"Brother Xu's reputation truly precedes him. I never imagined we'd have the honor of meeting you here."
"That poem of yours, Butterfly Love Flower: A Gift to Zhu Cici, is simply magnificent. It's hard to believe it was written when you were only eight years old."
"And especially your Letter of Rejection to the Marriage Proposal! I've read it over and over again—it's so eloquent, heartfelt, and moving. I must admit, I feel utterly inadequate in comparison."
"Today, you've even saved our lives. Such a favor, the two of us will never forget!"
"A toast to you, Brother Xu!"
"A toast indeed!"
At a bustling tavern, two scholars from White Deer Academy—Miao Feng and Yuwen Xi—were treating Xu Ming to a meal. Though both appeared battered and bruised, their scholarly elegance remained undiminished. Their injuries weren't too severe; after two or three days of rest, they had mostly recovered.
"You're too kind," Xu Ming said, raising his cup in return. "My mentor hailed from your esteemed academy, so I've always felt a certain bond with White Deer Academy. Seeing the two of you in distress, how could I stand idly by? Otherwise, I'd have no face to meet my teacher."
"May I ask who your teacher is?" Yuwen Xi inquired.
"Xiao Mochi, Mr. Xiao," Xu Ming replied.
"Ah, Mr. Xiao!" Miao Feng immediately straightened up. "He's one of the three people I admire most in our academy."
"Is Mr. Xiao so renowned at White Deer Academy?" Xu Ming was genuinely surprised.
He had always thought Xiao Mochi was just an ordinary scholar at the academy, perhaps with a little recognition but nothing extraordinary.
"Of course!" Yuwen Xi exclaimed after taking a sip of wine. "Mr. Xiao is famously known as a man of great character and charm. Stories about him still circulate in the academy to this day. If we were to recount them all, we'd be here for an entire day and night."
"It seems Mr. Xiao was quite the romantic figure," Xu Ming chuckled. "By the way, what brings the two of you to Baiwa City? And why are so many cultivators gathered here?"
"Hmm?" Yuwen Xi and Miao Feng exchanged glances before looking back at Xu Ming. "You don't know?"
"Know what?" Xu Ming was even more confused.
"Baiwa City is about to witness the emergence of a rare treasure," Yuwen Xi explained. "We're here seeking this opportunity."
"A rare treasure?" Xu Ming was taken aback. "What kind of treasure?"
Miao Feng chuckled. "We don't know either, and likely no one else does. Not long ago, one of the academy's elders divined that a rare treasure would appear in Baiwa City. He seemed quite concerned about it and sent the two of us here. Judging by the influx of cultivators, most are here for the same reason.
"But if Brother Xu didn't know about the treasure, why have you come to Baiwa City?"
Xu Ming shook his head and quickly made up an excuse. "I was planning to travel the world before the opening of the Rootless Secret Realm and happened to wander here by accident."
Yuwen Xi paused for a moment, then laughed. "I can't tell if your luck is good or bad, Brother Xu."
"If such a treasure is about to emerge and so many people are here, it must be significant. Why are disciples coming instead of sect elders?" Xu Ming asked, eager to learn more.
Miao Feng smiled. "Brother Xu, since you practice martial arts, you might not be familiar with the cultivation world. In cultivation, everything follows the principle of balance and reciprocity.
"The more precious a heavenly treasure, the stronger the guardian beasts around it. That's not a perfect analogy, but it conveys the idea.
"When a treasure appears, the Heavenly Dao sets restrictions around it, limiting the level of cultivators who can approach. This prevents unnecessary destruction and chaos in the surrounding area.
"However, the correlation between the treasure's value and the level restriction has always been a mystery.
"Of course, if someone reaches the Ascension Realm, they can ignore most of the Heavenly Dao's rules. But which Ascension Realm elder would bother making a move for just a few treasures?"
"And according to our academy's elder, the highest cultivation realm allowed near this treasure is the Sea Observation Realm," Yuwen Xi added. "Both of us happen to be free and are considered capable in this realm, so we decided to come."
"I see."
Xu Ming nodded.
In truth, he was wondering if Shen Sheng and his wife had also come to Baiwa City in search of this treasure. But if that were the case, wouldn't cultivators have swarmed in already? Why would it only be happening now?
Miao Feng sighed. "But now, instead of finding the treasure, we can't even leave. I have no idea what's going on with this Baiwa City."
Seeing the forlorn expressions on Miao Feng and Yuwen Xi's faces, Xu Ming didn't say much and simply continued sipping his wine.
Half an hour later, Miao Feng, Yuwen Xi, and Xu Ming said their goodbyes, exchanging addresses in case they needed each other's help in the future.
After returning to the inn, Xu Ming's mind was once again greeted with a notification:
[You have defeated the Scroll Rhino (late Sea Observation Realm) and the Scroll Elephant (late Sea Observation Realm). Strength +30, Intimidation +20.]
"Strength" referred to physical power, while "Intimidation" allowed him to instill fear in others through his aura.
These were fairly ordinary attribute points, so Xu Ming didn't pay much attention to them.
But what did the term "Scroll" mean?
Curious, Xu Ming opened the box left behind by Shen Sheng and took out the letter inside. The Tianxuan Goose craned its neck to read along with him:
**"If you are reading this letter, it means I am already dead.
I do not know who you are, but if you have found this letter, it means I trusted you in life.
When my wife and I first arrived in Baiwa City, it was an ordinary border town. It was mostly populated by humans, though there were a fair number of demons. However, most demons and humans maintained a live-and-let-live relationship.
But one day, inexplicably, the blazing sun in the sky fell from the heavens.
I thought I would be burned to ashes.
When I awoke, I discovered that everything around me was untouched. The only thing that had changed was the appearance of a blood-red moon in the sky.
Soon, my wife and I realized that Baiwa City had been sealed within a barrier. We couldn't leave.
Fortunately, my wife is a direct disciple of the Heavenly Array Sect and has considerable knowledge of formations. We began searching for a way to break the barrier while settling down in the city.
Until one day…"**
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