The anomaly of the Nine Provinces Cauldron immediately drew Ye Wen out of his room and into the open air. Given the harsh environment of the Changbai Mountain Realm, Ye Wen and the others had been preoccupied with hastily constructing their shelter upon arrival; after all, nobody wished to be caught in a blizzard without adequate cover. Thus, under the pressure of time, the construction of the lodging had been rudimentary, naturally proving insufficient to contain the violently shaking and leaping Nine Provinces Cauldron.

The others had been speaking with Ye Wen when a faint light suddenly shone from his chest, alerting them that the sect leader's coveted artifact—the object of so much scrutiny—was acting up again. Anxious, they gradually filed out of the room, watching as Ye Wen moved to a slightly more open area, clapped a hand to his chest, and retrieved the Nine Provinces Cauldron from his Tanzhong acupoint as if grasping something tangible.

It was different from before; back then, Ye Wen’s cultivation was limited, and the Nine Provinces Cauldron paid him little heed, emerging when it pleased, followed by a string of rapid transformations that left Ye Wen with no opportunity to even extend a hand.

Now, with his power greatly advanced, Ye Wen's control over the Nine Provinces Cauldron was incomparable to those early days. Even if the Cauldron wished to emerge now, it required Ye Wen's consent—though, if he wanted the terrifying spectacle of someone leaping out of his body, he could certainly keep the Cauldron confined within his [body].

He tossed the Nine Provinces Cauldron forward casually. The rapidly spinning small cauldron grew slightly larger with every rotation until, upon landing, it had returned to its original size. Had it not settled onto the snow, it would surely have made a dull thud.

Beholding the cauldron, its surface shimmered with flowing light, the mountains, rivers, rare birds, and exotic beasts depicted upon it seeming to come alive. Ye Wen stood rooted to the spot, connecting his consciousness to the Nine Provinces Cauldron, intent on closely observing every change.

As time passed, the Nine Provinces Cauldron slowly began to tremble. Ye Wen could distinctly feel an intense collision of energies raging within it. He surmised these were the very energies that caused tribulation for cultivators attempting to shatter the void, yet he still could not fully command the Cauldron; he could only sense some changes, completely unable to discern the specifics or exert any influence over it.

"If I were to fully refine the Nine Provinces Cauldron, I wonder if I would become the deciding factor for anyone attempting to shatter the void—whether they could emerge or not?"

Lost in thought, the Nine Provinces Cauldron suddenly returned to stillness. The myriad lights on its surface vanished abruptly. This was vastly different from the time Xu Xian emerged; this time, the Cauldron had truly settled, and the internal energy flow gradually eased.

"What's happening?"

As Ye Wen puzzled over the event, a possibility struck him, and he hastily turned to ask, "How long have we been here in the Changbai Immortal Realm?" In his years of diligent cultivation, he had entirely overlooked the passage of time. Ning Ruxue probably still remembered, and with Hua Yi adding her input, the two women quickly calculated and replied, "Roughly eight or nine years?"

"Eight or nine years..." Ye Wen's face instantly darkened. He remembered exactly which person was scheduled to shatter the void around this period!

This timeline needed recalculation. After Ye Wen transmigrated to the Central Cauldron World, he lived there for nearly ten years before shattering the void and returning to a point eleven years before his original transmigration. Calculating the time span purely linearly, Ye Wen had jumped back nearly twenty years.

Later, he spent several years overseas. After returning to his own world, he spent some time establishing the school, found the Penglai Immortal Realm, and went into seclusion there for about five years.

Emerging then brought him exactly to the time of his initial transmigration, followed by the events involving the Kunlun Sect and that old snake demon. This meant that, calculated by normal time, the world inside the Cauldron should have just reached the point corresponding to when he was about to shatter the void.

"During this period, only one person shattered the void..." Ye Wen waved his hand, and the Nine Provinces Cauldron, like a summoned pet, flew back into his hand, no longer displaying its previous agitation. Indeed, it had returned to tranquility.

"Did it... fail?" With a long sigh, Ye Wen had hoped he could alter this outcome, but unexpectedly, he had ultimately failed to completely refine the Nine Provinces Cauldron before that old man—and judging by the current situation, that person could not get out.

However, this event also signaled to Ye Wen that matters were now infinitely approaching the time of his own void shattering. He wondered what changes the Nine Provinces Cauldron would undergo then.

Reabsorbing the Nine Provinces Cauldron into his [body], Ye Wen said nothing, merely gesturing to the others before returning to his room. Seeing Ye Wen remain silent, the others did not press him. Only Zheng Ying bid farewell to Ye Wen, taking the turnip with him. As Ye Wen let him pass, he casually opened a gate, allowing Zheng Ying to leave.

As for his return? Ye Wen had specially crafted a small jade pendant for Zheng Ying. As long as he returned to the entrance range of the Changbai Immortal Realm and crushed the pendant, Ye Wen would know and could open a gate for him to re-enter. This pendant was not Ye Wen's own creation; it was originally given to him by Zhang Sanfeng for convenient entry and exit from the Penglai Immortal Realm, serving as a safeguard should Ye Wen be unreachable during an emergency.

