I Want to Go into Seclusion—Hurry Up and Pay Me Back!

"Senior Sister Zhang, is the inheritance of the Twelve Palaces of the Heavenly Mansion really that powerful?"

"Really powerful... You can drop the 'really.' It isn't merely powerful—it's extraordinarily powerful!"

Faced with Li Yun's confusion and curiosity, Zhang Ruohan wore an expression of absolute certainty and deep longing. Clearly, she yearned for the Twelve Palaces of the Heavenly Mansion.

"The Ancient Celestial Continent is boundlessly vast. The Mysterious Moon Kingdom where we are is merely a small nation east of the Ancient Celestial Continent, yet even within this small kingdom, countless Martial Dao experts have been born."

"But do you know this? In the Mysterious Moon Kingdom's three thousand years since its founding, there have not been many Martial Dao experts who truly left the kingdom and made their names beyond it."

"The twelve Palace Masters of the Twelve Palaces of the Heavenly Mansion once went out into the world, and they established illustrious reputations. For a time, Martial Dao experts beyond the Mysterious Moon Kingdom believed our kingdom's Martial Dao to be flourishing, and they did not dare intrude or provoke us lightly."

"Even the Sky Rending Dynasty, the suzerain state of our Mysterious Moon Kingdom, had to regard us somewhat more highly while the Twelve Palaces of the Heavenly Mansion still existed. Because of that, it gave us quite a few conveniences and resources."

"That was all because the twelve Palace Masters of the Twelve Palaces of the Heavenly Mansion each possessed a formidable ultimate art, and those twelve ultimate arts could be fused into an unparalleled divine skill—the Heavenly Mansion Divine Skill!"

"This Heavenly Mansion Divine Skill is an ultimate art that can allow a martial artist to point directly toward the Celestial Realm. Its power is beyond anything you and I can imagine right now."

"But without a doubt, as long as one can inherit this ultimate art, the future will be boundless!"

Li Yun was dumbfounded.

This was the first time he had heard news from beyond the Mysterious Moon Kingdom. It was even the first time he had learned that above the Mysterious Moon Kingdom stood a suzerain state called the Sky Rending Dynasty!

It was not that he was poorly informed. It was simply that his predecessor's starting point had been far too low.

His predecessor's origins had been too ordinary. This was not some information age where everyone could sit at home, scroll through their phones, and see the whole world; there had simply been no channel through which to learn so much information.

In his predecessor's understanding, being able to join the Celestial Martial Sect as an Outer Sect Disciple with Grade Five aptitude was already like smoke rising from one's ancestral graves—a tremendous success, enough to bring glory to one's ancestors.

As for the future of Martial Dao, or even leaving the Mysterious Moon Kingdom to establish an illustrious name, those were things his predecessor had never even considered.

But now, things were different.

His predecessor was gone. All that remained was Li Yun, who had transmigrated with a system in tow.

Not knowing how vast the world was would have been one thing. But now that he knew the world was so broad, he could never allow himself to shrink into a tiny patch of heaven and earth like a frog at the bottom of a well, croaking away.

Only—

It still seemed somewhat far-off to speak of such things now.

He had not been transmigrated for long. His early development seemed decent enough—not explosively fast, but steadily advancing. Yet at the end of the day, he was only a minor martial artist at the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm.

With such strength, talking about matters beyond the Mysterious Moon Kingdom would be embarrassing even before anyone else could laugh at him.

"I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister Zhang."

"I'll keep the matter of the Twelve Palaces of the Heavenly Mansion in mind. If I truly get the chance, I'll give it a try and see whether I can obtain the inheritance."

"Right now, there's something I'd like to ask of you, Senior Sister Zhang."

"Mm, what is it? Go ahead."

Li Yun stood and looked around the valley they were in.

"Senior Sister Zhang, I think this valley has a good environment. It's safe and secluded, so I'd like to enter seclusion here for a while. Would that be possible?"

Zhang Ruohan was somewhat surprised. She had not expected Li Yun to make such a request.

However, she was a clever person, and she immediately understood Li Yun's unspoken meaning.

Going into seclusion was not something one could do with empty words alone.

Someone had to take care of things like three meals a day. Otherwise, one could starve to death before even talking about seclusion.

Especially Li Yun, whose strength was still low.

He could not even freely enter and leave this valley. Without someone to provide those conditions for him, wanting to cultivate in seclusion here would be nothing but a joke.

So Li Yun clearly wanted her to help him with this.

At that thought,

Zhang Ruohan could not help rolling her eyes at him.

She said irritably, "You really are shameless... If you cultivate in seclusion here, I'll have plenty to keep me busy. But forget it. If you want to enter seclusion, then go ahead."

"I'll prepare a few days' worth of food for you first. Then I'll return to the sect, and I'll come check on you again in a few days."

"But remember this: when I come to see you next time, if you haven't made any major progress, I'll take you back with me."

Li Yun was overjoyed when he heard that, and he repeatedly thanked Zhang Ruohan.

He could not help sighing inwardly that encountering Zhang Ruohan by chance had truly been his good fortune. Through her, he had gained a whole potful of benefits.

If there was anything bad about it,

it was probably that he had indirectly provoked Zhao Chuanfeng because of it.

But it did not matter.

He took such things in stride.

In this life, no one could sail smoothly forever, nor could anyone be the center of heaven and earth with everything revolving around them.

In the world of Martial Dao, whether directly or indirectly, enmity between people was unavoidable.

Without Zhao Chuanfeng, there might have been some other Li Chuanfeng, Wu Chuanfeng, or whoever else.

As long as he seized opportunities and raised his strength as quickly as possible, everything would naturally be solved as easily as splitting bamboo. No matter what wind came, he could simply stomp it to death.

I have a system. I should have this kind of confidence!

After they had settled the matter,

Zhang Ruohan left first. She departed the valley and brought Li Yun some game and various fruits, gathering enough food for roughly three or four days.

Then, she left behind the treasured sword she carried with her, along with a martial art she had promised to exchange with Li Yun.

Only then did she return to the sect.

Once Zhang Ruohan left, Li Yun could not help feeling somewhat forlorn.

But when he thought that, from now on, he would not need to have any scruples in this empty valley and could cultivate to his heart's content, he became excited again.

He had no intention of wasting time.

After simply eating a little, he immediately sat down to cultivate.

This time, he intended to truly press forward in one burst and completely elevate the remaining five stances of Basic Stance Cultivation. Whether or not he could obtain the Heavenly Mansion Inheritance, this was at least an essential path for accelerating his cultivation.

Just as Li Yun began entering his secluded cultivation,

Gu Yunzheng of Rank 95 Academy had waited several days without receiving any news from his cousin He Tingfeng or Xu Youwu. At last, he could no longer hold himself back.

Moreover, he had not discovered anyone investigating Li Yun's whereabouts, so he felt that the matter would probably fade away with the wind in quiet obscurity.

Thus, early one morning, he headed to Rank 77 Courtyard.

At the entrance to Rank 77 Courtyard, Gu Yunzheng politely stopped a disciple who was walking out from inside.

"Senior Brother, my name is Gu Yunzheng. I'm He Tingfeng's cousin, and I have something to discuss with him. Could I trouble you to call him out?"

"What did you say? You're He Tingfeng's cousin? You came at just the right time! That bastard He Tingfeng owes me eight hundred taels of silver. He promised to pay me back in three days, but he ran off without a word... Hurry up and pay me back!"