Ye Zi stared blankly at Ling Xiao for a few seconds, a smile gradually spreading across her whole delicate face. Finally, she couldn’t hold it in any longer. Forgetting her composure, she bent over, clutching her stomach and roaring with laughter. "Ling Xiao, haha," she said between laughs, "it’s so rare to see you this curious! This is hilarious! You don’t... you don’t actually think that every single Ancient Ruin is guaranteed to have treasure inside, do you? HAHAHAHA!"

Ling Xiao rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed by her laughter. On second thought, he couldn’t help but laugh at himself too. It was a bit mortifying. But it made sense—his sister, Ling Su, loved archaeology, and anything associated with the word ’Ancient’ always carried an air of mystery.

Ye Wen Ni laughed until tears streamed down her face. She suddenly wrapped her arms around Ling Xiao’s neck, gently pressed her soft, red lips against his cheek, then pulled back. Gazing at him with deep affection, she said, "Actually, I like you better this way. As your power has grown recently, I’ve felt you become more and more composed, and it scares me. I’m afraid that one day, I’ll lose you. Ling Xiao, will you ever leave me?"

Ling Xiao met Ye Wen Ni’s gaze, and the air between them seemed to grow thick with romance. Seeing Ye Zi’s face flush an even deeper red, Ling Xiao chuckled softly. "Of course not. Don’t overthink it. I’ll never leave you!"

The truth was, in the Cultivation Realm, partners who became Dao Companions all possessed Dual Cultivation Secret Techniques, allowing them to improve and grow stronger together. But Ling Xiao had no idea how to bring this up with Ye Zi. ’Perhaps the time isn’t right,’ he thought.

’With my abilities,’ Ling Xiao thought to himself, ’I can definitely ensure the people around me will have long lives within a few decades. So, there’s no need to rush certain things.’

Only then did Ye Wen Ni explain, "That Ancient Ruin was discovered several hundred years ago. Everything inside was taken long ago. There’s absolutely nothing left for us to stumble upon and get rich from. If there were... we would have gone and taken it already!"

Ling Xiao nodded. "So you’re saying there are many Ancient Ruins on this continent, but not every ruin will yield treasure, right?"

Ye Wen Ni replied, "Of course. On the Canglan Continent, our Eastern Continent alone has hundreds of nations, large and small. Among them, our Lanyue Empire and the neighboring Zichuan are the two largest countries by territory. The rest of the nations vary in size. In truth, every country has countless Ancient Ruins. It’s been tens of thousands of years since the Ancient Era; many ruins have seen fields turn into seas. Others might be buried under mountains, like the Vendia Great Snow Mountain we visited. I’ve heard an ancient Divine Temple is buried there! But that’s just a rumor. No one has ever truly found it."

"Yeah, the Eastern Continent is huge. By the way, Ye Zi, do you know anything about the Western Continent?"

Ling Xiao asked. His knowledge of this world was limited to the memories of its previous owner and some books he had read since. It was far from what Ye Zi, who was born and raised on this land, knew.

Ye Zi shook her head slightly. "The East and West Continents face each other across the sea. Our Lanyue Empire is on the far eastern edge. To get to the Western Continent, you’d have to cross many countries just to reach the West Coast, and then cross the great ocean. But I’ve heard the people there aren’t much different from us. Legend says that during the Ancient Era, the East and West Continents were originally one landmass. Later, a war broke out that angered the gods, who split the land in two. Ever since, they’ve faced each other across the sea."

Ling Xiao nodded. ’This world is vast and full of wonders,’ he thought, ’and I’ve only just lifted a corner of its veil.’ He smiled and said, "Ye Zi, have you ever thought about traveling the world with me one day?"

A look of yearning appeared in Ye Wen Ni’s eyes as she nodded eagerly. "Of course!"

...

「On the Western Border of the Empire, in Ling Tianxiao’s military camp.」

When Ling Tianxiao saw the magnificent Flying Magical Beast named clown, he couldn’t help but feel happy for his son. As a father, his son’s achievements brought him far more joy than his own ever could!

Untying the cloth pouch containing a letter from clown’s leg, Ling Tianxiao ordered his stunned personal guards to bring out some good meat to feed the beast. The astonished looks in his guards’ eyes gave Ling Tianxiao a deep sense of satisfaction. There was a time when these same guards had all looked down on his third son. Ling Tianxiao never said anything, but of course, it had bothered him.

His feelings at the time were a perfect picture of bitter disappointment over unfulfilled potential.

Ling Tianxiao pulled the letter from the pouch and turned to walk back into his tent. West Lake was situated right next to the Vendia Great Snow Mountain. The hottest season of the year only lasted for three months—July, August, and September—but even then, the temperature difference between day and night was still immense!

The sky was now dim, and some of the brighter stars were already twinkling. A cool, refreshing breeze drifted through the air, making for a very pleasant evening.

Ling Tianxiao, however, was accustomed to reading his letters inside his tent. He sat down and had only skimmed a few lines when he shot to his feet, a look of pure shock on his face!

The contents of Ling Xiao’s letter were, to Ling Tianxiao, simply too incredible to believe. Hidden families and sects were emerging one after another and gathering in Penzes City; the Southern King had gifted Ling Xiao four Magic Crystal Cannons to win him over... only for Ling Xiao to discover that the Sword Sect expert who attacked him during the carnival was one of the Southern King’s own men!

The letter also detailed everything else that had happened recently. Ling Xiao hadn’t even hidden Tiger’s identity and explained in detail how he had killed a High-tier Sword Sect member. Finally, Ling Xiao advised his father that if it was possible to resign his commission, he should leave the military. If he still wished to remain in the army, then he should take the Elixir in the cloth pouch, which should allow him to advance to the rank of a Middle-Tier Demon Sword Master...