First Arrival in Anchan Commandery, Encountering Ji Ning at Cave of Carefree!

Yinglong Divine Mountain.

The tallest mountain range within the Great Xia Royal Capital.

A majestic mountain towering a hundred thousand li high.

Even Tianmang Palace, the most majestic structure in the Imperial City and the symbol of supreme imperial authority, fell slightly short of it.

"Young Master, this is as far as I can see you."

On the mountainside of Yinglong Divine Mountain.

The Silver-haired Man, the Silver Fox Celestial, and Xia Manggan stood before an enormous tower-shaped teleportation array.

"Thank you for the trouble, Uncle Fox."

Xia Manggan nodded and cupped his hands in thanks.

Earlier, in the small courtyard where he had been born, Uncle Fox had placed the cultivation resources prepared for him, as well as all sorts of items he would need while traveling the world, into a natural wonder known as a Mustard Stone, which contained ten zhang of storage space, and handed it over to him.

He had even helped him bind a spirit beast as his companion for roaming the world.

Now, it was time to say farewell.

At that moment.

A streak of sword-light flew over from the direction of the royal capital, arriving directly before the teleportation array where Xia Manggan and the others stood. It revealed a young man dressed in luxurious azure robes.

"Fellow Daoist, are you also going to Anchan Commandery?"

The man smiled before speaking. At a glance, he was clearly someone skilled at dealing with people and socializing.

But before Xia Manggan could reply, the man's gaze swept over the Silver Fox Celestial.

He was immediately stunned by that peerless beauty.

His entire body abruptly froze in place.

Xia Manggan secretly found the sight amusing.

Uncle Fox was the Heavenly Immortal patriarch of the Heavenly Fox Clan.

Even though he had restrained all his aura and revealed none of his divine wonders.

Cultivators whose souls were not strong enough and whose Dao-hearts had not reached a certain level would be unable to resist the natural allure etched into his very bones.

"Young Master, be careful in all things. I'll be leaving first."

The Silver Fox Celestial frowned as he glanced at the azure-robed man.

Then, he released the slightest trace of his aura, jolting the man awake from his daze.

If he had not been seeing the Young Master off from the royal capital.

Ordinary Earth Immortals and Loose Immortals would not even have been qualified to see his true form.

Much less a little Myriad Manifestations cultivator like the azure-robed man.

Whoosh.

The Silver Fox Celestial teleported away.

The freshly awakened azure-robed man immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

This was Yinglong Divine Mountain!

Anyone capable of teleporting here had to be at least a super expert at the Earth Immortal or Loose Immortal level.

And such an expert had called the youth before him... Young Master!?

Xia Manggan ignored the shocked look in the azure-robed man's eyes.

He stood there, gazing down at the magnificent enormous city below.

And at the equally incomparably majestic Tianmang Palace in the distance opposite him...

When the Immortal Fate Assembly begins thirteen years from now, that will be the day of my return!

Anchan Commandery.

Yinglong Guard branch, Red Dragon Mountain Range.

The enormous tower-shaped teleportation array suddenly lit up.

Then, two figures appeared.

"Fellow Daoist, my name is Qu Changqing. I am a disciple of the Zhenhua Sect in Anchan Commandery."

Seeing Xia Manggan emerge from the teleportation array and look around as though it was his first time here, the azure-robed man stepped forward and took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

"May I ask how I should address you, Fellow Daoist? Have you come to the Anchan Commandery Yinglong Guard branch to take on a mission?"

"My name is Xia Manggan."

Xia Manggan replied casually, "I came to Anchan Commandery because I want to find a sect and take a master for cultivation."

Based on the information that had been instilled into his mind.

There were roughly thirteen years left until the next Immortal Fate Assembly of the Xia Clan Great World, which was held once every three hundred years.

According to what he knew of Desolate Era.

After the original protagonist, Ji Ning, reincarnated into the Xia Clan Great World, he had cultivated for only a little over twenty years before winning first place in the Immortal Fate Assembly.

By that calculation, Ji Ning should currently be cultivating at the Black-White Academy in Anchan City.

But the problem was.

He had no way of knowing whether the Immortal Fate Assembly thirteen years from now was the one Ji Ning had participated in.

Therefore, when the Silver Fox Celestial had asked where he wanted to travel.

