little Tower was about to continue when Ye Xuan laughed, “Enough.”
He rode his sword slowly into the distance.
Soon, he stopped. In the starry void ahead stood a tavern.
A tavern?
Ye Xuan froze.
Who opened a tavern in the middle of the starry void?
After hesitating, he decided to check it out.
Approaching, he found the tavern quiet, with only an old man leaning on a chair behind the counter, seemingly asleep.
Ye Xuan glanced at him, walked to the counter, and said, “Shopkeeper.”
The old man slowly opened his eyes, looked at Ye Xuan, and said nothing.
Ye Xuan said, “A jug of wine.”
The old man still didn’t speak.
Ye Xuan turned to leave.
The old man suddenly said, “Wait.”
Ye Xuan turned back. The old man waved his sleeve, and a jug of wine floated to him.
Ye Xuan smiled, took it, and looked around curiously, “Shopkeeper, what is this place?”
The old man said flatly, “Chaos Celestial Domain.”
Chaos Celestial Domain?
Ye Xuan frowned; he’d never heard of it.
The old man smiled, “First time?”
Ye Xuan nodded, “Yes.”
The old man sized him up, “Your realm’s too low. In the past, you’d have been done for the moment you arrived.”
Ye Xuan asked, “Why?”
The old man laughed, “It’s called Chaos Celestial Domain for a reason—it’s chaotic, got it?”
Ye Xuan nodded, “Got it. Not chaotic anymore?”
The old man nodded, “Now the Xuanaqing Sect controls the entire domain.”
Ye Xuan was curious, “Xuanaqing Sect?”
The old man smiled, “Never heard of it, huh?”
Ye Xuan nodded.
Xuanaqing!
The name intrigued him. His name had “Xuan,” and Qing’er’s had “Qing.”
He asked, “Senior, is the Xuanaqing Sect’s leader male or female?”
The old man glanced at him, “Why ask?”
Ye Xuan smiled, “Just curious.”
The old man said, “Female, and a sword cultivator.”
“Holy crap!” Ye Xuan got excited.
The old man looked at him. Ye Xuan asked eagerly, “A female sword cultivator?”
The old man nodded, “Yes.”
Ye Xuan grew more excited, “Is her name Qing’er?”
The old man shook his head, “Don’t know.”
Ye Xuan quickly asked, “How do I get to the Xuanaqing Sect?”
His gut told him this sect’s leader was Qing’er. Besides Qingqiu and the plain-skirt Qing’er, he knew two others: Tu and Xiaoqi.
Xiaoqi!
He felt a pang of nostalgia.
Where had Xiaoqi ended up?
And there was another Qing’er he’d never met.
Could this sect leader be her?
The thought thrilled him.
Family reunion!
The old man asked, “You’re going to the Xuanaqing Sect?”
Ye Xuan nodded, “Yes.”
The old man’s expression turned odd, “What for?”
Ye Xuan laughed, “To find my sister.”
Sister!
The old man frowned, about to speak, when a woman in white approached from afar.
Ye Xuan turned to her. She had long hair, sharp brows, and phoenix-like eyes, holding a sword, exuding a heroic aura.
She walked to the tavern, glanced at Ye Xuan, and said, “A jug of wine.”
Her voice was cold, devoid of emotion.
The shopkeeper glanced at her, then quickly handed over a jug.
She opened it and drank deeply, wine spilling from her lips.
Ye Xuan watched, blinking.
This girl was bold!
She set down the jug, looked at him, “Good to look at?”
Ye Xuan nodded, “Very.”
She said, “Sit.”
Ye Xuan hesitated, then sat across from her, smiling, “How should I address you?”
She replied flatly, “Ye Qingqing.”
Ye Qingqing!
Ye Xuan froze, then laughed, “What a coincidence, my surname’s Ye too. I’m Ye Xuan.”
Ye Qingqing took another swig, then said, “First time in Chaos Celestial Domain?”
Ye Xuan nodded, “Yes.”
She set down the jug, “What’re you here for?”
Ye Xuan smiled, “To train.”
She sized him up, “You’re a bit weak.”
Ye Xuan was speechless.
This girl was so blunt—couldn’t she be more tactful?
Ye Qingqing said, “If you want to train, I know a place that might suit you. Interested?”
Ye Xuan was curious, “What place?”
Ye Qingqing looked at him, “Ancient Sword Tomb.”
Ye Xuan frowned, “Ancient Sword Tomb?”
She flicked her finger, sending a storage ring to the shopkeeper, “Bill’s settled.”
She stood, looked at Ye Xuan, “Let’s go.”
She walked off.
Ye Xuan was exasperated.
I didn’t even say I’d go!
But he followed her.
They vanished into the starry depths.
The shopkeeper watched them leave, then opened his palm, revealing a portrait. He looked at it and fell silent.
