Having turned the scroll over many times, Ye Wen gathered no more insight, other than learning that this shoddy version of the Five-Colored Divine Light, before its five beams truly merged, were individually named the Geng Metal Divine Light, the Yi Wood Divine Light, the Li Fire Divine Light, the Kui Water Divine Light, and the Wu Earth Divine Light.

Based on the knowledge Ye Wen had gleaned from years of wide reading of Daoist canons, these five lights, when categorized by the Five Elements and Bagua, ought not to be named this way. However, upon seeing a tiny, minuscule annotation, he ceased pondering the issue. The annotation said nothing substantial, only a single line: The naming convention considers only aesthetic appeal, nothing else.

Since it was plainly stated that the naming was purely for pleasant sound, Ye Wen let go of his musings and continued his study.

He discovered that the Geng Metal Sword Qi was far more complex than the single example shown in the scroll, for in the Bagua, the two trigrams differentiating the Metal element also represented Heaven and Swamp. This implied that the Geng Metal Sword Qi would also possess these variations.

Although Ye Wen couldn't immediately conceive of the practical applications for these two trigram attributes, an example using the Yi Wood Divine Light made things much clearer.

In the Five Elements, the Wood attribute splits into the Zhen Wood and Xun Wood trigrams in the Bagua—one signifying Thunder and the other Wind. Anyone steeped in online literature and video games would instantly grasp what these two attributes implied: if Hua Yi managed to cultivate the Yi Wood Divine Light, she would simultaneously gain immunity to and the ability to freely wield the powers of both Wind and Thunder.

“Sigh, the more I read, the more envious I become.”

Setting the scroll aside, Ye Wen began contemplating his own Huantian Baojian (Primal Chaos Mirror). Within its ten layers of Jing Qi (Vigorous Energy), each layer represented a distinct attribute.

For instance, White Cloud Smoke represented Yang, while Rose Haze Ripple denoted the Earth following Fire; Kunlun represented Earth, and Azure Blood Ice represented Death; Purple Star River signified Substance.

Viewed superficially, one might not grasp the profound intricacies of the Huantian Baojian. But why must one start practicing from the first layer of its ten distinct Zhenqi (True Energies) to truly unlock its genuine power? The reason lay in the attributes of the latter five layers, which were diametrically opposed to the first five.

For example, the sixth layer, Dark Chaos, represented Yin, perfectly corresponding to the Yang of the first layer, White Cloud Smoke.

The harmony of Yin and Yang is the ultimate principle, and the ten layers of the Huantian Baojian embody this truth. The ten layers are paired in opposition, yet each pair simultaneously represents all things between Heaven and Earth, naturally rendering the technique incomparably marvelous and infinitely powerful.

Currently, Ye Wen had only mastered White Cloud Smoke and was practicing Rose Haze Ripple; the Purple Star River was temporarily shelved. As for the remaining core techniques, he hadn't even acquired the Sky Crystal for them, so naturally, he hadn't practiced them.

This meant Ye Wen had yet to reach even the third layer of mastery in the Huantian Baojian. Considering that the true power manifests only when the corresponding opposing energies are simultaneously cultivated, Ye Wen hadn't even tapped one-tenth of the Huantian Baojian's potential.

Reflecting on this realization offered him a small measure of satisfaction; the technique he practiced indeed possessed profound subtlety.

Furthermore, the concepts of Yin-Yang, Water-Fire, Heaven-Earth, Life-Death, and Substance-Void covered almost everything in existence. There was even a saying that these ten layers of Zhenqi, beyond these core oppositions, separately represented the myriad things in the world—such as clouds and mists, mountains and rivers, stars and constellations. This suggested that the Huantian Baojian held many more undiscovered secrets for him to slowly unearth.

“In the past, I was merely going by the book when practicing; I truly buried the magnificence of this miraculous art.”

However, upon second thought, given his current situation, merely following the manual was already straining his capacity. How could he possibly delve into the deeper intricacies of the technique? Thus, for the subsequent period, Ye Wen remained preoccupied with cultivating the Huantian Baojian. To research and develop his own insights was beyond his current capabilities.

