Quinn Shepherd listened intently, then his expression suddenly changed. He turned to the First Ancestor and said, "These children are reciting the histories of each era! 'Dragon-Han splits in three'—does that mean the Dragon-Han Era was divided into three powers? 'Chiming splits in two'—could that refer to the Chiming Era splitting into West Chiming and East Chiming?"
The First Ancestor was also deeply shaken and said in a low voice, "The rise of the North and South High Sovereigns must mean that the High Sovereign Era was split by great upheaval, creating the North High Sovereign Era and South High Sovereign Era as two broken periods. As for the Pioneer Era passing in one generation..."
He spoke with difficulty, "It must mean that my Pioneer Era had only one founding emperor... The Chiming Divine Son must have sent out teams of gods and demons at intervals to gather news from the outside world. That way, he could keep track of major events in every era, weave them into children's rhymes, and teach them to these young ones."
Quinn nodded. "Although this Chiming Divine Son hides away from the world, this alone shows he is not someone content with obscurity. He keeps a close eye on the outside and harbors major ambitions."
Inside the private school, those children were still swaying their heads and reciting: "...In the cave, just seven days, seven sevens make forty-nine..."
They wanted to keep listening, but were discovered by the teacher in the private school. The teacher told the children to stop reading and came out to investigate. Seeing that the group weren't three-headed and six-armed, he asked a few questions and then drove them off.
Quinn pondered aloud, "What does 'seven days in the cave' mean?"
The First Ancestor replied, "The 'cave' means a cave-heaven. When we entered this Chiming Floating Realm, we did pass through a void portal—places like this should be called cave-heavens. I once heard the Celestial Teacher tell a story: a woodcutter went up the mountain to chop wood and heard people playing go in a stone hut. He went in and watched two youths play a game. After the game ended and he was about to leave, he found his axe handle had rotted away. The woodcutter hurried down the mountain, only to discover that centuries had passed in the mortal world. That sort of place is a small cave-heaven."
"The woodcutter watching go?"
Quinn laughed, "That woodcutter—couldn't it be the Celestial Teacher himself? I just remembered, the Founding Patriarch of the Cult of the Heavenly Saint also had a story about hearing chopping sounds on a mountain and going to watch, only to lose a hundred years in a glance. The woodcutter tale is quite similar to that one."
The First Ancestor thought carefully. "The woodcutter in the Celestial Teacher's story really could have been him—I never considered that before. The Floating Realm is itself a cave-heaven world; the flow of time here must be different from the outside."
"What about Carefree Haven? Is Carefree Haven also a cave-heaven world?" Quinn asked.
The First Ancestor said, "I've never been there. Back then, the Pioneer Emperor had the Heaven-Craft Clan build Carefree Haven, and the secret never leaked out—only much later did the gods learn of it. Since Carefree Haven was artificially created, it probably isn't a cave-heaven."
They settled into the palace estate next door. The servants here were also mostly three-headed and six-armed, working with remarkable speed. The cook could fry six woks at once, and the maids, serving wine and food, each carried six trays. A banquet could be prepared in no time at all.
"If Chiming Era cultivation methods spread to Everpeace, the economy would leap forward yet again!"
Quinn's eyes burned with excitement. He said to the First Ancestor, "With three mouths, they can eat quickly and get full in no time—then there's more time to work! Efficiency skyrockets; one person is worth three of ours!"
The First Ancestor said earnestly, "You're starting to sound just like the Celestial Teacher. Be careful not to repeat his mistakes. The Celestial Teacher spent too much effort on people's livelihood and other matters, so his cultivation realm never reached great heights."
Quinn laughed. "Don't worry, I definitely won't repeat your mistakes or his. Stay here and don't wander; I'll go out and buy some medicinal herbs to see if I can fully heal your injuries!"
"My and his mistakes..." The First Ancestor felt a pang in his heart, and his mood turned melancholic again.
Just then, a Chiming god arrived, respectfully bowing. "The Divine Son heard that one of the envoys was injured and ordered me to deliver some healing medicine." With that, he presented a jade tray, each small jade bottle neatly arranged upon it.
"Thank you."
Quinn took the jade bottle, opened it, and gave it a gentle sniff. Instantly, he identified every medicinal ingredient used, and even the pill-refining method and process were clear to him. It was indeed a spirit pill crafted from herbs needed to treat the First Ancestor's wounds.
"The Chiming Divine Son didn't hit us with an initial show of force—instead, he sent medicine to heal us. That's not what I expected."
