‘To become a chef or an ingredient, that is the question.’

Baize maintained his true form, sitting there with a long sigh, turning to look at the Water God’s incarnation meditating beside the pond, then gazing somewhat absently at the scene reflected in the water.

The Water God’s life was truly enviably fulfilling;

He had to worry about Heavenly Court affairs, devise schemes against the Western Teaching and monster tribes, worry about his junior sister who was out gaining experience, occasionally take on [Sage Lord’s Tasks], go out to fight Outer Realm Heavenly Demons, and casually chat and boast with experts from the Three Schools, discussing matters of marriage.

In the past half year, the Water God had even shouldered the task of teaching the reincarnated Jade Emperor and Queen Mother.

Although whenever this matter was brought up, the Water God would wave his hand saying ‘This doesn’t count, this doesn’t count, how could this count as being His Majesty the Jade Emperor’s teacher’;

But Baize always felt that the Water God must be quite happy to spend nearly a third of his energy on this matter…

Unlike him, Baize, a past-prime auspicious beast, and retired monster general, who nowadays could only help the Water God review plans occasionally and think about pursuing the ultimate delicacies…

A retired life, peaceful, yet monotonous.

Baize glanced again at the scene in the pond at his regular interval, and as he habitually withdrew his gaze, he suddenly froze.

Spirit Maiden seemed to have flown quite far on this trip to the town district…

“Water God, Water God!”

“Hmm?”

Li Changshou’s paper clone by the lake opened his eyes, a flash of spiritual light in them that quickly receded.

Taking advantage of no classes at the academy today, Li Changshou had just been enlightening himself in cultivation.

Without Baize needing to say more, Li Changshou immediately looked at the scene in the pond;

The feather on Baize’s head once again shone with light, making the scene in the pond instantly clearer.

The paper clone corps that Li Changshou had arranged near Spirit Maiden immediately employed their escape techniques to follow!

At this moment, Spirit Maiden was on the cloud path heading toward Mount Wanshou.

She had changed into proper attire: a long dress, light silk robe, and cloud-embroidered shoes, her black hair styled in elegant cloud-like buns, her clever eyes glancing about, her fine eyebrows graceful. Though she had concealed her appearance, it didn’t diminish her spiritual grace.

“Why did she suddenly decide to try now?”

Li Changshou muttered to himself, dividing his attention to continue watching Spirit Maiden’s movements.

Baize smiled: “Perhaps she’s figured it out – continuing to delay would just waste time. Better to try her luck early, regardless of success or failure, she can return to her senior brother’s side sooner.”

Li Changshou’s mouth twitched as he said coolly: “Seeing her play happily in the town districts these days, she seemed quite content.”

“That’s different,” Baize teased, “For Spirit Maiden, happiness without her senior brother is incomplete!”

Li Changshou glared at the certain chef, and Baize immediately buried his head in his hooves, letting out a series of soft hehe laughs…

After some thought, Li Changshou’s true body left Little Jade Peak, directly ignoring the sect’s protective mountain formation and employing the earth escape technique toward the Western Ox Continent.

The Pagoda Lord and Heaven-Earth Ruler, which hadn’t been actively returned and which the Sage Lord hadn’t taken back, accompanied his true body out of the mountain again.

To be honest, keeping the Pagoda Lord by his side was top…

Spirit treasures don’t need cultivation, and the Pagoda Lord’s greatest hobby was being struck by divine weapons and sharp tools, with his second hobby being chatting and shooting the breeze.

In these past six months, when the Pagoda Lord got bored talking with the Heaven-Earth Ruler, he often urged Li Changshou to visit Little Gold Dipper Sister at Three Immortals Island or to pay respects to Holy Mother at Holy Mother Palace and inquire after Little Embroidered Ball Sister.

Over time, it made Li Changshou feel dizzy.

Was this the price of using a top-grade defensive spirit treasure?

Old Master Taiqing’s Great Dao of Pure Inaction was truly formidable, able to endure so much spiritual pollution from spirit treasures… ah, it seems Old Master Taiqing would directly seal up spirit treasures and only unseal them when needed.

Li Changshou sighed inwardly as the Heaven-Earth Ruler flashed with faint light, instantly increasing his escape speed.

Meanwhile, Spirit Maiden had flown her cloud near Mount Wanshou.

She stopped in midair for a while, thinking briefly, holding that jade token in her hand;

The writing in the jade token was still that line of experience task prompts, but what Spirit Maiden needed to do was personally hand the jade token to Great Immortal Zhenyuan.

After some thought, Spirit Maiden reached into her sleeve and took out…

A basket of immortal fruits.

