Chapter 229 Another Three Years:

In the latter half of the night, Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi arrived at Chongyue Terrace, found a secluded corner to hide in, and waited for the situation to change.

At dawn, a new group of cultivators were sent down from the mountain to replace the guards who had previously protected the mountain's protective array.

The scions of noble families on the Moon-Reaching Platform all withdrew from the Heavenly Chambers and left on their respective family's flying magical artifacts. Some smaller families and forces, less well-informed, gathered in the streets, discussing their uncertain future in small groups.

"Have you heard? Yesterday's rumor is true, the Ascension Academy is going to fail!" someone shouted.

"I haven't received a single message! I even spent a lot of money cultivating connections!" someone complained.

"Your connections are probably useless now," someone whispered. "I heard they've all changed people there."

Well-informed people pointed to the Xuantian Sect mountain.

How did you know?

"Of course it's because I'm good at observing," the well-informed person said smugly. "See? The guards of the mountain-protecting formation have all been replaced. The Tianzi room in the Chongyuetai Restaurant is completely empty. It's such an obvious sign, they practically have something going on written all over their faces!"

The crowd gasped in dismay, and the man who had spent a fortune threw his hat on the ground in anger.

"But even if the ban is real, it only affects the specific projects of the Ascension Academy, right? The Ascension Academy can still continue to operate. Just remove the illusion test, and that's it?" someone asked doubtfully.

"The Illusion Test is a long-established program of the Ruthless Dao Palace. Back when Elder Bai was in charge, the Ruthless Dao Palace was renowned for this. The ascended cultivator Lu Yingqi was also a disciple honed through the Illusion Test." Someone familiar with the history of the Ruthless Dao Palace explained, "Without the Illusion Test, what kind of Ascension Academy would it be?"

"I see. This is indeed a difficult situation. No wonder those scions of noble families left so early in the morning."

Everyone suddenly realized what had happened, and then they sighed with regret and frustration at having come all this way only to have their expectations dashed.

"However, this may not be a bad thing." A haughty voice came from the side. "The Mirror Palace did not issue the ban for no reason. The Illusion Test is the breeding ground for the likes of Flower Demons. Demons feed on human emotions, and the Illusion Test will generate countless sorrows and fears, which are exactly what demons want to eat. If the Ascension Academy continues to operate and the Ruthless Dao Palace is allowed to grow in size, the Flower Demon Rebellion will only happen a second and a third time. At that time, there may not be any cultivators who happen to ascend and lend a helping hand. The entire cultivation world will be buried with the Ascension Academy!"

The crowd was surprised to hear so much inside information. They only knew that the flower demon originated from the Heartless Dao Palace, but they did not know that this was not a coincidence. If the illusion test was really that dangerous, then it should indeed be banned.

"But... I heard that the Mirror Palace's investigation results have been announced to the three sects. We low-level rogue cultivators don't know the details, but Sect Master Feng shouldn't not know. How could he knowingly run the Ascension Academy with such great risks?"

The arrogant voice sneered, "Yeah, why? It's all about profit; they've thrown away all shame!"

Everyone looked at the arrogant person, only to see that he was a young cultivator wearing a bamboo hat. The hat covered his face, so they couldn't see what he looked like, but from the clean-shaven chin that was visible under the hat, they could tell that he was a cultivator with profound cultivation at a young age.

Although the crowd could not determine the exact level of this person's cultivation, they could still sense that his cultivation was high. They immediately put away their contempt and listened attentively, waiting for him to reveal more details.

"Bing Si, let's go." A young cultivator who was also wearing a bamboo hat tugged at the arrogant cultivator's sleeve, and the arrogant cultivator withdrew his aura and obediently followed the young cultivator.

Everyone was waiting to hear more inside information, but they were greatly disappointed when the arrogant cultivator left so quickly.

"Tch, I thought he was someone from within the Xuantian Sect, but it turns out he's just bluffing again."

"Wait, didn't you hear that? His companion called him Bing Si. Such a young cultivator with such high cultivation level, and he's called Bing Si? Isn't that the Demon-Slaying Sword Saint?"

"Shen Bingsi, the Demon-Slaying Sword Saint?"

Everyone gasped in shock, and when they looked back at the street, the two young men in straw hats seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Rong Xie led Shen Bingsi to the front of the mountain-protecting array.

