"…Back in the day, I, your senior uncle, once saw a remarkable woman riding the wind to arrive at Great York’s Linyuan City, hovering above the imperial city, with the Emperor of Great York himself coming out to greet her. That scene—if you youngsters don’t cultivate diligently, you’ll never witness such a thing in your whole lives…"

As Ryan Bennett walked, he listened attentively. All his impressions of cultivators came from storytellers in the marketplace; apart from knowing that there was a York Dynasty beyond the northern borders, he knew nothing else.

Now, having arrived at Phoenix Valley, hearing these tales of extraordinary people and events, Ryan Bennett was naturally curious and asked the young man leading the way beside him:

"I grew up in Qinghe County since childhood and have heard little about matters outside of Dane Dynasty. Brother, could you tell me more?"

The young man leading the way, though not very old, was friendly in manner. Hearing this, he slowed his pace a bit and walked side by side with Ryan Bennett:

"Just call me Robert King. I entered Phoenix Valley at the age of six and haven’t left in ten years, so I only know a little about the outside world. Still, I’ve heard the elders mention it before."

Seeing this, Ryan Bennett also slowed his steps, making a show of listening intently.

A look of longing and admiration was clearly visible on Robert King’s face. After a moment’s recollection, he spoke earnestly:

"Dane Dynasty is really just a small place—bordered by the sea to the southeast, with the Evergreen Mountains to the west cutting it off. In the grand scheme of the world, it’s nothing but a remote backwater.

The York Dynasty beyond the border is different; a single province there might be bigger than our entire region. As for the affairs of the mundane court, I don’t know the details, but I do know there are nine cultivation sects outside, collectively called the ‘Nine Southern Sects.’ The founder of our Phoenix Valley came from one of those nine sects, ‘Jinglutai.’

Nowadays, if our Phoenix Valley produces an outstanding disciple, the elders will use this connection to send them to Jinglutai in York Dynasty for further study. The Elder Cooper who was lecturing earlier went there when he was young, but unfortunately, he was injured during his travels. Otherwise, he might still be there now."

Ryan Bennett nodded slightly, carefully remembering these words, then asked a question that every newcomer to cultivation would ask:

"Can people over there really fly through the sky and travel underground?"

Robert King spread his hands and shook his head:

"I’ve never been there, so how would I know? But the elders say that the path of cultivation is divided into five realms: ‘Qi Refining, Spirit Valley, Dark Bamboo, Jade Steps, and Forgetting Self’—each step is like ascending to the heavens.

Those who reach the Dark Bamboo realm can use artifacts to fly and travel underground; those who reach the Jade Steps realm can ride the wind with their own bodies. In our Phoenix Valley, only the sect leader and a few elders have reached the Spirit Valley realm. You won’t see such experts around here."

Ryan Bennett nodded thoughtfully, pondering for a moment, then looked at his own longsword:

"Among these sects, is there one that’s especially skilled with the sword?"

Since Phoenix Valley specialized in swordsmanship, Robert King was naturally very interested in this question. He glanced at Ryan Bennett’s sword, and said with a hint of pride:

"Our Phoenix Valley traces its lineage to Jinglutai, so if you ask me which sect is best with the sword, it has to be Jinglutai. However, the sect leader once said that outside the Nine Sects, there’s also a ‘Sword Sovereign City’ that’s especially formidable—daring to challenge the Nine Sects. The cultivators there are specifically called ‘sword cultivators,’ and there’s a saying: ‘Nine Sects, Eight Lords, Ten Sword Sovereigns of Central Continent.’ But the sect leader only heard about it in passing; I don’t know the details…"

As the two chatted idly, they passed the lakeside and, after about another quarter of an hour, finally stopped beside a bamboo grove.

The bamboo grove was near the back of the valley. From the outside, one could see a building halfway up the mountain, near the waterfall they had seen upon entering.

"Uncle Harris is up there. I won’t go in. When you get to the bottom, just greet someone and state your purpose."

Having led him to the entrance of the bamboo grove, Robert King said no more, raised his hand in farewell, and turned to leave.

After bidding farewell with some reluctance, Ryan Bennett carried his sword and stepped onto the small path through the bamboo grove. Along the way, he saw several bamboo huts, with many young women of outstanding beauty gathered around them—some pounding herbs and drying them in the sun, others sitting cross-legged in meditation. As he passed by, he couldn’t help but glance curiously at each scene.

Ryan Bennett arrived at the foot of the cliff, intending to ask a few girls pounding herbs in the distance to help announce his arrival, when suddenly, a person’s upper body leaned out from above the cliff.

Looking up, Ryan Bennett saw, under the warm spring sun and the roaring waterfall with a faint rainbow, a woman in a light green long dress standing at the edge of the cliff, leaning over to look down.

At first glance, it was hard to tell her age, but with almond-shaped eyes, elegant brows, and a graceful figure, her mature beauty and bearing made "woman" a more fitting description. Her black hair was tied up with only a ribbon, no hairpins or ornaments. Her face was fair and flawless, without any makeup; her dress was plain and unadorned, looking exceptionally clean. Framed by the spring scenery and the waterfall, she even seemed to have an ethereal, otherworldly aura.

Ryan Bennett blinked, unsure if this woman was ‘Uncle Harris’. After meeting her gaze, he politely raised his hand in greeting:

"I am Ryan Bennett. May I ask if you are Uncle Harris?"

He waited for a reply.

But the woman above did not speak. After glancing down, her figure disappeared from the edge of the cliff.

Ryan Bennett thought she was coming down to speak with him, so he stood properly at the foot of the cliff, waiting quietly…

…

Above the cliff, the waterfall thundered.

A platform carved from the rock jutted out, three zhang wide and over ten zhang long. On the left, a winding stone staircase led down to the base of the cliff; on the right, it led straight to the area beneath the waterfall.