Simultaneously, he passed the Geng Metal Divine Light technique from the Five-Colored Divine Light to Hua Yi (shamelessly claiming it as his own ingenious finding, promising her the next Divine Light technique once she mastered this one). He then chuckled as Hua Yi, overwhelmed with delight, pushed him down onto the waterbed.

Claiming she needed to properly thank him, Hua Yi exerted herself fully. After a whole night of exertion, Ye Wen couldn't help but let out several satisfied cries. The price for this pleasure, of course, was Ning Ruxue giving him the cold shoulder for the entire next day—her bedroom being right next door.

After a nervous, sheepish laugh, Ye Wen tried to ease the awkwardness by changing the subject: “I wonder how Junior Sister’s Azure Lotus Sword practice is coming along?”

Ning Ruxue didn't reply. Seeing they were alone, the normally plain brow between her eyes suddenly flashed with a cyan light, and a lifelike cyan lotus materialized above the Yintang acupoint on her forehead. Immediately after, a three-foot-long sword, shimmering with cyan light, began to circle around Ning Ruxue. Although the surging sword qi did not erupt, Ye Wen could clearly sense that this Azure Lotus Sword was fundamentally different from the one she wielded before; in terms of sheer power, they weren't even on the same level.

More significantly, Ning Ruxue was currently suspended above the ground, floating about a meter high, her long hair fluttering as if she were about to soar away at any moment. Combined with her already extraordinary beauty, anyone who saw her would likely kneel down and cry out, "An immortal maiden has descended!"

“Hmm… If she wore those old silken gowns, she would truly look like an immortal maiden.”

Presently, Ning Ruxue was clad in baggy sweatpants, women's athletic shoes, and an oversized sports jacket—looking more like a female physical education teacher at an ordinary school than any celestial being.

The Azure Lotus Sword circled her once or twice before settling obediently just above her shoulder, swaying up, down, left, and right, as if provocatively challenging Ye Wen.

He knew perfectly well this was intentional on Ning Ruxue's part. Likely, the commotion Ye Wen and Hua Yi caused last night had left his junior sister both embarrassed and angry, resulting in this display.

Smiling without a word, Ye Wen casually deployed a couple of Concealment Talismans. A purple light flashed above his head, and the Purple Heaven Sword shot out from above him, instantly lifting him into the air to hover alongside Ning Ruxue.

Neither spoke further. They slowly ascended toward the higher reaches of the sky. Initially, their ascent was gradual, but after a moment, they began accelerating rapidly. Soon after, the leisurely upward drift was replaced by an explosion of sword light, streaking across the sky in the blink of an eye, vanishing an unknown distance away.

Two beams of sword light—one cyan, one purple—danced and weaved across the heavens with no fixed path, suddenly veering left, then right, seemingly at random. Occasionally, the two lights would intertwine before flying forward together—but moments later, the cyan light would shudder, and the purple light would be flung aside like a poor wretch kicked off the bed by his wife.

If anyone could witness these two sword lights at this moment, they would see a cyan streak racing across the sky, followed closely by a purple gleam attempting to close the gap. However, the cyan light would suddenly change direction or execute a series of bizarre twists, seemingly evading the purple light’s persistent entanglement.

The actual situation mirrored the visual display. Ning Ruxue appeared to be deliberately pouting at Ye Wen, flying exceptionally fast on her sword light. Ye Wen had no idea how she cultivated her sword-riding technique; though her power was slightly inferior to his, her flying speed was not far behind. Though he was pushing his limits, he could only maintain roughly the same velocity as Ning Ruxue.

While Ye Wen could certainly surpass Ning Ruxue if he recklessly unleashed his full power without regard for the consequences, doing so would, he was certain, lead to a most miserable end. It was better to let his junior sister enjoy the flight ahead for a while; chasing her for a spell was no great matter.