Having understood its utility, Ye Wen had procured several of these from Zhang Sanfeng and distributed them to his disciples, enabling them to run errands. Otherwise, he would have to run around himself constantly, as only Ye Wen, who possessed the Nine Provinces Cauldron, could move freely in and out.

After Zheng Ying departed, the others also dispersed.

Chris and Tommy sparred together for an entire day. For them now, simple practice duels yielded little further improvement, and Chris’s strength truly surpassed Tommy’s by too much. To maintain a challenge, Chris now engaged Tommy alongside his sister, Claire.

However, the duo focused their training during the day; nights were reserved for rest. Chris, who had reached the peak of Blue Dou Qi, Tommy, at the peak of Red Dou Qi, and Claire, who had finally broken through into Red Dou Qi, all adhered to this schedule.

In contrast, Zhang Ling seemed somewhat detached, cultivating alone, even choosing a secluded residence in the corner, right next to the coniferous forest.

Ye Wen shared quarters with the two women. Another room housed Huang Rongrong and Xu Xian, while Guan Luyan and his daughter Guan Shuying shared a separate dwelling.

This father and daughter pair had not arrived in the Changbai Immortal Realm with Ye Wen's initial group. Later, Zheng Ying found an opportunity to slip out, contact them, and they came to the Changbai Immortal Realm on their own, being admitted by Zhang Ling. By that time, Guan Luyan’s wife had already passed away, so the two offered no resistance to the decision and came here, saying goodbye to their original world.

These were all the current inhabitants of the Changbai Immortal Realm. Shortly after entering, Ye Wen had surveyed the environment: it was all mountains and snow, with forests composed entirely of conifers. Fortunately, many rivers remained unfrozen; otherwise, the group would have worried about water supply, as not everyone could subsist without eating or drinking, nor could they constantly melt snow.

After eight or nine years of cultivation, everyone’s martial arts had basically hit a bottleneck. Even Ye Wen found that he had been practicing the Jīn Chén Xī (Golden Dawn) for three or four years without reaching completion. He wondered if his talent was truly abysmal.

"However, cultivating like this, time passes incredibly fast—so fast it's easy to overlook its existence!" Especially as those around him had achieved success; even Guan Luyan, who maintained his youth, now glowed with ruddy vitality, his wrinkles significantly smoothed. While his cultivation technique contributed, the environment and daily sustenance played a considerable role.

The old man often sighed, "Alas, if my wife could have lived here for a few years, perhaps she could have lived longer?" Whenever this happened, Guan Shuying could only offer comfort, and Ye Wen would have to retreat, as he had no words to console the elder, only hoping that the passage of time would ease his suffering.

In summary, the environment barely changed, and the appearance of the residents hardly shifted; living in such conditions made it easy for everyone to ignore the flow of time.

Zheng Ying returned soon after leaving; at least, the others hadn't sensed his departure before he reappeared before them.

"How was it?"

Ye Wen looked him up and down, noting no signs of a struggle, or at least, that whoever he fought hadn't managed to harm him.

Zheng Ying shivered slightly, then took out and put on his padded coat, muttering while dressing, "Damn it, it was summer outside when I left, so I took these off and forgot to put them back on when I came in!"

He wasn't sure what it was about this environment, but it gave him a deep-seated chill, forcing him to add layers of clothing. Clothes made from the furs of the beasts in this Immortal Realm were especially effective at warding off the intense cold. Thus, over the years, everyone had prepared plenty of such garments.

Once Zheng Ying was fully dressed, he reported, "The Changbai Sect was reasonably civilized. Learning I came to apologize and offer compensation, they treated me courteously!" Zheng Ying spoke lightly, but Ye Wen guessed from his subtly upturned mouth that his disciple must have displayed some of his prowess, which is why they treated him so politely. After all, his current strength was considerable; on the outside, he was considered a first-rate Earth Immortal. The Changbai Sect had long since declined, and even if they had a few masters, they likely weren't stronger than Zheng Ying, so they naturally dared not overstep any bounds.

Subsequently, Zheng Ying recounted everything he had done on his outing. When mentioning the Changbai Sect, he only said that when he presented them with the Changbai Jade Ginseng King, their eyes nearly bulged out, and they tried every way to inquire where he had found such a treasure.

"How did you answer?" "I only said that Master searched arduously and finally found it in an underwater grotto! I mentioned that I accidentally destroyed their sect's treasured artifact previously, so I specially used this item as compensation!" Ye Wen nodded, deeming Zheng Ying's answer quite plausible. The underwater grotto explanation could somewhat silence many inquiries. After all, the seabed is mysterious to many, and even cultivators rarely understand the deep ocean. More importantly, if one's cultivation isn't high enough, one cannot descend too deep. Furthermore, the sea is vast and boundless, largely untouched by worldly corruption, so the possibility of finding well-preserved ancient grottos wasn't entirely out of the question, making the story easier to accept.

