After Shen Gongbao finished speaking at length, he settled down quietly, looking quite composed, but Ye Wen frowned deeply, pondering what excuse he could possibly use to persuade Zeus not to wage war on the Eastern Immortal Continent.

At that moment, Ye Wen, who had just moments ago been full of admiration for Shen Gongbao, suddenly realized that the strategist's composure was merely skin deep. Although the great strategist Shen had spoken volumes, almost none of it was truly useful; it was all just drivel! Worse still, much of what he discussed was mere common knowledge for any general in the Heavenly Court.

Identifying a problem, even common folk could manage that well enough, but the crucial task—proposing a solution, which should be the strategist’s primary duty—was something General Shen entirely failed to address!

"General Shen, do you have any suitable methods?"

Whether Shen Gongbao genuinely had no idea or was waiting for Ye Wen to beg for advice—a strange habit some strategists seemed to possess, perhaps to flaunt their brilliance—Ye Wen couldn't be sure.

Unfortunately, Shen Gongbao wasn't posturing this time; he truly had no solution. He could only manage an awkward smile toward Ye Wen: "If I knew what to do, this matter would have been settled long ago. I fear then that Headmaster Ye would not need to take action!"

"Damn it, if you don't know what to do, why put on such an act like I’m supposed to tell you?"

Muttering curses under his breath, Ye Wen realized that while Shen Gongbao looked the part, he was fundamentally a cultivator who, even after becoming a Heavenly Court General, retained his old ways. He knew nothing about the proper duties of a true strategist.

Analyzing the situation for Ye Wen had already pushed him to his limits; expecting him to devise plans now would be asking too much.

The two sat in silence, neither speaking for quite some time. Finally, perhaps sensing a lack of confidence in the undertaking, especially given Ye Wen’s troubled expression, Shen Gongbao grew restless and pressed him, "May I ask, Headmaster Ye, when do you plan to set out?"

In his view, Ye Wen’s current strength wasn't overwhelmingly superior. If he truly intended to venture into the lion's den atop Mount Olympus, he ought to wait a while—at least acquire some protective magic treasures to ensure his life wouldn't be needlessly forfeit.

What he didn't know was that Ye Wen had just emerged from seclusion, his power significantly advanced. The only reason he hadn't immediately departed for Mount Olympus was the need to familiarize himself with his newly increased strength before fully controlling it; hence, he was still lingering on the mountain.

Furthermore, after Shen Gongbao described the situation on Mount Olympus, Ye Wen needed time to consider how to delay those gods known for their frivolity.

Truthfully, if he were asked to devise a few games to amuse the Olympian gods, he certainly had ideas! But he was unsure if these deities would enjoy his proposed amusements, necessitating more preparatory thought.

As he pondered, Shen Gongbao asked again, "I wonder, Headmaster Ye, how many disciples you plan to bring along on this journey?"

Ye Wen blinked; he hadn't considered this matter at all!

Initially, he thought about bringing his Junior Sister or Hua Yi, but recalling the reputation of the God-King Zeus on Mount Olympus—a figure notorious in myths for his questionable conduct—he absolutely dared not bring his wife. Until he was certain he could handle that fellow, if his wife caught the attention of that scoundrel, Ye Wen risked becoming a tragic figure.

Therefore, neither Junior Sister nor Hua Yi could accompany him. Moreover, both needed to remain on the mountain to cultivate. Junior Sister’s Innate Qiankun Art, though slow in progress, was steadily improving; particularly her Qiankun Adamant Body, which was said to be close to perfecting her limbs—a realm Xu Xian had only just reached.

Hua Yi had already mastered the Five-Colored Divine Light and was now researching how to merge those five colors into one. Only then could her Mountain-Sensing Divine Light be considered truly mastered. Whether she could then derive Chaos from the transformation of the Five Elements, then re-nurture her Five-Colored Divine Light from the primordial state, thereby shedding the "imitation" label from her light, depended entirely on her personal insight and fate.

