52: Who's spreading rumors about me!

The space was like silk sliced by a tailor's knife, split into countless sharp yet messy fissures.

"We're already at the edge of the Northern Abyss; it really is quite remote."

As the voice rang out, the "silk ribbons" of space began to flutter as if stirred by a breeze.

A foot stepped out from a crack; the newcomer was the Grand Elder of Qingxu Grotto-Heaven.

Looking at the scorched earth beneath his feet, a look of bewilderment appeared in the Grand Elder's eyes.

With a sweep of his Void Refining stage Divine Sense, he could confirm he was standing in a giant crater. There was information that many lives had existed here once, but now only this pit remained.

"Hmm?"

"Could it be that I opened it the wrong way?"

The Grand Elder turned and re-entered the Void Realm.

After a moment, another part of space on the opposite side of the passage was smoothly sliced open.

"The mark is right here?"

The Grand Elder scratched his head, feeling somewhat confused.

Since he wasn't someone who liked overthinking, he decided to be more direct.

The Grand Elder took the sword from his waist and gripped the hilt with his right hand. With a sudden click of his thumb, the blade popped out an inch, revealing a cold gleam.

In an instant, a piercing cold light flashed and vanished, and a crack split open before him once more.

Only this time, what appeared inside was not the Void Realm, but a winding river flowing under an endless starry sky.

Sweeping his Divine Sense over a segment of that long river, the Grand Elder understood exactly what had happened here.

Then, he slightly opened his palm in a grasping gesture.

An endless, vast aura poured out from the crack, turning into a thin stream. Starlight shimmered upon it, looking like a condensed galaxy.

The Grand Elder changed his palm into a finger and struck out with a Sword Dao Law. The trickling stream was drawn in, circling around his fingertip.

Accompanied by the erosion and washing of the Sword Dao Law, the flowing water no longer looked like a liquid but became like "film" made of stitched-together images.

After finishing this, the Grand Elder transformed into a sword light and arrived at another ruin in the blink of an eye.

Broken trees and ashes being scattered by the wind were everywhere.

Using the same method, the Grand Elder harvested another roll of "film."

"Little Zhou Yan is doing quite well; he's actually improved so quickly. He's reached Qi Refining Perfection after only a few days down the mountain."

"It seems the Fourth Elder was right; whether he had that month of training or not wouldn't affect little Zhou Yan's path."

"However, does little Zhou Yan really have such high Sword Dao talent?"

"To be able to strike out Foundation Establishment level Sword Qi at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining... this is clearly the result of the Cultivate techniques and insights I gave him. I must go and show off properly to the Fourth Elder."

"Of course, before showing off, there's an account I need to settle with the Fourth Elder."

Having completed his objective, the Grand Elder left satisfied.

Only now did it become clear why the space had changed like that earlier.

It turned out that as the Grand Elder moved forward, the sharp aura surrounding him had sliced through space like scissors.

Because the aura surrounded his body, the slicing was smooth, but the resulting appearance was not very aesthetic.

At Qingxu Grotto-Heaven, the Fourth Elder had just finished his call with Zhou Yan when the Grand Elder walked up to him.

"Why so slow?"

The Fourth Elder asked with some surprise as he looked at the newly returned Grand Elder.

"Isn't it all thanks to you!"

The Grand Elder walked with vigorous strides and thrust a sword finger toward the Fourth Elder's face.

"Zheng!"

The sound of a sword hum stopped abruptly right in front of the Fourth Elder.

It wasn't that the Grand Elder was concerned about brotherly affection; after all, this level of damage wasn't enough to shake their close-knit friendship.

The reason he stopped suddenly was that he saw the token the Fourth Elder was holding up with both hands.

This was the Sect Master Token of Qingxu Grotto-Heaven, representing the highest authority in the Sect aside from the Old Ancestor. As the Grand Elder in charge of the Punishment Hall, he knew exactly what it meant.

