At this moment, the young man's eyes lit up with sudden interest.
Yuan Wanchu, on the other hand, felt a pang of jealousy. Her tone turned sharp and mocking. "Wang Rou, I heard that the Wasteland Realm is nothing but a barren backwater of the Mayfly World. Your luck is really bad—you actually had to follow the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy when it moved here."
Wang Rou only smiled faintly.
She had once thought the same way as Yuan Wanchu. But now, her views had completely changed.
So what if the Wasteland Realm was part of the Mayfly World?
It was here that she met someone like Master Yang—a peerless prodigy who defied the heavens.
And after living here for some time, she had discovered something even more astonishing: though this land was lacking in spiritual energy and cultivation resources, it carried an ancient Dao resonance unseen even in the greatest worlds.
There was something about this realm that made it extraordinary.
She didn't bother arguing with Yuan Wanchu and instead turned to Yang Cheng with a smile full of warmth. "Master Yang, let's go inside together."
Yuan Wanchu's expression changed instantly. "He's your Dao companion?"
Back in the Horn Constellation Realm, she had always considered Wang Rou a rival in beauty and talent.
Now seeing Wang Rou accompanied by such a stunningly handsome young man—the very one she had been secretly attracted to moments ago—she couldn't keep her composure.
"He's not my Dao companion," Wang Rou said truthfully, though a faint sense of satisfaction crept into her tone. "I simply invited him to accompany me to this banquet."
Still, she couldn't deny the small thrill in her heart. Master Yang's appearance was flawless—his presence commanding yet serene. Seeing Yuan Wanchu's jealous face felt like swallowing a piece of cool ice on a scorching summer day.
"Let's go in," Wang Rou said lightly.
The young man beside Yuan Wanchu looked utterly dazed when he saw Wang Rou. His gaze lingered on her, soft and lost.
That sight made Yuan Wanchu's anger boil over.
That young man had once been Wang Rou's Dao companion.
But when Wang Rou decided to come to the Wasteland Realm, he believed she was ruining her own future and refused to follow. Yuan Wanchu took advantage of the chance to seize him for herself.
Even so, the man still clearly hadn't forgotten Wang Rou. The way his eyes followed her made Yuan Wanchu want nothing more than to crush her rival underfoot.
She had thought Wang Rou's life in the Wasteland Realm would be miserable—that she'd be haggard, lonely, and forgotten.
But to see her now—radiant as ever, accompanied by an elegant young man whose beauty outshone the stars—made Yuan Wanchu's chest tighten with resentment.
When the four of them entered the second floor of the small restaurant, they found that many were already seated inside.
Every one of them radiated power, their bearing entirely different from that of ordinary cultivators in the Wasteland Realm. It was clear these were all martial artists from the Horn Constellation Realm.
"Wang Rou's here!" someone called out.
"Didn't expect you to get even more beautiful after coming to the Wasteland Realm," another man said with open admiration.
Several men's eyes lit up the moment they saw her.
A few women, however, turned their attention toward Yang Cheng. "Wang Rou, is this your Dao companion? What a handsome young man—you really are blessed."
Wang Rou's smile deepened.
"Wang Rou, your Dao companion looks quite young," said a man with sharp, blade-like eyebrows. "Could it be that he's..."
His tone carried an obvious insinuation.
The others around him chuckled quietly, catching his meaning—that the youth must be a pampered pretty boy living off Wang Rou's favor.
The women, meanwhile, exchanged glances, eyes glinting with subtle heat. If he truly was just a kept young man, then perhaps... they, too, could try their luck.
Wang Rou frowned slightly, a trace of anger rising in her clear eyes. "This is Master Yang from my Dao Academy. I currently serve as his assistant lecturer."
At those words, the entire room went still.
Master Yang?
A Dao Academy Master wasn't some common teacher—they were figures of immense prestige.
The crowd instantly realized they had misjudged.
The knife-browed man's face darkened with embarrassment, and the women who had been eyeing Yang Cheng quickly lowered their gazes, afraid that he might have noticed their disrespect.
"We didn't realize it was Master Yang himself," said a man in white robes who had been seated at the center. He stood up politely, his demeanor calm but respectful. "Please forgive us for not greeting you properly."
Wang Rou sent a discreet sound transmission to Yang Cheng. "Master, this man is Qi Yuan, young master of the Flowing Cloud Pavilion from our Horn Constellation Realm. His father is a deity-level cultivator."
"I'm only here today to accompany Wang Rou," Yang Cheng said evenly. "There's no need for formalities."
"Since Wang Rou teaches in the Alchemy Academy, may I ask," Qi Yuan said with a faint smile, "is Master Yang also from there?"
