Within the Shushan Sect, even junior disciples like Liam Carter did not possess such authority. This matter required the intervention of Master Charlotte Carter, who would go through a series of procedures such as observing auras and examining hearts to confirm that Lady Ming was indeed a benevolent demon who had never harmed a human life, and that the likelihood of her causing trouble in the future was extremely low. Only then would an official decree be issued. From then on, she would also have to regularly visit Shushan to pay her respects and be subject to Shushan’s tracking techniques and other such measures.

Usually, even disciples of the Nine Heavens Immortal Sects rarely bothered with such troublesome affairs.

Just slaying demons and eradicating evil—how straightforward and efficient.

Yet, although this cut-and-dried approach was worry-free and required no responsibility, Liam Carter couldn’t help but feel uneasy in his conscience.

After some thought, he still wanted to help them.

As for Master Ming’s family fortune, he certainly could not accept it.

There was no need for endless thanks; that very day, Liam Carter brought them back to Shushan. Xingzhou City was not far from Shushan to begin with—otherwise, the Ming family’s request would never have reached the Sword Exchange Pavilion at Shushan.

Once they returned to the sect and reached Silver Sword Peak to report the matter to his master, there was nothing more for Liam Carter to do.

Charlotte Carter was known for her chivalry and sense of justice, and she greatly praised Liam Carter’s actions. As for the subsequent petition for official recognition, with her overseeing it, it was likely that even Tongtian Peak would not dare to neglect the matter.

Liam Carter then returned to his small wooden cabin on the hillside, settled down, and let his consciousness sink—arriving within the White Tower... It was time to claim his reward!

Inside a vast iron prison, only a golden cat spirit’s phantom floated in the air.

Liam Carter skillfully pressed the “Refine” character.

Boom—

A flash of red light, brilliance drifted out. Liam Carter caught it in his hand and found it was a talisman. At the same time, a thought entered his mind.

Spirit Cat Leaping Talisman: Use this talisman to be possessed by the cat spirit, greatly enhancing your agility for a quarter of an hour. If you subconsciously find yourself licking your palm with your tongue, this is normal—please do not be alarmed.

“A talisman?”

This was the first time Liam Carter had received a talisman. Single-use pills and talismans certainly didn’t feel as impressive as permanent magical treasures. But on second thought, since it was single-use, its power must be greater. Used at a critical moment, it might have miraculous effects.

Thinking this, he contentedly put the item away.

...

“Ha—”

Just after claiming his reward, he heard a loud, clear cry from outside. Liam Carter looked up and saw a huge white crane landing outside the cabin.

Its entire body was snow-white, not a single stray feather, and when standing, it was taller than a grown man. Its eyes were bright and black, clearly full of intelligence. Hanging from its long crane neck was a basket, from which it deftly took out a booklet with its sharp beak and placed it on the stone table outside.

So this month’s Seven Stars Gazette had arrived.

Liam Carter called out through the window, “Thank you.”

“Ha—” The white crane stretched its neck and called again, as if in response, then spread its wings and soared away to its next destination.

This was the Shushan Sect’s white crane messenger, dedicated to delivering messages to disciples of the various peaks. And today, it had brought the monthly Seven Stars Gazette.

Within the Nine Heavens Immortal Sects, there was a sect called “Heavenly Pivot Pavilion.”

The main business of the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion was divination and calculation, making it the lineage closest to the secrets of heaven. Even though they were not skilled in combat, they had always been respected by all the great powers. Their place among the Nine Heavens was proof enough.

Their secondary business was collecting strange news and anecdotes from the martial world, issuing a Seven Stars Gazette every month. For hundreds of years, the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion’s Seven Stars Gazette had become wildly popular throughout the world—from the highest heavens to the lowest commoners, even street children discussed it with great enthusiasm.

Liam Carter pointed and drew the booklet into his room, flipping through it.

The Seven Stars Gazette was divided into three sections: “Tales of the Martial World,” “Compendium of Worldly Treasures,” and “Chronicles of the Nine Provinces.”

Among them, the “Compendium of Worldly Treasures” was a grand ranking of all the magical treasures in the world, with only a few changes each month. There was a separate article detailing the ranking changes for the month, making it easy to follow. Most of the changes occurred among the lower-ranked items; the top-ranked supreme treasures of heaven and earth had hardly changed in hundreds of years.

For example, the number one spot was always held by the human world’s divine artifact, the Demon Suppressing Tower.

Unfortunately, after the Demon Suppressing Tower’s entry, there was a small line of text: “Originally belonged to Shushan, now lost.”

Indeed, it was thanks to the Demon Suppressing Tower that the Shushan Sect had once ranked among the Nine Heavens, even dominating as the number one immortal sect and leading the righteous path of the mortal world. But five hundred years ago, due to a great calamity, Shushan lost this supreme artifact.

This led to the sect’s gradual decline, and to this day, several of the top-ranked sects among the Ten Earthly Immortal Sects may surpass Shushan in sheer strength. Voices in the martial world claiming that Shushan no longer deserved its place among the Nine Heavens were growing ever louder.

Ranked second was the Seven Stars Sword of the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion, an ancient divine sword with the power to move mountains and overturn seas.

However, the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion had always remained aloof from worldly affairs and rarely participated in martial conflicts. The Seven Stars Sword had not been used in many years. The last recorded time it was drawn was a century ago, when the demonic Beast Sect of the evil path awakened the ferocious Qiongqi and attempted to attack the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion. The Seven Stars Sword was drawn—one strike suppressed Qiongqi, another slew three hundred demons, and the Beast Sect was wiped out in a single stroke.