A Change in the Pieces

In the 1200th year of the Gods and Devils Calendar, this great war between good and evil came to a complete end. Both sides suffered heavy losses, and neither gained any advantage.

With the demons retreating, the Heavenly Desolation Domain enjoyed a brief period of peace.

However, this tranquility had nothing to do with Shen Ge. It was now the first thousand years of his duel with the Venerable Reincarnation, and in his current perception, only three thousand of his ten thousand soul fragments remained.

Although it's unclear how they all died, the fact that 7,000 of the 10,000 divided souls have disappeared in a thousand years suggests that the situation is not optimistic.

However, this is not unacceptable. If three thousand souls remain after a thousand years, it means that these three thousand divided souls have all grown.

With Bai Lili's help, Shen Ge's cultivation level had been firmly established at the Spirit Severing Peak Stage three hundred years ago, but he still had no progress in reaching the Body Integration Realm, and he encountered the first bottleneck in his cultivation career.

Bai Lili's cultivation level was the same; she was also stuck at the peak of the Spirit Severing Realm and could not make any further progress.

Indeed, the two of them have cultivated for a maximum of three thousand years, and their current level is already far beyond that of ordinary people.

"Let's go, it's time to go out for a walk."

Two separate souls emerged from their bodies and then left this ghostly realm through the Ghost Gate Pass.

The Earth Marsh region is located within the sphere of influence of the Heavenly River Limitless Sect. A sect called Spirit Moon Sect was established on a small island called Clear Wave Island.

Because Mo Qingyu had the status of an outer disciple of the Heavenly River Limitless Sect, the Spirit Moon Sect was under the protection of the Heavenly River Limitless Sect and thus became a subordinate sect of the Heavenly River Limitless Sect, but it also had relative autonomy.

Currently, only Mo Qingyu and Su Liuyue are at the late Spirit Severing Realm Spirit Moon Sect; the others are somewhat lacking.

Chu He was fortunate enough to break through to the Spirit Severing Realm more than three hundred years ago, but he is still in the Spirit Severing Early Stage and has not made any progress.

As for Jin Ling, she died long ago after failing to break through to the Nascent Spirit Severing Realm four hundred years ago.

Of Shen Ge's disciples, only Su Sui successfully broke through to the Spirit Severing Realm, while Lu Xiu is still at the Peak Nascent Soul.

As for Zhang Fengge, she is currently in the Nascent Soul Late Stage. Given her aptitude, she has virtually no hope of the Spirit Severing Realm. Therefore, she has been focusing on teaching younger disciples all these years.

As for Shen Ge's clone, Shen Linfeng, he embarked on a journey of exploration. Now that the war between gods and Gods and Devils has ended, he also wants to see this world for himself.

It is said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Shen Linfeng inherited Shen Ge's memories from his previous life and was not one to settle down and cultivate. Moreover, traveling could temper his heart in the mortal world, so he was naturally even more restless.

However, he traveled alone; Li Xue did not accompany him. After spending so much time together, although Shen Linfeng was also Shen Ge, their personalities were different.

Li Xue was in love with Shen Ge, but had no feelings for this clone, so she stopped hanging around him and returned to her master to begin her secluded cultivation.

Falling Rosy Clouds City, belonging to Gale Sword Valley, is considered a medium-to-large city with a population of over 200,000 households.

In a square, Shen's mother looked at the child in front of her with a kind expression. "Tianci, don't be nervous, it's alright."

The little boy, dressed in silk, looked excited but not nervous at all. His eyes were fixed on the high platform in the center of the square, where several people in uniform white cloud-patterned clothing were sitting.

These people are the immortal masters of Gale Sword Valley; they've come to select disciples!

"Quiet!"

At this moment, the middle-aged man who looked to be around forty years old, who had been standing on the high platform, suddenly opened his eyes and gave a soft shout. His voice was not loud, but it seemed to carry the might of heaven, and the entire square immediately fell silent.

"Children of school age should line up on the marked paths themselves. Anyone who dares to cause a disturbance, hehe..."

The "heh heh" was icy cold, as if it carried boundless murderous intent intent. Everyone in the square, adults and children alike, trembled and lowered their heads in fear.

Soon, the testing began, and one by one, eligible children stepped forward, only to be eliminated.

"No Spirit Root, next."

"No."

"No."

Still no.

After testing a hundred people, not one of them had Spirit Root, which disappointed the people from Gale Sword Valley.

"A mid-grade dual Spirit Root of earth and wood... uh, you can stand aside for now." The person conducting the test said with a frown. Clearly, he was somewhat dismissive of this aptitude, but it wouldn't be appropriate to go back empty-handed after coming all this way.

Soon, the tests on more than a thousand children were completed. Among them, only twenty had Spirit Root, and most of them had low to medium grade Spirit Root. The most talented children had only High-Grade Fire Spirit Root, and some had low grade water and wood Spirit Root as well.

"Next."

