The usually icy facade of Miao Jian cracked into an irrepressible smile. This kid was genuinely amusing. He had managed to truly vex Old Man Dao...

The four of them exited the main hall and proceeded swiftly. After turning several corners, they navigated a series of exceptionally convoluted, maze-like passageways before Miao Jingyun finally opened the first secret door, descending into the underground depths......

They wound their way further underground for a time. Only in another deeply concealed spot did Miao Jingyun open the second secret door, ushering them inside. After another long period of twisting and turning, they finally opened the third secret door......

Then, Miao Jingyun, Miao Dao, and Miao Jian came to a halt. The expressions on the three faces grew as solemn and fervent as those of devout pilgrims......

Jun Mo Xie felt as though his head was spinning from the journey. Setting aside the notion of him being a spy, he mused that any genuine infiltrator would likely be driven mad by the Miao family’s excessively intricate secret paths long before reaching this point......

“We escort you no further,” Miao Jingyun stated. “The remaining path you must walk alone.” His voice held a profound seriousness, devoid of any jest. “I go alone?” Jun Mo Xie started in alarm. “You lot got me dizzy just bringing me here; if I go on by myself, I’ll surely be utterly lost in here! Please, don’t joke about this!” “...The road ahead is straightforward, a single path with no diversions,” Miao Jingyun explained slowly. “For these past five hundred years, aside from the day I assumed the position of Phantom Manor Lord, you are the first person to enter this way! Boy, seize this profound opportunity well.” The three then neatly stepped aside, making no further movement. The fervor in Miao Dao and Miao Jian’s eyes mirrored that of Buddhist devotees suddenly beholding the Buddha, or Christians encountering Jesus Christ himself—their faces alight with barely contained excitement and zeal. Those two visages, usually so cold, seemed on the verge of burning.

Jun Mo Xie hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. The instant he crossed the threshold, the heavy door slammed shut behind him with an audible thud! From the outside, it appeared to be nothing more than a solid stone wall, offering no visible seams whatsoever... Young Master Jun had no idea that the moment the stone door sealed, the three of them—Miao Jingyun and the others—knelt down together, paying their utmost respects by kowtowing several times toward the door before quietly withdrawing, retreating to the level above to wait in silent anticipation.

Jun Mo Xie proceeded slowly down the silent passage. Though engulfed in darkness, now that he was alone and without restraint, he activated the inner energy of his eyes. The entire corridor was as bright as day to his sight. He felt himself continually descending. He had no idea how long he walked, but he suddenly noticed a series of stone steps laid out before him, seemingly endless, descending deeper and deeper. At this depth, Jun Mo Xie was certain that if this were the ocean, he would surely have reached the seabed by now! Yet, the air remained dry, lacking even the faintest hint of dampness. Indeed, the air was surprisingly fresh, in no way stale or oppressive. This led Jun Mo Xie to harbor serious doubts: if this was not some grand illusion, how on earth was this environment sustained?

Jun Mo Xie continued his descent. After an indeterminate time—certainly a significant distance further—he was struck by a sensation profoundly strange! It was an esoteric feeling, as if his forward movement was bringing him into contact with the realm of the ‘Dao’... a notion of the most subtle, ultimate truth woven between heaven and earth...

Startled, Jun Mo Xie stopped his advance. He closed his eyes, concentrating on sensing that mysterious void ahead... The air shimmered with an inexplicable fluctuation, and a faint, ethereal voice sighed softly, “Not bad! Truly formidable! No wonder you can command such strange and marvelous artifacts of heaven and earth. Such aptitude is truly unparalleled in history, a singular prodigy of the ages!” “Who are you?” Jun Mo Xie kept his eyes shut, showing no surprise at the sudden appearance of the voice. “Who am I? Who am I? Heh heh...” The ethereal voice was laced with an ancient lament of cycles past. “Who exactly am I?... I no longer remember... Long, long ago, I believe I possessed a name, Miao Qingcheng. But I always felt that this wasn't my true name, at least not my original one... What is happening? What is wrong with this world?” The person’s voice carried an indefinable sense of bewilderment, as if they had pondered this question for centuries, perhaps millennia, or even their entire existence, yet remained utterly unable to grasp the answer—a profound helplessness...

“...Miao Qingcheng...” Jun Mo Xie murmured the name quietly. He had a faint feeling that the name sounded somewhat familiar, but upon deeper reflection, he couldn't place it at all. Lately, he had been diligently gathering information through various channels, recording the names of every peak master who had appeared in the last three to five thousand years. Since the incident involving the Spiritual Seed, Jun Mo Xie had realized a crucial point: perhaps those ancient legendary powerhouses hadn't truly died or vanished... It was possible some old demons utilized methods like the Spiritual Seed to reincarnate, perpetually playing young in this rather aggravating mortal world...