Bring disciples? All his disciples were currently busy improving their strength; it was not the right time to take them out. Even Dongfang Ying was practicing vengeance—Dongfang Mang intended to temper his body thoroughly using the Primordial Spirit Essence Refinement Art, and once satisfied, he planned to directly charge toward the Seventh Transformation.

He had even selected one of the floating mountains near Mount Shu for secluded cultivation, determined not to emerge until successful. He had even packed a substantial amount of rations, intending to eat right there on that floating peak.

By this accounting, he was the only idle person on Mount Shu; everyone else was occupied. Even the mountain-guarding divine beasts appointed by Ye Wen—Garfield and White Hero (the latter named 'Hero' at someone's strong insistence, stemming from a source everyone knew!)—were busy cultivating. White Hero, possessing excellent innate advantages, was already learning how to ignite his Cosmos.

"It should be... just myself making the trip!"

Thinking it over, this situation was better. After all, no one knew what dangers Ye Wen might encounter on this journey. If he ran into peril requiring a hasty retreat, being alone meant he could surely escape faster.

As for the Immortal present, Ye Wen didn't need to worry too much about him. Since this man had managed a battle against Poseidon, he likely possessed some means, and it wasn't Ye Wen's concern.

Shen Gongbao pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up, "If that is the case, you should travel to Mount Olympus on my mount!"

"General’s mount is...?"

Ye Wen truly hadn't paid attention to what Shen Gongbao rode. Although many figures from the Heavenly Court had been borrowed from that mythological novel, he hadn't closely scrutinized every single one, much less their mounts.

His most vivid impressions of mounts were Jiang Ziya's Six-Not-Like, Wen Zhong’s Dark Qilin, and Huang Feihu's Five-Colored Divine Ox—everyone else, in his memory, rode horses. As for what Shen Gongbao rode... he couldn't recall.

Thus, when he inquired now, he was genuinely curious. Shen Gongbao, upon mentioning his mount, became quite proud: "My mount is a black tiger with a white forehead, extraordinarily robust. It can easily carry both of us without issue."

"Oh... a tiger?"

Ye Wen hadn't expected Shen Gongbao to be such a formidable figure—riding a tiger? He couldn't recall many figures using a tiger as a mount! Even those who did were generally quite fierce, suggesting Shen Gongbao was indeed unusual in this regard.

However, Ye Wen wasn't particularly interested in riding a mount; he preferred soaring on sword light, believing it much faster. He wondered if the black tiger could even keep up.

Seeing Ye Wen exclaim "Tiger" and then fall silent, Shen Gongbao realized the Headmaster wasn't overly impressed with his mount. With nothing else to talk about immediately, he made small talk: "By the way, I noticed two exotic beasts in your sect; they possess considerable spiritual intuition. I suspect with a bit of ** training, they could serve as mounts—that white bear is quite imposing and rather suitable for riding!"

Ye Wen blinked, confirmed Shen Gongbao wasn't joking, and then replied seriously: "Those two youngsters have only just begun their training; they aren't capable of much yet! Besides, the disciples of this sect will all learn sword-flight techniques later and won't require mounts!"

Riding a large white bear? Ye Wen had no interest! Moreover, that simpleton looked utterly unimpressive, not fierce at all!

Seeing Ye Wen uninterested in taming mounts, Shen Gongbao dropped the subject, intending to change topics, but found his mouth empty, unsure what to say next.

Fortunately, Ye Wen recognized his awkwardness and spoke first: "It’s getting late, General Shen should rest well now. If you desire anything to eat, just ask one of our disciples to arrange it!"

Shen Gongbao’s guest quarters had long been prepared. After their conversation, he could return on his own; Ye Wen didn't need to escort him. Once Shen Gongbao departed, Ye Wen sat in the courtyard, staring blankly at the fruits before him. He neither contemplated how to deal with the Olympians nor tried to adjust to his recently enhanced power. He just sat there.

His mind was empty for an unknown length of time before Ye Wen finally snapped back to reality. Looking up, he saw Ning Ruxue and Hua Yi seated on two nearby stone stools, their elbows resting on the stone table, chin in hand, watching him.

