I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Qin Yuan did not hide anything: "The Way of Protection."

The Grand Elder nodded, seemingly unsurprised by the answer. "Do you yourself understand the essence of the Path of Protection?"

"Protect those you want to protect."

"It's that simple?"

"It's that simple."

The Supreme Elder smiled, turned to face everyone in the hall, and spoke in a clear voice, though not loud: "You have all heard this. A cultivator from the lower realm, who neither cultivates chaos nor laws, but only protection. What he protects is smaller than the territory of anyone present—a Daoist temple, seven women, and a taro field. But it is this power of protection that has allowed him to accomplish what no one in the Great Void has been able to do in the past 100,000 years. Now you want to set rules for him, to use the ironclad laws of 50,000 years ago to restrain him. I only ask you one question—are you worthy?"

The hall was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat. The leader of the Myriad Array Dao Court was pale and ashen-faced; his lips moved, but he ultimately remained silent. The other representatives from the Holy Dynasty who had originally intended to second the motion all averted their gazes, not daring to meet the Supreme Elder's eyes.

The Supreme Elder withdrew his gaze and turned to Qin Yuan: "Regarding the Guixu Palace's position within the Taixu Realm, I, on behalf of the Wuji Dao Court, propose a plan. The Guixu Palace will not be affiliated with any power in the Taixu Realm, will not be within the ranks of the Seventy-Two Holy Dynasties, and will not be bound by the ironclad laws of the Taixu Realm. However, the Guixu Palace will not interfere in the internal affairs of the Taixu Realm, will not expand its power, and will not participate in the conflicts between the Holy Dynasties. In exchange, all powers in the Taixu Realm will recognize the Guixu Palace as a transcendent existence, and its Daoist temple, the Guixu Palace, and its affiliated territories, the Myriad Realms and the Eternal Heaven Domain, will not be violated by any power. If any violation occurs, the Wuji Dao Court will be the first to object."

This proposal caused everyone in the hall to change their expressions simultaneously. Acknowledging the Guixu Palace as a transcendent entity—this was tantamount to creating a special zone outside of the Seventy-Two Holy Dynasties of Taixu, unbound by any rules. The Guixu Palace's non-interference in Taixu's internal affairs was certainly a good thing, but the clause "uninvaded by any force" meant that anyone who wanted to make a move against the Myriad Realms and the Eternal Heaven Domain would have to first greet the sword formation of the Wuji Dao Court.

Qin Yuan looked at the Supreme Elder. The Supreme Elder nodded slightly, a sly glint in his bright eyes. Qin Yuan immediately understood—today's Chaos Assembly, ostensibly an interrogation of him by 117 forces, was actually pre-arranged by the Supreme Elder. The Myriad Array Dao Court's attack had conveniently provided him with the opportunity to reveal his trump card.

Sure enough, as soon as the Supreme Elder finished speaking, the representative of the Immortal Temple stood up: "The Immortal Temple seconds this proposal."

Bai Shuang of the Tian Shu Holy Dynasty immediately stood up: "The Tian Shu Holy Dynasty seconds this proposal."

Then came the fourth, the fifth, and the sixth. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, more than half of the forces had expressed their support. The leader of the Myriad Array Dao Court watched as more and more representatives stood up, his face turning from pale to ashen, and finally, reluctantly, he stood up as well.

"The Myriad Array Dao Court seconded the motion."

Finally, the Lord of the Myriad Realms himself stood up. He raised the jade slip high and announced loudly: "The Chaos Assembly unanimously passed—the Guixu Palace is a transcendent Daoist temple of the Great Void, not bound by the Iron Laws of the Great Void. Qin Yuan, the Lord of the Guixu Palace, holds a position equivalent to the Holy Lord of each Holy Dynasty. This resolution shall take effect immediately and be recorded in the Great Void Codex."

As the jade slip fell, a golden beam of light shot into the dome of the Hall of Myriad Manifestations, imprinting a rune in the center of the council platform. This was a mark automatically generated by the Taixu Codex, signifying that the resolution had gained the approval of the Taixu's own laws and was no longer just an empty piece of paper.

