Quinn Shepherd felt a surge of respect.
There were hardly any true Daoists left in Heavenly Court Dao Gate—it had become a gilded playground for the powerful and noble. By contrast, most of the Daoists in Everpeace Dao Gate were genuine, devoted to the Dao and numerology, driving forward Everpeace’s development in divine arts and Daoist techniques.
This middle-aged Daoist, Miles Su, was a discarded disciple of Heavenly Court Dao Gate who founded Dao Gate in the Origin World—a man worthy of respect.
Moreover, Quinn had heard a few rumors about this discarded Dao Gate disciple: he was born in Heavenly Court Dao Gate and descended to the lower realms near the end of the Supreme Sovereign Era.
He also contributed to the progress in Daoist arts and divine abilities during the Pioneer Era.
The Pioneer Era saw remarkable achievements in forging and crafts—divine weapons, warships, and god-cities—all of which required numerology and Daoist arts, especially for reforms in formations.
In that era, Dao Gate numerology played a major role in advancing the Pioneer Era.
It could even be said that Leo Yoran, the Indra King Buddha who forged Worryless Land, owed part of his success to Miles Su.
This middle-aged Daoist was unassuming, not nearly as eye-catching as the Four Grand Kings or the Four Grand Masters of the Pioneer Era, yet his contributions and influence were immense.
Those who truly excel in battle leave no dazzling merit behind; Miles Su was precisely such a man.
"To meet Dao Lord Su here is truly a stroke of luck."
Quinn smiled and said, "In Everpeace I had good relations with two generations of Dao Lords. I never expected to meet Dao Lord Su here. Dao Lord, the Dao Gate you founded in the lower world is now the backbone of Everpeace's Reform."
Miles Su quickly replied, "Heavenly Venerable, please don't say that. I'm no longer the Dao Lord, I resigned long ago. Now I'm just an idle Daoist, teaching here to pass the days. Any achievements of Everpeace Dao Gate are theirs, not mine."
Quinn couldn't help but feel some affection for him. Miles Su was the founder of Everpeace Dao Gate, yet he didn't claim credit, unlike some who always take all the glory for themselves.
"Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, did you come here to prepare for your duel with His Majesty in two months?"
The middle-aged Daoist blinked and smiled, "You're looking for the Pioneer Emperor's divine arts and Dao techniques here, but that's the wrong place. You should go up high and observe the geography of High-Emperor Heaven."
Quinn was startled and exclaimed, "Daoist, how can you reveal the Pioneer Emperor's sword Dao to me? That's betraying the Pioneer Emperor!"
"So, Shepherd Heavenly Venerable has already realized the Pioneer Emperor's Thirty-Three-Heaven Sword Dao?"
Miles Su smiled, "Daoists are prone to loose talk—I underestimated Shepherd Heavenly Venerable's wisdom. I've betrayed Heavenly Court before, so betraying the Pioneer Emperor isn't a big deal. Back when Worryless Land was created, I sided with the Woodcutter Sage's camp, believing it shouldn't be built, though I wasn't as resolute as the Woodcutter Sage."
He sighed, his brows furrowed deeply. "When the Pioneer Cataclysm erupted, I still followed the Pioneer Emperor. As a result, I've spent twenty thousand years here, always feeling frustrated and unmotivated, so I stayed at the lowest level of Worryless Land teaching. The Woodcutter Sage was more resolute, swearing never to enter Worryless Land. He remained outside, leading the remnant army in resistance, and has never come here. I often wonder, if I had been as resolute and kept resisting, perhaps His Majesty wouldn't have entered Worryless Land."
He stood there in a daze, looking somewhat wooden.
Quinn's eyes flickered as he said, "Do you want to use me to force the Pioneer Emperor out of Carefree Haven?"
Miles Su chuckled, "How could a Daoist have such rebellious thoughts? The Pioneer Emperor's first sword Dao form, the High-Emperor Leveling-Heaven Sword, is hidden in the mountains and rivers of High-Emperor Heaven. This is the Pioneer Emperor's first sword upon entering the Dao, the First Heaven, and it's truly formidable."
He broke off a tree branch, using it as a sword to demonstrate the High-Emperor Leveling-Heaven Sword.
The branch moved through the air, forming the basic sword technique. It carried a grand and majestic air—sword transforming into sun, moon, mountains, and rivers, crisscrossing and opening, forming towering mountains and vast rivers, with the spirit to level the chaos of heaven and earth.
Miles Su finished the move, holding the branch carefully and planting it into the soil, saying, "This little sapling will grow into a towering tree one day."
Quinn closed his eyes, savoring the High-Emperor Leveling-Heaven Sword that Miles Su had displayed. After a long time, he opened his eyes and bowed, "Thank you for your guidance, Dao Lord Su. Dao Lord, I have a question: why did the Reform of the Pioneer Era come to a halt after the Pioneer Emperor entered Carefree Haven?"
Miles Su finished planting the tree, straightened up, and grinned, "How does Heavenly Venerable see my spirit and energy these days?"
Quinn answered honestly, "Like the twilight—no fighting spirit."
Miles Su laughed, "That's the spirit and energy of all Carefree Haven."
Quinn was taken aback.
"The Pioneer Era's Reform followed heaven and responded to the people. The guiding principle of Reform was set by the Woodcutter Sage, and its main focus was protection."
Miles Su conjured a bit of clear water and watered the sapling, saying, "Gods protect the people, serve the people, and make life better for all. Among the people, those with talent in divine arts become gods, forming a virtuous cycle. Gods and divine arts users develop more arts and useful things, making the Pioneer Era ever stronger and more prosperous. But after the Pioneer Cataclysm, gods no longer protect the people."
