Atop Demon-Suppressing Pass.
"Not to brag, but everyone else was practically scared shitless back then. I was the only one.
"I kept my head in the crisis and finally commanded an entire squad in a strategic retreat under the little demon army's encirclement."
In a corner somewhere, a young man in a robe was shooting the breeze and boasting to his companions.
"Quit bragging. If Zhao Ling'er hadn't held off a hundred single-handedly and bought your scout squad time to retreat,
"you'd have been cold water with soybeans-burping your last and going cold."
"Exactly."
With his boast exposed, the young man gave them a scornful look.
"You lot just don't understand!"
"What does cultivation level matter? What matters most is brains, brains!"
Another round of mocking chatter followed.
The young man picked up his liquor, unwilling to waste any more breath on them.
But as he turned, he encountered the Blue Robes Man.
The young man glanced at him and was about to walk around him,
but the other man spoke first.
"Sorry for the trouble, sir. Could I ask you for directions? Which way leads out of the pass?"
"Out of the pass?" the young man asked in surprise. "The Demon Race is attacking right now. Why would you leave? Just stay put inside."
Having said that, he added,
"Once things settle down a little in a few days, you might be able to leave."
The young man walked away.
Atop Demon-Suppressing Pass, the scenery was different again.
All kinds of cultivators passed through, bustling about.
Some had come because of its reputation, while others were guards who already belonged to Demon-Suppressing Pass. There were no fewer people atop the pass than within it.
Looking farther up, densely packed towers and pavilions rose one after another.
They were linked