In the half year after arriving at the second hiding place, Wang Sheng often found himself thinking about a certain question during the brief pauses between his busy cultivation and study. It was only hypothetical, since he still found it hard to accept.

If I were to truly take up the position of Immortal Emperor in the future, then the candidate for the Western Pole Emperor among the Four Heavenly Ministers would be... this?

"Meow?"

A small white cat sprawled under the shade of a tree. It stretched its front legs comfortably, then flicked its tail, which seemed to be missing a portion. With slightly drowsy eyes, it glanced at Wang Sheng, who was meditating nearby. Afterward, it yawned lazily.

Wang Sheng was at a loss for words.

The Daoist heritage of the Western Pole Emperor was called the Dao of Heavenly Myriad-Beast Net. It had a rather effective cultivation technique.

All Four Heavenly Ministers were originally human, but the Western Pole Emperor was often mistaken for a fiend. Because he presided over slaughter and had killed countless beings while assisting the Immortal Emperor in battles across the Immortal Saint Realm, he also became known as the "White Tiger of Slaughter."

The early experiences of this emperor were quite legendary. He obtained the inheritance of a great fiend from the Ancient Era, yet as a human, he could not use it. In the end, he made the ruthless decision of turning himself into a fiend.

From that foundation, the Western Pole Emperor forged a path of slaughter and created the renowned Dao of the Heavenly Myriad-Beast Net.

He had to fight numerous powerful beings during the war that destroyed the Heavenly Court, leading to his demise. However, his subordinates preserved his Daoist heritage. After many twists and turns and over tens of thousands of years, a successor was finally found, allowing it to reappear in the world.

In truth, this small cat was a fierce beast of heaven and earth: the White Tiger of the Four Symbols.

The little cat had originally been human. To practice the Western Pole Emperor's cultivation technique, it willingly transformed into a fiend.

The heavy price it paid gave it great benefits, though. For one, it did not have to deliberately cultivate anymore. Simply absorbing the essence of the sun and moon allowed its cultivation realm to rise little by little.

Moreover, it never faced bottlenecks in cultivation. The Daoist heritage of the Western Pole Emperor functioned as a form of bloodline inheritance. Within that bloodline were countless insights, enough to support the successor's progress all the way to the Grand Dao Golden Immortal Realm.

Wang Sheng now deeply felt what it meant to be worse off than a cat. The harder he worked, the more a sense of bleakness crept in.

The little white tiger would be his subordinate in the future. Based on Wang Shan and Wu Tianshou's attitudes, they seemingly intended to have Wang Sheng and the cat form some kind of sworn bond.

However, even after half a year, the tiger had done nothing but sleep nearby. Its cultivation deepened slowly each day, but it had not taken the initiative to speak with him yet.

Perhaps it's simply a being of immense pride.

There was one thing he was especially curious about.

Is this cat—ahem, is that white tiger male or female?

The little cat aside, Wang Sheng's three new mentors were all extremely responsible.

The strategist that the Second Master had sent was an elderly woman. She spoke gently, carried herself with elegance, and possessed a remarkably clear and methodical mind.

She taught Wang Sheng about battles between immortals and the deployment of immortal formations, giving simple yet precise explanations. He could clearly feel his tactical understanding improving.

They were still just discussing theory, though.

The people around Wang Sheng had him study tactics, combat methods, formations, and strategy to ensure that, once he started leading the Heavenly Court's restoration, he would be able to judge the plans that his subordinates would propose.

There was little to say about Wang Shan, who guided Wang Sheng in the Dao of Heaven and Earth's movement techniques. After all, he was an absolute expert in that field.

Wu Tianshou, also one of his new mentors, mainly used a long spear. However, he was also proficient with many other weapons. He not only guided Wang Sheng in the Dao of the Sword, but also sparred with him using different combat styles.

Wang Shan clearly intended to shape Wang Sheng into the ideal successor to the Immortal Emperor.

Wang Sheng followed Wang Shan's arrangements without complaint, absorbing everything the four experts taught him like a sponge. After all, he was currently under the Great Divine Guardian's protection and relied on him to stay alive.

Unfortunately, Lishang and Hostess Su still hadn't been able to find them. Wang Shan's hideout was beyond the reach of even Hostess Su's intelligence network. This made Wang Sheng somewhat uneasy. He worried that the two would become targets of the powerful beings from the Immortal Saint Realm.

He kept a certain storage artifact with him at all times. Inside were two life-saving treasures: the bronze mirror and the icy lotus.

Wang Sheng did not wish to face another desperate situation. If the bronze mirror were used one more time, it would be completely destroyed. Having blocked a Golden Immortal's attack, it was already cracked.

Wang Shan had set up many profound arrays in this area that also interfered with the mirror. At present, it only showed Wang Sheng his senior sister three out of ten times, and even then, it was so blurry that he could only make out her silhouette.

Even so, Wang Sheng took it out at regular intervals. Just being able to catch a glimpse of her lifted his spirits for several days.

Gradually, his cultivation became smoother, allowing him to grow stronger more quickly.

Wang Sheng stayed in this second hideout for twelve full years. During that time, he made significant progress in his Dao of the Sword and the Pure Yang Immortal Mantra. Still, the path of cultivation ahead stretched endlessly. For him to reach the Golden Immortal Realm would likely require many more such twelve-year periods.

