Chapter 1: On the Way

A leaf-like boat was flying through the mist toward the city of Anchang.

Ji Ning lay inside the boat, leaning against the stern. With a single glance, he could even see the endless earth below.

"I must avenge my uncle, my father, and my mother," Ji Ning mused. The scroll his father had left him bore the names of his enemies. There had been three murderers back then. The instigator was named 'Dong Qi,' a rather peculiar name, but Dong Qi's grandfather was a Primal Daoist.

Ji Ning was well aware of his own strength. Killing a mere Xuli Zhenren was nothing. Among the Wanxiang Adepts, there were those of stunning brilliance, like Xue Hongyi, whom he was not confident of defeating. As for the lofty Primal Daoists, a single breath of Primal Fire would likely reduce him to ashes, his soul scattered.

Primal Fire... was a technique possessed by all who became Primal Daoists. Those who were not Primal Daoists simply did not have it, just as the 'Wanxiang Dharmic Image' was unique to Wanxiang Adepts.

"There were three murderers. Dong Qi was the instigator. The other two, 'Yu Tong' and 'Shui Yi,' were accomplices." Ji Ning pondered. According to the message on his father's scroll, Yu Tong and Shui Yi were like servants following Dong Qi. At Dong Qi's command, they had immediately struck the killing blow.

Strictly speaking, Yu Tong and Shui Yi were the ones who acted; Dong Qi was the one who gave the order.

"Dong Qi! Yu Tong! Shui Yi! All three of you deserve to die." A flicker of murderous intent flashed in Ji Ning's eyes, then he calmed his thoughts. "Revenge can wait for now. My foundation is still shallow. I don't even know the current strength or whereabouts of Dong Qi and the others. There's no way to take revenge yet."

"Better to go to Anchang City first, find a sect, and join one." Ji Ning thought to himself.

Ji Ning was no fool.

His parents had once said that when Ji Ning ventured out into the world, he should seek out a great power and become their disciple. After all, wandering alone in the outside world was very dangerous. With a backer, things would naturally be different. Ordinary Zifu Disciples found it hard to join a sect, but Ji Ning, with his exceptional talent, could certainly become a disciple of a great power.

Since he could clearly become a disciple of a great power, Ji Ning would not make things hard for himself by going it alone.

"By joining a sect, I can learn divine abilities from them, and even top-tier Qi Refining techniques." Ji Ning thought. Tong Yu had learned 'Heavenly Transformation' at the Snowdragon Mountain. If he chose a sect more powerful than Snowdragon Mountain, Ji Ning believed the sect would have divine ability techniques.

"With the help of the sect... my strength can greatly increase, my horizons will broaden, and I will have the capital for revenge."

Ji Ning did not want to die seeking revenge.

Just as his parents had hoped, revenge was one thing, but his own life was more important. He still wanted to make a name for himself across the endless earth, and even go to meet Lord Cui in the future.

"It's a pity I'm not strong enough, otherwise joining the Yinglong Guard would be a good thing." Ji Ning shook his head. Joining the Yinglong Guard was too difficult. Even Mu Xiao Zhenren had only entered at the late Wanxiang stage. If he tried to enter, even if he ultimately passed, once they inspected him and discovered he was at the 'Seventh Layer of the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens' and relied on the divine ability 'Starry Hand' for such power, they would surely find something wrong.

The divine ability 'Starry Hand' was his true trump card. Ji Ning was unwilling to rely on this technique to enter the Yinglong Guard.

...

"First join a sect, use the sect to increase my strength. Then join the Yinglong Guard. The divine abilities and techniques of the Yinglong Guard are all-encompassing, perhaps even surpassing those of the Marquis of Anchang's estate." Ji Ning nodded. To reach the pinnacle, blindly rushing in was too foolish. Without a powerful Qi Refining technique, he couldn't even break through to the Wanxiang stage, let alone become a Primal Daoist.

And the more precious Qi Refining techniques were never passed on to outsiders. Once leaked, the sect would hunt down the offender!

With his exceptional talent... first join a sect, then enter the Yinglong Guard—that was the right path.

On the path of cultivation, even among three travelers, one could find a teacher. The spirit of the Water Mansion had even advised Ji Ning to take many masters, absorbing the essence of many, which would help him become a great power in the Three Realms in the future.

"Uncle Bai." Ji Ning spoke.

The Whitewater Hound on the boat turned its head to look at Ji Ning.

"What do you think? When I go to Anchang City this time, should I first seek a master or first visit Beishan Baiwei?" Ji Ning said. "He treated me well and told me to visit him when I arrived in Anchang."

"Beishan Baiwei?" The Whitewater Hound spoke in human tongue. "This man comes from a distinguished background and is good at making friends. Since he said so, you should go see him. Beishan Baiwei is familiar with Anchang City and, I believe, with many sects as well. He can help you decide which sect to join."

Ji Ning nodded slightly.

That made sense.

After all, among the sects in the vast land of Anchang Commandery, the one he knew best was Snowdragon Mountain. He wasn't very clear about the others. But Snowdragon Mountain wasn't among the top-tier sects in Anchang Commandery. Sects with Immortal masters were the true top-tier ones.

...

Ji Ning did not fly the boat very fast. Each day, he flew for eight or nine hours, and spent the other three or four hours landing on the ground to find a place to train, rest, and visualize the Nuwa Painting. In this way, he could travel a hundred thousand li each day.

