Ota Zhou, far from finding any of this troublesome, was positively delighted to oblige. Had Wei Zhao truly met with misfortune in the secular world, he might well have let the tea go cold once the guest had left; but since Wei Zhao was safe and sound, he remained a promising prospect worth courting and cultivating. A trifle like this was nothing at all—a single word from him could sell a favor, and he would have been only too glad to have the chance.

It had to be said that Ota Zhou's face still carried real weight. The Center had already made an exception last time in agreeing to send the letter; now, at a casual word from him, Luan Xiaofu unhesitatingly gave it the green light. Still, when she saw the thick stack of letter paper, she could not help but blink in surprise, and on opening it she found nothing but a bewildering assortment of introductory cultivation methods.

"What does he want with so much junk?" Luan Xiaofu muttered to herself. These introductory methods from the various sects and schools were utterly worthless in her eyes; even on Cloud Terrace Island they were common goods, hardly worth a second thought. She had them sent down to the secular world on the spot.

Once the things reached the secular world, Lan Xiaoru and Dr. Glasses in turn made the same puzzled remark. But without the express permission of the original Luan Xiaofu, they dared not open Wei Zhao's belongings on their own. Still, anyone laying eyes on that thick stack was bound to be curious—a person who did not know better might have taken it for a bundle of old newspapers being recycled...

Be that as it may, this compendium of cultivation methods from the sects of Cloud Terrace Island was in the end safely delivered into Wei Zhao's hands. After a rough pass through it, he was overjoyed. These things were common goods on Cloud Terrace Island, but in his hands—especially at this juncture, with the Ancient Alliance bursting onto the scene out of nowhere—they were worth cities.

Especially now: this compendium of methods possessed not only long-term value, but the immediate, firefighting utility of something that could answer an urgent need.

Wei Zhao at once gathered Qiu Lingshan and the others together, and asked Aunt Qing to cook her signature dishes, and the whole crowd sat around a table, chatting and laughing. The atmosphere was thoroughly congenial, and Ying Ziyu piped up first: "Brother Wei Zhao, let's just set a rule—from now on, we'll have a gathering every three days. Look, we just had the bonfire party a couple of days ago, and today we get to eat Aunt Qing's specialty dishes again. Isn't that wonderful!"

"Yes, yes, that's exactly how it should be!" the others chimed in, laughing.

"Fine by me, as long as you're all happy. Besides, everyone really has been working hard lately—a little relaxation is only proper," Wei Zhao agreed at once.

Though it had been several months since he and the others were reunited, proper, carefree gatherings like this had been few and far between. At first there had been the Ancient Alliance disciples running amok everywhere to deal with, then the interview with Xin Yi'an, and after that the move to this transfer archipelago. Settled they might be, but alas, everyone was either busy building seaside villas or rushing headlong into cultivation without pause.

Not only the deeply conscientious sorts like Qiu Lingshan and Wu Chengtian, but even Ying Ziyu and the others, who had the least inclination toward cultivation, had all shown remarkable self-discipline since arriving here. After all, they were surrounded by Ancient Alliance disciples, and for them this was not merely pressure but a sense of urgency—that time waited for no one. The rest they could let slide, but above all they feared holding Wei Zhao back.

In particular, these past few months of collective seclusion, striving to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, had blurred day and night; from beginning to end, the chances to truly gather with Wei Zhao had been few and far between, let alone to relax properly as they were doing now.

"Wonderful!" Ying Ziyu leapt up in excitement, then said something that made Wei Zhao and the others all smile knowingly: "Why do I suddenly feel like I've just finished an exam? Light and easy!"

"After seclusion for so long, we've finally succeeded in Foundation Establishment. Isn't that just like finishing an exam!" the others laughed. What was rare was that they had all succeeded together, and it felt like a graduating class after the college entrance exams—except that this exam had no test papers and no textbooks. Otherwise they would all have had to drag them out and burn them in celebration.

"Well said. But your exam isn't over yet—succeeding in breaking through to Foundation Establishment only means you've gotten your admission ticket. What comes next is the real main event," Wei Zhao said, pouring cold water on their enthusiasm.

"Leader, you mean the Trial Tournament?" Wu Chengtian could not help asking. He had been the first among them to emerge from seclusion, and by now the Trial Tournament had become a topic on virtually every Ancient Alliance disciple's lips. A casual stroll outside would catch an earful of it—there was no avoiding knowing.

"More or less." Wei Zhao nodded. What he actually meant was the Ancient Trials, though calling it the Trial Tournament was not wrong either—if they could not even get through the Trial Tournament, then there was no point mentioning the Ancient Trials.

"We're to take part too?" Qiu Lingshan was taken aback, and the others all wore looks of curiosity. Ever since arriving at this transfer archipelago, they had cultivated on their own and had no dealings whatsoever with the Ancient Alliance. By Wei Zhao's account, the greatest significance of this place to them was as a future home base; they had never imagined they would need to interact with the Ancient Alliance.

"That's right. From what I understand, only those who place well in the Trial Tournament are qualified to take part in the Ancient Trials that follow. The opportunity is extremely rare, and I hope everyone will participate," Wei Zhao announced to the group.

"The Ancient Trials?" The others exchanged glances, wholly unprepared for this. But they had always followed Wei Zhao in all things, and since he had said so, they would not object; after digesting it for a moment, they all nodded in agreement.

"That's wonderful! Other people at most go traveling abroad—we're going traveling beyond the realm, far more high-class!" Ying Ziyu was positively thrilled.

The others could not help but smile, and Wei Zhao laughed: "All right, then why don't you write a Travels in the Ancient Jianghu—I guarantee it'll be the only one of its kind under heaven."

"Sure! But if we really do go to the Ancient Jianghu, can we come back afterward?" Ying Ziyu voiced what everyone was thinking. This training excursion into the secular world came once every thousand years for the Ancient Alliance—never mind whether they could live that long; even if they truly had vast powers and boundless longevity, by the time a thousand years had passed, the entire secular world might well no longer exist, let alone their family and friends.

"I already asked Xin Yi'an about this. Opening the Ancient Passage requires two conditions. First, spirit jade—that poses no problem for us. Second, the natural prohibition on the Ancient Jianghu side. Though the strength of this prohibition cycles to a minimum once every thousand years, it is not entirely impassable at ordinary times—it is simply very dangerous," Wei Zhao smiled and continued explaining to the group. "Besides, when all is said and done, the Ancient Trials are not held in the Ancient Jianghu itself. Even if we go to the Ancient Trials, we may not necessarily go to the Ancient Jianghu, so there's no need to worry too much about that." (To be continued.)