The Old Man Guarding the Pavilion, Half a Step Away From Heavenly Realm!

After leaving the City Lord's Manor, Jiang Che quickly arrived at the Scripture Pavilion of Snow Moon City.

"Fourth City Lord…"

The disciple guarding the entrance immediately stepped aside with respect upon seeing Jiang Che approach, creating a path for him.

The reputation of the White-robed Sword Immortal had already spread far and wide. Every disciple in Snow Moon City knew the new City Lord possessed extraordinary power—after all, he had defeated Bai Li Dongjun with just one move!

Jiang Che gave a slight nod and walked directly into the Scripture Pavilion.

The Scripture Pavilion of Snow Moon City was divided into three floors.

The first floor housed basic martial arts manuals, most of which were Yellow-grade techniques accessible to all disciples.

The second floor contained Blue-grade and Earth-grade manuals, which only elders and core disciples were permitted to study.

As for the third floor—it contained the ultimate secrets of Snow Moon City.

This level held Heaven-grade manuals, and only the City Lord had the right to access them. These treasured texts were the culmination of 180 years of collection by the previous City Lord, Li Changsheng.

Without hesitation, Jiang Che made his way straight to the third floor.

There, an elder with white hair but a youthful face sat quietly with his eyes closed, appearing deep in meditation.

Hearing approaching footsteps, the elder slowly opened his eyes.

When he saw Jiang Che, a flicker of recognition passed through his gaze. He stood up, cupped his hands respectfully, and smiled.

"So it's the Fourth City Lord gracing us with your presence. Are you here to browse the Heaven-grade manuals?"

"That's correct. I ask for the elder's permission," Jiang Che replied, glancing at him.

The elder looked to be in his sixties. Though his hair was snow-white, his face was smooth and full of vitality—showing none of the weakness typical of old age. His cultivation had already reached the half-step Heavenly Realm, placing him above even Sikong Changfeng and Li Hanyi.

The world spoke often of Snow Moon City's famed legends: the Wine Immortal, Sword Immortal, and Spear Immortal. Yet few knew of Li Changsheng—the former City Lord—or of the elder guarding the Scripture Pavilion.

Li Changsheng had cultivated the Great Tsunami Technique, which rejuvenated his body every thirty years. Now at 180 years old, his cultivation had likely reached the Great Immortality Realm.

The Scripture Pavilion Elder nodded without another word and opened the door behind him.

"Thank you, Elder," Jiang Che said before stepping inside.

Within the room, neat rows of bookshelves filled the space. Jiang Che picked up a volume titled The Chronicles of Beili and skimmed through it.

In addition to Heaven-grade manuals, the third floor also contained numerous unofficial histories and rare records—not just from the Beili Dynasty but from other dynasties as well.

After browsing a few pages, Jiang Che quickly lost interest and began searching for the Heaven-grade martial manuals collected by Li Changsheng.

With his photographic memory, Jiang Che could memorize the manuals in full, recreate them later, and exchange them with the system for points.

While Jiang Che leisurely browsed the Scripture Pavilion, the world outside was erupting into chaos.

As the number-one city under heaven, Snow Moon City was swarming with spies from countless factions.

News of the new City Lord—a peak-level Grandmaster at only eighteen years old who had defeated Bai Li Dongjun in a single move—spread like wildfire.

A prodigy of that caliber becoming the Fourth City Lord of Snow Moon City naturally stirred great waves across the martial world.

…

Tianqi City, General's Manor – Study Room

"Hahaha!"

"Good!"

Ye Xiaoying laughed heartily in his study after receiving a letter delivered by carrier pigeon from Sikong Changfeng.

The message stated that Jiang Che, the Fourth City Lord of Snow Moon City, had cured his beloved daughter's congenital heart condition.

Having been tormented by this worry for years, Ye Xiaoying finally felt a heavy burden lifted from his shoulders.

"Someone, prepare ten thousand taels of gold!"

"And bring the spiritual medicines granted by His Majesty. I'm going to Snow Moon City!"

…

Wudang Mountain – Ming Dynasty

Although Wudang Mountain had distanced itself from worldly matters for years, it still had its own network of informants. News quickly reached the secluded sect.

"An eighteen-year-old peak Grandmaster?"

Zhang Sanfeng held the letter in his hand, astonishment flashing in his eyes.

It was difficult to imagine what kind of monstrous talent could reach such a realm at such a young age.

As one of the few Immortality Realm experts still alive, Zhang Sanfeng knew very well what it meant to become a peak-level Grandmaster at eighteen.

Within Wudang Mountain, only he and Daoist Mu were near that level.

Even Song Yuanqiao, the leader of the Seven Heroes of Wudang, had only just broken through to the Grandmaster Realm—and he was nearly forty. For someone like him, achieving the Heavenly Realm in this lifetime was extremely unlikely.

Zhang Sanfeng couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.

If Wudang had such a prodigy, how could they ever worry about passing down the legacy?

But as he read further into the letter, his pupils abruptly contracted.

"Someone, summon Wuji to meet me in the rear mountain!"