After a while, Ye Guan finally laughed. "Yes, you'll be with me, Master Pagoda."

Master Pagoda also laughed.

Just then, the blue-robed man said, "I'm leaving now, little guy."

Ye Guan looked at the blue-robed man and asked, "Are you not going to say goodbye to Senior An?"

The blue-robed man smiled and said, "Forget it."

With that, he transformed into a streak of sword light, disappearing into the vast starry sky.

Ye Guan smiled and shook his head as he stared at the disappearing sword light. His grandfather had left as abruptly as he appeared.

"What are you going to do now?" Master Pagoda asked.

"I'm going home before anything else," Ye Guan replied. Then, he turned around and disappeared into nothingness.

***

The Zhen Clan's grand hall was filled with their strongest members; they were all silent and solemn.

They had just received a piece of certain explosive news—the top-tier supreme elites of the Primordial Spirit Clan were dead.

The Primordial Spirit Clan was a formidable clan with experts at ninety percent divinity, but they couldn't even withstand the Guanxuan Academy.

Zhen Tian swept his gaze across everyone and asked, "What do you guys think?"

After a long silence, an elder sighed. "The strength of Guanxuan Academy has greatly exceeded our expectations."

The attacker wasn't the woman in a plain skirt but a blue-robed swordsman, who was apparently Ye Guan's grandfather.

The blue-robed man was an extremely powerful top-tier supreme elite!

Clearly, the Guanxuan Academy had terrifying strength, and they had been hiding it from everyone all this while.

Zhen Tian swept his gaze across everyone once again and said, "Tomorrow, I will go to Guanxuan Academy to discuss the matter about our Zhen Clan joining the Guanxuan Academy. Does anyone have any objections?"

Everyone shook their heads.

Zhen Tian nodded slightly, feeling relieved. Although the Zhen Clan had already decided to join Guanxuan Academy, the differing opinions within the clan had delayed their move.

Now, everyone was in agreement. They all understood that if they didn’t join now, their future would become questionable.

Just then, an elder said, "Nanxue and Young Master Ye..."

The Zhen Clan members perked up. If a marriage alliance was made, the Zhen Clan would reap a ton of profits.

"The youngsters should handle that themselves," Zhen Tian replied calmly. He was hoping that Zhen Nanxue and Ye Guan would tie the knot, but he also knew that the clan couldn't interfere between the two. Any interference could backfire, after all. They couldn't afford to take that much risk, so it was best to let nature take its course.

Zhen Nanxue entered the hall just then. Everyone turned to look at her, and the elders smiled warmly at her.

Zhen Nanxue’s status within the Zhen Clan was now second only to the clan leader, Zhen Tian.

Zhen Tian also smiled and asked, "How have you been finding your time at the Immortal Treasures Pavilion?"

"The scale of the Immortal Treasures Pavilion has far exceeded my expectations," Zhen Nanxue replied, sounding solemn. The Immortal Treasures Pavilion had truly impressed her. The organization had a presence throughout the vast expanse and was still rapidly expanding. Despite its aggressive growth, it was stable and financially sound, which were impressive feats. Their stability was due to a highly competent team of millions of top-tier talents from many worlds and universes. These individuals weren't the best in terms of cultivation, but their business acumen and management skills were exceptional. With such a strong team and ample resources, the Guanxuan Academy's future was incredibly bright.

Curious, Zhen Tian asked, "What do you mean?"

Zhen Nanxue then recounted her experiences and observations from her time at Immortal Treasures Pavilion.

The Zhen Clan members listened intently, and they fell into deep contemplation after hearing her account.

After a moment, Zhen Tian softly said, "If I'm not mistaken, Master Qin is strategizing for the future."

Zhen Nanxue looked at Zhen Tian. "Strategizing?"

"She genuinely aims to help Young Master Ye unify the entire vast expanse, and she's establishing a comprehensive economic and judicial system for him."

Zhen Tian's expression turned serious as he said, "Our Zhen Clan must join Guanxuan Academy as soon as possible. In the future, all forces will have to bow before the Guanxuan Academy's laws."

The solemn faces of the Zhen Clan members reflected their understanding of the gravity of the situation. They knew they had to join the Guanxuan Academy as soon as possible. They were free to choose otherwise, of course. After all, Young Master Ye valued relationships. However, it wouldn't be that easy for them to join in the future. Moreover, the passage of time would certainly erode their relationship with Young Master Ye.

Zhen Nanxue suddenly spoke, "I have good news to share with everyone."

Zhen Tian quickly asked, "What good news?"

Zhen Nanxue smiled and explained, "Master Qin has appointed me to oversee the trade association in this part of the universe. Additionally, she has asked me to recruit talents from our Zhen Clan."

The Zhen Clan elders were visibly excited at Zhen Nanxue's revelation. The Zhen Clan's standing was bound to grow along with Zhen Nanxue's power in the Immortal Treasures Pavilion.

