Above Wuding River, a white-robed youth slowly appeared in the sky.

The clouds parted behind him. He was handsome, a sword at his waist. His eyes were as deep as an abyss, a faint smile tugged at his lips, and a small mole sat on the bridge of his nose. He seemed strikingly bewitching.

Now disguised, Li Guanqi gazed at the thin white mist below and sighed at how rich the spirit qi was.

Cultivators flowed to and from the Wuding River, every one of them in a rush. All of them, as far as he could tell, were heading in the same direction.

Li Guanqi’s lips curved. He hadn’t expected the Six Gates Holy Sect to attract so many cultivators. It seemed the Dao Comprehension Platform was more than he’d imagined.

He used his sprint technique and darted off. Wind howled past his ears. The closer he drew to the Six Gates Holy Sect, the deeper his frown became. He scanned the area with his divine consciousness and spotted a few sect disciples traveling together nearby.

Whoosh!

“Fellow Daoists, my name is Li Wuji. I’d like to inquire about something. My apologies for the interruption, but I hope you’ll forgive me.”

The group of three consisted of two men and one woman, each in light-blue sect robes and with an exceptional aura. Despite their youth, they had already reached the Nascent Soul Realm. Their strength was no small matter.

One of the young men had handsome features. His eyes flickered slightly as he looked at Li Guanqi. He was the strongest among the three, yet he couldn't sense Li Guanqi’s aura or strength at all.

Smiling faintly, he cupped his hands. “I am Kong Xun of the Heavenly Calamity Sect. Is Fellow Daoist Li also heading to the Six Gates Holy Sect?”

Li Guanqi flew to their side quite naturally, keeping two chi between himself and the young man. The distance was just right: close enough to be cordial, far enough not to intrude.

Pei Shishi flew between the two young men, her face cold and her bearing proud. She was beautiful, but her eyes were too arrogant. She glanced at Li Guanqi with indifference, brows slightly raised, and his face earned two more looks before she lost interest. His aura was far too weak—he probably hadn’t even entered the Nascent Soul Realm. She dismissed him as a scheming rat trying to use the Heavenly Calamity Sect’s reputation to slip into the Six Gates Holy Sect.

She turned away and whispered to the youth beside her. He gave Li Guanqi the same indifferent glance without a word.

Kong Xun smiled a bit awkwardly. “My junior brother and sister are reserved by nature. I hope you won’t take offense, Fellow Daoist.”

Li Guanqi didn’t mind at all, smiling as he cupped his hands. “No offense taken, none at all. Fellow Daoist Kong, I’m a little puzzled... Why are all the cultivators heading to the Six Gates Holy Sect in such a hurry?”

The young man and woman beside Kong Xun glanced at Li Guanqi.

Sensing their gazes, Li Guanqi frowned. There was nothing wrong with his question. “Did something happen at the Six Gates Holy Sect?”

Sure enough, Kong Xun’s expression grew solemn. He sent a voice transmission. “You’re not from Wuding River, are you, Fellow Daoist Li?”

Seeing Li Guanqi shake his head, Kong Xun nodded in understanding. “You must have been in closed-door cultivation for quite some time if you don’t know about the changes in the outside world.”

Li Guanqi’s brow furrowed. He cupped his hands and transmitted back, “I’m all ears.”

Kong Xun sighed. “Now that the ancient clans have emerged, countless prodigies are flooding the Six Territories. Various powerful factions have begun cooperating with the ancient clans, though under great pressure. Right now, even the Six Gates Holy Sect is cooperating with one. Miss your chance to visit the Dao Comprehension Platform this time, and it’ll cost you several times more next time. Many cultivators are rushing here before the price goes up.”

Li Guanqi’s thoughts raced. He hadn’t expected the ancient clans to move so quickly. In just a month, they’d already begun approaching powerful factions to “cooperate” with them.

His lips curled into a cold smile. Cooperation? Heh, they’ll bare their fangs and swallow these sects whole soon enough...

Those old bastards still dare show their faces while Grandfather is suppressing them? Maybe they met resistance when trying to take the sects by force, so they’ve shifted to cooperation.

Kong Xun understood Li Guanqi’s reaction and sighed again. Even the Heavenly Calamity Sect had met the same fate. So had Wuding River’s strongest faction, the Six Gates Holy Sect. The same script had played out everywhere across the Six Territories.

Kong Xun sighed. “It’s such a pity...”

Li Guanqi looked up at him with a smile. “Why?”

Kong Xun clasped his hands behind his back, his tone regretful. “A shame what happened to Zhou Shiyu, the prodigy who broke through five of the Six Gates Holy Sect’s six gates. To give his sect the upper hand in negotiations, he wagered a duel against a prodigy from an ancient clan. In the end, he lost.”

Li Guanqi recalled the figure kneeling in pain on a mountain peak. Was that crippled man Zhou Shiyu?

“Sigh, let’s not speak of this. If you’re alone, why not travel with us? You’ll save on expenses, too.”

Li Guanqi looked at Kong Xun, mildly surprised. Most cultivators found this sort of thing troublesome and preferred to keep their distance from strangers. Yet Kong Xun was inviting him along enthusiastically.

Pei Shishi furrowed her brow and said coldly, “Elder Kong, three of us traveling together is already enough. There’s no need to add an outsider, is there?”

The young man beside her chimed in. “You don’t always have to play the good guy.”

Kong Xun frowned. “What nonsense are you two spewing?!”

Li Guanqi patted Kong Xun’s shoulder, smiling. “It’s fine. It’ll be more convenient for me to go alone anyway.”

He cupped his hands. “Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for clearing up my doubts.”

With that, Li Guanqi took out a fingernail-sized tea leaf from a pouch in his storage ring and handed it to him.

“A small token of appreciation. See you at the Six Gates Holy Sect.”

After Li Guanqi left, Pei Shishi glanced at the withered yellow tea leaf in Kong Xun’s hand and scoffed. “How stingy! He has the gall to pass off a withered tea leaf as a gift. Heh, Steward Kong, I told you there was no need to speak kindly to people with no background or connections like that.”

But Kong Xun, his back to them, stared at the tea leaf in his hand, pupils trembling. His heart pounded uncontrollably, and his mouth went dry. He tucked the tea leaf away expressionlessly, took a few deep breaths to calm himself, then said in his normal voice, “You two better not offend him! Otherwise... don’t expect me to answer for it when you die without even knowing what happened.”