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

Jiang Chuan was taken aback, then realized what was happening, reached out and pulled Yu Youwei into his arms, returning her kiss.

Yu Youwei gently pushed Jiang Chuan away and teased, "Your cultivation level isn't high, but you've got quite the nerve."

Jiang Chuan chuckled and said, "As the saying goes, 'To die at the knees of a beauty is to die a romantic death,' what does it matter if I die to receive a kiss from a girl?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Youwei blushed and said, "You're just being cheeky."

Jiang Chuan looked at her and said earnestly, "When I come down the mountain, you must warm the wine for me."

Yu Youwei blinked and said, "Then after you go down the mountain, you must pick flowers and compose poems to share the joy with me."

Jiang Chuan smiled and nodded, saying, "Of course."

Yu Youwei chided again, "Your skin is getting thicker and thicker."

Jiang Chuan said, "One day, you will become my wife."

The chaotic battle in the Southern Region caused a great upheaval, even disrupting the peace of the Northern Territory.

The Northern Territory has always been a place where hidden talents reside, and many prestigious families have established themselves here. Strangely, apart from the renowned Daoist sect, the Cloud Sea Immortal Sect of Tianzhu Mountain, the other sects all seem to have agreed beforehand to remain silent about the war in the Southern Region.

Of the five passes in the Northern Territory, Hulao Pass stands out as the foremost. Due to a battle between sages, the great protective array that once guarded the pass was instantly destroyed. The once impregnable pass, without the array's protection, suddenly became incredibly vulnerable.

After the battle, Zhang Wei rushed back to Dushan, while Tao Hongjing waited anxiously for Xie Xuan at Hulao Pass for ten days, but in the end, Xie Xuan never showed up.

Marquis of Heyang died on the battlefield, and the veteran general Lu Qian also passed away during this harsh winter.

Fortunately, Wang Lang stepped forward and stayed to guard Hulao Pass, leading his soldiers to clean up the devastated battlefield, hoping to restore some life to this war-torn land.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye, and Jiang Chuan and Tao Hongjing were finally about to leave the Southern Region and embark on their journey to the Cloud Sea Immortal Gate of Tianzhu Mountain in the Northern Zhou Dynasty.

There are seven countries in the Northern Territory, with the Great Zhou being the strongest. The Cloud Sea Immortal Sect of Tianzhu Mountain is the top Taoist sect in the Northern Territory, renowned far and wide.

For the past three months, Jiang Chuan has devoted himself to cultivation. In order to improve his strength, he has not hesitated to consume precious pills and has been cultivating diligently day and night. Finally, he has raised the "Dragon Elephant Divine Demon Art" to the second level, only one step away from the third level.

But Jiang Chuan was not satisfied with this and dared not slack off.

During the day, he focused on studying swordsmanship, meticulously refining each move and striving for perfection.

At night, they would begin to temper their bodies and refine their qi, focusing all their efforts on strengthening their bodies and consolidating their cultivation, all in order to gain more say in this world where the strong are respected.

On their way to Tianzhu Mountain, Jiang Chuan and Tao Hongjing came to a small mountain tavern.

They had been traveling for three days straight, enduring wind and rain, and were utterly exhausted.

Finally able to rest here for a while, the two of them breathed a long sigh of relief.

The restaurant was small, and inside sat some traveling caravans and passersby, all talking in hushed tones, creating a lively atmosphere.

Jiang Chuan and Tao Hongjing found a corner to sit down, ordered some food, and planned to have a good meal to replenish their energy.

Just as they were about to pick up their chopsticks, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from outside the restaurant.

Everyone turned to look and saw a group of bandits on tall horses rushing towards the tavern.

There were about a dozen bandits, led by a burly man named Ah Huang, who was clearly not a good person.

The bandits arrived at the tavern and swaggered in.

Ah Huang scanned the people in the shop, his gaze finally settling on the caravan's goods, revealing a greedy look.

"Hmph, these goods look pretty good. Brothers, we've got some good stuff to take today," Ah Huang said to his men, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

Upon hearing this, his men revealed malicious smiles, rubbing their hands together in anticipation of the robbery.

The caravan members immediately tensed up.

The caravan leader, a middle-aged man, quickly stepped forward, blocking the goods, and shouted, "Who are you? How dare you rob us in broad daylight? Don't you have any respect for the law?"

Ah Huang sneered disdainfully, "The law? In this desolate wilderness, I am the law. Brothers, charge! Seize all the goods!"

Ah Huang's gaze then fell on a girl dressed as a boy in the caravan.

The girl was beautiful and delicate, and even dressed in men's clothing, her lovely face could not be hidden.

Ah Huang's eyes lit up, and a lewd expression appeared on his face as he walked towards the girl: "Hey, I didn't expect there to be a beauty here. I've really hit the jackpot today."

The girl turned pale with fright and quickly hid behind her father, trembling all over.

