Chapter One: Heaven's First Floor

  After Shen Shi left Hong Bang Village, he found a secluded forest on the way back to Qing Yu Ji, and when he saw that there was no one around, he crawled in and spread his clothes out to hang from the treetops. Although the island is humid, the sea breeze never stops, so even at the edge of the forest, there is wind, and after airing for a while, it dried quickly.

  Shen Shi shook off the clothes a few times, put them back on, and suddenly felt refreshed. Although he had been busy peeling shrimp in Hong Bang Village all day, and almost drowned in the sea later, he was still a bit tired now, but his spirit was not bad.

  He walked out of the forest and strode towards home. The road from Qingyuzhi to Hongbang Village, with no other forks in it, was deserted as soon as the boys heading to Hongbang Village had left. At this time when the sun was about to set, only Shen Shi was left.

  When they came, it was bustling and lively, but when they returned, it was desolate and quiet. The contrast between the two scenes was quite large. However, Shen Shi seemed to be unaffected, walking quickly on the road with a carefree expression. As he walked back to Qingyu Village, the sun in the western sky appeared to be closer to the distant horizon, casting a brilliant sunset glow that reflected off the vast and endless sea surface, dyeing a large area of the sea red.

  The Qingyu Island had quieted down by this time, no longer bustling like it was during the day. Many of the Lingxiao Sect's disciples seemed to have returned to their own caves, and even the shops on both sides of the road, which were somewhat eye-catching, were closed for more than half the night. It seemed that everyone on Qingyu Island had already gotten used to resting early, a stark contrast to the prosperous cities in the secular world where the lights still shone brightly until late at night.

  Shen Shi thought of dropping by a couple of shops to take a look, but then he thought that there were still many days ahead and it wasn't urgent for the time being. Looking at the quiet and serene gathering of the green fish, he didn't linger either and directly headed back on his way, walking towards his seaside cave mansion located in White Fish Bay.

  As he stepped out of the quiet Qingyu Village, he was thinking in his mind, did Sun You, He Xiaomei and Jiang Hongguang find a suitable task after leaving Hong'e Village?

  As Shen Shi walked along the flat and wide coastal road back to that quiet and beautiful Whitefish Bay, the sky had gradually darkened, the sky was dull, a ray of sunset was shining on this bay, the calm sea surface was gently surging with waves, wave after wave like a lover's gentle hand, stroking the white sandy beach.

  It was already dusk, but contrary to Shen Shi's expectations, in a place where he thought it should be quiet and deserted, it turned out that there were more people here than at Qingyu Ji, many of the new disciples who lived in this bay had come out of their caves and were playing on the long and beautiful beach, the setting sun cast its rays on each young man and woman, illuminating their happy smiles.

  After all, those who come here are still teenagers in their early teens.

  Either running on the beach or jumping in the sea, splashing countless white waves, wetting a few shirts and dresses, laughter drifting in the sea breeze, adding a bit of vitality to this dusk.

  Shen Shi didn't think of returning to the cave immediately, but instead walked to the edge of the beach, casually found a stone to sit on, gazed at this bustling beach, quietly looked out at the distant sea, and watched the sun that was about to set.

  The sea breeze blew gently, blowing his hair, as if a day's fatigue had all dissipated in the fresh wind at this moment.

  Suddenly, he remembered that two figures had passed by him, one of whom suddenly turned back and looked at him. Shen Shi raised his eyes to look over, only to see that it was the Clock sisters, Qingluo and Qingzhu, with Qingluo walking ahead, holding a small bag in her hand, occasionally taking out some snacks to eat, her slightly chubby cheeks had a faint blush, looking more pleasant than during the day. As for Qingzhu, she still had that cautious appearance, carefully following behind her older sister.

  Zhong Qinglu obviously recognized Shen Shi, and her gaze was not very friendly. However, the one who had offended her the most during the day was still that Sun You guy, so Shen Shi was just an innocent bystander. It seemed that Zhong didn't have any special plans to target Shen Shi either, she just glared at him fiercely again before turning around and leaving like a proud little peacock. Zhong Qingzhu smiled apologetically at Shen Shi from behind her back before hurrying to catch up with her.

