Qu Ling Prefecture.

Inside a somewhat gloomy and luxurious teahouse on the top floor of Tianju Pavilion.

Yinyue Zhenren sat cross-legged, facing Tiancan and Li Cheng颐.

A faint sound of hustle and bustle wafted in from outside the window, and a subtle aroma of cooking oil drifted into the hall, causing Yinyue to unconsciously sniff his nose.

"It smells good. I wonder who's stir-frying chili eggs, Ade." He tapped the table.

"Here." A black-clad Daoist suddenly appeared beside him, bowing and whispering.

"Go and ask them for a bit to taste," Yinyue blinked.

"Yes." Ade seemed used to such requests, not at all surprised.

Li Cheng颐 glanced at Tiancan, who seemed to take it all in stride, remaining calm and seated.

"It seems my teacher's nature has changed a lot in all these years," he sighed.

"It's been thousands of years. What do you expect? As they say, a day in heaven is a year on earth. Several millennia have passed here. The Shao Yin Kingdom is ancient history. The Daliang Empire rules everything now. The old days of warring kingdoms are long gone," Tiancan said softly.

"What about the others?" Li Cheng颐 asked.

The last time he came back, Qiuming was gone. This time…

"Yunshan disappeared. He entered a dead zone and suddenly vanished. The cause is unknown. We could only find some of his remaining limbs." Tiancan was much more composed than before.

Just like Yinyue, he seemed like a different person.

"He crossed the river and went to a higher place. Now, it's just me and a few newcomers here." Tiancan picked up his tea and took a sip.

"But it looks like you'll be joining them soon. This place is too small to hold you."

"If you were a bit more ambitious, you could have gone to a higher level long ago. Would you still be here envying and being jealous?" Yinyue said, speechless.

His personality was much more easygoing than before.

His gaze shifted, landing on Li Cheng颐.

"The flow of time is extremely fast here. One trip out and you return after a thousand years. It's not just you, everyone else is the same. Don't worry about it."

He paused.

"I've come to terms with things in recent years. Some things are destined, and you can't force them. If it's yours, you can't escape it."

He seemed to imply something.

"Teacher, I hope to continue following you and continue my cultivation upon my return this time," Li Cheng颐 said earnestly, bowing.

"What's the point of following me? I'm just an ordinary old Daoist in the pavilion, only a resident Daoist guarding the department." Yinyue shook his head. "I'm very happy you're back, but I can't let your future be delayed because of it."

He reached out and tapped the table with his finger. Immediately, a black letter with gold trim appeared beneath his fingertip.

"This is the qualification letter I obtained. Your cultivation has reached the True Fire realm. You can truly enter a higher position, instead of wasting your time here like this unambitious old Daoist." Yinyue smiled.

"Teacher, although you haven't taught me much, I've always regarded you as my…" Li Cheng颐 was interrupted by Yinyue raising his hand.

"Don't talk about that nonsense. I didn't teach you much at all. You've improved through your own exploration and effort. I'm well aware of that. But you must seize this opportunity. If you accept this qualification letter, you can step into the Zhen Bu (True Department) of my Tianju Pavilion in one go," Yinyue sighed, a hint of nostalgia flashing in his eyes.

"Let me give you a few pointers here. My Tianju Pavilion is divided into several major sections. From bottom to top, they are the Shou Bu (Guard Department), Zhen Bu (True Department), Sheng Bu (Saint Department), Duowei Ta (Multi-dimensional Tower), and Zong Bu (Headquarters). Each department is a transformative boundary. Once you enter, you'll be vastly different from those below."

"Aren't we all cultivating the Yin Canon? Why is there such a huge difference?" Li Cheng颐 asked, puzzled.

"Indeed, we all cultivate the Yin Canon, but you should know about forbidden knowledge, right?" Yinyue Zhenren replied. "There's also a fixed number of forbidden knowledge systems within the Yin Canon. Only when you truly reach a certain position are you qualified to inherit the major systems and integrate them into the Yin Canon. This is the unique inheritance of my Tianju Pavilion, the only one in the world."

Li Cheng颐 was shocked.

Forbidden knowledge possesses uniqueness. Perhaps omniscience can circumvent it, but for ordinary people, it's knowledge that can only be known and comprehended by oneself, and cannot be passed on to a second person.

And within the Tianju Pavilion, there are systematic forbidden knowledge, which is obviously… either self-created, or…

After all, as long as you kill the master, you can seize and inherit their forbidden knowledge.

"Forbidden knowledge is related to achievements at higher realms. The number of paths is fixed, limited. If others go first, you'll lose out. If you go first, others will lose the opportunity. Only when you fail will a position open up," Yinyue said with some emotion.

"So, I need to compete?" Li Cheng颐 asked.

"That's right," Yinyue nodded. "After competing, you must eliminate all other masters who threaten you, even if they only possess a little fragment. Only then can you obtain complete systematic knowledge."

He paused. "When I was studying in the Zhen Bu, I failed to compete with my opponent. But you're different. You're so young and your strength has reached the True Fire realm. You have a greater chance than I did."

"Maybe our lineage will produce a saint," Tiancan said with a smile.

"Saint?" Li Cheng頤 heard the title for the first time. He had only heard it in stories in his previous life.