One couldn’t visit an ancient powerful being, Great Immortal Zhenyuan, empty-handed!

Spirit Maiden flew her cloud forward, slowly arriving within a hundred miles of Mount Wanshou.

This mountain wasn’t extraordinary or tall, like a small bump protruding from a plain – to describe it more accurately, ‘Wanshou Slope’ would be more fitting.

A gentle breeze blew against her face, and Spirit Maiden felt she couldn’t advance an inch, being ‘gently’ rejected by the space here.

She wasn’t surprised at all—this was the treatment received by all practitioners trying to gain some fortune at Mount Wanshou.

Looking toward the mountain peak, among the lush mountains, one could see the corner of a Daoist temple’s flying eaves;

There was no immortal light here, no auspicious signs, not even ‘high-level decorations’ like celebration clouds. Spirit Maiden could see spirit beasts playing in the mountains, immortal cranes preening by ponds, and hundreds of birds circling above the forest.

Carefully sensing, the Dao of heaven and earth seemed to have hidden itself here, with only what appeared to be mortal dwellings ahead.

‘Why does it feel just like Little Jade Peak…’

Spirit Maiden took a gentle breath, glanced at the dark sensing stone, knowing that many immortal senses were locked onto her, and couldn’t help thinking that senior brother must be watching her performance…

Making a Daoist salute toward the front, Spirit Maiden called out in her clear voice:

“Junior disciple of the Human Teaching’s Dao lineage comes today to pay respects to the Ancestor of Earth Immortals, and to deliver a letter from a Human Teaching expert!”

The front remained silent, with no response whatsoever.

Spirit Maiden’s fine brows slightly furrowed, and she called out twice more in this way.

Just then, a voice came from the side, as a somewhat chubby Daoist flew up from the plum forest below, saying with a smile:

“Don’t waste your effort, fellow Daoist, there’s a grand formation here, sound can’t get through; besides, even if sound could get through, how could you possibly meet…

Eh!”

The chubby Daoist trembled, watching streams of light slowly gathering before Spirit Maiden.

These immortal lights condensed into a gate, and within the gate was another world.

A peaceful, profound, and endlessly flowing Dao rhythm drifted out, accompanied by an elderly voice:

“An honored guest arrives, please come in quickly.”

Spirit Maiden blinked, the jade token in her hand flickering slightly with light, its line of text slowly fading, transforming into a brief letter.

Spirit Maiden hurriedly glanced at the letter’s contents, finding it truly written by a Human Teaching expert, with the signature surprisingly being Lesser Magus of Xuandu.

A thread of Li Changshou’s voice entered Spirit Maiden’s ear, saying:

“This is just an initial visit, don’t ask this Great Immortal too many questions, just say you received guidance from a Human Teaching expert and came to inquire about the way of Earth Immortal cultivation.”

Senior Brother!

Spirit Maiden’s spirit surged, instantly filled with confidence as she flew into the barrier before her.

The scenery around Mount Wanshou hadn’t changed at all, clearly containing an extremely profound space grand formation, as if it had opened another realm.

However…

Li Changshou had thought Spirit Maiden would stay at Five Phase Observatory for at least an hour or two, but she emerged floating out after just a moment, riding her cloud eastward.

At this time, Spirit Maiden deliberately held the jade token bearing Great Immortal Zhenyuan’s Dao rhythm in her hand, so those watching her naturally knew she had merely delivered a letter to an expert and received Great Immortal Zhenyuan’s reply.

—This invisibly elevated her background considerably, ensuring her situation wouldn’t become dangerous.

Spirit Maiden was being too cautious…

Who would dare provoke an immortal maiden who could enter Five Phase Observatory?

Especially since Great Immortal Zhenyuan had said four words: ‘An honored guest arrives.’

Leaving Mount Wanshou’s vicinity without incident or danger, Spirit Maiden suddenly employed a wind escape technique, quickly reaching the town district where she had previously stayed.

She had just entered through the west gate when she immediately left through the east gate, having already changed her appearance upon leaving the town district, transforming into an elderly woman at the Heavenly Immortal realm, heading toward the Southern Continent, planning to circle back to East Victory Divine Continent via the Southern Continent.

In terms of counter-surveillance, she had also grasped it perfectly.

Of course, trying to confuse her senior brother still needed a bit more experience…

Spirit Maiden had clearly prepared a complete route home in advance, and now having completed her task, her beautiful eyes sparkled with green light as she passed through the mortal world, crossed great marshes, traversed the continental boundary, and flew straight toward Immortal’s Gate mountain entrance!

To avoid exposing her tracks, Spirit Maiden maintained extreme vigilance, changing her appearance every few tens of thousands of miles.

