I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

"This is a map showing the distribution of the three major sects, thirteen superior sects, and all other named forces in Nanzhou. It also contains a list of some old friends I made in Nanzhou when I was young. If you encounter any trouble, you can go to them."

Qin Yuan accepted the jade slip and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you, Sect Leader."

The Qingwei Sect Leader waved his hand.

"No need to thank me. You are a disciple of the Taiyi Sect, and when you come to Nanzhou, you represent the Taiyi Sect. Just don't bring shame to the sect."

Qin Yuan said, "This disciple will remember."

He got up, ready to leave.

"Qin Yuan".

Qin Yuan stopped.

The voice of the Qingwei Sect Leader came from behind.

"When I was young, I was just like you, thinking that Qingzhou was too small and wanting to go to Nanzhou to see a bigger world. But when I got there, I realized that Nanzhou was indeed big, but so big that it was suffocating."

He paused.

"I spent three hundred years in Nanzhou before finally choosing to return. It wasn't out of fear, but because I discovered that some things can be accomplished without having to be done in Nanzhou."

Qin Yuan remained silent for a moment.

"Is the sect leader trying to persuade his disciple to stay?"

"No." Sect Leader Qingwei shook his head. "I am only telling you that no matter how far you go in Nanzhou, Taiyi Sect will always be your way out."

Qin Yuan turned around and bowed deeply.

"Your disciple will remember this."

He pushed open the door and went out.

The door to the quiet room slowly closed behind him.

Qin Yuan stood outside the door, gazing at the undulating mountains in the distance and the rising sun above them.

Nanzhou.

he came.

Three days later, outside the gate of Taiyi Immortal Sect.

Liu Suifeng, Wu Zhan, Wen Yuan, Zhao Zheng and others came to see him off.

Liu Suifeng patted Qin Yuan on the shoulder and laughed, "When you get to Nanzhou, don't forget about us brothers. Come back and visit when you have the chance."

Qin Yuan nodded: "Yes."

Wu Zhan clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Junior Brother Qin, take care."

Wen Yuan, unusually, didn't joke around, but solemnly said, "Come back alive."

Zhao Zheng's eyes were a little red, and he said in a muffled voice, "Senior Brother Qin, I... I will definitely work hard in my cultivation and strive to go to Nanzhou to find you as soon as possible!"

Qin Yuan patted his head without saying a word.

His gaze swept past the crowd, looking towards a more distant place.

There, a slender figure was slowly walking towards them.

Lin Qing'er.

She wore a light green dress, and her hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin, just like she did three years ago when she saw him off at Xuan Yuan Sect.

The difference is that her eyes no longer hold the confusion and forbearance of those years.

Clear, firm, bright.

She walked up to Qin Yuan and stopped.

"Brother Qin Yuan."

Qin Yuan looked at her.

"Um."

Lin Qing'er took a deep breath, took out a small brocade pouch from her bosom, and handed it to him.

"I embroidered this myself. Inside is a seed from the Green Wood Sect—I picked it from the old plum tree in my cultivation courtyard. Take it to Nanzhou and plant it there."

She raised her head and looked directly into Qin Yuan's eyes.

"I will come to find you when it blooms."

Qin Yuan took the brocade pouch and held it in his palm.

"it is good."

He said.

"I'm waiting for you."

Lin Qing'er smiled.

That smile was just as bright as it was three years ago, but with an added touch of determination.

Qin Yuan glanced at her one last time, then turned and stepped onto his flying sword.

The sword light shot into the sky, transforming into a streak of light that disappeared into the horizon.

Lin Qing'er stood in front of the mountain gate, gazing up at it for a long time.

Liu Suifeng and the others stood quietly, watching the sword light disappear into the distance.

a long time.

Lin Qing'er withdrew her gaze, turned around, and walked towards the direction of the Green Wood Sect.

She walked faster than she had when she arrived.

Because she knew that she would have to walk the road ahead alone.

But she wasn't afraid.

Because at the end of the road, someone was waiting for her.

The sword light pierced through the sea of ​​clouds for three days.