  Shen Shi rubbed his brow and shook his head with a bitter smile, saying nothing.

  When the last sunset finally disappeared with the sun sinking into the sea, Whitefish Bay was finally at nightfall. Many young people left the beach and returned to their own caves. Soon, this beach restored its tranquility, leaving only the sound of waves surging in the darkness, as if thinking endlessly under the caress of the night sea breeze.

  Shen Shi returned to his own "Jia Forty-One" cave, and after opening the stone door with a cloud token, he thought it would be pitch black inside. However, after closing the stone door, four beams of light suddenly lit up on the top of the cave's stone wall, warm like the starlight at night, illuminating the entire cave and making it bright instantly.

  This startled Shen Shi, as he had rested here last night without noticing anything unusual. He walked into the cave and looked up at the top of his head, only to see that on the solid stone wall, there were four fist-sized bright pearls that had appeared out of nowhere, emitting a radiant glow. In the middle of the four pearls, on the stone wall, was a palm-sized Bagua jade plate, which, illuminated by the pearl's light, seemed to have a faint mist swirling above it.

  Shen Shi suddenly thought of the eight trigrams lock on the stone gate when he entered, and after a moment's hesitation, he took out the cloud token from his body and tried to wave it at the eight trigrams jade plate on the top of the stone wall. Sure enough, after a while, the cloud gas flowed and changed, and the eight trigrams jade plate responded. The four bright pearls slowly dimmed, and the cave fell into darkness.

  After a while, Shen Shi waved his hand again, and the pearl light shone once more.

  Is this the magical cave's mysterious technique that just opened today? Shen Shi looked up at the brilliant pearl, admiring it endlessly. With these four pearls, it's indeed much more convenient, at least no need to light candles to read books at night anymore.

  Just then... Shen Shi slowly sat down beside the table, his joyful expression slightly faded, and his eyebrows were slightly furrowed. Why wasn't this restriction lifted yesterday? Why did it have to be delayed by one day?

  Green Fish Collection, Xuanri Hall.

  Wang Heng sat on the couch, looking at Kang Zhen who was sitting not far away from him, his face was gloomy and his expression was as calm as water. Kang Zhen, on the other hand, looked like a thief with a guilty conscience, dryly laughing and dared not speak, avoiding Wang Heng's gaze and not daring to look straight at him.

  "Hmph..." Wang Heng let out a cold hum, no longer staring at Kang Zhen's handsome face, and casually poured himself a cup of tea from the tea table beside him. Kang Zhen suddenly jumped up, rushed to the tea table in a few strides, and with a flattering expression, poured a cup of water and handed it to Wang Heng, saying: "Big brother, have some tea."

  Wang Heng swept his mouth, took it over with a bad face, drank a mouthful, and coldly smiled again, saying: "Now, what's the matter with the 'Starlight Pearl' in so many caves of White Fish Bay?"

  Kang Zhen chuckled and said: "Shixiong, I...I'm so busy with things right now, I forgot to lift the seal..."

  "Pshaw!" Wang Huan gave a look of utter disbelief, glanced at him and said, "You're indeed a busy nobleman, having multiple ghosts in your heart is the real deal!"

  Kang Zhen rubbed his hands together, and then secretly raised his eyes to glance at Wang Chen. Seeing that he had a cold expression, paired with his originally majestic and stern demeanor, it was clear that he was not angry but still intimidating. Kang Zhen usually feared this Wang Shixiong a bit, and now he knew that he couldn't avoid it. After hesitating for a moment, he finally honestly confessed, saying: "I went to find Gan Shijie, asking her to go together to request Yun Nian Shishu to intervene, to help Du Shixiong ask for a favor, so I delayed the matter on Qingyu Island."

