Dongfang

Education was not merely education, and reading was not merely reading.

It also encompassed economics, people's livelihoods, war, order, life, the human experience, good and evil, right and wrong, ideals, and countless other things.

Truths were often interconnected.

When Shangguan Jinyan arrived at Baishi Town, Zhang Mingshu also received the news. He emerged from North Mountain Valley and hurried over to welcome him.

When Shangguan Jinyan and his party arrived at Baishi Town, night had already fallen, but the town remained brightly lit. Zhang Mingshu stood at the town entrance. Behind him were rows of neat houses, wisps of cooking smoke curling upward—a scene of peace and tranquility.

"Mr. Shangguan, welcome to Baishi Town." Zhang Mingshu stepped forward to greet him, a warm smile on his face.

Shangguan Jinyan returned the courtesy. "Patriarch Zhang, I have long admired your reputation. To meet you today is truly an honor."

After seeing him in person, the rumors had indeed been far too simple. According to legend, this Patriarch Zhang had been secretly cultivated in the Imperial Palace by the Sky-Toppling Observatory back then. The stars in the patriarch's eyes are as vast as the sea.

A Seventh-Tier Great Scholar Realm expert observing a Fourth-Tier Star Yuan Realm sorcerer allowed Shangguan Jinyan to see through quite a few of Zhang Mingshu's hidden cards. For example, the magical power within his body, as well as his astonishingly large number of star particles.

Zhang Mingshu had already left the Cold Palace more than fifty years ago. Moreover, the Royal Capital had been occupied by the barbarian tribes and the Pseudo-Kang Kingdom for many years. After the final great battle and the fall of Sizhou City, every trace of the past had been thoroughly erased.

No one outside knew what rumors had spread about Zhang Mingshu's