Therefore, many martial artists who heard the news rushed to the Shushan mountain range, eager to lay eyes on the legendary Martial Ancestor, Ji Qingshan.

For nearly all martial artists, the Divine Gate Realm was a state that existed only in legends. In their minds, the number one martial artist of Hua Country was still Ji Qingshan! After all, the Divine Gate Realm meant one had opened the 'Divine Essence Gate,' making them something far beyond a mere martial artist.

"Can Martial Ancestor Ji succeed?"

"It's uncertain. The Divine Gate Realm isn't hard to describe, but it isn't simple either, because it involves seeking the elusive 'Dao'!"

A man gasped in awe. "Senior, may I be so bold as to ask your name? Could you please elaborate for us juniors and resolve our confusion about the Dao?"

"The title of 'Senior' is too much. I am Zhou Jie, a First Grade martial artist."

The crowd fell silent for a moment. Then, they proceeded to beat the First Grade martial artist to a pulp.

Ignoring the noisy crowd, a young man stared intently at the Shushan Sky Ranking, his gaze profound. Next to him stood an elderly woman with white hair, who said with a loving smile, "Tan Chang, do you think Ji Qingshan can enter the Divine Gate?"

"I'm not sure," Tan Chang spoke truthfully.

The higher one's boundary, the more one understood the difficulty of advancing their cultivation level. He was currently at the peak of the Eighth Grade and hadn't even touched the threshold of the early Ninth Grade. How could he dare to speculate about Ji Qingshan?

A person must know their own limits.

The person standing beside him was none other than the Flower Fairy, his godmother. During this time, Tan Chang had learned a great deal from her, including cultivation techniques and divine skills. It had been a fruitful period.

"Not sure, eh…" the Flower Fairy repeated in a murmur, then nodded. "That puts my mind at ease."

Tan Chang was somewhat puzzled, not understanding what she meant.

"Son, your special training ends here. I will set out for the Exotic Realm tomorrow." The Flower Fairy looked up at the particularly faint, transparent crescent moon in the sky.

The situation in Chang'an City was currently tense. A large number of Eighth and Ninth Grade martial artists had been summoned. Even the two martial artists who had recently entered Mount Zijin and received an opportunity to break through to the early Ninth Grade were on the list.

After a long silence, Tan Chang said, "Mom, be careful. I'll wait for you to see next year's moon and eat next year's mooncakes."

"Hahaha." The Flower Fairy laughed heartily. "I will definitely return by the Mid-Autumn Festival next year."

"Mhm!" Tan Chang nodded firmly.

"By the way," the Flower Fairy said softly, "the East Sea Wushu Association's application for an order to investigate Mount Haitang and Xu Lai has been denied."

Tan Chang was taken aback. Investigate Xu Lai? He wasn't surprised. After all, Mount Haitang was a spirit vein. If it wasn't a blessed land bestowed by the Flower Fairy, how else could it have appeared? If one were to dig deep, they would undoubtedly uncover a great deal of useful intelligence.

"The investigation being denied was both surprising and perfectly understandable," the Flower Fairy said calmly. "Tan Chang, I know you've grown close to Xu Lai. You…"

"Mom, are you asking me to keep my distance from Xu Lai?" Tan Chang's expression turned solemn. "I'm afraid I can't do that. I owe Xu Lai far, far too much."

"No." The Flower Fairy shook her head, chuckling. "On the contrary, I hope you interact with Xu Lai even more."

This world was one where the weak were prey for the strong, a truth even more pronounced in the Martial Dao World. Even with her acting as their 'background,' there had surely been numerous Eighth and Ninth Grade martial artists who had attempted to infiltrate Mount Haitang. But the ones still living in Haitang Court were that family of three, which meant that all intruders had been repelled or killed.

This was especially true after the Flower Fairy learned from her godson, Tan Chang, that Xu Lai had once helped him break through from the peak of the Sixth Grade to the Seventh Grade. Even his subsequent breakthrough to the peak of the Eighth Grade was because he had drunk a jar of Xu Lai's wine.

