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

"When did he leave it?" Qin Yuan asked.

"One hundred and twenty years ago," the Sword Maniac said, "he passed away peacefully, sitting by the window in a guest room at the Heavenly Sword Holy Land, with a whetstone in his hand. I asked him if he had any unfulfilled wishes, and he said that Qin Yuan still owed him three jugs of wine."

Qin Yuan slipped the black iron ring onto the index finger of his left hand; it fit perfectly. He turned to face the vast landscape outside the Heavenly Sword Holy Land's gates and remained silent for a long time. The Sword Maniac didn't disturb him, simply standing quietly to the side. After a long while, Qin Yuan finally spoke: "Where is he buried?"

"The back mountain of the Iron Sword Sect, the place he chose himself. He carved the tombstone himself, with only four words—'The Sword Fire Never Dies'."

Three days later, at the back mountain of the Iron Sword Sect.

The Iron Sword Sect hadn't been this lively in a long time. Since the passing of the Iron Sword Elder, disciples had scattered, leaving only a few old deacons to guard the empty sect. Today, the cemetery on the back mountain was packed with people. Qin Yuan brought the Seven Women and Yan Yue, Ye Wuji rushed over from Taixu, Bai Shuang sent Gu Changfeng on behalf of the Tian Shu Holy Dynasty to offer condolences, and even the Immortal Temple sent wreaths. The old deacons of the Iron Sword Sect had never seen such a grand gathering before. They busied themselves moving chairs and pouring tea. Yan Lingji, unable to bear watching, snatched the teapot and brewed tea herself.

Qin Yuan squatted in front of the Iron Sword Elder's tombstone, took out three jugs of wine from his storage bag, and poured them one by one in front of the tombstone. The wine was a vintage he had found in the cellar of the Guixu Palace; Su Yao said it had been stored for at least three thousand years.

"The first pot is to return your Void-Breaking Blade Technique." Qin Yuan poured the wine on the left side of the tombstone.

"The second pot is to repay the kindness of the Iron Sword Sect in taking you in." The wine was poured on the right side of the tombstone.

"The third pot." Qin Yuan held the last pot of wine in front of the tombstone, paused for a long time, and said, "Thank you."

The wine was poured into the soil, and the four characters "Sword Fire Never Dies" on the tombstone were soaked in the wine, their color deepening. A mountain breeze blew by, and the pine forest behind the Iron Sword Sect made a whistling sound, as if someone was laughing.

After returning from the Iron Sword Sect, Qin Yuan spent another three days squatting in the taro field.

This time, he wasn't studying taro, but meditating. At the Chaos Assembly, in front of 117 forces, he promised that the Guixu Palace would not expand its power or interfere in the internal affairs of the Taixu Realm. However, making a promise is one thing, putting it into practice is another. The Guixu Palace's current defensive strength is more than enough to deal with the Eternal Heaven Domain, but it's still insufficient against the Taixu Realm. He can't expect to personally intervene every time an enemy invades, nor can he expect the Wuji Dao Court to always stand by his side. It's fine when Ye Wuji is around, but Ye Wuji will eventually take over as the master of the Dao Court, and then he will face difficulties.

He needed a defense system that could function even without him. The Old Man of Ten Thousand Paths was too old; he was better at maintaining the status quo than expanding it. While the seven women were powerful, their numbers were too few to simultaneously defend both the Myriad Realms and the Eternal Heaven Domain. He needed a new person to guard the gates of the Guixu Palace for him.

"What are you thinking about?" Yan Yue walked up behind him, leaning on her wooden cane.

"I'm looking for someone," Qin Yuan said.

"What kind of person?"

"The one who can guard the gates of the Guixu Palace."

Yan Yue thought for a moment, then tapped the ground with her wooden cane: "The Tian Ce Mansion has a group of retired veterans. They're old, and their cultivation levels aren't top-tier, but their loyalty and experience are still excellent. Shall I go and pick a few?"

"Not enough." Qin Yuan shook his head. "What I need is someone who can hold off an Immortal Realm cultivator."

Yan Yue paused for a moment. In the Eternal Heaven Domain, the Immortal Realm was a legendary existence; in the entire history of the Great Yan Dynasty, only one Immortal Realm Ancestor had ever appeared, and he had long since vanished without a trace. For Qin Yuan to find someone capable of stopping an Immortal Realm expert to guard the gate was practically a pipe dream in the Eternal Heaven Domain. But Yan Yue knew Qin Yuan wasn't dreaming; his perspective had changed since returning from the Void Realm.

"What about Taixu?" Yan Yue asked.

"We can't use people from Taixu." Qin Yuan stood up, patted the dirt off his knees, and said, "Ye Wuji owes me a favor, but it's a personal one, not from the Wuji Dao Court. Bai Shuang is my person, but she's now the Holy Lord of Tian Shu, and her every move represents the stance of the Tian Shu Holy Dynasty. What I need is someone who doesn't belong to any power and doesn't owe anyone a favor."

"People like this are hard to find even in the Great Void," Yan Yue said truthfully.

Qin Yuan did not deny it. He turned around and looked in the direction of the Guixu Palace. The Guixu Palace was located at the highest point of the Myriad Paths Peak. In front of the palace was a wide plaza, with a row of stone pillars on each side. Each pillar was engraved with the name of a guardian of the myriad realms throughout history. The pillar closest to the palace entrance was blank, reserved for those who came after. Qin Yuan looked at that blank pillar and suddenly thought of someone.

Ladder keeper.

The old man in the green robe at the entrance to the Eternal Ladder has been guarding it for ten thousand years. He belongs to no faction in the Great Void, no holy dynasty; he belongs only to the ladder itself. After the guardian of the Seven Star Ruins passed away, the loneliest post in the Great Void became the ladder guardian. Qin Yuan had spoken with him three times when passing the ladder, knowing that his cultivation was at the Immortal Realm, and although he was old, his combat strength was not weak.

"There is a candidate," Qin Yuan said.

That evening, Qin Yuan walked the Eternal Ladder alone.

The distance from the Guixu Hall to the entrance of the Heavenly Ladder was no longer a problem for him. The bone blade sliced ​​through space, and he arrived at the foot of the jade gatehouse in a single step. As usual, the gatekeeper sat on the blue stone beneath the gatehouse, a half-read ancient book resting on his lap, and a nearly burnt-out oil lamp beside him. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Qin Yuan, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Why are you here again? Wasn't the Chaos Conference over? The Seventy-Two Holy Dynasties of Taixu have all acknowledged your Guixu Palace. What are you doing here on the Heavenly Ladder?"

"I've come to invite you."

The ladder guard paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"A gatekeeper." Qin Yuan sat cross-legged opposite him. "The Guixu Palace needs a gatekeeper. The requirements are: above the Immortal Realm, not belonging to any faction, and able to endure loneliness. You've guarded the Heavenly Ladder for 100,000 years; this is the most suitable position."

The ladder keeper put down the ancient book in his hand, and the flame of the oil lamp flickered in the night wind. A complex expression appeared on his aged face, a mixture of surprise, hesitation, and something Qin Yuan was unsure about—like some long-suppressed desire.

"Qin Yuan, do you know why I've guarded the Heavenly Ladder for ten thousand years?"

"have no idea."

"Because I'm waiting for someone." The guardian of the ladder looked up at the top of the ladder, his gaze piercing through the jade gatehouse, across the starry sky, and landing on a place very, very far away. "Ten thousand years ago, someone walked up from here and told me before leaving—'Wait for me to come back.' I've been waiting here for ten thousand years. You know that person; he's the white-haired guardian of the Seven Star Tower."