Demon Suppression Pass, before the South City Gate.

Song Ciwan, Yu Wenxu, and the others gradually reined in their horses. Opposite them, the female general Wen Tingyu urged her horse forward, saluting with cupped fists and a smile.

Yu Wenxu’s expression became quite peculiar for a moment. Behind them, a stunned Xiang Qing and the others gradually came to their senses.

Xiang Qing, being young and more impulsive, reached out and quietly poked Cai An in the back. “General Cai, our Xing Lan Fairy made it onto the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List! Tenth place, did you hear?”

Cai An replied, “I heard, I heard! I’m not deaf, how could I not have heard?”

Ever since he had come back from the dead, his relationship with the Medical Cultivators had inexplicably grown closer.

Before, everyone respected him as a Deputy General, and there was a certain distance in their interactions with him. But from the moment a particular boundary was broken, everything changed.

“General Cai, to think the Grand General would send someone to receive her personally! Do you think General Yu sent word ahead?”

“Xing Lan Fairy killed Night Traveling Lamp, so it was inevitable she’d make it onto the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List. I just didn’t expect her to be tenth. Strange, why didn’t she just take over Night Traveling Lamp’s rank? How did she go straight to tenth place?”

“Exactly! If Xing Lan Fairy is tenth, then what about Ao Feng of the Dragon Race?”

“Maybe… maybe his rank dropped?”

Everyone exchanged glances. Suddenly, someone blurted out, “You know, for some reason, I feel a little awkward for Ao Feng of the Dragon Race.”

“Heh, I feel awkward for him, too!”

Everyone began to chuckle quietly. As they looked again at the white-robed young woman up ahead, her clothes fluttering in the wind, an indescribable sense of pride collectively swelled in their hearts.

As Wen Tingyu greeted her with such enthusiasm, Song Ciwan was keenly reminded of the treatment her true self, Song Zhao, had received upon first reaching tenth place on the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List.

Come to think of it, this was the second time Song Ciwan had reached tenth place on the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List.

Meanwhile, “Song Zhao,” who had first debuted at tenth place, was already third on the Celestial Pride List. One could only wonder what the limits of “Xing Lan” were.

Wen Tingyu invited Song Ciwan to sit in the Puppet Carriage, but dropped a startling comment amid the pleasantries. “Xing Lan Fairy, you are now tenth on the list. Word is, over on the Demon Race’s side, Ao Feng is quite dissatisfied and seems to be planning to issue a challenge.”

Song Ciwan’s mind was on Tushan Jing, as she was secretly pondering the “gap” between herself and the number one Celestial Pride. She replied casually, “Oh? Let him come, then.”

Her tone was so relaxed and nonchalant, it was as if they were discussing a casual dinner, not a challenge for the tenth spot among the Celestial Prides.

Wen Tingyu was momentarily speechless. She had intended to use this startling news to break the ice, seizing the opportunity to discuss strategies and gift some treasures—a perfect way to build a connection.

But who would have thought this Xing Lan Fairy would have such a reaction?

‘How was she supposed to continue the conversation after that?’

But Wen Tingyu didn’t dwell on it. She laughed freely and started by praising Song Ciwan, “Xing Lan Fairy, such impressive spirit! You are truly one of our Human Race’s finest Celestial Prides! As it stands, the Human Race holds nine spots on the Celestial Pride List, and the Demon Race only one. Sooner or later, one of us will take down that number one, Tushan Jing. We’ll make the Demon Race tuck their tails between their legs and retreat for thousands of miles, haha!”

This bold vision caused even Yu Wenxu, whose expression had been so peculiar, to relax a bit.

Wen Tingyu again invited Song Ciwan into the Puppet Carriage. This time, Song Ciwan didn’t refuse and boarded it gracefully.

After Song Ciwan was on board, Wen Tingyu made to get on as well to keep her company. But Yu Wenxu quickly grabbed her arm, his tone unfriendly. “Senior Sister Wen, isn’t this a bit low? I was the one who invited Xing Lan Fairy. Are you trying to poach her? Didn’t you already get a Medical Cultivator from the Kunshan Sect who’s on the verge of becoming a Six-star?”