"It's difficult. It must be the first time you've heard of this title, right?" Yinyue laughed. He waved his hand. "Saints can transcend Divine Fire and step into a new level, integrating everything into a single point, converging all selves, breaking away from cause and effect, and not being bound by lifespan. They are indestructible, one with the universe."

"Sounds strong." Li Cheng颐 compared it with his memories of saints from his previous life, feeling that the two seemed similar.

"It is very strong. At the realm of a saint, ordinary small worlds can be destroyed with a wave of the hand. Any action that mentions their name will attract their attention. Below the saint position, all attacks and damage will be nullified. Only attacks that can shake the very foundations of their existence can cause them harm," Yinyue sighed.

"Most importantly, achieving sainthood requires the cultivation of an entire saint-level forbidden knowledge system. So, this is your opportunity." He continued to look at Li Cheng颐 with anticipation.

"Then… what do I have to pay to obtain this qualification?" Li Cheng颐 naturally didn't believe that the qualification letter was being given to him for free.

"That's what I find strange," Yinyue shook his head, looking at Li Cheng颐 with a strange expression.

"You can obtain it without any payment. In theory, you need to accumulate a lot of merit to apply for it. But you're getting it for free."

"I asked my former senior sister, and the reply I received was that someone has already paid your price for you." Yinyue stroked his beard, seemingly trying to find the reason on Li Cheng頤's face.

Li Cheng颐 also looked puzzled.

But since there were benefits, he would take them first. If even a sect of Tianju Pavilion's level could cause trouble, then it wasn't something he could handle.

The two teachers and disciples chatted for a while. Finally, Tiancan interjected, mentioning Chen Jiahan.

"The person you're looking for is very interesting. I've found his specific location. If you want to know more, it's best to go see for yourself," Tiancan said with a smile.

Li Cheng颐 was thoughtful. Judging by his expression, Chen Jiahan wasn't doing too badly here.

As evening approached, he got up to leave, but instead of returning to his residence, he sensed the direction of the Huayu Zhu (Flower Language Pearl) and immediately performed a Reverse Trace.

A few seconds later.

Inside a rocky wasteland in Midraan.

A black light flickered, quickly stabilizing.

The black light dissipated. Li Cheng颐, with silver hair and a strong physique, slowly walked out of the aura, looking around.

The sky was gray, the earth was gray and white, and the surrounding dry trees were gnarled and leafless.

Stones of varying sizes were scattered everywhere on the ground, and there was a faint sound of flowing water between the stones.

"Chen Jiahan, come see me immediately." Li Cheng颐 quickly spread his voice out with his consciousness.

A breeze blew, and wisps of smoke, red smoke, slowly rose from the cracks in the ground.

Whoosh!

A blood-red figure instantly appeared beside Li Cheng颐.

The figure wore a silver-white mask, revealing only his eyes. His hair was wildly flung back, and he wore a blood-red fitted leather armor. His arms and wrists were adorned with golden rings, the purpose of which was unknown.

"Lord?" A hoarse voice came from the figure.

He gently took off his mask, revealing an old and stern man's face.

It was Chen Jiahan, who had aged significantly!

His originally handsome face was now old and haggard. Thousands of years had passed, and he had lived in this world for too long, so long that he had almost forgotten some of his memories of Earth and Moon.

"You're still alive…" Li Cheng颐 sensed the aura of the Yuanyin (Primal Seal).

Turning around, he gazed at this subordinate whom he had once forgotten.

The aura of inscriptions on his body was strong, and there were actually not just one, but two!

"Not bad… it's good that you still recognize me," Li Cheng颐 said in a deep voice.

"This subordinate will never forget you, Lord. It's just a pity that the pursuit of martial arts here has reached its limit. And the martial arts I practice, two seals is the limit," Chen Jiahan said complexly. He had long since transitioned from True Qi to Bloodline Martial Artist, reaching the limit of this world.

With his aptitude, to go further, he would have to go to Midraan's tentacles, or need a lot of resources to break through.

"Help me do one thing, and then I'll help you break through your limits," Li Cheng颐 said.

"This subordinate will definitely do anything for you, Lord!" Chen Jiahan had cultivated bitterly here for many years, only to realize the limitations of this place and the difficulty of improving his strength.

Hearing this, his eyes immediately revealed great joy.

Two years later.

A piece of wasteland near Qu Ling Prefecture was contracted. Under the protection of Li Cheng颐, the Yin God, Chen Jiahan officially began to build a new Forever Botanical Garden.

The botanical garden in the city was moved to the wasteland outside, and a large number of *Platanus orientalis* trees were also transplanted.

At this level, it was just a matter of Li Cheng颐 wanting to absorb Flower Qi.

The Flower Qi needed to build the first building, the Tower of Wisdom, was easily replenished during the flowering season of the following year.

Next was just Evil Intent.

He also used long-distance Shadow Flash to return to Mosha once.

The large number of Consciousness Seeds there were his lighthouse coordinates in the Black Sea.

Evil Intent was also quickly replenished successfully.

Finally, it was time to select the summoning location.

And at this time, Yinyue informed him that the True Person from the Zhen Bu had arrived to pick him up, and he was to go to the Twilight Garden in one of Midraan's tentacles.

The tentacle was called Jie Xu (Boundary Whisker), and it was where he had been forced to flee last time.

(End of chapter)