How come the celestial technique I stole is so powerful?!

Chop!

The black-bearded elder was split in half!

Everyone's eyes widened simultaneously, including Saintess Qian Ling.

Saintess Qian Ling knew about Lin Xiaosu's Sword Dao, she was even the first to discover he possessed Sword Intent, and she had witnessed the folded space opening on the third of March, and he had fought the Enlightenment Realm for several minutes.

She knew he was not someone the Enlightenment Realm could easily take down.

However, she fought coldly and could not have imagined the result would be completely overturned.

Lin Xiaosu only used one sword, effortlessly killing this Enlightenment Realm.

As if casually swatting a fly.

That's right!

This was his breakthrough!

He had connected to the broken path of the Remnant Way to Heaven, his cultivation path had progressed by leaps and bounds.

The Enlightenment Realm to him, to be precise, the Enlightenment Body Realm to him, was nothing more than one sword!

She barely accepted this fact, but who on the Flower Boat could accept it?

The dragon clan warrior roared!

Leapt up!

With earth-shattering momentum, he punched down!

Above the water's surface, the dragon's roar rose!

There truly was a sense of ten thousand dragons crossing a river.

He rose up!

Lin Xiaosu rose as well!

One sword strike!

The eyes of the dragon clan warrior widened, his hands seemed to spiral upward, this was the peculiarity of the dragon clan, when exerting full cultivation, even the most indestructible sword beam would not harm their physical bodies in the slightest.

However, Lin Xiaosu's sword did not win by the sharpness of its blade.

Under the sword, a scene of Misty Rain Jiangnan.

As the sword fell, the entire space turned to dust and ashes.

Integrated with the Space Law of the "Vaporization"!

The dragon clan warrior died even faster, and more thoroughly...

Li Chengnian's heart shook violently, using all his cultivation, the Flower Boat beneath his feet shot towards the exit of the peach forest like an arrow leaving the string.

However, just at the moment the Flower Boat started moving, pop!

The steward on the Flower Boat transformed into a blood mist.

Chop!

A crystalline peach blossom branch pierced through the maid's forehead beside him.

Saintess Qian Ling stepped onto the Flower Boat.

Arriving there simultaneously was Lin Xiaosu, as he shattered the steward on the spot, pointed directly at Li Chengnian's forehead.

The air seemed to freeze.

Li Chengnian's eyes suddenly widened, his expression blank, his whole body unmoving from then on.

The Flower Boat floated down the waterway, its speed slowing.

Finally, as it was nearing the exit of the peach blossom checkpoint, the Flower Boat completely lost its momentum and came to a halt.

Lin Xiaosu's finger slowly moved away from Li Chengnian's forehead, and Li Chengnian fell headfirst to the ground.

Saintess Qian Ling exhaled lightly: "This is your optimism because you can already kill the Peak of Enlightenment with one strike."

"That's not important!" Lin Xiaosu said: "What is important is what interesting transformation will follow."

"What kind of transformation?"

"Like this!" As Lin Xiaosu spoke these three words, his face suddenly changed, becoming Li Chengnian's.

Saintess Qian Ling's heart skipped: "Disguising to infiltrate the Heart Pavilion?"

"The Heart Pavilion is a very interesting institution, using it as a fulcrum can pry the Great Wilderness Dynasty." Lin Xiaosu's voice also changed to Li Chengnian's, even the expression on his face was identical to Li Chengnian's.

Saintess Qian Ling's heart was pounding vigorously.

Entering the Ancient Wilderness seemed like the first failed move, but the game was not over.

He played his second move.

Directly ending Li Chengnian's life, adopting his disguise to infiltrate the Heart Pavilion, using the Heart Pavilion as a fulcrum to pry the Great Wilderness Dynasty.

Could he?

Compared to the current predicament, this was of course a brilliant move.

After all, he could abandon his previous ghostly wanderer status and step into the high-level institutions of Beijing.

