The Changkong Race.

Fanliu Blessed Land.

Three bright moons hung high in the sky, bathing everything in their ubiquitous light.

Here, the moonlight was not cool like water, but instead carried a hint of scorching heat.

And upon this Blessed Land were several resource points of wondrous realms.

In one of these wondrous realms, giant trees soared and ancient trunks propped up the sky. It was a range of lush, steep mountains.

Deep within this ancient mountain range grew a willow tree so immense it blotted out the sun and sky, seeming large enough to hold up the sun and moons themselves!

This was the very core of Fanliu Blessed Land.

In the area before this massive willow, a peculiar, half-man-tall tree had been planted.

This strange tree had yet to bloom.

Yet its branches spread out with the splendor of a bursting firework, making it easy to imagine how dazzling it would be once it finally flowered.

It was none other than the [Silverflower Fire Tree] Spiritual Object that Fang Yang had gifted to Sen Hui!

At that moment, next to the Silverflower Fire Tree, Sen Hui was holding a letter, a smile in her eyes as she read its contents.

She read it from beginning to end, then from end to beginning, over and over again.

Only then did she, satisfied, put the letter away, placing it ceremoniously into a brocade box.

Inside the box was a collection of all the letters Fang Yang had written back to her.

’Ah Yang finally became a Tier One Alchemy Master! And he thanked me for my help. Hehe, it seems my efforts weren’t in vain after all.’

’Hmm... Ah Yang’s birthday is in a few days. I wonder if he’ll like the [Thunder Carp Essence] Spiritual Object I’m sending him. He should like it, right...?’

’Once Ah Yang gets the [Thunder Carp Essence], he’ll be able to elevate his Spirit Body from B-Grade to A-Grade.’

Sen Hui’s eyes curved into smiling crescents.

She felt a surge of happiness just thinking about the shocked look on Fang Yang’s face when he received the [Thunder Carp Essence] Spiritual Object from her.

「Elsewhere.」

Beside the giant willow tree, the Dragon Robe on Sen Wei’s body swayed in the wind.

Sen Wei’s gaze was no longer soul-shakingly sharp; instead, her eyes were filled with confusion.

Her younger sister, Sen Hui, was Heaven’s favored daughter, one of the most revered figures in the Changkong Race...

Every one of her identities spoke to Sen Hui’s extraordinariness. So how could she be throwing herself at a man like this?

’Something’s not right. I just don’t understand it!’

Unable to make sense of it, Sen Wei fell silent.

At that moment, Sen Wei’s mind raced, searching through her memories.

She wondered if they hadn’t shown Sen Hui enough love and care, causing her to be so grateful for the kindness Fang Yang had shown.

But no matter how hard Sen Wei thought, she couldn’t come up with a reason.

Matters of the heart are difficult to explain.

Perhaps, in a certain moment, Sen Hui had felt a special, heart-fluttering sensation from Fang Yang?

"Things that come too easily are not cherished. Let’s wait a bit longer." Sen Wei quietly emerged and stopped Sen Hui from sending the [Thunder Carp Essence] Spiritual Object to Fang Yang.

"But..." Sen Hui’s mind spun. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she thought of a solution.

Unexpectedly, Sen Wei said softly, "You might be able to fool me, but can you fool our eldest brother? Can you fool our Great-Aunt? Besides, you don’t want to cause trouble for Fang Yang and make him dislike you, do you?"

Sen Hui’s heart sank, and her face turned pale.

"I was just teasing. Don’t overthink it. We’ll help you give it to Fang Yang at the right time, just not on his birthday." Sen Wei suddenly hugged Sen Hui and started playfully squishing her beautiful little face.

In just an instant, Sen Hui broke into a cheerful smile.

But this only strengthened a certain thought in Sen Wei’s mind. ’Fang Yang, you’d better stay far, far away from Chen Ying and the others. If you don’t, I definitely won’t let you off!’

「At the same time.」

The Fang Clan Ancestral Hall.

Elder De and numerous other Fang clan elders had gathered to discuss important matters.

Among these topics, Fang Yang’s development was an extremely crucial part of the meeting.

