The Imperial Preceptor reflected for a moment. Ever since Quinn Shepherd had coerced him into becoming a Heavenly King of the Cult of the Heavenly Saint, he realized he hadn’t truly done much for the Holy Cult—instead, it was always Quinn and the Cult of the Heavenly Saint who had helped him, time and again, with no reservations.
There was no conflict between the ideals of the Cult of the Heavenly Saint and his own. Since he had received so much favor from the Holy Cult, he felt it was only right to repay them in kind.
"Very well. I’ll go with a few elders, Heavenly Kings, and Hall Masters to the Western Lands and recruit talent for the Holy Cult."
The Imperial Preceptor escorted Quinn out of his manor and stopped at the gate, saying, "Cult Master Quinn, as the Holy Cult’s leader, you haven’t spent much time with the Cult itself. You’re always out there stirring things up, and barely have time to cultivate. Don’t let your own progress fall behind. This is an era of great change—daos and divine arts are evolving daily. Even after returning to Everpeace, I’ve been learning new techniques that have just appeared. Cultivation is like rowing against the current: if you don’t move forward, you fall back. Remember that, Cult Master."
Quinn Shepherd was a little surprised. "You’re already a god, Imperial Preceptor—even you still need to keep learning new divine arts?"
The Imperial Preceptor nodded. "Among the young experts of your generation, Cult Master, there’s no shortage of new ideas. As for sword techniques, I’ve already spread the three new basic sword forms, and your Sword Eighteen Forms is out there too. Just these four new basic sword forms are enough to inspire countless new sword moves across the land. And when it comes to the Sixfold Primordial Spirit cultivation method, its impact on divine arts and dao is even greater. Changing the basics changes everything."
Quinn nodded in agreement. Creating new sword techniques was hard, but changing the fundamentals was even harder. When the basics shifted, it opened up endless opportunities for reform and innovation—so many chances were right there for the taking.
Quinn Shepherd and Lynn Ling had pioneered Primordial Spirit Guidance, fundamentally changing the foundation of cultivation. Once the basics were altered, the possibilities became limitless, and more people could build on that base to unleash their talent and intelligence, letting divine arts and dao leap forward—producing countless new grandmasters along the way!
Still, even a reformer like him needed to keep learning and adapting to new divine arts and techniques.
"My advice? Go visit the Imperial Academy and the Four Great Academies. Spend some time at each one, talk with the younger generation, and see what you can learn."
The Imperial Preceptor sighed, “Daos and divine arts change with each passing day, and the young generation’s ideas never stop coming. Just a few months and I already feel old, falling behind the times. I need to learn from these youngsters. In the future, there’ll be more and more who reach godhood in their youth! Two days before you arrived in the capital, Dao Gate’s Lucas Lin led the young generation of Daoists to the Imperial Academy, where they exchanged new divine arts and dao. I also studied their innovations and debated with them—learned a lot. Yesterday, Grandpa Mark brought a crowd of monks and monster-monks here for a dharma debate at the Academy, but I was too busy to attend.”
“Grandpa Mark came to the capital too?”
Quinn Shepherd’s heart leapt with joy. He suddenly asked, “Imperial Preceptor, how many gods and demons are there in Everpeace right now?”
The Imperial Preceptor looked slightly surprised. “Why do you ask?”
Quinn told him everything he’d seen in the Great Ruins’ darkness and shared the Nethervault Demon King’s theory. “A collision between worlds could happen in ten thousand years—or it could happen tomorrow. That’s why we have to prepare early. The more gods and demons Everpeace has, the better. Otherwise, we’ll never be able to resist what’s coming!”
The Imperial Preceptor paused, suspicion in his eyes. “You can enter the darkness?”
Quinn hesitated, then answered honestly, “I was born in the Netherworld. Lord Hades says I can enter the Great Ruins’ darkness without being harmed. I think he means I might be half Netherworld demon.”
The Imperial Preceptor didn’t press further. “If Heaven really wants to wipe out Everpeace, there’s nothing we can do. Right now, Emperor Evan has already surpassed the Divine Bridge Treasury, and there are more than ten other gods in the empire. I’ve told the emperor to keep a record of every god and demon, and he’s done it. But honestly, even after decades of development, Everpeace still isn’t strong enough to resist a full demon world. If that day really comes...”
