Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Capital city.

 The morning light broke through the heavy dark clouds, spilling rays of suns.h.i.+ne on the streets in the Imperial City. This made the streets seem like they're paved with gold.

 Clad in their traditional uniform complete with headwear, one by one, the new ministers headed toward Zijin Palace with grace and care.

 Tang Yimo followed Tang Xiansheng. The father and the son walked the streets that they did not know so well.

 Jiang Li donned his armor and was accompanied by Chi Lian.

 He was standing by the white jade rail in the Imperial City.

 With his red robe blowing, Jiang Li stood with his hands behind his back. He was observing the new ministers as they walked over the threshold and entered the hall silently.

 He saw Tang Xiansheng.

 Tang Xiansheng nodded at him from far away.

 And Jiang Li nodded back.

 The ministers all went into the hall.

 A eunuch's sharp, high voice broke the silence of the morning.

 One by one, the newly appointed ministers stood in two lines in the hall of Zijin Palace, fear and nervousness reflected in them. The great purge in the capital city was definitely terrifying. Too much blood was shed. The young emperor had become extremely cruel and high-handed. He would kill anyone who disagreed with him.

 Almost all of the ministers in the court were newly appointed.

 Sitting in the Dragon Throne, Yuwen Xiu squinted at the ministers who were present.

 Although those were all new faces, Yuwen Xiu was satisfied.

 A giant general walked out of the line of ministers and then bowed in front of the young emperor.

 He said, “Your Majesty, we received secret information from North County.”

 “Tantai Xuan from North County found a new Dragon Raising Site. He is leading his army there…”

 Sitting in the Dragon Throne, Yuwen Xiu narrowed his eyes.

 He did not answer this minister immediately. Gently stroking the armrest of the Dragon Throne, he looked to the other side where Tang Xiansheng was. The latter almost fell asleep standing up.

 “Minister Tang,” Yuwen Xiu said.

 Tang Xiansheng did not respond, so Yuwen Xiu raised his voice and called out again, and this finally woke up Tang Xiansheng.

 “North County found another Dragon Raising Site. Minister Tang, how do you think the Great Zhou should respond?” Yuwen Xiu asked in a plain voice, not annoyed.

 “North County has the Dragon Raising Site at Buzhou Peak, but that is an ill-fortuned place. Tantai Xuan lost 30,000 soldiers there, so we shouldn't worry about that particular Dragon Raising Site. But… I'm not sure about the new Dragon Raising Site.”

 “This new Dragon Raising Site might even aid North County rise to power,” Tang Xiansheng said seriously.

 “Yeah? So, Minister Tang, what do you think we should do?” Yuwen Xiu asked.

 “I think the Great Zhou should undertake a punitive expedition against North County!”

 “And grab the Dragon Raising Site found by Tantai Xuan, the Dragon Raising Site at Wentian Peak, Tai Mountains!”

 The old Tang Xiansheng suddenly showed a lot of guts.

 His answer shocked the entire court.

 To undertake a punitive expedition against North County?!

 The Great Zhou Dynasty was still recovering, so how would it undertake a punitive expedition against North County?

 “Your Majesty!”

 “A hundred thousand soldiers from us, South County, are already on the way. They'll function as a spearhead to help Great Zhou undertake the punitive expedition against North County and grab the Dragon Raising Site!”

 Tang Xiansheng bowed at Yuwen Xiu.

 “Oh? Minister Tang's 100,000 one soldiers?”

 Yuwen Xiu squinted.

 “No, it's Your Majesty's 100,000 soldiers!” Tang Xiansheng said seriously, lifting his head.

 “Your Majesty, please let General Jiang Li lead the army to undertake the punitive expedition against North County. The North County Army has Mo Beike as their advisor. General Jiang Li, the disciple of the Militarist of this generation, is the only person who can contain them. We can't let North County get this Dragon Raising Site. Otherwise, there might be an endless flow of disastrous aftermath!”

 Tang Xiansheng wanted General Jiang Li to take charge of the expedition?

 Yuwen Xiu had smelled that trouble seems to be brewing.

 However, at the thought of the Black Dragon Guard the current capital city had, Yuwen Xiu was tempted.

 If they could get another Dragon Raising Site, then it would be absolutely beneficial for the Great Zhou Dynasty, and they would be able to train more Black Dragon Guards.

 Also, Jiang Li was the guard's spiritual pillar in the capital city, but besides him, there was also Kong Nanfei. So, when it came to the capital city's defense, there was not much to worry about.