"When did you get back?"

Hua Yi maintained her posture: "I just returned, but Ruxue has been here for quite a while already!"

"Oh." Ye Wen felt no embarrassment. Although his stunned appearance earlier might have compromised his dignity, who were these two? They were the closest people to him in the world; there was no need to fuss over minor details. "Did you go bully Lingzhu again today?"

Hua Yi pouted: "What do you mean by bullying? I was clearly urging and educating him so he could master his skills sooner and contribute to the sect!"

"What contribution can a grown man make by learning those dances?"

Ye Wen only thought this internally and chose not to voice it. Since Hua Yi had found something worthwhile to do, he didn't want to interfere too much, only reminding her not to take things too far at times before leaving.

However, Hua Yi was not one to lack restraint. He figured that although Lingzhu had been thoroughly worn out by Hua Yi's exertions, he must have learned a great deal.

Indeed, as soon as he asked, Hua Yi said, "Lingzhu’s talent is exceptionally high. After I began earnestly explaining the Heavenly Demon Art to him, in less than a year, he has cultivated that technique to an astonishing level. Coupled with the Primordial Spirit Essence Refinement Art you created, Husband, it won't take long before he crosses the Xiantian boundary and heads straight for the Earth Immortal rank!"

"That impressive?" Ye Wen hadn't expected Lingzhu’s progress to be so rapid.

Hua Yi let out a smug 'hmph,' looking rather pleased. "Husband, have you forgotten we are in the Immortal Realm? The spiritual energy here is so abundant; cultivation naturally progresses swiftly, especially since Lingzhu possesses unique elemental qualities!"

Ning Ruxue had only heard a little about Lingzhu. Though she had met the child a few times, she hadn't given it much thought. Hearing Hua Yi now, she realized the child was also a unique genius and asked curiously, "Then, based on your estimation, how much longer will it take this child to reach the Earth Immortal cultivation?"

Hua Yi blinked, estimated in his mind, and arrived at a conclusion that was quite startling: "At the slowest, it won't take twenty years!"

Twenty years might sound like a long time, but in reality, it was remarkably brief for cultivators. Many masters spend longer than that in single closed-door sessions, and many cultivators take perhaps two hundred years to ascend from entering the cultivation world to the Earth Immortal realm—immortals in this realm generally live much longer; even uncultivated mortals reaching one hundred is not rare, and cultivators relying on techniques to extend life can easily reach two hundred.

The Shu Mountain Sect's original techniques had very poor life-extension effects, almost negligible! Before reaching the Earth Immortal realm, their lifespan was only slightly better than that of ordinary people. However, ever since Ye Wen created the Primordial Spirit Essence Refinement Art to complement their training, some older disciples noticed their aging process slow down significantly, and those with stronger powers even felt their bodies regaining vitality.

From this, everyone deduced that the Primordial Spirit Essence Refinement Art filled the gap in the Shu Mountain techniques regarding longevity. This significantly increased the chance for disciples to reach the Earth Immortal realm. Consequently, there was no need to forcibly promote the art; almost all disciples diligently practiced it—who wouldn't want to live an extra few decades or a century?

Of course, the Primordial Spirit Essence Refinement Art wasn't a panacea; its life-extension effect had limits. If a disciple couldn't break through the Earth Immortal threshold, their lifespan would remain roughly the same as ordinary cultivators in other sects; under equivalent cultivation levels, they might even live ten to twenty years less—this was the conclusion Ke Gou reached after half a year of observation.

The venerable Immortal Sparrow Ke Gou, having lived on Mount Shu for nearly a year, had been extremely busy over the last six months. Firstly, the probe he jointly developed with Zheng Ying finally made a breakthrough, gradually eliminating the need for the long cable by developing a sufficiently powerful internal energy source for the device.

