This reaction was far beyond Jian Chou’s expectations. She looked at Fudao Shanren with an almost astonished expression.

Fudao Shanren was still furiously striking the ground with his stone, looking aggrieved: “My child, you truly wound your master too deeply! Master doesn’t even have a dao companion, so how can you go out flirting around already?”

“…Master…”

This was Jian Chou’s voice at its most powerless.

However, after Fudao Shanren’s outburst, Jian Chou understood what “dao companion” meant without needing his explanation.

“So cultivators can also marry?”

“That’s not called marriage.” Fudao Shanren wailed for a while, but hearing that Jian Chou had misunderstood the meaning of dao companions, he finally put away his fake tears and snorted coldly: “If male and female cultivators take a liking to each other, they can become partners and cultivate together thereafter. Naturally, there are dual cultivation methods—yin and yang harmonized—which are faster than two people cultivating separately. As for cutting off emotions and desires, most cultivators still can’t achieve that.”

“…I understand.”

Jian Chou nodded, though her expression seemed to carry much silence.

Fudao Shanren saw this immediately. He assumed she was troubled by this dao companion matter and didn’t think of anywhere else: “Tell me, who brought up this dao companion business with you? If I remember correctly, you’re only at the Qi Refining stage, right?”

“It was Junior Brother Zhang from Fengmo Sword Sect.”

Jian Chou didn’t hide it—she herself found it strange.

“Though perhaps it’s not what Master thinks. He only asked if I had a dao companion.”

Fudao Shanren directly gave Jian Chou a pair of clean eye-rolls: “A weasel paying New Year respects to a chicken—do you think your master is blind? That boy, an old cow daring to eat tender grass! He’s cultivated for forty-something, nearly fifty years—how tender you are!”

“…”

Her inner state was collapsing.

Jian Chou’s mouth twitched—could he not use the word “tender”?

“Don’t refuse to accept it. Dao companions are actually like you mortals—they need to be well-matched. A stinking boy from the Fengmo Sword Sect with mediocre talent still covets you? Dream on!”

Fudao Shanren was so angry that his teeth itched. He raised the small stone in his hand and squeezed it hard, as if crushing Zhang Sui’s bones.

“I, Shanren, finally took a female disciple—you can’t find a second girl in all of Yashan! And he wants to poach talent? Damn it, I’ll lead those stinking boys to take him down later!”

What was all this about?

Listening to this, Jian Chou felt the meaning was getting more and more wrong.

What did he mean by “poaching talent” and “can’t find a second girl”?

Did Yashan have no female disciples?

Also…

“Master, does the sect know you took me as a disciple?”

“Nonsense.” Fudao Shanren was proud. “When Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm had that incident, those idiots at Yashan were worried sick. When I, Shanren, escaped safely, naturally, I had to deal with them and mentioned your matter in passing. When they heard I had taken a girl as a disciple, tsk, those faces—you’ll know when you see them later.”

Her head was getting big.

Don’t ask Jian Chou why.

She held her forehead: “Don’t tell me Yashan has no female disciples…”

“You got it right—there aren’t any!” Fudao Shanren had a pained expression. “You don’t know—all the talented female cultivators go to Baiyue Valley, saying Yashan isn’t suitable for female cultivation…”

His voice grew low at this point, but immediately became indignant.

“It’s all damn nonsense! My Yashan is the only sect in the entire Central Domain that relies on looks for sustenance and cultivation! Plus, we have the most cultivation-obsessed group of excellent male disciples! Now that I’ve taken you as a disciple, I, Shanren, must make them open their dog eyes wide and see that Yashan can also produce female cultivators who rely on looks and have high cultivation!”

After speaking, he looked at Jian Chou expectantly.

“My child, what do you think… eh, my child, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just suddenly felt a bit dizzy.”

Jian Chou gritted her teeth, forcibly suppressing the urge to grind them.

Fudao Shanren nodded, looking gratified.

“Anyway, from now on, we’re counting on you to clear Yashan’s name.”

