The White Ape was somewhat conflicted, but still nodded resolutely.

After taking out the Sword Manual, Lin Fang studied it carefully and discovered that it was merely a superior martial arts manual of the Mortal World, which was of little use to him in his practice of cultivation, akin to a chicken rib. Nonetheless, he looked at the White Ape in astonishment. To be able to cultivate Sword Qi with such a manual, the White Ape’s innate talent must be extremely high.

"You also know that I am not a true swordsman," Lin Fang said with a smile as he handed the manual back. "The Sword Manual is wasted on me. It would be better for you to keep it and eventually pass it on to the descendants of Ancient Sword One."

The White Ape was somewhat puzzled and pointed at his body, saying, "Me, not human."

"I’m not human either!"

The White Ape looked at Lin Fang incredulously, walking around his body a few times, seeing that Lin Fang appeared to be a genuine member of the Human Clan.

Lin Fang couldn’t help but smile wryly. The White Ape, due to its solitude and proximity to the Realm of the Human Clan, had never seen a monster and was naïve, thus unaware of cultivation matters, relying purely on instinct.

Lin Fang then subtly altered his form, and his eyes instantly turned ice-cold, sending a shiver down the White Ape’s spine—it was the gaze of a snake.

"Why?" the White Ape asked in surprise, not understanding why a person could change like that.

With a thought from Lin Fang, three Little Monsters suddenly appeared in front of the White Ape. Seeing their forms, the White Ape felt a sense of kinship, as if he were of the same kind as them.

"Tell him about some of the conditions of monsters," Lin Fang said with a smile.

Afterward, he picked up the inner cultivation methods left by Ancient Sword One to read. Although inner strength wasn’t Ancient Sword One’s specialty, what he practiced was among the best. Lin Fang had always been curious about the difference between inner cultivation methods and cultivation methods.

After finishing the read, he inevitably felt a bit disappointed. He had hoped to find wisdom in the methods of others, yet discovered that the inner strength described was the most basic form of Refining essence to transform qi. Because of this, martial practitioners needed a substantial amount of food to supplement their training, and they had to consume various medicines regularly to improve their cultivation.

By chance, the White Ape and the three Little Monsters had just finished their interaction.

By this time, the White Ape was extremely excited. He suddenly realized how vast the world was—there were mountains beyond mountains. He understood now that he must be a monster and that what Lin Fang used was called spells, and his innate behaviors were the legendary practice of cultivation.

Seeing the White Ape’s expression, Lin Fang smiled and said, "Would you like to join us and see the world? You’ve heard that the Buddhist Sect is constantly expanding its territory. Sooner or later, this valley where you live won’t stay peaceful."

The White Ape looked reluctantly at the valley, the place where he had lived for a long time. By nature, he didn’t want to leave, but the thought of the thrilling world outside stirred his emotions. Such a vast Heaven and Earth was bound to have formidable swordsmen.

He wanted to compete with them, to vie with the Sword Immortals mentioned by the Little Monsters, to take the place of Ancient Sword One and seek the Supreme Sword Way.

Eventually, he nodded firmly and said softly, "I want to go and fulfill his wish," pointing at the lonely grave.

Lin Fang nodded with a smile, successfully enticing the White Ape. It would have been a waste to bury such a sword dao talent.

Several days later, at the gates of the Chechi Kingdom, a group arrived. Leading them was a young man dressed in a Daoist robe, followed by a young boy who was still of tender age yet had a handsome and spirited appearance, a White-clad man with an icy demeanor, and at the back, two strong, imposing men with fierce auras.

The City Gate Official, seeing this party, naturally knew they were no ordinary people, especially the White-clad, sword-carrying man, whose body exuded a chilly breath that made the usually aggressive soldiers feel waves of coldness.

"Boss, these people seem to be extraordinary!" a soldier quietly whispered to the City Gate Official.

"Nonsense, anyone can see that!"

"Exactly, just standing there, I could feel the piercing Sword Intent emanating from that white-clad swordsman; he’s definitely one of the top-notch experts in the Jianghu," said a soldier with a sigh.

"Pfft, you, what do you know about Sword Intent?" someone said disbelievingly.

"That’s definitely Sword Intent. It makes one’s hair stand on end. It’s something only found in those peerless swordsmen," the soldier seemed to have a deep family tradition in martial arts.

"These past few days, it seems like there are a lot more of these martial artists," they remarked.

"You don’t know?" someone said in surprise.

"In a few days, it will be the time for the State Preceptors to take on disciples. Many of these martial artists are here to try their luck at becoming disciples. If one is fortunate enough to be accepted by the State Preceptors, that would be a tremendous stroke of luck. They’d rise to the heavens with ease, and might even become immortals."

"Do you think I should also go and take a stroll in front of the State Preceptor’s gate when the time comes? If I catch the master’s eye and he takes me as a disciple, that would be amazing."

No sooner had the person finished speaking than someone threw a tattered pillow at them.

"What do you mean by this?"

"Here, go to sleep; you can have anything you want in your dreams," they retorted.

Laughter erupted at the city gate, but Lin Fang revealed an interested smile and muttered to himself, "I see, the three State Preceptors, huh."

The three State Preceptors of Chechi Kingdom were naturally those three Great Immortals from ’Journey to the West’ who died fighting the Monkey. Surprisingly, they were willing to take disciples. Indeed, the original story mentioned they had many Taoists under them, but it was unknown how many had received their true teachings.

The group that stood talking was Lin Fang and his companions, and the peerless swordsman mentioned by the soldiers at the city gate was none other than the White Ape, transformed into a human form by Lin Fang.

At that moment, the White Ape stood still amidst the crowd, looking at the bustling streets, somewhat at a loss. Having been born and raised in the dense forests and having awakened his Spiritual Wisdom, he had until now lived secluded at the bottom of a mountain valley, together with Ancient Sword One. He had never before seen such a sight.

For a moment, he didn’t know what to do and just stood there, rooted to the spot.

Bashan Tiger and Yi Hailong, however, were entering a city in the Mortal World for the second time. They had long lost the fear of their first visit, and had already started excitedly wandering the streets.

Watching their figures, a wistful expression flashed across the White Ape’s face as he murmured to himself, "Is this the Mortal World he spoke of?"

"He" naturally referred to the now deceased Ancient Sword One. Back when they depended solely on each other, he would often hear Ancient Sword One talk about the Mortal World; unfortunately, at that time, he was too naive to understand the hidden melancholy in Ancient Sword One’s sighs.

Now, memories of the past surfaced, causing the White Ape—who aspired to become a peerless Sword Immortal—to be filled with sighs.

"Yes, this is the Mortal World, a land filled with desires," Lin Fang also exclaimed with a sigh.

He wasn’t afflicted with the White Ape’s emotions but just felt the world, brimming with desires, was unsettling to the soul. He also lamented that indeed, the Mortal World was not a good place for cultivation.