Ye Wen was furious! In just a moment, he grasped the situation entirely. With a brief explanation from Ning Ruxue, he understood he’d stumbled upon a legendary trope: the classic “cry to father, shout to mother” plea to take on a disciple!

He cared little for the spectacle itself; Xu Xian, being the protagonist type, encountering such things was perfectly normal. But what about that old man who had glanced at him just moments before and then completely ignored him? Did he look down on him that much?

“Hey! Even if Xu Xian has outstanding talent and endless fortuitous encounters, isn't his power level still a notch below mine? You old man couldn't possibly be so blind, could you? To completely disregard me?”

Ye Wen’s pride was wounded. Seeing the old man still clinging to Xu Xian, he stomped his foot down. His Tu Kunlun Jin Qi surged directly through his right leg into the hall floor, causing a deep, earth-shaking rumble that felt like a mountain collapsing, yet nothing visible occurred.

In the blink of an eye, the old man who had been sprawled on the ground suddenly sprang up, landing as lightly as a feather onto the gourd still floating in mid-air. He turned, looking at Ye Wen with a look of surprise.

“Hmm? You little brat actually have some skill…”

Ye Wen ignored him, turning instead to Xu Xian. “You couldn’t break free, could you? Are you enjoying this game?”

Xu Xian chuckled twice without answering. He glanced back at the old man, then turned to Ye Wen. “Senior Brother, what were you doing just now?”

“I went to help set up a protective grand formation for our Mount Shu! To prevent just anyone from barging into Shu Mountain whenever they please!” Ye Wen had actually taken Zhang Gua to the back earlier, heading straight for the sheer valley behind the mountain. Ye Wen felt this spot was most suitable—never mind that the Cold Spring was the focal point of Shu Mountain’s spiritual energy concentration, the location itself was perfect for placing crucial items like the Nine Cauldrons.

This time, he didn't keep Zhang Gua in the dark. Leading him into the Lang Huan Yu Dong, Ye Wen directly retrieved the Nine Cauldrons in front of him. He instructed, “This object is the most vital treasure of our Shu Mountain Sect. From now on, you will reside in this secluded valley. Besides guarding this object, you have another task. But I’ll explain that later; let me settle the Nine Cauldrons first!”

Zhang Gua nodded, silent. He would do as Ye Wen commanded. He merely stood aside, watching Ye Wen leap lightly into the water. What astonished Zhang Gua was that the water in the Cold Spring Pool seemed repelled; it violently parted, revealing the spring eye at the bottom—though this eye was still spewing water, it wasn't as turbulent as before.

Ye Wen descended to the bottom of the pool, examined the spring eye, compared it with the Nine Cauldrons in his hand, found the size appropriate, and casually tossed the cauldron into the spring eye.

The moment the Nine Cauldrons left his hand, they burst forth with a dazzling light, suspending themselves right at the exit of the spring eye. Although the Cold Spring water constantly rushed over the cauldron, it left no trace. Instead, the water flowing over the Nine Cauldrons became faintly more enriched with spiritual energy!

Ye Wen stood to the side, closing his eyes, connecting his divine sense with the Nine Cauldrons. He immediately felt the cauldron gradually integrate with Mount Shu. Simultaneously, Ye Wen, having largely refined the Nine Cauldrons, experienced a marvelous sensation of establishing a connection with Shu Mountain itself.

Furthermore, he discovered that with a mere thought, the Nine Cauldrons could enact minor changes to Shu Mountain according to his will. This realization sparked an idea in Ye Wen, and a thought immediately took form.

At that moment, many people were unaware that subtle changes were beginning to occur on Mount Shu. The water from the Cold Spring gradually began to permeate various areas of the Rong Shan mountain, subtly altering several water sources across Shu Mountain.

Simultaneously, a new stream appeared on the northern face of Mount Shu. This stream gradually widened until it pooled into a small lake. One side of this lake was a sheer cliff face; the other side formed a waterfall—the spiritually enriched water from the lake poured down from Shu Mountain into the lake below, creating a strange yet magnificent vista.

