Changes Across the Worlds

Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre World.

Mount Wudang, Purple Cloud Palace.

The morning bell rang as clouds and mist swirled around the mountain.

Zhang Sanfeng sat cross-legged on a bluestone at the edge of a cliff, facing east as he breathed in and out the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Though he was over a hundred years old, the old Daoist now looked like a young man in his twenties.

His peak Foundation Establishment cultivation had remade his body and extended his lifespan to three hundred years.

At the foot of the mountain, crowds bustled about.

Countless young people carried bundles and climbed the stone steps.

Some came from martial arts families, some were poor scholars, some were descendants of military generals, and there were even a few blond, blue-eyed visitors from foreign lands.

They had come from all corners of the world for one purpose alone—to ascend Mount Wudang, join the Ascension Alliance, and learn immortal arts!

A year ago, Zhang Sanfeng had founded his sect on Mount Wudang and declared, "Anyone willing to cultivate may come up the mountain to study, regardless of background."

Once the news spread, the entire realm was shaken.

The established martial sects—Shaolin, Emei, Mount Hua, and Kunlun—had all sent disciples to seek instruction.

At the mountain gate, Song Yuanqiao personally presided over the proceedings.

Though he was over fifty, he looked only around thirty. He wore a dark Daoist robe, with a long sword hanging at his waist.

As the founding ruler of Martial Xia, he should have been holding court in Dadu.

Yet every March, he returned to Mount Wudang. First, to seek cultivation guidance from his master; second, to select disciples on his master's behalf.

"Name."

Song Yuanqiao looked at the fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy before him.

"Zhu Chongba," the youth replied.

Song Yuanqiao raised a brow. "Chongba? Not a bad name..."

"My father is a farmer at the foot of the mountain. His name is Zhu Laojiu, and he was once a servant disciple of the Wudang Sect."

The youth was neither servile nor overbearing.

Song Yuanqiao nodded slightly. Sensing the extraordinary fortune surrounding the youth, he said, "Go in. Since your father is a Wudang disciple, you need not be tested."

"Yes."

The youth bowed, then strode through the mountain gate.

Song Yuanqiao watched his retreating figure and sighed inwardly.

He wondered what the boy might achieve in the future.

"Next."

The line at the mountain gate stretched for miles.

Song Yuanqiao continued his selection.

Trisolaran World.

United Nations Headquarters.

New York, United Nations Headquarters Building.

In a room without a single window, all four walls were encased in lead plates a meter thick. The door was cast from titanium alloy and weighed three tons.

In the center of the room floated a tiny point of light—the only Sophon terminal left behind by the Trisolaran Civilization.

Luo Ji sat across from the terminal, holding a file as he read.

"The antimatter engine test was successful. The first interstellar spacecraft is expected to be completed within ten years."

He read the contents aloud, then looked at the Sophon terminal. "Was this technology provided by you?"

A line of text appeared on the terminal's screen: "Yes. According to our agreement, for every technology provided, humanity must provide a corresponding cultivation technique advancement plan."

Luo Ji nodded. "The advancement plan is ready. It contains the complete cultivation methods from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, including mental cultivation techniques, methods for refining qi, and ways to overcome bottlenecks."

"Please provide it."

Luo Ji placed the file before the terminal.

The words on the document were scanned and transmitted. Moments later, new text appeared on the screen: "Cultivation techniques received. Verifying... Verification passed. The Trisolaran Civilization thanks humanity for its cooperation."

Luo Ji leaned back in his chair, looking at those words as he could not help but sigh inwardly.

The Trisolarans were thanking humanity?

That would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.

Back then, the Trisolarans had regarded humanity as insects and had been ready to wipe them out at any moment.

Now, they thanked humanity because humanity possessed the cultivation techniques they desired.

A trade was that simple.

Luo Ji rose and left the sealed chamber.

The era of global cultivation had arrived.

Cultivation had already become part of human life.

Luo Ji entered a café, ordered an Americano, and sat by the window.

Outside, a young man was meditating by the roadside, while the passersby paid him no mind.

Luo Ji smiled faintly, recalling the awkwardness he had faced when he had first begun cultivating.

A year had passed.

He had gone from an ordinary person to the peak of Foundation Establishment, only one step away from forming a core.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated.

Luo Ji glanced at it. It was a message from Shi Qiang: "Another one on the Trisolaran side has broken through to Foundation Establishment. They're much faster than humans."

Luo Ji replied, "That's normal. They have no inner demons, so naturally they have no cultivation bottlenecks. But Foundation Establishment is as far as they can go. Without sufficient comprehension, they cannot continue cultivating."

Shi Qiang: "Then why are we still giving them cultivation techniques? Aren't we raising a tiger that will bring us disaster?"

