The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

Jiang Chuan nodded firmly without the slightest hesitation, "Okay, I promise you!"

Mu Chen smiled with relief. "Great! Come on, I'll take you to change your gear."

Afterwards, Mu Chen helped Jiang Chuan change into a set of black armor. The black armor was of excellent quality; it was not only lightweight and comfortable to wear, but also exuded an air of majesty. After putting on the black armor, Jiang Chuan looked even more dashing and heroic.

The two rode away from the camp, heading towards the Three Pine Trees behind it. The cold wind howled along the way, cutting their faces like knives. But Jiang Chuan's heart was filled with fighting spirit.

"Mu Chen, is there anything special about these three pine trees?" Jiang Chuan asked curiously.

Mu Chen's expression was solemn. "These three pine trees are an important stronghold behind our observation camp. Moreover, a strange thing happened here."

"Oh? What's wrong?" Jiang Chuan pressed.

Mu Chen sighed and said, "You should have heard of the mythical beast Zhu Yan, right?"

Jiang Chuan nodded. "I've heard a little about it. It's said that the appearance of the Zhu Yan has caused chaos throughout the world."

Mu Chen continued, "That's right. This Zhu Yan has appeared twice in the Heyang camp. The first time it appeared, it swallowed gold and iron, which is consistent with the records in ancient books, and it did not kill anyone. But the second time, it attacked the soldiers in an abnormal way, causing a lot of casualties. I suspect that there is something else behind this."

Jiang Chuan was startled. "Did that really happen? What happened next?"

"Later, my father, the Marquis of Heyang, personally intervened and repelled the Zhu Yan, which escaped. But this matter has always made me feel uneasy." Mu Chen frowned, his eyes full of worry.

As Jiang Chuan listened to Mu Chen's account, he gained a deeper understanding of the cruelty of war. In this chaotic world, there were not only conflicts between people, but also various mysterious and unpredictable beasts that could bring disaster at any time.

The biting wind howled like a roaring beast, raging behind the Heyang camp.

Jiang Chuan and Mu Chen rode their horses against the fierce wind and finally arrived at Sankesong.

At this moment, fifty knights clad in black armor were already waiting there. They stood tall and straight, like pine trees rooted to the earth, motionless in the cold wind, with only their cloaks fluttering wildly in the wind.

Seeing this, Mu Chen spurred his horse forward a few steps and said loudly, "Gentlemen, the siege has lasted for more than a month, and all the large siege weapons of my Heyang camp will soon be in place. Within three days, Weicheng will surely be breached by our army!"

His voice was firm and powerful, carrying far in the cold wind, as if it possessed an invigorating magic.

The knights were all very excited upon hearing this.

Mu Chen continued, "The Weicheng garrison suffered heavy losses after a month of fierce fighting. The heads of the nine great families are all trapped in the city. They are all afraid of death and do not want to die here. However, the remaining forces of the families who stayed in the six cities may not necessarily lead their troops to fight because Weicheng has fallen."

At this point, Mu Chen frowned slightly, his expression becoming serious: "But just now, the night patrol cavalry reported that they discovered a suicide soldier who had left the city to deliver a message. This person was carrying the patriarch's order and a secret letter mobilizing troops, which shows that the aristocratic families are still trying to seek help from outside."

Upon hearing this, the knights were immediately filled with righteous indignation, gripping their weapons tightly. Seeing this, Mu Chen shouted an encouragement: "Gentlemen, remain vigilant! Do not let a single assassin who ventures out of the city to deliver a message escape. The destruction of the powerful families hinges on this battle; this is the key to our victory!"

"Destroy the noble families!" "Destroy the noble families!" the knights shouted in unison, their voices echoing through the sky, as if tearing the cold night air apart. In this rousing cry, their morale reached its peak.

Afterward, the knights dispersed as arranged to carry out their missions. The sound of hooves gradually faded into the distance, leaving only Jiang Chuan and Mu Chen standing beneath the three pine trees.

Mu Chen turned to Jiang Chuan, forcing a smile: "Jiang Chuan, the army will set off early tomorrow morning. The siege equipment is already in place, and I think we still have some time. Why don't we have a little competition first, and let me see just how strong you really are?"

Jiang Chuan was slightly taken aback, then nodded happily: "Okay, Mu Chen, I've been wanting to find an opportunity to spar with you."

The two dismounted and tied their horses to a tree nearby. Mu Chen stretched his limbs and said, "Jiang Chuan, I'm suppressing my strength. Go ahead and attack with all your might, let me see what you're capable of."

Jiang Chuan took a deep breath and circulated the pure Yang energy within his body.

In an instant, he felt a surge of intense heat coursing through his body, rapidly converging in his right fist. With a roar, he charged towards Mu Chen like lightning.

Mu Chen was equally unyielding, getting into a fighting stance and ready for battle.