 If they were going to undertake a punitive expedition against North County, then they should do it as soon as possible. If they waited until Tantai Xuan had trained an army of cultivators, then it would be much more difficult to defeat him.

 Yuwen Xiu stopped stroking the armrest of the Dragon Throne.

 Finally, he released a deep breath.

 He made up his mind.

 Lake Island, Beiluo.

 Lu Fan put the chessboard and the chess pieces aside.

 Leaning on the back of the wheelchair close to the railing, he took a sip from the bronze liquor cup.

 Everything on Lake Island seemed quiet and peaceful.

 Ni Yu was trying to refine three-patterned Gathering Qi Elixirs.

 Meanwhile, by the lake, Jing Yue was practicing the sword method. He was so attached to his new sword that he could not stop practicing.

 Nie Shuang was walking along the periphery of the island with his mother. Supporting her by the arm, he was enjoying and pondering on the landscape of Lake Island.

 In the pavilion of White Jade City…

 The sound of tempering iron could be heard. Gongshu Yu was refining a tool.

 Since he promised to make a sword sheath for Jing Yue, he certainly would pour his heart and soul into creating it.

 Lu Fan took a sip of the wine once more. The wine left a distinctive sour taste in his mouth.

 Looking through the Dragon Gate, he saw the protracted battle in the central palace on the floating sky island.

 Nie Changqing, Ning Zhao, and the others were fighting against the ancient Internal Organs Realm cultivator. Lu Fan watched as they were in the heat of battle.

 In terms of strength, none of them was a match for this ancient Internal Organs Realm cultivator. Therefore, a long-drawn-out battle was the only option left for them to win. They were going to drain the Spirit Qi of the ancient Internal Organs Realm cultivator little by little.

 Only in this way, they might stand a chance.

 This was a kind of battle that would require time and patience. Soon enough, Lu Fan stopped watching.

 Xie Yunling seemed a little odd to Luo Yue, but he could not quite put his finger on it.

 Luo Yue did respect this philosopher from the era of the Hundred Schools of Philosophy. Although those philosophers represented the peak of an era, the Young Master had already surpa.s.sed all of them, so they did deserve his respect.

 “You want to see the Young Master?”

 At that moment, Luo Yue was not suspicious of him at all.

 After all, Xie Yunling's Daoist School was currently the Daoist Pavilion under White Jade City's command. It was not weird that he came to see Lu Fan.

 Luo Yue led Xie Yunling to Lake Island, along with several elite soldiers.

 Standing by the lake, Xie Yunling looked at Beiluo Lake, which was blanketed in a thick fog. A shrewd light flashed in his eyes.

 “Grotto-heavens and blissful lands. How rich the Spirit Qi here is!”

 “It's truly the main gate of the world's number one cultivation force. Great place,” Xie Yunling murmured.

 “Senior, what did you say?” Luo Yue asked, looking back, puzzled.

 Xie Yunling shook his head. His eyes were very bright as if they intended to look through the thick fog over Beiluo Lake.

 When Luo Yue found a wooden boat, Xie Yunling boarded the vessel. His Daoist robe was fluttering in the wind.

 The boat sailed slowly into the thick fog.

 Looking through the fog, he saw the amazing island in the middle of the lake.

 Standing on the wooden boat…

 Xie Yunling squinted while looking at Lake Island.

 He raised his hand in the shape of orchid fingers. He seemed to be feeling the energy fluctuation in the air.

 The corners of his lip slightly lifted after quite some time.

 “No energy of cultivators in the peak of the Foundation Building Realm. This Lu Ping'an from Beiluo, the so-called number one cultivator in the world, is not so great as I thought.”

 “Well, this is just a Low Level Martial World. What was I worried about?”

 With his eyes s.h.i.+ning, Xie Yunling smiled self-mockingly.

 Then…

 He took a step forward.

 “You…”

 Luo Yue looked at Xie Yunling, puzzled. Then he saw the latter jump from the wooden boat onto the lake's surface.

 The water rippled involuntarily.

 Suddenly, violent waves whipped up on the lake.

 He took one step after another. And the waves bigger and stronger, as if he was trying to work out a dreadful pressure and energy.

 Luo Yue turned pale.

 He realized something was wrong. Xie Yunling must have come to the island with evil intentions.

 “Is he going to challenge Young Master again?”

 Luo Yue's eyes narrowed.

 He raised his hand and unsheathed the knife he was carrying at the waist as a ringing metallic sound echoed on the lake.

 Xie Yunling seemed to have perceived Luo Yue's hostility.

