Zhi Xuan opened his eyes. The six-colored glow in his pupils faded, returning to clear yet piercing sapphire orbs. "The gate cannot be found this way."

  He faded back into a shadow, streaking toward the City of Western Light. After some time, he appeared above the city grounds, surrounded by the lush forests he had known when he first arrived in the Western Region. He exhaled softly, causing the surroundings to resonate with his breath, then slowly stepped toward the city.

  "The Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets," Zhi Xuan murmured, recalling the face of the gray-robed scholar. "That man surely possesses information regarding the paths between Plains."

  Zhi Xuan walked the streets of the City of Western Light with a tranquility far different from fifty years ago. Where he once arrived as a traveler hiding the sharpness of his blade beneath coarse robes, he now walked as a Master of a Domain. The city’s bustle, the clamor of low-level practitioners, and even the shimmering city-protecting formations were transparent to his Weaver’s eyes—mere weaves of essence, fleeting and fragile.

  He stopped before a magnificent building with a phoenix-wing roof that still wafted the scent of ancient agarwood. The Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. The golden nameplate still pulsed, but to the current Zhi Xuan, that pulse felt like the heartbeat of an insect trying to intimidate a dragon.

  "Knowledge is the most expensive commodity in Yao Gu," Zhi Xuan mused. He stepped inside, passing through a threshold coated in spatial manipulation.

  The interior remained unchanged: vast, cold, and filled with the scent of jade ink and dry, ancient parchment. In the center of the room, the sky-reflection pool still mirrored the drifting clouds. However, as Zhi Xuan entered, the water suddenly trembled violently, forming circular ripples that refused to cease, as if mirroring a weight too heavy for its surface to bear.

  The middle-aged, gray-robed scholar emerged from behind the bookstacks. This man, who decades ago seemed so mysterious with his Soul Transformation cultivation, was now clearly visible to Zhi Xuan’s eyes.

  The scholar stopped ten paces in front of Zhi Xuan. His calm face suddenly turned pale. He felt a pressure that didn't stem from killing intent, but from a difference in the level of existence. The air around Zhi Xuan seemed to freeze—not by ice, but by the authority of law.

  "You..." the scholar’s voice wavered, a rare occurrence for a seller of heavenly secrets. He bowed deeply, lower than he ever had for anyone in this city. "Welcome back, Senior. The Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets is honored to receive a visit from a Weaver of Laws."

  Zhi Xuan did not use a hood or any covering this time. He allowed his calm face and deep sapphire eyes to be seen fully. "You still recognize my scent, Scholar?"

  The scholar looked up slowly, his eyes filled with a mix of awe and latent fear. "Senior’s scent has changed. Once, you were a drawn sword in the darkness, but now... you seem unreachable. This change... has Senior surpassed the Weaver boundaries in this parched Western Region?"

  Zhi Xuan did not answer directly. He walked toward a sandalwood table near the pool, and with a single flick of his hand, a wooden chair manifested out of the threads of essence in the air—a manifestation of a Weaver’s will. He sat gracefully, his black-and-white robes draping over the marble floor.

  "I did not come to discuss my achievements," Zhi Xuan said, his voice carrying a resonance that made the scrolls on the shelves vibrate. "Hundreds of years ago, I asked about the Heavenly Jade. Today, I come for greater information. I seek the Heavenly Star Gate."

  Hearing the name of the Heavenly Star Gate, the scholar’s hand froze mid-air while pouring tea. The steam rising from the jade cup seemed to halt, trapped in the momentary pause created by the secret-keeper's shock.

  "The Heavenly Star Gate..." The scholar repeated the words in a whisper heavy with history. He set the ceramic teapot down slowly and looked at Zhi Xuan with a gaze that was now far more serious. "Senior, you are asking for the key to this prison. The Western Region, though it appears grand, is but a cage locked by the will of the Holy City. And the Heavenly Star Gate is the only gap where the spatial laws of the Yao Gu Plains can be bent to reach Xing Luo."

  Zhi Xuan sipped his tea, his clear eyes watching his reflection in the pool. "I know the price is not cheap, Scholar. Tell me, what does the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets desire from a practitioner who has stepped over the laws?"

  The scholar regained his composure, a faint smile appearing as he waved his hand, and an old scroll drifted down from an ancient shelf. "The Heavenly Star Gate is something that requires immense energy to open. Usually, only those who have reached Divine Transformation or the Sacred Passage can easily open gates between Plains. But do not worry, Senior."

  "This is the Trade Alliance," the scholar continued, spreading a scroll showing a map of a merchant alliance spanning the great Plains. "They possess something that can take you across the Plains without needing the Heavenly Star Gate. However, the information regarding what that 'something' is is so secret that even my Pavilion does not possess it."

  Zhi Xuan stared at the map. The symbols engraved there pulsed with a silver glow, marking trade routes that crossed regional boundaries unreachable by ordinary practitioners.