The Flower Fairy suddenly felt that Xu Lai might be a supreme powerhouse. His strength, even if not equal to that of the reclusive master Li Mi, couldn't be far behind. This was a very high evaluation. It was so high that the Flower Fairy believed that even if Chang'an City above the moon were to fall, the ordinary people of Hua Country would not suffer too many casualties. This was because there were still hidden martial artists like Xu Lai and Li Mi among the populace. They, along with the Sky Ranking and Sword Ranking, were Hua Country's final trump cards.

"The Double Ninth Festival is almost here. It's a shame I can't spend it with you…"

After saying this, the Flower Fairy's figure flickered and vanished. Tan Chang bowed deeply in the direction she had disappeared, only straightening up after a long while.

…

「Night.」

The bright moon hung high in the sky.

Having soaked in the pool all day, Qian Xiao was so exhausted he nearly collapsed. After hastily gobbling down a couple of mouthfuls of rice, he dazedly fell asleep. Xu Lai wasn't worried about his condition, as the ingredients he used for cooking were very particular. Even a single bite of the food could heal the hidden injuries in Qian Xiao's body.

Still, Xu Lai sent Beibei a divine sense, instructing her to teach Qian Xiao something. It was a breathing technique from the Primordial Giant race of the Immortal Domain, a race that ranked thirty-third on the list of innate racial talents. They didn't cultivate divine skills but focused solely on their physical bodies. On the path of physical prowess, the Primordial Giants had taken it to its absolute extreme, capable of shattering stars with a single punch.

On brute strength alone, they stood at the pinnacle of the universe. Their race had even produced a Quasi-Emperor. Even the First Divine General of the Heavenly Court, Taotie, had once humbly sought guidance from the Primordial Giant race, yearning to uncover the ultimate secrets of physical power.

The Primordial Giants' breathing technique was quite suitable for strengthening Qian Xiao's body. Xu Lai was worried that otherwise, Kid Qian would eventually be tortured to death by Beibei.

After dinner, his sister-in-law Ruan Lan washed the dishes, then lay on the sofa to watch anime as was her unbreakable ritual, pulling Xu Yiyi to join her.

Ruan Tang sat in the backyard, gazing at the moon in a daze. Xu Lai sat on the rattan chair next to his wife and smiled. "What are you looking at?"

Ruan Tang came to her senses and said softly, "Tomorrow's the Double Ninth Festival. The company gave us a three-day holiday. We've been working hard for a long time, after all."

"That's good news. Why the long face?" Xu Lai spread his hands. "I thought you might be pregnant again."

Ruan Tang kicked Xu Lai's stool, glaring at him with a flushed face. "Can you be serious? We haven't… you know… done *it*. How could I possibly be pregnant!"

"Oh, so you're hinting at something? I understand. I'll come to your room tonight."

"Xu Lai!!!"

This time, Ruan Tang didn't kick the stool. She stood up to kick Xu Lai, only to stumble. With a cry of alarm, she fell straight into his arms.

"…"

Their eyes met, and a silence fell between them.

Ruan Tang wished she could find a hole to crawl into. What had tripped her? Glancing down, she saw a round, chubby figure lying on the ground—it was none other than Xiao Hei.

To cover up her embarrassment, Ruan Tang asked seriously, "Xu Lai, is it illegal to eat a panda?"

As if it understood, Xiao Hei cutely raised its head, ambled away on its little paws, and considerately closed the backyard door behind it.

This panda has to be a spirit!

Ruan Tang felt her brow darken with irritation. Just as she was about to get up, she realized Xu Lai had wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Xu Lai, Yiyi and the others are still in the living room. Don't mess around," Ruan Tang said nervously.

"After all your hints, both explicit and implicit, it would be rude of me not to take the initiative. How could I let your meticulous planning go to waste?"

"…"

Ruan Tang was frantic; she had no such intention! Just as she was about to say something, her expression darkened once more, because she was shocked to find Xu Lai's hand had…

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.