As I look upon the undulating mountain range before me, Ye Wen is suddenly struck by an urge to wax philosophical, yet standing here in the wilderness, any grand pronouncements would likely fall on deaf ears.

He took a few steps forward. It wasn't that he couldn't fly; rather, his exceptional eyesight had already spotted a small shop nestled on the slope ahead. It was modest in size but bore two signs: "Wine" and "Lodging," indicating it served as both a brief stop for refreshment and an inn for the night.

Advancing a few more paces, what Ye Wen most needed to understand right now was precisely where he was, which would then facilitate his next course of action.

"I've never seen this place at all. But then again, there are plenty of places I haven't been..." Ye Wen's reflection stemmed from the realization that he wasn't currently in the Immortal Realm, but rather within the world contained within his ancient Cauldron. After more than a decade of diligent cultivation and refinement, he could finally wield the Kyushu Cauldron with some degree of control, and now he could freely enter and exit the world within it.

Thinking of this, Ye Wen recalled his original plan: once the treasured cauldron was mastered, the first thing he would do was step inside to bring his disciples out, allowing them to attain immortality and thereby fulfilling his junior sister's wish to reunite with the disciples of the Shu Mountain Sect.

As for the Immortal Realm, Ye Wen’s understanding was limited. Although everyone had lived there for nearly ten years, he found it difficult to interact with cultivators; most of the people they encountered were merely mortals residing in the Immortal Realm.

And that fellow they met upon first arriving in the Immortal Realm—they failed to save him. That fool, upon seeing them, became so overwhelmed with joy that he let his guard down, resulting in a sneak attack from behind that instantly killed him!

The scene left Ye Wen deeply frustrated, inwardly cursing, "You useless NPC, dying without even giving me any information?" Though frustrated, the opposing group was clearly malevolent, rushing forward to apprehend them. Fortunately, while these people were natives of the Immortal Realm, their strength wasn't overwhelming; Ye Wen and Xu Xian made short work of them, swiftly cleaning house. They then managed to capture one of them to glean some basic information.

Unfortunately, this man only knew superficial details. All Ye Wen and the others learned was that they were in the far western reaches of the Eastern Immortal Continent, and passing further west meant exiting that continent—beyond that, they knew nothing.

Fortunately, they learned from this man where the nearest town was located. Following his directions, they found a settlement where they discovered that the common populace here was no different from the ordinary folk in the Kyushu World—perhaps only physically a bit stronger.

These people still needed to eat, drink, excrete, and work for a living; they even argued heatedly over trivial matters. Not long after entering the town, Ye Wen witnessed two men on the street arguing red-facedly over the price of a salted fish.

"How strange, it feels like returning to the Cauldron World?"

At first, Ye Wen suspected they might have accidentally been sucked back into the Kyushu Cauldron. However, upon inquiring further, he confirmed this was definitely not the Kyushu Cauldron, because he distinctly overheard someone mentioning the Heavenly Court...

Summoning the bandit Sixth, whom they had captured earlier, Ye Wen questioned him further about the Heavenly Court. Only then did he learn that a Heavenly Court did indeed exist in this world, though ordinary people might never see anyone from it in their entire lives. Fortunately, the immortals occasionally displayed miracles, so many people had seen them, leading the common folk to affirm the Heavenly Court's existence through shared stories.

Speaking of which, Ye Wen recalled the distressed calls for help mentioning "Immortal Sects" and inquired about those as well. The answer he received was: "Like the Heavenly Court, those Immortal Sects consist of people with immense power. However, while the divine officials of the Heavenly Court occasionally show their faces, encountering an immortal is even rarer. Moreover, immortals possess countless methods; many who truly meet one might not even realize it."

"Just like yourselves... walking down this street, standing among the mortals, who would know you are members of the immortal circles?" Sixth, unaware of Ye Wen's true origins, found many of Ye Wen's questions odd, but he simply assumed they were young immortals on a trial journey down the mountain and didn't dwell on it.

Ye Wen asked a few more things, hoping to uncover which immortal factions existed within this so-called Eastern Immortal Continent. Regrettably, the information was vague, limited to unsubstantiated rumors like "legends say immortals reside on such-and-such mountain." Realizing he wouldn't get anything useful, Ye Wen released the man.

"You are a qualified NPC. You are dismissed now!" Leaving this cryptic remark, Ye Wen led his companions away, gradually disappearing from the bandit's sight. Only after regaining his composure did the bandit realize he hadn't lost his life and hastily fled the area.

Because information was scarce and utterly useless, and because Ye Wen and the others were uncertain whether their current strength was sufficient to establish themselves in this Immortal Realm, they decided to scout the situation first, cultivate diligently, and then decide on their next steps.

This cultivation lasted a full decade. To cultivate in the Immortal Realm truly felt like closing one's eyes and opening them to find several years had flown by. Time had become increasingly meaningless to Ye Wen; the passage of years left no trace on him, save for his ever-deepening power; the man himself remained unchanged.