  "Something capable of crossing the Plains without the Heavenly Star Gate..." Zhi Xuan murmured, his voice sounding like the rubbing of precious metals. "Are you saying this Trade Alliance possesses a transport capable of piercing the void storms, or do they have authority that surpasses the rules of the Holy City?"

  The gray-robed scholar sighed and leaned back slightly. "Not authority, Senior. Rather, it is something that resembles a grand formation, distinct from the Heavenly Star Gate, used to go to Xing Luo. I can only provide information on where you can find the people of the Trade Alliance, not the details of the formation itself."

  Zhi Xuan tapped his finger on the table, creating a chime that seemed to sever the flow of spiritual energy in the room. "The Trade Alliance. Tell me, who are the powerful figures within it?"

  "One of them is the Blue Ocean Sect, Senior," the scholar replied in a low tone, glancing at the pavilion doors sealed by spatial arrays. "They originally hailed from the remote Southern Territory, but their primary members formed ties with the Trade Alliance."

  Zhi Xuan paused. Hearing the name of the Blue Ocean Sect, he remembered Li Chen, whom he had met in Dragon Lotus City. Li Chen was a core disciple of that sect and had once told Zhi Xuan that if he ever needed anything, they would meet again. And here he was, needing something, and once again connected to that young man.

  Zhi Xuan closed his eyes for a moment, letting the memory of the youth with the northern river celestial spider surface. "Li Chen... So the thread of karma never truly severed. Interesting how a small encounter in a remote region can become the key to a journey across the Plains."

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  Zhi Xuan opened his eyes, the sapphire glint within them calmer but full of calculation. "Where is the center of power for this Trade Alliance in the Western Region? I do not have time to look for a needle in a haystack."

  The scholar immediately moved his fingers over the reflection pool. Instantly, the water surged and displayed an image of a floating city surrounded by thousands of essence-powered sailing ships. The city shimmered under a sun that never seemed to set, as if built from gold and sea jewels.

  "Cloud Port City, Senior," the scholar said, pointing to the image. "Located at the easternmost point of the Western Region. That is where one of the Trade Alliance’s headquarters resides. However, be careful, Senior. The Alliance does not submit to the laws of any sect; even the Heavenly Leaf Holy Pavilion must maintain good relations with them."

  Zhi Xuan stood, his black-and-white robes creating a soft rustle that forcibly stilled the ripples in the pool. "This information is enough. Name the price, Scholar."

  The scholar shook his head slowly, standing and bowing with great solemnity. "For a great Weaver of Laws like yourself, the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets does not dare ask for any treasure. We only ask one thing: in Xing Luo, please protect a small branch of our Pavilion there that may need your shade."

  Zhi Xuan looked at the scholar with a gaze that seemed to peel back the secrets of his soul. "Oh? You ask me to protect one of your pavilions there."

  "Information is about seeing the future before it happens, Senior," the scholar replied with a cryptic smile. "And I see that the path Senior walks is not without feeling, but a path that keeps Senior’s feet on the earth."

  Zhi Xuan did not answer. With a single step, the space around him warped. He vanished from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, leaving behind the faint scent of thunder-sandalwood and a silence that weighed heavily on the scholar's heart.

  Above the City of Western Light, Zhi Xuan streaked like a bolt of sapphire light, cleaving through the sky. His destination was Cloud Port City, the point where the luxury of the west met the vastness of the sky-sea separating the plains.

  After crossing thousands of miles in a short time, the landscape below began to change. Dense forests and rugged mountains gave way to vast lowlands filled with great rivers flowing eastward.

  And there, at the edge of the horizon, he saw it—a city that did not rest on land, but floated above the sea, tethered by thousands of giant essence chains to ancient coral pillars.

  Cloud Port City looked like a jewel fallen from the sky. Flying ships of all sizes—from barges carrying essence stones to magnificent warships of great sects—passed to and fro, creating trails of light in the air.

  Zhi Xuan landed on the outer dock platform with a silence that contrasted the surrounding bustle. Thousands of laborers, both mortal and low-level practitioners, were busy moving wooden crates that emitted the fragrance of rare herbs and essence stones.

  "Check your tokens! Don't expect to enter the Core District without a guarantee from the Alliance!" roared a port overseer with a thick mustache, clutching a crackling lightning whip.

  Zhi Xuan walked through the crowd unhindered. Instinctively, people gave way—not because they recognized him, but because their souls felt a pressure that made their skin crawl. To these low-level practitioners, Zhi Xuan appeared like a ghost passing in broad daylight; his figure was before their eyes, yet their senses failed to catch a heartbeat or a breath.

  His steps led him toward the tallest tower in the city center, a structure resembling a crystal spire that radiated a guiding light for ships in the distance. Above the tower’s gate, the symbol of three interlocking golden coins—the emblem of the Trade Alliance—glowed majestically.