These scenes, Ye Wen estimated, disciples of the Shu Mountain Sect would only see if they descended the mountain. But Ye Wen could now feel these images in his mind, finding that it added an air of immortality to the realm.

Moreover, the spiritually charged water that fell was not wasted. After landing in the lake below, the water gradually underwent a phenomenon akin to evaporation, with a portion of pure water essence continuously rising, only to be drawn back into the Nine Cauldrons, now positioned higher up on Shu Mountain. After being processed, it flowed back into the Cold Spring water rushing over the cauldron, then re-entering the various water sources of Shu Mountain in a continuous cycle. This not only increased the concentration of the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi on the mountain but also solved the problem of managing the water supply while Shu Mountain floated in the air.

“I truly am a genius…”

After patting himself on the back, Ye Wen began using the power of the Nine Cauldrons to lay down the protective mountain formation, incorporating the thirteen floating, island-like small peaks into the protected area. It was a pity that Ye Wen currently couldn't activate higher-level abilities; he could only manage a protective array akin to an Illusion Formation using the Nine Cauldrons.

The sole function of this formation was that if someone chose an incorrect direction, no matter how hard they tried to force their way into Shu Mountain, they would only feel as if they were walking in place. Unless they approached via the main gate, they would not set foot upon Mount Shu.

For example, if a cultivator passed by Shu Mountain and wished to land on one of the thirteen small peaks, they would find themselves unable to approach that small peak no matter what. This small peak, or any other location on the back of Mount Shu, was covered by the Illusion Formation. The only way to step into these areas was through the main gate and then traveling there from within Shu Mountain.

Unfortunately, this formation lacked offensive capabilities; the intruder could simply choose to retreat to leave the array. It was a purely passive defense. Offensive formations were beyond Ye Wen’s current reach; perhaps he could activate them after further refining the Nine Cauldrons.

The benefit, however, was that the defense of this formation was exceptionally potent. Not only could it prevent approach, but even strikes from flying swords, magical artifacts, or spells would have no effect. The only way to break this protective mountain formation was to directly attack the Nine Cauldrons. This left only one option—to charge in directly from the direction of the main gate.

And that direction was undoubtedly where the main garrison of the Shu Mountain Sect was stationed. Therefore, if someone wanted to break the formation, they would have to engage the Shu Mountain Sect in direct, hard combat.

After arranging these matters, Ye Wen also considered the possibility of people emerging from the world within the Nine Cauldrons. Since the Cauldrons had arrived in this Immortal Realm and were placed in this place rich with spiritual energy, their power had significantly increased, causing the flow of time within that world to accelerate slightly. Ye Wen took a moment to synchronize the time flow between the Immortal Realm and the Nine Cauldrons World again.

As a result, the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi in the Nine Cauldrons World became slightly richer than before—if Ye Wen hadn't activated the protective formation, the Origin Qi in the Cauldrons’ world would have been much denser, potentially allowing many individuals of excellent talent to cultivate to the realm of Void Shattering.

To put it more concretely: previously, in the world of the Nine Cauldrons, unless one relied on external fortuitous encounters, cultivating solely on one's own made it nearly impossible to cross the threshold of Void Shattering. Even if one barely reached it, the likely outcome would be the Nine Cauldrons shattering anew, reabsorbing the person's cultivation and condensing it back into spiritual energy to nourish itself.

The most typical example was Nine Sword Immortal. Ye Wen suspected that the very few who reached that realm before him likely met the same fate, or they were figures from the distant past who were long dead—otherwise, how would the Nine Cauldrons have fallen into his hands?

Another example was himself and Li Xuan. If Li Xuan continued cultivating this way, perhaps he might barely reach the Void Shattering realm after turning a hundred. But given his current physical condition, death would eventually be unavoidable!

He himself was the most obvious counterexample! Because Ye Wen consumed the fruit condensed from the spiritual energy of the Nine Cauldrons, his power skyrocketed, directly shattering that boundary, allowing him to successfully shatter the void. Ye Wen suspected that the fruit might have been the condensed spiritual energy of previous predecessors who failed at Void Shattering and whose energy was reabsorbed by the Nine Cauldrons? Unfortunately, this hypothesis could not be verified.