“I just confirmed that the guards have been replaced by Elder Yangming’s men. The situation above has been preliminarily confirmed,” Rong Xie said. “Elder Yangming and Elder Yehe have taken control of the Elders’ Council and, together with their disciples, have temporarily revoked Sect Master Feng’s authority as sect leader and placed him under house arrest at Tianji Altar.”

"Not bad." Shen Bingsi nodded with satisfaction. "Quite efficient."

"Elder Yangming is temporarily assuming the authority of the sect leader. He has abolished the Ascension Academy. As for how to deal with the Ruthless Dao Palace, he is still soliciting everyone's opinions. He invites us to go up now for a discussion," Rong Xie said.

Shen Bingsi looked towards the mountain-protecting formation, where two high-level disciples stood, gazing expectantly in her direction. Clearly, they were the people Elder Yangming had sent to meet them.

"Do you want to go?" Shen Bingsi asked.

“I…” Rong Xie hesitated for a moment, “Although I don’t want to get involved in the internal affairs of the Xuan Tian Sect, the existence of the Ruthless Dao Palace has indeed harmed many people, including Xiao Zhi, including… families of all sizes that send disciples to the Ruthless Dao Palace in search of shortcuts. I want to confirm that the new Elders’ Council will really change the Ruthless Dao Palace completely.”

“Then let’s go up.” Shen Bingsi took Rong Xie’s hand. “Perfect timing. I also want to see if the group of people we’ve worked so hard to help are truly qualified.”

Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi arrived at Tianji Altar and listened to the first temporary meeting of Xuantian Sect.

The temporary meeting consisted of one-third of the elders and two-thirds of the disciples from each peak. These disciples included both high-ranking and entry-level disciples, representing different levels of cultivators within the Xuantian Sect.

The first thing to do at the emergency meeting was to bring up the sect rules and list the crimes of Sect Master Feng, from nepotism to disregarding the sect's safety and forcibly removing him from the Ascension Academy. Finally, the attendees voted to remove Sect Master Feng from his position as sect master.

The second matter was to elect a new sect leader. However, the Xuantian Sect cultivators had already suffered from Sect Leader Feng's monopolization of power and did not want to suffer the same fate at this critical juncture. Therefore, they did not select a new sect leader, but instead asked Elder Yangming to serve as the organizer and spokesperson for the temporary meeting and continue to manage sect affairs.

The third matter is the future of the Ruthless Dao Palace. The Ascension Academy is definitely not going to be established. Should the Ruthless Dao Palace still be established, and what should be done about it?

The discussion lasted from noon until evening, and then from evening until midnight. When the moon was high in the sky, no conclusion had been reached. Some of the novice disciples who had not yet practiced fasting were already hungry and their stomachs were growling. As a last resort, Elder Yangming had someone bring food back from Chongyuetai so that the novice disciples could fill their stomachs first.

Finally, at the fourth watch of the night, an emergency meeting finalized the development plan for the Ruthless Dao Palace. This plan was extremely bold, essentially devoid of any direction.

The Ruthless Dao Palace does not have a presiding elder, nor does it recruit disciples individually. Those who are interested can transfer to the Ruthless Dao Palace. The high walls and deep courtyards of the Ruthless Dao Palace will no longer be preserved. All the walls will be torn down, except for the necessary disciple rooms and main hall. Everything else should be demolished.

As for cultivation methods, there are no specific methods. Everyone can seek enlightenment on their own. You can go into seclusion and meditate, discuss the Dao, or travel around the world. We will no longer organize any form of illusionary tests. What you achieve depends entirely on fate.

...

Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi never expected that after waiting all day, this would be the result they heard.

Of course, it's not that this is bad, but... it's too casual!

The cultivators of the Xuantian Sect seemed quite helpless about the result, but no other result or any constructive direction of development could pass the vote. The cultivators were worried about this or that, and in the end, only the policy of non-interference was accepted by most people.

According to the rules of the extraordinary meeting, everything is subject to the voting results. Even if everyone is speechless about the result, they can only follow this until a solution that can get more votes is proposed.

In the following days, the plan set at the temporary meeting was quickly implemented. First, the seal and tokens that only the sect leader could use were taken back from the sect leader, and the sect leader's residence was emptied. Then, the sect leader's trusted elders went through the same dethronement process.

