A hundred li outside Yuan City, on a desolate stretch of Gobi desert. A cultivator wearing silver armor, a mask, and plain clothes materialized out of thin air onto the desert floor. He looked around blankly, seemingly uncertain of his location. Judging by the sky, it was early morning. A thin mist blanketed the entire Gobi, obscuring anything more than a few hundred zhang away. Only the vague outline of a massive city could be discerned in the far distance. “Brought out to the outskirts of Xian Yuan City. This heavy fog is perfect; no need to worry about being spotted.”

Ye Qin paused, then felt a rush of relief. He recalled the sudden attack by a Rank Five Earth Tiger inside the Earth Palace and shook his head with a wry smile. He had been defeated too swiftly by that beast. At his Foundation Establishment Layer One strength, confronting a Rank Five Earth Tiger head-on was never a favorable match. Fortunately, the labyrinth was merely a place set up by ancient cultivators to test their junior disciples; otherwise, his chances of survival would have been slim.

However, the real reason for his swift defeat lay in the terrain. The pathways within the labyrinth were only three zhang wide, and the Earth Tiger’s two mid-tier spells—Earth Prison and Earth Bind—had completely immobilized him, leaving no room for resistance. Even unleashing all his magic artifacts wouldn't have been enough to withstand the Rank Five Earth Tiger. If he had been on the open, unrestricted Gobi surrounding Xian Yuan City, he could have simply flown high into the air, leaving the Earth Tiger nothing but glaring impotently from below. Then, it would have been his turn to annihilate the beast with spells from the sky, without question.

Ye Qin felt utterly helpless about this. The Earth Palace within the Xian Yuan Hall Labyrinth had defeated countless Foundation Establishment cultivators, but he was the only one who had been so thoroughly routed. He glanced toward Xian Yuan City, ready to hurry toward it, but hesitated, instead turning to look back toward the Nan Liang Kingdom behind him.

He now had two possible destinations. One was Xian Yuan City. Xian Yuan City housed tens of thousands of cultivators, making it an excellent habitation for the cultivation community. However, Ye Qin worried that Deputy Hall Master Wei of the Rogue Cultivator Alliance would scour the entire city looking for him. Whether it was the Unquenchable Extinction or the Treasure Gathering Gourd, both items left behind by ancient cultivators were enough to make Deputy Hall Master Wei obsessed and determined to track him down by any means necessary. If Deputy Hall Master Wei possessed any arcane abilities that could locate him, the situation would be dire.

The other option was the Nan Liang Kingdom, situated some distance from Xian Yuan City. This was a mortal nation, vast in territory, inhabited mostly by mortals, though there were some cultivator families scattered about. Their numbers, however, paled in comparison to Xian Yuan City.

After only a brief consideration, Ye Qin turned and sped toward the Nan Liang Kingdom. Simultaneously, he pulled out a Hundred Li Sound Transmission Talisman from his storage pouch and sent one to Senior Sister Yan Xuan, informing her that he had left Xian Yuan City and planned to depart, setting their next meeting point directly in the Qi Kingdom half a year later. In any case, traveling with her or alone made little difference; going alone was simply more convenient. For safety, he needed to put distance between himself and Xian Yuan City as quickly as possible to avoid being targeted by the Rogue Cultivator Alliance. The Alliance had operated in Xian Yuan City for too long, their influence deeply entrenched; he stood no chance against them within the city walls.

The Nan Liang Kingdom, however, was the territory of established cultivator families, and the Rogue Cultivator Alliance’s influence would find it difficult to penetrate there. He refused to believe the Alliance’s reach extended into Nan Liang.

Shortly after Ye Qin’s departure, several streams of colored sword light appeared around Xian Yuan City. Deputy Hall Master Wei, the tall and thin elderly cultivator, and the strapping man from the Di Que Sect—all high-level Foundation Establishment cultivators—wore expressions of dejection. They swept the Gobi on their swords, desperately searching for any sign of Ye Qin. Unfortunately, the dense fog rendered everything invisible, and they eventually had to fly back toward Xian Yuan City in frustration.

After leaving the labyrinth and failing to locate Ye Qin on the Gobi, Deputy Hall Master Wei was extremely reluctant to return to the city empty-handed. He immediately reported the incident in the labyrinth to the highest echelons of the Rogue Cultivator Alliance.

The fact that two artifacts left by ancient cultivators of Xian Yuan City had surfaced in the Xian Yuan Hall Labyrinth and were taken by an outsider of unknown origin was a rare occurrence, causing considerable stir in Xian Yuan City. This news even alerted a Golden Core Ancestor from the Rogue Cultivator Alliance who was currently in seclusion. The Golden Core cultivator deliberated for a long time before issuing orders: retrieve the two artifacts by any means necessary. If the opponent proved too powerful, they were to acquire the artifacts even if it required purchasing them with spirit stones.

The Rogue Cultivator Alliance swiftly mobilized a contingent of Foundation Establishment masters and began scrutinizing low-level Foundation Establishment cultivators entering and leaving the city, searching for any trace of the two artifacts. “Foundation Establishment Layer One, male cultivator.” There certainly wouldn't be many cultivators matching both these descriptors. Starting the search at inns and taverns would surely yield some clues. Of course, to protect the Alliance’s reputation, all these actions had to be conducted discreetly.

Ye Qin’s caution—fleeing immediately toward the Nan Liang Kingdom after exiting the labyrinth—completely thwarted the Rogue Cultivator Alliance’s plans, wasting a massive amount of manpower. Once he left Xian Yuan City, the Alliance lacked the capacity to pursue him effectively. After a period of commotion, they ultimately had to drop the matter.