This proved that the world inside the Nine Cauldrons was almost impossible to reach the degree required for successful Void Shattering purely through self-effort. This meant that people inside the Nine Cauldrons world at that time could only emerge by relying on heavenly treasures.

But things were a little different now. Due to various reasons, the spiritual energy inside the Nine Cauldrons was slightly richer. Don't underestimate this small increase in spiritual energy; it could bring about significant changes to the world within the Cauldrons—especially for the martial artists in the Jianghu.

They might find their cultivation speed slightly faster than before, and some bottlenecks might be easier to break through. The number of Innate Martial Artists might increase significantly. Most importantly, they could now achieve Void Shattering purely through their own efforts.

This subtle difference was the difference between life and death!

Ye Wen felt his contribution was immense because he gave these future martial artists a genuine chance at life. As long as these individuals possessed sufficient talent and were willing to work hard, even without the aid of heavenly treasures, they might emerge from the Cauldrons. And anyone like that would undoubtedly be an exceptional talent, someone worth befriending, perhaps even absorbing into Shu Mountain.

This idea formed in his mind in mere moments, but the blueprint had existed long before he entered the Cauldrons! Now, it was just a matter of solidifying the concept. Furthermore, summoning Zhang Gua wasn't solely for him to watch over the Nine Cauldrons... Since the Nine Cauldrons were connected to Ye Wen’s mind, anyone attempting theft would have to defeat him first.

The more important reason for stationing Zhang Gua here was to supervise the area, ensuring that if someone suddenly popped out of the Cauldrons, there would be someone to receive them. If this fellow suddenly went rogue, his own backyard would descend into chaos!

Leaping out of the pool, the water that had been forced back rushed together again. The Cold Spring rippled for a moment before returning to tranquility. However, Zhang Gua vaguely sensed that something had changed about the spring.

But knowing his station, he wouldn't ask about these matters proactively! If Ye Wen intended to tell him, he certainly would.

Seeing Zhang Gua remain silent, Ye Wen was inwardly pleased. He beckoned him to follow outside. Once they reached the cave entrance, he said, “From now on, you will reside in this secluded valley. Besides watching this cauldron, your duty is to watch the pool to see if someone suddenly pops out!”

“Pops out?” Zhang Gua was quite bewildered. Although this was his first time seeing the Cold Spring, having been on Mount Shu for so many years, he knew the place well. In all those years, he had never heard of the Cold Spring having such a peculiar function!

In a flash, he thought of the cauldron. It seemed the key lay with that cauldron?

Seeing Zhang Gua’s look of sudden realization, Ye Wen knew he had touched the crucial point. However, this matter was difficult to explain fully, so he gave a simplified account: “…Actually, we all emerged from that cauldron. Because the cauldron connects to the world we used to inhabit, anyone who achieves Void Shattering in the future will emerge from this cauldron!”

Hearing this, Zhang Gua immediately understood Ye Wen’s purpose for him. Besides guarding the place and receiving potential arrivals, he was also tasked with monitoring those newcomers, preventing them from causing trouble… After all, anyone who could shatter the void must be a top-tier figure from that world. Even if they were good-tempered, what if he encountered someone ill-tempered or an evil expert with utterly rotten character?

Therefore, this place needed a master to sit guard, but it was impractical to ask the official disciples of Shu Mountain to constantly stay here, right? Viewed this way, Zhang Gua, whose cultivation was not weak and whose status was relatively humble, was the most suitable candidate.

However, Ye Wen wouldn't mistreat Zhang Gua. While his status couldn't be drastically elevated, at most, he would be relieved of his servant status and given the title of: "Manager of the Immortal Reception Pavilion." But Ye Wen could offer him benefits in martial arts, such as finding a suitable cultivation technique for him to practice.

This was a necessary investment. If Zhang Gua’s skills were too poor to suppress the experts arriving from the shattering, wouldn't the Shu Mountain Sect be greatly embarrassed?

