Spring gave way to autumn, cold gave way to heat.
Five years passed in the blink of an eye.
Central Plains, Great Yan Dynasty.
Mount Chongyang. The streets were deserted, and every shop was tightly shut.
Five years ago, a Spirit Transformation cultivator had preached the Dao at Mount Chongyang, drawing over a thousand cultivators to listen. After the sermon ended, some cultivators gained insight. For some unknown reason, Zhou Xingguo had ordered this Market at Mount Chongyang closed. Apart from a small number of cultivators permitted to remain, everyone else had left Mount Chongyang.
Within a secluded little courtyard paved with gray tiles, the Qilin Turtle frolicked in a lake. Not far away stood an exquisitely carved pavilion.
Inside a guest room, Wang Changsheng sat cross-legged on a blue cushion, his eyes closed. A faint blue rosy cloud shrouded his body, while misty water vapor filled the room.
After a while, the blue rosy cloud around Wang Changsheng faded away. He opened his eyes, a glint of brilliance flashing through them.
Wang Changsheng's aura was considerably stronger than before, though he was still at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage. The Spirit Transformation cultivator's sermon had not left him empty-handed; he had merely gained insights in the art of refining.
"It's been so long. My wife should have awakened by now, shouldn't she?"
Wang Changsheng murmured to himself, rose to his feet, and walked out.
As soon as he left the pavilion, the Qilin Turtle let out a joyful cry and abruptly transformed into specks of blue light, vanishing from sight.
The next instant, a mass of blue light emerged beside Wang Changsheng. After blurring for a moment, it took the form of the Qilin Turtle.
The Qilin Turtle had a long, slender neck. It rubbed its head against Wang