As the shouts rang out, a little boy in tattered clothes walked onto the platform, his innocent face displaying a calmness beyond his years.

The person conducting the test at Gale Sword Valley raised an eyebrow. Although he disliked the child's personality somewhat, he still said, "Put your hand on it."

The young man calmly extended his hand, and the moment his palm touched the ball, a dazzling yellowish-brown halo appeared, but upon closer inspection, a faint blue halo could also be seen within it.

"This is... Supreme-Grade Earth Spirit Root!" After the initial exclamation, the person conducting the test calmed down. "Unfortunately, the Spirit Root isn't pure enough; it also contains a low-grade Water Spirit Root."

"Little one, what's your name?"

"Chang Li."

"Okay, you can stand on the right first."

After testing about a hundred more people, it was Shen Tianci's turn. Offstage, Shen Tianci kept taking deep breaths to suppress his nervousness and quickly ran onto the stage.

The person conducting the test didn't even bother to open their mouth anymore; they simply gave Shen Tianci a look, signaling him to place his hand on it. After all, having failed to find anything after more than a hundred attempts, anyone would lose interest.

Shen Tianci was not annoyed by the slight, but instead placed his hand on it with a firm and expectant expression.

Instantly, a dazzling golden and red light filled the entire platform, so bright that some people nearby couldn't even open their eyes.

"My god, what level of Spirit Root is this? It's even more dazzling than that Supreme-Grade Earth Spirit Root from before?!"

"What do you mortals know? This is a dual Spirit Root metal and fire, and both are top-grade. With such talent, he could easily enter the inner sect of Gale Sword Valley. It can be said that as long as his temperament doesn't falter and he doesn't die young, he will become a Spirit Severing Realm expert within a thousand years."

"I didn't expect such a promising talent to emerge in the city this year. He's a master of both gold and fire magic, practically a born weapon refiner." In the city lord's mansion of Falling Rosy Clouds City, a refined and easy-going young man sat in the pavilion, glanced at the square, murmured with a slight smile, and then looked away.

On the high platform of the square, a pressure from a Peak Nascent Soul Realm suddenly swept across the entire square, causing no harm to mortals. However, all the cultivators mixed in with the crowd felt their knees buckle, as if a massive mountain had pressed down on their shoulders.

After all, it was a small town with few powerful figures. The reason why the powerful figure from Gale Sword Valley dared to be so arrogant was because he had first silently scanned the area with his divine sense and found no powerful figures there before he acted so recklessly.

Moreover, this Falling Rosy Clouds City belongs to their Gale Sword Valley, and even the city lord is an elder within the sect, whose strength has reached the Late Spirit Severing Realm. Under normal circumstances, no one would dare to cause trouble in Falling Rosy Clouds City.

"What are you still looking at? Let's go." An old man with a frail face and a beggar-like appearance patted a little boy on the head. His face was slightly pale, and his tone carried a hint of anger that he dared not speak.

The little boy, rubbing his head, said somewhat disgruntledly, "Old man, if you hit my head again, believe me, I won't talk to you anymore!"

"Little brat, your wings aren't even strong enough yet and you're already thinking about flying solo." The old man chuckled, then raised his hand and tapped the little boy on the head again. "You little brat, you haven't even learned to walk properly yet, but you've already picked up every single one of my foul mouths."

"Go back and practice for two extra hours today. If you don't finish, you won't get any food."

"Fine, I'll train you! You think I'm afraid of you?" the little boy shouted defiantly.

In White Dragon City, east of Tianhuang, two figures walked through the streets.

White Dragon City is an independent city, not under the jurisdiction of any sect, but there is a cultivation academy within the city.

The academy is called "Dao Repository," and it is quite famous. It is said that it was once glorious, and during its heyday, the most outstanding talents from various sects came here to study.

Unfortunately, for some reason, this academy has also started to decline, and now it only has one Tribulation Transcendence Realm expert holding it together.

On the street, Bai Lili, dressed in white like a snow fairy, smiled brightly. She pulled Shen Ge to a stall selling hairpins and bracelets and began to choose. Their intimate actions were like those of a couple deeply in love.

"How's this phoenix hairpin? Is it pretty?" Bai Lili asked Shen Ge as she inserted the hairpin into her hair.

"It looks good, it looks good." Shen Ge replied impatiently. He was genuinely regretting accompanying Bai Lili shopping. All along the way, she kept asking him if it looked good and if it was fun. It was so annoying. Didn't she even look at herself? What wouldn't look good on someone like her?

"You're so perfunctory." Bai Lili rolled her eyes at Shen Ge and gently pushed him in the chest.

The female shop owner, snapping out of her daze, exclaimed, "This lady is truly like a celestial being descended to earth! Such exquisite beauty is unworthy of the hairpins I have here!"

"To be honest, I'm almost reluctant to sell it to you, fairy. Such a vulgar item would really tarnish your elegance if you wore it."

"You really know how to talk." Bai Lili's lips curled up slightly, and she tossed out a few High-Grade Spirit Stone to buy the hairpin.

