Xia Chen felt incredibly pleased and thoroughly enjoyed his lunch.
On the other side, the literary gathering hosted by Yao Guang had also concluded.
Everyone had left, and Yao Guang sat in the grand hall, holding a piece of paper. On it was a poem, written in an elegant script with a magnificent poetic essence—it was the very poem Xia Chen had composed earlier.
Yao Guang gazed at the poem with her bright eyes, lost in thought for a long time…
Xuan Zhenzi held a wine gourd filled with wine he had packed from Princess Manor. He had to admit, the wines at Princess Manor were top-tier, and he quite liked them.
He appeared to be tipsy, yet as he walked down Central Avenue, he didn't bump into anyone. In fact, his steps were light and his speed remarkably swift; the people around him barely noticed him.
It was as if his entire being had merged into the Void Realm, yet he was undeniably there, not having disappeared. It was simply that passersby overlooked him.
At this moment, he seemed to be integrated into the Dao, a truly peculiar state.
He followed Central Avenue eastward, eventually arriving before a magnificent mansion. This mansion covered an immense area, and more importantly, a towering, grand pagoda could be seen within it.
It had nine stories, and these nine stories alone gave a visual impact of soaring from the ground, as if piercing the heavens.
This was precisely the Holy Land of Daoism under Heaven, Tianshi Mansion!
Within the mansion resided the Old Celestial Master, one of the five First Grade Realm powerhouses of the current era, the pinnacle of combat strength!
“Junior Martial Uncle!”
“Hello, Junior Martial Uncle!”
“Grandmaster has returned!”
...
Xuan Zhenzi walked directly into Tianshi Mansion. Along the way, Disciples continuously greeted him.
Xuan Zhenzi held a high seniority in Tianshi Mansion, being one of the leading figures among the second-generation Disciples. However, his lineage was not directly from the Old Celestial Master; Tianshi Mansion had three lineages in total.
“Where is the Old Celestial Master?!”
Xuan Zhenzi passed through the main hall and finally arrived at the base of the nine-story pagoda.
“Junior Martial Uncle, Grandmaster is sunbathing upstairs!”
A somewhat chubby, round-bodied boy, who had been tinkering with something in his hands, heard the voice and, seeing Xuan Zhenzi, quickly spoke up.
“Good!”
Xuan Zhenzi nodded, about to go upstairs, but then he saw the boy and glanced at the object in his hands, prompting him to ask,
“What are you working on?”
“Oh, Junior Martial Uncle, my alchemy is almost at Major Achievement lately! I’m planning to use alchemy to create something astonishing. All naturally growing things in the world have spirits, but things created by humans are dead objects, lacking that spiritual charm. So, I made a person out of wood and plan to use alchemy to imbue this wooden figure with spiritual charm, making it a true person!”
As soon as Little Fatty Mo Ban heard Xuan Zhenzi’s question, he immediately began to babble excitedly, explaining to Xuan Zhenzi.
“Imbuing a wooden figure with spirit? Making it come alive?”
Xuan Zhenzi was stunned. Although he knew this boy was obsessed with the Dao of Divine Craftsmen and possessed unparalleled talent in it, even the Old Celestial Master thought highly of him, making a wooden figure into a true person seemed a bit too outlandish.
Imbuing all things with spirit was an ability only possessed by the Creator, or what they referred to as the Dao.
“So, how’s the progress?”
Although he found it unrealistic, Xuan Zhenzi didn't discourage the child; instead, he inquired carefully.
Sure enough, Mo Ban’s expression immediately became dejected.
“I failed. I tried several times, but I could only temporarily fill the wooden figure with spirituality. But that’s not really imbuing it with spirit; it’s more like I was controlling the wooden figure with my spell. Once I stop injecting Qi, it instantly reverts to ordinary wood.”
Mo Ban hung his head in frustration; this art of imbuing spirit was truly difficult to master.
“So now I’m trying to make the wooden figure smaller. And I’m also trying from several other directions, for example, whether wood as a medium isn’t suitable. So I’ve tried jade, stone, exotic metals, etc., and also reduced their size. This way, maybe I can succeed!”
Mo Ban didn’t remain dejected for long before regaining his fighting spirit, his eyes burning as he stared at the small jade figure in his hand.
“Keep it up. I’m going to find the Old Celestial Master now!”
Xuan Zhenzi offered the child a word of encouragement, then quickly turned to leave. On one hand, he genuinely had something to discuss with the Old Celestial Master; on the other, he was afraid Mo Ban would cling to him and start explaining his fantastical ideas, which always gave Xuan Zhenzi a headache...
Mo Ban paid no attention to Xuan Zhenzi; his entire focus was on the small figure in his hand.
Xuan Zhenzi ascended to the third floor, where he encountered a woman. She was clad in white, like snow, with black hair cascading down like a waterfall. Her face was cold and exquisitely beautiful, her eyes like distant stars, and her brows, like distant mountains, could not conceal her indifference.
Her figure was slender, and her movements were distant and cold, like a Fairy from the frost, untouched by worldly affairs. Her unparalleled beauty was heart-stopping, yet one dared not approach her.
Murong Yuyan, a Physique of Innate Dao Embryo, naturally close to the Dao, and naturally lacking in emotions; her seven emotions undeveloped...
“Junior Sister!”
Seeing the woman, Xuan Zhenzi stopped and called out.
“Senior Brother!”
The woman nodded to him, her face still expressionless, like a block of ice.
Xuan Zhenzi was already accustomed to this, knowing that his Junior Sister had no ill feelings toward him, but was simply born that way.
The woman’s name was Murong Yuyan, the Old Celestial Master’s closed-door Disciple.
Xuan Zhenzi didn't chat much and prepared to go upstairs. He had many questions and needed to consult the Old Celestial Master, but before leaving, he stopped again and turned to Murong Yuyan.
“Junior Sister has broken through to Fourth Grade?”
“Just broke through this morning!”
Murong Yuyan’s voice was cold, ethereal, and her words concise.
It was precisely because she had just broken through that Xuan Zhenzi noticed it. Even the composed Xuan Zhenzi felt a slight ripple in his heart at this moment.
His Junior Sister’s talent was truly terrifyingly Prodigious.
She was only 18 years old this year, yet she had already broken through to the Fourth Grade Realm. With such terrifying talent, it was no wonder the Old Celestial Master had taken her as his closed-door Disciple back then.
It was imaginable that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, in the future, their Tianshi Mansion would surely welcome a Third Grade Immortal Master in her early twenties…
Xuan Zhenzi left, continuing upstairs. He was slightly disheartened, but only for a moment. He quickly composed himself, his heart unperturbed; he had his own Dao!
“Old Celestial Master, Xuan Zhen has come to pay respects!”
Xuan Zhenzi arrived at the ninth floor. This was an open-air high-rise, offering a view of the clear blue sky. At night, the Old Celestial Master would observe the celestial phenomena here, comprehend the Heavenly Dao of heaven and earth, and seek the opportunity for a Breakthrough beyond First Grade…
Xuan Zhenzi’s voice wasn't loud, but he knew the Old Celestial Master would surely hear it.
With the Old Celestial Master’s Divine Ability, as soon as he entered Zhaixing Building, he had already entered the Old Celestial Master’s Domain.
This was also why the security was not strict along his way, because the Old Celestial Master feared no assassination.
Should anyone be so ignorant as to attempt to assassinate the Old Celestial Master, they would be fortunate enough to learn why First Grade is called a human legend!