Master, this disciple cannot bear such a heavy responsibility! Jian Chou felt pain everywhere.

“Speaking of which, I, Shanren, haven’t returned to Yashan in three hundred years. I wonder what it’s like now… I suppose everyone must be desperately missing my dashing, heroic appearance. My child, look at your master—handsome, right?”

He spread his arms in what seemed like a dashing pose.

Jian Chou looked at him mournfully, along with the fresh blood emerging from his lips, and couldn’t help reminding him: “…Master, you’re bleeding.”

Not handsome at all!

“…Eh?”

Fudao Shanren looked down and wiped his mouth, indeed seeing a handful of fresh blood.

“Early it doesn’t flow, late it doesn’t flow, but it flows now! This damages Shanren’s image!”

Seeing him act like it didn’t matter, Jian Chou was genuinely worried: “Is Master injured?”

Fudao Shanren’s eyes flickered, not answering immediately.

After a while, he finally looked up: “Minor injury. Are you doubting that your master is incompetent enough to be seriously wounded? That hurts master’s feelings! I’m not talking to you anymore, I’m angry! I need to repair the teleportation array—don’t talk to Shanren!”

Spitting blood without knowing it—could that be a minor matter?

Jian Chou didn’t believe it, but seeing Fudao Shanren acting like nothing was wrong, she didn’t dare say more. She just stayed close by, afraid something might happen to him.

Fudao Shanren felt helpless inside—what an annoying brat.

He quickly restored the originally destroyed teleportation array. Fudao Shanren’s face seemed a bit paler. He casually waved, and Da Bai’e, who had been released earlier, came running over enthusiastically to be held in his arms.

Fudao Shanren directly threw out a handful of spirit stones, embedding them in the grooves, then lifted his chin: “Let’s go, enter the array.”

Jian Chou hurriedly stepped into the array formation. Then, Fudao Shanren also entered and directly crushed a teleportation talisman.

“Crack!”

After a light sound, the teleportation array activated.

A brilliant white light shot up from Dengtian Island straight into the clouds.

When the light dimmed, the thirteenth island of the immortal path was empty, with only the Zhang-Long stone tablet remnant beside the small stone pool lying quietly.

Few people know where the name “Shijiu Zhou” originated.

This was the place where cultivators sought immortality and questioned the Dao, the “ancient immortal homeland” sung of in poems by the mortal world. Here were powerful cultivators who could destroy heaven and earth with a gesture, as well as countless beings struggling desperately, fighting bloody battles over a single spirit stone…

Almost everyone here had a dream of becoming immortal, but not everyone could achieve immortality.

The Wendao Tablet was a beautiful dream and legend about becoming immortal.

Rising about eleven zhang above the sea surface, it stood at the edge of the vast Western Sea near the shore, not particularly tall, not particularly short. The constantly surging seawater struck against the ancient stone tablet, making its base appear pitted and eroded.

The ancient and weathered characters “Wendao” were arranged vertically at the very top of the stone tablet, completely unaffected by the waves.

Whether at low tide or high tide, the seawater had never submerged this tablet.

Legend said that long, long ago, there was only the stone tablet, but no “Wendao” characters.

Until a True Immortal from the upper realm came here to preach the Dao, sitting cross-legged atop the stone tablet for three days and nights. After preaching, the True Immortal departed ethereally, while those who heard the Dao all achieved immortality in one step, ascending to heaven in broad daylight!

From then on, this nameless stone tablet was called the “Wendao Tablet.”

After a now-familiar flash of white light, Jian Chou’s vision filled with the boundless sea and that ancient stone tablet.

She saw that the top of the tablet, rising eleven zhang above the sea surface, seemed to have irregular marks, as if weathered by years of sea wind, not particularly neat.

Fudao Shanren, beside her, stretched comfortably: “Finally back. This place is still the same damn way, hasn’t changed a bit.”

His gaze also fell on the Wendao Tablet, but he withdrew it immediately.

