Chen Kuang pressed his hands fiercely on the empty zither, his face blank.

Qingpingzi... Lv Zhexiong?

From the name to the Dao title, both are identical, with no possibility of a duplicate.

Isn’t that Shen Xingzhu’s master? The Earth Spirit Daoist Monarch of the Mystic God Daoist Sect?

Two thousand three hundred years later, Shen Xingzhu might be the foremost below the third rank, but Lv Zhexiong is the foremost below the Saint.

However, compared to Shen Xingzhu, who rocketed to Grandmaster in just a few years, Lv Zhexiong’s journey was not smooth sailing, but rather quite tortuous.

For the cultivator, there are two major thresholds on the path of the Dao, which are also gates to increasing longevity.

One is the Twelve Stages of Ascending the Tower; after opening the Sea of Consciousness, one’s lifespan increases by eight hundred years, making one a true immortal in the eyes of ordinary people.

The second is the Grandmaster proving the Dao, achieving enlightenment between heaven and earth, living carefree for three thousand years, referring to the increase in lifespan to three thousand years after advancing to the Profound Profound Realm.

It is said that she succeeded in advancing both times only when her lifespan was nearing its end.

But precisely because of this, Lv Zhexiong’s cultivation and experience are solid and stable, absolutely taking each step firmly, and she carries significant prestige within the Mystic God Daoist Sect.

The master and disciple have almost completely opposite personalities.

Nevertheless, someone like Shen Xingzhu, a natural talent, is perhaps fortunate to be under Lv Zhexiong’s tutelage.

She already wields an unparalleled sword that illuminates this world; she doesn’t need anyone to teach her how to cultivate but needs someone to teach her how to be human.

Otherwise, if her character does not keep pace with her cultivation, she will eventually self-destruct in her arrogance.

Just like at the beginning in the Celestial Prison, Chen Kuang was able to easily break her Dao Heart due to her arrogance and rashness.

Without Chen Kuang, someday there might be others who become her stumbling blocks.

Yet... that is just a possibility, and a small one at that.

After all, others do not have Chen Kuang’s cheat-like ability to easily discern when Shen Xingzhu is lying.

Chen Kuang did not expect to meet Lv Zhexiong at this time.

By the reckoning of timelines, they indeed belong to the same era, but he did not expect that Lv Zhexiong had established a Dao field on a hill near Xi Mengquan’s home at this time.

Perhaps... this is the beginning of a grand era?

Chen Kuang remembers that at the end of the Daqi Dynasty’s demise, Lv Zhexiong added a sword’s worth of merit.

He just didn’t know she was acquainted with Xi Mengquan so early on.

Though by the looks of it, it seems she came for him...

Naturally, Chen Kuang cannot meet Lv Zhexiong with his true identity. Xi Mengquan’s attitude suggests that two thousand years later, he might be aware of this whole affair, but Lv Zhexiong does not know. If he were to meet Lv Zhexiong with his true identity, the butterfly effect would be severe.

He took out Fog Flower Forging, covered his eyes, and with a flick of his hand, the courtyard gate opened by itself.

Currently, to prevent Chen Kuang from bringing hatred upon himself, Xi Mengquan spent most of his time traveling outside, having also taken the Dragon Gum Zither, leaving only Chen Kuang at home.

Of course, he would never let Xi Mengquan have an easy journey.

He had long sent out Wu Man and others who had transformed to lie in wait on the road, collaborating with the Demon Race to trip Xi Mengquan and add a little "fun" to his journey.

—By now, Chen Kuang was capable of conjuring almost lifelike figures from the "In-Between".

This method, ever since realizing that Tie Baiyuan and Xiaohong were real, Chen Kuang had long wanted to try.

But unfortunately, back then his cultivation wasn’t enough, nor was the karma within the "In-Between" sufficient to support him in achieving this.

Now, he embraced the moon and vaguely glimpsed the sixth image of the Mud Golden Sculpting Technique—"Supreme Dao Fruit" a year ago, making it naturally straightforward.

This "Supreme Dao Fruit" had already come to mind five years ago after Chen Kuang sensed it upon slicing the sky with the Void-Slaying Sword.

Yet the "Supreme Dao Fruit" actually originates from a strand of Dao rhyme, "wisdom" from Buddha.

Nonetheless, there is a disparity between Dao rhymes.

Like the Dao rhyme left by "Martial Saint" on the Dao Transmission Stele, it is merely the shallowest Dao rhyme, only for observation and self-comprehension.

Whereas the "Feather" character and the Dao rhyme contained in this sixth image comprise a true heritage, a profoundly deep Dao rhyme, including various contemplations from the original owner, paving the path to Dao enlightenment directly.

In other words, if the "Dao" is a ship, this "Dao rhyme" is the ticket.

And now Chen Kuang already holds three different tickets.

Music, space-time, wisdom.

However, now Chen Kuang does not want to board any of these ships.

Should those who have sought their whole life, dying without even a trace of Dao rhyme know, they would likely want Chen Kuang dead...

But Chen Kuang is not acting on whim; without understanding the truth, he fears the ship might actually be a black ship.

When Lv Zhexiong first saw Chen Kuang, the youth immediately presented the perfect image of a Dao master in her mind.

The black-haired youth wearing white, with eyes covered, holding a stringless zither, floated down from the roof.

Endowed with three layers of Dao rhyme, neither Daoist nor Buddhist, it merged into an exceptionally profound and ethereal otherworldly presence, unlike that of the mundane.

The youth’s features were unclear; any impression formed would quickly vanish, and the covered eyes left one with regret.

Such an extraordinary aura, how remarkable must the eyes be to match?

Lv Zhexiong paused for a moment, unable to resist a spark of curiosity.

Yet more overwhelming was her surprise; she did not expect that such a master seemed to have no airs... Her visiting as a junior, though, would not seem odd even if the other party retained an aloof attitude.