I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

The next morning, before the morning mist had completely dissipated, a large number of people had already gathered in the bluestone square.

Ji Tian's alchemy was perfect yesterday, with constant lightning in the alchemy room. If he hadn't used magic to prevent the noise from spreading, no one would have been able to sleep or meditate in peace.

He stood on the steps, his divine sense already detecting that Alex and Mason had packed their belongings and were walking along the stone path toward the square.

Lilith, having successfully completed her Foundation Establishment, was in high spirits today. Her long, silvery-white hair was neatly combed. Standing half a step behind Ji Tian, ​​she stood on tiptoe and waved to Alex and Mason.

For once, the red dragon didn't doze off. It lay down under the ancient pine tree, its vertical pupils half-closed. It glanced at the two young people and exhaled a stream of hot air from its nostrils, as if to say goodbye.

Shirley rode on the back of the big black dog, clutching half a piece of uneaten dry rations in her hand, her orange-gold eyes shining brightly in the morning light. Jenny stood beside her, carrying her ever-present iron sword, quietly gazing ahead.

Ophelia stood at the bottom of the steps, her short, silvery-white hair fluttering slightly in the morning breeze. She held a tortoise shell in her hand, muttering something to herself. After a moment, she put it away and nodded slightly.

Alice yawned and stumbled out of the side door, her hair still disheveled, clearly having just been dragged out of bed. Rubbing her eyes, she muttered, "So early...who is she giving this to...?"

Before she could finish speaking, her gaze fell on Mason in the center of the square, and her sleepiness vanished instantly.

"Mason?! Where are you going?"

Alice rushed over, grabbing Mason's sleeve, her face filled with disbelief. "You...you're going down the mountain? Why didn't you tell me?! How am I supposed to live without you?"

Mason was dizzy from being shaken by her, and he laughed as he held her hand down. "It was only decided yesterday. I didn't have time to tell you since I couldn't find you. Alex and I are going down the mountain for training, and while we're at it... to see the world."

Alice's voice rose several octaves, "Training? How long will that take? A month, six months, or a year?"

"I don't know, we'll see."

"Then, who's going to discuss the plot with me?! I've already come up with the outline for the new book: the female lead gets kidnapped by the villain, and the male lead single-handedly storms into the enemy camp, only to discover that the villain is his long-lost brother..."

I've been wanting to talk to someone about this! Who am I supposed to talk to now that you're gone? My second senior sister? All she'll say is "Mm," "Okay," or "You decide for yourself!"

Ophelia glanced at her expressionlessly and said nothing.

Mason chuckled, patted Alice on the shoulder, and comforted her:

"I'm going out to gather information. Once I'm there, I'll write down everything I see, hear, and think and send it back. When you receive that letter, it's as if I've discussed it with you, isn't it?"

Alice sniffed, still somewhat skeptical. "Really? You can really write letters?"

Mason smiled and nodded. "Of course."

Alex stood beside Mason, watching the scene with a smile, without urging him on.

Ji Tian walked down the steps, took out two small porcelain bottles from his sleeve, and handed them to Alex. "The red bottle contains healing pills, effective for both external and internal injuries. The bottle with the gold cap contains fasting pills; one pill can last for three days. Don't go hungry while you're out and about."

Alex accepted it with both hands, bowed solemnly, and said, "Thank you, Master."

Ji Tian glanced at him again, and finally just said, "You can contact me if you need anything."

"This disciple has remembered."

Mason also walked over from Alice, bowed to Ji Tian, ​​and said, "Master, we're leaving."

"Um."

Alex summoned his natal flying sword, which hovered half a foot off the ground, humming softly.

He leaped onto the sword and pulled Mason up with him.

Mason put his arm around his waist and turned to wave to the crowd.

Take care, everyone!

The flying sword slowly rose into the air, drawing a silvery-white arc in the morning light. Alex's sword-wielding posture became increasingly steady, and his robes fluttered in the wind.

Mason wrapped his arms around his waist, his fiery red hair flying behind him, gradually turning into a red dot in the sky.

Alice tilted her head back until the dot completely disappeared into the clouds, then lowered it, muttering, "You must write a letter..."