The others were mostly the same. Thus, after more than ten years, no one had aged. Instead, the two women, Zhang Ling and Claire, had become even more delicate, benefiting from the rich spiritual energy of the Immortal Realm. Ah, Claire, in particular, had drawn the growing interest of Li Xiaoyao, especially her voluptuous figure, characteristic of Western women, which Li Xiaoyao found highly appealing. Ye Wen repeatedly suspected that his disciple viewed Claire’s twin mounds as nothing more than large steamed buns.

Furthermore, over the decade, Li Xiaoyao’s cultivation had also greatly advanced, and his body had undergone several purifications. He had finally not recovered the robust physique he had before, much to his initial chagrin. However, this brought a wave of relief to the others.

Zheng Ying's comment was the most representative: "Thank heavens that Sixth Senior Brother didn't further destroy the perfect image of the Great Sword Immortal Li in my mind!" Of course, these were minor matters. What truly mattered to them was that Ye Wen, after more than ten years of continuous refinement, had finally mastered the Kyushu Cauldron.

And the very first thing Ye Wen intended to do after refining the Kyushu Cauldron was to find a way to bring his disciples out.

But when Ye Wen tried to directly command the Kyushu Cauldron to release everyone, he discovered it wasn't so simple; the cauldron remained utterly unresponsive. Yet, Ye Wen vaguely understood what he needed to do.

"It seems that to bring everyone here into the Immortal Realm, I need to enter the Cauldron World to guide them out!" This was, in a way, a benefit of mastering the Kyushu Cauldron; Ye Wen no longer had to grope in the dark. If he encountered something he didn't understand, the Kyushu Cauldron would communicate with his divine sense, explaining the necessary steps.

Simply put, he had obtained the Cauldron’s intelligent instruction manual, enabling him to utilize this treasure more effectively.

"In that case, I shall go with Senior Brother!" Ye Wen shook his head with a sigh. "This Cauldron cannot accommodate anyone besides me. Don't forget, anyone who cultivates beyond the Earth Immortal realm will be forcefully expelled from the Cauldron. How could it allow you all back in?"

Only then did the others understand: Ye Wen could enter because the Cauldron recognized him as its master, granting him free passage. Anyone else attempting entry would likely trigger a violent rejection from the Kyushu Cauldron.

"Don't worry, it won't take long. Once I go in, I’ll just locate those few disciples, then head to Shu Mountain to bring everyone else out..." At this point, Ye Wen suddenly smiled mysteriously, "If everything goes smoothly, the issue of our residence will be resolved at the same time!" The others were puzzled. For years, they had been living on a mountain about twenty li southwest of the western town, settling for some hastily erected wooden shacks halfway up the slope. Fortunately, after so long in cultivation, their requirements for living environments had dropped significantly, and after overcoming the initial discomfort, they had lived quite contentedly.

Originally, they considered that they couldn't continue like this forever, but everyone knew they were completely ignorant of the Immortal Realm. After years of reconnaissance, they had only managed to gain a slight understanding of the situation in the far west. The Eastern Immortal Continent was far vaster than they had anticipated. While their reluctance to wander aimlessly played a part, more than a decade of searching yielded only areas akin to borderlands, illustrating the sheer immensity of this so-called Immortal Domain.

Moreover, the pleasure-loving Xu Xian had explored further west. However, he discovered nothing but vast grasslands followed by continuous mountain ranges. Beyond the mountains lay endless cliffs and deserts, with almost no sign of human habitation along the way, leading him to return out of sheer boredom.

In short, the group remained largely uninformed about their surroundings. The most familiar location was the West Town they often visited, rumored to be the westernmost settlement in the Eastern Immortal Continent.

This was all the information Ye Wen and his group possessed. After confirming his plan to enter the Cauldron to retrieve everyone, Ye Wen immediately gave instructions: only Hua Yi was to stay behind to guard him and continue diligently refining the Fifth Divine Light, striving to perfect it by the time he returned. The rest of the group was to disperse in all directions to survey the situation, ideally finding one or two cultivators.

In the time they had been in this world, Ye Wen’s group hadn't encountered a single cultivator. Surely the Immortal Realm wasn't completely devoid of immortals? Or were all the immortals hiding within the Heavenly Court?

Ye Wen couldn't pinpoint the location of the Heavenly Court, guessing it might be something akin to a minor world like those on Earth. If so, without any clues, they couldn't even pay a visit to ask for directions.

"If all else fails, if I can't find them, I'll make them come find me!"

If the scheme brewing in his mind came to fruition, it would likely attract considerable attention that day, and the cultivators certainly wouldn't remain inactive.

Thinking happily, Ye Wen’s steps grew lighter. Though the ground was covered in dry grass and fallen leaves, Ye Wen trod upon them without making a sound. Consequently, when he arrived at the front of the small shop, the waiter snoozing at a table by the door didn't even notice until Ye Wen tapped the table, startling the waiter awake.