Jiang Chuan's right fist, imbued with powerful energy, slammed towards Mu Chen like a cannonball. Mu Chen quickly threw a punch to meet Jiang Chuan's attack.

"Boom!" The two fists collided in mid-air, producing a dull thud, like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

A powerful aura emanated from the two individuals, spreading outwards. The surrounding pine trees swayed violently, causing snow to fall from their branches. The warhorses nearby were also startled, neighing in fear.

As the smoke and dust cleared, Jiang Chuan and Mu Chen were seen to have each taken five steps back.

The two exchanged a glance, their faces filled with shock.

Mu Chen was shocked. He said incredulously, "Jiang Chuan, you just entered the Other Shore Realm, yet you can unleash the power of five cauldrons. This is simply unbelievable! You should know that ordinary Other Shore cultivators can only unleash the power of three cauldrons at most."

Jiang Chuan was also puzzled. He looked down at his fist and pondered to himself, "I do feel that I am much stronger than before. Could it be that Mu Chen said I am born with divine strength? But I haven't opened the three Heavenly Gates yet, so how can I have such great power?"

Mu Chen frowned and paced back and forth. After a moment, he raised his head and looked at Jiang Chuan: "No, this matter is too strange. I have to ask my father, Marquis of Heyang, Zhao Dun, for the truth. Let's go to the main camp commander's tent now."

Jiang Chuan nodded, and the two mounted their horses and galloped towards the main camp's commander's tent.

Along the way, the cold wind cut like a knife across their faces, but the doubts in their hearts made them oblivious to it.

Soon, they arrived at the commander's tent. The guards, seeing that it was Mu Chen and Jiang Chuan, quickly saluted and let them pass.

The two entered the military tent and saw Marquis Zhao Dun of Heyang sitting at his desk, looking at a military map with a furrowed brow.

“Father,” Mu Chen called out respectfully.

Zhao Dun looked up and saw Mu Chen and Jiang Chuan. He was slightly taken aback, then asked, "Chen'er, what brings you here at this hour?" Mu Chen stepped forward and recounted in detail the incident of his match with Jiang Chuan. Zhao Dun listened with surprise.

He looked at Jiang Chuan and said, "Young Master Jiang, why don't you throw a punch and let me see?"

Jiang Chuan took a deep breath and once again mobilized the pure Yang energy within his body.

He shouted and attacked Zhao Dun. Zhao Dun remained calm, extending his right hand and easily catching Jiang Chuan's fist.

The instant Jiang Chuan's fist made contact with Zhao Dun's palm, the oil lamp in the military tent suddenly went out, plunging the entire tent into darkness. Immediately afterward, a powerful force surged within the tent, and moments later, the oil lamp relit.

Zhao Dun released Jiang Chuan's fist, a smile of admiration on his face: "Young Master Jiang, what strength! May I ask who your master is?"

Jiang Chuan answered frankly, "My lord, my master is Xie Xuan, the Sword Emperor of the Nine Provinces."

"What?" Mu Chen's eyes widened in shock upon hearing this answer. He never imagined that Jiang Chuan, who had always called him brother, was actually the successor of Sword Emperor Xie Xuan.

Zhao Dun was also surprised. He nodded slightly and exclaimed, "A great teacher produces a great student! Sword Emperor Xie Xuan is a top-notch expert in this world. Young Master Jiang is young and promising. He will surely shine brightly in this land of Kyushu in the future."

Jiang Chuan humbly replied, "You flatter me, Lord Marquis. I am merely a beginner in the path of cultivation, and there is still much for me to learn and improve."

Zhao Dun smiled and waved his hand: "Young Master Jiang, there's no need to be modest. It is truly an honor for our army that you have joined our Heyang camp. With the help of a master like you, the destruction of the aristocratic families is just around the corner."

After leaving the commander's tent, Jiang Chuan and Mu Chen walked along the camp road.

Mu Chen was still in shock, glancing at Jiang Chuan from time to time as if he were getting to know his friend all over again.

"Jiang Chuan, you're really something! You're actually the successor of the Sword Emperor. How come you never told me?" Mu Chen said with a hint of reproach.

Jiang Chuan smiled and said, "Mu Chen, I didn't mean to hide it. I just think that the matter of apprenticeship is unimportant. Moreover, I hope to make a name for myself in this chaotic world through my own strength."

Mu Chen patted Jiang Chuan on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Good, you are indeed my brother, Mu Chen! However, with your strength, you will have to help me out more in the future."

The two men looked at each other and smiled, their laughter echoing along the camp road.

Even after leaving the commander's tent, Jiang Chuan's conversation with Mu Chen still lingered in his ears.

However, Jiang Chuan's doubts about his own power weighed heavily on his heart, like a boulder, and he couldn't shake them off for a long time. Although the two had a pleasant conversation, the confusion hidden deep in their hearts grew stronger.

