There was no use thinking too hard about it. Knowing Yan Beihong was fine was good enough for Miao Yi.

After replying to Yan Beihong’s letter, Miao Yi resumed his closed-door cultivation. It was safe to say that he was desperately trying to catch up, hoping that the others wouldn’t leave him too far behind…

That year, just before it was time for the annual tribute to be handed over, the Manor Heads of Thousand Lake Manor, Mulberry Cloud Manor, and Raincloud Manor once again requested to take a leave of absence in order to avoid bumping into the three Advisors. However, this time around, not only did Hall Master Shen Huaixin decline their request, he even reprimanded them. ‘It’s been so many years. Do the three of you think you won’t have to set foot in Suppressing Tenth Hall ever again? How do you think this will look in front of the other Manor Heads who come every year to hand over the annual tribute?’

There was no helping it. Shen Huaixin had a point. If the three of them continued to hide like this, it was inevitable for the others to start talking about it.

The three Manor Heads arranged a time to meet, then rendezvoused with one another before heading off to Suppressing Tenth Hall together.

Along the way, Miao Yi remembered the matter with Yan Beihong. He suddenly turned around and told the aides, “The six of you, go scout the path ahead.”

Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei looked at one another. They could tell that Miao Yi had something he wanted to discuss, and so the three of them slowed down their mounts.

The six aides continued to gallop in front. Once they were out of sight, Sikong Wuwei asked, “Brother, is there something you wish to talk about?”

Miao Yi smiled, “It’s nothing much. I just wanted to ask: you two have been in the Blue Lotus Ninth Grade for so many years now, and you both told me that you were close to breaking through to the Red Lotus realm way back during the Subjugation Crusade. Why has nothing happened even after so many years?”

When the other two heard this, they exchanged glances and helplessly shook their heads. Zhao Fei smiled bitterly and replied, “To tell you the truth, I’ve discussed this issue quite often with Sikong as well. We’ve been facing this problem for many years now. It always feels as though we’re just a little bit short of breaking through, almost as if we’re only one step away from succeeding. We’ve even prepared the Fretless Fruits that were required during the breakthrough. However, we just can’t seem to succeed!”

Sikong Wuwei also sighed and said, “This feeling is so suffocating. It’s like you’ve been locked up inside a small room for a long time with no way of getting out. Even though you’re lying right before the window and can already feel the vastness of the land outside, you just can’t punch through those paper sheets. This thin veil is the only thing standing in your way. That feeling when you’re close to breaking through yet not succeeding at the same time can really drive a man crazy.”

Zhao Fei nodded. “It is indeed a very annoying feeling. Sometimes when we’re cultivating, we’ll find that our refining speed just suddenly increases to many folds its usual pace. However, right as we’re getting excited and start thinking that the breakthrough is just around the corner, down comes a bucket of cold water over our heads, and we realize it was all nothing but a fantasy. We’re still right where we were. We’re still unable to break through that thin veil trapping us inside the room. That feeling can make you wish you were dead sometimes.”

Miao Yi asked curiously, “Which means that although you’re still refining Orbs of Will and absorbing the essence of nature, your cultivations are not progressing?”

The other two nodded. “Exactly!”

“That’s strange.” Miao Yi clicked his tongue in astonishment. His cultivation had yet to reach that level, so he didn’t understand that feeling they were both talking about.

Zhao Fei sighed, “We can’t rush these sort of things. Perhaps our chance just hasn’t come yet. Since there’s no forcing it, we might as well just let it follow its course!”

Miao Yi could do little but offer a few consoling words. He wondered what it would be like for him once he reached that stage…

After reaching Suppressing Tenth Hall, the trio continued with the usual proceedings. They visited the Hall Master, handed over the annual tribute, then when it was time for all the Manor Heads to gather once again in the main assembly hall, they stood inconspicuously at the back.

Seeing these three finally showing up, many people harbored expectations that they would get to see another sensational performance again.

Unfortunately, the three Advisors disappointed them. Besides exchanging a few words out of formality, they didn’t provoke Miao Yi and the others.

As for the other three, they simply answered what was asked, and just kept silent otherwise. Their gazes occasionally landed on Xu Jinsong’s severed arm and noticed the arm that was cut off from the shoulder had now grown back quite a bit.

Seated on his high chair, Hall Master Shen Huaixin swept a glance at how calm both parties were, and couldn’t help feeling somewhat disappointed.

Xu Jinsong and the others weren’t fools either. Back then, during their battle in Suppressing Tenth Hall, the Hall Master had clearly arrived on time. However, he didn’t try to intervene until both sides had completely fallen out with one another. Not only were the three Advisors clear on Shen Huaixin’s motives for doing so, but even Miao Yi and the others could also guess what he was planning.

Without any assurance that they could deal with Miao Yi and the others once and for all, the three Advisors were prepared to bide their time for now. There was no reason for them to keep giving Shen Huaixin excuses to punish them. Besides, it would do them no good to be branded as incompetent fools over at Traversing Water Palace’s side, as it would affect their future. There would always be someone who would use this sort of poor reputation to slander a person right before their promotion. That would be a terrible thing to happen to the three Advisors. This was probably what Shen Huaixin had hoped to see as well.

