In the far-flung Unchanging Land, a young man named Li Xuan had unwittingly established himself as a

In the far-flung Unchanging Land, a young man named Li Xuan had unwittingly established himself as a reclusive master. Chapter 554: Unexpected Rewards, The Path to Initial Success.

The void faded away, revealing an ancient mountain range. A young woman tilted her head, her eyes shining with curiosity as she regarded Li Xuan. Her demeanor was slow and somewhat dull, giving her a charmingly naive air.

Meanwhile, the two members of the Unchanging Temple were filled with shock.

The void had not truly vanished but had transformed into a terrifying sword intent that enveloped them.

At that moment, they felt as if they were trapped within a fierce and deadly world of swords.

This world was not large, barely encompassing the two of them, yet it was fiercely oppressive, and the intent of death hung heavy.

A startled cry escaped them as they hastily unleashed a secret technique. A formidable aura surged, and two hideous faces appeared, their giant mouths seemingly intent on devouring and obliterating the sword intent that surrounded them!

Li Xuan raised his hand, and with a thunderous roar, the powerful sword intent extinguished all. Despite their desperate resistance, the two members of the Unchanging Temple could not change their fate of turning into ashes.

In just a moment, the battle was over.

The two Domain Master-level experts from the Unchanging Temple had crumbled into ashes.

The sword intent dissipated, but where they had fallen, the air still carried a hint of annihilation. The ancient mountains seemed to be turning into flowing sand, disappearing into the mist as if being erased from existence.

After slaying the members of the Unchanging Temple, Li Xuan turned his attention to the young woman.

She had returned to her original state, her pupils pitch-black and bright, as she studied him. Slowly, a curious expression appeared on her face.

Aside from her exceptional combat skills, the young woman's every move, her speech and behavior, and the expressions on her face all seemed slow and somewhat dull.

"My name is Li Xuan. May I ask your name, miss?" Li Xuan asked with a gentle smile.

"Li Xuan?" The young woman tilted her head slightly, as if pondering his name. "I am Ming Yu."

"So it's Miss Ming Yu," Li Xuan said, still smiling. "It's quite a coincidence to encounter you here in this vast Unchanging Land. It must be fate."

"Fate?" Ming Yu repeated, her expression still a bit slow and dull as she considered the concept. "Does this fate mean you will protect me and escort me on my journey?"

There was something peculiar about Ming Yu's slowness; it was hard to tell if she was just naive or actually simple-minded. Her every action seemed to carry an indescribable strangeness, and Li Xuan found himself intensely curious about her identity.

"There are conditions to fate as well," Li Xuan said, his smile not wavering. "Escorting you for a while is not a problem, but our current connection is not strong enough for me to accompany you on a long journey. We would need to increase the value of our fate a little, perhaps through some form of compensation."

Although he was intrigued by Ming Yu, Li Xuan knew that if she had made such a request, escorting her for a while would be fine. Perhaps during that time, he could uncover who or what she truly was.

Moreover, Ming Yu's enemies were from the Unchanging Temple, and Li Xuan was more than happy to thwart their plans and annoy them.

However, he couldn't just agree immediately. He needed to ask for some form of compensation from Ming Yu, and who knew, there might be some unexpected gains.

Ming Yu blinked, her slow thoughts seemingly processing what Li Xuan had said.

After a while, she seemed to understand. "Compensation? Of course. What kind of compensation do you want?"

Li Xuan's heart leaped with joy, but he maintained his smile. "Ordinary items are of no use to me. Something special, beneficial to the world, or even a rare plant would be suitable compensation."

In the Unchanging Land, every plant was precious, their value surpassing even divine medicine. Some plants even contained characteristics of deceased true spirits.

Ming Yu fell into thought once more, this time pondering what kind of compensation would be appropriate. Her contemplation lasted a while.

Li Xuan was perplexed. Why was it that Ming Yu was so agile and responsive during combat, needing no time to think, yet when it came to simple communication, she seemed so slow?

"I don't have much in the way of compensation," Ming Yu finally said. "I don't know what you like, but if a plant would suffice, I have one that I'm not sure if you'll like."

"May I take a look?" Li Xuan asked.

"Okay!" Ming Yu nodded.

She reached her right hand into the sleeve of her left arm, rummaging for something.

Li Xuan's curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, "Miss Ming Yu, may I ask, are you human?"

Ming Yu paused, her hand still in her sleeve, and blinked at Li Xuan. "Human?" she echoed, her expression blank and naive.

It seemed as though her mind had stalled, deep in thought.

Li Xuan couldn't help but twitch his mouth. Ming Yu was truly peculiar; she seemed to have low intelligence or perhaps some sort of mental issue.