Whoosh.

On the sixth day after leaving Mount Yan, Ji Ning was steering the boat through the clouds.

"Hm?" Ji Ning suddenly felt a powerful disturbance. He turned his head and saw a massive ship in the distance, breaking through the air and crushing the waves of air. The ship was filled with many flamboyantly dressed beauties. On the second deck sat a pale-skinned noble youth, with three beauties beside him massaging his legs and shoulders. The noble youth, dressed in crimson clothes, held a goblet of wine. He glanced in Ji Ning's direction and then ignored him.

"Look, that one in animal skins. Who knows what barbaric place he crawled out of. Utterly uncivilized."

"Clearly not from a major tribe."

Some of the flamboyantly dressed beauties on the bow of the great ship were chattering about Ji Ning.

Whoosh!

The great ship roared into the distance, quickly vanishing from Ji Ning's sight.

"That ship is truly fast; it's probably controlled by a Wanxiang Adept." Ji Ning still lay on his own boat, which advanced 'leisurely' at a speed of a hundred thousand li per day. In fact, one could roughly estimate a cultivator's strength from the speed of their flying treasure.

"The closer we get to Anchan City, the more cultivators I encounter. That ship just now was already the sixth group I've run into."

Ji Ning sighed.

Anchan City was the core of the vast lands of the entire Anchan Commandery, where immortals and demons gathered. Every major tribe, sect, or cult would set up a branch there. Many wandering cultivators also liked to gather in Anchan City, because with so many immortals and demons, there were plenty of treasures to trade.

Moreover, public order in Anchan City was excellent, allowing one to cultivate in peace.

"Time to rest."

With a thought, Ji Ning's boat immediately dove down, heading straight for the wild forests below.

With his current strength, Ji Ning rarely encountered real danger while traveling. The only ones who could overpower him were Primal Daoists, and which Primal Daoist wasn't either cultivating in seclusion in their own cave? Even if they occasionally passed by, they either traveled with great fanfare or were elusive.

"Whoosh." The boat plunged into the forest and vanished into thin air, while Ji Ning and the Whitewater Hound landed lightly.

"We'll rest here tonight." Ji Ning casually tossed out three formation flags, which landed in the distance and then disappeared without a trace.

From outside, one could no longer see Ji Ning and the Whitewater Hound inside.

Ji Ning sat cross-legged and began to meditate, visualizing the Nüwa Diagram in his sea of consciousness.

The Whitewater Hound also took out a scroll and lay down, staring at the dense text on it. This scroll was a copy of the "Nine Scrolls on Formations." Ji Ning had the original, so he used the simple spell 'Watermark Technique' to create two duplicate scrolls—one left in the tribe, the other given to the Whitewater Hound.

Uncle White was very knowledgeable in formations, far surpassing even Nong Zidao, and naturally far beyond Ji Ning. In the past, he lacked good formation texts to study, but now that he had obtained the "Nine Scrolls on Formations," he studied it every day.

Dawn broke.

Ji Ning stood up.

"Uncle White." Ji Ning looked at the Whitewater Hound, who was still lying there staring at the scroll. Hearing Ji Ning's call, he immediately scrambled to his feet and put away the scroll.

"Let's go." Ji Ning stepped onto the boat, and the Whitewater Hound followed.

Swoosh!

The boat shot up and continued toward Anchan City.

"Hmm?" After flying just a few dozen li, the boat suddenly stopped. Ji Ning looked down.

"What's wrong?" The Whitewater Hound looked at Ji Ning.

"There's a disturbance."

Ji Ning looked down at the forest below. Based on the strength and direction of the disturbance, it should be a fight between Zifu Disciples. He immediately released his divine sense, quickly covering the forest area below. When Ji Ning first broke through to the divine sense level, he could cover a range of a hundred li from himself.

Now, half a year later, his divine sense range had expanded a bit.

...

In the forest.

"We are members of the Meng clan!" A handsome, fair-skinned youth shouted angrily. Beside him were a slender, very beautiful woman and a sturdy, honest-looking youth. The three of them were struggling to fend off attacks from two men in white.

The two men in white were using magic treasures, completely trapping the three.

"You bastards of Snowdragon Mountain! Once my father finds out, he'll kill you both!" The handsome youth roared.

"If you two leave now, the tribe won't bother to retaliate over such a small matter. But if we die, the Meng clan will investigate to the end." The slender woman also shouted in intimidation.

Only the honest youth remained silent.

The three were indeed members of the Meng clan, which was one of the few super tribes in the entire Anchan Commandery, even stronger than Snowdragon Mountain. However, as a top-tier tribe, internal strife was fierce. Even the Ji clan's West Prefecture City had factions, let alone such a super tribe. The three had ordinary talent and low status within the tribe, receiving little attention and unable to learn top techniques. After breaking through to the early Zifu stage, they immediately set out together to go to Anchan City and join a sect.

Many disciples of major tribes joined sects, mostly those who were unsuccessful within their own tribes.

"Senior apprentice-brother, judging by their clothes, these three are indeed from the Meng clan." The two men in white communicated via telepathy. "Kill them or not?"

"You don't understand. Those with real status in the Meng clan travel with servants, maids, and guards. These three, even if they are from the Meng clan, have no standing. Kill them."

"Alright."

Having decided, the two men in white immediately went for the kill.

...