The scene before Ye Wen was unfamiliar, yet the little girl bore a distinct resemblance to his junior sister—a miniature Ning Ruoxue, in fact.

"Could it be that this utterly arrogant brat is the unlucky soul whose body I've possessed?" The more he looked, the more likely it seemed. The youth in the vision was already approaching adulthood, and more importantly, since Ye Wen had achieved success in his cultivation, his appearance hadn't changed much, still looking like a young man in his early twenties, making him strikingly similar to the youth in the vision, with only minor differences.

Adding to the conviction, the location where these few were practicing happened to be the very site of the later Shushan Branch Courtyard—the original location of the Shushan Sect's mountain gate!

"This old man... could he possibly be my nominal master?"

The elder in the vision glanced helplessly at Ye Wen, then turned to instruct Ning Ruoxue in a few moves, demonstrating a few himself afterward.

To be honest, these few moves were utterly unremarkable and failed to catch Ye Wen's eye. However, watching the old man diligently demonstrate every stance and posture, and then hearing him talk animatedly in Ye Wen's ear for a long time, it was clear the explanation was exceedingly detailed.

Even so, the young Ye Wen looked thoroughly uninterested, even shaking his head and mumbling something that elicited a sigh of resignation from the old man. Yet, in the end, young Ye Wen still practiced the sword techniques the elder had just demonstrated. It was just that the way the youth executed them...

"Damn, is this even considered swordplay?"

Ye Wen had the urge to smash his head against a wall. He had always known that the previous owner of this body wasn't keen on martial arts, and his original skills were mediocre. But since he had managed to cultivate to his current realm using this body, he hadn't thought the physical aptitude was truly poor; in fact, for internal arts cultivation, the body was quite talented.

But now, seeing this, he realized just how abysmal the martial arts of the former Ye Wen had been. Based on the scene, the young Ye Wen's age at that time should have been nearly the same as Ning Ruoxue's age when he first arrived in that other world. Thinking about Ning Ruoxue's martial arts back then...

"I seriously want to bang my head against a wall..." Then, the scene suddenly shifted again, gradually pulling back, moving from a spot at the foot of the mountain to a bird's-eye view of the entire peak. Next, the view shifted, and Ye Wen saw the county town of Shushan. While not crowded, it was lively, with many people moving through the streets, engaged in their repetitive daily tasks.

After watching for a while, Ye Wen suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia for that other world. Compared to this world, which he was more familiar with, he felt he had lived more easily there.

Thinking it over, he realized it wasn't strange.

Due to a series of coincidences, Ye Wen had been extremely successful in that world. After establishing the sect, he hadn't encountered any overly troublesome obstacles. Coupled with the peculiar circumstances of the Jianghu at the time, several seniors had treated him with some measure of goodwill, even occasionally offering help, which allowed the Shushan Sect, under Ye Wen's leadership, to become a well-known first-tier sect in the Jianghu in less than ten years.

But here...

"In the eyes of those old fogeys... I'm ultimately an outsider!"

So, their desire to deal with him wasn't entirely incomprehensible. After all, the Shushan Sect held no prestige in this world; they wouldn't even give his sect a second glance.

"If it weren't for my respectable strength, they probably wouldn't make things so complicated; they would have just moved to seize it outright!"

Ye Wen glanced at the Nine Provinces Ding, which had once again returned to its unremarkable state, and gradually understood the connection between himself and this small object.

"Could this Ding be the key linking me to that other world?"

That was his initial thought, but after today, a bolder, more terrifying speculation suddenly surfaced in his mind: that world was actually inside this Nine Provinces Ding.

"It must be so! Otherwise, there's no way to explain why successive dynasties could only divide the world into Nine Provinces—it must conform to the rules of this Nine Provinces Ding!" The Nine Provinces Ding was a treasure of destiny; conforming to it naturally led to long-lasting fortune and national prosperity! To oppose it was to defy Heaven, and the Ding would naturally respond.

