At the stroke of dawn, Cui Dongshan's group arrived at the gate on Stalactite Mountain, and with just a few steps, they would be able to walk into another world.

"Please pardon my intrusion, but may I ask who it was that has granted us access to the Sword Qi Great Wall, and will we encounter any problems on the way back?" Zhong Qiu asked.

"It was the owner of the Spring Banner Inn, Sword Immortal Shao Yunyan," Cui Dongshan replied in a candid fashion. "It was just a small favor that I was able to secure through a monetary payment. Not something for you to worry about."

Of course, Zhong Qiu didn't believe him. There were countless people who wanted to give Shao Yunyan money, but that was far easier said than done.

However, seeing as Cui Dongshan had assured him that this wasn't something for him to worry about, Zhong Qiu didn't ask any further questions. Given that they were currently both members of Downtrodden Mountain's ancestral hall, Zhong Qiu hoped that Cui Dongshan would be candid and forthcoming with him if he required his assistance.

Not only did Zhong Qiu not really know what to make of Cui Dongshan, but he could tell that Zhu Lian, Zheng Dafeng, and Wei Bo were also very careful around him. The reason for this was very simple: Cui Dongshan was an extremely calculating person, and one would be a fool to approach him carelessly.

As an imperial preceptor, Zhong Qiu had seen countless people and had become an exceptional judge of character. He could even see clearly into the heart of someone like Yu Zhenyi, yet when it came to this white-robed young boy who spent all day playing around with Pei Qian, Zhong Qiu's instincts told him it would be best not to examine him too closely.

The gatekeeper was the little Daoist priest who was on par in seniority with the Great Heavenly Lord on Stalactite Mountain. At this moment, the little Daoist priest wasn't reading as he normally did. Instead, he was looking directly at Cui Dongshan's group, making no effort to hide it.

He raised three questions to the group, one each to Zhong Qiu and Cui Dongshan, while Cao Qinglang and Pei Qian were posed the same question.

The question directed at Zhong Qiu was, "Would you like to go to the Incense Offering Tower to try your luck? If you can get a stick of incense to ignite, then you'll be able to join my faction, and perhaps in the future, we'll even be referring to one another as junior and senior brothers. However, I can't guarantee that you'll be granted a lofty rank in seniority right away. That's something that I feel like I must make clear in advance."

For the average cultivator of the Majestic World, this would've been seen as a fated opportunity of epic proportions.

The question posed to Pei Qian and Cao Qinglang was, "Who is your master?"

As for what he asked Cui Dongshan, it was very simple and concise. "Who are you?"

Zhong Qiu smiled as he condensed his voice into a line and replied, "I am honored that you think so highly of me, Senior, but I am a Confucian and half a pure martial artist, and I have no intention of dabbling in cultivation."

Cao Qinglang remained calm and composed as he replied through his mind's lake, "The identity of my master in the Majestic World is an important secret of mine, one that I cannot tell. Please forgive me, Senior."

Neither of these answers was particularly unexpected, and the little Daoist priest merely nodded in response. Even though he had been denied on both accounts, he wasn't bothered in the slightest.

Serving as a gatekeeper on Stalactite Mountain was a very boring role, and he simply wanted to find some surprises to entertain himself.

As opposed to answering the little Daoist priest's question, Pei Qian looked up at the sky and pretended not to have heard anything. However, at the same time, she began inching her way toward Cui Dongshan before ducking behind him for cover, much to the little Daoist priest's amusement. He didn't have a bad reputation on Stalactite Mountain. He never used his power and status to oppress others, and even when he did use his powers, it was only ever in the form of some minor mystical techniques.

Cui Dongshan's answer had the little Daoist priest feeling rather speechless.

Instead of condensing his voice into a line or communicating through his mind's lake, Cui Dongshan merely answered aloud, "I'm Dongshan."

The little Daoist priest had no interest in speaking to them any further, so he lowered his head to continue reading, and the gate beside him opened on its own.

As the group made their way toward the gate, Pei Qian made sure to remain as far away from the little Daoist priest as possible. As Cui Dongshan stepped forward, she immediately began walking forward as well while sticking to his left-hand side, as if the little Daoist priest wouldn't be able to see her as long as she couldn't see him.

After boarding the intercontinental ship in Old Dragon City, Cui Dongshan had only given Pei Qian one piece of cautionary advice: if you meet an unfathomable figure, don't look at them, walk around them, and try not to have anything to do with them.

Pei Qian asked him what type of people qualified as unfathomable figures, to which Cui Dongshan replied that all those whose minds' lakes were enshrouded in cloud and mist were unfathomable figures. He told her that if she were to encounter someone like this, she could pretend to be blind like Chen Lingjun and mute like Zhou Mili.

Upon setting foot on the Sword Qi Great Wall, Zhong Qiu felt a slight hitch in his breath, but he quickly grew accustomed to the new environment.

There existed a significant distinction between a Far Roaming Tier martial artist from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and one from the Majestic World.