Seeing this, the caravan leader was enraged. He drew his sword from his waist, pointed it at Ah Huang, and said, "If you dare to touch a single hair on my daughter's head, I'll fight you to the death."

Ah Huang, however, didn't care and laughed loudly: "You? Don't you even know your place?" As he spoke, he reached out to grab the girl.

The caravan leader swung his sword at Ah Huang.

Ah Huang easily dodged the sword and kicked the caravan leader in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

The rest of the caravan wanted to help, but were stopped by the bandits.

In an instant, the store was in chaos. Jiang Chuan, who had been sitting quietly eating in the corner, stood up.

He looked displeased and reached for a pair of wooden chopsticks on the table. With a flick of his wrist, the chopsticks flew out, striking the sword in the caravan leader's hand perfectly.

"Don't make a move yet," Jiang Chuan said, startling everyone present.

Ah Huang turned his head, looked at Jiang Chuan, and asked suspiciously, "Who are you? How dare you ruin my good time?"

Jiang Chuan did not respond to him, but slowly walked up to Ah Huang and said, "In broad daylight, you dare to forcibly abduct women and rob them of their property. Do you have no respect for the law?"

Ah Huang laughed loudly: "The law? Here, I am the law. Kid, you don't look like an ordinary person, but I advise you not to meddle in other people's business, or you'll regret it."

Jiang Chuan sneered: "I'd like to see what you can do to me."

Seeing Jiang Chuan's tough attitude, Ah Huang was furious. He waved his hand and shouted to his men, "Brothers, let's go together and teach this ignorant brat a lesson!" With that, he raised his broadsword and slashed down at Jiang Chuan.

Jiang Chuan easily dodged the attack.

He reached out his right hand and gently grabbed Ah Huang's wrist. Ah Huang felt a sharp pain in his wrist, and the large knife in his hand clattered to the ground.

Jiang Chuan kicked Ah Huang, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Seeing this, the other bandits surrounded Jiang Chuan and launched an attack. Jiang Chuan was agile and moved freely among the bandits. With each swing of his pair of wooden chopsticks, a bandit was injured and fell to the ground.

Ah Huang got up from the ground, and seeing how powerful Jiang Chuan was, he felt a little scared. He knew he had met his match today. But he was unwilling to give up so easily, so he said to his men, "Ignore this kid for now, rob the caravan of its goods first."

After saying that, he led a few of his men and charged towards the caravan again.

Jiang Chuan was furious upon seeing this and immediately stood in front of the caravan.

"If you want to steal something, you'll have to step over me first," Jiang Chuan said coldly.

Ah Huang gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, since you won't listen to reason, then don't blame me for being impolite. Brothers, let's go! We're not leaving until we've taken care of this kid."

Jiang Chuan took a deep breath and slowly drew his sword from his waist. Looking at the group of bandits in front of him, he sighed inwardly, "I just wanted to travel peacefully, but I ran into this. It's really not easy being on the road."

He raised his sword high, got into position, and prepared to fight these bandits.

"What...what do you want to do?" Ah Huang was so frightened that his face turned pale and his voice trembled.

"Hmph, now you know fear?" Jiang Chuan said coldly, "If it weren't for the fact that you're just small fry, I would have made sure your blood was spilled on the spot!"

The bandit leader and Ah Huang exchanged a glance, then turned and fled in a sorry state with their men.

The caravan members breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the bandits had fled.

Sun Ruohai stepped forward, cupped his hands in thanks to Jiang Chuan, and said, "Thank you for your help, young master. If it weren't for you, we would be in trouble today."

Jiang Chuan sheathed his sword and said with a smile, "It's my duty to help those in need. Old folks, where are you headed?"

Sun Ruohai sighed and said, "Our trip is to attend the mountain gate assembly held by the Yunhai Immortal Sect in Longhai County. The purpose of this assembly is to select young people with immortal spiritual roots to bring back to Tianzhu Mountain as disciples."

"Oh? Is that so?" Tao Hongjing became interested. "Then this mountain gate assembly must be very lively!"

Sun Ruohai nodded and said, "Yes, the annual mountain gate gathering attracts countless young people to participate. However, this gathering has another task, which is to capture the demon."

"Catch demons?" Jiang Chuan frowned. "Have there been any demons or evil spirits appearing in Longhai County recently?"

Sun Ruohai said in a deep voice, "That's right. Recently, there have been frequent demonic disturbances in Longhai County, causing panic among the people. The Yunhai Immortal Sect is holding this mountain gate assembly to give the young people some experience and to protect the people."

Tao Hongjing expressed curiosity about the situation in the north and asked, "What is the current situation in the north?"

Sun Ruohai shook his head and said, "The people of the seven kingdoms in the North are in a state of panic. It is said that a great demon among the alien races has risen and is preparing to unify the demon races of the North. Even the King of Dushan has submitted to this great demon."