Still, his junior sister clearly possessed remarkable talent in sword-riding. He had grasped the method of flying on a sword before her, yet in this contest, she held her own perfectly. Moreover, her maneuvers in turns and evasions were far more agile than his. Perhaps the foundation laid by her earlier lightness skill practice was paying off—her sword light moved as slickly as a small snake, impossible to catch.

Even Ye Wen’s sword light, after several refinements, was quite nimble, but when compared to Ning Ruxue, who specialized in agility, his light was characterized by grand momentum and swift straight-line dashes. If Ning Ruxue made a slight turn, she could easily restore the distance they had just managed to close.

After flying for a while, Ning Ruxue glanced back from within the cyan sword light. Seeing her senior brother still trailing about three meters behind, she stuck out her tongue in a playful grimace. The cyan light flashed again, and she shot forward even further—after flying for over an hour, Ning Ruxue had gained a fresh insight, and her cyan sword light sped up even more.

“Oh no, I’m about to be embarrassed!”

Realizing this, he knew he could no longer hold back. He fully circulated his Huntian Zhenqi. The sword light surrounding Ye Wen subtly shifted; atop the sharp, domineering radiance, a wisp of white mist seemed to rise, making his light appear less fiercely potent and more imbued with an ethereal quality.

Simultaneously, the sword light faintly radiated a scorching heat. But that wasn't all; as Ye Wen accelerated, his sword light began to faintly shimmer with specks of starlight. The purple radiance sliced through the air like a purple river of stars laid across the sky.

With Ye Wen exerting his full effort, he instantly caught up to the cyan sword light that had surged far ahead. Flying abreast with Ning Ruxue, Ye Wen made a face at his junior sister, leaving her utterly torn between laughter and tears, unsure how to respond.

In just that short time, all of Ning Ruxue's resentment vanished. The two slowly reduced their speed and began to admire the rare scenery before them.

Neither knew exactly how far they had traveled. Fortunately, they hadn't maintained a straight trajectory, weaving left and right unpredictably. They must still be somewhat near the Shu region. However, the sheer multitude of towering mountains and rugged peaks beneath them caused Ye Wen a slight start: “I wonder if we’ve flown into the Qinling Mountains or drifted into the Yun-Gui region.”

Both areas were characterized by many high peaks and deep valleys. Although Ye Wen had mastered sword-riding, he didn't have the leisure to soar about aimlessly all day. Thus, looking down from the sky, he couldn't immediately pinpoint their location, only guessing based on the density of mountains around Shu.

After scrutinizing the landscape with no clearer idea, Ye Wen decided they should land somewhere and ask for directions before returning quickly. For now, it was best to avoid entanglement with other cultivators.

Just as he was about to signal Ning Ruxue, he heard her sharp intake of breath. She pointed to a spot not far ahead and exclaimed, “Senior Brother… that spot looks a bit odd.”

Ye Wen followed the direction of her finger and probed the area with his divine sense, immediately detecting an abnormality. He hadn't noticed it earlier because he had been looking down, searching for signs of a city, whereas Ning Ruxue, focused purely on the scenery, had spotted the anomaly sooner.

“Shall we go take a look?”

Ning Ruxue initially wanted to fly over immediately, but considering that her senior brother made the decisions in most matters, and that this situation felt potentially complicated—the location was oddly concealed, clearly wanting to avoid detection—rushing in rashly might invite trouble. It was better to let Ye Wen decide.

Ye Wen considered this point as well and shook his head firmly: “No need. Let’s find someone to ask where we are and head back quickly. For now, it’s best not to cross paths with these cultivators.”

Ning Ruxue nodded in agreement. Ye Wen had hidden none of his plans from her, often whispering his thoughts to her late at night when it was quiet. She knew Ye Wen was currently focused on recruiting disciples and intended to enter the cultivation world only once he had established a faction. Lying low now fit perfectly with the original plan.

It was simply a pity that in this world, hiding wasn't always an option if you wished to remain hidden.

