Chen Sheng was considered Jiang Cheng’s confidant, and this time he didn’t come to Wan River alone, but brought with him a full five hundred elite members of the Governor’s Office, all fully armed and ready for battle.

Needless to say, Shen Hao, after struggling to hold on for so many days, finally gained real support.

With Wu Changhe, the head of the Thousand Households Station, keeping an ambiguous attitude, the Governor’s Office directly sending five hundred elite troops to garrison Wan River was a message to all those forces who had previously been pressuring Shen Hao: This place is under the protection of the Jingxi Governor’s Office—anyone who dares to make trouble, beware!

"Haha, long time no see, Lord Shen! You seem even more impressive than before!" Chen Sheng quickly stood up and cupped his hands in greeting when he saw Shen Hao striding over. As for this comrade who once spoke well for him in front of Jiang Cheng, he would never neglect him.

"Brother Chen, you’re the one full of spirit! Following Lord Jiang into the Imperial City this time, you’ve made all of us envious!"

"It’s all thanks to your help, brother. Thank you!"

"Nonsense, there’s no need to thank family! If anyone should thank someone, I should be thanking you, Brother Chen, for helping me out of this crisis! You have no idea—these past few days, the door of my Public Office has been blocked every day. There are countless people trying to drive me away."

"Heh, these are nothing but petty tricks. Didn’t Lord Jiang send me and the others over precisely to help you keep order? Let’s see if anyone else dares to snatch food from the tiger’s mouth!"

Chen Sheng spoke with great confidence. On one hand, the Jingxi Governor’s Office now commanded great authority, having played a crucial role in the Wen Family and Jingbei Army case, so the various factions didn’t dare to provoke them. On the other hand, Jiang Cheng was greatly valued by Lord Commander and had been praised openly on several council occasions. Now, the Jingxi Governor’s Office could pretty much ignore most troubles. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

After closing the door, the smile on Chen Sheng’s face vanished rapidly. He hurriedly pulled Shen Hao inside to sit down, urgently asking, "You haven’t allowed anyone else to enter that Special Land, have you?"

"No, it’s too dangerous there. Any cultivator below Gathering Spirit Realm could very well lose their life inside. So for now, I’ve blocked the official road from Wan River to Xiushan Village and set up a post at the entrance to the Special Land. No one has tried to break through yet."

"Good, good. Later, tell your people to come with me. One of my tasks here is to help you guard the checkpoint to the Special Land." Chen Sheng spoke as he fetched an order from his chest and handed it to Shen Hao, "This is Lord Jiang’s command."

Shen Hao verified the order—Chen Sheng was telling the truth. Shen wasted no time and didn’t ask further, going outside to give Wang Yiming some instructions, then mounted his horse with several guards, leading Chen Sheng and the five hundred elite Governors’ men toward the Special Land.

Once they arrived and dismounted, Chen Sheng turned to ask out of curiosity, "Shen, aren’t you curious why this Special Land has attracted so much attention from Lord Jiang and all these factions?"

"Haha, Brother Chen, why do you ask? I’ve been muddling about in the Xuanqing Guard for some time now. I know well enough not to ask what I shouldn’t. This Special Land is clearly extraordinary and surely holds secrets unknown to most. I’m just an investigator—no need for such curiosity. It’s best to keep quiet."

Chen Sheng gave a thumbs-up, obviously very satisfied with Shen Hao’s answer.

"Before I came, Lord Jiang specifically instructed me: If you asked about the secret of the Special Land at the first opportunity, I was only to answer with the word ’classified’. But if you never ask, that means you can restrain your curiosity and abide by your duties—you’re someone who can be entrusted with important information. Then, I could share some news about the Special Land with you.

Do you want to hear it now?"

"Of course I do."

Shen Hao didn’t hesitate—just now was a test. Since he’d passed, why wouldn’t he accept the benefits?

Knowing more is always an advantage, especially when it comes to secrets—it means you’re more important than others.

Chen Sheng seemed unsurprised by Shen Hao’s attitude, then pulled him aside and began slowly, "Shen, you’ve already reached the Gathering Spirit Realm and made a name for yourself in the Xuanqing Guard. But do you know how our cultivators’ practices came about?"

"Our practices? Um... invented by our predecessors?" Shen Hao was a bit puzzled—these cultivation techniques, weren’t they created by the ancients? How else could they appear, come out of thin air?

Chen Sheng laughed. "Predecessors? And how far back do you mean? Let me put it this way: according to the oldest records of the Human Race, the very first cultivation technique was actually found—not created. Only after that did thousands upon thousands of new techniques branch out."

"In fact, you already know this technique. No, actually, you’re very familiar with it."

"Huh? Can’t be? I only know one right now... Brother Chen, don’t tell me you mean the Great Five Elements True Qi Talisman?" Shen Hao was quite surprised—wasn’t the Great Five Elements True Qi Talisman he practiced considered common as dirt? How had it suddenly turned into the very first cultivation method of the Human Race?

The ancestral technique?

"Exactly, the Great Five Elements True Qi Talisman. Surprised, aren’t you? That technique is not very strong, but its inclusiveness is unrivaled, and it’s the easiest way for beginners with no foundation to get started. Even now, many loose cultivators and grassroots practitioners still use it. Think about it—the technique appeared tens of thousands of years ago. Imagine how much history is behind it!"

Shen Hao couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement.

Chen Sheng continued, "According to the records of our Human Race ancestors, the first discovery of the Great Five Elements True Qi Talisman was in a Special Land."

"What?!"

"Not just the first cultivation technique—the first Artifact Refining Scroll, the first Pill Scripture—all were discovered in a Special Land. Now, do you understand?"

He understood, more or less, but still felt confused. Shen Hao asked, "If the Special Land is so important, then why... why did Lord Jiang only send Brother Chen and five hundred men? Shouldn’t a place like this be guarded with all our strength?"

Chen Sheng nodded, thinking to himself that Shen Hao’s mind worked quickly. The average person, upon first hearing the secret of the Special Land, would be too stunned to think straight, but Shen still hit the mark at once.

"Shen, in the distant past, the Special Land was just as significant as you think. But later, people realized that what could be found in these places were just the basics—foundational magic techniques, basic pill scriptures, those sorts of things. After tens of thousands of years of development in the cultivation realm of the Human Race, these basics are no longer valuable. So they’re not as crucial as before, except for the chance that ’maybe something new will appear’ and their high research value."

With this explanation, Shen Hao finally understood. In other words, the Special Land was certainly wondrous, but nowadays, the treasures it yielded simply couldn’t match the horizons of cultivators after tens of thousands of years of progress. Its remaining value lay in the gamble for a rare reward and its importance for research—which is why all factions still vied for this Special Land, but all refrained from outright seizing it from the Xuanqing Guard, who had claimed first rights.