At the second hideout, two years after they released Wang Sheng's recording,

Wang Shan hurried over. "We have news."

The three streaks of light that had been clashing in midair immediately broke apart. Wang Sheng, Jingwu, and Wu Tianshou quickly descended.

Under a nearby tree, the small white tiger that had been lazing about opened its sleepy eyes and glanced at them. It kneaded with its front paws, then settled back into the soft grass and resumed sleeping.

Cultivation really was exhausting for a cat.

A few days ago, a scholar who called himself Xu Zhongliang launched a surprise attack on a Cloud General in the Northern Sky Region. He killed two Taiyi Golden Immortals and severely injured the third-ranked general before leaving without a trace.

Wu Tianshou asked softly. "Xu Zhongliang is definitely Star Deity Wenqu's actual name, but many people know that. Could this be a scheme?"

"I have already sent people to investigate in secret," Wang Shan replied. "Judging from the Sword-Controlling Art he used when wounding his enemies, it might not be fake. I intend to go to the Northern Sky Region myself to find that person. I should be able to determine whether he is real once I see him."

Jingwu frowned. "Wouldn’t that be dangerous? What if some powerful being finds Fei Yu while you’re gone?"

"It will be fine. The third hideout lies beside the training grounds of the Second Master, and we have his approval. With him nearby, nothing will go wrong."

Wang Sheng raised his hand slightly. "Can I ask two questions?"

Wang Shan nodded. "Of course.”

Wang Sheng straightened his expression. "Star Deity Wenqu’s surname is Xu?"

The three nodded.

"Is the Second Master... the one people call the most handsome dog keeper of the Heavenly Court?"

Even Wang Shan, who was usually stern and stoic, laughed briefly.

Wu Tianshou slowly explained. "Yes, he is. He does not care much for the Heavenly Court and usually acts outside its command. However, when the Heavenly Court was in danger, he led his forces into battle and fought so fiercely that none of the enemies dared approach. He is a man of strong temperament. The fact that he has not come to see you means you have not earned his recognition yet."

Wang Sheng wanted to say, "I am who I am, a one-of-a-kind bloom on the path of immortality."

However, when faced with such a legendary figure, he did not dare show even the slightest hint of disregard. Showing proper respect was all that mattered. Hence, all he could do was smile.

Hostess Su had mentioned before that although Wang Shan was powerful, he was not among the Heavenly Court’s top three living experts. However, the Second Master likely was.

Wang Shan said, "I will send you to the third hideout shortly. This location has not been exposed yet, but once I appear out there, it may be traced back here."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Wang Sheng was given half a day to prepare.

Even so, he had no intention of becoming lax with his discipline. He spent that time simply bathing in the stream and then practicing swordsmanship within the grand array.

Once they were all ready to move, Wu Tianshou picked up the small white tiger. The burly, armored man cradled the little creature he had sworn to follow with remarkable gentleness. The sight had a quiet warmth to it.

Wang Shan gathered them into the space within his sleeve, then tore through space repeatedly, shifting across hidden locations in the four great sky regions. In the end, he appeared within a nebula near the entrance to the Immortal Saint Realm in the Western Sky Region.

It gave the feeling that the most dangerous place was also the safest, but in truth, Wang Shan had made arrangements in this location long ago. It concealed a celestial body, making it extremely difficult to detect.

After helping Wang Sheng and the others settle down, along with the wounded under his protection, Wang Shan immediately set off again. He didn’t even stop to rest for a moment.

***

Their new hideout lay along a stretch of shoreline.

The sea here was exceptionally clear, though with very few fish. Wang Sheng scooped up some seawater and tasted it, finding that it lacked any real saltiness.

This celestial body was rich in plant life, with countless varieties growing everywhere, yet there were very few animals. It seemed that life here had not evolved that far yet.

Without Wang Sheng specifically asking for them, Wu Tianshou, Jingwu, and the old woman went off together to set up several arrays for his cultivation.

Meanwhile, Wang Sheng found a shade under what looked like a coconut tree near the edge of the beach. He then sat cross-legged, intending to meditate, but wondered instead how strong the signal would be now that they had changed locations. Thinking of his senior sister, he took out the bronze mirror.

Gradually, it showed a blurred image. They seemed to be closer to her now, considering her outline was clearer. She was sitting in a sacred pool, cultivating. Lin Feiyao stood nearby.

Staring at the mirror, Wang Sheng could not help but smile in quiet relief.

At that moment, he heard someone speak from behind him in a slightly childish tone. "What are you looking at?"

Wang Sheng quickly put away the bronze mirror and looked up, only to see the small white tiger lying on a tree branch and pointing at the bronze mirror with its fluffy paw. It scratched its back and tossed down a smooth glass mirror.

"Use this."

Wang Sheng smiled as he caught it. "Thank you.”

He felt a bit surprised that the cat—ahem, the tiger had taken the initiative to speak with him.