Several days later, as evening approached, Ye Qin arrived at the capital of Qingzhou within the borders of the Nan Liang Kingdom without stopping, dusty and weary from his journey. He moved at a low altitude, utilizing the cover of darkness to bypass the city wall guards and vault directly into the city. With his current cultivation, flying in on his sword wouldn't have been an issue, but sword flight was too conspicuous and too likely to attract the attention of other cultivators. He was unfamiliar with the situation here in Nan Liang... If he attracted the attention of the Nan Liang cultivator families, it might lead to further complications. He thus abandoned using his immortal techniques and instead acted the part of a wandering swordsman, scaling the wall to enter the city. If anyone in the cultivation world learned that a dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator had resorted to something as petty as climbing a wall to enter a mortal city, he would surely become a laughingstock. However, Ye Qin never cared about such things; the method was irrelevant, as long as it worked for him.

Qingzhou in the Nan Liang Kingdom was fertile land, and with nearly a century of stability, it had become a prosperous major prefecture. Qingzhou City naturally boasted a large population, and its night market was almost always packed with crowds—small vendors, women of good standing, and young men posing as dandies, all milling about, dining, and frequenting wine houses. Ye Qin wandered through the city for quite some time, relishing a rare moment of leisure in a secular city. After browsing several of the most famous jade shops in the city, he headed to a high-class inn, intending to secure a quiet, private courtyard residence to rest. What frustrated him was the unexpected presence of numerous martial arts wanderers in Qingzhou City. Most of the luxury inns were fully occupied, with a large portion of the guests being members of the martial arts community. Ye Qin, having a background rooted in the Jianghu himself, was quite familiar with these types. Because of these wandering martial artists, he could hardly find a standalone courtyard.

“Esteemed guest, we have many visitors from outside Qingzhou lately. We have two superior rooms left, but the last private courtyard residence was booked this afternoon. Would you perhaps consider one of the superior rooms?”

At the Hong Inn, the attendant bowed deeply, displaying the inn’s signature enthusiastic smile toward Ye Qin. “Never mind, I’ll check other inns.”

Ye Qin shook his head slightly, preparing to leave. This was his seventh inn, and he still hadn't found suitable lodging. If he only needed to stay one night, a single standard room would suffice, but he had other matters to attend to in the evening, requiring a private courtyard to minimize disturbances.

“What’s going on?” Shopkeeper Wu of the Qing Inn, dressed in silk brocade and sporting a large belly, descended the stairs just as he saw the attendant failing to secure the guest. He immediately approached the attendant with a stern face. “Master Shopkeeper, that guest wanted to book a private courtyard, but our last one was already taken this afternoon,” the attendant replied with an apologetic smile, sounding helpless. He had desperately wanted to secure the business for an extra tip, but the inn simply lacked the necessary housing.

The Shopkeeper sized up Ye Qin, and his gaze suddenly brightened. Although the young man in green robes wore ordinary clothes, there was an ineffable, refined, and transcendent aura about him that inspired reverence in the heart.

One had to consider that the Nan Liang Kingdom held a deep reverence for the pursuit of immortality; nearly all Daoist temples and monasteries enjoyed flourishing incense offerings, with countless devotees worshipping various celestial beings. These temples even openly sold all manner of cultivation manuals, comprehensive and varied, priced at dozens or hundreds of silver taels per volume, encouraging devotees to practice. Of course, one shouldn't expect much authenticity from these money-making schemes. If anyone could achieve immortality through such manuals, it would truly mean their ancestors were extremely blessed.

Shopkeeper Wu of the Qing Hong Inn was no exception; he was a fervent devotee of the Daoist path, utterly pious. He made sure to visit every major and minor temple and monastery in Qingzhou City in rotation every year to feel at ease. He had encountered numerous so-called high-ranking Daoist priests and monks, yet never before had anyone radiated such an air of natural refinement and transcendence upon first meeting.

The Shopkeeper, being well-traveled, possessed a sharp eye. He privately speculated that this young man’s demeanor surpassed even that of several Daoist masters he had met; he likely possessed genuine insight into the path of seeking immortality. To have the opportunity to "exchange insights" on the Dao with such a person would be wonderful. Of course, the "exchange of Dao insights" he envisioned was merely polite conversation about the Dao, in no way related to actual cultivation.

Shopkeeper Wu could never have dreamed that his inn was hosting a genuine cultivator today, someone in no way comparable to the supposed masters in the city's temples who hadn't even broken through to the Qi Refining stage.

He quickly hurried after Ye Qin, who was about to leave the inn. To the astonishment of several attendants, he cupped his hands with extreme courtesy, his expression full of admiration, his tone unusually humble: “Esteemed guest, please wait a moment. My surname is Wu. We just leased out the small courtyard residence in our establishment. I shall see if I can find a way to ask those recent guests to be accommodating and surrender the courtyard.”

Shopkeeper Wu was determined to keep the young man there, even if it meant offending his other guests, all for the sake of exchanging insights on the Dao.

“Very well.”

Ye Qin was unaware of why the Shopkeeper was so eager to keep him there. He stopped, agreeing softly. If the Shopkeeper could persuade the other guests to vacate the courtyard, that would be ideal, saving him the trouble and time of searching the entire city for lodging.

Shopkeeper Wu personally led Ye Qin toward the small courtyard behind the inn. The Qing Hong Inn was considered one of the top ten luxury inns in Qingzhou City, boasting over ten unique and lavish private courtyard residences, accommodations too expensive for anyone but the wealthy. Ye Qin’s clothing was made of common fabric, making him indistinguishable from an ordinary person on the street. However, the Shopkeeper’s mind was entirely focused on the Dao of Immortality, so he never once considered whether Ye Qin could afford the price.