Moreover, that realm was only a new beginning. Beyond it lay a long road and far more distant Daoist realms.

At some point, after Wang Shan's lecture on the Dao of Heaven and Earth, Wang Sheng hesitated several times. In the end, he could not help but ask, "Divine Guardian Wang, is there any shortcut in the path of cultivation I am walking?"

As though having already expected such a question, Wang Shan simply said, "Wait here for a moment."

He rose and walked out of the thatched hut. Before long, he returned with Wang Sheng's other three mentors.

So they're going to hold a four-against-one lecture to talk me out of it.

Wang Sheng sighed inwardly, though he knew that thought itself was improper.

Cultivation had always been about advancing little by little, climbing steadily upward. The moment one started thinking about shortcuts, it already meant that their mind was no longer pure, their will no longer firm.

Wang Shan gestured politely toward Jingwu, inviting him to speak. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Jingwu slowly uttered, "Yes."

Wang Shan then added in a deep tone, "And there is more than one shortcut."

Looking at the four, Wang Sheng froze for a moment. He had not expected such openness. Their teaching approach was completely different from that of Qing Yanzi, whom he had not seen for hundreds of years.

Wu Tianshou remarked, "In our humble opinion, you need not take such risks, Lord Fei Yu. You still have plenty of time."

Wu Tianshou was muscular and broad. He never removed his armor and bronze war helmet. Moreover, he had a thick beard and hair, giving him the presence of a towering warrior.

He was called Bi Yue because he was from the same "Yue" generation as Xin Yuehu, whom Wang Sheng had met before. Both ranked fifth among the seven constellations of the east and west.

The Grand Dao Golden Immortal rarely spoke when guiding Wang Sheng, but every time he did, his words struck the core.

"What are the shortcuts?" Wang Sheng asked.

"There are two common ones," the old woman answered. "Transmitting power and capturing souls. The first one forcibly merges your Great Dao with that of the one transferring their power to you, which means you would never be able to get past their Daoist realm. The other party would also perish in both body and soul."

Wang Sheng shook his head. "That shortcut's unacceptable."

"That leaves us with capturing souls, which is a kind of devilish art," Wang Shan explained. "It takes another's cultivation for oneself, using their Dao to nourish one's own Great Dao. However, cultivating using this method makes one extremely prone to falling into devilry. Once the practitioner's divine soul collapses, there is a ninety-nine percent chance that they will become a mindless devil."

Wang Sheng smiled bitterly. "That clearly won't work either. I guess I will give up on the idea."

The old woman added, "Under normal circumstances, those would be the only shortcuts. However, there are unusual ways to go about it as well, and one of them happens to involve you, Fei Yu."

Wang Sheng froze briefly.

Jingwu asked, "Fei Yu, how many fragments of Emperor Ziwei's Great Dao have you obtained so far?"

Wang Sheng's face lit up at once. "Senior, do you have a way for me to find His Imperial Majesty's Dao traces?"

"I do not. If I did, I would have told you long ago," Jingwu replied with a smile. He lowered his voice slightly. "However, before the Emperor fell, I served at his side.

"When he went out and accepted the battle challenge that day, he already knew he would not return. However, to allow more of the Heavenly Court's forces to escape, he went as promised. Before departing, he once spoke of his Daoist heritage to someone."

Wang Shan asked, "Star Deity Wenqu?"

"Correct." Jingwu sighed. "Unfortunately, he vanished after that battle over a hundred thousand years ago. We still haven't found him. Some claim he fell in that great war, but I personally saw the soul lamps that His Imperial Majesty and the Big Dipper's seven star deities left behind. Star Deity Wenqu's soul lamp has remained lit the entire time.

"If we can find him, we should be able to learn how to gather more of His Imperial Majesty's Dao traces. Otherwise, you can only rely on your own comprehension. When you reach the appropriate Daoist realm, you may encounter them by chance."

Wang Sheng turned to Wang Shan. "How do we find him? If it is too difficult, then forget it. I will just keep cultivating."

"We have discussed this matter before and devised a simple plan," Wang Shan said as he took out a transparent sphere from his sleeve. "But we need your help."

Wu Tianshou added, "Star Deity Wenqu has always been cautious and highly resourceful. He prefers to plan thoroughly before taking action."

"He is likely still observing the current situation, unsure whether you are truly His Imperial Majesty's successor," Wang Shan said. "Here's a recording orb. You have to prove that you are his successor, then find a way to transmit this recording. We should be able to draw him out with that."

Wang Sheng asked, "What if he never sees it?"

Wang Shan replied calmly, "Then it simply means you lack that fortune. Cultivate with peace of mind and let time refine your realm. A sudden rise is certainly a good thing, but if one cannot reach the very peak, what real difference is there between Heavenly Immortal and Taiyi Golden Immortal?"

Wang Sheng nodded. He had already decided to give it a try.

Looking at the recording orb, he thought about what he should record to convince Wenqu that he was truly Ziwei's one and only rightful successor.

Should I demonstrate a sword technique or reveal my sword intent? Perhaps I should recite a segment of the conversation I once had with His Imperial Majesty's Dao traces in the Sea of Chaos instead.

Those words had always remained in Wang Sheng's memory, never once forgotten.