Ye Kui

Under the archway, four or five figures were gathered around a wooden table, trying to find a way to enter the ancient village of Peach Blossom Garden.

Chen Xuan walked up from the foot of the mountain, standing behind the crowd, observing the situation.

"This is the token."

A young cultivator took out a family token from his bosom and respectfully handed it to the ancient scholar.

He was about twenty years old, with a dignified demeanor, from a Qi cultivation family in Red Crow City. Chen Xuan only needed a glance to see that this person's vital energy was quite impressive; he was a Second Ascension realm cultivator.

"My father met your ancestor twenty years ago and received the words 'Dao Repository Talent'."

The young man said, pointing to the book on the table, his expression quite arrogant, "His name should be recorded in this book."

"Oh, how impressive."

The ancient scholar replied perfunctorily, took the token, looked at it twice, sneered, then flipped through the book, quickly found a name, and asked:

"Lin Fang, right? Yes, there is such a person. Twenty years have passed, has he become a great Dao Repository cultivator now?"

"Not yet, but he has a full sixty percent chance."

"Oh, so he's a waste."

The ancient scholar scoffed, drew a large cross over Lin Fang's name, turned to an ancient guard beside him, and instructed:

"Later, go to the storeroom and throw the things Lin Fang used twenty years ago to those wild people living in isolation outside the mountain... just exchange them for something."

Chen Xuan was stunned when he heard this, thinking to himself, Could my fish fork and fishing net have ended up in the hands of those ancient people outside the mountain like this? That would truly make them junk.

But he felt that the material of the fish fork was extraordinary, cold to the touch, so its origin shouldn't be too poor.

The young man's face was very unpleasant, and he retorted in a low voice, "My father is not a waste..."

"You are even more of a waste."

The ancient scholar said with a mocking expression, then impatiently waved his hand and continued, "Enter the village. Tomorrow, tell your ancestor about your father's matter. Heh, the ancestor probably won't be interested in hearing it... Your descendants won't have such a good opportunity in the future."

After the ancient scholar finished speaking, he turned to look at the remaining few people and was about to speak when suddenly, his gaze fixed on Chen Xuan's face.

"Hmm, you..."

The ancient scholar scrutinized Chen Xuan, muttering to himself, "Your bone structure and aptitude have a hint of ancient appearance..."

He himself was an ancient person, with sharp eyes, able to discern the weight of a cultivator's bone structure at a glance. For example, the young man he called a greater waste had a bone structure of less than five thousand jin, far from comparable to ancient people.

But Chen Xuan was different; his bone structure weighed over eight thousand jin. After the Third Ascension, although slightly inferior to ancient people, it was very close.

Some ancient people with slightly weaker physiques might not be able to compare to Chen Xuan.

Having an ancient appearance definitely meant good bone structure and aptitude.

"I have an ancient appearance too?"

Chen Xuan was happy, because he knew Yan Yushu was considered to have an ancient appearance, but he didn't expect to receive this description himself at this moment.

The other ancient people holding weapons also turned their surprised gazes towards Chen Xuan upon hearing this, feeling astonished, because such people were too rare. In the future, they could cultivate their physical strength through Qi cultivation to a level similar to theirs.

The ancient scholar nodded, then sighed, "Among the people I've seen today, your bone structure is temporarily ranked in the top two."

Saying this, he turned the book towards Chen Xuan and said:

"Please write down your name and token... In the future, your descendants, regardless of their aptitude, can come to see the ancestor once with the token and tell the story about you."

The previous young man no longer had this treatment.

"Okay."

Chen Xuan nodded, lowered his head and glanced at the book, only to see that many names had already been written on it.

"..."

"Yan Yushu, Token: Forget it."

"Ye Kui, Token: There are too many grudges in the world, how dare I have descendants? I'll forget it too."

"Xie Cheng, Token: Red Crow City Xie Family Token."

"Wang..."

"..."

Chen Xuan picked up the brush, pondered for a moment, and wrote directly:

"Chen Xuan".

"Token: Everyone else has forgotten it, so I'll forget it too."

The ancient scholar took it and was immediately dumbfounded, saying, "Forget it? You people of later generations are really interesting, not considering your descendants, are you?"

