The Kunlun Range was once a sacred land within the Everpeace Empire, hailed as the King of Ten Thousand Mountains. This holy land boasted countless peaks, each vying in beauty and grandeur, with Dao Gate hidden among the mountains.
Quinn Shepherd and his companions returned once more to the Kunlun Range. Gazing around, they saw divine mountains towering like forests, piercing the sky. In contrast, Kunlun's peaks now seemed dwarfed, lacking any trace of their former sacred majesty, and Quinn couldn't help but shake his head.
With the Earth-Mother Origin World reemerging, even Kunlun Range can hardly retain its name as a holy land.
Dao Gate Academy was built at the foot of Dao Gate’s mountain. The Daoists were laid-back and not as wealthy as Great Thunderclap Temple, so they constructed a city at the base, wrote 'Dao Gate Academy' on the city tower, and began to welcome students from all around.
Beside Dao Gate Academy stretched a peach forest spanning ten thousand li, the blossoms in full bloom. Quinn peered into its depths, but even with his sharp gaze, he could only vaguely make out palaces and city walls hidden far within, not knowing who might live there.
Grandpa Blind closed his eyes and 'looked' toward the peach forest. After a moment, he said, "There’s a powerful presence dwelling inside, and the forest is sealed. When I use Heart-Sight to peer into the deepest part, all I see is countless peach blossoms swirling in the sky, blocking my vision."
Quinn Shepherd, unsettled, asked, "Even Grandpa Blind’s Heart-Sight can’t see through it?"
Grandpa Blind’s Heart-Sight is known as the strongest divine eye in the world, and it’s also the key to his extraordinary achievements in formations.
Long ago, even as a youth, he had already cultivated his eyes to the level of a true god. Though famed as the God-Spear, it was his all-seeing divine eyes that truly set him apart.
After losing his sight, he later cultivated Heart-Sight in Oldridge Village.
Now that his physical sight has been restored, Grandpa Blind's mastery of Heart-Sight has only grown deeper and more unfathomable.
He was able to fight Captain Qu He of the Heavenly Court Divine Constable Camp to a standstill, thanks in large part to Heart-Sight.
Yet even Grandpa Blind’s Heart-Sight couldn’t pierce the arrangements hidden within the peach forest stretching for thousands of li, which made Quinn wary. For such a vast grove, the being residing within must be extraordinary—if they ever targeted Dao Gate, the academy might not withstand the blow.
What surprised him, though, was that the students of Dao Gate Academy and the nearby villagers seemed utterly used to the peach forest. Some locals, protected by Dao Gate, even went in to pick peaches.
—The peach forest was so vast it contained all four seasons within; on some trees, the peaches were already ripe.
Even as ordinary people came and went freely, no one from within the forest ever came out to stop them.
Quinn stood outside Dao Gate Academy for a long while before finally stepping inside.
The city was filled with simple, ordinary houses—no grand palaces at all. Many elderly Daoists taught their disciples by just sitting on the bare ground, and the students did the same, completely unconcerned with formality.
Everpeace’s foremost holy land for arts of calculation was this simple—it was a bit unexpected.
Quinn arrived to study at the academy with Heaven-Guide Venerable, which naturally caused quite a stir. Dao Lord Lucas Lin hurried out to greet them, laughing, “Cult Master Quinn is a man of his word—you really came.”
After a few pleasantries, Quinn asked, “The peach forest outside the academy—what’s its origin?”
"No idea," Lucas replied.
Dao Lord Lucas Lin shook his head. “Ever since the Origin World broke its seal, this peach forest suddenly appeared beside the academy. Strange, really—the Origin World is full of bizarre places, and there are countless sacred demigods, yet Dao Gate’s vicinity has always been peaceful. I suspect it’s because of the peach forest. I’ve tried to explore it myself, but I could never get close to the palaces within, as if some kind of mind-maze array blocks the way.”
Quinn looked puzzled. “On my way here I noticed there are no demigods near Dao Gate—so peaceful, unlike other places. Elsewhere, demigods oppress humans and treat them as slaves; that’s considered merciful. I thought Dao Gate suppressed those demigods, but it turns out it’s the peach forest at work.”