Quinn mused, "The Chiming Divine Son will surely try to suppress us in negotiations to gain the upper hand, but his bearing is truly extraordinary. He took the initiative to send medicine, and it's perfectly tailored—the Chiming Divine Son really lives up to his name. No wonder Chi Creek is so loyal to him..."
Ling Yuxiu asked warily, "Is there any poison in this spirit pill?"
Quinn shook his head. "If there were poison, I wouldn't miss it. Even if I bought the herbs myself and refined the pill, it wouldn't be any better than this. First Ancestor, go ahead and take it. This man is broad-minded—he'll use both kindness and intimidation, but won't play dirty tricks at this step."
The First Ancestor trusted him and swallowed the spirit pill. After a moment, he exclaimed in surprise, "It really is a perfect remedy!"
Quinn sighed, "It's precisely because it's such a flawless, targeted remedy that this Divine Son isn't someone easy to deal with. If he'd tried to suppress us right away, it would show a narrow mind and be easier to handle."
In the imperial capital, a young man stood on a bridge with his hands behind his back, watching the fish swimming below. The fish, too, had three heads and six fins. This man was different from the others—he looked like an ordinary person, with just one head and two arms, not three-headed and six-armed like Chi Creek.
His robe was well-fitted and elegant, both luxurious and understated. The pale blue garment had only a few floral patterns embroidered at the collar.
His eyes were large and exceptionally bright, with a faint golden light at his brow that seemed to flicker on and off.
The space between his eyebrows was three or four fingers wide, his earlobes longer than most, and his face was clean and pale, without any beard.
"Forming an alliance with Everpeace isn't so bad—you've secured a foothold, which is better than hiding forever in a cave-heaven."
The Chiming Divine Son said calmly, "A country without external enemies will surely perish. The Floating Realm is just like that—we've been here for fifty thousand years, and in all that time we've had no enemies. Our old war gods have become sheep, losing their fighting spirit and ambition. I'm even more worried about the descendants, afraid they'll grow more mediocre with each generation. Without pressure, people lose their drive. I feared that if our heirs stayed in the Floating Realm, they'd lose any chance to rise again, so three thousand years ago I ordered you to seek out the Pioneer Era. I was ready to migrate there, even to accept the Pioneer Emperor as overlord! I never expected the Pioneer Era to fall so quickly."
Chi Creek said, "When I reached the outside world, I found the Pioneer Era had already fallen. Now it's the Everpeace Era. Everpeace's reforms have produced many unique techniques. This time I've allied with Emperor Evan, who granted me permission to open academies and teach Chiming youths our divine arts and dao methods."
The Chiming Divine Son was surprised. "This Emperor Evan truly has the bearing of a great ruler."
Chi Creek nodded.
The Chiming Divine Son smiled. "What a pity. The Pioneer Era may linger on, but Heaven Court's attention is fixed on it—they'll never let it grow strong. Did you recover the Creation Divine Wheel on this trip? Did you bring back that artifact?"
Chi Creek's heart skipped a beat; he shook his head. "Some clever Quinn brat snatched the Creation Divine Wheel away from me."
The Chiming Divine Son fixed him with a stare, enunciating each word: "Did you never consider the true power of that treasure?"
Chi Creek felt deeply ashamed and bowed his head. "I truly hadn't considered it, but after seeing that Quinn brat use it, I regretted it far too late."
The Chiming Divine Son sighed. "It's not your fault. You're too straightforward—no twists or turns. That Quinn brat, though, is quite a talent. He's among the Everpeace envoys, isn't he?"
Chi Creek quickly replied, "Divine Son, your foresight is uncanny!"
"It's not uncanny foresight. If I were Emperor Evan, I'd send someone that clever too."
The Chiming Divine Son scattered fish food. "If you compete with him, you'll come out the loser."
Chi Creek blushed with shame. "I'm just foolish..."
"You're not foolish, just not clever enough."
The Chiming Divine Son said, "You mentioned taking an Everpeace youth as your disciple—he's quite powerful. What realm has he reached now?"
Chi Creek replied, "He's just entered the Life and Death Realm."
The Chiming Divine Son pondered for a moment, then said, "Summon him. Someone, pass my order—gather all the Life and Death Realm practitioners in the realm and bring them to the palace!"
Chi Creek didn't understand. The Chiming Divine Son said, "I need a blade—a blade that can rouse my people's fighting spirit, but not one that will bring them utter defeat. Kindness and intimidation—I give the Everpeace envoys favors, but I must also show them my power. Most of all, I need a grindstone for my people!"
He dumped all the fish food into the water, tossed aside the tray, and clapped his hands. "If they lose too badly, they'll lose confidence—like a beaten dog with its tail between its legs. So your disciple will be the first grindstone, to polish them, sharpen them, and then I'll test the blade on the Everpeace envoys. It'll cut down their pride and let my people know they're not invincible, awakening their fighting spirit! I want to turn them from sheep into dragons!"