  Wang's gaze fell, looking at the teacup in his hand, and the hand holding the cup tightened slightly without anyone noticing.

  After a moment, he furrowed his brow and said, "You're just being nosy."

  Kang Zhen smiled and said, "Senior brother, I'm worried that Du Shixiong has been locked in the 'Black Cloud Cave' for too long, and the yin energy is invading his body. If he's worn down, it won't be good for his cultivation."

  Wang hummed and said: "You're a kind-hearted person, but others like me are all heartless and unrighteous people who turn a blind eye to Brother Du?"

  Kang Zhen immediately shook his head and said: "Brother, what are you talking about? I have no such intention!"

  Wang Huan chuckled and said lightly: "Since you care about Brother Du so much, how did it go when you went to ask Yun Nian Shu today?"

  Kang Zhen paused for a moment, his eyes rolling as if he was trying to gather his words. Just then, Wang Hou spoke directly: "If I'm not mistaken, didn't Yun Nian Shishu simply refuse to see you and have you turned back at the entrance of the Tian Mi Dong Fu?"

  Kang Zhen was stunned, looked up at Wang Hou, although he didn't say anything else, but the surprised expression on his face had already explained everything. Wang Hou shook his head, with a look of being too lazy to talk to foolish people again, Kang Zhen suddenly jumped up, and quickly moved behind Wang Hou, both hands reaching out to actually help massage Wang Hou's shoulders, laughing: "Shixiong, Shixiong, your clever calculations are really impressive, everything is as if I had seen it myself, how about..."

  Before he could finish speaking, Wang Dou had already hastily waved his hands to brush him off and angrily said: "You're all men, don't be so disgusting."

  Kang Zhen burst out laughing and didn't think much of it, only saying: "Elder brother, how did you know that Yun Nian Shifu wouldn't be willing to help?"

  Wang Heng glanced at him and said, "Cloud Nai Shifu's status in our sect is indeed different from others. Several elders, including the Sect Master Hua Yuan Zhen Ren, will give her three points of respect. But don't forget, Du Shixiong not only offended Elder Sun this time, but also scolded a few sentences to Shifu Zu."

  Kang Zhen's body shook, and he looked at Wang Hou, frowning: "Shixiong, you mean to say that even if it's Yun Nian Shu, this time we don't want to cause any trouble?"

  Wang Heng said calmly: "The position of Shifu Zong in the sect, you and I both know in our hearts. As the only one who broke through the Yuandan boundary and reached the Tiangang boundary in hundreds of years, and also appeared in the 'Xuan Gui Rebellion' thirty years ago to turn the tide, subdue the evil spirits, and force the opposition...". He stopped suddenly at this point, not continuing, but instead looked deeply at Kang Zhen, who also changed his expression slightly and nodded slowly.

  After a moment, Wang Yun's voice sounded again, saying: "Nowadays, although Master Shu is closed for quiet cultivation and does not ask about the affairs of the sect, his prestige is high and he is not the second person to think that even Cloud Nian Master would not dare to intervene in the affairs related to this old ancestor. What's more, Du Shixiong scolded Master Shu a few words for no reason? Du Shixiong usually gets the love of the true person who teaches the palm, is his most proud disciple, why did he make such a big fuss this time, didn't you think about the reason behind it?"

  Kang Zhen's face was wooden, and after a while, he hung his head in despair and said, "So to say, Brother Du is beyond salvation?"

  Wang Du slowly lifted the teacup in his hand, took a sip, and his face showed no expression. However, after a while, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and he seemed to have let out a soft sigh, saying: "A way... actually, there is one."

  Kang Zhen suddenly jumped up, his face filled with joy, Wang Heng glared at him, Kang Zhen immediately shrank back, but the eager and urgent look in his eyes could no longer be concealed.

  Wang Heng shook his head, his eyes sweeping over the teacup in front of him. After a moment of silence, he gently placed it on the tea table.

  Under a faint light, the warm and bright edge of the tea cup's base can be vaguely seen, quietly cracking open a fine gap.