"Oh, you mean human," Ming Yu said after a long pause, as if she had finally grasped the meaning of the word. "Yes, I am human!"

She nodded earnestly, emphasizing that she was indeed human.

After a brief pause, she added, "I am a woman!"

Li Xuan couldn't help but respond, "And I am a man!"

Ming Yu blinked, her eyes fixed on him for a long moment, as if her mind was once again struggling to keep up.

"Here's my payment. Do you like it?"

Ming Yu withdrew her hand from her sleeve, holding a three-foot-long bamboo shoot that was a lush green color. It was filled with a vibrant vitality, and as it was revealed, the surrounding area was infused with a refreshing aura, even the violent spiritual energy seemed to soften.

Xu Yan looked at the bamboo in Ming Yu's hand, his eyes widening in surprise as his gaze shifted slightly.

The bamboo that Ming Yu held was extremely familiar to Xu Yan. He had planted one in the heavens and earth, having dug it up from Mei Wu's place—it was the Qingling Yizhu (Green Spirit Jade Bamboo)

.

What surprised Xu Yan was that the bamboo in Ming Yu's hand seemed to be of a higher grade than the one he had planted. It appeared to be a fully mature Green Spirit Jade Bamboo, not a young shoot.

However, what Ming Yu held was just a section of the bamboo, not the entire plant.

The source of the Green Spirit Jade Bamboo was the master of the Green Spirit realm. Whether it was the young shoot that Mei Wu had obtained, they all originated from the master of the Green Spirit realm.

Xu Yan reached out and took the bamboo from Ming Yu, examining it closely for a moment. He was almost certain that this bamboo shoot had come from the main trunk of the Green Spirit Jade Bamboo!

"Where did you get this bamboo from?" Xu Yan asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

Among the seven realm masters, only the master of the Underworld was known to be alive. As for the weakest of the seven, the master of the Green Spirit realm, it was feared that they had long since perished.

Perhaps this bamboo shoot was a remnant of their demise?

"I got it from home," Ming Yu replied.

"Do you have a plant like this at your home?" Xu Yan asked, his curiosity piqued.

Could it be that in the Unchanging Land, aside from the master of the Green Spirit realm, there was another Green Spirit Jade Bamboo?

"Not too sure," Ming Yu shook her head.

"Alright, I'll take this bamboo as payment for escorting you," Xu Yan said, his determination growing to visit Ming Yu's home and investigate the origin of the Green Spirit Jade Bamboo.

"Okay, thank you so much!" Ming Yu was delighted.

"In that case, shall we set off now?" Xu Yan thought for a moment and waved his hand, summoning a flying boat.

Since he had agreed to escort Ming Yu, traveling by flying boat would be the wisest choice. This boat had been refined by Fang Hao and prepared for their journey through the Unchanging Land.

"What's this?" Ming Yu blinked, staring at the flying boat for a long while.

"It's a flying boat, a means of transportation," Xu Yan explained briefly.

He boarded the boat and said, "Miss Ming Yu, please come aboard."

"Okay!" Ming Yu nodded and stepped onto the boat. Her bright eyes slowly filled with curiosity as she examined the flying boat carefully.

"Miss Ming Yu, where should we head to?" Xu Yan asked.

"Over there, let's go in that direction," Ming Yu pointed.

"Alright!" Xu Yan nodded and steered the flying boat in the direction Ming Yu had indicated.

...

In another part of the Unchanging Land, Meng Yu sat cross-legged on a large mountain, his presence deterring any strong cultivators from the Jade Court from crossing this area and approaching the Great Azure.

At one moment, a small bird, no bigger than a palm, flew swiftly toward the mountain. It was a deep gray color, and its speed was astonishing, reaching the mountain in an instant.

"What is it?" Meng Yu glanced at the bird and asked in a low voice.

This was a messenger spirit from the Unchanging Temple, and each of the realm master-level experts had one. They were responsible for transmitting messages, and while they weren't particularly powerful, they were incredibly fast and small, making them difficult to detect during flight.

"We detected the aura of the Green Spirit Jade Bamboo on someone from the Jade Court. We tried to capture them but seem to have failed. You should be aware of this," the little bird spoke.

"The aura of the Green Spirit Jade Bamboo?" Meng Yu's eyebrows furrowed, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, we're certain!"

"I understand," Meng Yu took a deep breath.

"Make sure to capture them alive," the bird added before flapping its wings and disappearing back into the vast Unchanging Land.

Meng Yu's eyes scanned the endless expanse of the Unchanging Land, his expression calm, but his eyes held a hint of complexity.