He stared at the sapling for a while, then sighed, "The gods abandoned the people and left. The spirit and energy of the whole era vanished, and Reform came to a halt. Ha, now the officials in court boast that Carefree Haven has absorbed Creator visualization methods, and Reform continues. They brag so loudly even they believe it. But this Daoist doesn't believe it!"
He snorted, turned, and left. "This Daoist just doesn't believe it! The soil for Reform is gone, its guiding principle abandoned. All that's left is empty boasting and flattery. I won't join them. I just hope you can open up the Pioneer Emperor and wake him up!"
Quinn was left stunned, watching him walk away.
Shu Jun walked over, following Quinn's gaze, and saw only Miles Su's back. He asked in confusion, "Saint Baby, what are you looking at?"
"Nothing," Quinn replied.
Quinn composed himself and smiled, "Just feeling a bit sentimental. God-King, are you finished?"
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Shu Jun nodded, "I've roughly understood the Dao and divine arts of the past million years, and I have some idea of the path I want to take, though it's still unclear. Should we ascend and observe the geography of High-Emperor Heaven?"
"No need anymore," Quinn replied.
Quinn smiled, "I've already mastered the Pioneer Emperor's High-Emperor Leveling-Heaven Sword. Let's head to Taeming Heaven in Carefree Haven."
Shu Jun was puzzled but still followed Quinn as they flew toward Taeming Heaven.
A sacred mountain connected Taeming Heaven and High-Emperor Heaven, linking the two artifact heavens. The pair flew from the mountain's base to its summit and entered Taeming Heaven.
They repeated their process, seeking out the largest academy in Taeming Heaven and reading every scripture and text.
Quinn was still a step faster than Shu Jun, finishing all of Taeming Heaven's texts first and committing them to memory.
Just as he was about to leave the library, a voice called out with a cold laugh, "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, you think skimming a few books will help you understand the Pioneer Emperor's swordsmanship and defeat him? Wishful thinking!"
Quinn turned toward the voice and saw a burly man with thick eyebrows and large eyes, carrying a sword case on his back with several sword hilts protruding from it.
Having already met an expert not fooled by his divine-sense illusion, Quinn wasn't surprised to see this man similarly unaffected.
After all, many of Carefree Haven's residents were high-level figures from the Pioneer Era who had migrated here; some became disillusioned and hid away from the world.
Quinn asked, "And you are?"
"Sun Warden Blaze Yan, under the Pioneer Emperor's command."
The burly man took off the sword case, gripped a sword hilt, and tried to draw the sword, but it wouldn't budge. He scratched his head, "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, give me a moment. I haven't drawn my sword in twenty thousand years—my treasures have rusted."
He finally managed to pull out a flying sword, but it was heavily rusted.
"It's not the sword that's rusted—it's the Sun Warden's sword heart that's rusted."
Quinn examined his sword and laughed, "The Sun Warden's sword heart is rusted badly."
"Let me polish it!" Blaze Yan said.
Blaze Yan left the library and went to the stream by the academy, grinding the rust off his sword. The rust-stained water turned the stream red.
Blaze Yan kept grinding, but the more he polished, the more rust appeared. Suddenly, he froze, sitting by the stream in a daze.
Quinn stood behind him, waiting quietly.
He saw the burly man's shoulders shaking; at some point, Blaze Yan had started crying, his tears like fire, flying from his eyes and turning into dancing flames.
"Why do I need this sword? What use is it? This sword can never be polished bright again!" Blaze Yan cried.
Suddenly, he leapt up and thrust his sword at Quinn!
Quinn stood still as sword-light flashed all around him.
Blaze Yan danced with his sword, the rusted blade forming a world of iron rust around Quinn, as if a steel world had been ravaged by time, full of decay and ruin.
"If the heart is unclear, the sword is unclear—even the Taeming Equal-Sky Sword has rusted!" Blaze Yan shouted.
Blaze Yan roared, swinging his sword even faster, leaping and stabbing as he cried out, "What use is this rusted sword? What use is this rusted heart? My sword was once second only to the Pioneer Emperor's—fastest and hottest! Now, it's slow, and neither my sword nor my heart burns anymore!"
He seemed to fall into madness, unleashing the Pioneer Emperor’s second sword form—the Taeming Equal-Sky Sword.
The vision of rusted Taeming Heaven that appeared around Quinn was truly shocking.
After performing this move, Blaze Yan could no longer contain his anger and threw the rusted sword far away.
After throwing the sword, he regretted it, ran to pick it up, and cried as he polished it by the stream.
Shu Jun approached, puzzled, "What's wrong with this man?"
"His Dao-heart was wounded," Quinn replied.
Quinn said, "Let's go take a look at Clearbright Heaven."
Shu Jun hesitated, "The Dao and divine arts of Carefree Haven seemed novel at first, but after reading the texts of two academies, I found much repetition. Saint Baby, there's no need to visit the other heavens' academies."
Quinn smiled, "It's good to take a look anyway."
Shu Jun had no choice but to follow him. The two arrived at Clearbright Heaven, but before they could find the academy, they saw an old man kneeling at a grave by the roadside, burning paper and weeping, "Ye Greenwood Keane, you died young, so tragically—"
Shu Jun laughed, "Old man, I had a friend as bold as you—he dared insult the Supreme Emperor. When I visited him the next year, the grass on his grave was taller than a man."
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