May I seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, and live a long and prosperous life.

A day later, Li Heng left the Poison Dragon Pool and arrived at a teahouse in Maple City.

He went to the corner as usual and ordered a cup of tea, a plate of peanuts, and a plate of pastries.

After advancing to the Celestial Realm, he didn't have much time left in the mortal world, so he cherished his current life all the more.

Suddenly, he noticed that there were turbulent clouds above Maple City, and an old man with white hair was standing in mid-air.

The old man transmitted his voice: "Now that you have broken through to the Celestial Realm, come to see me immediately. I am the enforcer of this mortal realm."

Li Heng dared not delay, immediately took to the air, flew to the old man's side, clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Greetings, senior."

The white-haired old man looked Li Heng up and down a few times, nodded, and said, "You must be the newly promoted Celestial Realm expert. Your foundation is quite solid. The commotion you made during your breakthrough is the largest I've ever seen. Hehe, now that you've broken through to the Celestial Realm, you must already know the three major rules."

"I have already received your message," Li Heng nodded.

"Good to know. You have one year. After that, you must leave this mortal realm and head to the immortal islands overseas. Once you get there, you will understand everything. You will then realize that the Celestial Realm is just the beginning, and your journey is long. This is a map of the immortal islands; keep it safe. Alright, I have delivered the message. Kid, see you on the immortal islands then."

After speaking, the white-haired old man flew eastward and eventually disappeared into the horizon.

Holding the map, Li Heng murmured, "The Celestial Realm is just a new starting point? Immortal islands overseas? Could it be that there really are legends of immortals in this world?"

"However, for me, gaining power is the most important thing. Others cultivate immortality for longevity, but I seek the method to protect my path!"

......

Sunrise and sunset, spring comes and autumn goes, and another year has passed.

The current state of Chu is now in the twenty-sixth year of the reign of Emperor Yan Ning.

The State of Chu was powerful, and Emperor Yan Ning was already over fifty years old, while General Ye Zhou and Grand Tutor Li Hui were over seventy. They both requested to resign from their official posts and retire to their hometowns.

Emperor Yan Ning tried to persuade him to stay, but to no avail, and finally approved the request.

Before leaving, Emperor Yan Ning bestowed many gifts upon the two men to express his gratitude for their assistance.

The two men were able to escape unscathed, and after their deaths they will be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the Temple of Worthies.

Emperor Yan Ning was also very diligent in his duties and strict with himself. He was very frugal in his food, clothing and daily necessities and did not allow any waste.

Furthermore, strict governance of officials and high salaries were implemented to encourage integrity, resulting in very few instances of corruption among officials.

Today, the country is truly peaceful and prosperous, the political situation is clean and transparent, and there are signs of a golden age.

In the countryside, people no longer pick up lost items on the road, and they praise the arrival of good days every day. Some even compare this dynasty with the reign of Emperor Xiangqing, saying that the difference is like heaven and earth. Thus, they exclaimed: "I would rather be a dog of Emperor Yanning than a person of Emperor Xiangqing."

The greatest contributor to the recovery of lost territories was undoubtedly Emperor Ye, and the people have not forgotten Li Heng's contributions.

Today, statues of the Night Emperor can be seen everywhere in the country. He has become a spiritual sustenance for the people of Chu. The people have elevated Li Heng to a divine status. No matter what they ask for, they always have to go to the Night Emperor's statue to pray in order to feel at ease.

In the past twenty-six years, the martial arts world of Chu has also shown a flourishing of diverse styles.

What a golden age!

There's a saying in the martial arts world: "Grandmasters are everywhere, but a first-rank martial artist is no better than a dog."

Meanwhile, Grandmaster-level martial artists are emerging in large numbers, with many talented Grandmasters appearing in droves, shining brightly in this era, each leading the way for two or three years.

They aspire to achieve great things and create unparalleled feats, just like the Night Emperor!

Li Heng walked on the streets of Chu. The streets were crowded with people, and the faces of the people were full of happy smiles, unlike the pale, dark-skinned, and numb expressions of the people during the reign of Emperor Xiangqing.

Having witnessed the prosperity of the State of Chu, his greatest wish had been fulfilled, and he could now set sail with peace of mind.

A few days later, he arrived at the easternmost estuary of the State of Chu, bought a small boat there, and on a sunny day, he jumped onto the boat and headed east towards the rising sun.

"Goodbye, Chu, my homeland!"

......

Two months later.

Li Heng, piloting his small boat and following the map given to him by the white-haired old man, braved wind and rain, and was finally nearing his destination.

Before him lay an island shrouded in mist, appearing quite mysterious.

So Li Heng quickly steered the small boat toward the shore.

After Li Heng landed, several young cultivators suddenly emerged from the island. They were all dressed in white robes with their hair in buns and approached Li Heng.

The leader bowed to Li Heng and asked, "Are you a newly promoted Celestial Realm cultivator?"

Li Heng also cupped his hands and said, "Yes, I've come to report for duty."

"Okay, come with me, I'll take you to complete the registration first."

The young cultivator at the head of the group led the way, taking Li Heng to a large hall on the island.

Upon entering the main hall, they arrived at a room where an elderly man with white hair and dressed in blue robes was sitting cross-legged on the bed. He was the same immortal island enforcer who had come to guide him earlier.

"Enforcer Feng, the person has been brought here," the young cultivator said respectfully, bowing to the old man.

The white-haired old man in blue robes opened his eyes, glanced at Li Heng, nodded, and said, "Very good, you can go now, there's nothing more to do here."

Then, the white-haired old man looked at Li Heng and got straight to the point:

"Young man, what's your name?"

At this time, Li Heng appeared to be in his forties, so it was normal for the white-haired old man to call him a young man.

"My name is Li Heng."

The white-haired old man nodded and continued:

"I am Feng Xuzi, one of the enforcers on the Immortal Island. You must have many questions. No problem, I will answer them for you."

"First, let me explain the Celestial Realm to you. In your mortal world, the realm that surpasses the Grandmaster is called the Celestial Realm. In our cultivation world, the Celestial Realm has another name, called the Qi Refining Stage, which is also the starting point of our cultivation. The Qi Refining Stage has twelve levels, and you are currently only a Qi Refining Stage 1 cultivator."

"Then, the world we live in now is called the Fengwu Mortal Realm. There are a great many mortal realms. Our Qingming Immortal Cultivation Realm has already explored no fewer than 100,000 mortal realms. Our mortal realm belongs to our Qingming Immortal Cultivation Realm."

Next, let me introduce you to our Qingming Cultivation World. There are many cultivation worlds, and our Qingming Cultivation World is considered to be in the upper-middle range. Each cultivation world governs tens of thousands of mortal worlds. However, there are occasional conflicts between cultivation worlds, but that's not something we need to worry about.

Upon hearing this information that he rarely had access to, Li Heng was extremely shocked. He had previously thought he was invincible, but he never expected that the Celestial Realm was just the lowest level of existence in their cultivation world.

"May I ask, senior, what realm does one advance to after reaching the Qi Refining stage?" Li Heng asked respectfully.

Feng Xuzi was very satisfied with Li Heng's attitude, so he replied:

"Hehe, don't be too ambitious, kid. But it's nothing to tell you. This is basic common sense in our cultivation world: above Qi Refining is Foundation Establishment, above Foundation Establishment is Golden Core, and above Golden Core is Nascent Soul."

"The Nascent Soul stage is extraordinary; it's a top-tier existence in our Qingming cultivation world, rarely seen. Any sect with a Nascent Soul ancestor can be considered a first-rate force in the Qingming cultivation world."