The current failure point of the probe was instability of power. The device, manufactured using complex formations combined with integrated circuits, often collapsed suddenly or even exploded, so it could not yet be deemed successful. However, according to Zheng Ying and Cui Diao: "We are infinitely close to success!"

Additionally, Zheng Ying had recently crafted three sets of mahjong-sized Heaven and Earth Seals (Fan Tian Yin); the playing card version had been abandoned due to the inability to find suitable materials. Ye Wen casually pocketed one set and instructed Zheng Ying to put one of the remaining two away, distributing the other among the disciples who had shown excellent performance. Since resources weren't abundant yet, each disciple received at most three cards, usually arranged according to specific mahjong combinations, such as pairs or straights.

Zheng Ying himself acquired four cards, exactly East, South, West, and North. He claimed that having all four together could generate a small tornado to trap enemies, possessing considerable destructive power.

Ye Wen hadn't witnessed it personally, but since the disciple claimed it, he would take his word for it.

Li Xiaoyao hadn't accomplished much recently, focusing solely on refining Firming Essence Pills (Gu Ben Dan). The Shu Mountain Sect had opened a shop on the Heavenly Mechanism Gate’s commercial street. Now, some cultivators knew the Shu Mountain name, but most still left without establishing any real reputation.

The existing fame gave Ye Wen a mix of amusement and exasperation: the only impression the Shu Mountain Sect left on some cultivators was: this sect’s Firming Essence Pills taste better than others, and they even offer several flavors to choose from!

According to reports relayed by disciples occasionally visiting the Heavenly Mechanism Gate, many people leaving the Shu Mountain shop would have similar conversations: "Oh? You’re here to buy pills too? What flavor did you get?"

"Orange flavor. What about yours?"

"Ugh, don't mention it! I wanted the Grass Poison flavor, but it sold out, so the clerk recommended this... Chocolate flavor... I don't know if it's any good..."

"That one? ... I tried it, the taste is a bit strange..."

"..."

This conversation was repeated several times a day, the only variation being the flavor in the ellipses. This situation left the Shu Mountain members quite bemused, yet Li Xiaoyao remained tirelessly researching new flavors. Reportedly, his next project was to convert a specific Qi-and-Blood replenishing decoction obtained from Ke Gou into a Cola flavor!

Whether he would succeed was anyone's guess. However, no one on Mount Shu tried to stop him, likely assuming that when this fellow got into one of his moods, even Ye Wen couldn't control him, so their efforts would be futile. They let him fiddle as he pleased.

At least Huang Yun managed the Herb Pavilion. Huang Yun was a steady person and had gradually brought the pavilion into order, preventing it from turning into a KFC or McDonald's due to Li Xiaoyao's antics.

After chatting with Hua Yi and Ning Ruxue about the situation on Mount Shu, the topic finally returned to Ye Wen.

"Senior Brother, do you need us to accompany you this time?"

Ye Wen had already stated he wouldn't bring them along, but the two women still felt uneasy. Moreover, the goddesses on Mount Olympus had a less-than-stellar reputation. Besides worrying about Ye Wen’s safety, their minds inevitably drifted to other matters. Even though they knew such thoughts were absurd, they couldn't completely suppress them.

"No need. You both know Zeus’s reputation; bringing you would only cause more trouble!"

What if Zeus demanded, "Leave this woman here to keep me company, and I’ll agree to your terms!" Wouldn't that drive him insane? Even if Zeus wouldn't do it, being subjected to that kind of vulgarity once would be unbearable, so it was best to avoid the situation entirely.

"By the way, after I leave, I'm entrusting the training of those two youngsters to you, Junior Sister. Don't slack off. I hope to see those two have forged their Cosmos when I return!"

Ning Ruxue wasn't overly concerned. Even though Ye Wen called them the protective beasts of Mount Shu, did the entire mighty Shu Mountain Sect really need protection from two animals? Therefore, she wasn't very invested in the matter and her reply was rather unreliable.

"What? Are you going to reward those two little guys with a set of Cloth each when you return, Senior Brother?"

Ye Wen laughed heartily: "It's not impossible, you know!"