"I was just measuring the river, so I'm a bit muddy. I hope the host of this place won't mind."
Quinn Shepherd sized up the young master aboard the boat, sensing that this person was no ordinary mortal. He couldn't help but marvel—men could indeed be handsome. He asked, "May I ask, Senior Brother, where do you come from?"
"High Heaven."
Victor Bloom studied Quinn Shepherd. This youth seemed simple and genuine, his gaze pure and free of any impurities, yet he carried a wild, untamed air. "And where do you come from, Senior Brother?" he asked.
Quinn Shepherd thought for a moment. He hadn't heard of High Heaven, guessing it must be some hidden sacred land. He replied, "I come from Oldridge Village."
Victor Bloom hadn't heard of Oldridge Village either, but he made a mental note of the name, wondering, "Could it be another hidden sacred land?"
"Just now, I saw Senior Brother wave his hand and conjure dozens of yuanqi threads. It's quite extraordinary. It seems you use sword techniques to form the threads, which is very different from the usual method of refining qi into threads. I couldn't help but watch in fascination."
Victor Bloom opened a packet of tea leaves to brew some tea. The four girls boiled water and waited for a while, then poured the tea leaves in once the water had cooled slightly.
Victor Bloom covered the teapot and said, "Your swordsmanship is extraordinary. Just now, those dozens of yuanqi threads fell into the water and stood perfectly upright at the bottom of the river. Each thread landed on a single grain of sand, without pressing it down in the slightest or floating up at all. Even with such rapid currents, your threads didn't budge. This level of control is truly impressive. Your mastery of numerology is profound—have you studied Dao Sword techniques?"
Quinn Shepherd was surprised. "Senior Brother, you have a keen eye. I have indeed studied the Dao Sword Fourteen Chapters. Yuanqi threads are extremely difficult to control since they have no weight. To keep them perfectly upright requires precise numerological calculation. I use geomagnetic yuanforce calculations to make them absolutely motionless."
Victor Bloom finished steeping the tea, lifted the pot, and poured Quinn a cup. "To control so many Yuanqi threads at once, without exerting even a hint of force—that's a real art. The precision is astonishing. At this level of finesse, your swordsmanship must be exceptional. If you applied this Yuanqi control to swordplay, your technique would be terrifying. I suppose only Dao Gate’s Dao Sword Fourteen Chapters would require such refined control. Plus, your Yuanqi threads are unique—made from sword-qi itself. They're swordsmanship in their own right."
"The Yuanqi thread technique is the Imperial Preceptor’s winding-sword style, developed in Everpeace."
Quinn was genuinely surprised, and praised him, "You’re quite the character. I’ve never met anyone who could see through my Yuanqi threads at a glance. Most people who lose to me don’t even realize it. You’re remarkable. I imagine High Heaven must be remarkable too."
Victor grinned, "I just got lucky, I guess. To raise a disciple like you, Oldridge Village must be truly extraordinary. Here, try some of my Azure Clarity Tea from High Heaven."
Quinn sniffed the tea, took a sip. It was bitter at first, but then a gentle sweetness bloomed deep on his tongue, lingering and refreshing.
The leaves steeped from Azure Clarity Tea were beautiful—each slender tip like a sparrow’s tongue, suspended in the cup, some floating up, some sinking down.
"Excellent tea. Mind sharing some with me?" Quinn asked, genuinely impressed.
Victor hesitated. "I didn’t bring much Azure Clarity with me on this trip…"
Quinn chuckled, "Next time, drinks are on me! I’ll treat you to some good wine."
Victor’s eyes lit up. He took out his tea pouch, split it and handed half to Quinn, laughing, "It’s a deal! Once I’m done with my business, where can I find you?"
Quinn accepted the tea pouch. "The capital—I’m a Mid-Palace Gentleman there. When you arrive, just look for me at the Imperial Academy."
"Alright. Once I’m done here, I’ll come to Everpeace’s capital and we’ll have a drink."
The two toasted with tea instead of wine, their cups clinking with a crisp ring. Quinn and Victor Bloom looked perfectly at ease, but suddenly their sleeves billowed, and a gale roared away from their backs into the distance.
Suddenly, the river exploded with thunderous noise. The water erupted again and again, surging into two straight lines—one upstream, one downstream—before finally settling after dozens of blasts.
The four girls on the boat jumped in fright. Quinn and Victor had been chatting peacefully—how had they suddenly exchanged blows?
Quinn looked surprised, gazing deeply at Victor. Victor was startled too, raising his teacup to his lips.
When the tea was finished, Victor took the seven-stringed zither from Aurora and began to play, slow and gentle. The music was lofty, as if a deity in the heavens was writing his heart with sound—an invitation, beckoning the listener to visit beyond the mortal world.
Quinn listened for a while and praised, "Such lofty intent, truly beyond the dust of the world. But I’m stuck in the mundane—I can’t escape."
Lynn Ling called from the riverbank, "Hey, cowherd! Hurry up!"
"Got it!"
Quinn turned and shouted back, then stood up apologetically. "I’ve got a lot of mundane business to handle—better not disturb you. I still have riverworks to oversee."
Victor rose to see him off, saying, "Worldly troubles only cloud your heart. Better to seek peace in the heavens."
Quinn leapt off the boat, laughing, "You’re too carefree for me—I can’t handle such leisure. I like to stay busy. Don’t forget to find me in the capital. I owe you a drink!"
Victor nodded as the painted barge drifted downstream.
