This is the true immortal of the Taoist sect.

Out of her instinctive caution when navigating the world, Wang Jingshu's first reaction was to be on guard.

But she immediately realized that the voice was all too familiar.

"Master?"

Looking up, the man in the green Taoist robe who she had almost bumped into was none other than her long-lost master, Li Daoxuan.

Wang Jingshu was overjoyed, and her usual Taoist composure and otherworldly demeanor were instantly replaced by a girlish air.

He grabbed Li Daoxuan's arm and said affectionately:

"Master, I never expected to see you here. What brings you to Celestial Elephant City?"

Although Li Daoxuan had known for a long time that Wang Jingshu would come here, he was still overjoyed to see the disciple he had raised since childhood.

"I escorted someone here, and now I can say that I have successfully completed my mission."

Wang Jingshu completely ignored Li Daoxuan's words about escorting someone, and instead held Li Daoxuan's hand with a grin, saying:

"Come on, Master, it's been a long time. Let's find a place to sit down and have a good chat. I've been through a lot on my journey, and I want to tell you all about it."

Li Daoxuan smiled and nodded, letting Wang Jingshu pull him along.

As luck would have it, this scene was witnessed by Cang Que, who had entered the city earlier.

On the rooftop of a distant restaurant, Cang Que stood by the railing watching Wang Jingshu enter the city.

Because they were far apart, he couldn't hear what Wang Jingshu and Li Daoxuan were saying, but he saw Wang Jingshu's intimate gestures clearly.

Watching Li Daoxuan's departing figure, Cang Que's hand, which was resting on the railing, unconsciously clenched slowly, his knuckles turning slightly white.

"Brother Cang, what are you looking at?"

At this moment, another young man dressed in black walked over and, following Cang Que's gaze, saw Wang Jing Shu and Li Dao Xuan's departing figures.

Cang Que let out a long sigh, turned away from the two of them, and slowly shook his head, saying:

"It's nothing..."

The young man in black watched Wang Jingshu and her companion's departing figures thoughtfully, then tentatively asked:

"That woman is indeed extraordinary, but the young man beside her is rather ordinary."

"Brother Cang...do you know them?"

Sitting at the table, Cang Que picked up a glass of wine, drank it all in one gulp, and said calmly:

"I don't know him..."

The young man in black, with a half-smile, walked to the table and sat down.

"Brother Cang, your Qingyun Sword Sect and my Yi Shen Sect have been friends for generations. Since you have come from afar, we can be considered as half hosts. If you need anything, please be sure to ask."

Cang Que's eyes flickered, as if he were deep in thought.

Finally, I couldn't help but ask:

"Brother Ji, if I were to trouble you to inquire about someone..."

The young man in black slowly broke into a smile, and before Cang Que could finish speaking, he confidently declared:

"Don't worry, as long as they are from Tianxiang City, unless they are a core disciple of the Hongyu Imperial Clan, I can find out their background for you."

At this point, he lowered his voice and asked with a grin:

"Brother Cang, are you looking for information about the man beside that girl from earlier?"

Cang Que looked somewhat embarrassed.

"Just find out where he's from and what's special about him, try not to bother others..."

The young man in black had a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes clearly showed a hint of disdain.

But he readily agreed.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

After saying this, he immediately summoned his attendant and whispered a few words to him.

The attendant acknowledged the order and left. The young man in black put on a smiling face and said to Cang Que:

"Brother Cang, people from the Heavenly Realm will be arriving in a few days. Although we both possess the Emperor's Son Token, according to past rules, even if we enter the Heavenly Realm with the Emperor's Son Token, how far we can ultimately stand from the Heavenly Emperor's Stele still depends on our own strength."

"Brother Cang is a peerless genius of the Qingyun Sword Sect, second only to the first ancestor Ye Qingyun. His strength is beyond doubt."

"Although I cannot compare with Brother Cang, with my Nine Arrows of the Great Archer, as long as I can create distance, I believe the other geniuses will be extremely wary."

"Why don't you cooperate and complement each other?"

"At that time, I will definitely be able to suppress all the geniuses and squeeze to the very front."

"Then we'll see who's better based on our own abilities, shall we?"

Cangque seemed to be deep in thought.

The young man in black, named Ji Baiyu, was the current Holy Son of the Yi Divine Sect in the Central Divine Continent, and he also possessed an Imperial Son Token.

As he said, possessing the Emperor's Son Token could guarantee a smooth entry into the Heavenly Realm and into the Heavenly Emperor's Palace to study the Heavenly Emperor's Stele Inscription.

Ultimately, how close one can get to the Heavenly Emperor's Stele depends on one's own strength.

There will definitely be a clash between the twelve prodigies.

Having a powerful ally to cooperate with naturally provides greater security.

However, Cang Que still had some concerns.

He had heard rumors that Ji Baiyu's reputation wasn't very good.

By the way, Ji Heng, the personal disciple of that elder of the Qingyun Sword Sect, comes from the Ji family.

Judging from Ji Heng's character and conduct, one can tell that the Ji family's family traditions are not very good.

But Cang Que felt awkward refusing at this point.

"Brother Ji is right. We'll look after each other then."

Upon hearing this, Ji Baiyu grinned, poured himself a glass of wine, raised it, and said:

"It's a pleasure working with you..."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"What's wrong, Master?"

On the bustling street, Li Daoxuan suddenly stopped and looked back.

Wang Jingshu followed his gaze, but saw nothing.

"It's nothing. Let's go. Master has rented a courtyard here. Let's talk there."

Li Daoxuan said with a smile.

Wang Jingshu didn't think much of it and happily followed her master, chattering away.

Looking at Wang Jingshu like this, Li Daoxuan couldn't help but recall how she was when she first joined the sect—innocent, lively, and impulsive.

So many years have passed, but her nature remains unchanged.

Good...

The master and disciple walked side by side, talking only about what they had seen and heard in their daily lives, without mentioning anything about cultivation or swordsmanship.

When they arrived at the entrance of the small courtyard where Li Daoxuan was renting, Wang Jingshu's expression suddenly froze.

She glanced at the gate of the courtyard, then looked back at her master.

A deep curiosity lingered in his eyes.

Li Daoxuan was both amused and exasperated, and gently tapped her head, saying:

"What are you thinking? She's the girl Master promised to escort..."

Wang Jingshu chuckled and rubbed her head, saying:

"This girl has quite the nerve, to have my master escort her all this way..."

Li Daoxuan didn't explain, but smiled and pushed open the door to go inside.

"Master, come back..."

As soon as the door was opened, a woman of stunning beauty and extraordinary bearing came to greet them.

However, when she saw Wang Jingshu next to Li Daoxuan, her expression clearly froze, and she stood there stunned.

Wang Jingshu glanced at the girl in front of her, a look of shock flashing in her eyes.

"Eighth Heaven... Judging from her bone age, she's only around twenty years old at most, yet she possesses such a high level of cultivation?"

Wang Jingshu used telepathy to ask Li Daoxuan a question.

"She's a bit special..."

Li Daoxuan replied, and then introduced Wang Jingshu:

"This is Nangong Yue, whom Master met by chance during his travels in the Central Plains."

After saying that, he turned to Nangong Yue and said:

"Her name is Wang Jingshu, you can also call her Master Jinghong, she is my disciple."