The water was clear, and the bamboo leaves danced gracefully.
The emerald spirit bamboo soared into the sky, its layered leaves rubbing against each other, creating dappled light and shadow as they swayed in the wind and caught the sunlight.
This was a space created by celestial beings.
It was also the abode of Li Wanshou.
The emaciated old man sat alone at a stone table, his white eyebrows lifting slightly as he looked at Xu Xi who had entered. "Why are you coming to see your Master all of a sudden?"
Xu Xi smiled and seated himself on the other side of the stone table. "I came to pay you a New Year's visit."
The old man seemed disdainful.
He repeatedly declared that he had ascended to immortality and no longer needed to observe the festivals of mere mortals.
He also nagged at Xu Xi, urging him to follow his example and diligently cultivate.
But as he watched Xu Xi take out the New Year's gifts—specially cultivated Dragon's Blood Spirit Tea—the old man's seemingly indifferent face couldn't help but reveal a suppressed smile at the corners of his mouth.
Clearly, Li Wanshou's heart was not as indifferent to Xu Xi's New Year's visit as his words suggested.
"Master, these are the spirit teas I prepared for you."
"Ahem, you've put in a lot of effort, very good, very good."
The old man coughed lightly, striving to maintain his dignified elder demeanor.
With a flick of his sleeve, an invisible divine power was unleashed, transforming into surging water and fire, swiftly brewing the Dragon's Blood Spirit Tea that Xu Xi had brought.
In an instant, two cups of steaming spirit tea appeared on the stone table.
There was no excessive formality, nor any superficial refusal.
Xu Xi and the old man sat around the stone table, each lifting a cup of spirit tea to drink.
The tall and staggered bamboo stalks hung overhead like a deep green barrier, separating and blocking all the noise and commotion.
Only the pure, clear sound of the wind circled around their ears.
In this rare moment of tranquility, Xu Xi and the old man laughed and conversed, as teacher and disciple, discussing their recent circumstances and seeking advice on their cultivation.
Overall, Li Wanshou was "satisfied" with Xu Xi's cultivation progress.
"Not bad, not bad. You have the demeanor of your Master back in the day."
The old man nodded with deliberate solemnity.
"Compared to Master, I still have some room for improvement," Xu Xi responded with a smile.
Although he knew that the old man's cultivation aptitude was limited, his rise to immortality had been facilitated by the immortal pills given by Xu Moli.
The conversation continued, and after discussing cultivation, the topic naturally shifted to other matters in the real world.
Such as the ever-expanding and transcendent Earth.
And the increasingly frequent phenomena of Jiexu (Interface Shifts).
"Master, what do you plan to do in the future? Will you continue as the director of the Supernatural Management Bureau?"
Under the cool bamboo shadows, Xu Xi poured himself another cup of tea.
The flavor and unique taste of the Dragon's Blood tea had become quite addictive for him.
He drank it down in one gulp and turned his gaze to the old man.
"No," Li Wanshou sighed, stroking his beard and shaking his head. "The original cultivation world is likely already 'in a state of constant change, like the ebbing and flowing of the great ocean', no longer the one I knew."
"It's even hard to say if it still exists."
Ever since meeting Xu Moli, who had achieved the Pinnacle of Supremacy in the real world, the old man had a premonition.
Perhaps, the homeland he had longed for had already been shattered by his disciple's younger sister.
Shock was certainly felt; the old man's worldview was nearly shattered. But fortunately, Moli had only destroyed the world and the demonic cultivators, leaving other living beings unharmed.
Thus, the old man shared his plans with Xu Xi.
He intended to rebuild the Heavenly Sword Sect on Earth.
"This world is becoming increasingly extraordinary, with the lofty aura of being the ancestral vein of myriad heavens and the origin of myriad worlds."
"Once the Heavenly Sword Sect is rebuilt, the Sect Master's position will be yours, my disciple!"
Li Wanshou spoke passionately, his eyes shining brightly.
Xu Xi smiled and thanked the old man for his kindness but politely declined the position of Sect Master.
"As I understand it, many disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect have followed Jiexu phenomena to Earth. Perhaps you could seek them out, Master."
Xu Xi offered a suggestion.
But the old man was displeased, puffing his cheeks and glaring at Xu Xi, accusing him of lacking ambition.
"Foolish disciple! Foolish disciple!"
"Once you become the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect, with me aiding you from within the government of this world, you and I together, how could we not make the sect stronger and more glorious!"
Xu Xi chuckled, watching the old man vent his dissatisfaction.
He understood.
Li Wanshou had his best intentions at heart.
But the problem was that Xu Xi had no interest in the position of Sect Master.
Power, status—those things others envied—Xu Xi felt he didn't need them.
"After all—"
"Soft living makes me invincible."
Xu Xi drank the Dragon's Blood spirit tea again.
He calculated in his mind whether to visit Red Dragon while he was in Jingcheng.
The perfect cultivation of Dragon's Blood tea wouldn't have been possible without Red Dragon's selfless contribution. Xu Xi thought it only fair to reward Red Dragon a bit.
To inspire her.
To produce higher quality dragon's blood.
"Alright, that's decided. I'll delay my return a little longer."
"I hope Moli and Krisha won't get impatient waiting."
Xu Xi estimated that at this moment, the two girls should be at home, waiting for him to come back.
That being said.
The "home" had only a fragment of Xu Moli and Krisha's essence.
Their true forms, exalted as Eternal Supremacy, were still immersed in the chaos.
As the new year arrived, Xu Xi couldn't help but wonder what the Eternal Supremacies were doing, still working towards Earth's ascension?
Beyond the cosmos.
The chaos' darkness filled the unknown.
Worlds, planes, stars.
Myriad heavens, diverse time-spaces, all floated within the cyclic order and disorder.
A supreme will governed all, casually halting the river of time, extracting valuable worlds from it, shattering or disintegrating them, and merging them into the blue planet of Earth.
This was a feat beyond the imagination of mortals.
In the boundless chaos, only other Eternal Supremacies could witness this terrifying spectacle.
An unexpected event occurred.
Two supreme wills that had previously been in harmony suddenly encountered a third supreme will, arising as if casually walking through the void.
"This world is not bad, big enough."
"Oh, that world is good too, perhaps the Master would like it?"
Flames.
Flames that consumed everything.
The flames of rebirth through death, the fearless thrust of a moth into the fire.
Life and death, the wheel turns endlessly.
Flames that live to survive, yet also seek death.
Such intense flames nearly evaporated a segment of the river of time, drawing the attention of the first two supreme wills.
"You... who are you?"
A question resonated, piercing through the barriers of the infinite and the diverse, reaching deep into Wu Yingxue's soul.
Wu Yingxue didn't immediately answer. Instead, she appeared slightly startled, looking at the two figures in front of her whose presence was familiar, despite having never met them.
Those two presences.
She had sensed them in Xu Xi, within something he always carried.
"I see..."
"Wasn't it luck that led Master to gain such things?"
"Master, it seems you've been a bit... sneaky..."
Princess murmured to herself.
She couldn't peer through the causality of the two supreme wills, but judging from their actions, there must be an important connection with Xu Xi.
This was very bad.
It was the worst scenario Princess had envisioned before her arrival.