"So that’s Qing City’s honorary Elder. He’s so young! And kind of handsome, too."

"I hear his Martial Arts are incredible—even better than Daoist Yun Hao’s. It’s a shame he doesn’t take on any disciples."

"Eh, no matter how strong he is, he’s still part of the Qingcheng Sword Sect."

A group of short-haired youths in Daoist Robes was walking up the mountain path. They spotted Zhao Rui’s figure from a distance and couldn’t help but start whispering.

This group wasn’t made up of official disciples of Qingcheng Mountain; they were people the Court had forced upon the sect.

They were all children of officials from various government departments.

Their families’ official ranks must not be that high, though. If they were, they’d have been sent to Emei Mountain, or at the very least, to the Tang Sect to learn about Hidden Weapons.

"Du Xin, what are you looking at!"

Just then, the group noticed one of the youths had his head down, nearly pressed against the steps, carefully inspecting the stone slabs.

"What is it?"

The other youths asked, their curiosity piqued.

"Everyone, stop moving!"

The youth, Du Xin, hurriedly shouted.

The group froze, their curiosity growing even more intense.

They heard Du Xin say, "Look closely. See where Elder Zhao walked? There are distinct patterns in the dust..."

Hearing this, the others looked curiously at the steps and, sure enough, saw what he meant.

"Could it be...!"

"Yes! Is it possible this is a Martial Arts Heart Method?"

Du Xin said, his gaze profound.

"Pfft, you’ve seen too many movies. How lame!"

The group burst out laughing. They paid him no more mind and continued straight up the steps.

"Hey, don’t step on them! You guys... Dammit!"

Du Xin scrambled to the front, trying to stop them from trampling the patterns.

But such is the nature of boys; the more you forbid something, the more they want to do it.

Whooping and hollering, the group of boys playfully trampled all over the patterns, scattering them into dust that drifted down the stone steps.

Du Xin’s eyes turned red with regret. ’Why did I have to say anything? I should have just memorized them in secret.’

He slumped onto the stone steps and sighed. "If you don’t cherish an opportunity for your Martial Dao, why even come to the mountain!"

Although he was the son of an official, he had been passionate about the Martial Dao since childhood and possessed the heart of a true warrior.

Unfortunately, his talent was merely average. Even though his family had hired numerous famous masters for him and he had studied profound Martial Arts, his progress was slow. To this day, he was only Level 7 in the Martial Dao.

This time, his family had pulled a lot of strings just to secure him a spot at Qingcheng Mountain.

They had instructed him to train hard, telling him that when the time was right, a life-changing opportunity would naturally present itself.

Many others in his group had come for that same opportunity and weren’t actually interested in Qing City’s Martial Arts.

Although he had no idea what this "right time" or "opportunity" was, he had been the most diligent in his training ever since arriving on the mountain.

’No, even if there’s only one pattern left, it’s enough for me to study!’

Du Xin’s eyes lit up, and he instantly started searching up and down the steps.

There were hundreds, if not thousands, of stone steps on the mountain path, and he searched them silently, committing what he found to memory.

He continued until a patrolling Daoist, noticing he was missing, found him and brought him back. Naturally, he earned himself a stern scolding.

He didn’t care, though. As soon as he returned to his quarters, he immediately began to write down the patterns he’d collected from memory, transcribing them into a notebook.

There were only seven patterns in total, but he treated them like priceless treasures and began to study them tirelessly.

Zhao Rui had no idea that the ripples in the dust, created when he had casually channeled his Sword Intent, had been noticed by a disciple who was now studying them with such focus.

Right now, he was in closed-door cultivation inside Longevity Cave, stabilizing his Cultivation and comprehending the changes of the Divine Void Realm.

He remained there for two full days and nights.

Two days later, Zhao Rui emerged from Longevity Cave. After meeting with Daoist Yu and giving him a few instructions, he packed his bags and returned to Jeju.

He wasn’t one of Qing City’s people, after all.

A wanderer abroad must always return home!

It was another high-speed train ride that lasted several hours. He arrived at the Jeju high-speed rail station in the afternoon as the sky was beginning to darken.

Back in Jeju, the familiar yet strange neon lights roused Zhao Rui’s heart from its quiet stillness.

He immediately called Qin Rui and the others, and they all had a great barbecue feast right outside the campus gate.

Tender lamb skewers, big grilled kidneys, oysters, some cold beer...

’The mortal world just feels more alive!’

"Miao Miaomiao went to the Taishan Sect. I have no idea what she was thinking. Isn’t that place full of Daoists?"

Li Xinran said, shaking her head slightly.

"The Taishan Sect doesn’t separate by gender; they have female Daoist priests too. Besides, she’s not going there to pursue Daoism, just to practice Martial Arts."

Zhao Rui explained briefly.