After only a brief moment of thought, he had decided to come to Anchan Commandery.

He had come specifically to confirm the timeline he was currently in.

"Xia Manggan?" Qu Changqing was secretly startled.

Good heavens.

He was actually from the imperial clan!

The Great Xia Imperial Clan had taken root ever since this major world had been born.

After reproducing for countless hundreds of millions of years.

The Xia Mang Clan's population had become too numerous to count.

Ordinary members of the Xia Mang Clan did not possess any particularly extraordinary privileges compared to common people.

But for a super expert at least at the Earth Immortal or Loose Immortal level to address him as "Young Master."

Combined with the Xia Mang surname...

Qu Changqing secretly guessed that Xia Manggan had to be the son of some commandery king from the direct imperial bloodline, out to experience life.

As for a Heavenly Immortal prince of the imperial clan, Qu Changqing did not even dare consider it.

After all, whether he was the son of a Heavenly Immortal prince or of an Earth Immortal or Loose Immortal commandery king, it was an identity Qu Changqing could only look up to.

"Brother Xia Mang, since this is your first time in Anchan Commandery, why not let me, a local, play host and treat you to a feast in Anchan City?"

Qu Changqing spoke as naturally as he could.

"As for Brother Xia Mang's desire to find a sect and take a master, I can also give you a detailed introduction."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Fellow Daoist Qu." Xia Manggan smiled.

He had yet to begin Qi Refining and could not use magic treasures.

To get from the Red Dragon Mountain Range to Anchan City, he could only run there on foot.

Now that someone was willing to lead the way and even treat him to a meal.

Naturally, he would not stand on ceremony.

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all."

"Whenever I return after completing a mission, the first thing I do is head to Cave of Carefree to enjoy some fine food and wine."

Suppressing the joy in his heart, Qu Changqing waved his hand and released a Flying Boat magic treasure roughly ten zhang long.

Then, as he invited Xia Manggan aboard, seemingly afraid Xia Manggan might think he was being neglectful, he explained.

"This Cave of Carefree is the finest place for pleasure in all of Anchan City. The Heavenly Treasure Mountain operated by the imperial family can be found in every commandery city throughout the Great Xia Dynasty, but Cave of Carefree exists only in our Anchan City..."

"Cave of Carefree?"

Xia Manggan nodded slightly.

He remembered that Cave of Carefree also sold intelligence.

It would be perfect to look into the young geniuses who had risen to fame in Anchan Commandery over the past few decades and see whether there was any information on Ji Ning.

Or whether there were any familiar names. That would allow him to roughly determine the timeline.

Cave of Carefree.

Within a quiet private room.

As soon as Xia Manggan and Qu Changqing had taken their respective seats, more than ten pretty maidservants brought in plates of rare delicacies and fine wine.

"Brother Xia Mang."

Qu Changqing smiled as he raised his cup. "The Hundred Delicacies Feast here at Cave of Carefree tastes quite good. Many of the rare ingredients used are specialties of Anchan Commandery. Brother Xia Mang should try more of them."

"Mm, not bad."

Xia Manggan picked up his chopsticks and casually took a few bites.

In his previous life, he had been the supreme ruler of the Great Gan Dynasty in the Yang God World.

What rare delicacies had he not tasted?

Although many of the ingredients in the Hundred Delicacies Feast were indeed things he had never seen before, he would not show delight over a few bites of food.

However, while he did not care, someone did.

Sensing the restlessness welling up from the depths of his soul, Xia Manggan smiled faintly. "Ah Huang, if you want to eat, come out."

"Ah Huang?" Qu Changqing was startled.

Why did that sound like the name of a little dog?

The thought had barely crossed his mind.

When he saw a reddish-yellow snake head begin to emerge from the surface of Xia Manggan's arm.

The reddish-yellow snake head had two horns resembling dragon horns.

It also had two long dragon whiskers around its mouth.

Qu Changqing considered himself well informed, having reached the peak of the Myriad Manifestations stage and joined the Yinglong Guard.

Yet he had never heard of or seen a species like this little spirit beast snake named Ah Huang that had appeared from Xia Manggan's body.

After Ah Huang emerged with its snake head, it opened its mouth, and an endless suction force immediately appeared.

It swallowed all one hundred dishes of the Hundred Delicacies Feast from the table into its stomach in a single gulp.