Usually, when the Second Elder didn't have the Sect Master Token, they were brothers; when he held the Sect Master Token, they all had to follow orders.

The Fourth Elder poked his head out from one side of the token. His punchable expression made the Grand Elder grit his teeth.

"Eldest Brother, don't be in a hurry to get angry. Didn't the Master let me temporarily take over Sect Master affairs?"

"Now my dao body is precious and cannot be lost. If Eldest Brother is angry, don't take it out on me—take it out on this."

Saying this, the Fourth Elder pushed the token forward, gesturing for his eldest brother to strike as he pleased.

The Grand Elder took the Sect Master Token from the Fourth Elder's hand. After repeatedly confirming it was real, the token covering the Grand Elder's face slowly moved down.

His previously gritted, angry face instantly became kind and amiable.

"Old Fourth."

"Yes~ Eldest Brother."

"We can talk things over slowly. You know your Eldest Brother has a bit of a temper; don't brood over it."

The Grand Elder smiled and walked behind the Fourth Elder, patting his shoulder to show friendliness with his right hand while tucking the token back into the Fourth Elder's arms with his left to show he was keeping it safe.

The two were pleasant and the atmosphere was harmonious; though they were brothers, they were more like best friends.

"What exactly happened to make you so temperamental?"

After showing the token, the Fourth Elder asked about the reason with satisfaction.

After all, this was his only consolation for being stuck here working overtime like crazy—he finally got to flex.

Regarding this, the Grand Elder didn't know how to describe the matter without insulting the Fourth Elder's entire genealogy.

"Uh... see for yourself."

The Grand Elder opened his palm, and two silhouettes emitting the aura of the Law of Time floated in his hand.

Hearing this, the Fourth Elder was somewhat suspicious. Could there be something in these time fragments meant to plot against him?

The Fourth Elder's gaze flickered between the Grand Elder and the time fragments. Ultimately, he reached out, took the fragments, and inspected them with his Divine Sense.

"Whoa, my good disciple is indeed exceptionally gifted to Cultivate so quickly."

"The food vanished all at once; is this some kind of special Divine Ability?"

"Hiss, that's a bit risky. He didn't even need the Sword Seal?"

"A bit greedy, but I like it."

"Aha, the golden bow is drawn like a full moon, its arrow's power like a rainbow piercing the sun, divine light clearing the world's gloom. This Divine Ability has some depth; I can't even fully see through it."

The Fourth Elder commented as he watched, feeling very much like 'this is how a great disciple should be.'

"Cough, cough." The Grand Elder coughed.

The Fourth Elder's eyes glowed with the power of Laws, yet he continued to stare at the fragments without blinking, praising them incessantly.

He pretended to be immersed and didn't hear.

Finally finishing, he sat on the Sect Master's jade throne and began to reminisce.

"Truly worthy of being an Immortal's Reincarnation. These Divine Abilities and this powerful talent are truly enviable. I just wonder how powerful this Descended Immortal was in his past life and how much he can remember now."

"No way, I must edit this fragment and send it out. I have to let those old fogies from the other Two Sects see our Sect's prospective... prospective Mahayana seed."

The Grand Elder had already returned to his usual cold-faced self, quietly watching the Fourth Elder's performance.

"Old Fourth, do you really have nothing to say?"

The Fourth Elder's body gave an imperceptible shudder.

"Right, right, right, it's about the upper limit of the Law of Time."

"I almost forgot about that. At the time, I didn't think little Zhou Yan would improve so quickly. Now it seems reaching Soul Transformation might only take a few hundred years."

"I'll have to mention it to little Zhou Yan during the next call."

"Before entering Soul Transformation, relying on the Law of Time a bit is fine. After all, before Soul Transformation, even that time Divine Ability of his—which doesn't have a high limit and is quite difficult to improve—can be a great help to him."

"But if he uses that Divine Ability to directly deduce the Law of Time as his primary Law for Soul Transformation, that would be disastrous."

"Qingxu Grotto-Heaven cannot become a laughingstock, especially when we already know the path for the Law of Time is broken."

