Chapter 764: Sang Lao's Straw Hat, The Vast World

The rain poured.

Upon the finial of the Heavenly First Tower stood an elder with white hair and green robes, possessing an ethereal, sage-like presence.

Mei Siren gazed at the dark sky.

He had been standing there for a long time, witnessing the Royal City's rain progress from a gentle drizzle to the current torrential downpour.

"Wonderful."

"Truly magnificent."

The tower finial offered a panoramic view of the entire city.

Mei Siren, however, had no need for the finial; with just a sweep of his spiritual sense, everything that happened in the entire East Heavenly Royal City tonight was laid bare before him.

"Xu Deye, Xu Fuji, Xu Xiaoshou..."

Gazing in a certain direction, Mei Siren murmured to himself, "So, the Hand of the Holy Slaves has stretched this far?"

He found it somewhat amusing.

He had long thought it impossible for the Royal City to inexplicably produce such a sword genius who remained unknown to the world, seen only by Mei Siren.

It turns out this was Ba Zunan's person.

"That kid..."

Mei Siren shook his head, falling into recollection.

He still remembered the grand boasts and heroic declarations made by Ba Zunan and Wen Ting, full of youthful spirits and ambition, on that snowy afternoon.

Unexpectedly, time flew by.

So many years passed, and the youths of that day had grown to a point where they could stir up the continent's affairs.

"Ba Zunan..."

Mei Siren gazed at the Royal City's night rain, gently tapping a paper folding fan against his palm, his eyes lost in thought, as if seeing the figure of an old friend.

"You Tu, is this the 'most beautiful scenery' you spoke of?"

In the past, Mei Siren once shared tea and discussed the Dao with You Tu, while simultaneously betting on the continent's chosen one and its future.

The difference was, You Tu chose to stake everything on that young man named Ba Zunan at the time.

Mei Siren chose not to bet.

Not betting meant having no stance, and also meant not being optimistic about the continent's future.

Or to put it another way.

This third, additional option, itself represented Mei Siren's stance.

Being a bystander was tantamount to betting on the continent's orthodoxy, betting on the long-standing chosen one, Dao Qiongcang, the current Hall Master of the Holy Divine Palace, who was propelled to the pinnacle by the new era.

It was just that Mei Siren didn't want to admit it.

He had always felt that the earlier Ba Zunan was too bloodthirsty and too fanatical.

Dao Qiongcang was merely pushed into the spotlight as a consequence, becoming the chosen one at the cusp of change.

Essentially, there was no difference between the two.

But today was different.

Today, from the finial of the Heavenly First Tower, Mei Siren saw everything that happened in the Royal City and understood Ba Zunan's choice regarding Xu Xiaoshou, whom he had thought was just a chance encounter.

In reality.

You Tu, Ba Zunan, Xu Xiaoshou...

Subtly, everything was already destined.

"Willing to be kind..." Mei Siren murmured with a smile in the rainy night. He felt this was a rare and valuable quality.

At least, in this regard, Xu Xiaoshou was entirely different from Ba Zunan.

Chief Yi of the Strange Department possessed the Domain of Allurement as one of his abilities.

But the essence of allurement was merely to amplify a certain obsession within a person's heart.

From Mei Siren's perspective.

If the one passing that street at the time had been the younger Ba Zunan, not Xu Xiaoshou.

He wouldn't even have given it a second glance; how could he have chosen to help that unfamiliar little girl who clearly seemed suspicious?

"A Grandmaster bullying an Innate Realm cultivator, and even using the Domain of Allurement... The Holy Divine Palace is truly regressing..."

Mei Siren sighed.

Immediately after, he leaped down from the finial of the Heavenly First Tower.

During that tea and Dao discussion, Mei Siren had once advised You Tu, who had been named the leader of the Seven Sword Immortals, not to get involved, not to get involved!

Because, it wasn't worth it.

Cultivating to this point, wasn't it just for transcendence?

Being a spectator, a master of the game, was far more comfortable than being a mere pawn manipulated by others. Wasn't this a simple and obvious truth?

But at that time, You Tu only shook his head and smiled lightly, saying nothing.

At that time, Mei Siren found You Tu amusing, his feigned inscrutability appearing even more comical.

But now, he felt he understood You Tu a little better.

Remaining outside the game, one could not influence the situation.

When all predetermined facts of fate were constantly progressing before his eyes in an unchangeable manner, and he was powerless to do anything.

That helplessness was almost identical to being a pawn in another sense.

Therefore...

"You Tu, I'm coming!"

With a soft call, Mei Siren vanished into the rainy night.

This time, he decided to join the fray.

This kind of game, even for him, a Seven Sword Immortal, meant that once he entered, he could never escape.

But Mei Siren at this moment no longer hesitated.

Cicadas chirp throughout a summer, unaware of autumn's chill.The epiphyllum blooms for a moment, not seeing daylight.