In terms of tactics, the Nine Headed Snake is a professional.

And he is the one personally digging the pit and burying the Nine Headed Snake.

In any institution, he could achieve great things.

However…

Saintess Qian Ling took a deep breath: "Your strategies are always ingenious, yet, you seem to have deviated from our original intent."

"Original intent? Borrowing Cangyuan to subdue the Ancient Wilderness?"

"Yes!"

"In fact, I did not have that original intent." Lin Xiaosu said: "The route I set in my heart has always been this one."

Saintess Qian Ling frowned: "Before entering the Ancient Wilderness, you already knew about the Heart Pavilion? And even plotted against it?"

"I did not know the Heart Pavilion at first, but I knew there was a Dynasty! Leveraging the power of the Dynasty offers more operational space compared to borrowing Cangyuan's power."

Dynasty!

This was a concept that suddenly emerged.

This was a system that had not been included in the original breaking-through-the-situation thinking.

Just because Saintess Qian Ling had always been a cultivator.

She knew that on the Cultivation Path, the strong are revered.

As for the Dynasty, few high cultivators cared about it.

The Dynasty was basically the pinnacle of the secular system, not much related to cultivation.

Lin Xiaosu seemed to see through her thoughts at a glance and explained, "In many people's understanding, the Dynasty and the Cultivation Path don't intersect, but you must believe this: since it can firmly hold a position in the countless cultivation worlds of the State of 'Holding', it must have its own power. Otherwise, it would have long been devoured with no trace left in the natural law of the weak being preyed upon by the strong."

Saintess Qian Ling slowly exhaled, "The most formidable thing about the Dynasty lies in its Imperial Seal and Official Seal. The Imperial Seal and Official Seal gather the Power of Faith from hundreds of billions of citizens, possessing divine might. Even 'Holding the Way' cannot oppose it... I am aware of this, but your time is too tight. You cannot possibly climb to the highest position in the bureaucracy in such a short time to obtain the Imperial Seal or the King's Seal that can rival the State of 'Holding'."

"Indeed, I don't have time to slowly rise through the ranks, but with the benefit of the Heart Pavilion, I can make the bureaucracy work for me!"

Saintess Qian Ling's eyes gleamed bright!

Without entering bureaucracy, yet making the bureaucracy serve him.

If it were an ordinary person, this statement would be nonsense.

But Saintess Qian Ling wouldn't forget his past journey.

He never entered Qianlong from the beginning; he always remained a non-staff member, yet did he not use the Power of Hidden Dragon?

He was always using it!

Even just past the third of March, he was one of the general commanders of the Three Great Defense Lines of the Hidden Dragon. He casually dispatched Hidden Dragon resources and personnel, easily manipulating the big picture. Who had objections?

His involvement with Qianlong spanned only two or three years in total.

Matter of bureaucracy, countless changes, yet at the root, it's all about value.

As long as the Great Wilderness Dynasty could recognize his value, why would he worry about not having high officials waiting for him or lacking power to use?

This is his path.

Compared to her crafted "Cangyuan" path, his path seems to have more operational space; after all, nobody knows where the Cangyuan headquarters is, while the Great Wilderness Imperial City is just a thousand miles away, visible and tangible.

"So, from now on, are you Li Chengnian, steward of the Heart Pavilion in Desert City?" Saintess Qian Ling asked.

"Yes, henceforth we part ways the world over. You head to Spirit Mountain, I enter the capital." Lin Xiaosu lightly flicked a folding fan in his hand. Li Chengnian's corpse turned into a blood mist, the fan waved like a fan-man: "Little scholar met Miss Ling by chance, felt like old friends at first sight. Facing parting, one cannot easily sever."

The words were absolutely flowery.

The meaning was simple and straightforward: to send her off.

Entering the Ancient Wilderness, like duckweed into the river, Lin Xiaosu found his life's footing, allowing Saintess Qian Ling to leave at ease and head to Spirit Mountain.