Luo Ji: "Foundation Establishment is their limit. Humans can reach Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and even higher. The gap will only grow wider. There's nothing to fear."

Shi Qiang: "Fair enough. You call the shots."

Luo Ji put down his phone and took a sip of coffee.

Outside, the sun was setting, painting New York's skyline gold.

Battle Through the Heavens World.

Snake-People Clan Territory.

Deep within the desert, a massive palace stood amid an oasis.

The Snake-People Clan had lived here for generations, regarded by the people of the Jia Ma Empire as freaks and monsters.

Yet at this moment, Medusa, the queen of the Snake-People Clan, stood at the palace entrance to personally welcome a guest.

"Mr. Xiao Yan, welcome." Medusa dipped slightly in greeting.

Xiao Yan looked at the woman before him, his feelings complicated.

Medusa, queen of the Snake-People Clan and a peak Dou Emperor, was one of the foremost powers in the entire Jia Ma Empire.

She had a tall figure, an icy and beautiful face, and long purple hair cascading to her waist. Her pupils were vertical slits that emitted a faint golden glow.

Yet her attitude toward Xiao Yan was excessively respectful, even carrying a trace of... fear.

"Queen Medusa, you're too polite." Xiao Yan coughed awkwardly. "I'm only a Dou Wang... You don't need to treat me so..."

"It is only proper." Medusa interrupted him. "You are my master's friend. That makes you the most honored guest of the Snake-People Clan."

"All right."

Xiao Yan could not help feeling helpless.

The master Medusa spoke of was naturally Immortal Senior.

It was also because of Immortal Senior that he had so easily obtained the Green Lotus Core Flame, allowing his cultivation to rise so quickly and his strength to reach the Dou Wang realm.

"Mr. Xiao Yan, please come in."

Medusa stepped aside and gestured for him to enter. "I have prepared wine and food, as well as the secret technique scrolls treasured by the Snake-People Clan."

Xiao Yan did not hesitate for long before stepping into the palace.

Inside, luminous pearls were embedded in the vaulted ceiling, ancient snake script covered the walls, and soft carpets lay across the floor.

Snake-People Clan guards stood on either side. Upon seeing Xiao Yan, they all lowered their heads in salute.

Xiao Yan secretly clicked his tongue.

Her invitation was definitely not merely for a banquet. She surely had something to ask of him.

Although he had already known that, considering the favor of receiving the Green Lotus Core Flame, he had no reason to refuse the invitation.

At the banquet, Medusa personally poured wine for Xiao Yan.

"Fine wine!" Xiao Yan praised.

Medusa smiled faintly, set down the wine jug, and returned to the seat of honor.

"This wine is called Snake Saliva Fragrance. It is made from the saliva of a hundred spirit snakes, mixed with desert date blossoms and cactus fruit unique to the desert, then sealed in a cellar to ferment for ten years. Only three jars can be brewed each year. This jar was sealed ten years ago and was specially opened today for you, Mr. Xiao Yan."

"Queen Medusa, you are too generous. I'm merely a Dou Wang. I'm not worth such extravagance."

"You are too modest, Mr. Xiao Yan."

Medusa lifted her own cup and took a light sip. A complicated look flashed through her purple vertical pupils. "You are my master's friend, which makes you the most honored guest of the Snake-People Clan. Not to mention a jar of wine—even all the Snake-People Clan's treasures would be worth it."

Xiao Yan set down his cup, looked at Medusa, and fell silent for a moment.

"Queen Medusa," Xiao Yan slowly said, "you didn't invite me here just to drink, did you?"

Medusa's fingers paused slightly, and her cup stopped at her lips.

She did not deny it. Setting down her cup, she waved a hand.

The Snake-People Clan guards standing on both sides bowed in unison and silently withdrew from the hall. The heavy palace doors slowly closed behind them.

Only Xiao Yan and Medusa remained in the great hall.

"Mr. Xiao Yan truly is perceptive."

Medusa rose to her feet, then said, "I did indeed invite you here because I have a favor to ask."

"Mr. Xiao Yan, I wish to ask you to help me ask my master..."

Her voice softened slightly. "When will my master... return?"

Xiao Yan was silent for a moment.

He recalled Immortal Senior's presence in the group.

All-powerful, yet a man of few words who rarely took the initiative to speak with them.

And yet every member of the group had received his help.

The favor was too great. Xiao Yan felt that he had to cultivate diligently and strive to one day help Immortal Senior in whatever way he could.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, rose to his feet, and replied, "Queen Medusa, I will help you ask."

Medusa's eyes lit up. She took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Xiao Yan.

"Thank you, Mr. Xiao Yan. Whether my master returns or not, the Snake-People Clan will remember your kindness."