Bold Guesses

"I am astonished that the legendary, mysterious, and incredibly skilled Supervisor is so young, beautiful, and so witty and humorous."

Jiang Chao said with a frank expression.

"I like hearing that. Say more."

A smile returned to the girl's face, as if she were in a great mood.

"Before coming here, I always thought that the legendary Supervisor was a wise and learned old man with white hair and beard, and a sage-like demeanor. I never expected that the Supervisor's true appearance was that of a beautiful young girl."

Since the other party enjoyed listening, Jiang Chao didn't hold back his praise and showered them with compliments.

Although Jiang Chao's literary talent was not outstanding, he could easily come up with words of praise and flattery.

After all, all those martial arts novels I read in my youth weren't for nothing.

The various forms of praise made the supervisor overjoyed and beam with delight.

That suffocating, intimidating aura vanished instantly, replaced by a warm smile and kind eyes.

Even her light eyebrows have become softer.

Jiang Chao realized that he could move again; the other party's strange restraining method had been lifted.

"I forgive you because you are still young."

The girl said, "Also, don't keep calling me 'Lord Supervisor.' I have a name. You can call me Xu Miaozhen, or you can call me Sister Miaozhen, whichever you prefer."

Xu Miaozhen...

What is the name of the supervisor?

The name does have a somewhat ethereal feel to it.

But the person was quite different, completely different from his imagined image, so much so that it was hard for him to accept it at first.

"Sister Miaozhen."

Jiang Chao, ever flexible, immediately changed his address to the girl by her name, saying, "I wonder what you meant by 'opponent' that Sister Miaozhen mentioned earlier?"

Xu Miaozhen laughed and said, "I was just teasing you, you actually took it seriously?"

Jiang Chao: "..."

How could you, the head of the Imperial Observatory, be so bored?

"Is it meaningful to say such things to tease a junior like me?" Jiang Chao thought to himself.

"However, it wasn't all a joke."

Xu Miaozhen suddenly became serious. Jiang Chao was still a little unaccustomed to the change in her expression, and quickly said, "Please enlighten me, Sister Miaozhen."

Xu Miaozhen said, "This is a long story. I have been in charge of the Imperial Observatory for decades. During this time, I discovered some clues that are quite unusual."

"Among the martial arts masters who are famous in the martial arts world, some of them will mysteriously disappear a few years after they become famous."

"Their whereabouts are completely unknown to ordinary people, who cannot even perceive that they have vanished from this world."

"To those who know them well, the other person may simply have gone somewhere else, or be traveling elsewhere, but that's not actually the case."

"These people simply vanished, along with most of the martial arts fortune they carried."

"It was as if there was an invisible force in the world that was devouring these martial arts practitioners who possessed the luck of martial arts, and at the same time, this force was also growing stronger."

Xu Miaozhen's tone was tinged with fear.

It's hard to imagine that someone who has seen so many storms and experienced so much of the world would actually reveal such emotions.

And this was done in front of Jiang Chao, an outsider.

Jiang Chao did not interrupt the other person, but listened quietly to their story.

"Back then, I persuaded your father, Jiang Buwen, to join several other experts from the Xuanmen sect in investigating this matter, but in the end, we found nothing."

"The families of those missing martial arts masters even thought we had ulterior motives and wanted to take advantage of them to extort money from them, and regarded us as evil people."

At this point, a look of helplessness appeared on Li Miaozhen's beautiful face. "It's really impossible to defend ourselves. We were clearly helping them find their relatives, but we were mistaken for having ulterior motives. It's so unfair."

Ultimately, it had to be dropped.

Upon hearing what the other person said, Jiang Chao's brows furrowed, his heart filled with a sense of absurdity.

Martial arts masters have disappeared without a trace, and those close to them haven't noticed? In fact, in their minds, these people are still alive and well and haven't vanished?

This... doesn't it sound like some kind of strange tale that defies the norms of the martial arts world today?

Seemingly noticing Jiang Chao's confusion, Li Miaozhen continued:

"Over the years, I have been searching for the source of this mysterious power, but I have never found a clue. Now, the world has changed again, and things that should not have appeared have begun to appear frequently. I suspect that this matter may be related to those people who disappeared back then."

"Or rather, what happened back then was an ominous harbinger of the great changes that are happening in the world today."

She looked at Jiang Chao, a hint of worry showing in her eyes, which were full of stories.

"The world we live in is about to change. When that mysterious power is fully restored, we mortals will face annihilation."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chao remained silent for a long time before shaking his head.

He disagreed with this statement, and although he didn't know how to explain it, he had a premonition.

If that day ever comes, it will only be an opportunity for ordinary people living in this world to rise up.

Rather than some catastrophic disaster.