"Besides that, I also toured the nearby towns and bought some things to bring back!" He then took out a large pile of items from his storage magic treasure and distributed them among the group. Over these few years, although they were constantly confined to the Immortal Realm, they occasionally ventured out to check on the situation, mainly to purchase supplies, especially condiments like salt. Occasionally, they brought back other small items, the only inconvenience being that they couldn't buy electronic devices because the Changbai Immortal Realm lacked electricity.

This time, Zheng Ying had solved that problem!

"This small generator, though not high-powered, is enough for the few of us. There's a suitable spot not far from this river, and considering the constant snow and wind in the Changbai Immortal Realm, we can generate power using the wind too."

The others didn't understand the specifics, only watching as Zheng Ying unloaded item after item, introducing each one to the group. After he spoke until they were all dizzy, they realized his explanations were entirely futile.

"Handle this... you figure it out!"

Zheng Ying nodded, retrieved the items back into his storage ring, and went to find a suitable location to install the equipment. He hadn't originally planned this, but after going out, he realized how rapidly technology had advanced. Small generators like this were infinitely better than those from many years ago, and they were pure, natural, and pollution-free with decent power output. This reminded him that everyone had lived like savages for nearly a decade, which was quite torturous for him, having grown up in a modern society. Thus, he bought a set of equipment.

Of course, he also bought plenty of game consoles and game discs, even several top-of-the-line computers. These items were immediately divided among the group. If the few movie discs hadn't been revealed yet, nothing would have been left.

However, this secret didn't remain hidden for long. One day, Zheng Ying let it slip accidentally and was immediately urged by everyone to finish installing the power generation equipment quickly so they could gather in the specially constructed entertainment room to watch home cinema. Zheng Ying's storage space was quite large; what he brought back this time was enough equipment to furnish a small hotel. One plasma screen television, over a meter tall, was set up in a newly built wooden house—serving as their movie theater.

After several months of busy work, following testing, everyone finally entered an electrified life. On this day, everyone gathered in the room. Zheng Ying was busy selecting discs with the others, while Ye Wen and Huayi tossed firewood into the hearth, building a roaring blaze, watching as the others argued over the stacks of disc covers. Some wanted romance films, others Hollywood sci-fi, and some horror. Finally, Ye Wen waved his hand: "Why argue? You idle people have nothing but time; we’ll just watch them one by one!" Hearing this, everyone realized that no one present was 'normal.' They could go a month without eating or drinking without any impact; what fear was there of not having time to watch a few discs?

His single sentence halted the debate, and then everyone reclined on the handmade sofas, piled high with countless animal furs, watching the projected images.

If it weren't for the intermittent interjections from the group, it would have been a perfectly serene scene.

"Lame, only blows up one car with a single punch!" "Yeah, look at this guy; aside from jumping high, he’s got nothing special. How is he the boss?" "Better than that guy dressed like a tin can, right? He thinks he’s a sitting duck dressed like that!" "..."

Guan Luyan chuckled, wiping sweat from his brow, while Guan Shuying felt like she was slowly separating herself from the realm of ordinary humans. Ye Wen didn't feel much at first, but after a moment, realizing the absurdity, he thought that if a normal person heard their conversation, they’d likely take them for lunatics.

Thus, life continued with these added diversions, and time rushed past again. During this period, Zheng Ying acquired an additional task: every so often, he needed to slip out and purchase new games or movie discs to enhance everyone’s entertainment.

Because of this, the group’s sense of time grew slightly stronger again. Ye Wen estimated the date of his own void shattering during this time. On those specific days, he gave notice and went alone to the mountain peak, sitting at the very highest point, awaiting the designated day.

Ye Wen’s estimation proved accurate. On the second day after he reached the summit, the Nine Provinces Cauldron signaled an anomaly, then, just as before, gradually returned to calm.

However, he sensed a difference this time. The ensuing calm was abrupt, as if the energy mass within the Cauldron had suddenly lost its target. This resulted in the Cauldron becoming agitated for a short while before settling down.

Knowing the reason, Ye Wen couldn't help but turn his gaze to the silver ring on his right hand. He still hadn't figured out what that ring was for, but that didn't prevent him from continuing to utilize the conveniences it offered. However, after today, the lingering doubt in his heart finally dissipated. Everything was back on the predetermined track; he no longer needed to worry about what would happen to him or whether he would arrive at the precise location on schedule—matters that had plagued him.

With his spirits lifted, even the glaring sunlight seemed more pleasing. Under this unburdened state of mind, his Jīn Chén Xī, which had stubbornly refused to improve, showed a response, breaking through its shackles and gradually marching toward completion.

"Could it be that I was held back by my mood in the previous days, which is why progress was so slow?" Ye Wen didn't know the ultimate outcome, but gaining strength was ultimately a good thing. In the following days, he returned to his rigorous cultivation rhythm, until, after an unknown period, the Nine Provinces Cauldron suddenly erupted in violent motion. Then, before everyone’s eyes, a young man with a ponytail, carrying a long sword, radiating handsomeness capable of captivating countless women, leaped out of the Cauldron.

Just as Ye Wen was about to open his mouth to ask who he was, he saw the handsome youth, who appeared quite young, beam with joy, drop to his knees before Ye Wen, and shout loudly, "Master!"

Ye Wen froze, because he didn't recognize this person...