"We can't raise another 'number one person below Body Integration'."

"Old Fourth."

The Grand Elder slowly interrupted the Fourth Elder's speech, forming a sharp contrast with the Fourth Elder's urgency.

"If you keep feigning ignorance, I'll show that fragment to the Old Ancestors. I've already made a copy."

Hearing this, the Fourth Elder trembled even more violently.

"I... would you believe me if I said that was an accident?"

"This... this isn't my fault!"

"It was the Second Elder... right! It was that bastard Second Elder's suggestion to use a cross-realm flying boat to show off little Zhou Yan's status. How could it be easy for me to modify a cross-realm flying boat to the speed of a normal flying boat in such a short time?"

"It's reasonable for a cross-realm flying boat to be a bit faster, right!"

"I clearly preset the route, but little Zhou Yan changed it himself. Besides, he successfully stopped within the borders of Great Yu, isn't that enough?"

"If you guys had modified it, little Zhou Yan would have crashed into the Monster Realm by now!"

Fortunately, at their level of Cultivate, they no longer sweated; otherwise, the Fourth Elder might have comprehended the Law of Water by now.

"Sigh."

The Grand Elder sighed and said.

"I already investigated on my way here. Although Great Yu isn't as peaceful as Great Qian—since most of Great Qian's demonic cultivators were driven into Great Yu..."

"But they're just a few small fries. With the Sword Seal protecting him, nothing major will happen."

"Since he went there of his own accord, it proves it was destiny. We shouldn't interfere with his path anymore."

"You, pay more attention next time. Don't always rely on me; I can't help you with everything. You're no longer a several-thousand-year-old child; you need to be more mature."

"Eldest Brother!"

How could one not shed tears when moved? At this moment, the Fourth Elder's eyes were slightly red.

"Once a brother, always a brother. I'll remember this favor. I have some arrangements in Great Yu as well; I'll handle them in a bit and give little Zhou Yan some surprises as compensation."

Seeing the Fourth Elder's teachable appearance, the Grand Elder smiled, nodded, and turned to leave.

After confirming the Grand Elder's aura had vanished, the Fourth Elder grinned like a returning Dragon King—where was the slightest hint of respect?

"Eldest Brother, oh Eldest Brother, your sword isn't fast enough, and certainly not ruthless enough. You still don't understand the principle that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. As long as I'm useless enough, I can do less work."

"But when it comes to this path, I'm still not as good as the Fifth Elder; otherwise, I wouldn't have been caught by Master to work overtime."

Just as the Fourth Elder was about to enter his MVP settlement phase.

A masked man in black quickly charged into the hall, surrounded by black Sword Qi as he attacked the Fourth Elder.

"Eldest Brother, what are you do—!"

The Fourth Elder realized something was wrong and was about to pull out the Sect Master Token.

As a result, he was sent flying by a blast of Sword Qi.

His face was hit by an elbow, preventing him from finishing his sentence.

"This old man is a demonic cultivator hidden in the Northern Territory. Today I find you an eyesore and have specifically come to beat you up. That crappy Sect Master Token of yours can't restrain me! Just wait to be thrashed!"

For a while, cheerful cries echoed in the Sect hall.

It turns out that knowing the Law isn't as good as understanding the Law; one still needs to learn more legal knowledge to better protect their rights.

Meanwhile, on the flying boat, Zhou Yan was meditating and practicing, constantly refining himself with the Flying Immortal Art.

Suddenly, a noise interrupted Zhou Yan's hard work.

"Ding! Player reputation has increased to [Renowned], obtained limited title [Northern Territory Prodigy (Excellent)]."

"Huh?"

Zhou Yan opened his eyes with a look of confusion. He hadn't done anything during this time, and that business at the fishing village had been completely wiped clean by Yi Sanyi.

"This... this, who put the reputation of Northern Territory Prodigy on my head?"

"Who signed me up for this?"

"This is simply sensationalism!"