The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

Chapter 179 Elder Wanshun urges young people to eat breakfast

“Luo Yifei, you’re wrong again.” Qi Yuan shook his head, his tone serious. “The upper and lower realms are not completely isolated. Everything we do may affect the upper realm. Master Qingwei’s prophecy may be a kind of guidance from the upper realm for us.”

"Then what should we do?" Shen Lixi's voice revealed a hint of confusion.

"We will keep moving forward," Qi Yuan said firmly. "No matter what lies ahead, we will stick to our beliefs. We are not prophets, but we are doers. We will use our own hands to create possibilities and change our destiny."

"It's late, go back and rest. Elder Wanshun will be here tomorrow, and perhaps he can clear up many of our doubts." Shen Lixi didn't try to comfort Luo Yifei anymore; he knew that Luo Yifei really wanted to go back to Earth.

Luo Yifei nodded. Although he was still confused, Qi Yuan's words seemed to give him a bit of strength. Shen Lixi and Qi Yuan helped Luo Yifei, and the three of them slowly walked back to the room together.

The next day, as the morning light streamed through the curtains and fell on Luo Yifei's face, he slowly opened his eyes, his head throbbing. He struggled to sit up and found that Shen Lixi and Qi Yuan were already up and talking quietly.

"You're awake?" Shen Lixi noticed Luo Yifei's movement and greeted him softly.

"Hmm." Luo Yifei rubbed his temples, trying to relieve the discomfort caused by his hangover.

"Elder Wanshun has arrived and is waiting for us in the hall," Qi Yuan added.

Luo Yifei took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay alert, and the three of them went to the hall together. Elder Wanshun was a kind elder, his deep eyes seemingly able to see into people's hearts. Nan Tian and Su An were sitting on either side of Elder Wanshun, and the three of them were having breakfast together.

"You've arrived." Elder Wanshun's voice was gentle yet firm. "I heard you're searching for answers."

“Yes, Elder,” Shen Lixi replied respectfully, “We want to know, what exactly is going on?”

Elder Wanshun smiled slightly, gesturing for them to sit down, and then slowly said, "Sit down and have breakfast. For those below the Mahayana realm, food is still an important source of energy."

"Elder, I've finished eating," Su An said first.

"There's no rush. Let's wait for your friends. Now that I've stayed on the Illusionary Continent, we have plenty of time." Elder Wan Shun picked up his soy milk and drank it. If you ignored his clothes, he looked no different from an old man having morning tea at a breakfast shop on Earth.

Luo Yifei and Shen Lixi exchanged a glance, then both sat down. Although Luo Yifei was anxious, he patiently began to eat breakfast. Qi Yuan, on the other hand, seemed calmer; he appeared to be used to this rhythm.

"Regarding your questions," Elder Wanshun put down his soy milk and glanced at the three of them, "the answer is actually not complicated; it's just that you haven't truly understood this world."

"This world?" Luo Yifei put down his chopsticks and asked in confusion.

“Yes, this world, and the Illusionary Continent where you are, are all part of a larger world system. Everything you have experienced is an indispensable part of this system,” Elder Wan Shun said slowly.

"Then how should we understand all of this?" Shen Lixi asked.

"First of all, you need to understand that whether on the Illusionary Continent or elsewhere, the source of power is the same: the understanding and application of the laws of nature," Elder Wanshun explained.

"Natural laws?" Qi Yuan repeated, seemingly deep in thought.

“Yes, the laws of nature. It includes the laws of matter, energy, space, and time. But to understand all this, we have to start from the beginning. If Su An had taken the history class at the Xuan Tian Sect, she could have told you about it, but it’s clear she’s been missing classes. Because of our sect leader’s favoritism, she hasn’t learned any of the courses that inner disciples should be learning,” Elder Wan Shun continued.

Su An didn't feel ashamed at all; on the contrary, he thought his elders were really too indecisive.

"Elder, please stop keeping us in suspense and just tell us," Su An couldn't help but interject.

Elder Wanshun smiled slightly, seemingly unconcerned about Su An's impatience. "Alright, since you're all so eager, I'll get straight to the point. The Illusionary Star Continent, like the Profound Heaven Continent, is built upon a complex set of natural laws. These laws not only determine the composition of matter but also influence the flow of energy and the structure of spacetime. The magic, martial arts, and even your cultivation you see are all applications and explorations of these laws."

"The source of this energy is the power of the Heavenly Dao, or the power of the world's origin. Legend has it that more than 1000 years ago, the last person to ascend to the upper realm stole the power of the Xuan Tian Continent's origin. This already scarce power of origin directly cut off the path to ascension for all cultivators on the Xuan Tian Continent. This person was also surnamed Luo, named Yang, and was a disciple of the Wuji Sect. During his cultivation, he offended Tang Jia of the Tang Sect and then destroyed the Tang Sect by his own power. However, it is said that Tang Jia's brother, Tang Hao, fled to the Fusheng Continent and re-established the Tang Sect there."

"You old man, this is the important point! What are you talking about with us about natural laws? You're just wasting our time," Luo Yifei thought to himself.

“The Tang Clan of the Floating Life Continent does indeed have a history of a thousand years, but its founder’s surname is Song,” Qi Yuan said.

"You're from the Floating Life Continent, aren't you? Didn't you go to climb the Heavenly Ladder?" Elder Wanshun asked.

"I missed it. And I don't want to go," Qi Yuan replied.

Elder Wanshun nodded and continued, "Tang Hao, using the alias Song Jie, founded the Tang Sect. However, the Floating Life Continent is a place that has long lost its spiritual energy, so his only way to ascend is to travel to another continent. Thus, he searched for various secret realms on the Floating Life Continent, hoping to travel to another world again. Later, he disappeared, and perhaps he succeeded. But the Wuji Sect will never let the Tang Sect go. The battle between Luoyang and Tang Hao made the two sects mortal enemies. After the Wuji Sect learned about the Tang Sect on the Floating Life Continent, they sent people to infiltrate the Tang Sect. To prevent the Wuji Sect from going berserk, our Xuantian Sect sent some people to the Floating Life Continent."

"Next, let's talk about the Illusionary Continent. The power of the Heavenly Dao in this world is also very strange; it is incomplete. The last person who wanted to ascend was more than 1000 years ago, but he did not succeed and instead merged with the Heavenly Dao. However, what's strange is that the incompleteness of the Heavenly Dao seems to have lessened. Theoretically, the Heavenly Dao is ruthless, but since then, the Heavenly Tribulations have never been as cruel as before."

"By integrating oneself into the Way of Heaven, one can complete the Way of Heaven and help future generations succeed," Shen Lixi said with emotion.

"The young man is very clever." Elder Wanshun nodded.

"Let's talk about Earth. It's a dead planet. Unlike the Floating Life Continent, where spiritual energy still exists in its various secret realms, Earth has absolutely no spiritual energy. A cultivator of the Time-Space Dao travels back and forth between these four worlds as if searching for something. He left behind many time-space tunnels as he traveled, and there's another person who's been tirelessly closing the time-space tunnels he opened. However, this cultivator of the Time-Space Dao should have already ascended to the Upper Realm, but he left behind a disciple. It's said that person is the recently famous Ye Fan."

"Wait, shouldn't ascension be impossible in all four worlds? When did this cultivator of the Time and Space Dao you mentioned come from?"

“At least ten thousand years ago. So this Ye Fan could not possibly be his disciple. It’s possible that he just encountered one of his avatars or a remnant soul left in the lower realm,” Elder Wan Shun replied.

“Yesterday we met someone who gave us a bamboo slip, saying it was related to Ye Fan.” Luo Yifei took out the bamboo slip.