Jian Chou’s attention was drawn back by his words, and she finally looked around carefully.

Beneath her feet was a huge teleportation array, but the ground was no longer uneven like on the sea island—instead, it was one enormous, smooth surface that could reflect one’s image.

Lifting her gaze from the ground, Jian Chou trembled at what she saw.

The teleportation array wasn’t drawn on ordinary ground, but painted on a huge plaza. Where they stood was just one corner of this massive plaza. At this moment, white lights from teleportation arrays continued to flash across the plaza, with people in different robes and attire emerging from them.

This was a plaza covered with teleportation arrays!

The brilliant sun hung in the sky, white seabirds swept past the clear horizon, leaving behind clear cries.

People came and went across the plaza spanning over a hundred zhang.

The entire plaza had no other buildings, making the view open and expansive. Only on the side facing the mainland, arranged from low to high, stood nine massive, dark, azure stone pillars.

The pillars were carved with ancient auspicious beast patterns, thick enough to require three people to embrace them, standing tall on the plaza. Against the backdrop of blue sky, sea, and white clouds, they gave one a sense of reaching heaven.

Countless people stood below, looking up.

Jian Chou’s gaze was also drawn to them.

“What are those?”

Fudao Shanren smacked his lips disdainfully: “Just the Nine Heavens Tablet, nothing much to see.”

Saying this, he strode in that direction.

Jian Chou was speechless—didn’t you say there was nothing to see? Why are you walking that way?

She really couldn’t keep up with Fudao Shanren’s thinking anymore.

Standing in place, dazed for a while, she finally reacted and hurried to catch up.

People constantly walked past her, but no one paid her much attention.

Obviously, in such a place where people constantly came and went, no one would notice such an ordinary Qi Refining stage cultivator, let alone that shabby old man ahead—

In Shijiu Zhou, such eccentric cultivators were a dime a dozen; everyone was too tired to look.

Of course, when seeing the white goose Fudao Shanren was holding, some people still twitched their mouths.

“What is the Nine Heavens Tablet? Aren’t those pillars?”

Jian Chou truly didn’t understand why they were named this way. Of course, what she was most curious about was what exactly they were for.

Fudao Shanren pointed to the distant Wendao Tablet: “I, Shanren, estimate that the bored fellow who created the Nine Heavens Tablet must have wanted to imitate that Wendao Tablet. That’s a very famous story from our Shijiu Zhou—I’ll tell it to you when Master has time later.”

Since he said he’d tell her later, Jian Chou nodded without asking more.

She couldn’t help looking left and right—these people walking by were all cultivators. Perhaps any random one had higher cultivation than hers. This feeling was quite wonderful.

Jian Chou felt strangely nervous, gripping tightly the Nine-Section Bamboo that Fudao Shanren had given her earlier without taking it back, or rather—

The broken bamboo stick.

Fudao Shanren continued while walking forward: “This Nine Heavens Tablet—look, the leftmost one is shortest, progressively getting taller, representing the nine levels of cultivation. In order: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core… the last one is Reaching Heaven. Each Heaven’s Tablet bears names—the strongest of that realm in the current world.”

“The strongest of each realm?”

Jian Chou immediately understood.

Her gaze toward the Nine Heavens Tablet suddenly became somewhat strange.

“Hehe.”

Fudao Shanren didn’t need to turn around to know what expression was on Jian Chou’s face.

“Young people yearn for it! Do you want to have your name carved up there someday? Master can tell you, when you go over later, you’d better open your eyes wide and look carefully—I, Shanren’s, name is also up there!”

Current world, current realm, highest cultivation.

If a cultivator in that realm had never been defeated, his name could remain on the Nine Heavens Tablet.

Though Fudao Shanren’s current realm was higher, in his youth, he had an undefeated record, so his name could still be found on several Heavens Tablets.

Jian Chou knew Fudao Shanren must have been a genius many years ago, but when she truly encountered this Nine Heavens Tablet symbolizing glory, she felt an indescribable shock and surge.