She naturally knew these were all part of her senior brother’s assessment, so she gave it her all, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

Several days later, at Immortal’s Gate mountain entrance.

Spirit Maiden suppressed her excited little hands, rode her white cloud, restored her original appearance, and humming a little tune, headed toward the mountain gate.

Reaching the mountain gate, Spirit Maiden took out the Sect Master’s token and two treasure pouches filled with pills and medicinal herbs, smilingly offering them to the elderly seniors guarding the gate, saying these were gains from her experience journey.

After a round of “We couldn’t possibly” and “How could this be appropriate,” Spirit Maiden rode her cloud slowly toward the peaceful Little Jade Peak, leaving several old Daoists praising her endlessly.

Li Changshou’s true body had naturally returned to the sect first, taking the opportunity to distribute his paper clones in various directions around the mountain gate.

Rather embarrassingly, just a bit of regular protective force.

Riding clouds past mountains and wilderness, her heart ached with tardiness.

When Spirit Maiden maintained her composure passing through several layers of grand formations and saw the familiar figure standing under the willow tree by the lake, she could no longer contain herself.

She cheered, flying rapidly toward Li Changshou, shouting:

“Senior Brother, I’ve come back alive!”

Li Changshou, who had been maintaining a stern face, truly surrendered to this cry, nodding with a smile and not refusing Spirit Maiden’s outstretched little hands.

Like a young swallow returning to its nest, she crashed into her senior brother’s embrace.

Li Changshou hesitated slightly, his hands naturally falling from behind his back, and just as he was about to raise them, Spirit Maiden suddenly came to her senses. Her pretty face instantly turned crimson, and she immediately jumped backward, all her joy transforming into:

“Hiccup!”

Li Changshou calmly raised his hand to adjust his collar and said: “How were your gains from this experience journey?”

Spirit Maiden’s current behavior had already proven the effectiveness of the experience.

She suppressed her shyness, and though her cheeks were red, there was no misty qi. She bowed to Li Changshou and said softly:

“Thanks to Senior Brother’s arranged experience journey, Junior Sister has gained much.”

Li Changshou frowned: “You’ve gained much, yet you return without verifying my true form and approach so carelessly without any precaution?”

Spirit Maiden’s little face fell, and she instinctively wanted to pretend to cry and act pitiful, but then immediately thought of something and said confidently:

“If the Senior Brother standing here isn’t Senior Brother, then even if I were more careful and vigilant, I fear I wouldn’t survive anyway.”

“You make a fair point,” Li Changshou nodded in approval, “You’ve indeed grown much this time.”

Spirit Maiden smiled delightedly and hummed: “Also, that, that… hug just now was also from Sister Yunxiao for you… uh.”

Oh no, she let it slip!

Li Changshou said calmly: “Your meeting with her seems to have been quite some time ago.”

Spirit Maiden’s eyes rolled, and she immediately changed the subject: “Senior Brother, I got this treasure, look! Look!”

A ginseng fruit was held in Spirit Maiden’s palm, “If Master eats this, it can increase lifespan by nearly fifty thousand years! I begged it from Great Immortal Zhenyuan!”

Spirit Maiden hurriedly stuffed Great Immortal Zhenyuan’s reply to the Lesser Magus of Human Teaching—another jade token—into Li Changshou’s hand, leaving behind one sentence:

“I’m going to deliver this to Master first!”

Then she vanished like a wisp of smoke toward Elder Qiyuan’s thatched cottage.

This girl is also unwilling to see his relationship with Fairy Yunxiao progress too quickly…

Li Changshou sighed with his hands behind his back, turned to return to the pill room, glanced at the simple pleasantries in the jade token, and shifted his consciousness to the Southern Continent.

Li Changshou had decided to postpone You Qin Xuanya’s ascension to heaven.

There was no other reason—creating publicity for Xuanya would necessarily cause various disturbances and would bring many risks.

Now that their powerful ally Grand Magus Xuandu was not in the Five Continents, the most stable choice was to reduce such matters.

Although the Heavenly Court’s recruitment plan would be somewhat affected, the impact wouldn’t be too great, just losing some promotional effect…

It would also allow Xuanya’s strength to increase a bit more.

In the mortal world of the Southern Continent, in that academy where Li Changshou had been teaching for half a year, the paper clone pretending to rest opened its eyes.

Outside the bamboo house, three young men were practicing practical minor techniques like the Falling Stone Art, while three young women were reciting poetry in the distant bamboo forest;

And in the corner of the bamboo house, that ‘number-maker’ was bent over writing something.