The future was uncertain, and the destination unknown.

How could one form bonds in this dark era? Bonds were weaknesses, no need to even think about it.

Soon, Chen Xuan walked past the archway and headed up the mountain.

Behind him, the fiery red fox stood on tiptoe, its paws on the table, poking out its adorable head, tilting its fox face upwards, chattering a lot: "Token? This little fox's face is the token..."

The ancient scholar pulled out a book from under a stack of books, found a name, and then sent it up the mountain.

Peach trees obscured the mountain path, and in the ancient village nestled on the mountainside, swathes of mulberry and bamboo exuded a vibrant green.

Children, like lotus roots, chased chickens and dogs along the small paths, each step covering several meters, causing a chaotic flurry of feathers and fur. In the courtyards, women and children were grinding grain, strong as oxen, the millstones rumbling...

Chen Xuan stepped into the ancient village, his gaze sweeping around.

By now, quite a few cultivators and Southern Wilderness monsters had arrived. Their landing spots were closer to the Peach Blossom Garden ancient village than Chen Xuan's, so they had arrived earlier.

In the distance, a large group of young talents, surrounding a woman with hair like a waterfall of black silk, were visiting the ancient village to experience its customs.

Yan Yushu wore a striking black dress, but her exquisitely flawless face was free of makeup, clear and ethereal, possessing a strong contrasting beauty, like an immortal lotus emerging from the mud unstained and blooming in clear water without being seductive.

She stood among the young talents, her figure slender and graceful like a willow branch, like a brilliant pearl surrounded by dim stars in the dark night. The group was quite imposing as they passed by Chen Xuan.

"Excuse us, fellow Daoists, please make way." A direct descendant of an aristocratic family shouted on the narrow country path.

"..."

Chen Xuan was very self-aware and had already moved aside in advance, leaning against a courtyard wall as the crowd brushed past him.

These cultivators from the Red Crow City area were either young geniuses who had entered based on their own talent, or disciples of aristocratic families who relied on deep backgrounds and the legacy of their predecessors. They were all important figures that mountain and marsh rogue cultivators could not afford to offend.

Not just Chen Xuan, but others were also affected and made way...

"Heh!"

Not far away, a young man with a saber and sword hanging from his waist, a dogtail grass stalk in his mouth, stared at the retreating figures of Yan Yushu and the others, his expression contemptuous as he commented:

"A bunch of country bumpkins being played and used by a pretty girl."

Chen Xuan saw that among the crowd ahead, several aristocratic family disciples, including Xie Cheng, the young genius of the Xie Family, a Dao Repository Talent family, were deliberately acting foolish and making jokes around Yan Yushu, hoping to attract the beauty's attention.

Yan Yushu, on the other hand, appeared very dignified, exceptionally elegant, with a faint smile on her face from beginning to end that seemed approachable but was actually perfunctory... She was like this with everyone, but everyone felt they were the one being treated specially.

The news of Yan Yushu becoming Lu Zhuan's disciple had spread, and her status had rapidly risen. She had instantly surpassed these aristocratic family disciples. The gap in status made them even more eager to pursue and adore her, yet unable to obtain her.

"Buzz!"

The blue-purple talisman in Chen Xuan's sleeve vibrated with a buzz, and a woman's clear, joyful voice, like wind chimes, came through:

"You're here. Where are you staying tonight? I'll come find you right away!"

"..."

Chen Xuan heard it, but didn't reply, even directly ignoring it in his mind.

Because, something more important was happening at this moment.

Chen Xuan was staring intently at the young man by the roadside who had just spoken mockingly.

The young man was around twenty years old, with a heroic appearance, narrow eyes, a thin face, a wasp waist, and mantis legs. His physique was well-proportioned and strong, clearly indicating he was a martial arts practitioner.

At this moment, the young man's chin was raised, his arms were crossed, and his left foot was extended forward, standing in a very casual posture. He stared at Yan Yushu's back, a strange light flickering in his eyes.

Chen Xuan first glanced casually, then turned his head away, paused for a second, and turned back again, staring fixedly at the young man.

"This person's martial skills are very strong, no, extremely strong, stronger than anyone I've ever seen."

This astonishing thought instantly arose in his mind.