The successor of the Western Pole Emperor sprawled across a tree branch and yawned, as if preparing to fall asleep again. Wang Sheng put away the bronze mirror, then picked up the glass mirror and looked at his own face, which had grown more mature. He summoned Flying Haze and shaved off the stubble that had appeared at some point.

Not long after, the tiger asked, "Do you not get tired of cultivating every day?"

He sounded no older than three or four years old.

"Of course I do." Wang Sheng sighed. "But if I do not cultivate, I won’t grow stronger. If I don’t grow stronger, I won’t become a true expert. My fate will never be in my own hands, either, nor will I be able to protect the people behind me."

The tiger blinked and leaned over the branch to look down at him, its tail swaying gently. It seemed to be thinking. Soon, it quickly asked, "If you do not cultivate, you can’t grow stronger? When you sleep, do you not become more powerful?"

Wang Sheng was rendered speechless. For a moment, he felt an urge to turn the tiger's gall into wine.

"Sorry, but cultivators like me, who do not have the Dao of Heavenly Myriad-Beast Net, cannot rely on absorbing the essence of heaven and earth to grow stronger. We have to rely on our own comprehension to advance our realm."

Looking enlightened, the tiger stopped swaying its tail. "Then do you want to learn my cultivation technique? The old grandpa in my dreams said it is very powerful."

Wang Sheng could not help but laugh. Giving up on meditating, he leaned back against the tree and looked up at the tiger. "I already have my own cultivation technique to practice, and techniques like that are not meant to be passed around freely."

"Why not?"

The sword cultivator thought for a moment, then answered, "What if a technique as powerful as yours fell into the wrong hands, and they used it to commit evil?"

"You do have a point..."

"Can I ask something?" Wang Sheng smiled. "How did you obtain your inheritance?"

The tiger tilted its head and tried to recall. Soon, it replied, "It was a long time ago. Since I have been sleeping most of the time, I do not remember it clearly. I think I used to live in a very beautiful village. My parents and I looked just like you back then.

"At some point, I got lost in a forest. I found a cave, fell into it, and lost consciousness. When I woke up, I had already become like this. From that moment on, I started frequently dreaming of an old grandpa teaching me things. I can never remember them clearly, though."

Wang Sheng could not help but laugh.

This little fellow is the true child of heavenly fate. Compared to it, my fortune almost feels fake!

He had assumed the tiger never tried to speak with him because it was aloof and proud. Now, it was clear that it was simply a child who didn’t know how to approach him because it had not matured mentally yet.

Wang Sheng deliberately chose some simple topics. The tiger quickly became lively and started chatting with him at length. Fortunately, he had been thinking about how to entertain a kid ever since he married Mu Wanxuan.

Before long, the tiger leaped down from the tree and showed off the many abilities it had learned. Its favorite was scaring people.

When it wanted to frighten someone, it would suddenly grow tens of thousands of times its size, transforming into an ancient ferocious beast. A dense killing aura would surge from it.

The Great White Tiger has descended into the world!

Wang Sheng felt a real and overwhelming pressure. Only then did he somewhat helplessly realize that the tiger had already reached the late stage of the Golden Immortal Realm.

He truly felt like cursing, but he forced himself to remain calm.

After all, he was a married man.

***

Having grown familiar with the tiger, Wang Sheng gained a companion to chat with during breaks in his training. The tiger also enjoyed playing with him, since sleeping all the time had become boring.

Wang Sheng had ulterior motives, but he had no intention of turning it into a trump card or a future general under his command. He simply felt that the little creature had extraordinary luck, and he wanted a bit of a share of that fortune.

Perhaps that was why the tiger gradually became a bit dependent on Wang Sheng.

Wang Shan had been gone for over a year now, and Wang Sheng had not received any news about Earth's cultivators for three years. Gradually, he found it harder to stay calm. Every time he tried to meditate, it took a long while before he could enter a state of comprehension.

Days passed one after another.

With Wang Shan away, the others did not dare leave and gather information.

The turmoil across the endless space was surely growing more intense. Within the range of Wu Tianshou's spiritual perception, groups of powerful beings often passed by, leaving them constantly on edge. No one knew whether Wang Shan had found Wenqu or whether the two were even safe.

Wu Tianshou eventually felt that waiting like this was not a solution. He suggested seeking help from the Second Master, who was secretly training forces nearby. After all, they could ask him about Wang Shan’s situation.

Wang Sheng and the others all agreed. Wang Sheng even wanted to visit personally and meet the Daoist sects’ legendary vanguard.

However, before Wu Tianshou and Wang Sheng could set out, a crack split open across the planet's sea. A palace emerged silently from within the rift, and layers of arrays immediately covered it. One after another, a wooden coffin and three people rushed from behind the palace into the array below.

The rift in space then closed instantly. A streak of light shot out hurriedly from the palace as Wang Sheng heard someone call out to him.

"Junior Brother!"

Eh?

Though still holding the little white tiger, Wang Sheng froze.