Qin Yuan pulled the bone blade from the stone slab and stood up. All eyes in the hall once again focused on him, but this time it wasn't scrutiny, but waiting—waiting to see what this newly appointed master of the transcendent Daoist temple would say after leaving his mark on the Taixu Codex.

"The Guixu Palace belongs to the Myriad Realms and the Eternal Heavenly Domain, not the Guixu Palace of the Great Void." Qin Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but in the deathly silent Myriad Realms Hall, every word was clear. "The Guixu Palace doesn't concern itself with matters between the Great Void and the Myriad Realms. But the Great Void shouldn't concern itself with matters between the Myriad Realms and the Eternal Heavenly Domain either. The Eternal Heavenly Ladder will remain, and anyone—whether going from the Great Void to the Lower Realms or coming from the Lower Realms to the Great Void—must obtain permission from the Ladder Guardian. There are no exceptions."

He paused, then retracted the bone blade into his body.

"There's one more thing. Although the consciousness of that eye in the outer realm was shattered, the primordial will of chaos itself will not perish. It will awaken again in 100,000 years. At that time, the Guixu Palace will still exist."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the door. He stopped at the door, but did not turn back. Instead, he turned his head to the crowd behind him and said, "Let's meet again in 100,000 years."

The hall remained silent for three full breaths before Ye Wuji led the laughter. The laughter seemed contagious, spreading from one corner to another, until even the Lord of the Myriad Manifestations Ancient Realm couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. The Supreme Elder slapped his knee, laughing like a mischievous old man, saying, "This kid is much more interesting than the Chaos Saint Lord of yesteryear."

Only the leader of the Myriad Array Dao Court did not laugh. He sat in his chair, his face grim as he stared at the palace door where Qin Yuan had disappeared, his fingers tapping lightly twice on the armrest. A figure standing in the shadows behind him silently retreated.

Five days later, Qin Yuan returned to the Eternal Heaven Domain with the seven women.

The sword fanatic from the Heavenly Sword Holy Land greeted Qin Yuan at the entrance of the Sword Pavilion. Standing beside him was someone Qin Yuan hadn't expected to see here—the Iron Sword Elder of the Iron Sword Sect, not his true form, but a divine consciousness imprint. Before his death, the Iron Sword Elder left something for Qin Yuan, which had been stored in the Heavenly Sword Holy Land's Sword Pavilion, saying he would give it to him when Qin Yuan returned from the Void Realm.

Sword Maniac handed Qin Yuan a long, narrow wooden box. The box was old, the wood so dark that its original color was no longer visible, but it was engraved with a pattern that Qin Yuan recognized very well—the emblem of the Iron Sword Sect, a broken sword lying across the furnace fire, next to which was the Iron Sword Elder's favorite saying: "A sword can break, but fire cannot be extinguished."

Qin Yuan opened the wooden box. Inside were a roll of yellowed parchment and a black iron ring. The parchment bore the handwriting of the Old Man with the Iron Sword, hasty yet powerful, as if written with the last ounce of his strength before his death.

"Qin Yuan, by the time you read this letter, this old man will have been gone for many years. This ring is the Iron Sword Ring, an ancestral heirloom of the Iron Sword Sect. It's not of much use; it's just a token of the sect leaders throughout history. When you came to the Iron Sword Sect, I didn't accept you as a disciple because I knew you would eventually reach a higher level than the Iron Sword Sect. But since you've learned Laozi's Breaking Void Blade Technique, you'll always be half a disciple of the Iron Sword Sect. The sect leader's token is yours to pass on to whomever you want; if you don't want to pass it on, keep it to prop up a table leg. The swords of the Iron Sword Sect can break, but the fire cannot be extinguished."

Qin Yuan folded the letter and put it back in the wooden box. He took out the black iron ring and examined it for a while. The ring was very ordinary, without any spiritual energy fluctuations or law patterns; it was just an ordinary black iron ring with a smooth, shiny surface, a mark left by the Iron Sword Elder wearing it on his hand all his life.