Sold for a bargain, the boss was naturally all smiles and praised the seller even more enthusiastically.

In the heart of the city, within the Dao Repository Academy, an old man with a full head of white hair raised an eyebrow, made a calculation with his fingers, and then a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"The arrival of the new Master of the Southern Splendor Sword is quite unexpected."

The Southern Splendor Sword is the divine weapon of their Dao Repository Academy, and has had five masters and living beings.

He had originally planned to retrieve the divine sword, but since the little guy was under the protection of Venerable Xu, he had to abandon that plan.

However, everything has its predetermined course, and perhaps following Southern Splendor would be a good thing.

"It seems we must extend our hospitality; we can't let the master of the divine sword look down on our Dao Repository Academy."

At the same time, dozens of the Body Integration Realm experts opened their eyes simultaneously within the Dao Repository Academy.

"The aura of the Southern Splendor Sword... I never expected that after all these twists and turns, the Southern Splendor Sword would return to our White Dragon City."

Just as some were about to take action, an aged voice rang in everyone's ears. "Fellow senior brothers and sisters, please do not act. I will handle this."

"Bai Shu, what do you mean by this?" someone asked, puzzled. After all, this divine sword had been lost for tens of thousands of years. Now that it had reappeared, they all wanted to take it back. Moreover, it was indeed a divine sword, ranking among the top in the entire Heavenly Desolation Domain's list of divine weapons.

"Since the divine sword has already recognized its master, why should we force it?" Bai Shu transmitted his voice. "Besides, that little fellow has some connection with Venerable Xu Venerable Xu, so we don't need to offend him."

Sure enough, upon hearing the name of Venerable Xu, the entire Dao Repository Academy fell silent, and no one dared to utter a word of dissent.

After all, with Venerable Xu's strength, if she wanted to destroy the Dao Repository Academy, their dean wouldn't be able to stop her.

Moreover, it is rumored that Venerable Xu has already touched the threshold of the Immortal Ascension Tribulation, and it is likely that he will soon face the Immortal Ascension Tribulation.

If he fails to overcome the obstacle, that's fine, but if he succeeds, then Venerable Xu will be one of the strongest people in this world, and the Dao Repository Academy would dare not offend him.

At this moment, a faint and ethereal voice reached the ears of all the Body Integration Realm experts:

"Bai Shu, I'm entrusting this matter to you. Remember to show these two juniors around our Dao Repository Academy; we can't fail to be hospitable as hosts."

"I will obey the Dean's order."

At the very center of the Dao Repository Academy, beside a small lake, several miles of pear blossoms are planted. The white petals mixed with the rich fragrance of the flowers create a beautiful scene.

Moreover, these pear blossoms are not ordinary pear blossoms, but rather the sixth-grade spirit medicine, Snow Peak Pear. The sheer size of this area reflects the profound heritage of the Dao Repository Academy.

"Southern Splendor Sword... Sigh~ Qinghua... Sigh~"

The old man shook his head, sighed a few times, and then fell silent, as if he had disappeared from this world. But to the naked eye, there was still an old man in a straw raincoat fishing by the lake.

On Dragon Origin Street, Bai Shu appeared before Shen Ge and his companion. His aged face bore a kind smile as he greeted them, "Distinguished guests, I am truly sorry for not welcoming you sooner."

Bai Lili glanced at the old man up and down, then turned away without saying a word. She recognized him; he had been watching Shen Ge when he underwent his Nascent Spirit Severing Azure Origin City, and had initially even plotted something malicious.

Over the years, Bai Lili's relationship with Shen Ge has improved considerably, so naturally she doesn't have a good impression of that person.

However, if it were in the past, Bai Lili would have been more than happy for this guy to slap Shen Ge to death.

Shen Ge glanced at the old man and said calmly, "So you are Senior Bai Shu. I am just a junior in the Spirit Severing Realm, not worthy of being called a distinguished guest."

"Your address, 'honored guest,' truly makes me feel quite embarrassed."

"Young friend Shen, what are you saying?" Bai Shu said with a wry smile, "We have no grudge against each other, so why are you trying to put me down?"

"Besides, we have quite a history; though there's no affection between us, we're not exactly enemies either."

Shen Ge chuckled and said, "Senior Bai, you came here for this sword, didn't you?"

As he spoke, Shen Ge took out the azure flying sword he had obtained in the Gods and Devils Secret Realm. The sword was named Southern Splendor, but Shen Ge preferred to call it Sea of Stars.

The azure flying sword, adorned with twinkling starlight, truly resembled a dazzling Sea of Stars.

The moment the sword was drawn, it drew the attention of everyone on the street, including many cultivators who breathed heavily and looked greedy.

But neither Shen Ge, Bai Lili, nor Bai Shu cared. After all, for Shen Ge, although this sword was a rare divine weapon, it was not his favorite. In his heart, it was not as good as his natal flying sword, Morning Longing.