For Zhong Qiu, the position of imperial preceptor was one that came with a heavy burden. Once the Lotus Flower Blessed Land became the Lotus Root Blessed Land, he was no longer bound by the limitations of the Great Dao, and the burden of serving as imperial preceptor had also been lifted from his shoulders, placing him in a much better mental state.

Even before he arrived on Downtrodden Mountain, he was already a completely different person from the Zhong Qiu of old. During those ten years, he naturally made a breakthrough to the Vajra Body Tier without much effort, and after being blessed with a fated opportunity, he made yet another breakthrough.

It seemed like he had simply been very fortunate, but in reality, he was only now beginning to fulfill his full potential.

Out of everyone in the group, Cao Qinglang was the one faring the worst. His complexion had turned slightly pale, and he was making a different hand seal with each hand to help stabilize his soul.

This was a method taught to him by Mr. Lu.

Pei Qian was able to regain her composure faster than Cao Qinglang, and for that, she was very pleased with herself. She took a glance at Cao Qinglang, and she couldn't help but feel concerned for his future as a Qi refiner.

Earlier, Cui Dongshan had said to her through his mind's lake, "I'm going to have some fun with that little guy."

"Make sure you don't go overboard!" Pei Qian cautioned.

Cui Dongshan was the last one in the group to walk through the gate, and as he did so, he leaned back and craned his neck as if he were trying to see what book the little Daoist priest was reading.

"I have a certain junior nephew on Stalactite Mountain who doesn't take too kindly to flood dragons," the little Daoist priest mused with a smile.

At this point, Cui Dongshan had already vanished into the gate, but he suddenly stepped back out again and asked, "What'd you just say?"

The little Daoist priest was very much taken aback, and his brows furrowed slightly as he turned to Cui Dongshan and asked, "What's your cultivation base?"

"Would you believe me if I told you I'm at the Ascension Tier?" Cui Dongshan asked with a toothy grin.

The little Daoist priest shook his head.

"Then why did you even bother to ask me?" Cui Dongshan challenged. "Would you believe me if I told you I was at the Nascent Tier or the Unpolished Jade Tier? Are you trusting my words, or are you trusting your own judgment? How am I supposed to know if you're believing in yourself, or believing in your preconceived notion of me? How am I supposed to believe which version of you believes?"

The little Daoist priest was gobsmacked.

"Is there something wrong with you?"

"So what if there is?" Cui Dongshan countered. "What if what's actually wrong is the Great Dao itself and not you or me? What would you do then? Will taking medicine help?"

The little Daoist priest was completely speechless.

"First, you ask if there's something wrong with me, yet now, you're at a loss for words when I ask you if taking medicine will help? I think there may be something wrong with you!" Cui Dongshan scoffed.

"Do you have a death wish?" the little Daoist priest asked.

"How can we repay heaven and earth for giving birth to us? Ultimately, the only way we can repay the world is through death," Cui Dongshan said with a serious expression.

The little Daoist priest closed his book, preparing to drag Cui Dongshan back onto Stalactite Mountain before administering a beating. That way, Cui Dongshan would be forced to reveal his cultivation base. However, before he could stand up, Cui Dongshan had already fled.

Moments later, he leaned back out of the gate again with a wide grin and said, "I suggest you don't bother reading that novel to the end. In the beginning, it's a story full of romance and affection, but in the end, the lovestruck scholar dies, and the woman simply got over him and married someone else before having a bunch of children. Isn't that infuriating? That's not even the end of it! What's most infuriating of all is that the scholar reincarnates as the son of the woman's son! I'd almost call that ending brilliant if it didn't have me so furious!"

The little Daoist priest gently exhaled, then put on a fake smile and said, "Come, let's have a good chat."

Once again, Cui Dongshan fled at the first sign of danger.

Following his departure, the disgruntled little Daoist priest quickly flipped through the novel to the end, but to his utter astonishment, he discovered that it was a classic happy ending completely unlike what Cui Dongshan had just described.

Cui Dongshan returned once again and said, "Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you this, but you're reading a version of the books that's been edited by shady publishers in order to drive up sales. The original, unedited book doesn't have such a happy ending, but, as you can probably imagine, it wasn't selling many copies because everyone found the ending too difficult to stomach. You don't believe me?

“The copy that you have now is a reprint from the Liu Clan's Jade Mountain Publishing House on the Flowing Dawn Continent, right? I can't believe you were so absorbed by a version of the book that doesn't even count as a fine or rare edition. There's a particular edition out there from unspecified origins that contains extra graphic scenes between the woman and the scholar, and I'd say that's the best edition of them all. If you have the money to spare, then you have to get your hands on one!"

"Do you have a copy of that?" the little Daoist priest asked.

"Of course not!" Cui Dongshan scoffed. "Why would I, a mighty Middle Five Tiers cultivator, bother to go around collecting different editions of these worthless romance novels?"

The little Daoist priest heaved a forlorn sigh as he tucked the book away, feeling like he never wanted to see it again.

"It seems that my junior nephew wasn't able to gauge your cultivation base," he remarked.