Saintess Qian Ling gently bit her lip: "If the young master really cannot bear it, there is indeed a way. I can disguise myself as the young master's maid, still able to be by your side in Beijing."

Lin Xiaosu's eyes widened.

For as soon as Saintess Qian Ling said this, a crystalline light flashed from her fingertips, turning into a branch, piercing the forehead of that maid on the deck.

Next came an unheard phenomenon.

The beautiful lady on the ground seemed to have lost all flesh and blood, leaving only a human skin, while Saintess Qian Ling's hair turned from golden yellow to jet black, and her face became identical to that of the maid.

Transformation Technique!

This was also the Transformation Technique!

Her Transformation Technique was different from Lin Xiaosu's; Lin Xiaosu transformed at will, while hers was more like absorption and conversion.

She absorbed the maid's bodily essence, transforming into her appearance.

Purely at the level, it seemed to be far from Lin Xiaosu and the Blue Demon's Transformation Technique because it was very limited, yet after transforming, Lin Xiaosu realized her truly high-end aspect: her entire body's energy, identical to that of the maid earlier.

This replication of energy, even Lin Xiaosu was caught in admiration.

Because Lin Xiaosu could at best imitate.

While she seemed to replicate…

As the human skin on the deck turned into fluttering butterflies, all belonging to the Heart Pavilion on the flower boat were gone.

The boat remained, the instruments inside unchanged, but the people had entirely switched.

Lin Xiaosu said, "You've wandered in foreign lands for so many years, don't you have the eagerness of an arrow to return home?"

"In the Great Xia Poetry Collection you have a line: 'The nearer the home, the more one's feelings tremble, dare not ask the ones who come!'" Saintess Qian Ling said: "This is probably my most genuine reflection at this moment."

A million years away, things in the clan had already changed beyond recognition.

Even though the Spirit Race has long life spans, they cannot possibly live past ten thousand years.

Her parents, relatives, her former brothers and sisters, most likely all died completely.

Unless, someone among them chose the Blood Coffin for longevity or some other secret method of extending life.

This 'unless' is her entire expectation.

However, uncovering this lid requires great courage.

This is known as 'The nearer the home, the more one's feelings tremble, dare not ask the ones who come.'

Even if Lin Xiaosu cannot empathize with her, he completely understands.

"Alright then, we... enter Desert City! The Heart Pavilion aims for the world, there should be records of the Spirit Clan within the pavilion, let's take a look first."

The ship moved, exiting the peach grove, outside was Zuo Zhi Lake.

Zuo Zhi Lake still looked the same as five days ago, the lake teeming with boats, lively and bustling, the scenery on both sides uniquely vivid, clusters of Zuo Zhi by the riverbank, wandering the grass like lambs on a prairie.

The ship hosts numerous humanoid Zuo Zhi, looking at these Zuo Zhi as if looking at their children; perhaps not just 'like', those Zuo Zhi are indeed their offspring.

Their gazes fell on Lin Xiaosu's boat, feeling the familiar energy from Saintess Qian Ling, they were amicable.

"Shouldn't we first understand the situation outside, grasp the basics of the Heart Pavilion?" Saintess Qian Ling transmitted a message, "Also convenient for infiltrating the Heart Pavilion."

"No need! I've already understood the situation of the Heart Pavilion," Lin Xiaosu replied.

"Hmm? When did you learn about it? Through whom did you learn?" Saintess Qian Ling frowned slightly, "Could it have been at Hu Ji's North Tower, after I reached enlightenment, and you had a pleasant conversation?"

This was the only conclusion she could reach from her perspective.

Lin Xiaosu nodded lightly in acknowledgment.

During her enlightenment period, more than just a pleasant chat with Hu Ji; it was a delightful interaction.

What is interaction?

Even divine interaction counts!

However, issues of the Heart Pavilion were unrelated to Hu Ji.