Zixiao Mountain, at the summit.

"Are you sure you don’t need anyone to accompany you? Although Zhang Zhizhen, Ji Yunzhou, and the others are currently abroad, we can temporarily recall them. Or, we could ask Chen Qingmu from the Secret Protection Bureau to go with you."

"You must be aware of how your influence within the world’s systems of individual power has changed since you published the Instinct Theory. Moreover, this is a visit to Beisha Country, and the implications are enormous. Even though we’ve taken strict measures to keep this information confidential, the Starry Sky Country has likely still obtained some intelligence and will take countermeasures."

"They, along with the Celestial Organization hiding in the shadows, will absolutely not stand by and watch you successfully reach Beisha Country. They will do everything in their power to stop you."

"The dangers you’ll face on this journey will likely far exceed your imagination."

the Chief Commissioner said to Zhou Yuanjue.

"Of course, I know all this. That’s why I suggested traveling separately from the delegation. I’ll act alone. Firstly, it will be easier to conceal my movements. Secondly, even if I encounter danger, I’m confident in my current ability to handle it."

"Besides, how can you be sure that the Starry Sky Country and the Celestial Organization won’t stir up trouble here at home again if I take key combatants with me?"

"I don’t want the favorable situation we’ve just created to be destroyed by their schemes. The most important thing right now is stability at home. We can’t afford chaos. If another incident, one even bigger than the Nanjiang incident, were to occur, it would be a major problem."

Zhou Yuanjue said, his expression calm.

Hearing Zhou Yuanjue’s words, the Chief Commissioner fell silent.

He knew that Zhou Yuanjue was speaking the truth. As things stood, Donghua still had too few top-tier powerhouses.

"I agree with your plan. However, if they truly intend to move against you, they will likely dispatch someone at the Seven Mo Luo Level. Even if you travel alone and in hiding, we can’t rule out the possibility that they possess some unusual ability to track specific targets. So, you must be extremely careful."

"To the entire Martial Arts Realm, to the entire country, and even to the entire human race, you are irreplaceable."

"So, come back safely."

the Chief Commissioner said solemnly.

"I will."

Zhou Yuanjue nodded. He looked up at the brilliant stars in the sky, his eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke.

"Besides, I’m very different now from who I was before. In fact, I’m rather looking forward to seeing what happens when I cross paths with the Seven Mo Luo again."

...

...

Donghua accepted Beisha Country’s invitation for a secret visit. A high-profile delegation, to be personally led by the director of the Donghua Foreign Affairs Bureau, was scheduled to depart for Beisha in one week.

But as this news was released, unbeknownst to anyone, Zhou Yuanjue had already set out alone on his journey north to Beisha.

On a long-distance train from Shangjing Prefecture to Moscow, the capital of Beisha Country, in the soft sleeper section.

In an age of extremely convenient transportation, from a long-distance travel perspective, trains were gradually being phased out.

This was especially true for this particular train, which boasted what could be called the longest route in the world.

The journey from Shangjing Prefecture to Moscow covered 7,700 kilometers and took six days, whereas a flight would take only one.

Even more absurdly, a train ticket cost 4,000 yuan, while a plane ticket was only 2,000...

Yet, despite all this, the train had never lacked for passengers over the years. The people who rode this train were no longer traveling simply to reach a destination; they were there for the scenery along the way.

This train crossed more than half a continent, passing through several countries and offering views of grasslands, the Gobi Desert, glaciers, snow-capped mountains, wastelands, and jungles...

Humanity doesn’t exist in this world merely for cold, hard objectives. We chase beauty, savor romance, and cherish every encounter in our fleeting lives.

For many, crossing seven thousand kilometers, measuring out this vast land one kilometer at a time, was a unique and romantic kind of adventure.

In one of the soft sleeper compartments, on the lower bunk against the left wall, a young man who was about 1.75 meters tall, with an unremarkable face that made him look like an ordinary university student, was leaning back against the wall. His eyes were tightly closed, and he was as still as if he were asleep.

On the other three bunks in the compartment sat two young women and one young man. The man was on the bunk above the ordinary-looking university student, and the two women occupied the upper and lower bunks across from them.

These three knew each other; they were all painting majors from the Shangjing Art Academy. They were riding this train for two reasons: one was to experience a nostalgic, romantic journey, and the other was to let the beautiful scenery along the way stimulate their minds and spark inspiration.

To put it bluntly, they were here for a combination of tourism and artistic fieldwork.

At that moment, the three of them held sketchpads, watching the scenery flash by the window as the train moved, as if trying to capture a fleeting spark of inspiration.

Unfortunately, inspiration is something that cannot be forced. Lin Feng’Er sketched for a while, but felt that everything she drew was garbage. Frustrated, she tore the sheet from her pad. She then glanced over at her male classmate, Deng Jun, and saw that his drawing was about as good as hers. A relieved smile couldn’t help but appear on her face.