"Ah Yang has now become a Tier One Alchemy Master! He has truly surpassed Ancestor Fang Nian at the same age. He absolutely has the makings of a Saint, and might even have a chance to touch the Tier Eight Saint realm that our ancestor dreamed of!"

Elder De declared emotionally, "That being the case, I propose we raise Ah Yang’s rank in the sequence by one, surpassing Xiaomin and second only to Fang Hao, placing him at number two." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Agreed."

"No problem."

"Fang Hao’s main goal is to become a Dao Seed and fight to reclaim our Blessed Land. Ah Yang, on the other hand, will focus on steady and guaranteed growth, advancing toward the Saint realm!"

Soon, a decision was made within the Fang Clan: even if it meant sacrificing the futures of Fang Hao and Fang Min, they had to guarantee Fang Yang’s growth!

...

As time passed, Sen Yue’s grand army launched an all-out offensive against the Dongfang Race.

On that day, Sen Yue personally led the campaign.

Before Snowfall Cloud Island, the warships of sixty-four full corps rose into the air amidst gasps of astonishment, blotting out the sky.

Illuminated by endless lightning and fire, these soldiers resembled heavenly soldiers and divine generals, their courage bolstered immeasurably.

The remnant forces of the Dongfang Race, still putting up a fight, were all dumbfounded, staring at the scene in disbelief.

Their gazes were especially fixed on that magnificent, star-like Taiyin Dharma Aspect—Sen Yue!

RUMBLE—

Under the lash of Sen Yue’s attack, the sixty-four corps linked together, forming what looked like a great, purple-gold heaven.

They advanced mightily toward the remaining territory of the Dongfang Race, eliciting countless cries of admiration and terror along the way.

Such power was too terrifying, far beyond what a single Dao Seed or a monarch could possibly possess!

If one were to claim Sen Yue was an otherworldly Saint, probably no one would object.

...

In the end, events unfolded just as expected.

In a mere ten days, Sen Yue had completely crushed the remnants of the Dongfang Race and brought them under her command.

With this, Sen Yue now possessed a quarter of the entire Xuan Region, her might shaking all lands!

The consequence of this for Fang Yang was that he was suddenly swamped with tasks, so busy he was run off his feet.

Fortunately, after half a month of working like mad, his workload gradually began to decrease.

「At this moment.」

Elder Hua smiled at Fang Yang and said, "Keeper of the Writ, after a little while, your duties will change. Although you will still be the [Keeper of the Writ], you will no longer be working in the study."

This was because the upcoming work to be done in the study was highly confidential.

It touched upon Sen Yue’s cultivation of gathered fortune—specifically, the Mystical Skill of transforming a Flood Dragon of Fortune into a True Dragon of Fortune.

Therefore, Elder Hua would naturally not allow Fang Yang to remain in the study any longer!

Not to mention, they had long since completed their observation of Fang Yang’s character. Now was indeed the time to let this Proud Eagle fly.

Elder Hua continued with his suggestion:

"Perhaps you could go out and relax. For example, you could attend the [Guan River Festival] of the Dongfang Race, which begins in three days.

As for the remaining matters, we four old-timers can handle them just fine."

It seemed like a suggestion, but Elder Hua was actually leaving Fang Yang no room to refuse.

Fang Yang was surprised, but he was prepared to agree anyway.

He was planning to use this time to break through to the Tier Two Middle level of his Cultivation Realm in one go.

Besides, he had no power to defy Elder Hua in the first place.

Just then, the ball of light in his mind, [Seek Fortune, Avoid Disaster], flickered again, and words appeared:

[Guan River Festival, a custom of the people. Has both benefits and drawbacks, where fortune and disaster walk hand in hand.]

Then, three fortune slips flew out:

[Mid-Upper Fortune: Attend the Guan River Festival and strive for first place. It contains hidden dangers, but you can obtain a Tier Four opportunity. Auspicious.]

[Neutral Fortune: Attend the Guan River Festival and perform averagely. No gains, no losses. Neutral.]

[Lowest Fortune: Refuse to leave the study. You might obtain a Tier Eight opportunity, but before you can reap any reward, you will face a great calamity. A dead end with no hope of survival. Greatly Inauspicious!]