"I suggest you advise him to stop trying," Cui Dongshan said. "If he makes a habit out of looking into people that he shouldn't, then he's going to end up dead someday. You think anyone can travel back and forth between Stalactite Mountain and the Sword Qi Great Wall as they please? Surely you know better than that."

The little Daoist priest finally stood up, and despite his tiny stature, his presence was no less daunting than a mighty mountain.

Cui Dongshan gave him a parting wave and said, "Don't try to wait for me to come back out, and definitely don't try to send anyone after me on the Sword Qi Great Wall. My powers are terrifying, even to myself, and I have nothing but pity for those who end up on the receiving end of my almighty immortal techniques."

The little Daoist priest was really tempted to break the rules and go to the Sword Qi Great Wall to pluck Cui Dongshan back to Stalactite Mountain, but the cold voice of the Great Heavenly Lord situated on the summit of Lone Peak suddenly rang out in his mind's lake.

"Let him go."

The little Daoist priest turned to the figure on the mountain summit with a cold gaze and asked, "Are you going to bring up the rules to stop me?"

"Is that going to work?" the Great Heavenly Lord sneered. "All of the rules were made by me, and you've never had any respect for them. I know better than to try to use the rules to restrict you. Instead, I'm simply going to stop you by force."

The little Daoist priest was furious and began pacing back and forth in frustration.

All of a sudden, Cui Dongshan poked his head out once again and wailed, "I'm being picked on by both outsiders and my own people, yet I'm too weak to do anything about it! Whatever will I do?"

The little Daoist priest was truly infuriated, and his wrath gave rise to mighty phenomena high up in the sky above Stalactite Mountain. The clouds churned violently as massive waves swept over their surface, causing countless immortal ships to tumble and sway, much to the alarm and confusion of everyone onboard.

"That's enough from both of you!" the Great Heavenly Lord reprimanded, and only then did Cui Dongshan finally step onto the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Even after toying around with the little Daoist priest, Cui Dongshan still wasn't in a great mood.

The little Daoist priest's powers weren't all that noteworthy, but he was connected to some very powerful people, one of whom held an extremely lofty status in the White Jade Capital, someone that Cui Dongshan had harbored gripes toward for many years.

However, there was nothing that Cui Dongshan could do for now except to bide his time and wait, and that was a rather frustrating thought for him. He then thought of Cui Chan's current cultivation base, and that only soured his mood even further.

Pei Qian could see that he was in rather low spirits, and a concerned look appeared on her face as she asked, "Did he beat you up because you annoyed him too much?"

Cui Dongshan shook his head in response, and he was in such a foul mood that he didn't even have the heart to joke around with Pei Qian.

"What's wrong?" Pei Qian asked in a quiet voice. "Tell me what happened. If I can help you, then I will, and even if I can't, I can at least support you."

"I'm just really happy at the thought of being able to see my teacher soon," Cui Dongshan said with a smile.

"I'm glad that you're happy, but make sure you rein it in a little," Pei Qian said with a serious expression. "Don't let all of your happiness come out at once. Instead, you have to save some joy from today for tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that. That way, if you feel sad someday, you'll have some happiness saved up to lift your mood."

Cui Dongshan smiled once again, and this time, it was a genuine smile.

This was his first time coming to the Sword Qi Great Wall, and he had heard that Zuo You was currently residing atop the city wall.

First, he spends all that time out at sea, and now, he's wasting his time here. Can't he just do something useful for once?

It was a rather sobering thought that he once had a junior brother like Zuo You.

All of a sudden, Cui Dongshan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he yelled, "Let's go straight to the top of the city wall! There's something really fun going on over there right now."

"No! We have to go and see Master first!" Pei Qian snapped.

"But that's exactly where my teacher is right now, and by the looks of it, he's about to fight someone," Cui Dongshan said.

Pei Qian stomped her foot in frustration as she wailed, "What's wrong with the people here? All of them are picking on Master just because he's an outsider!"

Driven by her concern for Chen Ping'an, she immediately launched herself toward the city walls like a speeding arrow.

Cui Dongshan pulled a paper talisman out of his sleeve in a sneaky fashion, then turned to an elderly Daoist nun from the Daoist Saber Room with a smile as he explained, "I borrowed this from someone else. I'm actually very poor."

A talismanic boat appeared out of thin air, and Cui Dongshan leaned against the railing as he yelled down at Pei Qian, "Whatcha doin' down there, Senior Sister?"

Pei Qian was very much taken aback by the sight of the talismanic boat, and she was surprised that Cui Dongshan was able to afford one.

She sprang high up into the air before gently dropping down onto the boat, and as they drew closer to the top of the city wall, she pulled out a yellow paper talisman. However, after some contemplation, she ultimately tucked it back up her sleeve.

Master's over there, so I have nothing to be afraid of. If Master sees me with a talisman on my head, I'll only receive a knuckle to the head, and it won't be too bad, but if Master's future wife sees me like that and develops a bad first impression of me, then I'm screwed!