After a long while, he raised his hand, and strands of the laws of the heavens manifested. A ripple of energy spread out and merged into the Unchanging Land.

Meng Yu narrowed his eyes, as if sensing something.

"Nothing," he said after a while, a thoughtful look on his face.

However, Qingyu was not capable of that. Her inadequate strength should have made it impossible for her to escape his perception.

Yet, when he attempted to use the connections between the Seven Realm Masters to locate her, he found nothing.

"Is it because the distance is too great, or has Qingyu gained the ability to sever the special connections between the Seven Realm Masters, evading my perception?"

Mingyu furrowed his brows, his mind involuntarily drifting to the figure in a blue dress, her unparalleled beauty making his feelings even more complicated.

"How is Qingyu still alive?"

Mingyu was puzzled. Qingyu was the weakest among the seven, and although she excelled in vitality and healing abilities, it was implausible for her to have survived the battle.

Moreover, Qingyu's true form was the Qingling Yizhu (Green Spirit Jade Bamboo)

, endowed with infinite vitality, making her the most vibrant among the Seven Realms. It was impossible for her to escape the Unchanging Godmaster's grasp.

"Could it be that someone from the Jade Court saved her?"

Since the essence of the Qingling Yizhu was now found in the Jade Person, it seemed likely that the Jade Court was involved.

"Or, did Taicang send her away from the battlefield?"

Mingyu's expression grew more complex as the imposing figure of Taicang appeared in his mind. Mingyu was not one to submit easily, and even the Unchanging Godmaster's strength did not earn his respect.

The only exception was Taicang!

"Sigh!"

A long sigh escaped his lips.

---

The flying boat sped through the Unchanging Land. After some time, Xu Yan learned more about Ming Yu. Though she seemed slow and dull, she was actually quite intelligent.

Xu Yan found an opportunity to discuss martial arts with her, and to his surprise, Ming Yu offered insightful perspectives. She even understood five to six parts of what he shared, displaying more talent than the other Small Realm Masters.

As they conversed, Xu Yan also gained a more direct understanding of Ming Yu's power. The Way of the World was in the process of birthing new laws, replicating Ming Yu's abilities.

The opportunity to break through the Established Path Realm's initial success was drawing near.

"The flying boat is so fun!"

Ming Yu exclaimed joyfully as she maneuvered the vessel.

"Then you control the flying boat. I need to organize my martial arts comprehension."

Xu Yan said with a smile.

"Okay, okay, I won't disturb you!"

Ming Yu nodded, her head bobbing.

"If we're attacked, I'll step in, and if there's any danger, you can call me,"

Xu Yan instructed before retreating to a private room on the flying boat to prepare for his breakthrough to the Established Path Realm's initial success.

Ming Yu held the array plate that controlled the flying boat, her eyes brimming with curiosity. Her eyes gradually turned a jade-like white, and a faint silver-white radiance appeared, reflecting on the array plate.

The intricate and profound array patterns of the array plate began to appear in her eyes, but then the silver-white radiance in her eyes suddenly seemed to freeze.

Her eyes returned to a pitch-black hue, but her mind seemed to have crashed, leaving her standing there, dazed and motionless.

"When encountering something unfamiliar, complex, and without guidance, it's easy to become mentally sluggish or even stop thinking. This isn't a matter of insufficient intelligence or a mental issue."

Xu Yan mused thoughtfully.

This wasn't the first time Ming Yu had tried to understand the array plate. Each time, the intricate array patterns caused her mind to stagnate, and it would take a long time for her to recover.

"Perhaps, I should know what she is now."

Xu Yan had a guess about Ming Yu's true nature.

He held the Qingling Yizhu in his hand, feeling its unique spiritual essence, calming his mind, and clarifying his martial arts comprehension.

As the Way of the World transformed and elevated, his own path became clearer, and the Established Path Realm's initial success was within reach.

Time passed, and once again, Ming Yu fell into a state of mental stagnation while studying the array patterns on the array plate. Meanwhile, Xu Yan's aura grew stronger, and at one point, it seemed like he crossed a threshold.

Established Path Realm: Initial Success.

"I've broken through! With my current strength, I'm unmatched among the Small Realm Masters, and I can even face weak Realm Masters without fear!"

Xu Yan rejoiced. He attributed his rapid breakthrough to the Established Path Realm's initial success to Ming Yu's help.

"At the Established Path Realm's completion, I won't fear the Realm Masters. And even if I don't reach the heights of Taicang, I won't be far behind!"

Xu Yan was thrilled, knowing he was close to achieving his goal of rivaling Taicang.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end