Li Changshou stood up and said gently: “Xiaoyou, why aren’t you practicing techniques?”

Young Yang Tianyou quickly stood to answer: “In response to Master, I’m reviewing mathematics. I can’t learn any of these techniques, I’m just holding everyone back…”

“You still need to learn them, to have some self-defense ability in the future. Success comes from human effort, don’t give up so easily.”

Li Changshou encouraged him briefly, then called out: “Youming, take Xiaoyou over there.”

“Sure thing!”

Hua Youming bounded over in two steps, grinning.

Yang Tianyou hurriedly went forward, calling out “Big Brother” several times, following behind Hua Youming like a little follower.

Li Changshou couldn’t help but smile with narrowed eyes…

In another year, Hua Youming’s sister would be born, the one the Jade Emperor specifically requested to be an ‘ordinary beauty’.

Similarly, she should be Erlang’s mother.

If this Yang Tianyou here was the Yang Tianyou he knew of, then this marriage crossing the mortal boundary could be explained.

When keeping these seven people that day, Li Changshou hadn’t paid attention to this name, only thinking of who this Yang Tianyou was several days later during cultivation.

Why was there a saying that Yang Tianyou was a reincarnated Golden Youth of the Heavenly Court?

Li Changshou thought carefully and had secretly verified in the Heavenly Court that this Yang Tianyou was just an ordinary mortal, without any background, and his aptitude wasn’t particularly good either.

He estimated that perhaps the Jade Emperor couldn’t bear to stop his sister and brother-in-law at the time, so he secretly added some background to Yang Tianyou, thus preserving the Heavenly Court’s prestige and the Jade Emperor’s face…

Truth be told, Erlang’s story was quite tragic.

His parents had three siblings including Erlang, but his elder brother and father died at the hands of heavenly soldiers, his mother was suppressed under Peach Mountain, and Erlang himself had to take care of his sister while living in poverty and hardship as they sought a master…

Li Changshou couldn’t remember the exact details and the legends about Erlang were varied.

One version said that when Erlang split the mountain to save his mother, he rescued her from Peach Mountain, but she died from exposure to the sun, so Erlang harbored hatred toward the Heavenly Court. Although he received the Heavenly Court’s rewards, he held resentment toward his uncle, writing the phrase ‘hear orders but not proclamations’.

There was one point that Li Changshou had previously noticed and paid special attention to—Erlang obtained his heavenly position first, then entered the Tribulation of Investiture of the Gods, following his master True Lord Yuding to protect the Zhou Kingdom!

Of course, these were all the original stories.

…

At the southwestern border of the Northern Continent, in the monster tribe gathering place.

Compared to several decades ago, this place had completely changed its appearance, the earth cracked and dried, mountain springs ceased flowing, everywhere was deathly still, and many mountaintops had become dead mountains.

There was no other reason—the gathered monsters here defied heaven in their actions, becoming hated by the Heavenly Dao.

Among the various functional departments of the Heavenly Court’s programs, except for the Toilet God Temple, none continued to exert continuous pressure.

After all, after being tormented for so long, these monster tribes’ skin had grown thick.

The monster tribe’s high-level leaders truly hadn’t expected the Heavenly Court to be so patient…

Initially issuing the anti-heaven proclamation, the Heavenly Court used various countermeasures but never sent troops to suppress the monster tribes;

Then in the Northern Continent war, the Heavenly Court sent a great army to participate, and the monster tribe’s side had their morale crushed by the ‘Water God riding Baize’, not only failing to hurt the Heavenly Court but getting themselves badly shaken.

They needed one great victory, and then riding that momentum, negotiate with the Heavenly Court.

The logic was simple, the process could be clear, but that Water God of the Heavenly Court simply gave no opportunity!

In an underground palace.

Luya reclined on his throne, the Monster Emperor’s Seal floating before him, holding his forehead with his palm, his expression extremely gloomy.

Water God…

‘Fight immortals not power, fight immortals, not sages.’

Baize…

Suddenly, a light laugh came from the corner of the palace, and two figures walked out from the shadows.

One somewhat petite figure stopped in the corner without coming forward, two strands of silver hair showing from beneath the cloak.

The other elder directly threw off his cloak, striding quickly to the throne, cupping his hands: “Prince, this poor Daoist has thought of a way to break the deadlock.”

“Please speak directly, Elder,” Luya’s eyes were somewhat lifeless.

The old Daoist smiled: “Your Highness, why don’t we start with another authority figure in the Heavenly Court?

The Water God is indeed difficult to deal with, but he’s ultimately just a third-rank proper god, while there’s a second-rank proper god in the Heavenly Court, Wood Lord.”