The immortal cultivation families of the Nine Realms Continent primarily rely on bloodline inheritance, ensuring their enduring prosperity. However, this does not mean that the number of people in these families is less than that in sects. On the contrary, the strength of these families surpasses that of sects, and their membership is also more stable.

Therefore, aristocratic families are located in a better geographical location than sects.

The Shangguan family is located in Jiutian City, and beneath Jiutian City lies a huge spiritual vein, and legend has it that there is an underground mountain below it.

The patriarch of the Shangguan family discovered this place, so he made a contract with the local mortals to establish the family's ancestral home and reside there permanently.

Over thousands of years of expansion, the Shangguan family's residence has stretched for miles. The gate they, these independent cultivators, are currently using as the entrance to what they call the Shangguan family's training ground.

As for their residence, there is another connecting bridge.

The training ground gates were not open, and everyone was crowded at the entrance.

With more people around, there were more whispers, and Meng Wanwan could occasionally hear people speculating about the painting.

Some were uneasy, worried that their small realm might be in danger, while others, clinging to a sliver of hope, wanted to confirm the veracity of the rumors.

Just then, the gates of the training ground suddenly opened with a huge rumble, and the gates slowly widened from a crack, revealing the huge training ground to everyone.

Perhaps because it was nearing noon, the white light reflected off the ground of the training ground made everyone squint.

In the center of the training ground, a group of people dressed in purple turned around and looked at the rogue cultivators at the entrance.

At this point, some of the bolder individuals had already crossed the threshold and entered the training ground.

Once the first person was there, others slowly followed.

Meng Xiuyi led her three children inside at a leisurely pace.

Once inside, everyone saw that in different locations of the training ground, there were many groups of people dressed in the same uniform standing in formation.

Meng Xiuyi said, "They are some people from aristocratic families and sects who arrived earlier."

Meng Wanwan climbed onto Yun Zhao's shoulder, looked around, but couldn't find the person in charge of the meeting.

However, she did notice Shangguan Jinghong standing in the group of disciples in purple robes.

Meng Wanwan waved excitedly. Shangguan Jinghong saw her too, gave her a faint smile, and nodded slightly.

The Shangguan family's training ground was really big, enough to accommodate everyone who came to participate in the painting appreciation event.

Meng Wanwan estimated that there were at least tens of thousands of people.

Moreover, it seems there are some mortals without any cultivation?

Are they... here to watch the fun?

It was exactly noon.

The gates of the training ground made a heavy sound again, and then slowly closed.

But before the person in charge of the meeting even showed up, some people were already starting to feel uneasy.

"This feels a bit like catching a turtle in a jar, doesn't it?"

"Pah, who are you calling a turtle?"

"..."

"Aren't the Shangguan family too arrogant? Even if they are the number one family, they don't need to be so haughty. They send out messages to call all the cultivators in the world to come, but their own people don't even show up?"

Some people felt something was wrong and went back to open the gate of the martial arts arena, only to find that the gate seemed to be under some kind of restriction, and no matter what kind of magic they used, it wouldn't budge.

"The door won't open! Is the Shangguan family really plotting something?" someone shouted.

This single act caused a huge stir, instantly creating a tense atmosphere at the scene.

Just then, a mirror suddenly appeared in the sky above the training ground. The mirror was not very big, but it was big enough for everyone to see the scene in the mirror clearly.

That was a painting.

The painting is simple: a girl in green stands on a small boat, using a bamboo pole, surrounded by lotus flowers and leaves.

She was facing away from the camera, and only her silhouette could be vaguely seen.

"Is this the painting 'Light Boat on Lotus Leaves'?" someone asked.

Meng Xiuyi then gripped her two disciples tightly: "Be careful, it seems the Shangguan family won't show up."

As soon as he finished speaking, the painting suddenly grew larger, pressing down on the crowd as if it were blotting out the sky.

Everyone only saw a flash of white light before their eyes, and their consciousness began to spin.

The moment the painting pressed down on her, Meng Wanwan felt a clear spiritual energy enveloping her on her right. Before she could even see what it was, the scene before her changed.

What comes into view is a lotus pond.

The area was vast, almost stretching as far as the eye could see. The emerald green lotus leaves and white lotus flowers complemented each other, and a gentle, warm breeze caressed her face, making Meng Wanwan feel as if she had returned to the Jiangnan water towns she had visited in her previous life.

The place where she stood with her elderly father and fellow disciples was a pavilion on a waterside terrace.

The first thing Meng Xiuyi did after regaining her senses was to hug Meng Wanwan in her arms, and then squat down to touch the lotus leaves within reach.

"It feels very realistic," Meng Xiuyi said.

Meng Wanwan then took something out of her storage bag. It was a small black box, about the size of her palm, and she didn't know what it was made of.

Previously, Meng Wanwan thought that Bai Meng carried something good with her, such as the Jade of All Heavens, so she asked Niannian, but Niannian didn't know if she did.

Meng Wanwan only found this one incomprehensible thing in the storage bag. Opening the small black box, there was a round groove inside, which should be for holding some kind of beads.

“Father, when that painting came down just now, this box seemed to emit a spiritual energy that enveloped me,” Meng Wanwan said.

Meng Xiuyi nodded slightly: "I felt it too."

Yun Zhao and Chu You exchanged a glance and nodded, "I felt it too."

Meng Xiuyi looked around and saw a few people she had seen on the road not far away. She said, "This should be considered a secret realm. People who enter must be randomly teleported. The reason we are together is probably because this box connected us."

Meng Xiuyi examined the box for a moment, then handed it to Meng Wanwan: "Keep it safe. Let's take a look. The world in this painting must be very large. If it is a simulated real world, it will be difficult to distinguish between the cultivators who enter and the people who originally existed here. Be careful."

Yun Zhao said, "I wonder what the so-called mystery is. Should we look for the girl in the painting first?"

Just then, two people walked by.

The four members of the Meng family immediately composed themselves and looked around as if they were strolling through the streets.

Just then, the voices of the two people could be heard.

One person asked, "Was your cultivation suppressed? I've lost a minor realm. Is the price of entering the realm of painting really the loss of a minor realm?"

Another person lamented, "Me too. This is really something. We came in without any direction, and before we've even done anything, we've already lost a minor cultivation level. I wish I hadn't come."

The two of them walked away with sighs.

Meng Wanwan and the other three quickly huddled together again, looking at each other with surprise in their eyes.

Meng Wanwan whispered, "I'm fine."

Yun Zhao said with a strange expression, "I'm fine too."

Chu You, like a child who had done something wrong, said in an even softer voice, "I'm fine too."

All three looked at Meng Xiuyi, who shook her head: "I'm fine too."

Then the four of them looked at Meng Wanwan's storage bag.

That box?!

Inside the ancestral hall of the Shangguan family.

The head of the Shangguan family and the elders silently stared at the painting hanging in the main hall, a painting whose craftsmanship was not particularly exquisite.

One person sighed, "Hopefully, someone will be able to solve the puzzle this year."

The other person nodded: "This debt should be repaid sooner rather than later. It's been so many years, and the old ancestor is tired too."