"I want to bring some of our clan members away for training in the Immortal Treasures Pavilion," said Zhen Nanxue.

Zhen Tian laughed and said, "Feel free to choose."

Zhen Nanxue nodded. "In addition to that, I have another concern that needs your full support."

Zhen Tian asked, "What is it?"

"Clan Leader, I want our clan members to start learning the Guanxuan Law."

Zhen Tian was a bit surprised. "The Guanxuan Law?"

"At Immortal Treasures Pavilion and Guanxuan Academy, adherence to the Guanxuan Law is mandatory. The younger generation of our clan is used to freedom, but following the Guanxuan Law requires becoming humble and restrained. I'm worried that they might—"

Zhen Tian suddenly stood up, interrupting Zhen Nanxue. Then, he said, "If we don't take the initiative to change now, when are we going to change? Once we have no choice but to do so? Pass down my orders—from now on, everyone must learn the Guanxuan Law, including the younger generation of our clan. The Guanxuan Law will also take precedence over our clan rules."

Zhen Tian paused and swept his gaze across his clan members before adding, "Our Zhen Clan must also fully support the policies of the Guanxuan Academy, and we must follow their lead without wavering."

The Zhen Clan elders remained silent, showing no opposition to his decision.

Zhen Tian looked up at the sky outside and said, "Everyone, I know that this is going to be challenging, but this is a golden opportunity for our Zhen Clan. If we seize it, our clan will undoubtedly become a superpower in the future..."

Simply put, if the ancestors were to make the right choices, the descendants would enjoy the profits.

Zhen Tian had no idea, but his decision today would transform the Zhen Clan into a powerful and terrifying force throughout the vast expanse in the distant future.

***

Upon returning to Guanxuan City, Ye Guan wanted to train with An Nanjing, but Qin Guan summoned him.

Ye Guan soon found himself inside a hall with no one inside except for his mother.

Qin Guan asked, "Where's your grandfather? Has he left?"

Ye Guan nodded. "Yes."

"What did he say to you?"

"We talked about cultivation realms and the path I must take in the future."

Qin Guan sighed and said, "Your father didn’t get such treatment back then."

Ye Guan hesitated before asking, "How was their relationship back then?"

"I'm sure you already know, but your grandfather was raised with little parental guidance, and he raised your father the same way. Unfortunately, he went a bit too far—your father hardly ever felt any affection from him.

"I think your grandfather is treating you kindly to try and make up for his past mistakes."

Ye Guan remained silent.

Qin Guan smiled. "It's not just him. The Yang Clan elders also treat you well for similar reasons. I'm not sure if you know, but your father almost broke ties with the Yang Clan back then..."

Ye Guan nodded slightly and replied, "Master Pagoda told me about it."

"Thus, we didn't dare to let you grow up completely unchecked. At the same time, we're afraid of you becoming a spoiled, lazy arrogant young master, so we've been trying to find a balance. Unfortunately, it was very difficult."

Ye Guan smiled. "Mother, I can handle the path ahead by myself."

"I believe you," Qin Guan said with a smile.

"Is there something important you want to discuss with me?"

"Let's talk about the future."

Ye Guan's ears perked up.

"The Guanxuan Universe, the True Universe, the Time River, and the Old Era are basically under our control now..." Qin Guan trailed off. She looked at Ye Guan and smiled before asking, "Do you know what that means?"

Ye Guan blinked but said nothing.

"The combined population of these places are in the billions..."

Ye Guan's expression grew serious.

"There are many factions within our Guanxuan Academy, and their conflicts are all very complex. They have yet to erupt, but it's all because we're here to keep them all in check. What might happen once we're gone? The academy could collapse like a dam, plunging the world into chaos."

"Like what happened with the First God..." Ye Guan remarked.

Qin Guan nodded slightly and said, "Yes, the First God's undoing his overreliance on his people. He forgot to consider that human nature is inherently greedy. While he was present, there were no issues, as he was there to suppress everything, but those beneath him inevitably sought to acquire profits as soon as he passed away..."

Qin Guan stared deeply at Ye Guan and advised, "You have to be aware of this."

Ye Guan noticed something strange and asked, "Mother, are you leaving soon?"

Qin Guan smiled. "Yes."

"Where are you going?" Ye Guan asked.

Qin Guan replied, "Because of your grandfather, a civilization has invited me to visit them, and I've decided to take a look."

Ye Guan was curious. "Which civilization?"

"The Gui Zhe Civilization. And they are very, very far away from here."

Ye Guan revealed a hesitant look.

Qin Guan noticed that and asked, "Do you want to come with me?"

Ye Guan nodded.

Qin Guan smiled slightly and replied, "No, you have many things to handle here, like Little Jia and Cishu... they're about to give birth."

"Are they going to be the next generation of Chosen Ones?" Ye Guan asked.

Qin Guan smiled and shook her head. "That culture has ended with you."