But all in all, these two lives were far more splendid than that of an ordinary person.

Thump! Thump!

On the other side, the torrential rain in the streets grew heavier.

The rainwater descending from the sky was swept into clumps by the howling gales mid-air, and then, like massive boulders, each one pounded onto rooftops, eaves, and the ground.

Amidst such a colossal storm.

There were two figures, one large and one small, walking forward calmly, hand in hand.

"Big brother, are there really candied hawthorns for sale up ahead?"

The little girl Xu Xiaoshou was holding was still sobbing.

When this little girl cried, it was as if heaven and earth wept for her, and the world's focus inevitably converged on her.

"Yes, there are. No hurry, we'll walk there slowly."

Xu Xiaoshou, with a dull gaze, while stroking the little girl's head, was simultaneously battling his inner self.

He felt as if he was experiencing sleep paralysis.

He clearly felt that everything around him was slightly off, but for some reason, he couldn't muster any resistance.

He wanted to check the information panel.

He knew the information panel had been constantly popping up with notifications.

However, as soon as he had any inclination to do so, his consciousness would uncontrollably shift, focusing on other random "emptiness."

He couldn't do anything, couldn't remember anything...

"Big brother, I want to walk faster," the little girl urged him then.

"Take your time," Xu Xiaoshou responded instinctively, his eyes dull. "There's no hurry to buy candied hawthorns. Your big brother here is very rich; I'll buy you lots of them then."

The little girl's mouth twitched at his words, but then she burst into tears with a 'wah!' "Waaah, I want to hurry..."

"Alright, alright, alright!"

Xu Xiaoshou felt helpless. He could only pick up the little girl and start running at full speed.

The torrential rain lashed down.

Xu Xiaoshou ran at full speed.

He rarely ran like this, but once he unleashed his full speed, he truly moved like lightning.

Sizzle...

The stony raindrops plummeted.

Yet, as Xu Xiaoshou ran at full speed, they couldn't even touch him, but were incinerated into mist in mid-air.

Sizzle...

The sound grew louder and louder.

The little girl in his arms glanced around and became a little flustered.

"Big brother, you... why are you getting so hot?"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes remained dull, but this time he didn't answer as usual. He merely kept running, his body growing hotter and hotter.

A soft thud—

Only when this faint sound appeared did the little girl finally realize something was wrong.

She abruptly looked up.

The next second, her pupils contracted.

She saw that on Xu Xiaoshou's head, a tattered straw hat had appeared at some point.

This straw hat was too dilapidated.

It was even leaking water!

Yet, this tattered straw hat, which seemed to have endured countless battles, could actually evade the little girl's perception and inexplicably appeared on Xu Xiaoshou's head.

"Stop!"

The little girl was horrified and shouted loudly.

She desperately wanted to stand up, but Xu Xiaoshou, who was holding her, held her tightly and was oblivious, continually accelerating and rushing forward.

The straw hat kept the torrential rain off his head, leaving quiet for the young man.

At this moment.

As Xu Xiaoshou ran, a withered figure seemed to appear before him.

His immediate destination was instantly replaced.

For some reason, a strong impulse surged within him.

Xu Xiaoshou abruptly lunged forward.

He recognized the figure.

"Master!"

His vision darkened.

The scene blurred.

A soft thud—

A familiar echo appeared in his ears, and Xu Xiaoshou felt the world become quiet.

"What is this?"

He looked around with some curiosity.

It was a vast, white world, boundless and limitless as far as the eye could see.

The ground was scattered with Cinderlight White Flames, emitting a warm aura, and the world was peaceful.

The flames were sparse, a few yards apart.

Beautiful as a painting.

"Heh heh, you're here?"

Suddenly, a very familiar laugh came from behind him.

That sly chuckle instantly shattered the beauty of this illusory world.

Xu Xiaoshou's pupils trembled. He spun around abruptly and exclaimed in surprise, "Old geezer?"

Slap!

Elder Sang swatted Xu Xiaoshou down with a straw hat, and in the same motion, placed it on his eldest disciple's head.

Xu Xiaoshou lifted the straw hat, his face full of pleasant surprise.

The person before him was truly Elder Sang!

Elder Sang was sitting cross-legged, still wearing a straw cape, his two dark circles still as dark as ever, and his head, exposed without the straw hat, was still as bald as ever...

"Are you dreaming?"

Xu Xiaoshou was simply overjoyed. He didn't know how any of this had appeared, only asking, "Did you miss me so much that you dreamed of me?"

"You're the one dreaming!"

Elder Sang rolled his eyes, then realized he had been led astray again, and corrected, "It's not a dream, this is reality." He pointed at the ground.

"Reality?" Xu Xiaoshou was puzzled.

Elder Sang smiled, saying proudly, "This is the Grandmaster Realm. You can understand it as an enhanced version of the Sovereign Realm, existing beyond space and time... I was a Grandmaster before; I just dropped in cultivation due to severe injuries, so it's normal for me to do this, isn't it? Don't you believe me?"