’At least I’m not the only one who sucks...’

But when she turned to look at the drawing of the other girl—who was slender, with long hair tied back, wearing a white dress, and had a quiet, simple beauty and thin-rimmed glasses—she was stunned.

Vibrant colors, masterful technique... the hazy scenery flashing past the window appeared and disappeared, as if what one saw through the glass wasn’t a landscape, but a beautiful Dream Realm.

"Tan Ying!! Your drawing is amazing! You really are a top student!! The gap between us is huge!"

"Ah, I knew I shouldn’t have dragged a top student like you along on a sketching trip. It’s so discouraging."

Lin Feng’Er lamented.

RIP!!

However, no sooner had she spoken than the sound of tearing paper filled the air. Tan Ying shook her head, tore the page from her own pad, and casually crumpled it into a ball.

"What are you doing?!"

Lin Feng’Er and Deng Jun both stared at her, confused.

"This painting isn’t good enough."

Tan Ying’s voice was as gentle as her appearance.

"What’s not good enough about it?"

the other two asked, bewildered. Tan Ying’s artwork was so much better than theirs. How could it not be good enough?

"It has no soul, no feeling. No matter how exquisite the technique, it’s useless."

Tan Ying said with a sigh. What she had always been searching for was a way to pour the stirrings of her soul into her art.

Because she believed that only then could one be called a true artist.

"You’re too hard on yourself."

Deng Jun remarked with a sigh.

After that, the three began to chat idly about gossip at the art academy, the international exhibitions, painting techniques, and the massive changes happening in Donghua and around the world.

At first, Lin Feng’Er and Deng Jun assumed that Tan Ying, who was so dedicated to her painting, wouldn’t be interested in things like the Martial Dao and war. To their surprise, Tan Ying knew even more about these topics than they did. She had even read the entire Instinct Theory.

"I never would’ve thought you’d be interested in the Martial Arts Realm. It really doesn’t seem like you."

Lin Feng’Er said, clicking her tongue in amazement.

"I wasn’t interested at first. I was just drawn in by a single sentence."

"Use Spirit to command the body; use the finite to reach the infinite."

"I think painting is the same principle. We need to drive our brushes with spirit and emotion, to let our hands, which possess only instinct, wield the complex feelings and thoughts of our spirit."

"To reveal an infinite spiritual world within the limits of technique, composition, and color—that is the true essence of painting."

"And that is precisely what I am pursuing. Principal Zhou said that martial arts are a tool to help one understand the self. Painting, art, and philosophy are the same. If it were possible, I’d really like to try practicing martial arts. It might be a great help to me."

"Principal Zhou’s philosophy isn’t limited to the Martial Dao. It’s helpful for any discipline that requires the participation of the spirit."

Tan Ying said slowly.

"I’m surprised that someone with your personality would actually become a fangirl."

Deng Jun said jokingly.

"That’s not it. I don’t idolize celebrities, and I won’t become anyone’s fangirl. Once a rational individual falls into the folly of the collective, they become a blind follower, losing the ability to make rational judgments and allowing instinctive desires to govern their actions and emotions. To me, that’s a terrifying thing."

"I don’t worship any single person. I only revere great ideas."

Tan Ying said with a smile.

"Ahem, let’s not talk about such profound things..."

Lin Feng’Er scratched her head. ’My academic scores just barely scraped past the admission line back then. Don’t talk to me about such deep stuff, I can’t keep up...’

To avoid the awkwardness, Lin Feng’Er turned her gaze to the ordinary university student who had been resting with his eyes closed the whole time.

They all knew his name was Zhou Hong, as everyone had introduced themselves when they boarded. After all, on a long journey, the romance isn’t just in the scenery, but also in the people you meet and the conversations you have.

Unfortunately, this Zhou Hong fellow seemed a bit withdrawn. He hadn’t said much since boarding the train and never joined their discussions. He would only offer a couple of words when they occasionally addressed him directly.

"Hey, don’t you guys think this Zhou Hong is a little weird? I mean, it’s been three days since we got on, and he’s basically been in the same position the whole time, right? He doesn’t talk, he doesn’t look at the scenery... what’s the point of him even being on this train?"

Lin Feng’Er whispered, gossiping with the other two.

"It’s more than that," Deng Jun whispered in agreement. "I’ve been paying attention. In all these days, I’ve hardly seen him eat or drink anything. It seems like he just nibbles on something that looks like a chocolate bar every day. I haven’t seen him go to the restroom much, either. The guy’s really strange."

"Alright, stop talking about him behind his back. He has his own habits, and he isn’t causing us any trouble. It’s not nice."

Tan Ying said softly. Beneath her glasses, her bright eyes looked at the ordinary university student named Zhou Hong. For some reason, she felt he had a unique sort of aura about him.

If someone were to ask why she felt that way, it was probably just a woman’s intuition.