To put things in a different perspective, the fact that Miao Yi and the others were able to heavily injure Xu Jinsong during the last battle was shocking news in itself. Optimistically speaking, that battle managed to earn them the other party’s respect. Xu Jinsong no longer dared to underestimate them, and he wouldn’t make any reckless moves if he didn’t have enough assurance, even though his arrow was already nocked and primed!

The journey back from Suppressing Tenth Hall was as smooth as the trip going there. Miao Yi and the others all safely reached their respective territories, and after handing down several instructions, all three of them proceeded back to their closed-door cultivations.

The one thing that Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei were thankful for was that there were no battles within Traversing Water Palace territory. If they didn’t have any grudges to settle, then this place was indeed quite suitable for cultivating in peace, especially for people like them who had plenty of cultivation resources in their hands.

Another ten years or so passed, and Miao Yi managed to break through to Blue Lotus Fifth Grade as expected.

The refining speed for Orbs of Will had once again increased from six orbs a day to seven, while the number of orbs Miao Yi needed to refine to break through to the Blue Lotus Sixth Grade was almost at forty-one thousand orbs. This would likely take him at least another sixteen years to break through to the next grade.

Over the years, Qian’Er and Xue’Er hadn’t been slacking off either. Their cultivations were both at the White Lotus Fifth Grade now. On the other hand, Yan Xiu’s cultivation speed was falling a little behind, and he was still at White Lotus Eighth Grade. If this continued, then he would eventually be overtaken by the two young ladies.

It wasn’t easy to have such a loyal subordinate in the cultivation realm. Miao Yi was already thinking about getting a better cultivation art for Yan Xiu and had even consulted Wen Fang about it. However, even though the Chamber of Commerce sold a large number of things, cultivation arts were not in their catalog. The black markets of Flowing Clouds Dune Sea might have some, but there were just too many fraudulent ones. Moreover, there was no telling if a cultivation art was the real deal or not until you’ve actually practiced it. And by the time you realize there’s a problem, it would be too late.

To this end, all Miao Yi could do was try to come up with other ways!

On a certain day fifteen years later, under the vast, starry night sky, a red streak of light shot past the clouds and descended right on the courtyard of Miao Yi’s private residence in Raincloud Manor. An energetic-looking Zhao Fei lightly hovered in the sky with a faint smile on his face.

Soon, after hearing the news while he was still in closed-door cultivation, Miao Yi quickly rushed out. He cupped his fists and said, “Congratulations, Brother Zhao, on finally breaking through like you’ve always wanted! You’ve finally made it past that single immensely wide step!”

Zhao Fei waved his hand and humbly said, “I’ve already been stuck in the Blue Lotus Ninth Grade for close to three hundred years. I’m truly ashamed at my own incompetence. And yet, here I am, showing off to you, Brother, the second after I broke through. How embarrassing!”

Miao Yi immediately joked, “Then have you boasted about this to Sikong as well, Brother Zhao?”

“I visited him first before coming to your place. I’ve already lost count how many times Sikong kept circling around me. He was restlessly scratching his head and was completely envious. He kept asking how I managed to break through. Sadly, I myself have no idea how it happened. It just did!”

As Zhao Fei described Sikong Wuwei’s reaction to Miao Yi, the two of them looked at each other, then abruptly burst into laughter simultaneously. It was easy to imagine how Sikong Wuwei must have reacted in that situation.

And for the normally serious Zhao Fei to crack jokes like this, it was evident how joyful he must be feeling inside at the moment. That was why he came looking for a friend to share his happiness with right after breaking through.

“Now that you’ve finally made this step, you can go anywhere you want in the world. It’s a joyous affair indeed. God knows how many cultivators there are across the realm who live to a ripe old age without ever being able to cross that bridge. We should have a big celebration!” Miao Yi turned around and waved his hand, “Qian’Er, Xue’Er, set up a feast in Raincloud Pavilion!”

“Yes, Master!” The two young ladies also happily came forward and congratulated Zhao Fei on his success.

Both the two young ladies knew that the stronger their Master’s friends were, the larger the support their Master would have, which also meant the safer it would be for him.

Zhao Fei then took out a couple of Second Grade Armor Artifacts and rewarded the two young ladies.

“Let’s go!” Being just as happy as his friend, Miao Yi grabbed Zhao Fei by the wrist and pulled him straight to Raincloud Pavilion.

This was because Zhao Fei’s breakthrough to the Red Lotus realm was simply much too important for him and Sikong Wuwei. All these years, the three of them couldn’t help their restlessness as they watched Xu Jinsong’s severed arm grow longer and longer with each passing year. They constantly worried that trouble was just around the corner. Now that Zhao Fei had broken through to the Red Lotus realm, he had effectively become the greatest threat to the three Advisors!

Raincloud Pavilion. The two Manor Heads were drinking joyfully under the moonlight. The two young ladies stood behind them, helping to refill their cups whenever they were empty.