Chi Creek hesitated. "My disciple once saved my life..."
The Chiming Divine Son smiled. "Don't worry, he won't die. As for the Everpeace envoys, I won't meet them until the blade is sharpened."
Chi Creek hurried away.
Soon after, Ban Gongcuo followed Chi Creek to the palace. Ban Gongcuo looked up and saw, before the grand hall at the plaza, many three-headed, six-armed gods and demons standing tall. In the center sat a handsome man—he knew it was the Chiming Divine Son and quickly bowed in greeting.
The Chiming Divine Son sat high above and raised his hand. "Rise. We may begin."
Ban Gongcuo was puzzled; suddenly, hundreds of Life and Death Realm practitioners entered the plaza. One three-headed, six-armed Chiming practitioner bowed. "Hu Kang, please instruct me, senior brother!"
Ban Gongcuo hadn't recovered from his surprise when the expert called Hu Kang charged at him with a roar!
Startled, Ban Gongcuo instinctively unleashed the Unleakable Funnel War God Technique. But what he cast was not a martial divine art, but a spell hidden within his martial moves!
Along the way, he'd sparred with Ling Yuxiu so often that he'd mastered nearly all her signature techniques!
Boom!
His divine art exploded forth, its terrifying power forcing Hu Kang back. Hu Kang grinned, gripped six blades in his six hands, and spun them like a whirlwind, slicing through Ban Gongcuo's divine art—waves of blade-light surged like a raging sea.
Ban Gongcuo's eyes flashed. He wielded six swords in six hands, unleashing Daoist sword arts—six different Dao Sword techniques erupted all at once!
His Dao Sword even incorporated the three fundamental sword forms of Everpeace's State Preceptor, making his moves more intricate and unpredictable. Amid the flurry of blades and swords, Hu Kang was struck by dozens of sword wounds and collapsed to the ground.
Ban Gongcuo smiled. "Thank you for letting me win. Your Highness, Divine Son..."
The Chiming Divine Son raised his eyebrows. Another expert stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Luo Ziyang, please instruct me, senior brother!"
Ban Gongcuo frowned, puzzled. "Weren't they supposed to give that bastard Quinn a show of force? Why is the Chiming Divine Son giving me a show of force instead?"
Luo Ziyang charged at him, leaving Ban Gongcuo no time to think—he could only meet the challenge head-on.
The golden eye at the Chiming Divine Son's brow slowly opened, its pupil reflecting Ban Gongcuo's every move with crystal clarity, analyzing his techniques and divine arts with nothing left hidden.
Before long, Luo Ziyang was defeated, and yet another expert stepped up to challenge Ban Gongcuo, who had to grit his teeth and face them.
After a long time, Ban Gongcuo was exhausted and coughing blood. Only then did the Chiming Divine Son order the contest to stop. He instructed Chi Creek, "Take him away and let him recover. Ten days from now, bring him back."
Chi Creek led Ban Gongcuo away.
The Chiming Divine Son rose and stepped down, suddenly unleashing divine arts and sword techniques—each move perfectly displayed Ban Gongcuo's lifetime of learning to the Floating Realm's practitioners!
He explained these divine arts and dao techniques in meticulous detail. Calmly, he said, "You have ten days to train hard. In ten days, fight him again!"
Meanwhile, Quinn and Ling Yuxiu were wandering the city, with the First Ancestor and two big-eyed monsters trailing behind.
Quinn strolled about, pausing often before the Floating Realm's statues. Ling Yuxiu was puzzled and laughed, "What's so interesting about stone statues?"
"The stone statues are beautiful."
Quinn's eyes shone. "These statues were crafted at the dawn of the Floating Realm, by the finest artisans of their age. They poured their life's work into them, so the statues embody the spirit of the Chiming Era. You can even deduce the era's cultivation methods from the lines and patterns. In the days I've spent here, I've met many practitioners and gods and demons of the Floating Realm, and none of them possess that spirit anymore."
He paused. "I'm searching for what they've lost."
Ling Yuxiu examined the statues closely but found nothing useful. She shook her head. "Why hasn't the Chiming Divine Son summoned us yet?"
Quinn was nearly hugging a statue, not even looking up. "He's figuring out how to show us his power. If I were him, I'd start with Ban Gongcuo—analyzing the changes in Everpeace Era's dao and divine arts through Ban Gongcuo, then come after us next."
——Another four-thousand-word chapter! Thanks to Perfume Alliance Leader for the tea leaves!