Jiang Chuan was shocked. The strength of the King of Dushan was not to be underestimated. If there really was such a powerful demon, the situation in the Northern Territory would become even more complicated.

"This is really troublesome," Jiang Chuan muttered to himself.

Tao Hongjing suggested that Jiang Chuan participate in the Mountain Gate Assembly, and take the opportunity to eliminate demons, so that he could use his own abilities to enter the Zuowang Peak of the Yunhai Immortal Sect.

"Jiang Chuan, this is a great opportunity. If you can perform well at the mountain gate assembly, you might be able to enter Zuowang Peak and obtain better cultivation resources."

Jiang Chuan readily accepted, saying, "Alright, then let's head to Longhai County to attend this mountain gate assembly."

That evening, Tao Hongjing and Jiang Chuan discussed the path of cultivation in the pavilion. Inside, candlelight flickered as the two sat facing each other.

Jiang Chuan looked worried and said, "Brother Tao, I have recently encountered a bottleneck in my cultivation of the Pure Yang True Scripture, and I am also puzzled by the Five Elements Purple Mansion."

Tao Hongjing said, "The Five Elements Purple Mansion does not necessarily require the Five Elements True Qi, but can be condensed through sword intent. Think about it, although you do not have water-attribute True Qi, the Waterfall Sword Intent has generated Waterfall Sword Qi, which shows that sword intent is the key."

Jiang Chuan carefully recalled his cultivation process and found that it was indeed the case. "Brother Tao, you are right. I was previously obsessed with the Five Elements True Qi, but I neglected the importance of sword intent."

Tao Hongjing nodded and continued, "Although your sword intent is mixed, as long as you cultivate it to its extreme, you can condense a powerful Purple Mansion."

"Look, you possess three layers of sword intent: the Waterfall Sword of the Water element, the Thousand Willows Sword Intent of the Wood element, and the Fire element. If you can elevate the Thousand Willows Sword Intent to the Thousand Dragons Sword Intent, you will be able to condense an even more powerful Azure Dragon Purple Mansion."

"Brother Tao, thank you for enlightening me. I understand now. This is what they mean by 'The moon shines on all rivers, though the paths are different, they all ultimately lead to the Dao.'" Jiang Chuan bowed in thanks.

Tao Hongjing smiled with satisfaction and said, "It's good that you can understand it. Tomorrow I will return to Yunhai Immortal Sect first, while you will participate in the sect's grand assembly on your own, stand out from the crowd with your own strength, and enter Zuowang Peak. I believe you can do it."

Jiang Chuan nodded and said, "Brother Tao, don't worry, I will definitely win the opportunity to enter Zuowang Peak at the Mountain Gate Assembly."

As dawn broke, Jiang Chuan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, ending his all-night cultivation.

He opened his eyes, his gaze seemingly sparkling with starlight before quickly returning to calm.

"There is indeed a vast chasm between understanding and doing."

Jiang Chuan looked down at Qing Lin in his arms.

The little snake curled up in a ball, its breathing even and long. Ever since the fierce battle at Hulao Pass, Qinglin had been in a deep sleep.

Jiang Chuan gently stroked the scales of the blue scales with his fingertips, and could clearly feel the surging spiritual power contained within them.

"The realm of subtle understanding... This little fellow has actually turned misfortune into a blessing in disguise."

He recalled Tao Hongjing's enigmatic expression and shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Brother Bai, are you up?" Sun Ruohai's cheerful voice came from outside the door.

Jiang Chuan collected his thoughts and carefully placed Qing Lin into the specially made spirit beast pouch in his robes: "Brother Sun, please come in."

The wooden door opened, and Sun Ruohai's imposing figure appeared in the doorway.

The caravan leader was about forty years old, with a resolute face, piercing eyes, and an ancient-looking short knife hanging at his waist.

"Was your cultivation successful last night?" Sun Ruohai asked with a smile, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Chuan with a hint of surprise. "It seems you gained quite a bit."

Jiang Chuan smiled slightly: "I've learned a little. Brother Sun, is there something you need so early?"

"The caravan is about to set off, and I'd like to invite Brother Bai to have breakfast together," Sun Ruohai said, rubbing his hands together. "By the way, are you heading to Longhai County?"

Jiang Chuan nodded: "That's right, I'm here at Senior Tao's request to attend the Cloud Sea Immortal Sect's mountain gate assembly."

"What a coincidence!"

Sun Ruohai slapped his thigh. "Our caravan is also heading to Longhai County to deliver goods. How about we travel together? There are quite a few bandits along the way. With a cultivator like Brother Bai with us, we'll feel more at ease."

Jiang Chuan thought for a moment and then agreed: "Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Sun."

The caravan's breakfast was simple yet plentiful: steaming rice porridge with pickled wild vegetables and several golden-brown baked flatbreads. (End of Chapter)