In addition to these considerations, Ye Wen placing the Nine Cauldrons inside the spring eye was also to prevent others from seeing it! Based on a few prior experiences exiting the Cauldrons, Ye Wen knew that upon emergence, a person would rise continuously. At that momentum, anyone shattering the void would certainly burst straight through the water surface.

If that happened, upon looking down, they would only see a pool of water, not the cauldron. Coupled with the water being quite rich in spiritual energy, it would somewhat mask the strangeness of the Nine Cauldrons. Thus, no one would pause to observe the cauldron, making it slightly safer.

After all, he couldn't guarantee that every person achieving Void Shattering would pledge allegiance to the Shu Mountain Sect. If someone refused to join Shu Mountain and then found out Ye Wen possessed such a treasure, running off to spread rumors and attract trouble, Ye Wen couldn't handle that! He had suffered losses because of this before; he absolutely wouldn't suffer the same mistake again this time.

As the saying goes, learn from one setback, gain one insight. One must draw lessons from mistakes to continuously improve!

Moreover, he now had a large family and many responsibilities, far beyond just considering a handful of people. Therefore, he couldn't afford to be careless!

After making these arrangements, Zhang Gua looked at the two small residential structures already existing in the secluded valley. They were adjacent, but one had been unused for decades, accumulating layers of dust. The other room was clean, but even without entering, he knew it was a lady’s boudoir—not appropriate to trespass.

“Miss Dongfang will no longer be living here. I will have her pack up and move out shortly. From then on, you will occupy one of these two rooms, and I will also assign some disciples to rotate in to assist!”

In truth, watching the cave didn't strictly require Zhang Gua himself; assigning a disciple would suffice. Zhang Gua’s main role was to deal with those who refused to comply.

Zhang Gua nodded upon hearing this, then suddenly asked, “Sect Master, could you allow Lingzhu to come over?”

Ye Wen didn't mind and readily agreed, “That’s no problem!” But then he recalled that young Lingzhu had managed to practice the Tian Mo Gong through his own reckless efforts. He felt such talent shouldn't be wasted and said, “However, that lad has outstanding aptitude. I’m thinking of having him formally join the Shu Mountain lineage, and I’m currently considering who would be best suited to take him as a master…”

Zhang Gua hadn't expected Ye Wen to value the child so highly and was instantly delighted. Zhang Gua was now nearly a hundred years old. After joining Shu Mountain in his thirties, he had never married and thus had no children of his own.

Years ago, when Zhou Zhiruo sent Lingzhu to assist him, he took a strong liking to the smart and diligent young man. Over the years, he had come to regard the youth as his own grandson, and hearing that Lingzhu was favored by Ye Wen made him immensely happy. He felt Lingzhu finally had a chance to rise—he knew that if Lingzhu continued as before, he would never amount to much.

What Zhang Gua didn't know was that Ye Wen was currently pondering, “How could such a raw piece of jade be relegated by Zhiruo to be a mere sweeping servant in the Huan Shi Shui Ge? Couldn't she see the child’s potential?”

But considering that in the last few years, Shu Mountain Sect had produced hardly any outstanding disciples, most being merely conventional, Ye Wen felt that the judgment of these few disciples was truly poor. They likely hadn't recognized Lingzhu’s talent, so he decided not to dwell on the matter further.

After making the basic arrangements, Ye Wen instructed Zhang Gua to move his bedding and clothing over, and then come to the main hall to meet him, where he would formally announce the establishment of the Immortal Reception Pavilion.

Zhang Gua acknowledged the instructions with a grunt and immediately proceeded to clean out the long-dusty residence. He dared not touch Dongfang Kui’s room, having to wait until she moved out to remodel it and assign it to the assisting disciples.

After giving his orders, Ye Wen left the secluded valley and returned to the main hall. After concluding that string of matters, he briefly discussed the Immortal Reception Pavilion with Xu Xian (using subtle means to ensure no one else could overhear, and speaking vaguely so that even if overheard, it wouldn't be understood). Then, he turned his attention back to the old man.

The old man was also assessing Ye Wen. He suddenly spoke, “You clearly possess surging Buddhist power, yet the methods you deploy are clearly not Buddhist divine abilities?”