Given the precedent with the Qingcheng Sword Sect, he knew why Miao Miaomiao had gone.

’She’s also looking for an opportunity.’

This kind of opportunity wasn’t something an ordinary person could obtain.

"By the time she comes back, she’ll probably have advanced to the Grandmaster Realm,"

Qin Rui said, her expression a little downcast. She had already reached Level 9, but she felt the gap between her and Zhao Rui was only getting wider.

His power was becoming more and more unfathomable.

Perhaps only an unparalleled genius like Miao Miaomiao could even hope to keep up with his pace.

"You all should focus on your Cultivation, too. You’ll become Grandmasters one day."

Zhao Rui offered a few words of encouragement.

"We know. We can’t be the ones to hold you back, right?"

The group said with a laugh.

Just as they were speaking, Cao Guannan’s phone started ringing.

He quickly pulled out his phone. Seeing that it was a call from Coach Wang Zhanshan, he answered.

"The Northwest? Can I choose not to go?"

When he hung up, Cao Guannan’s expression was grim.

"What is it?" Li Xinran asked curiously.

"Coach Wang said the University Martial Arts Association is drafting elite members from various universities to go to the Northwest for a year of practical training."

Cao Guannan explained.

"Who else is going?"

"I don’t know. They must be calling everyone individually."

Cao Guannan shook his head.

"I’ll call and ask."

Seeing the situation, Zhao Rui pulled out his phone and called Wang Zhanshan.

"You’re back? Don’t tell me you’re with Cao Guannan, are you?"

Wang Zhanshan’s voice came through the moment the call connected.

"Yeah. What’s the deal with this trip to the Northwest? Is it mandatory?"

"Our Martial Arts Team was assigned three slots. It’s a political mission, so it’s not optional. Plus, it has to be Martial Artists who are Level 8 or Above."

"However, the higher-ups said there are benefits to going. For Martial Arts Students, it’s a rare chance for practical experience. There might even be some unexpected rewards."

"Can’t you switch..."

Before Zhao Rui could finish his sentence, Cao Guannan was already shaking his head at him.

"Switch with who? Wang Dalong and Cai Zhengyang both have to prepare for the National Martial Arts Tournament..."

"Got it. Have you eaten yet? Come have a drink."

"You’re only just now thinking of me? No sincerity at all. I ate ages ago. You guys have fun!"

"Alright."

Zhao Rui hung up the phone. He heard Cao Guannan say, "I think I’ll go. You can’t break through in the Martial Dao just by locking yourself away. I need to find my own opportunity, too."

"Stay safe!"

Seeing his resolve, Zhao Rui didn’t try to persuade him further. On the path of the Martial Dao, without the determination to forge ahead no matter what, one could never master any truly powerful Martial Arts.

"With you leaving, and Zhao Rui always pulling his disappearing acts, the Martial Arts Team will only have me and Xinran left!"

Qin Rui complained.

"It’s not like we don’t have phones. We’ll call each other all the time." Cao Guannan smiled and raised his glass. "Let’s drink! Drink up! Let’s live for today and worry about tomorrow when it comes!"

"Cheers!"

The four of them raised their beer mugs and drained them in one go.

Zhao Rui hadn’t expected that right after he got back, one of his friends would be leaving.

’The Great Northwest?’

’I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere...’

A glint flashed in Zhao Rui’s eyes as he suddenly remembered. ’That’s right, the Old Demon’s disciple fled from the Northwest.’

’Could it be... the Northwest?’

Zhao Rui’s mind began to race with possibilities.

He didn’t let his thoughts show, however, deciding to talk with Wang Zhanshan in more detail tomorrow.

The night passed uneventfully.

Early the next morning, Zhao Rui found Wang Zhanshan and shared his suspicions.

Wang Zhanshan gave a wry smile. "So, you already knew."

Then he added helplessly, "Do you know where Elder Ge is?"

"Don’t tell me he’s in the Great Northwest?"

Wang Zhanshan nodded.

"What’s it really like over there? Isn’t it just a bunch of the ’-stan’ countries? Why would they need so many Martial Artists?"

"There are no ’-stan’ countries there anymore!"

Wang Zhanshan’s words startled Zhao Rui. "What do you mean?" he asked, stunned.

"Exactly what it sounds like. I’ve never been there myself, so I don’t know the specifics. I just heard Elder Ge mention that the region has descended into chaos. The Court has deployed a massive number of troops, and even special forces units made up of Martial Artists have been mobilized."

Listening to Wang Zhanshan, Zhao Rui was secretly alarmed. ’It’s true,’ he thought. ’Beneath this peaceful, easy life, there are so many things ordinary people know nothing about.’

"You should prepare yourself, too. I suspect they’ll be calling on those in the Grandmaster Realm to go before long."