Xu Xiaoshou still looked suspicious: "Weren't you put in solitary confinement? And you can still wander around?"

Grandmaster Realm...

He had experienced similar worlds before.

Back in the White Cave, the Disheveled Saint had dragged him into a similar illusion using the famous sword Yanmang.

"Wait!"

"Yanmang?"

"Intermediate medium?"

Thinking of this, before Elder Sang could say more, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly understood.

"Is it this thing?"

He took off the straw hat from his head and was momentarily stunned.

Elder Sang was currently imprisoned in the Holy Divine Palace's jail, so it was impossible for him to have the energy to wander around.

Therefore, it could only mean that this was a contingency he had left behind earlier!

And before...

He recalled his last meeting with Elder Sang.

The old man had shielded him from an arrow, then thrown him a straw hat and pushed him into a spatial rift.

Xu Xiaoshou had originally thought this straw hat was merely a symbolic inheritance.

Unexpectedly, it actually held practical significance!

"It seems you understand..."

Elder Sang saw Xu Xiaoshou's look of sudden realization, and his expression showed a hint of disappointment.

He seemed unable to be mysterious, grand, and imposing before his disciple, unlike other masters.

Because this disciple of his always managed to discover his schemes one step ahead.

Elder Sang sighed, no longer dwelling on it, and returned to the main topic, saying:

"Since you're able to see me, you must have encountered immense danger."

"And given your abilities, I don't believe Sovereign or Severed cultivators could pose such a great danger, one that would trigger the Grandmaster Realm."

"Among Half-Saints, except for that shameless Ai Cangsheng, who else would bother to punish you?"

"Therefore, you've encountered a Grandmaster!"

Elder Sang's tone was certain.

Xu Xiaoshou was startled.

Then he remembered.

He was still apparently helping a little girl buy candied hawthorns!

This was an urgent matter; how had he inexplicably come to see Elder Sang?

Xu Xiaoshou anxiously stood up, instinctively wanting to go out and buy candied hawthorns...

"Wait!"

Transcending reality, now in the Grandmaster Realm, Xu Xiaoshou was suddenly able to break free from his habitual way of thinking.

"How could I, at such a crucial moment, want to buy candied hawthorns for a little girl?"

Now fully conscious, Xu Xiaoshou was filled with shock, clutching his head, feeling as though he was going crazy from his own foolishness!

With so much chaos tonight, he was actually toiling and rushing around for a mere candied hawthorn stick?

So...

"That little girl, is she a Grandmaster?"

As Xu Xiaoshou realized this, his eyes widened so much they almost burst.

A Grandmaster!

A Grandmaster disguised as a little girl, messing with Xu Xiaoshou?

In that instant, he felt the world was utterly absurd...

Seriously?!

They condescended to act against an Innate Realm cultivator and played role-playing games?

This must be psychological perversion!

"It seems you understand again..." Elder Sang sighed once more, observing.

After all, he was currently just a wisp of residual spiritual sense and could not know what was happening to Xu Xiaoshou.

All he could do was what he had programmed when setting up this Grandmaster Realm.

But observing Xu Xiaoshou's current expression, Elder Sang could tell that the boy understood.

"It's enough that you understand yourself. You don't need to tell me anything. My time is limited, let me show you a few things first!"

As Elder Sang spoke, he waved his hand, and three pill bottles appeared before him.

Once Xu Xiaoshou sobered up, he knew this Grandmaster Realm was a rare opportunity and that Elder Sang before him didn't have much time left, so he immediately got to the point.

He squatted down, wanting to reach out.

But Elder Sang's eyes widened, and he slapped his hand away.

"What are these?" Xu Xiaoshou could only ask obediently.

"Three items."

Elder Sang stated the obvious, then sighed with emotion: "I suppose I haven't given you many decent things. Choose one of these three items; it's a gift to you."

"Not pills?" Xu Xiaoshou caught the old man's drift.

"No." Elder Sang shook his head.

"This is our last meeting, isn't it?" Xu Xiaoshou looked up and asked sincerely again.

"Probably." Elder Sang nodded.

"Then... since this is our last meeting," Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened, and he said as if it were obvious, "Why keep the other two? For the air? Give them all to me! I'm not a child, I want them all!"

Elder Sang's face twitched, then he revealed an 'I knew it' expression and burst into laughter.

"Alright."

"All for you!"

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

The other side agreed too quickly; he felt there was a trick and immediately stepped back a few paces. "In that case, I choose to take none."

Slap!

Elder Sang, exasperated, slapped Xu Xiaoshou's forehead again and scolded angrily, "You don't want what's freely given? You're disgracing me!"

With that, Xu Xiaoshou confirmed these were good things.

This must be Elder Sang's dying... no, before leaving... no, before being captured, when he realized he couldn't hide them anymore and truly wanted to give him these good treasures.