However, the waiter's first reaction caused Ye Wen's eyes to narrow slightly. The man immediately leaped backward and reached behind his back, a motion suggesting he was about to draw a weapon—meaning this waiter was clearly a martial artist.

"A martial artist working as a waiter in this desolate area? This shop is strange!"

He looked up at the signboard, finding it dilapidated; the name was completely illegible, though the characters for 'Inn' could vaguely be discerned.

"Oh! Sir, my apologies, I must have been half-asleep. I hope I didn't startle you?" As Ye Wen was examining the signboard, he heard the waiter address him and shifted his gaze back. Although Ye Wen hadn't fully activated his dual pupils yet, he possessed a storage ring filled with various items, including contact lenses!

Therefore, Ye Wen's eyes appeared normal to others. As long as he didn't channel the power within his pupils to emit that multi-hued glaze, no abnormality would be detected.

Seeing the waiter’s eager deference, Ye Wen waved his hand dismissively and said, "No matter." "Sir, are you dining or lodging?"

Ye Wen looked up at the sky. The sun was already setting, and the world was gradually bathed in a pale yellow glow. Since he still needed to gather information, he replied, "Lodging. But prepare some food and drink for me first... What do you have?"

The waiter led Ye Wen inside, guiding him to a table. "Please sit here, Sir, and I will instruct someone in the back to prepare your room. As for the wine and dishes..., do you have any dietary restrictions?"

"None. Bring two of your specialties—one meat, one vegetable!" "Right away!" After responding, he smoothly asked, "Would you like to order some accompanying wine?" Ye Wen smiled inwardly, appreciating the waiter's tact; asking about accompanying wine made the prospect of eating plain dishes seem too dry. Normally, he wouldn't expect much quality here, so he didn't bring it up. But as the waiter spoke, Ye Wen suddenly noticed the figure behind the counter, who had been hunched over accounts, glance in his direction. Simultaneously, someone in the back cubicle also peered out...

"Hmm, interesting. Have I stumbled into a den of thieves?" After giving instructions to the group that day, Ye Wen had found a secluded cave, released the Kyushu Cauldron, and then used the incantation he learned from within the Cauldron to enter the Cauldron World.

However, he was not yet adept at the process, so he didn't know exactly where he landed, which is why he needed a place to rest, eat, and inquire about his current location, the current state of the Shu Mountain Sect, and the structure of the martial arts world.

After all, he had cultivated in the Immortal Realm for over a decade before entering, plus more than ten years in the Changbai Immortal Realm. That totaled about thirty years. Assuming the time dilation between the Cauldron World and Earth was similar, thirty years had passed in this world since he shattered the void. Thus, gathering information first was essential.

More importantly, this time he needed to find disciples like Xu Ping and Liu Muyan, who had settled outside Mount Emei. Without knowing the situation, how could he know where to look for them?

He hadn't anticipated that the first inn he casually chose—the very first one he saw upon returning to this world—would turn out to be a haunt for bandits.

While he was pondering, the waiter returned, holding a small plate of boiled peanuts and a tiny pot of wine. "Sir, please have a drink while you wait. The two dishes are being prepared and will be out shortly!"

Ye Wen nodded and looked down at the two items placed before him: wine and peanuts!

Under normal circumstances, everyone would be wary of the cup of wine, as it's easier to drug. But with a single glance, Ye Wen realized the wine was fine; it was the unassuming plate of peanuts that held a significant secret.

"Amusing. The owner of this establishment is quite clever!"

Travelers on the road are usually seasoned veterans; they especially wouldn't dare drink unfamiliar wine. If they drugged the alcohol, this den of thieves would have its reputation ruined quickly.

If they slipped something into the food... Ye Wen scoffed, then poured himself a cup of wine and sipped it slowly. He hadn't finished even a small cup after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Several people hiding in the back cubicles silently cursed, "Damn, he drinks so slow! Not much of a man." One man, shirtless with only a small vest over his shoulders, asked curiously, "He looks pale and tender; could he be a woman disguised as a man?"

At this remark, the waiter who had greeted Ye Wen paused, then said, "I didn't notice closely before, but although this person isn't short, his features do carry a somewhat delicate air..." Before he finished speaking, the woman who hadn't said a word interjected, "That is a man!"

When she spoke, the other two fell silent, and the waiter quickly hastened to flatter her: "If the Madam says he's a man, then he’s a man... Madam, this lad has a fine complexion; perhaps you'd like to enjoy him first before handing him over to Tu Zi?"

The woman laughed, "Do I look that desperate?" The two men didn't speak but chuckled lewdly. The woman didn't get angry, merely flicking the forehead of each man, "Hurry up and get back to work! This kid looks difficult; I might have to handle him myself!" Saying that, she picked up the two cooked dishes from the stove, pushed open the curtain behind her with her back, and gracefully stepped forward. With a serpentine waist that could dizzy the eyes, she swayed every three steps as she approached Ye Wen.