  "Halt, Senior!" Two armored guards, both at the early stage of Soul Transformation, crossed their spears. "The Central Tower District is a restricted area for guests without an official invitation. Please show your identity or—"

  Zhi Xuan did not stop. He only looked up slowly, letting his sapphire eyes meet the guards. "Tell the people of the Blue Ocean Sect that a friend from the Ancient Demons Land has come to meet an old brother, Li Chen."

  Hearing the name of the Ancient Demons Land, the two guards looked at each other, their expressions shifting drastically. To practitioners in the outer regions, that place was a mere legend, but to those in the inner circles of the Trade Alliance, it was a mysterious place in the Southern Territory.

  "Ancient Demons Land? Brother Li Chen?" One guard lowered his spear, squinting as he tried to pierce the shroud of mystery surrounding Zhi Xuan. However, the more he tried to peek at the cultivation of the man before him, the more he felt as if he were staring into a bottomless abyss of death.

  "Please wait a moment, Senior. We will immediately send a message to the Blue Ocean Sect's guest hall," he said in a much more polite, nearly submissive tone. He quickly pulled out a voice transmission talisman and whispered.

  It took only a few breaths before the crystal tower gates vibrated heavily. From behind a corridor lined with sea pearls, a youth in robes embroidered with clouds walked out. On his shoulder, a small spider shivered with excitement.

  "Brother Gu," Li Chen said with a thin smile, radiating a subtly suppressed Weaver Transformation aura.

  Zhi Xuan’s brow furrowed slightly before his face returned to a neutral mask. He clasped his hands and smiled faintly. "Brother Li, and greetings to the Northern River Spider."

  Li Chen laughed heartily—a laugh containing the confidence of someone who had surpassed mortal limits. He waved his hand, signaling the guards to step aside. "My intuition never fails. When I parted with you in the Ancient Demons Land, I believed you would reach this realm in a short time."

  Li Chen stepped closer, stopping two paces away. "Brother Gu, I didn't expect you to come here. Come, let us speak in a quieter place."

  Li Chen guided Zhi Xuan through the tower corridors, where the walls were made of sea-ice crystals capable of dampening divine sense eavesdropping. Along the way, Zhi Xuan noticed that Li Chen no longer carried the aura of a common sect disciple; he now possessed the same depth.

  They arrived at a vast balcony jutting out toward the sea of clouds. There, a stone table carved from ancient coral was prepared with two cups of wine whose aroma could pierce meridians.

  "Sit, Brother Gu," Li Chen said, gesturing with a fluid motion. The spider on his shoulder hopped onto the table, its many eyes fixed on Zhi Xuan with a glint of recognition. "You come here, of course, for more than just a greeting with an old friend."

  Zhi Xuan sat, his black-and-white robes creating a sharp contrast with the blue crystals around them. "Your eyes are still as sharp as when we were underground in the Southern Territory, Brother Li."

  Li Chen sipped his wine, his handsome face beaming. "Well, after I broke through to Weaver Transformation years ago, I left the sect with my master’s permission. And now, I hold a position in this Trade Alliance. Fate is truly unpredictable, isn't it?"

  Zhi Xuan sipped the offered wine, feeling the warmth of the essence flowing smoothly down his throat. "Fate is just a weave of threads not yet finished, Brother Li. I came here because of a lead from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. I am looking for a way to return to the Xing Luo Plains."

  The smile on Li Chen’s face didn't fade, but his eyes sharpened. He set his cup down slowly, letting the Northern River Spider crawl between his fingers. "Xing Luo... a journey across the sky to reach the Fallen Star Plains. Coincidentally, the Trade Alliance is currently only running routes to the Chi Di, Feng Mie, and Cang Hai Plains from Yao Gu."

  Two women appeared from behind an illusory curtain, bringing fragrant wine and soothing spiritual tea. They teased Li Chen, stroking his jaw; Li Chen only laughed softly before the two women vanished again. "However, if it is Brother Gu, I have the authority to arrange for you to go to Xing Luo."

  Zhi Xuan watched the scene before him with a flat expression, unperturbed by the luxury or the worldly desires Li Chen displayed.

  "The power of the Trade Alliance indeed exceeds what the mountain sects imagine," Zhi Xuan said, his voice calm yet making the air on the balcony grow slightly heavy. "However, I know that in the world of trade, no help falls from the sky without an equal price. What must I do to earn a seat to Xing Luo?"

  Li Chen laughed, and this time his laughter sounded more meaningful. He moved his fingers, and the Northern River Spider immediately produced transparent silver webs that formed a projection of a map on the coral table.

  "You always get straight to the point, Brother Gu. That’s what I like about you," Li Chen said, pointing to a red dot on the map at the border of the Yao Gu Plains and the void. "If the Divine Transformation experts can open the Heavenly Star Gate as the only way to Xing Luo, we also have our own method. The Black Stone Formation."

  Li Chen gestured, and the room around them filled with images of the Black Stone Formation. "The Black Stone Formation is the array we use if there are obstacles on the main trade routes. It sends merchant ships to wherever we desire. However, therein lies the problem."