After encountering the Saint Infant of Zhan Tianji at the Zhan Family, Jun Mo Xie’s conviction solidified. Furthermore, during casual conversations involving Cao Guofeng and others, nearly all the experts of the Phantom Manor had been scrutinized, especially the legendary geniuses of past generations. Yet, he still hadn't encountered this particular name among them. This sounded like a woman’s name! ‘Overwhelming beauty’ has always been the standard term used to describe peerless female grace... But now, someone was claiming this was their name! And the speaker sounded distinctly like a man...

“A younger fellow like you surely cannot recall the name of this old man...” the ethereal voice drifted vaguely. “However... your superhuman aptitude truly compels my genuine admiration. A rare sight indeed.” “Oh? I appreciate the compliment!” Jun Mo Xie raised an eyebrow, resuming his slow walk forward. He could clearly sense that the voice held no malice, perhaps even a hint of delight. “...Yes, keep walking forward while chatting with this old man. It won’t be boring for you, and it gives me something to do,” the man calling himself Miao Qingcheng seemed happy to have company, though a shadow of sadness quickly crossed his tone. “How many years has it been... since someone spoke to me like this... This feeling is utter loneliness...” “Since your surname is also Miao, you must be an elder of the Miao family. Why not reside upstairs with your kin? Even if you dislike living there, couldn't you summon some descendants for amusement every few days? Isn't your loneliness perhaps something you’ve brought upon yourself, residing in your own family’s domain?” Jun Mo Xie remarked mildly. “Brought it upon myself... What do you know?” The voice remained illusory and vague, seemingly unoffended by Jun Mo Xie’s frank tone. “...If I could live upstairs, do you think I’d be so daft as to hide away in this sunless, hellish hole?” “Oh, so there’s another reason. That explains it,” Jun Mo Xie replied, rounding a bend in the passage. Another long corridor stretched out before him, continuing the downward slope. The Young Master seemed to have made up his mind; having already come this far, he might as well see how long this underground tunnel stretched. Without further comment, he walked on at a steady, unhurried pace.

“Let’s not speak of that,” the old man’s voice grew somewhat desolate. “...Where were we just now?” The old fellow had actually forgotten the topic of conversation... It seemed this ancestor of the Miao family suffered from a touch of senility...

Jun Mo Xie walked on quietly, replying softly, “You were saying my aptitude was excellent, causing you amazement.” While saying this, Jun Mo Xie felt not a shred of embarrassment. In fact, he felt secretly pleased: What was the so-called Ethereal Constitution compared to this? If his true potential were unleashed, he’d stun this old fellow out of his wits. Did he truly think those so-called legends and myths were that incredible...?

“Yes, that’s precisely where we were,” the old man said with satisfaction. “The young man has a good memory, and a good temperament. What’s more rare is achieving the cultivation of a Fourth-Level Saint Emperor before the age of twenty, with Profound Energy refined to its absolute peak... A genius like you, in my entire ten thousand years of existence, I have seen only one. Excellent, truly excellent!...” “What?” Jun Mo Xie’s body shook violently. He could no longer restrain himself and stopped dead. For the first time since he closed them, his eyes snapped open, shooting out two shafts of light so sharp they seemed capable of piercing everything! He had been deliberately concealing his true strength from beginning to end! Moreover, he had the Hongjun Pagoda aiding him, and the Heaven-Opening Creation Technique, a divine method never before seen in this world. And yet, this man saw right through his true strength? How was this possible? Especially considering... he didn't know how far away this man was, and his strength remained unknown. But based purely on this level of insight and knowledge, he was undoubtedly a terrifying foe unlike any Jun Mo Xie had ever faced—perhaps even a great enemy capable of endangering his life...

“...Young man, don't be so tense,” the aged voice chuckled. “Seeing your reaction, you must have been hiding your true power outside, haven't you? Rest assured, I will not reveal your secret...” He paused. “Because I can feel that within your heart, there is no hostility toward the Ethereal Phantom Manor. Since there is no malice, whatever you intend to achieve, I will not actively suppress a talent like yours—perhaps the only one to ever appear in the Xuanxuan Continent’s history!” “...Then, may I ask how you perceived this? I pride myself on hiding well; up until now, no one has been able to see through it!” Jun Mo Xie was particularly baffled by this point.