Just as Ye Wen and Ning Ruxue prepared to change course and fly elsewhere, a figure suddenly flashed into existence in the previously empty space ahead. Then, a middle-aged man dressed as a Daoist priest appeared, standing on a yellow cloud and waving his hand toward Ye Wen and Ning Ruxue: “You two young friends must be from the Emei Sect, right? Why are you so late? Hurry inside!”

After speaking, he frantically waved his hands, as if afraid they wouldn’t see him.

Ye Wen and Ning Ruxue exchanged a look. They hadn't expected such a sudden development, nor had they expected to be mistaken for Emei disciples—this was quite surprising.

He lowered his head to ponder for a moment. To an outsider, Ye Wen merely closed and opened his eyes, indistinguishable from a normal blink, but in that brief interval, he made his decision.

“Let’s go over and see.”

Since they had already been stopped, retreating now would only breed suspicion. It was better to approach openly. Even if they discovered he wasn't from Emei, the other party had made the initial mistake by misidentifying them.

Ning Ruxue, hearing her senior brother’s decision, hesitated no longer. Her sword light shifted, and she followed him to the cloud-riding Daoist. The old Daoist pointed beside him to a strange spot—a patch of air about two meters wide and one meter high, where the reflected scenery of the pool below constantly writhed as if the water was moving: “Go in.”

Ye Wen cupped his hands to the Daoist without a word, and he and Ning Ruxue charged straight through. As he passed through the fluid-like space, Ye Wen felt as though a basin of cold water had been dumped over his head, causing his entire body to shudder, but immediately afterwards, he felt refreshed and clear-headed.

When he regained his senses, he found himself in the same location, yet the scenery had completely transformed. The previously bare mountaintop, which had looked unremarkable from the sky, was now crowded with dozens of people.

More importantly, most of these individuals were clad in ancient clothing, and many carried swords or other implements while chatting amongst themselves. Upon their arrival, these people glanced up briefly before returning their attention to their conversations.

Only a few murmured quietly to their neighbors: “Who are those two?”

The person questioned glanced up briefly, then shook his head: “Don't recognize them. But judging by the purple and cyan sword light upon entry, they must be junior disciples of the Emei Sect…”

“What’s wrong with Emei? Sending only two juniors for such an important event? And without any elders leading them, truly…”

Whatever the end of the sentence was, it likely wasn't praise. Perhaps wary of the large crowd, who knew if someone familiar with the Emei Sect was present? If harsh words were overheard by Emei members, it could bring unnecessary trouble.

As the crowd resumed their chatter, Ye Wen and Ning Ruxue lightly landed on the mountaintop. Looking back, they saw the cloud-riding Daoist had not descended but remained on his cloud, eyes closed, seemingly unmoved.

Only then did Ye Wen realize the middle-aged Daoist was stationed there specifically to open the gate. If a cultivator arrived but couldn't find the 'main entrance,' he would manifest to summon them in.

When he and Ning Ruxue were soaring through the sky, even with the Concealment Talismans active, they might not have entirely fooled these old ghosts who had cultivated for who knew how many years. After all, the greatest use of the Concealment Talisman was against the mundane world and various detection devices, not against fellow cultivators.

Just as this location was concealed by a miraculous formation that Ning Ruxue and he could detect with just a minor probe, Ye Wen hadn't paid it much mind.

Landing on the peak, Ye Wen quietly instructed Ning Ruxue, “Since we’ve stumbled in here, let’s take a good look at the state of the cultivation world. Just keep a low profile.”

“Senior Brother, what if someone bullies us?”

“Then we beat them up!” Ye Wen was not the type to maintain a low profile at all costs. If someone truly stepped on his dignity, what use was being subtle? Beating them first was the proper course of action.

As they were speaking, several people nearby let out soft ‘’ sounds. Looking around, they saw the crowd looking up at the sky, while a few cast strange glances toward him and his junior sister. Alarmed, Ye Wen immediately looked up.

Only then did he understand why the crowd was staring: two more beams of sword light were approaching in the distance, one purple and one cyan. Ye Wen even heard someone murmur in confusion, “More from Emei? Why are they arriving in batches?”