He gave a wry smile, then said calmly, “I’ll leave my after-death affairs to you.”
Quinn Shepherd was shaken—he could see the Imperial Preceptor was ready to die for his country. “The demon race has been attacking that dark world for twenty thousand years and never broken through. There’s no reason it’ll suddenly fall tomorrow. Don’t worry, Preceptor—focus on building roads.”
The two parted ways.
Quinn Shepherd brought Bruno the Dragon-Qilin and the taotie chest to the Imperial Academy. The place was livelier than ever—cultivators from all over, even the grasslands and icefields, had gathered here.
Emperor Evan had ordered the Four Great Academies—Goldenridge, Yong River, River Lee, and Heavenly Saint—to share the pressure on the Imperial Academy. All four were now thriving, packed with scholars, though compared to the Imperial Academy, they still lacked a bit of prestige.
“Cult Master Quinn!”
“Grand Rector Quinn!”
News of Quinn Shepherd’s arrival spread quickly through the Imperial Academy. Soon, Dao Gate’s Lucas Lin led a host of Daoists, Grandpa Mark brought a crowd of monks and monster-monks, and Leonard Goodwin arrived with a group of scholars. Old friends from the Academy came to greet him too—Quinn was busy returning salutes all around. The Academy was bustling.
Grand Rector Quinn was originally just one of the Academy’s scholars. Even then, I could tell he wasn’t just any fish in the pond—sooner or later, he’d soar and become a true dragon!
Leonard Goodwin beamed with pride. “Who would’ve thought that the young Quinn back then would become Grand Rector of Heavenly Saint Academy, one of the Four Great Academies? I have to say, I’m proud to have known you!”
Quinn Shepherd laughed heartily. “Come on, Master Goodwin, I’m just here for a second round of learning. I’m still your junior scholar!”
Leonard Goodwin was genuinely moved. “Quinn, don’t say that! I owe you more than I can say. We’ve been friends for years—when I first met you at the Yong River Dragon Palace, I knew you were different. Otherwise, I never would’ve gifted you that sword. As they say, a wise eye recognizes jade; a treasured sword belongs with a hero. The bond between us started at the Dragon Palace!” He burst into laughter.
After the lively reunion, Quinn Shepherd greeted Grandpa Mark, Lucas Lin, and the others. He also exchanged cold nods with Wes Young, Elias Yun, Wayne Shen, Azure Rainbow, and to his surprise, Demon Ape Battle-Void was there too—the place was buzzing.
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Wes Young, Wayne Shen, and Elias Yun had spent the past two years training with the army—their cultivation had advanced rapidly, and now each was strong enough to stand on their own. Quinn Shepherd felt genuinely proud of them.
There were other accomplished cultivators at the Imperial Academy too, most of whom had already gone off to serve as officials around the empire.
Demon Ape Battle-Void’s presence at the Academy was a surprise even to Quinn Shepherd.
Ever since Starhound’s rampage at Little Thunderclap Temple, where Little Tathagata was slain and the Nethervault Demon King’s spirit scattered, Demon Ape Battle-Void took charge—following Little Tathagata’s teachings, he led the monster-monks to Great Thunderclap Temple, overcoming countless hardships along the way.
When they arrived at Great Thunderclap Temple, the gathering of monster-monks and monks caused an uproar throughout the temple.
Demon Ape Battle-Void, as Little Tathagata’s disciple and Grandpa Mark’s peer, stood atop Sumeru Mountain’s Golden Summit to debate dharma, with countless monks listening below.
Demon Ape spoke little, but each word was like a pearl—his brief remarks struck deep, leaving the assembled abbots speechless and unable to argue.
The debate lasted three days, with the monks repeatedly bested, until a burly Everpeace general with a scruffy face—Brightheart Monk—came up to the Golden Summit, shed his armor, and introduced himself. He debated dharma with Demon Ape Battle-Void for several days, finally restoring some dignity to the temple.