Sect Leader! Please strengthen our Dao Sect!

Shen Shanshui had never inquired about Qian Duoduo's background, nor did he particularly care. However, judging from the guy's arrogant reaction now, his family must have considerable influence in Jiangling City.

Apart from He Wenzheng and Qian Duoduo, as well as Tang Yan and Shen Lingxi who had been there once before, the other disciples had shallow backgrounds and had never been to Jiangling City. They were very excited about this trip.

Qian Duoduo went on and on, describing to everyone how prosperous Jiangling City was and how many cultivators were everywhere.

Shen Shanshui did not criticize or discipline his disciples for their excitement, believing that young people should be full of vigor.

As the treasure ship set sail and slowly departed Qingyang County, the young disciples grew increasingly expectant.

Compared to the excitement of the others, He Wenzheng seemed much quieter. He walked to the ship's railing alone, gazing into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

"Wenzheng, is something on your mind?"

Shen Shanshui walked slowly to He Wenzheng's side, a smile on her face, and asked softly.

"Master..."

He Wenzheng bowed in greeting as usual, but his thoughts were still wandering elsewhere.

After more than a year of cultivation, He Wenzheng had become much stronger and no longer looked like the frail scholar he once was.

The bulging muscles on his body not only make him look robust, but also give him a sense of composure and restraint.

"If you have something on your mind, you can talk to your teacher about it. It's not a good thing to always keep it to yourself."

Of course, if it's inconvenient, then there's no need to.

Shen Shanshui cares about his disciples' physical and mental well-being, but he never forces them to pry into their privacy. Everyone has their own secrets and things they don't want to talk about. Even if, as their master, Shen Shanshui could decide their life or death with a single word under the laws of the Immortal Dynasty, he would not do so.

He Wenzheng never expected that Shen Shanshui would be so open-minded.

The hierarchy in the Immortal Dynasty was extremely rigid. As an elder and a Foundation Establishment True Person, Shen Shanshui possessed power and status that ordinary people could hardly imagine.

Just as Shen Shanshui treated Li Kaishan with a normal attitude, seeing nothing of importance, the other party became obsessed with him, praising Shanshui Daoren to everyone he met.

Therefore, in He Wenzheng's view, Shen Shanshui was completely different from the other major cultivators and did not have a sense of aloofness or superiority.

"Master, your disciple... actually ran away secretly."

As He Wenzheng spoke, he couldn't help but glance at Qian Duoduo, who was talking boastfully in the distance.

"Qian Duoduo's situation is probably similar to mine. I'm worried that going to Jiangling City will cause trouble for Master."

"Wenzheng, your ability to think deeply is both your strength and your weakness. The most important thing for cultivators is to have clear and unobstructed thoughts. If I cared about your backgrounds, why would I have accepted you as disciples? Why do you need to overthink things?"

Shen Shanshui chuckled and shook his head, then patted the other person's shoulder to comfort him.

Once outside Jiangnan Prefecture, Shen Shanshui dared not speak. But if it was limited to within Jiangnan Prefecture, and if Shen Shanshui couldn't even protect his own disciples, then it was only right that the Tianyi Sect would decline.

Shen Shanshui spent most of his time in this world cultivating diligently and was unwilling to easily get involved in karma, but he never regretted what he had done.

Otherwise, Tang Yan, such a big problem, would have been kicked out of the mountain gate long ago.

……

……

On the third day after the treasure ship left Qingyang County, it was still a day's journey from Jiangling City.

More and more disciples from the immortal sects boarded the ship, but Shen Shanshui discovered that most of the instructors and elders leading the groups only had the strength of the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining, and there were no Foundation Establishment cultivators like him yet.

Logically speaking, the bet made by the Dragon Lord's Mansion was not just about a magical treasure, but also about the face of all human cultivators in the Jiangnan Prefecture.

Even if those immortal sects are just trying to appease everyone, they should at least send one or two Foundation Establishment cultivators to show off their status.

Before long, Shen Shanshui's doubts were answered.

As a disciple on the treasure ship cried out in alarm, a massive, sky-covering shadow hurtled rapidly from afar!

Roar!

The thunderous roars of the monstrous beasts echoed across both banks of the Cangnan River.

The giant bird-like monster's flapping wings created a fierce wind that stirred up huge waves on the once calm river, causing the treasure ship, which had been sailing steadily, to rock from side to side.

"It's the Azure Feathered Sparrow, the sacred beast of the Tai Xuan Immortal Sect! There's even someone standing on it!"

Such a high-profile commotion quickly attracted the attention of countless people, who exclaimed in surprise and were filled with envy.

"Tsk... Tai Xuan Immortal Sect is one of the top three immortal sects in Jiangnan Prefecture. I heard that there are no less than ten Foundation Establishment True Persons in the sect!"

Even this celestial beast is only at the Foundation Establishment stage; its foundation is terrifyingly powerful!

"Haha... those despicable demon cultivators are probably going to suffer this time."

I've heard that the current Daoist prodigy of the Tai Xuan Immortal Sect was about to break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining, but after hearing about the bet, he chose to postpone his breakthrough, just to dampen the arrogance of those demon cultivators!

"I've also heard that several major immortal sects are taking this bet very seriously. Not only the Tai Xuan Immortal Sect, but also the Langya Sword Pavilion, the Liuyun Sect... all the top young talents from these major immortal sects will be coming."

We're in for a treat! It's sure to be a battle of the titans!

"Jiangnan Prefecture has been peaceful for over a hundred years, and it has been a long time since such a grand event has occurred."

The last major battle of wits that stirred up endless storms was over a hundred years ago; now it can only be heard about from elders, and one can only imagine what a grand spectacle it must have been.

The cultivators on the treasure ship, whether young disciples or the teaching elders leading the group, were all quite excited.

Shen Shanshui looked up at the giant bird flying by and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness in his heart.

No wonder we haven't encountered a single cultivator of the same realm along the way. This is the kind of grandeur a cultivator from a major immortal sect should have when they make their entrance!

Over the next half day, they encountered several more groups of powerful immortal beasts passing by, as well as some ethereal immortal sects flying by on swords.

Shen Shanshui's disciples were almost all stunned, and even he himself felt somewhat embarrassed.

"Looks like we really need to be more careful about our pomp and circumstance in the future."

Shen Shanshui reflected on himself, realizing that if he wanted to attract more promising young immortals to join the Dao Sect in the future, he couldn't be too weak in terms of momentum.

If you can't catch a Foundation Establishment Immortal Beast, catching a high-level Qi Refining Immortal Beast will do to save face.

Just as Shen Shanshui was pondering, he decided to ask Liu Jiujiang and Wu Lianshan where he could obtain the celestial beast after this matter was over.

A completely different kind of pressure came rapidly from afar.

Shen Shanshui frowned slightly as he looked at the dark figure rapidly approaching from afar.

Before the figure even arrived, a fierce gale struck first, tearing apart the treasure ship's defensive array almost instantly.

Even the hull of the treasure ship was impacted, making a creaking sound.

Huge waves surged on the river, and some young cultivators who couldn't stand steadily were about to fall into the river. Fortunately, they all had elders with them, so only a few actually fell into the water.

……