"Sister Miaozhen, is it possible that this is some kind of ethereal Heavenly Dao, a way to filter out mortals?"

Jiang Chao suddenly spoke up.

Xu Miaozhen was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"I have a very bold guess."

Jiang Chao said, "Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs. I suppose Sister Miaozhen has heard this saying as well. Then the way of heaven must be the same. I wonder if Sister Miaozhen has heard of the Eternal Heaven? It is said that this region is another realm outside of the world we live in."

"The creatures here have long lifespans and great supernatural powers. They can not only live forever, but also fly through the sky and escape into the earth, summon wind and rain, and transform in countless ways."

"If we consider it as a region, this Eternal Heaven is no different from a great world, and the world we live in is just a part of that great world."

"The myths and legends that circulated among the people in the past were not unfounded, but real. They are traces left over from when our world was divided, passed down from person to person to this day."

Jiang Chao recounted his speculations and deductions made over the past few days.

"I have heard that there is a saying among the various mystical sects in the world."

"The so-called Heaven does not accept talismans, Earth does not accept alchemical texts, magic is forbidden, elixirs are useless, and supernatural powers are forbidden."

"It must be because when the world was divided, the path for mortals to advance was cut off, and the way for mortals to ascend was severed, that's why it is like this."

"In today's world, only the path of martial arts reigns supreme. This is because the path of martial arts cultivates oneself, taking the tendons, bones, blood, and flesh as its foundation. It is not bound by too many constraints of heaven and earth, so it can develop and grow stronger. In the end, it is favored by the heavenly fortune and stands out, becoming the key force to stabilize the balance of this world."

Jiang Chao's Qilin bloodline, the unique heritage of the Fengxue Temple, the dragon that appeared in the Yunmeng Mountain area, the elusive ancient temple that is said to be the place where Buddha suppressed evil spirits, and the little monk who exists like a bound spirit in the ancient temple.

Add to that the mountain god Shi Gandang, who was transformed from a spirit stone, the sisters Jin Yu and Qing Ling, whose identities and origins must be extraordinary, and even Bai Su Niang in her ghost form. With all these things combined, Jiang Chao could hardly help but suspect that this world was originally a cultivation world that gathered great power!

Tens of thousands of years ago, some unknown event occurred, which ultimately led to the depletion of spiritual energy and the severance of the path to immortality. The mortals left in this world could only explore on their own based on some remaining information, which led to the differentiation of different cultivation systems.

Martial arts, wandering sorcerers, practitioners of esoteric arts...

Qi cultivators might be the closest thing to cultivators back in the day!

The sorcerer is a branch that evolved from the aura master.

As for the path of martial arts... it is very likely a physical cultivation path that mortals explored when they were cultivating to become immortals!

The ethereal and elusive Heavenly Dao subtly influences the perceptions of most mortals, leading them to mistakenly believe that immortals and gods do not exist, or that they exist but are unattainable.

Only a small number of people, those who stand at the pinnacle of this world, can glimpse even a corner of the truth.

For example, the successive temple abbots of their Fengxue Nian must have realized some kind of truth, which is why they disregarded their own safety and risked their lives to go to that unknown place to find out!

After hearing Jiang Chao's shocking and audacious conjecture, Xu Miaozhen remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, Xu Miaozhen finally spoke softly:

"If it's really as you say, then... it might actually be a good thing."

"True gods and immortals...may exist."

Jiang Chao nodded, "That's exactly right."

"...and it exists in another realm beyond the reach of us mortals, while we who are in this world are trapped..."

Xu Miaozhen muttered to herself, subconsciously reaching out to grab the fruit plate on the desk, holding it in her arms, and grabbing a handful of melons, fruits, and flower petals, stuffing them haphazardly into her mouth and chewing.

This helps to calm the inner turmoil and anxiety.

Jiang Chao realized that this supervisor was a glutton.

They've only been together for a short time, but they've already eaten several times.

I don't even know how to give way to others...

Recalling his earlier refusal of the other party's kindness, Jiang Chao couldn't help but feel a little regretful; he should have agreed in the first place.

He had just talked so much that his mouth was extremely dry.

Jiang Chao watched as the other person devoured the fruit, which was full of melons, fruits, and flower petals that he had never seen before but must be of high value and extraordinary origin. He couldn't help but swallow hard.

"Sister Miaozhen, do you have any more of these foods?"

Jiang Chao asked.

Hearing his words, Xu Miaozhen came back to her senses, paused for a moment, then nodded and waved her hand again, and a fruit plate appeared in front of Jiang Chao.

Jiang Chao took the fruit without hesitation, grabbed a handful of purple fruits whose names he didn't know, and stuffed them into his mouth.

Jiang Chao's eyes lit up the moment he tasted the uniquely shaped fruit.

This is great stuff!