Wen Tingyu smiled sweetly. “Whatever are you talking about, Junior Brother Yu? Is this poaching? I’m here on the Grand General’s orders to welcome Xing Lan Fairy. I’m not trying to pull her into my own squad! What’s this? Does Junior Brother Yu perhaps intend to recruit Xing Lan Fairy to serve under you?”

Yu Wenxu froze.

Initially, when he had personally led the team to post the official notice and recruit a Medical Cultivator, he had indeed harbored such intentions.

But after those couple of incidents in the Mingqiu Desert, Yu Wenxu had involuntarily lost his nerve.

Wen Tingyu patted his shoulder and gave him a look that said it all. She then boarded the Puppet Carriage to ride with Song Ciwan, playing the part of a dutiful escort.

The Puppet Carriage passed through the gates of Demon Suppression Pass, where a Six-star Level Mountain and River Mirror hung over the archway.

Sitting inside, Song Ciwan passed directly under the Mountain and River Mirror along with the carriage, which didn’t even slow down.

This time, she still felt that subtle, piercing sensation as the Mountain and River Mirror scanned her. But it was like one wisp of wind meeting another; by steadying her heart and calming her spirit, Song Ciwan was able to guard herself well, passing through the mirror’s light with a negligible expenditure of energy.

She had truly achieved that state of being: “Let him be as strong as he likes, a gentle breeze over the mountain. Let him be as fierce as he likes, the bright moon over the river.”

Back in the Mingqiu Desert, she had traded a century of cultivation time to practice the Fetal Breathing Saint Method. Though she had been focused entirely on mastering the technique and not on deliberately increasing her Cultivation, it had still progressed somewhat as a natural consequence of a hundred years of practice.

While she hadn’t jumped directly from Late-stage Divinity Transformation to Divinity Transformation Perfection, her True Qi had, through a natural and gradual process of refinement, become much smoother and more harmonious.

The benefits brought by this harmony were by no means inferior to a direct increase in her Cultivation level.

Once through the city gate, the Puppet Carriage sped toward Xun Wind Camp.

Wen Tingyu thoughtfully opened the window of the Puppet Carriage to introduce Song Ciwan to the various features of Demon Suppression Pass.

Demon Suppression Pass was a completely militarized city, unlike any Song Ciwan had ever seen.

Its roads crisscrossed in a complex bagua array formation, with ten major camps situated at key points. Gale Camp was in the center, serving as the main army encampment and the site of the Grand Governor’s Mansion.

Within Demon Suppression Pass, Identity Tokens were extremely important.

They were linked to a Cultivator’s own Divine Soul Aura, and the permissions on the token determined where its holder could go.

Most people could only move about within their assigned camps. To travel throughout the entirety of Demon Suppression Pass, one either needed a sufficiently high rank or temporary access credentials.

Wen Tingyu said, “We’ll go see the Grand General first. Afterward, once we go to Gale Camp and get your Identity Token’s permissions activated, we’ll be able to communicate with each other through them.”

Peering through the carriage window, Song Ciwan observed the layouts and wondrous architecture of Demon Suppression Pass while listening to Wen Tingyu’s explanations. That curious feeling she’d had before, a strange intermingling of mythology and science fiction, surged up in her once more.

‘The Identity Tokens are fascinating,’ she thought. ‘Demon Suppression Pass has actually established an independent communications network. The Puppet Sect clearly plays an extremely prominent role here. I heard the design of the Identity Tokens was even guided by one of the Puppet Sect’s patriarchs.’

Song Ciwan could hardly wait to activate her own Identity Token and get on Demon Suppression Pass’s messaging network to see for herself how magical it truly was.

Chatting as they went, the Puppet Carriage traversed countless crisscrossing roads before entering the Xun Wind Camp district and arriving at the Grand General’s Mansion.

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