In the end, Jiang Chuan decided to step into the commander's tent again to seek answers from Marquis Zhao Dun of Heyang.

Jiang Chuan stepped into the military tent and saw Zhao Dun deep in thought, facing the military sand table. After bowing respectfully, he directly voiced his question: "My lord, I apologize for disturbing you, but I am truly perplexed by my own strength. I am able to unleash power far beyond that of ordinary people even at the Other Shore Realm. I hope that you can enlighten me."

Zhao Dun raised his head, his eyes filled with admiration, and gestured for Jiang Chuan to sit down. He slowly said, "Young Master Jiang, the fact that you have this question shows your dedication to cultivation. The reason you were able to unleash the power of six cauldrons in the Other Shore Realm is because you possess the supreme divine body of the Innate Dao Embryo."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chuan's eyes were filled with shock and confusion.

Zhao Dun continued to explain: "You not only have the pure yang true qi obtained from cultivating the Pure Yang True Scripture, but also a primordial true qi in your body. This primordial true qi has spread throughout your 108 acupoints, resonating with the pure yang true qi, making the purity of your true qi far exceed that of ordinary cultivators."

Jiang Chuan looked down at his hands, as if he could see the two mysterious true energies within his body through his skin.

Zhao Dun continued, "Your innate true qi was cultivated through the qi-nourishing method taught by your master Xie Xuan, which filled all the acupoints of your body before you reached the Bitter Sea Realm. When you complete the Bitter Sea Realm, you will be able to use the innate true qi to refine your pure yang true qi, thereby reaching an extremely high realm. More importantly, while cultivating the Bitter Sea Realm, you already mastered the keys to the three Heavenly Gates, which means that you can break through to the Knowledge Subtle Realm at any time."

Jiang Chuan suddenly understood; he finally realized the source of his power.

At this moment, Zhao Dun looked intently at Jiang Chuan and said, "Young Master Jiang, since that's the case, why not take this opportunity to try to break through to the Zhiwei realm?"

Jiang Chuan took a deep breath and nodded emphatically. He walked to the center of the military tent, slowly sat down cross-legged, and began to circulate the Pure Yang True Scripture. In an instant, the Pure Yang True Qi within his body surged like a raging tide. At the same time, the latent innate True Qi was also awakened, merging with the Pure Yang True Qi and rushing towards the three Heavenly Gates.

The atmosphere inside the military tent was heavy.

Zhao Dun and Mu Chen stood quietly to the side, watching Jiang Chuan.

Mu Chen's eyes were full of concern and expectation, while Zhao Dun remained calm, as if he had expected all of this.

As Jiang Chuan was making his final push to break through to a higher realm, Zhao Dun whispered to Mu Chen a long-forgotten story: "Chen'er, have you ever heard the story of the old sword immortal Kong Zhou?"

Mu Chen shook his head slightly, his eyes full of curiosity. Zhao Dun continued, "When Kong Zhou was young, he was considered by everyone to be dull-witted. Until he was thirty, he was still stuck at the Other Shore Realm, showing no signs of breakthrough. However, when he was thirty-one, he chose to go into seclusion for forty-nine days. When he came out of seclusion, he broke through to the Supreme Realm overnight and eventually became a terrestrial immortal, famous throughout the Nine Provinces."

Mu Chen listened intently and couldn't help but ask, "Father, what exactly is the realm of these terrestrial immortals?"

Zhao Dun raised his head slightly, his gaze seemingly traversing time and space, and slowly said, "In legends, the terrestrial immortals, the Confucian sage, and the Buddha are regarded as the pinnacle of the Heavenly Dao. However, those who have reached these realms have never acknowledged this. As for the existence and truth of the immortal mountains, only a few people know about them, such as Kong Zhou and Li Muzhi."

A sense of awe welled up in Mu Chen's heart. He looked at Jiang Chuan, who was breaking through to a higher realm, and wondered to himself, "Jiang Chuan, how high will you go on this path of cultivation?"

At this moment, Jiang Chuan was immersed in a fierce battle. He felt as if his consciousness had transformed into a sharp sword, traversing through the meridians in his body and constantly impacting the three Heavenly Gates.

Each impact was accompanied by intense pain, but he gritted his teeth and, with unwavering willpower, launched attack after attack.

"Boom!" A loud noise resounded deep within Jiang Chuan's consciousness, and the first Heavenly Gate was successfully broken.

Immediately afterwards, the second and third Heavenly Gates shattered one after another. Jiang Chuan felt an unprecedented power surging within his body. His innate true qi and pure yang true qi merged perfectly, making the Bitter Sea true qi even purer and greatly enhancing his power.

Jiang Chuan slowly opened his eyes, a dazzling light shining within them. (End of Chapter)