Yinglong Divine Mountain.
The highest mountain range within the Great Xia Royal Capital.
A towering mountain 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, I'll see you off here."
Halfway up Yinglong Divine Mountain.
The Silver-haired Man, 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.
Back in the little courtyard where he had been born, Uncle Fox had already placed the cultivation resources he had prepared, along with all manner of items needed for Xia Manggan's travels, into a natural wonder known as a Mustard Stone, which contained ten zhang of storage space, and handed it over to him.
He had also helped him bind a spirit beast as his companion for roaming the world.
Now, it was time to say goodbye.
At that moment.
A streak of sword-light flew over from the Royal Capital, heading straight for the teleportation array where Xia Manggan and the others stood. It revealed a young man dressed in magnificent azure robes.
"Daoist brother, are you headed to Anchan Commandery as well?"
The man smiled before he spoke. At a glance, he was clearly someone skilled at dealing with people and socializing.
But before Xia Manggan could answer, the man's gaze swept over Silver Fox Celestial.
He was instantly stunned by that peerless beauty.
His entire body froze on the spot.
The sight made Xia Manggan secretly laugh.
Uncle Fox was the Heavenly Immortal patriarch of the Heavenly Fox Clan.
Even with all his aura restrained and none of his divine wonders revealed.
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, take care of yourself. I'll be leaving now."
Silver Fox Celestial frowned as he glanced at the azure-robed man.
He then released the slightest trace of his aura, startling him awake from his daze.
If he had not been seeing Young Master off from the Royal Capital.
Ordinary Earth Immortals and Loose Immortals would not even be qualified to see his true form.
Much less a little Wanxiang cultivator like the azure-robed man.
Whoosh.
Silver Fox Celestial teleported away.
The azure-robed man, who had only just regained his senses, immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
This was Yinglong Divine Mountain!
To teleport here, one 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, looking down at the magnificent, enormous city below.
As well as 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.
"Daoist brother, 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 speak.
"May I ask how to address you, Daoist brother? Have you come to the Anchan Commandery Yinglong Guard branch to take on missions?"
"My name is Xia Manggan."
Xia Manggan replied casually, "I came to Anchan Commandery to find a sect and study under a master."
Based on the information that had been instilled into his mind.
There were roughly thirteen years remaining until the next Immortal Fate Assembly of the Xia Clan Great World, which was held once every three hundred years.
From what he knew of Desolate Era.
After the original Ji Ning had reincarnated into the Xia Clan Great World, he 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 determining whether the Immortal Fate Assembly thirteen years from now would be the one Ji Ning attended.
Therefore, when Silver Fox Celestial had asked where he wished to roam.
After only a brief moment of thought, he decided to come to Anchan Commandery.
He had come specifically to confirm the timeline he was in.
"Xia Manggan?" Qu Changqing was secretly shocked.
Good heavens.
He was actually from the imperial clan!
Although the Great Xia Imperial Clan had taken root ever since this great world was born.
And after countless hundreds of millions of years of reproduction, the number of people in the Xia Mang Clan had become immeasurable.
Ordinary members of the imperial Xia Mang Clan did not possess any particularly extraordinary privileges compared to normal people.
But for a person who was at least a super expert at the Earth Immortal or Loose Immortal level to call him "Young Master."
Combined with the Xia Mang surname...
Qu Changqing secretly guessed that Xia Manggan must be the son of some commandery king from the direct line of the imperial clan, out experiencing the world.
As for a Heavenly Immortal prince of the imperial clan, Qu Changqing did not even dare consider that possibility.
In any case, whether he was the son of a Heavenly Immortal prince or the son of an Earth Immortal or Loose Immortal commandery king, it was an identity Qu Changqing had to look up to.
"Brother Xia Mang, since this is your first time in Anchan Commandery, how about I, a local, play host and invite you to a feast in Anchan City?"
Qu Changqing said in a deliberately natural tone.
"As for your wish to find a sect and study under a master, I can also give you a detailed introduction."
"Then I'll trouble you, Daoist Qu." Xia Manggan smiled.
He had yet to begin Qi Refining and could not use magic treasures.
To travel 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, no trouble."
"Every time I return after completing an outside 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 around ten zhang long.
Then, while inviting Xia Manggan aboard, he seemed afraid Xia Manggan might think he was being neglectful, so he explained.
"This Cave of Carefree is the highest-class place for pleasure in all of Anchan City. Heavenly Treasure Mountain, run by the imperial family, can be found in commandery cities 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 was the perfect opportunity to investigate the young geniuses who had risen to fame in Anchan Commandery over the past few decades. If he found information on Ji Ning or any familiar names, he could roughly determine the timeline.
Cave of Carefree.
Inside a quiet private room.
As soon as Xia Manggan and Qu Changqing had taken their respective seats, more than ten pretty maidservants brought in platter after platter of rare delicacies and fine wine.
