After the Woodcutter Sage and the other three Celestial Teachers finished their bows, they returned to their usual demeanors and began examining the divine blessings behind Heaven‑Guide Venerable's head.
All of them had been researchers since the Kaihuang Era; once they immersed themselves in a problem, they paid no attention to who the subject actually was.
Heaven‑Guide Venerable stood there without daring to move, letting these people poke and prod him as they pleased.
The Scholar Celestial Teacher even took out a needle and pricked his finger, drawing a bit of blood for study.
As for the four Celestial Teachers' discussion, Heaven‑Guide Venerable could not understand a word; even Qin Mu, as one of Everpeace’s learned elites, joined in the debate.
Heaven‑Guide Venerable stood there at a loss, when suddenly one of the Celestial Teachers said, “Go fetch White Jasper—he always has ideas.”
Soon after, the Imperial Preceptor of the Everpeace Empire arrived and, just like discovering a treasure, began circling around Heaven‑Guide Venerable.
“Minister Qin, things are lively here! I came this time...”
Emperor Evan came to visit, and before long, he too became one of the crowd circling Heaven‑Guide Venerable.
“Mu’er, what did you call me back for?”
The First Human Emperor burst in with twenty or thirty young men and women, the Village Chief among them—now with all his limbs restored. The First Ancestor and the Village Chief closed in, while the others pulled Qin Mu aside, all grinning at him.
Qin Mu was baffled and ventured, “Senior brothers and sisters, you are...?”
“So you’re the current Human Emperor Qin Mu?”
One of them, short and stout, asked bluntly, “Heard you’re pretty tough.”
Qin Mu replied modestly, “I am the Human Emperor of this era, but I’m not that impressive. There are plenty of people far smarter than me—quite a few, in fact. As for cultivation and strength, there are countless who surpass me. And you all are...?”
“Cut the chatter—let’s fight first!”
They all surged forward at once. Each one was highly skilled—a top‑tier expert in their own right.
Qin Mu hurried to dodge, but their footwork was uncanny—they kept pace with his every move, flanking him from all sides, attacking from front and rear, leaving him nowhere to escape. He couldn’t help but be astonished.
“Since when did the Everpeace Empire have so many experts? Each one is absurdly powerful! If they were just the younger generation, fine—but all twenty or thirty of them have cultivation realms no weaker than mine!” he thought to himself.
They mobbed him, clearly seasoned in brawling—these were real street‑fight masters.