Ji Wusi's eyes flickered with a trace of nostalgia.
He still remembered.
Back then, he had been proud and unyielding, second to none in the world—at least in his own eyes. And truthfully, he had the qualifications to back it up. He was the only one born with the Innate Sword Body. No matter what he studied, he understood it at a glance.
His master had found him early and always treated him as the undisputed successor to the sect. From the very beginning of his cultivation journey, he'd never met any real obstacles. Everyone held him in high esteem, and his path was smooth from the start.
But then—
He encountered the Wan Dao Saint.
His master had once told him: with his Innate Sword Body and mastery of the secret arts of Kunlun, once he reached the Mahayana stage, he would be unmatched in battle. At that point, there would only be one person in the world who might surpass him.
That person, in his master's words, was the Wan Dao Saint.
Ji Wusi had never accepted that.
At the time, he held himself in the highest regard. No one at the same cultivation level had ever managed to defeat him. Once he reached Mahayana, it was only natural he would be the strongest.
The Wan Dao Saint?
Why should his master speak so highly of him?
Later, he truly did cultivate all the way to the Mahayana stage—and as expected, remained invincible along the way.
He asked his master once again: now that he had reached this height, could the Wan Sao Saint still defeat him?
His master only smiled and said nothing.
But Ji Wusi understood.
His master still believed he wasn't the Wan Dao Saint's equal.
After his master ascended from this world, Ji Wusi inherited the mantle of the Kunlun Sword Sect. Under his leadership, the sect rose to become the foremost among the Four Great Holy Lands.
He challenged countless experts, and through battle after battle, he gradually earned the title of "Number One Under Heaven."
Even so...
He had never forgotten his master's words. He had always longed for a match against the Wan Dao Saint.
But...
The Wan Dao Saint had a fondness for wandering the world and was seldom seen within the Wushuang Sect.
Eventually, Ji Wusi heard news that the Wan Dao Saint had returned.
He immediately went to find him.
Without pretense, he directly issued a challenge.
The Wan Dao Saint didn't seem fond of combat and declined several times.
Ji Wusi thought he was just a name propped up by reputation. So he pressed harder, even resorted to provocation.
Faced with his persistence, the Wan Dao Saint finally agreed.
At that time, Ji Wusi had been overflowing with confidence. He was determined to prove himself the true number one genius.
But then—
He lost.
And he lost badly.
The Wan Dao Saint only used a single move. Ji Wusi hadn't even located where his opponent was before he was already defeated.
A flicker of memory passed through Ji Wusi's eyes.
Even now, he could clearly recall that crushing despair, the sense of everything falling apart. He had doubted the meaning of cultivation itself. The blow had nearly driven him to ruin.
It was then that the Wan Dao Saint came to see him and spoke a single sentence.
He said: This world is vast. He had once seen a being a thousandfold more powerful than himself.
Ji Wusi hadn't wanted to believe it.
In this world, how could such an existence even be possible?
But the Wan Dao Saint hadn't looked like he was lying.
He described a vision—
A terrifying, all-encompassing black-and-white wheel that stretched across heaven and earth.
The Wan Dao Saint said that just looking at it for a few moments nearly shattered his mind.
And that horrifying object? It was just a weapon.
What kind of being, then, was its master?
From that day on, Ji Wusi glimpsed a broader world.
He overcame his inner demons and stopped clinging to the idea of being the strongest.
Ironically—
Once he let go, and after the fall of the Wushuang Sect, the rest of the cultivation world finally hailed him as the number one.
But Ji Wusi knew.
This world still held many secrets.
He might be powerful—but he was far from the strongest.
Now—
Ji Wusi looked at the projection of Jin Yu in the sky and couldn't help but smile faintly. For Jin Yu to encounter someone like Yun Jin at this stage, to be dealt such a blow, might actually be a good thing.
Ji Wusi's gaze finally landed on Yun Jin.
Yun Jin...
She was his disciple, yet he realized he had never truly seen her clearly.
Her speed of growth was frankly astounding.
How long had it been since he left Tianxing Sect?
Yun Jin had already crossed multiple major realms. She was now at the Divine Transformation stage.
The universal truth that cultivation becomes exponentially more difficult the further one progresses—she seemed completely unaffected by it.
To her, leaping through major realms was easier than most people crossing a minor one.
A glimmer of anticipation flickered in Ji Wusi's eyes.
But then again—
That was how it should be.
The faster Yun Jin grew, the better. The stronger the new generation, the better. For now, the human race still held the upper hand against the demon race. Yet Ji Wusi couldn't shake a vague sense of unease.
It just didn't feel that simple.
More than once, he had glimpsed a future where humanity was wiped out. It didn't make sense. No matter how fast the demon race grew, they shouldn't have reached that point so soon. If a catastrophe like racial annihilation truly awaited the human race...
Then the root of it likely lay with the outer-realm demon clans.
Could it be—
A new outer-realm demon clan had discovered this world?
Or was it that, despite sealing themselves in a dimensional prison, the Wushuang Sect had still failed to prevent disaster?
Ji Wusi didn't know.
What he did know—
Was that he needed allies. Many, many allies.
He didn't know if Yun Jin could grow strong enough to stand beside him in the future.
But at least for now, he saw a sliver of hope.
Across the sky, within the image…
From Xuandan Gate to the Beastmaster Sect, all eyes were fixed on the projection with varying expressions.
They had thought Yun Jin was just someone with good fortune, lucky enough to be chosen as the Wan Dao Saint's successor.
But hadn't she just said days ago that she had only just reached the Golden Core stage?
Now she was already in Divine Transformation?
And then, that heavenly phenomenon—!
In their memories, the only one to have ever triggered such a spectacle was Ji Wusi.
Even then, did Ji Wusi have these countless phantasmal beasts swirling through the sky?
No, he hadn't.
Which meant...
Was Yun Jin's potential even greater than Ji Wusi's?
Or—
Was the Wushuang Sect truly so profound that it could easily mold such a peerless genius?
What if—
It was both?
None of them had believed the Wushuang Sect could ever return to the peak of its former glory.
After all—
Right now, it was but an empty husk.
But if—
Yun Jin reached Ji Wusi's level, and with the inheritance left by the Wan Dao Saint...
Could the Wushuang Sect truly reclaim its title as the greatest sect in the world?
Some of them had already agreed to provide support, but now they were beginning to regret it. If they had just tossed a few resources to gain favor, it wouldn't have mattered. Especially with the connection to Qing Yun (Liu Li), they could've expected generous returns in the future.
But that all depended on—
Yun Jin being a mediocre, easily manipulated pawn they could control.
Now, that no longer seemed likely.
Qing Yun watched their shifting expressions and finally spoke.
In a calm voice, he said, "No matter how far Wushuang Sect rises, they've never fought over Luck. With the hatred they bear toward the demon race, they'll always be at the front lines of the war. Whatever happens, this can only benefit us."
Qing Yun had seen the wariness in their eyes, but he truly didn't understand it. From his perspective, the resurgence of the Wushuang Sect would bring no harm to Xuandan Gate at all. In fact, they could exchange alchemy techniques and raise the entire region's alchemical standards together.
If that was the case, then what was there to fear?