Chapter 1501: Chapter 1305: Did you say it’s possible that you’re over 400 years old?

By the lakeside, Auntie Qiao stared at the girl before her, who appeared to be a young maiden.

For a moment, she didn’t know how best to begin speaking.

“Auntie Qiao?” Lady Bi Zhu asked.

Auntie Qiao carefully chose her words, “Princess, is there a possibility that you are not eighteen years old?”

“I remembered incorrectly?” Lady Bi Zhu found it hard to believe, “Could it be that I am sixteen?”

Auntie Qiao: “….”

She paused before saying, “Is there a possibility that you are actually over four hundred years old?”

Lady Bi Zhu blinked at the person before her and said, “Is that so, I just said I was eighteen years old, there must be something wrong with this lake.”

Auntie Qiao: “….”

What was wrong with this lake?

Lady Bi Zhu, looking at the water, said, “The stone tablet did not give an answer after I told the truth, which suggests that the stone tablet was lying.

“It said telling the truth would let us leave, which was incorrect. Perhaps we should go under the lake; there might be something else there.”

With that, Lady Bi Zhu led Auntie Qiao towards the bottom of the lake.

Auntie Qiao: “???”

Princess, can’t you just admit you’re over four hundred years old?

Soon, Auntie Qiao found herself submerging beneath the sea water.

Yet, once under the water, she was shocked to discover an inscrutable palace.

This palace could only be perceived by getting close to it under the water.

This…

Was really the stone tablet at fault, or did she translate it incorrectly?

Or maybe the princess truly was eighteen years old?

“Indeed, the path is here,” Lady Bi Zhu exclaimed excitedly.

Soon there was a change in the water, and some characters gradually emerged.

Auntie Qiao understood the meaning instantly, a bit bewildered.

“What in the world is true and what is false? If I say it’s true, then it’s true.”

That single line rendered Auntie Qiao completely silent.

So this wasn’t about answering questions, it was about the Inquiry.

All is false, everything is an illusion.

The Golden Core Realm is false, even the questions are false.

Only she, naively sincere, truly believed it.

Looking at the characters, Lady Bi Zhu curiously asked, “Auntie Qiao, what does this mean?”

Auntie Qiao awkwardly said, “They say eighteen is the prime of youth for a princess.”

Lady Bi Zhu: “….”

————

High above, Xu Bai stood looking out in all directions.

By observing some people, he discerned that there were four directions where opportunities lay.

Each was very extraordinary.

He did not know in which direction the Ruins of Return were located.

But he did not plan to seek these opportunities, nor did he intend to search for the Ruins of Return.

There were many outstanding figures present, and the attendees of the gathering were present, too.

Xu Bai’s presence would not make a difference, nor would his absence.

So he decided to head to the outskirts.

“The Ruins of Return need to function. Logically, it requires some external elements, so looking outside might not be entirely unnecessary.”

He was uncertain.

But he still wanted to see. Beneath the Heavenly Extreme Silent Pearl, common opportunities held no significance for him.

Even if they could enhance his cultivation, that was the case.

After all, should any mistake occur, he likely wouldn’t survive.

Being in the southern region, there was no escape.

For a moment, he felt he understood Gui quite well, who often lived under such pressure; it indeed was easy for one’s heart to grow restless.

Shaking his head in self-mockery, Xu Bai began to walk a path avoided by everyone else, taking a road not traveled by any.

Not towards the center, but towards the outside.

As Xu Bai searched for a way out, he realized at some point he had left the woods.

Before him was a city that resembled magnificent mountains and rivers, grand and commanding.

But upon another glance, it seemed unremarkable.

There, a stone tablet near the city gate caught Xu Bai’s attention.

Upon closer inspection, he found a line of text written on it:

“Sometimes, moving forward is not the only path; taking a step back may reveal a brand new vista.”

Xu Bai was somewhat surprised.

“Moving forward is an opportunity, but so is stepping back. This secret realm really is remarkable,” he mused.

There seemed to be opportunities everywhere here, and people had many choices, like the three thousand Great Ways, each road capable of achieving greatness.

As long as one is willing and able to walk, there will always be those who can walk it to the end.

With that, Xu Bai stepped into the city without much contemplation.

——

Inside the White Jade Palace.

Books lined the edges of the walls, as if accounting for countless secrets of the universe.

At this moment, Yan Yuezhi was immersed in reading one of the books.

Meanwhile, a young girl beside her was looking at the book index; she took one from the top and handed it over, saying, “Sister Yuezhi, take a look at this; it might yield some insight.”

Yan Yuezhi took the book and found it to be a record about worldly tribulations.

She flipped through it briefly and found it to be a rudimentary account.

“Aren’t you going out to seek your fortune?” Yan Yuezhi asked while continuing to read.

“Isn’t Sister also not venturing out?” Chu Jie continued looking at the bookshelf as she spoke.

Yan Yuezhi shook her head, “I am already amidst fortune by being here, plus this place may record something important which we need to investigate.”

Yan Yuezhi and Chu Jie had entered together, finding themselves in the palace upon arrival.

There were innumerable books here, only available for perusal and not to be taken away.

That’s why Yan Yuezhi did not want to leave.

“I’m not much of a reader,” Chu Jie said, flipping through another picked-up book and smiling, “But knowing which books are useful, no opportunity can compare to the knowledge Sister could gain from them.”

“Is the opportunity outside useless to you?” Yan Yuezhi asked, looking down at her book.

Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, a person of great fortune; many opportunities held no meaning.

It might be the same here.

“They’re useful,” Chu Jie insisted seriously, “Not only useful, but I can also sense the direction of the Ruins of Return; there lies an opportunity meant for me.”

“Then why don’t you go there?” Yan Yuezhi raised an eyebrow.

“Is it for the Ruins of Return, or is it my own fortune?” Chu Jie pondered.

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