The silver-white plane soared across the sky over Yujing City like a great bird, quietly arriving at the West Suburb International Airport in the depths of the night.

"Finally home."

Walking out of the airport, Zhang Fan took a deep breath. The feeling of returning home was always easy and free, like a tired bird returning to the forest, or drifting clouds coming back to the mountains.

"Land of golden powder in the Six Dynasties, blue robes contending for elegance... This is Jiangnan."

Qi Delong carried his luggage and followed him out.

"You’ve never been here before?" Zhang Fan asked casually.

"When we were kids, we visited Maoshan with our sect, but we didn’t have much time to really have fun," Qi Dongqiang answered first.

"Maoshan... We were only seven then." A look of reminiscence welled up in Qi Delong’s eyes.

Back then, they were nothing more than two inconspicuous little Daoist children from Laojun Mountain, with their Primordial Spirit yet to awaken, naturally lacking the presence of later days when the Twin Spirits would merge, much less the bearing of Laojun Mountain’s inheritors.

Qi Delong and Qi Dongqiang—the Qi brothers—twin spirits in one body, but as children, none of this was manifested; they were frail, often sick, and sent into Laojun Mountain to cultivate, offering their bodies to Immortal Gods, hoping for the blessing of Heaven.

Precisely because of this, their youth was uneventful, even quietly passed without notice.

It wasn’t until later, when the Primordial Spirit awakened and the Twin Spirits became one, that the talent of these brothers dazzled all of Laojun Mountain, beginning their path of peerless renown.

"I have a friend at Maoshan. I wonder if you know him?" Zhang Fan said softly.

"Who?"

"Fang Changle!"

"The Maoshan inheritor!?" Qi Delong’s voice grew solemn.

"Met him once as a kid," Qi Dongqiang added. "I don’t remember much, but my master mentioned him a few years back. The Maoshan inheritor’s not ordinary—his Primordial Spirit underwent a mutation, fused not only with Maoshan’s ancestral Red Dragon Fire Talisman, but he’s even seen Maoshan’s Pure Yang Treasure."

At these words, Zhang Fan himself couldn’t help but show a hint of surprise.

The Red Dragon Fire Talisman, a relic left by Maoshan’s Ancestral Master, was truly marvelous.

Previously, when capturing Yin Hu—Lord Hongshan—Fang Changle displayed a trace of its power. But at that time, his realm hadn’t been fully cultivated, and he couldn’t yet fully fuse his Primordial Spirit with that Spirit Talisman and make them one; otherwise, his achievements would be far greater than they were.

When that day comes, Fang Changle’s Primordial Spirit will be able to rival the Qi brothers’ Twin Spirit Merging Technique.

If that were all, it would be one thing, but he was also blessed with unpredictable fortune, and even saw Maoshan’s Pure Yang Treasure.

That’s something that surpasses even the Purple Feather Treasure. Refined within the Pure Yang Wuji Realm, this treasure is worshipped for generations on the renowned mountains of the Daoist Sect, its incense never ceasing.

Such a treasure lies deep in the mountains, hidden within the Daoist Sect, rarely seen by Heaven and Earth, seldom revealed to sun and moon.

"He never told me about that." Zhang Fan murmured softly.

"A Pure Yang Treasure is the foundation of a lineage—naturally he wouldn’t talk about it lightly. Otherwise he’d be betraying his sect, and the Celestial Beings would punish him together," Qi Delong said mildly.

"Then have you seen the Pure Yang Treasure of Laojun Mountain?" Zhang Fan suddenly shifted the topic and asked.

"Well..."

Qi Delong hesitated, but from his expression, Zhang Fan knew for sure that the brothers must have seen Laojun Mountain’s Pure Yang Treasure.

"That truly is good fortune." Zhang Fan sighed. Disciples of renowned sects are just different.

"These inheritors of the ten great Daoist sects and famed mountains—it’s not just for show. All are recognized by their Ancestral Masters, each blessed with great fate."

Qi Delong saw Zhang Fan’s thoughts and spoke in a solemn, quiet voice.

"Brother, I heard that not long ago the inheritor of Qi Yun Mountain died strangely," Qi Dongqiang suddenly said.

"Qin Ming!?"

"That’s right. The famous Qin Family of the Profound Family is finished," Qi Dongqiang added. "No idea what kind of disaster befell them—family ruined, all lost, truly tragic."

"..."

"Destiny wasn’t his..." Qi Delong spoke mildly.

"Since ancient times, Qi Yun Mountain has had the Substitution Technique."

"Substitution!?" Zhang Fan looked puzzled.

"Yes, it’s a means for protecting the inheritor—a sort of stand-in, to take the tribulation in their stead. Only the true inheritor can remain unscathed," Qi Delong explained.

Qi Yun Mountain’s protection for its inheritors is the best among the ten great Daoist sects and famed mountains.

"Are you saying Qin Ming was pushed out by Qi Yun Mountain to shield the real inheritor from disaster?" Zhang Fan said in a daze.

"That’s right." Qi Delong nodded, glancing at Zhang Fan.

"Why, do you know Qin Ming?"

"No, never heard of him," Zhang Fan shook his head.

"Actually, the strangest among the ten great Daoist sects and famed mountains is Xia Weisheng," Qi Delong suddenly shifted the topic.

"Why?" Zhang Fan’s eyelids lifted slightly as he asked.

"She’s the closed-door disciple of Transcendent Zhenren. When she was taken in, the apprentice ceremony was attended by all the leading figures—White Crane Temple sent two Vice Observatory Masters, President Jiang personally sent gifts..."

"At just over twenty, Xia Weisheng had already comprehended the High Skill realm; her prospects are limitless. She was set to succeed Zhenwu Mountain—practically a done deal."

At this, a look of puzzlement surfaced on Qi Delong’s face.

"But not long ago, Transcendent Zhenren actually announced the intention to take on one more apprentice, also as a closed-door disciple."

"Such a move is really baffling."

If the door is already closed, can it be closed again?

Moreover, with Xia Weisheng being the acknowledged inheritor of Zhenwu Mountain, famous for years, what would happen to her if Transcendent Zhenren takes on another disciple?

The closed-door drama here is full of strange twists.

"I’m baffled too." Zhang Fan murmured quietly. He too still couldn’t figure out what Transcendent Zhenren was up to with this move.

"Come on, the car’s here."

Right then, the ride-share Zhang Fan ordered arrived. The two got in and first dropped the Qi brothers off at the hotel nearest to Zhang Fan’s house, and then Zhang Fan returned home.