 With a small smile, he pointed at Xie Yunling with his orchid fingers.

 Suddenly, Luo Yue's unsheathed knife was returned to its scabbard by a tremendous force that he could not resist.

 Smiling, Xie Yunling covered his mouth with his orchid fingers.

 Then he stopped paying attention to Luo Yue, who was totally stunned.

 Step by step, with his Daoist robe blowing, he walked toward Lake Island.

 Boom!

 Waves continued to roll on the lake.

 On Lake Island…

 Everyone turned pale.

 Lu Changkong, who was sitting cross-legged under the Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemums and cultivating and taking in wisps of Spirit Qi, got to his feet. With a serious look, he watched as Xie Yunling approach the island, leisurely walking on the surface of the water.

 Gongshu Yu walked out of the tool refining room.

 Looking at Xie Yunling walking toward the lake, he was astonished.

 “Old Xie, what are you doing?!” Gongshu Yu shouted.

 He was puzzled.

 However, Xie Yunling completely ignored him, treating him as if he was a stranger.

 They all felt Xie Yunling extremely oppressive.

 It was as if a powerful demon was about to cross the lake. Major disturbances have disrupted the still, quiet lake surface.

 On the second floor of White Jade City Pavilion…

 Lu Fan was near the railing. A breeze stirred his hair and white robe.

 “Ignore him. Focus on your own things.”

 Lu Fan's plain voice echoed in everyone's ears.

 This actually relieved from the tension they were all feeling.

 However, no one moved. They certainly would not stay calm and focus on their own things as Lu Fan told them to.

 Xie Yunling felt as if he was a different person.

 In his previous visit, he came with pity for the end of the old era and intended to do something to make up for it.

 But this time, he was totally hostile and aggressive.

 His visit felt like an invasion.

 “He is not Xie Yunling,” Lu Changkong said.

 Standing with his hands behind his back, Gongshu Yu nodded in agreement.

 “This isn't Old Xie's style. The energy doesn't feel like his, especially those orchid fingers…”

 Bang! Bang! Bang!

 As Xie Yunling got closer to the island, the waves kept getting bigger and bigger.

 His loud laugh accompanied by coquetry echoed on the island, giving everyone gooseb.u.mps.

 Sitting in his wheelchair, Lu Fan was looking at Xie Yunling with curiosity, intending to find out what had happened.

 “He was turned into a puppet?”

 Lu Fan guessed something.

 “A Low Level Martial World is indeed a Low Level Martial World. As the so-called number one cultivation power, as the famous number one cultivator, you turned out to be just a kid in Qi Condensation Realm. You haven't even reached Foundation Building Realm,” Xie Yunling said.

 After hearing this, everyone was puzzled, except for Lu Fan. They had no idea what he was talking about.

 They thought this man might have been dumb.

 However, Lu Fan knew what he was talking about.

 A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

 Qi Condensation Realm… Was it the same as Qi Core?

 So Foundation Building was the second realm for cultivators in Internal Organs?

 Lu Fan guessed.

 However, it was only his guess.

 And Xie Yunling—or the person who was controlling Xie Yunling—would provide answers to this puzzle.

 Seeing his words did not get any response, Xie Yunling slightly frowned.

 He stopped speaking. With his hand in the shape of orchid fingers, he sped up, leaving a shadow on the lake's surface. The water rippled, and he vanished.

 When the shadow showed up again, he was already on Lake Island.

 However, before Xie Yunling could steady himself up…

 A plain voice came from the second floor of White Jade City.

 “Did I say you could get on the island?”

 “Oh?”

 Xie Yunling's eyes narrowed.

 He saw Lu Fan in the wheelchair, taking a sip of green plum wine and gazing at him calmly.

 He was not even a little bit embarra.s.sed or disturbed by Xie Yunling's remarks on his accomplishments.

 “You…”

 Xie Yunling opened his mouth. He was going to say something.

 In the wheelchair…

 Lu Fan raised his hand to pull the wheelchair lightly.

 A silver ray of light suddenly appeared in the sky, tearing it open.

 Spinning at high speed, it whizzed across the air like a shooting star toward Xie Yunling.

 Xie Yunling roared in a low voice.

 With both hands in the shape of orchid fingers, he pushed forward. A gale started, forming an invisible barrier before him.

 Lu Fan's blade, slightly shaking, was suspended before Xie Yunling.

 “Huh…”

 Looking at the blade he just warded off, Xie Yunling burst out laughing.

 On the second floor of White Jade City Pavilion, Lu Fan shook his head with pity.

 This person made such a big effort to parry just one blade.