On the barge, Aurora approached the tea table, about to clear the cups, but Victor said, "Wait—don’t touch them yet."
Aurora paused in surprise and quickly withdrew her hands.
On the tea table sat two cups—one Quinn’s, still half-full, and one Victor’s, now empty.
Victor said to Jade, "Raise the jade bottle and shield the table. Let’s not wreck our boat."
Jade quickly summoned her yuanqi. The jade bottle she held floated up, flipped over, and pointed its mouth downward.
A curtain of light poured from the jade bottle, shielding the tea table.
Victor blew softly toward the tea table, and suddenly both cups shattered with a crack. Victor’s cup exploded into powder, shards shooting everywhere and pulverizing the table.
(This chapter isn’t finished yet~ Please click to the next page for more!)
Meanwhile, Quinn’s cup, with half its tea remaining, suddenly turned into a beam of light, slicing the cup cleanly in two—without shattering.
"A true master."
Victor had Jade put away the jade bottle and inspect the cup fragments. His expression grew solemn. "That boy is about my age, but his cultivation is a shade stronger than mine—truly formidable. The central lands’ cultivators are not to be underestimated!"
When they clinked cups, both took the chance to test each other. Their yuanqi collided, each hiding their divine arts in that exchange. Victor’s yuanqi was pressed down by Quinn’s, whose force was fierce and overwhelming—so Victor’s cup shattered.
Victor, however, had finer technique. He focused his power into a single line, so Quinn’s cup was sliced cleanly down the middle.
Both were highly skilled, trapping the other’s power inside their own cup—so the cups looked intact until touched, at which point the stored force was triggered.
"He’s probably the Dao Heir of Dao Gate."
Victor gazed out over the river, praising, "Dao Gate is truly extraordinary. This generation’s Dao Heir will achieve great things! Now that we’ve met Dao Gate’s genius, let’s head to Little Jade Capital, and finally seek out the new Human Emperor. The Witch-Venerable says he’s also the Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon—perfect, we’ll pay the Holy Cult a visit."
On the riverbank, Quinn hurried over to help Lynn Ling, who was staking posts along the embankment. She asked, "Who was that on the boat just now? Was he hostile? I saw your magic shake the whole river!"
Quinn grinned, "We were just testing each other out. I’m in a great mood today—really great!"
Lynn tapped a stake, listening to its tremor, puzzled. "What’s there to be so happy about?"
"I always thought I was the only Overlord Body in the world."
Quinn’s heart surged. He clenched his fist and looked toward the barge drifting downstream. "Until today, I met another Overlord Body! If Village Chief finds out, he’ll be over the moon! There’s a second Overlord Body in the world—he’ll be thrilled for me!"
Lynn was confused, thinking, "What’s an Overlord Body?"
Quinn paced excitedly, "I just tested his cultivation—it’s only a shade weaker than mine, just a shade! You know, in the same realm, even the Imperial Preceptor’s cultivation is way below mine, but this guy is just a hair weaker. If that’s not the Overlord Body, what is?"
Lynn drove another stake into the dam, half laughing, half exasperated. "The Imperial Preceptor is a sage who appears once every five hundred years—how could his cultivation be weaker than yours at the same level? Come help me, will you? I can’t do this alone, the others are off building the waterwheels."
Quinn hurried over to help, still buzzing with excitement. "A second Overlord Body! His cultivation’s a bit lower than mine, but his techniques are even stronger… That’s what makes an Overlord Body!"
Lynn saw he was distracted, a bit annoyed, but also genuinely happy for him. Meeting a kindred spirit was bound to bring joy.
After a while, Quinn’s mood settled. Unknowingly, his yuanqi flowed smoothly, linking Spirit Embryo Treasury, Five Luminaries Treasury, and Six Directions Treasury—faster and more comfortable than ever.
Suddenly, Lynn paused, sensing something strange in the air.
In that moment, the sound of water grew crystal clear, birdsong was sharper and sweeter, the scent of flowers and grass, even every sensation—all became incredibly vivid.
Puzzled, she looked at Quinn, whose gaze was clear. When their eyes met, Lynn was drawn into a strange state—her Spirit Embryo and soul both stirred restlessly.
Standing together on the embankment, hand in hand, they smiled at each other—yet neither moved.
Their souls and Spirit Embryos flew out of their bodies, expanding boundlessly, roaming the void at lightning speed.
Lynn saw herself and Quinn hand in hand, in a flash traveling thousands of miles—past ten thousand temples atop Sumeru Mountain, then to the polar ice fields to see snow lotuses, then to the southern seas, walking on clouds over blue waves and sky. Then to the Great Ruins, where sacred figures stood among the misty peaks.
Just then, they heard someone calling their names. An invisible force yanked them back from thousands of miles away.
Whoosh—
Their souls snapped back into their bodies. They were still standing on the embankment, smiling at each other. Lynn blushed and quickly let go of Quinn’s hand, as Crown Prince Luther stood nearby, looking stern.
Quinn savored the strange sensation. "Your Highness, I just comprehended a Six Directions Treasury-level Grand Unification Art. Suddenly, I entered a mysterious state—my Spirit Embryo and soul fused and left my body to roam the vast world. Do you know what that means?"
Luther was shaken, blurting out, "Already? You’ve formed a Primordial Spirit!"
(From yesterday until now, Piggy has only slept two hours—can’t hold on anymore, so just one chapter today. After the salon, I’ll make up the missed chapters.)