It didn't require earth-shattering deeds; just triggering a few major disasters—crop failures, widespread starvation—and the common people, unable to survive, would naturally ignite boundless warfare, leading to the collapse of a dynasty in a matter of days.

This also explained why Ye Wen, despite having reached the peak of one world and shattering the void because it could no longer contain him, had ended up in this world where the ambient spiritual energy was extremely thin, appearing a whole tier lower than the previous world. This was because the world inside the Nine Provinces Ding, while spiritually rich, was merely a small world within a magic treasure. In a sense, its level wasn't very high. The world capable of hosting the Nine Provinces Ding was much higher in grade than that internal world.

Furthermore, the legendary Immortal Realm, in Ye Wen's eyes, was an even higher-tier world! Conversely, places like the Kunlun Immortal Realm, Ye Wen suspected, were merely other small worlds similar to the world inside the Ding, perhaps slightly superior to the Nine Provinces Ding's world, with more abundant spiritual energy.

As for why the vision he saw today involved his junior sister's childhood, it was because Ye Wen suddenly recalled that when he shattered the void, his ring exhibited some anomaly, causing him to return to a point eleven years before his transmigration. He originally thought it was related to the Nine Provinces Ding, but now it seemed this accident was caused by his ring.

His master currently wore two rings: the one on his right hand was his Summoning Ring, and the one on his left was the Ring of Bethphany he obtained from Mudrak. He had originally planned to look into information related to the Ring of Bethphany after arriving in Europe, but now he had to set that aside.

Judging by the timeline, the current period should correspond to the time in the Ding world. But if that were the case, didn't that mean that even if the world inside the Ding was indeed the one he used to live in, he would still have to wait over ten more years for the time to align with when he left?

"It can't be like this, can it?"

Shaking his head, he decided not to dwell on that for now, as he faced a much bigger problem: if his guess was correct—that he had lived in this world inside the Ding for nearly ten years, and his Jianghu comrades and fellow disciples were still living there—he absolutely could not hand this Ding over to anyone else.

He hadn't entirely dismissed the idea of returning to his previous world and bringing everyone over to his side before, but he had no clue how to do it then. Now that he had finally made some progress, how could he entrust such a crucial item to others?

Moreover, he had absolutely no rapport with the current cultivators of the cultivation world; to him, those people were complete strangers. If they came to forcibly seize it, their status would instantly shift to enemies.

"Against enemies, there is only the fist!"

Ye Wen put away the Nine Provinces Ding. He realized he could now control the Ding slightly. When he first acquired the small Ding, it was small enough to be held between two fingers, making it convenient to carry. Today, for some unknown reason, it had grown to the size of an apple. Testing it slightly, he found he could exert some control. Channeling his vital energy, with just a thought, the Nine Provinces Ding shrank back into an inconspicuous little object, which Ye Wen tucked close to his body.

Having settled this, Ye Wen closed his eyes and let his spiritual sense spread out. With just a brief probe, he immediately discovered that within the same hotel where he was staying, there were no fewer than three powerful forces present.

This included the person who had previously spied on him. Moreover, Ye Wen’s method of spiritual probing was derived from the Soul-Searching Talisman of Intent; it possessed a unique characteristic for detection. In an instant, he not only found several powerful enemies lurking nearby but also discerned that the energies of these three individuals were distinct.

One energy was like a drawn longsword, so sharp it was difficult to look at directly. Ye Wen estimated this person was definitely a sword cultivator, though he didn't know which sect; however, Emei or Qingcheng were the most likely.

The aura of another person was balanced and peaceful, giving the impression that this person was utterly righteous. This wasn't unusual; it was like how some people immediately give you a certain impression the moment you look at them.

The last person, the one who had spied on him, Ye Wen recognized because he identified the aura: balanced and peaceful, yet faintly suggesting a division between Yin and Yang, where Yin and Yang were inseparable, merged together.