Qin Yuan sat cross-legged atop the Taiyi Sword, his body enveloped in a layer of pale golden protective aura, shielding him from the fierce winds and chill of the high altitude. Below stretched endless mountains and rivers, with the occasional outline of a few cities flashing by, but none were large in scale, clearly still within Qingzhou territory.

Until dusk on the third day.

The sea of ​​clouds ahead suddenly thinned, and a colossal city, so majestic it defied description, slowly came into view.

Qin Yuan's pupils contracted slightly.

Is that a city?

Spanning at least a thousand miles, the city walls soared into the clouds, constructed entirely of some kind of dark blue-green megaliths that gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen in the setting sun. Every hundred feet along the walls stood a tower, its tops shimmering with spiritual light, clearly nodes of some kind of defensive formation.

The city is crisscrossed by mountains, lakes, and rivers. Countless buildings are built against the mountains and beside the water, stretching layer upon layer to the horizon. At the very center stands a colossal tower thousands of feet high, its entire body transparent, reflecting a rainbow of colors in the setting sun, like a crystal sword piercing the sky.

And above the city—

Qin Yuan looked up, his gaze serious.

A pale blue light shield enveloped the entire city. The shield was as thin as a cicada's wing, yet it exuded a chilling pressure. Runes flickered and flowed across the surface of the shield from time to time, each rune so complex that it was difficult to decipher, revealing an ancient and profound aura.

The city's protective formation.

Moreover, it is a super city-protecting formation with a Dao Integration stage expert as the core, incorporating at least nine top-level formations, and capable of withstanding a single attack from a Mahayana stage expert.

Qin Yuan took a deep breath, suppressed the sword light, and flew towards the city gate.

Wind Spirit City.

The seventh-ranked large cultivator city in the Southern Continent, and the headquarters of the Wind Spirit Merchant Guild.

At the city gate, crowds thronged.

Qin Yuan landed on the plaza a hundred feet in front of the city gate, sheathed his magic sword, and walked forward with the flow of people. As he walked, he silently observed the crowd around him.

The Nascent Soul stage is everywhere.

The Nascent Soul stage can be reached in three steps.

Refining the Void Stage——

His eyes flickered slightly.

Not far ahead, a burly man carrying a giant sword strode towards the city gate, his aura as solid as a mountain, clearly a mid-stage Void Refinement cultivator. In the group to the left, a young scholar in a white Confucian robe, holding a folding fan, walked leisurely, seemingly frail, but Qin Yuan's divine sense detected a terrifying spiritual power hidden within him, enough to crush an ordinary late-stage Void Refinement cultivator.

On the right, a woman in red slowly approached riding a fiery red beast. The woman had a beautiful face and her eyes were languid. The beast she rode was actually a Crimson Flame Qilin Beast at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

Qin Yuan withdrew his divine sense and continued forward without making a sound.

This is Nanzhou.

Refining to the Void is worse than being a dog; Transforming to the Spirit is everywhere.

His strength, which was enough to make him stand out among his peers in Qingzhou, was merely "entry-level" here.

But there was no fear in his eyes; instead, a hint of excitement ignited within them.

The bigger the stage, the more interesting it is.

There were guards at the city gate checking identities.

The guards were all at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, dressed in uniform blue armor, and expressionlessly scrutinized each person entering the city. When it was Qin Yuan's turn, the leading guard glanced at him, his gaze lingering for a moment on the black jade token at his waist.

"A Daoist disciple of the Taiyi Immortal Sect?" The guard's tone changed slightly, becoming somewhat polite. "The Taiyi Immortal Sect of Qingzhou?"

Qin Yuan nodded.

A hint of surprise flashed in the guard's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and waved for them to pass.

"Entry fee is one hundred high-grade spirit stones. Private fighting is prohibited within the city. Violators will be expelled from the city, and those with serious offenses will be killed on the spot. The rules are on the sign; please read them yourself."

Qin Yuan paid the spirit stones and stepped through the city gate.

The moment I entered the city, a rich spiritual energy rushed towards me.