 “You are just a beginner in Internal Organs. How dare you be so arrogant…”

 “You kind of let me down,” Lu Fan said.

 Xie Yunling was stunned.

 Shouldn't it be the opposite?

 Who was arrogant?

 How dare a kid in Qi Condensation Realm say he was arrogant?

 “Qi Condensation Realm?”

 Lu Fan curled his lip.

 Taking a sip from the bronze cup, he threw Xie Yunling an indifferent glance…

 As if he had seen through Xie Yunling's soul and seen the black-robed man ten-odd miles away.

 “Who is in Qi Condensation Realm?”

 “Say it again if you are strong enough.”

 Lu Fan pulled the wheelchair again.

 One, two, three…

 When the armrest of the wheelchair came off, hundreds of silver rays of light spun in the sky as if that was a tumbling river composed of stars.

 Xie Yunling was astonished.

 The Spirit Pressure Chessboard before Lu Fan floated in the air.

 His white clothes were fluttering. He was holding his cup in one hand and a chess piece in the other.

 When he placed the chess piece on the Spirit Pressure Chessboard…

 A dreadful Spirit Qi burst forth.

 Boom!

 Instantly, the Spirit Pressure seemed to feel like a heavy mountain. Under the control of Lu Fan's Spiritual Sense, it was compressed into a tiny size, and then it was thrown over to Xie Yunling.

 Xie Yunling had just got onto the sh.o.r.e when he suddenly felt himself struck by an irresistible force, which felt like a ma.s.sive strike from a hammer. Dong! He became feeble and flopped onto the ground. His entire body was pressed against the ground.

 Lying on his stomach on the ground, Xie Yunling could not move at all.

 Hundreds of silver blades were floating overhead, aiming at every part of his body.

 Ten-odd miles away…

 The black-robed man hiding in the dark spit up blood; blood ran down from his nose. Startled, he took several steps back.

 Qi Condensation?

 What the heck!

 The native people in this world were cunning and deceitful!

 “That pressure can be compared to the pressure released by a cultivator in the peak of Foundation Building! Low Level Martial World? Who are you kidding?!”

 The black-robed man was totally terrified. Wiping the blood off his mouth and his nose, he was going to disconnect with Xie Yunling.

 Fortunately, he had been cautious enough to send a puppet to try Lu Fan.

 If it were his real body, he would have been dead by now.

 “Qi Condensation? No way. He might be in the peak of Foundation Building or even a freak in Golden Elixir Realm!”

 The black-robed man thumped his chest with his hand in the shape of orchid fingers.

 “This is a trap. This is a lie! They coaxed my Spiritual Sense duplicate here. There must be some evil intention… This world is only a Low Level Martial World, but there is a freak who might be in Golden Elixir Realm!”

 “What does that mean? It means all of the cultivation resources in this world is being invested in this single person! This…”

 “Well, he is a bada.s.s!”

 The black-robed man took a deep breath.

 He was going to disconnect with Xie Yunling.

 However, the next second…

 He turned pale.

 On Beiluo Lake…

 Xie Yunling's body floated in the air before Lu Fan, who was sitting on the second floor of the pavilion.

 A pale blue Spirit Qi thread flew out from the middle of Xie Yunling's forehead. It looked like a woolen thread.

 Lu Fan reached for this Spirit Qi thread.

 Then a smile lifted the corners of his lips. Numerous lines were jumping in his eyes.

 “Found it.”

 When that had been said…

 Lu Fan looked up quietly. He looked at somewhere on Beiluo Plain.

 He raised his hand…

 On Lake Island, numerous wisps of Spirit Qi swept over, gathering and boiling…

 Beiluo City was in an uproar.

 All civilians and soldiers looked up. They saw a giant palm emerge in the sky overhead.

 The giant palm, with all five fingers spread, quickly swat something just outside of Beiluo City.

 But that seemed not enough for Lu Fan.

 He put the bronze liquor cup down.

 Then he stroked the Phoenix Feather Sword gently with two fingers.

 As if a stream was producing a light metallic ringing sound, something burst into a flame in the darkness.

 And a loud and clear phoenix chime came. The Phoenix Feather Sword flew out like a red glowing light, following that giant palm made of Spirit Qi out of the city.

 Fifteen miles away from Beiluo City.

 On a big flat rock on the plain…

 A black-robed man with his hand in the shape of orchid fingers lifted his head in horror. However, he found…

 Over his head, all of a sudden…

 A giant palm made of Spirit Qi, on which every line was clearly visible, swatted him.