Ji Tian stood on the steps, watching the sword light disappear into the distance, when a thought suddenly came to mind.

The demon god is "doing subtraction to seek emptiness," separating himself from cause and effect, leaving only the game rules of "the hero fighting the demon king" to run automatically.

The Holy Sword is one of the most important pieces in this set of rules.

Every so often, the sacred mountain will give birth to a new holy sword, waiting for the next "hero" to pull it out.

When Alex returned to his sect on his dragon, he mentioned that the Holy Sword usually takes a year to mature, and only three months have passed since then.

"When the Holy Sword matures, I need to go and see for myself, and perhaps even pull it out to see what tricks are hidden behind these so-called rules of the game."

He looked away and temporarily suppressed the thought.

"Shirley."

Shirley, who was riding her bear and preparing to escape, asked in confusion, "Master, what's wrong?"

"How's your cultivation progress? Come, let me see."

Shirley jumped off the bear's back, walked up to Ji Tian, ​​grinned, and said, "Still the same, I'm too lazy to fix my spiritual power."

Ji Tian scanned with his divine sense and found that, as she said, the spiritual power in her body was still at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, but the power of her physical blood and qi was as vast as the sea, and there was a faint tendency to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

"Yes, but remember, we cultivators cannot have any obvious weaknesses."

Shirley had followed Ji Tian the longest and knew that he meant that one should not slack off in cultivating one's mental strength, so that one could go further and further on the path of "physical sainthood". So she smiled and nodded, then mounted the bear and rode away.

"Jenny."

Jenny stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said, "Master."

"Let me see your sword."

Jenny gripped the hilt and slowly drew her sword.

The sword was ordinary, without any runes, but a very faint, almost invisible blue light flowed across its blade.

That was sword intent.

Pure, understated, and without a trace of impurity.

Ji Tian nodded. "Mid-Foundation Establishment stage, your sword intent is indeed pure. Continue practicing, there's no need to rush to break through. When your sword intent reaches its peak, your cultivation will naturally follow."

Jenny sheathed her sword, bowed, and said, "Yes."

After saying that, she turned and walked towards the training ground.

Ji Tian's gaze fell on Ophelia, who was looking down at the tortoise shell in her hand, seemingly still divining something.

"Ophelia".

She raised her head, her icy blue eyes as calm as a lake.

"Your cultivation level is still at the peak of the Purple Mansion realm?"

"Yes, this disciple is seeking an opportunity to break through to the Golden Core stage."

Ji Tian didn't press further, only humming in response.

He never forced his second apprentice to break through; she had a talent for divination and could foresee her own path, so others did not need to interfere.

Finally, his gaze fell on Alice.

Alice was still grieving the loss of her best friend Mason and was squatting on the ground drawing circles with her finger.

Alice.

She sprang to her feet, shouting, "Yes!"

"You're almost at the peak of the Purple Mansion realm, aren't you? What are your next plans?"

Alice scratched her head, her eyes darting around. "I... I want to break through to the Golden Core stage! Master, could you protect me? I'm afraid I'll attract a lightning tribulation and be turned into roasted meat."

Ji Tian remained expressionless. "So you know you'll attract lightning."

"Of course! I'm the disciple who broke through the fastest in the sect." Alice puffed out her chest, hands on her hips, looking very proud.

Alice was indeed the fastest to break through in the sect, only a little slower than Ji Tian, ​​who had been struggling to reach the Golden Core stage, even though she already had a solid foundation as a magician when she was in the Eastern Duke's Mansion.

Fearing she would become arrogant, Ji Tian simply said, "Come find me when you're ready."

"Okay! Thank you, Master!"

She skipped and hopped away, her steps light and quick, as if the sad girl from just moments ago wasn't her at all.

Ji Tian stood on the steps, watching the disciples disperse.

"They've all grown up," he murmured, then turned and walked back to the main hall.

Lilith, who hadn't left, followed behind Ji Tian and asked:

"Ah? But Lilith hasn't grown up yet. How about Master refines some other pills to help Lilith grow? Like the Purple Mansion Pill, Golden Core Pill, Nascent Soul Pill..."