Wait a minute, where is my master?

Xu Qian thought to himself, of course he definitely couldn't say it like that.

As he was thinking about how to explain himself to the other party,

the city guard, seeing him hesitate and unable to produce a token, grew suspicious. He gestured to his colleagues behind him, then the soldiers slowly surrounded him.

"Brothers, listen to my explanation!"

Seeing their stance, Xu Qian knew they were about to act, so he hurriedly spoke.

"Unable to produce a token, you'd be treated as an impersonator. Take him away!"

The city guard prepared to make their move.

"Wait."

A serene voice floated over, and a figure in white robes gently landed, followed by an old man in a black robe.

Upon seeing the arrivals, Xu Qian's eyes lit up with a spark called hope. He wasn't going to be captured!

"Your Highness the Princess!"

The city guards saluted one after another. In the Imperial Court of Great Xia, there were very few in Shangjing City who did not recognize this talented princess.

As for the token, what token? The face of the Seventh Princess was the token itself.

"Princess Seventh!"

Xu Qian saluted joyfully.

Then he glanced toward the horizon and asked, "Taoist Jin Xu did not come with you?"

Xia Yunzhao, hearing this, remained calm, although her heart twitched.

Having received her mother's urgent message, she rushed back to Shangjing City, and hadn't had the chance to say goodbye to Jin Xu, only leaving a message.

And now, several days had passed, and the little Taoist had not even responded to her!

Xu Qian should not have mentioned him. Every time he did, Xia Yunzhao felt uncomfortable. I, the great Seventh Princess of the Great Xia dynasty, twenty-five in the Nascent Soul Realm, reasonably good-looking—am I so unworthy that you can't even return a message!

You, Jin Xu, are just a bit stronger, a bit better-looking, a bit wealthier (those wells), apart from these you are...

Wait, thinking about it, he does seem quite exceptional.

Clearing her mind of these thoughts, Xia Yunzhao gave Xu Qian, who had touched on a sore point, a casual look and said lightly,

"Everyone, rise. He does look like a spy. Arrest him and lock him up for now."

Xu Qian: "∑(°O°๑)❢❢ Have I offended the Seventh Princess somehow?"

...

...

At the back courtyard of the Xuanxu Temple.

Jin Xu and two women stealthily sneaked in.

None of the worshippers queueing to offer incense and gifts at the temple's front gate realized that the master of the temple had quietly returned.

"Phew, coming home feels just like being a thief."

The little Taoist heaved a sigh of relief. The reason he hadn't allowed Li Mi to publicize his heroics was precisely to avoid this kind of scenario.

Moreover, he instinctively felt it was better to keep a low profile since he had "offended" two great Immortal Sects.

For now, it appeared that Qingmu Academy had no plans to pursue him. During his recent interactions with the three friends of winter, Jin Xu had discreetly inquired and found Qingmu Academy peaceful.

As for the White Emperor Pavilion, the little Taoist felt it was still necessary to be cautious, given the old crone's perverse nature; who knew what she might pull.

All Jin Xu wanted now was to quietly find his master and ask why he had been summoned here.

Oh, right, and while he was at it, to strike a blow against the Demon Sect, since they seemed rather weak.

As for yesterday's news on the Tingfeng Pavilion newspapers about chaos in the Nine Provinces and the Grandmaster of Kunlun Immortal Palace calling a major assembly—the little Taoist hadn't taken it to heart.

The sky could fall, and there would still be taller people to bear it. Jin Xu wasn't so arrogant as to think he could match the Grandmaster of Kunlun Immortal Palace just because he could explode a Divinity with one punch.

That was, after all, the strongest person in the Nine Provinces at the moment.

Why presently? Because, in the little Taoist's heart, his master was the unbeatable one.

Regathering his thoughts, Jin Xu took out a jade token and a bronze gate from his storage treasure beads.

"My dear Taoist lord, that was suffocating! Dear lord, you…"

The little Taoist handed the bronze gate back into the storage magical treasure, not yet ready to decide what to do with this door, so he'd better put it back for now.

"Little White, Little Yu, I'm heading back to my room."

He greeted the two ladies.

"Alright, young master."

Yu Yaoer poked her head out of the kitchen to respond, having not been in the kitchen for days had nearly driven her crazy.

While at the watchman's quarters, she almost couldn't resist going to their kitchen to research new recipes.

Fortunately, the Taoist had given her a strict order not to go! Otherwise, the already sparse number of watchmen would surely have lost a couple more.

"Understood, temple master."

Husky was wandering around the backyard, looking as if he was inspecting his own territory.

The Taoist returned to his room. He squeezed the jade token given to him by City Lord Su, feeling slightly excited.

Looking at the jade token in his hand, he felt as though he had forgotten something.

Never mind that, learning the Flying Escape Skill was most important.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, his consciousness delving into the jade token.

"Basic Escape Skill of the Great Xia City Guard Army—Pulling Up Onions on Dry Land."

"???"

Jin Xu felt a bad sensation rise in his heart upon seeing this name, thinking the skill might be too basic.

Was City Lord Su this straightforward?

But in order to fulfill his dream of flying through the sky by himself, he still patiently continued reading.

"Basic Escape Skill of the Great Xia City Guard Army—Pulling Up Onions on Dry Land."

This escape skill was one of the six basic techniques that must be learned by the Great Xia City Guard Army. Although the threshold was extremely low, the upper limit was very high.

Anyone above the first level of Qi Cultivation could learn it. Beginners could use this technique to jump over walls and roofs, and as the practitioner's realm advanced, this technique could possibly allow instantaneous travel through the nine heavens.

The opening was an introduction by the six techniques' author, and of course, the latter part was clearly nonsense; once a practitioner reached a high level, who would still practice this technique.

But...

Jin Xu didn't know that, although he had scanned through the library of the watchmen, it mostly contained basic information about the customs, basic intelligence, and major powers of the Nine Provinces Immortal World.

Magic techniques were hardly mentioned within.

So... he believed it.

And with it laid out right in front of him, how could he not advance... how could he not learn?

Thus, the Taoist began to concentrate on cultivating according to the records in the jade token.

An hour later...

Jin Xu opened his eyes, got off the bed, pushed open the room door, and walked to the center of the backyard.

Working in isolation is not advisable; learning also needs to be verified by practice, so he decided to test his own learning results.

Golden spiritual power surged within him, and the Taoist followed the meridian routes recorded on the jade token, slowly operating his spiritual power between his legs.

"Swoosh!"

A breeze brushed past, and Jin Xu disappeared from the backyard of Xuanxu Temple.

...

Outside the temple.

The owner of the Immortal Robe Pavilion looked up doubtfully into the sky and casually spoke to her best friend beside her.

"Did Taoist Jin Xu come back?"

"You little minx, are you crazy about the Taoist? We've been maintaining order at this temple entrance all this time; besides the pilgrims coming to offer incense, there are no others on this mountain."

At the temple entrance, a little girl wearing a flower bell and dressed neatly, feeding two watchdogs at the door, spoke without turning her head.

"But I think I saw something flying out of the temple."

The owner of the Immortal Robe Pavilion said hesitantly.

"Oh dear, my dear sister, don't think too much. Grandpa said that Taoist Jin Xu has been staying at the watchmen's quarters these past few days!"

The little girl threw all the roast chicken to the Fat Wolf in front of her and came over to hug the owner of the Immortal Robe Pavilion.

Clearly, the information she received was outdated.

...

At this moment, high above the nine heavens...