Ye Wen recalled that one cultivation technique fit this description best: the Tai Chi Art of the Wudang Sect!

Though he didn't know if the Wudang Sect in this world also specialized in Tai Chi techniques, based on the current evidence, this person was likely from Wudang.

"Wudang, Qingcheng, or perhaps Emei... the other one is most likely from Huashan!" He recalled hearing once that the hallmark of Huashan Sect's techniques was nurturing a single breath, which would take on different characteristics depending on the practitioner. The person he encountered now radiated immense righteousness, leading Ye Wen to suspect this person had nurtured the Great Righteousness Qi.

"If this skill truly depends on the cultivator's own disposition, then this righteous individual is unlikely to resort to despicable acts against me. The only trouble is I don't know if that sword cultivator is from Emei or Qingcheng!"

If it were Emei, it would be manageable; Ye Wen had no conflict with the Emei Sect. Even if a fight broke out, there might be room for maneuver. These sects largely considered themselves orthodox, and Ye Wen wasn't some great demon who had committed universally abhorrent deeds. Their goal now was merely to seize the Nine Provinces Ding; they might not necessarily intend to kill him.

Otherwise, why bother scheming? With so many experts currently locating Ye Wen, they could simply rush in and take it! While Ye Wen believed his strength wasn't poor, if so many masters attacked together, he couldn't guarantee he could escape unscathed.

"Perhaps I should test the waters first..." Ye Wen made up his mind and walked toward the window that hadn't been closed. He was staying on the twentieth floor, where windows shouldn't usually be open. However, Mai Shiranui had snuck in earlier, and Ye Wen had been arguing with her. After she left, Ye Wen hadn't bothered closing it, which now proved convenient.

Stepping onto the windowsill, Ye Wen smiled strangely, then channeled his Innate Purple Qi. As a purple mist enveloped him, his entire true essence burst forth. To cultivators highly sensitive to energy, this act was as conspicuous as lighting a massive bonfire in the dead of night.

As soon as he moved to the windowsill, the three individuals also converged near the windows. Looking out, they could vaguely see a faint purple shimmer reflected in the sky.

"What is Ye Wen trying to do?" One man, dressed in very common long robes and holding a bamboo scroll, presumably reading an ancient text, had his study interrupted. Standing by the window, his mind was full of questions.

But before he could figure out the situation, he saw a streak of purple light slash across the sky not far before his eyes, leaving behind a beautiful long purple tail. It twisted and turned in the air before soaring toward the heavens!

The man was momentarily stunned by the sight, then smiled faintly, muttering to himself, "Interesting!" He opened the window and stepped out, his entire body seemingly walking on the void. After looking in the direction the purple light had gone, he turned to look at the other old Daoist stepping out of a window.

When the old Daoist stepped out, though he too walked on the void, a Tai Chi diagram appeared beneath his feet, its Yin and Yang fish spinning constantly, acting like a tray supporting the Daoist. The old Daoist turned his head, exchanged a look with the middle-aged man in the long robe, then glanced at the other room where there was no movement. He smiled slightly, made a gesture of invitation to the other, and then followed the streak of purple light into the sky.

After Ye Wen activated his sword light and ascended, he hovered above the clouds, eyes closed, observing everything happening above the hotel with his spiritual sense.

He knew that with his level of cultivation, this spiritual probing couldn't be hidden from those few individuals. Yet, they seemed completely unconcerned and didn't mount any aggressive countermeasures, simply coming out of the window, displaying their techniques, and following him. It seemed that these two, having understood his intent, also wanted to have a face-to-face discussion with him.

As for the one who offered no response, Ye Wen surmised this person might be from the Emei Sect. They were currently hesitant to meet him directly because they were still secretly instigating the Qingcheng Sect to cause trouble for him. If they reached an agreement with him now, it would complicate their subsequent actions; it was easier to simply avoid contact.