On the other side, the Ruthless Dao Palace was swiftly demolished. The labyrinthine walls were all smashed and cleared away, turning the once isolated high walls and deep courtyards into open grasslands and hillsides. The illusion test was stopped, the Scripture Pavilion was closed, and the existing Ruthless Dao disciples sat on the hillside basking in the sun, doing nothing. Some wandered to other hilltops, while others packed their bags and went down the mountain.

No one expected that the Ruthless Dao Palace, the first to produce an ascended cultivator and the place on which infinite hopes were placed, would suddenly become the most undisciplined organization. Upon hearing this, the young masters from noble families who still harbored a sliver of hope scattered like birds and beasts. The scene of scrambling to get in was naturally gone, and it was even more deserted than it had been fifty years ago when the factional struggle had just ended.

With the decline of the Ruthless Dao Palace and the weakening of the Ruthless Dao, the large and small families that once regarded it as a shortcut could no longer use crooked methods to supply disciples to the Ruthless Dao. Situations like that of the Lu family will never happen again.

However, that's a story for another time.

Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi witnessed the Wuqing Dao Palace turn into a large grassy slope, and the hidden danger was completely eliminated.

They left with peace of mind, reporting the good news to the Spirit Mirror Sect and Mirror Palace. Afterwards, they returned to Huanxue Manor, explained the manor's affairs to the three younger members, packed their belongings, and began their previously discussed travel plans.

They set off from the Lingjing Sect, heading north all the way, arriving in Beixuan Continent in the height of summer, where they saw the enormous blue ice mountain. Afterwards, they traveled west along the black sand beach, then south, traversing the entire Jinsha Continent, entering the grasslands, then the forest, and finally arriving at Shengjing in the heart of Zhongzhou.

Zhou You's first year passed just like that. They rested for a month in Lan Yuan, and set off again in the spring of the following year. This time, their goal was to travel south, sightseeing and enjoying the scenery of Nan Island, seeing all the magnificent sights of Zhongzhou, and then passing through the lush and vibrant forests of Nan Island to reach Haizhou. At the end of the year, they stayed in Haizhou and celebrated the New Year with the fishermen.

In the third year, they headed northwest, this time to Liujin City. They would travel through the humid forests and enjoy the mysterious folk customs of the south and west.

In addition to that, they also have a very heavy task.

Yes, a dual cultivation mission.

In order to quickly reach the Golden Core stage and travel to the heavens and the earth with Shen Bingsi to realize his dream of exploring the limits of the Five Continents and Seven Seas, Rong Xie made up his mind. He never stopped along the way. Whenever there was an opportunity, they would seize the time to cultivate together. Of course, it was the kind of pure cultivation that Rong Xie did not let Shen Bingsi bring any of her little toys.

Shen Bingsi was very satisfied with the plan and praised it highly. Giving up the small toys could not diminish his love for the plan. Along the way, he actively cooperated with Rong Xie's cultivation requirements.

Before we knew it, three years had passed.

On this day, inside Huanxue Mountain Villa.

On their monthly days off, Shen Yan and Long Shaoye changed into casual clothes and returned to Huanxue Manor to meet up with their third brother, Fang Renji, and exchange their recent cultivation insights.

Since entering the inner sect of the Spirit Mirror Sect, they have returned once a month to see their third brother, the manor, and the lush green branches in the courtyard.

Do you think Brother Rong and the head of the manor will come back this year?

When they gathered together, they couldn't help but look up at the sky, hoping that a golden shooting star would streak across the sky and fall before their eyes.

It's been three years, a full three years.

Rong Xie and Shen Bing Si went out to play and have disappeared without a trace!

That's so cruel!

The three channeled their frustration into their appetite, burying themselves in the feast they had brought back from the restaurant in Yingbin Town.

Above them, two arcs of light, one white and one gold, streaked across the clear, cloudless spring sky, heading straight for the gate of the mountain villa.

————————!!————————

[Sprinkling flowers] Look, what a beautiful full-text number this is!

I'm so happy, so happy, so happy in 2025 [rainbow fart], because I have Rong'er, Bingbing, this book, and everyone.

Congcong will continue to work hard!

Stay tuned!