"Yes," Wang Rou answered. "Master Yang is an Alchemy Academy Master."
A wave of shock rippled through the room.
The Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy's highest-ranking divisions were the Alchemy Academy and the Sword Academy—and the Alchemy Academy Master's status was second only to the academy's elders themselves.
No one had expected that the calm, youthful man before them was such a figure.
A figure of such standing was unquestionably above everyone else present.
Yuan Wanchu clenched her teeth so tightly that her jaw ached. The jealousy burning inside her grew even fiercer, as though flames were eating at her heart.
After that, everyone's attitude toward Yang Cheng and Wang Rou became much more polite.
Wang Rou did most of the talking, while Yang Cheng only spoke occasionally, his calm responses centered mainly on matters concerning the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy.
"Don't underestimate Wang Rou," Qi Yuan said with a faint smile. "And don't look down on the Wasteland Realm just because it belongs to the Mayfly World. This place is far from ordinary—it has great potential for the future."
"Oh?" someone asked with interest. "How do you mean?"
"The Wasteland Realm is actually one of the ancient Origin Realms," Qi Yuan explained. "In the Primeval Era, it was one of the main birthplaces of the Great Dao itself. In the future, countless powers from across the heavens will descend here. This realm is destined to prosper greatly. On this matter, Hu Xuanli and Xu Ying can speak more clearly than I."
The man named Hu Xuanli gave a modest smile.
But Xu Ying couldn't resist boasting. "We've already begun cooperating with the Great Zhou of the Wasteland Realm. To be honest, we never expected that this seemingly barren realm would be filled with so many ancient relics. These relics may be undervalued here, but in other worlds, they're rare treasures—each one could sell for an astronomical price!"
"Really?" someone exclaimed.
"Of course," Xu Ying said proudly. "Just wait and see. In at most one year, our profits will reach at least five million supreme-grade spirit stones—and that's only the beginning!"
The others drew in sharp breaths.
"Old Hu, Xu Ying, you'd better bring us in on this deal," one man said quickly.
"Exactly," another added. "We've known each other for years, haven't we?"
"Come, let's toast to you two!"
Everyone began flattering Hu Xuanli and Xu Ying in turn, raising their cups and offering drinks one after another.
The prospect of such immense profit was enough to make anyone's heart stir.
As the compliments piled up and the power of the spirit wine began to take hold, Hu Xuanli grew slightly drunk and arrogant.
He pointed a finger toward Yang Cheng and said, "Master Yang, no offense, but while your status might be high, when it comes to earning spirit stones, you can't compare to us. Even as an Alchemy Academy Master, I'd wager it's hard for you to earn even one million supreme-grade spirit stones in a year, right?
Heh, but with our connections among the Great Zhou's noble clans—"
"Hu Xuanli!"
Qi Yuan's voice cut through the air like a blade, cold and sharp.
Hu Xuanli instantly sobered up. Sweat poured down his back as he realized he had nearly revealed something that should never have been spoken aloud.
Yang Cheng's eyes narrowed, a faint gleam flashing through them.
'Interesting,' he thought. 'I didn't expect to uncover something like this tonight.'
So, the Great Zhou already had rats—collaborators secretly dealing with forces from outside the heavens.
"Aristocratic clans..."
Yang Cheng's gaze turned cold and distant, his expression unreadable.
After the banquet ended, Yang Cheng immediately had Lin Shu send a message to his mother, the Empress Yun Liyue, instructing her to discreetly begin an investigation.
Half a month passed quietly.
Then, one morning, the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy was bustling with activity.
Many delegations from both the Horn Constellation Realm and the Azure Jade Realm had arrived.
"Master," Wang Rou reported, "the Chancellor wishes for you to represent the Alchemy Academy and demonstrate our alchemical skill to the visiting sects."
She hesitated briefly, then added, "Among the visitors from the Horn Constellation Realm is a fierce figure in the Alchemy Dao—a true Alchemy God. He's the one who created the Heavenly Profound Spirit Pill, a formula that shook the entire realm. The Alchemy Academy is counting on you to suppress his arrogance."
"The Heavenly Profound Spirit Pill," Yang Cheng murmured thoughtfully.
That pill was well known—not only in the Horn Constellation Realm but later across countless worlds.
Its materials were cheap, its effects potent, and its efficiency unmatched for its cost.
However...
That very pill would eventually be surpassed by another creation—Zuo Qiuming's Earth Spirit Heart Pill.
But now that Zuo Qiuming was long dead, no one would ever rediscover it.
Yang Cheng smiled faintly. 'Then I suppose I'll have to be the one to reintroduce it to the world.'