"Brother Xia Mang."
Qu Changqing raised his cup with a smile. "The Hundred Delicacies Feast at Cave of Carefree tastes quite good. Many of the rare ingredients used are specialties of our Anchan Commandery. Brother Xia Mang, you 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 eaten?
Although many of the ingredients in this Hundred Delicacies Feast were indeed things he had never seen before, he would not become visibly delighted over a few mouthfuls of food.
However, while he did not care, someone else did.
Feeling the restlessness rising from the depths of his soul, Xia Manggan smiled slightly. "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 tawny snake head emerge from the surface of Xia Manggan's arm.
The tawny snake head had two horns, resembling dragon horns.
It also had two long dragon whiskers by its mouth.
Qu Changqing considered himself quite experienced, having reached the Perfected Wanxiang Stage and joined the Yinglong Guard.
Yet the little spirit beast snake called Ah Huang that had emerged from Xia Manggan's body was a species he had never heard of or seen before.
After Ah Huang revealed his snake head, he opened his mouth, and an endless suction force immediately appeared.
He directly swallowed all one hundred dishes of the Hundred Delicacies Feast from the table into his belly.
After eating, Ah Huang seemed somewhat unsatisfied. He glanced at the dumbfounded Qu Changqing and made hissing sounds.
That look, that manner, was as though he were urging Qu Changqing to bring more dishes.
"My apologies."
Xia Manggan gently stroked Ah Huang's head. "Ah Huang was only born not long ago, so his temperament is still like that of a child."
"Only born not long ago?" Qu Changqing was astonished.
In his senses, the seemingly well-behaved little spirit beast snake contained terrifying might within his body.
Especially the faint black light that had appeared in his mouth when he swallowed the dishes from the table.
Even Qu Changqing, a Wanxiang Daoist at the perfected level, had felt a measure of threat from death.
"Bring several more servings of the same dishes."
Xia Manggan said, "Since Ah Huang likes them, let him eat his fill."
His spirit beast Ah Huang's true name was the Heaven-Eroding Yellow Dragon.
He was a strange dragon with the bloodline of an ancient divine beast, not a snake.
Generally speaking, a divine beast's talent and strength were judged by the purity of the divine beast bloodline it possessed.
In other words, it was determined by the level of strength at which it could transform into human form.
Normal divine beasts transformed at the Purple Mansion stage.
Those with nobler bloodlines could only transform at the Wanxiang Stage or the Primordial Spirit stage.
But Ah Huang had to become a Heavenly Immortal before he could transform.
In terms of bloodline nobility, Ah Huang was among the absolute peak throughout the Three Realms.
Thus, only a few months after his birth, Ah Huang already possessed the strength of the Early Wanxiang Stage.
Furthermore, like a Fiendgod Body Refining cultivator, he could crush Qi Refining Path experts at the same Wanxiang Stage.
If he used his innate divine ability, Devour, he could even threaten Primordial Spirit Daoists of the Qi Refining Path.
Otherwise, Xia Manggan's father, who possessed an immensely formidable background, would not have prepared such a spirit beast for him.
Upon hearing Xia Manggan say this.
Ah Huang happily stretched his head over and rubbed it against Xia Manggan's palm.
At the same time, a stream of pure Divine Power flowed from Ah Huang's body into his.
This was another heaven-defying use of Ah Huang's innate divine ability, Devour.
Besides devouring all things, including various forms of exotic energy, it could also transform the devoured energy into pure Divine Power and then feed it back to its master.
Setting aside his own strength and the room for growth granted by his noble bloodline.
The ability to help his master rapidly replenish Divine Power alone was enough to make Ah Huang the spirit beast most desired by all Fiendgod Body Refining cultivators.
While they waited for the maidservants to bring more food.
To prevent the atmosphere from growing awkward, Qu Changqing took the initiative to ask about Xia Manggan's requirements for joining a sect as a disciple.
"I don't have any 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, then still asked, "May I ask what realm Fellow Daoist 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 unsure.
"I—" Xia Manggan had just begun to speak.
When a deep voice suddenly rang out from the hall outside the private room.
"Beishan Baiwei, I heard you want your friend Ji Ning to enter the Heaven-Splitting Sword Sect?"
That deep voice continued, laughing wildly.
"Hahaha, what a pity! I can tell you right now, and tell that brat Ji Ning as well. Brat Ji Ning, you can forget 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 rose to his feet and walked to the window to look outside.
Just then, another furious shout rang out.
Xia Manggan looked toward the sound.
In another private room diagonally opposite, two young figures were seated.
One was a youth dressed in beast hide, with a large white dog spirit beast by his side.
Wasn't that the signature appearance 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. Gentlemen who haven't invested yet, hurry up. Too bad follow-up investments aren't allowed. Sigh, I'm missing out on so much money.
Before you continue