Lucas gave a wry smile. “Dao Gate doesn’t have that kind of power. There are many formidable demigods living on the nearby divine mountains. I’ve seen one whose breathing drew the sun in the sky closer—well, the sun in the sky-chart, anyway. And there’s one more odd thing: it’s easy to enter the peach forest, but even easier to leave.”
Quinn was confused.
"From the outside, the peach forest looks vast—thousands of li across. I’ve walked tens of thousands, even millions of li inside and never reached the end. As I moved forward, the forest around me cycled through spring, summer, autumn, and winter—the seasons changed, and it was all real."
Lucas’s expression turned strange. “But the moment I turned around, I found myself right at the edge of the forest; just a few steps and I was out. That’s why so many locals go in to pick peaches—they never worry about getting lost. I once tried to uncover the forest’s secret, but eventually gave up. Its owner seems harmless, so I let it be.”
Grandpa Blind suddenly spoke up, “It should be a formation, but it’s unlike any formation I know. It’s as if someone compressed boundless space down to a mere few thousand li—or even within arm’s reach—using raw power. But no one could possibly wield such vast power alone; only a formation that borrows the strength of heaven and earth could achieve this.”
Quinn asked, “Grandpa Blind, can you tell what kind of formation it is?”
Grandpa Blind shook his head. “You can’t tell from outside; only by entering can you see the truth. And I can barely detect any trace of formation at all. If it really is a formation, then even Celestial Teacher Ethan would pale in comparison to the peach forest’s master! But it’s impossible—no one should surpass Ethan that much in formations.”
“Since the peach forest’s master means no harm and protects the people here, we have nothing to fear.”
Quinn grinned. “Dao Lord, I’m here to study at Dao Gate Academy, so I’ll be eating and staying here for a while. And my brother Heaven-Guide needs to learn numerology too—please find a few excellent Imperial Supervisors to teach him the basics.”
Lucas nodded. “Don’t worry, Dao Gate has plenty of numerology experts. Heaven-Guide can study with them. As for you, Cult Master Quinn, I and the elders will personally instruct you.”
Quinn was delighted and bowed in thanks.
Lucas quickly returned the gesture and said solemnly, “Cult Master, you flatter me. You taught us the Grand Micro Numerology Canon, and Dao Gate’s achievements are just repaying that kindness.”
Quinn and Heaven-Guide settled in at Dao Gate Academy. Heaven-Guide went off with his teachers to study all kinds of numerology. Dao Gate had countless numerology scriptures, and Lucas had brought back a vast library from Azurecloud Heaven. Mastering them was no easy feat.
Learning numerology was extremely dull, but it was the foundation of every divine art system—except for martial arts and a few others, all the rest depended on numerology.
The classics Lucas brought back from Azurecloud Heaven were all macro-numerology, the Heavenly Court Dao Gate’s advanced scriptures—profound, and developed to their absolute peak.
Micro-numerology, on the other hand, was just beginning. Though Quinn pioneered it, it was Dao Gate that truly developed and popularized it.
Lucas and the other Daoists had pushed the Grand Micro Numerology Canon to a level beyond the reach of conventional numerology, even discovering that at micro-scale, many macro Dao laws failed—and an uncertainty principle emerged.
Yet when microscopic structures combine to form the macro world, all those Dao laws apply again—strange and uncanny.
Quinn studied diligently, realizing that although the Grand Micro Numerology Canon focused on micro-reality, its system was vast enough to be applied to any divine art.
It took him over twenty days to absorb Dao Gate’s results and turn them into his own knowledge, leaving him deeply moved.
Lucas had always known Quinn was extraordinarily bright, so he wasn’t surprised at Quinn mastering the canon in just over twenty days. The other elderly Daoists who taught him, however, were utterly stunned.
Quinn went to find Heaven-Guide, whose insight was usually second to none, but this time even he was stumped by the endless numerology scriptures, worn out and dispirited.
Dragon-Qilin, meanwhile, was full of energy, auditing classes in all the academy’s courtyards and gaining a lot.