She didn’t know what brought this feeling.

While talking, they had already reached the vicinity of the Nine Heavens Tablet.

Standing below and looking up, one could see many names carved on the dark azure stone, starting from the bottom, one by one going upward, with the carving marks becoming newer and newer.

At this moment, quite a few people stood below the Second Heavens Tablet.

Above, each name was an untouchable legend.

Jian Chou looked over curiously, hearing many cultivators’ voices around her.

“Kunwu is truly remarkable now.”

“They say the Central Domain’s Left Three Thousand specializes in producing amazing talents. Unexpectedly, this time Kunwu got there first. Ah, Foundation Establishment in ten days! Truly unthinkable!”

“It’s only been a few days? This person’s name is already carved up there—I can’t believe it…”

“Foundation Establishment Peak, Tianwai Sword Zhou Chengjiang! Defeated by someone who had only entered the cultivation world for thirteen days!”

…

Fudao Shanren and Jian Chou both stiffened simultaneously.

Fudao Shanren, because he had achieved Foundation Establishment in a hundred days, while what those people spoke of was clearly “Foundation Establishment in ten days”—wasn’t this Hengxu Laoguai’s newly accepted disciple?

This was the Nine Heavens Tablet!

It had only been three days since Hengxu Laoguai’s disciple achieved Foundation Establishment—how could his name already be carved here?

Fudao Shanren didn’t believe it.

Without thinking, he directly pushed into the crowd, holding Da Bai’e as he squeezed in, shouting as he pushed: “Jian Chou girl, come look together!”

Standing in place, Jian Chou felt all the blood in her body about to flow backward. Countless ice shards mixed in her blood, constantly crashing through her body, making even lifting one step extremely difficult.

Yet she still walked forward.

The closer she got to the dark azure Second Heavens Tablet, the more ferocious the ice shards roaring in her blood became.

Each step was like walking on knife points.

Sounds constantly entered her ears, and she could see Fudao Shanren’s angry expression. All phenomena of the world flashed quickly past her eyes.

But Jian Chou’s mind was empty.

She slowly raised her eyes, starting from the bottom of the Second Heavens Tablet, looking up bit by bit.

Carved here were name after name—they might have fallen, become legends, or still be shining brilliantly…

All these names flashed quickly past wherever Jian Chou’s gaze fell.

Finally, she raised her head higher and higher, her vision moving higher and higher.

Looking up.

The moment she saw the topmost name, Jian Chou felt the ice shards in her blood were about to burst forth!

Then they quieted, stopped moving, and even slowly began to dissipate.

All along the way, Jian Chou had been thinking whether that amazingly talented Kunwu disciple who achieved Foundation Establishment in ten days might be Xie Buchen. This question had pressed on her heart like a huge stone, and now this doubt was suddenly resolved.

Warm temperature began to spread through her limbs and body again.

Xie Buchen.

As if the heaviest stone in her heart had finally fallen to the ground, as if the heaviest hatred in her heart had taken root.

Jian Chou let them grow freely.

Each stroke carved on the Second Heavens Tablet was like being carved on her scarred heart.

She stood here, humbly looking up at that former husband, watching his name carved high at the top, unreachably distant.

Such a strange name, almost unrecognizable.

Someone sighed: “The Second Heavens Tablet is the highest, the strongest Foundation Establishment cultivator. Now he can be considered the number one below Golden Core!”

Number one below Golden Core, Xie Buchen.

Hearing this, Jian Chou slowly curved her lips in a smile.

“Master, let’s go.”

She said lightly, her gaze following these towering Nine Heavens Tablets, the nine stone pillars seeming to reach heaven, arranged in order, with the final ninth Reaching Heaven tablet seemingly piercing the clouds.

One, two, three…

First level, second level, third level…

The Nine Heavens Tablets—Xie Buchen had only reached the second level.

Today, she saw his name like this. She wondered—when he saw her name in the future, what would he think?

She slowly withdrew her gaze, only thinking: The path of cultivation is still very long.