Ye Wen believed the silent one wasn't from Qingcheng, because if they were, Ye Wen's solitary emergence perfectly served their interests. With experts from Wudang and Huashan nearby, it would be idiotic for Qingcheng to not take the chance to surround and kill him.

While musing idly, Ye Wen retracted his spiritual sense. Almost simultaneously with the retraction, the two men arrived before him.

Only then did Ye Wen get a clear look at the two masters who had been lurking nearby. Both appeared quite ordinary. One was an old Daoist with white hair and beard, his Daoist robe looking somewhat worn but very clean and tidy, with no tears or damage.

Recalling that the founder of the Wudang Sect, Zhang Sanfeng, was known as the 'Sloppy Daoist,' Ye Wen had expected that older generations of Wudang might inherit some of that trait. However, the sight of this man made Ye Wen realize he had guessed wrong.

The other person was dressed in long robes, still holding a bamboo scroll, suggesting he had been reading until Ye Wen’s sudden display interrupted him, forcing him to chase after without even putting down his book.

However, the appearance of this Huashan disciple surprised Ye Wen slightly, prompting him to ask, "I heard the Huashan Sect inherited the Quanzhen Daoist lineage. Venerable Sir..." The man hadn't even stated his name yet, yet Ye Wen knew his sect's origin, causing the man to regard Ye Wen with higher esteem. He replied with a smile, "Although our sect inherited the Quanzhen lineage, we do not strictly require disciples to cultivate the Dao! Moreover, the Quanzhen Doctrine advocates for the integration of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism. Many within our sect choose to extract and cultivate the essence of certain parts separately..."

When the Quanzhen Sect was founded, it selected many essentials from Confucianism and Buddhism, while primarily adhering to Daoist thought. Thus, it wasn't strange to cultivate a disciple who appeared closer to Confucianism. However, because the divergence from Buddhist thought was quite significant, the Huashan Sect primarily consists of Daoist disciples, supplemented by Confucian disciples, with no recorded disciples practicing Buddhist thought.

Ye Wen had assumed that after inheriting the Quanzhen doctrine, the Huashan Sect would inherently follow Daoist ideology. He hadn't expected that over centuries of evolution, the Huashan Sect had become this rather unique entity.

But thinking about the Emei Sect, which not only contained Daoist thought but also many monks within its ranks, Ye Wen felt that the Huashan Sect's situation wasn't that strange after all.

While these few sentences were exchanged, Ye Wen noticed the old Daoist continuously scrutinizing him, his brow sometimes furrowing as if sensing something amiss, and sometimes relaxing, as if a difficult problem had been thoroughly solved.

He was wondering what the old Daoist was contemplating at this moment when the Daoist finally spoke: "I hear that Sect Master Ye's lineage is one of Martial Cultivation. This old Daoist has a few points of confusion, and I hope Sect Master Ye can enlighten me!"

"You are too polite. What is the matter?" The old Daoist paused, seeming to deliberate how to phrase his question. Finally, deciding the matter might be hard to explain clearly, he suddenly made a gesture toward Ye Wen—it was the starting posture of the Wudang Sect's fist arts, used when sparring with fellow Daoists, serving as a formal greeting.

A regular cultivator might not understand the meaning of this move, but Ye Wen was a martial artist; how could he not? Moreover, not just Wudang, but every sect had similar stances used for sparring or internal competitions.

As the Daoist presented this posture, Ye Wen instinctively returned a greeting. Upon doing so, the two stood suspended in the clouds. The old Daoist separated his feet, the Tai Chi diagram beneath his feet dividing Yin and Yang—one foot Yin, one foot Yang—still supporting him.

Ye Wen's stance, however, lacked any visible support, requiring only a slight lean to the side and his left hand extended slightly, vaguely forming a posture of invitation.

The old Daoist saw this and thought to himself, "Could he truly be from the Martial Cultivation lineage?"