“Heaven-Guide’s insight is high, but when it comes to numerology, he’s only first-class—still not as good as Dragon-Qilin.”
Lucas said to Quinn, “He’ll need more time before he can master all of Dao Gate’s numerology scriptures.”
“His strength lies in insight. For him, numerology is just a tool for pursuing the Dao—it’s not the core.”
Quinn sighed. “Dao Lord, have you ever met a truly peerless genius?”
Lucas grew wary. “Are you about to be modest again?”
Quinn shook his head. “I suppose I’m a genius too, but my strength is in my constitution—my insight is only a bit better than yours. Thanks to my Overlord Body, I learn quickly as long as I work hard. Heaven-Guide is different; he’s closer to the Dao itself. Dao Ancestor created numerology to analyze every Dao under heaven, but if someone is naturally close to Dao—able to sense and comprehend it directly—do they still need numerology as a tool?”
Lucas was stunned and glanced at Heaven-Guide, who was scratching his head over a tough numerology problem, sweat beading on his brow.
“Where did Grandpa Blind go?”
Quinn searched all over Dao Gate Academy but couldn’t find Grandpa Blind anywhere. Alarmed, he hurried to find Dragon-Qilin, who was listening intently in class. Dragon-Qilin said, “Grandpa Blind went into the peach forest to have a look. He told me not to tell you, Cult Master.”
Quinn was furious. “That old man never lets me rest easy! How long has he been gone?”
“He went in right after you left to study numerology.”
Dragon-Qilin quickly said, “Don’t worry, Cult Master—I’ll protect Young Master Heaven-Guide. He can even refine spirit pills, so you don’t have to worry about my rations.”
“Make sure you keep him safe—don’t let anything happen!”
Quinn hurried out of the city, arriving at the edge of the peach grove. Looking out, he saw dense clusters of peach trees and blossoms—countless flowers and trees stretching as far as the eye could see.
He leapt into the sky, but no matter how far he flew, the peach trees always blocked his way—he couldn’t get past them.
Forced to land, Quinn stepped into the peach forest, sending out his undying divine sense in all directions, searching for Grandpa Blind.
He walked for an unknown length of time. Around him, the peach trees bore green fruit, then as he pressed on, the peaches turned red; further on, the leaves withered and fell, and then snow began to drift down from the sky.
Suddenly, Quinn turned around—only to find himself back at the forest’s edge, having barely entered at all.
“Just as Dao Lord said—this peach forest is truly strange! Grandpa Blind should be able to leave just by turning around, so why hasn’t he come out yet?”
He steadied himself, trying to find the formation at work, but no matter how he activated his divine eyes, he couldn’t see any trace of it.
Even his undying divine sense couldn’t find the forest’s end.
By now, the sun had set and night was falling. Stars glittered overhead. Quinn looked up, trying to get his bearings, and suddenly froze.
“These stars aren’t right… They’re not the star map of Everpeace—they’re the real night sky!”
He quickly peeled back the willow leaf from his brow and said in a low voice, “Heaven Duke, can your true body see me?”
From the Qin-character continent, Heaven Duke’s voice rang out: “Hold on, let me look… Found you! Huh, when did you leave the Origin World?”
Quinn’s heart pounded. “I’m not in the Origin World? Heaven Duke, then where am I now?”
“Some strange realm among the heavens—you’re standing beside a peach tree.”
Quinn said gravely, “Heaven Duke, is there a palace ahead of me? Can you guide me?”
Heaven Duke’s avatar on the Qin-character continent laughed: “Look up at the sky. I’ll light a guiding star for you—just follow where it leads.”
Quinn looked up. Suddenly, a new star appeared—Heaven Duke must have plucked a sun from somewhere and hung it above the Xuan Capital.
In the Xuan Capital, Heaven Duke nudged the star forward, and Quinn followed its path. After a long while, a palace complex appeared ahead, lanterns glowing in the night.
A melodious woman’s voice laughed from the palace: “A guest has arrived—a familiar face. Go and invite him in.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Several girls’ voices echoed from the palace, and soon a few young women emerged, lanterns in hand, their footsteps whispering as they came to greet him.