As they talked about Zhao Fei’s breakthrough, Miao Yi couldn’t help getting absorbed in his own thoughts. Back when they journeyed together to Suppressing Tenth Hall, the other party had already mentioned that it was difficult to reach a breakthrough. However, Miao Yi had no idea it was actually this hard. Just this seemingly small step had taken Zhao Fei over twenty years to do so.

Zhao Fei let out a bitter smile. That said, he felt more relieved of a heavy burden than not. From this day onwards, an even greater realm would be laid out before him!

As Miao Yi and Zhao Fei gradually calmed down from all the excitement, the former placed his cup down and asked, “Brother Zhao, what are your plans from now on?”

Now that they were talking about serious issues, Zhao Fei quickly calmed himself. He gently placed down his wine cup and said solemnly, “Now, I’ve broken through to the Red Lotus realm. Although the three Advisors are still higher than me in terms of cultivation, but the way I see it, they’re nothing more than a joke. Those three bastards don’t have the slightest clue how to fight a battle. If we were to actually start fighting, there’s no telling which side would be the one trembling in fear. There’s no need to be scared of them at all! The only person in Suppressing Tenth Hall who can actually pose a threat to us is Shen Huaixin. That man definitely has some hidden agenda of his own. I’m not interested in his Hall Master’s seat, however. Now that I have plenty of cultivation resources in hand, I can’t wish for anything more than to cultivate in peace. That being said, even if one doesn’t fret over what happens tomorrow, one still needs to think about the distant future. Brother, do you still remember the pagoda artifact he wielded?”

Miao Yi nodded, “That is a problem. If we ever clash against the three Advisors again, and Shen Huaixin decides to help them out, then given the strength of his Third Grade Transcendent Artifact alone, you definitely won’t be a match for him.”

Zhao Fei sighed, “To protect oneself, one must first possess the power to intimidate their opponents. After this, I’m planning to look for Wen Fang. I must get a suitable Third Grade Transcendent Artifact for myself, no matter the cost! Otherwise, I’m not confident I’ll be able to hold my ground!”

“Speaking of transcendent artifacts, I might be able to help you get one that’s suitable…” Miao Yi mused.

“Brother, if you have a way, then that’s even better!”

“Wait here for a while. I’ll be back in a bit.” Miao Yi then called for Qian’Er and Xue’Er and left together.

The place they were headed to was none other Yao Ruoxian’s island. With such a mighty Artifact Artisan expert living in his backyard, how could Miao Yi let the opportunity slip?

They soon met up with Yao Ruoxian. When he heard that Miao Yi wanted him to refine a transcendent artifact for someone else, Yao Ruoxian immediately declined. But alas, he couldn’t defend against Qian’Er and Xue’Er’s pleading in the end.

Although he ultimately agreed to it, Yao Ruoxian gave his own set of conditions as well. Firstly, Zhao Fei had to provide all the materials for the transcendent artifact himself, and he couldn’t skimp out on the labor costs, which was double the amount for a normal Artifact Artisan. Most importantly—and Yao Ruoxian couldn’t stress how serious this next condition was—once Zhao Fei had gotten his transcendent artifact, he can never reveal to anyone that it had come from Raincloud Manor, even if someone were to ask him about its origins. Simply put, Zhao Fei must swear to never reveal Yao Ruoxian’s location. God knows what the old man was so scared about.

If Zhao Fei were unable to satisfy these conditions, then Yao Ruoxian wouldn’t agree to make the transcendent artifact for him. He wouldn’t budge even when Qian’Er and Xue’Er pleaded.

After that, Miao Yi mentioned these conditions to Zhao Fei and gave him time to think it over. Although Zhao Fei was a little curious as to the identity of this Artifact Artisan, since Miao Yi had told him not to ask so many questions, he didn’t pry any further.

Since this Artifact Artisan was recommended by Miao Yi, Zhao Fei didn’t mind the high price tag and agreed to it immediately. He then told Miao Yi he would go look for Wen Fang after this to gather the necessary materials and send them over.

Perhaps Miao Yi and the others were in some sort of lucky streak, as the day right after Zhao Fei had left, another red flash of light shot over from the distant skies and descended on Miao Yi’s private quarters in Raincloud Manor.

The person that had arrived was none other than Mulberry Cloud’s Manor Head Sikong Wuwei. When he saw Miao Yi coming out, he placed his hands by the side of his waist and chortled towards the sky. He was absolutely filled with delight!

“What? You’ve broken through as well?” Miao Yi said in astonishment as he walked forward and circled around Sikong Wuwei. He had just been laughing with Zhao Fei the day before about how this guy must be scratching his head in frustration.

The smile instantly froze on Sikong Wuwei’s face. He rolled his eyes and said in annoyance, “Why can’t I break through too? What do you mean by that? Are you unhappy that I’ve broken through?”

Truth be told, he himself was a little confused by all this. Logically speaking, he must have been stimulated by Zhao Fei, and thus when he was breaking through, he gave everything he had and beyond. Or at least, it seemed that way at the time. As a result, he accidentally managed to break through that thin veil that was the paper sheet of the window. Naturally, he would never admit that Zhao Fei’s instigation was the cause of his breakthrough!