After eating, Ah Huang seemed somewhat dissatisfied. It glanced at the dumbfounded Qu Changqing and made hissing sounds.

That gaze and manner made it seem as though it were urging Qu Changqing to bring more food.

"My apologies."

Xia Manggan gently stroked Ah Huang's head. "Ah Huang was only born not long ago, so its temperament is still like that of a child."

"Only born not long ago?" Qu Changqing was astonished.

In his senses, this seemingly docile little spirit beast snake contained terrifying might within its body.

Especially when it had opened its mouth to devour the dishes just now, the faint black light that had appeared from its mouth.

Even he, a Wanxiang Daoist at the perfected stage, had felt several traces of mortal danger.

"Bring several more servings of the dishes from before."

Xia Manggan said, "Since Ah Huang likes them, let it eat its fill."

The true name of his spirit beast Ah Huang was the Heaven-Eroding Yellow Dragon.

It was an unusual dragon with the bloodline of an ancient divine beast, not a snake.

Normally, the aptitude and strength of a divine beast were judged by the purity of the divine beast bloodline it contained.

In other words, by the level of strength it reached before taking human form.

Ordinary divine beasts took human form at the Purple Mansion stage.

Those with more noble bloodlines could only take human form at the Myriad Manifestations or Primordial Spirit stage.

But Ah Huang could only take human form after becoming a Heavenly Immortal.

In terms of bloodline nobility, Ah Huang was among the absolute peak throughout the Three Realms.

Thus, only a few months after being born, Ah Huang already possessed the strength of the early Myriad Manifestations stage.

Moreover, like a Fiendgod Body Refining cultivator, it could crush Qi Refining Path experts of the same Myriad Manifestations stage.

If it used its innate divine ability, Devour, it could even threaten Primordial Spirit Daoists of the Qi Refining Path.

Otherwise, Xia Manggan's father, whose background was extraordinarily vast, would not have prepared such a spirit beast for him.

Upon hearing Xia Manggan say this.

Ah Huang happily stretched out its head and rubbed it against his palm.

At the same time, a stream of pure divine power flowed from Ah Huang's body into his.

This was another heaven-defying function of Ah Huang's innate divine ability, Devour.

Not only could it devour all things, including every sort of unusual energy, it could also convert the devoured energy into pure divine power before feeding it back to its master.

Setting aside its own strength and the room for growth granted by its noble bloodline.

Its ability to help its master rapidly replenish divine power alone was enough to make Ah Huang the spirit beast most coveted by all Fiendgod Body Refining cultivators.

While waiting for the maidservants to bring more dishes.

To keep the atmosphere from going cold, Qu Changqing took the initiative to ask about Xia Manggan's requirements for a sect and master.

"I have no particular requirements."

Xia Manggan shook his head. "The strongest one will do."

And that was called having no particular requirements?

Qu Changqing grumbled inwardly, then said without hesitation, "Then it can only be the Black-White Academy."

"But..."

Qu Changqing hesitated slightly, but still asked, "May I ask what realm Brother Xia Mang has cultivated to now?"

He had only sensed the aura of divine power from Xia Manggan and had not detected any fluctuations of Origin Force.

Thus, he was somewhat uncertain.

"I—" Xia Manggan had just opened his mouth.

When a deep, heavy voice suddenly rang out from the hall outside the private room.

"Beishan Baiwei, I hear you want your friend Ji Ning to enter the Heaven-Splitting Sword Sect?"

The heavy voice continued with a laugh,

"Hahaha, what a pity! I can tell you now, and tell that brat Ji Ning as well. Ji Ning, don't even think about entering the Heaven-Splitting Sword Sect for the rest of your life!"

Ji Ning?

He was in the Cave of Carefree too!?

Xia Manggan's heart stirred. He stood and walked to the window to look outside.

Just then, another angry shout rang out.

Xia Manggan looked toward the sound.

In another private room diagonally opposite, two young figures were seated.

One of them was a youth dressed in beast hides, with a white spirit beast dog at his side.

Wasn't that the exclusive image of Ji Ning, the protagonist of the original novel!

That was all for today—just three chapters. Let Suifeng build up some drafts. The contract should be signed tomorrow. Those who have not invested yet, hurry up. Too bad follow-up investments are not allowed. Sigh. I'll be losing out on so much money.