A year of travel—neither too long nor too short.
For Ye Chen, the cycle of three hundred sixty-five days and nights was nothing more than witnessing three hundred sixty-five different sunrises and moonsets.
The hardships had not left many marks on him; those indifferent eyes had never changed.
When he and Xiao Xiao finally walked out of the endless wilderness and saw the great city on the horizon, Xiao Xiao suddenly stopped in her tracks, letting out a gasp of amazement.
That was the subsidiary immortal city at the foot of the Zixiao Sword Sect—Zixiao City.
Compared to it, Qingyang City was nothing more than a shabby room in the countryside.
The bluestone road was wide enough for four carriages to ride side by side.
The buildings along the street had flying eaves and upturned corners, glazed tiles gleaming with colorful light in the sun.
The pedestrians on the street—even the peddlers and laborers—carried a pride between their brows that was rare elsewhere.
From time to time, young cultivators in uniform Dao robes would soar low on their swords, always drawing waves of awe and admiration from the people below.
And at the edge of this great city, beyond layers of rooftops and mountains, one could see the towering mountain range piercing the clouds.
The mountain was steep, shrouded in mist, and the silhouette of a celestial palace could be seen at its peak, reflecting purple and golden light in the sunlight, like a divine palace suspended in the sky.
There was the Zixiao Sword Sect.
The entire city was enveloped in an invisible aura of solemnity.
The people coming and going—whether young people seeking to become disciples or merchants making a living here—would often unconsciously look toward that high mountain.
It was not simple fear, but a devotion bordering on faith.
They had all come to worship.
—
Inside a guest inn named Tingfeng Inn in the city, Ye Chen and Xiao Xiao picked a window seat and sat down.
“Young Master, try this—it’s called Cloud Mist Tea. They say it’s a spiritual tea nourished by spiritual energy!”
Xiao Xiao poured a full cup of tea for Ye Chen like she was offering a treasure.
The tea was emerald green, its rising steam carrying a refreshing fragrance that soothed the heart.
Her eyes sparkled, never able to stay still for a moment, as she curiously looked around the inn.
The inn was filled with noise, people from all walks of life gathered here, and naturally, the topic of conversation revolved around the Zixiao Sword Sect.
Ye Chen sipped his tea, his expression calm, the noisy chatter reaching his ears word for word.
“Did you hear? Yesterday, another powerhouse made it through the ‘Three Thousand Heart-Questioning Steps’ and was directly taken in as a personal disciple by an Inner Sect Elder! Such luck!”
A burly man with a beard gulped down a large mouthful of wine and shouted.
“That’s nothing,” a scholar in green robes at the next table shook his fan with disdain, “Did you not watch the Sect Main Peak Tournament a few days ago? Now that was a real clash of dragons and tigers! Especially the final match—simply gods battling!”
The topic immediately caught the interest of those around.
“Oh? Tell us! Who took the top spot in the end?”
The scholar in green deliberately paused, sipped his tea, and then slowly spoke.
“Who else could it be? Of course, Her Highness the Saintess.”
“Her Highness the Saintess!”
At that title, several tables in the inn fell silent for a moment, then erupted into even more heated discussion.
“I’ve long heard that Her Highness the Saintess is a peerless genius, but I never thought she had reached such heights!”
“Hey, brother, have you ever seen Her Highness the Saintess in person? She must be as beautiful as a goddess, right?”
A hint of pride appeared on the scholar’s face as he raised his voice.
“Is there a need to ask? Although I’ve never been fortunate enough to see her, the name of the Saintess has already spread for thousands of miles—who doesn’t know her?
Those senior brothers who were lucky enough to catch a glimpse from afar say Her Highness the Saintess is so dazzling that even calling her an immortal from the heavens wouldn’t be an exaggeration!”
The surrounding crowd burst into voices of agreement and longing.
Soon, the conversation shifted again.
Some discussed the appearance of monsters in the mountains outside the city; others loudly recruited teammates to venture out for training.
All kinds of lively, powerful voices wove together a picture entirely different from Qingyang City.
“Young Master, it’s… so lively here.”
Xiao Xiao withdrew her gaze and spoke softly to Ye Chen, full of wonder.
“So many strange things… I… I just saw someone flying in the sky on a sword for the first time…”
She spoke while looking at Ye Chen with eyes full of light, openly displaying all her shock and curiosity.
Ye Chen listened quietly, occasionally nodding or replying with an “Mm”.
He could hear it—beneath the curiosity and wonder was a longing from the girl’s heart for a higher world.
Suddenly, a thought moved him.
He set down his teacup and asked calmly,
“Xiao Xiao, do you want to cultivate?”
Clang!
A crisp sound rang out as the bamboo chopsticks in Xiao Xiao’s hand slipped and fell to the floor.
She was completely stunned, staring at Ye Chen in disbelief as if she had heard something unbelievable.
The clamor of the inn seemed to fade away in that moment.
She hurriedly lowered her head, her long eyelashes trembling, and her voice was barely audible.
“Y-Young Master… please don’t joke with me… How could I possibly cultivate…?”
Her tone carried a hint of self-mockery and inferiority, almost overflowing.
“I’m just a small…”
“No one is born destined to be anything.”
Ye Chen interrupted her.
“Talent is important, but it’s not everything. Anyone can knock on the gate of immortality. Even if you cannot reach the peak, is that a reason not to try?”
He looked at the top of her bowed head, his voice steady.
“This world is vast. Only as a cultivator can you truly measure it with your own feet and see its expanse with your own eyes.”
After speaking, Ye Chen fell silent and picked up his tea again.
He knew—once the seed of a thought was planted, it would not be easily uprooted.
The inn was still noisy, and outside the window, the bustling city went on.
But Xiao Xiao’s world had become incomparably silent.
She sneaked a glance at Ye Chen.
His profile was blurred in the steam from the tea, as calm as ever, as if his words just now were nothing special.
Yet that sentence struck her heart like thunder, sending waves surging through her soul.
She slowly lowered her head, hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes, her knuckles white from the force.
She could no longer take another bite of the food on the table.
A thought she had never dared to imagine was breaking through the soil, growing wildly.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.