This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

"What did you say? Your name is Daji?"

He wondered if he had misheard. Daji, a household name, could it be a coincidence?

"You're surprised you know my name?" The girl put down her chopsticks, somewhat surprised, and stared at Xiao Xingchen. A mysterious pattern flashed in her eyes, as if she wanted to see Xiao Xingchen clearly.

"Surprised? More than surprised, I'm going crazy! First it was Pigsy, then Monkey King, and now Daji is here. I must have drunk too much. What on earth is going on?"

Xiao Xingchen crouched on the ground, clutching his head. He absolutely refused to believe it was all a coincidence. The characters from those legendary books kept appearing after he transmigrated—it was too outrageous!

The little tiger, who had originally run back to seek revenge, calmed down when it saw the frantic Xiao Xingchen squatting on the ground. It ran to Xiao Xingchen's feet and licked him.

"Ouch..."

Xiao Xingchen snapped out of his reverie, then let out a long sigh and sat down again.

"Girl, who gave you this name?"

"Your question is strange. Of course, your name is given by your parents. Didn't your parents give you your name?"

"Do you know Nuwa?"

"Nuwa? Who is that?"

"Oh, you don't know him? Do you know King Zhou?"

The girl shook her head, puzzled by Xiao Xingchen's reaction. She didn't understand why he reacted so strongly simply by mentioning his name.

"Where's Jiang Ziya? You can't possibly forget him, can you?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? Can't you speak properly?"

"Don't you recognize them? Is it really just a coincidence?" Xiao Xingchen asked again.

"Then why did you save me?"

"Because I need the people behind you to help me, and the poison of destiny can't be administered to just anyone."

"Help you? What's wrong?"

"You don't need to know this. Now let's talk about you. Are you really just a member of the Xiao family?"

"What else could it be? Emperor Wu sent the eldest son of the Xiao family to the capital to receive his title, a journey from which there is no return. I didn't want to die, so I ran away outside Yong'an City, all the way here. Anyone who goes out and asks will know about this."

The girl looked thoughtful, and Xiao Xingchen also suddenly fell silent. Each was lost in their own thoughts, carefully considering the other's words.

"How about we make a deal?"

Suddenly, the girl broke the silence.

"Yes, go ahead. I'm living under someone else's roof, so there's no need for any deals. If you need my help, just ask. I'm loyal enough to oblige you."

"Alright, if you help me, I will certainly not treat you unfairly. How about you take me out of Cangshan?"

"Huh? What does this mean?"

Xiao Xingchen looked up and saw that all roads lead to Rome, and since he had his own legs, why would he need to carry them?

"For certain reasons, I cannot leave Cangshan without permission; I need someone to take me away, and you happen to be the one who can do that."

"Okay, it's nothing."

Xiao Xingchen agreed without hesitation. In his eyes, was this even a big deal? Perhaps influenced by his past life, he didn't consider why a young girl would be trapped in Cangshan, nor did he consider the dangers of Cangshan and why the girl could survive safely there.

Moreover, he overlooked an important matter: since arriving at the girl's place, all the dangers of Cangshan seemed to have vanished, even the royal pursuers had disappeared. This thatched hut was practically a paradise on earth.

These are questions he might have considered if he had integrated into this era, but for now, he is still a modern person. In modern society, there are no uninhabited areas; traces of people are everywhere, so this is not surprising at all. Therefore, these things have not attracted his attention.

His reaction clearly startled Daji; this straightforward answer was obviously unexpected.

"I thought you would refuse,"

"Refuse? Why? I'm a man, it's only right that I take a woman out of Cangshan. I've already agreed to this small favor, is there anything else you need me to do?"

"Yes, I have no relatives or friends. After we get out, I will need to stay by your side."

"It's not that I can't have you by my side, but I have no car, no house, no savings. Raising a little tiger is already exhausting. If you join us, we might go hungry."

"I don't care about money. If you don't have money, just earn it. With your abilities, I don't think you'll have a problem making ends meet."

Xiao Xingchen stared at Daji intently for a few more moments. Having such a beautiful woman by his side wasn't necessarily a bad thing; he wouldn't lose out. Besides, the girl's various skills might save his life in a critical moment—she was essentially a free bodyguard. After all, once they left, the threat of the Martial Emperor would be ever-present.

With that in mind, he immediately agreed.

"Don't worry, as long as I have food, you'll have water. Now there's one last question: what's the deal with that broken sword?"

"You don't need to know those things for now. As a reward for your help, I can help you become a sword immortal and embark on the path to the Nine Heavens."

The girl smiled sweetly, and the room seemed to bloom with joy. Her beauty made Xiao Xingchen's heart itch; marrying a woman like that would be incredibly lucky.

"I know about becoming a sword immortal, but the Nine Heavens? What does that mean?"

Xiao Xingchen became interested. This was a world where cultivation was possible, but neither the information given to him by the Martial Emperor nor the information from Xia Buyu had explained how to cultivate. Now it seemed that Daji was going to teach him. He immediately straightened up, abandoning his carefree attitude, and focused on his studies.

The path to the Nine Heavens signifies the path to the heavens. It begins with one, is established at three, completes at five, flourishes at seven, and reaches its zenith at nine. Therefore, there are nine heavens, each a world unto itself; hence, the Nine Heavens.

In this world, there are many people who transcend ordinary mortals. Why do they transcend? Because they stand atop the ninth heaven. The distance between heaven and earth is ninety thousand miles. Once one reaches the first heaven, it means completely shedding one's mortal form and gaining the qualification to ascend to the ninth heaven.

There are nine types of sword immortals: water, fire, air, wind, celestial immortals, spirits, and ghosts, plus the unorthodox sword immortal who encounters the sword.

These nine types of sword immortals represent different cultivation methods, much like Buddhist cultivators, sword cultivators, and demon cultivators; they are distinctions within the same category.

However, regardless of the method of cultivation, there are nine levels of cultivation.

The first level, the Lingtai, is where the spirit resides. Here, qi and blood transform into yang qi, which enters the central palace. This signifies embarking on the path to the ninth level, granting one various supernatural powers. As long as qi and blood do not decline, they can be transformed into yang qi to use various attack methods.

The second heaven, Fusang, is associated with the element of wood, representing a life force that breaks through the limitations of mortals, reaching a point where it can last for over a hundred years.

The third heaven is Changfeng, the fourth heaven is Tongtian, the fifth heaven is Kunlun, the sixth heaven is Qingxu, the seventh heaven is Taixu, the eighth heaven is Hongmeng, and the ninth heaven is Yujing.

These nine heavens represent the world's power system. The Celestial Sword Immortals, as people are familiar with, are actually a cultivation system. Weak Celestial Sword Immortals cannot defeat high-level Water and Fire Sword Immortals. Each heaven represents a formidable chasm, and crossing this chasm is extremely difficult.

Now you understand, the Nine Heavens Jade Capital can be seen as a celestial tread, and all living beings beneath it are but ants.

"Consider this my way of repaying you for your help. As for how far you can go, that depends on your own destiny. Breaking through the ninth heaven is not just about having enough strength; you also need a matching mind."