“Pfft, Senior Brother Mo Du’s body is all muscles, clearly just a man with developed limbs and little else. I bet he’s afraid of losing to Senior Brother Zhuo Bufan, that’s why he doesn’t dare to participate.”

“You’re talking nonsense! He’s not participating because he disdains it. Senior Brother Zhuo Bufan is just a hypocrite. I’ve often seen him entangled with many of the female disciples in the sect.”

The two women quarreled non-stop.

In the end, they both turned their gaze to a third woman.

“Lan’er, what do you think, who’s stronger between them?”

Shangguan Lan wore a flowing white dress. Her figure was graceful, her face carefully painted with delicate makeup.

She chuckled lightly and said, “Just the other day, the Star River God-Dynasty released the new Heroes Ranking. Were either of those two senior brothers among the top hundred?”

At her words, the two other women laughed softly.

They replied, “Lan’er, you must be joking. The Star River God-Dynasty’s Heroes Ranking isn’t just about one empire. It records the most outstanding young heroes across the entire Four Domains. Even our Martial Heaven Sacred Ground’s Prime Descendant only barely ranked at ninety-eighth place, and he could be kicked off the list any time. How could Senior Brother Zhuo even dream of making it onto the ranking?”

“Exactly, exactly,” the other girl echoed. “But I believe that one day, Senior Brother Mo Du will climb onto that list.”

“Honestly, can’t you two raise your sights just a little?” Shangguan Lan shook her head helplessly.

“Don’t just stare at our Martial Heaven Sacred Ground. Look beyond, at the wider world. The Star River God-Dynasty, the Four Domains, aren’t all of them far stronger than this little place of ours?”

“I don’t care. No matter how strong they are, they’re far out of reach for us,” the girl on the left said. “Senior Brother Zhuo, on the other hand, is someone we can actually see and touch. That makes me feel secure.”

“Enough chatter. Let’s hurry and collect some herbs for alchemy. Senior Brother Zhuo just finished a duel, and he got a little injured. I still need to bring him a healing pill.”

“Ha! Little girl, you’re just in heat.”

The three women joked and laughed as they made their way into the herb garden.

The land here was low-lying and open, without any cover.

So when they arrived, the very first thing they saw was Xu Zimo standing in the middle of the medicine plots.

“Which disciple are you?” the girl on the left quickly asked. “What are you doing here on our Spirit Herb Mountains?”

For some reason, the Spirit Herb Mountains were managed entirely by female disciples. For certain reasons, no men were allowed to set foot here.

So upon seeing Xu Zimo, their first thought was that some sect disciple had trespassed.

“This man looks unfamiliar,” the girl on the right said.

“Excuse me, but where is this place?” Xu Zimo asked.

“You’re not a disciple of Martial Heaven Sacred Ground?” The women immediately caught on.

“I passed through by accident. It seems I’ve lost some of my memory. Please don’t misunderstand, I mean no harm,” Xu Zimo said with a smile.

“Lost your memory?” The women sized him up carefully, still keeping their distance, wary.

It was obvious, Xu Zimo was rather good-looking, with an air of elegance.

He didn’t look like some villain.

“How did you get here?” Shangguan Lan asked.

“I’m not sure. I woke up and just found myself here,” Xu Zimo replied. “Could you at least tell me where exactly this is?”

“Don’t rush,” Shangguan Lan waved a hand and told the other two, “Go notify Senior Sister. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“Be careful,” the two nodded, then ran off into the distance.

Xu Zimo could only shake his head helplessly and sit down on a nearby rock.

“You really don’t remember anything?” Shangguan Lan asked.

“If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do,” Xu Zimo said.

“Then let me tell you. This is the Martial Heaven Sacred Ground, inside the Sovereign Mountain Range. Does that mean anything to you?” Shangguan Lan said.

“Could you explain in broader terms?” Xu Zimo asked.

“The Star River God-Dynasty? The Four Domains, you must know of those at least,” she continued.

“The Four Domains… that rings a bell,” Xu Zimo nodded.

He had studied the Outer Heavens before. Mortal Ascension Heaven was split into north and south.

The northern half was called the Four Domains, while the south was the Azure Frontier.

As for the Star River God-Dynasty, there were thousands of such empires in the Mortal Ascension Heaven, and he hadn’t delved into their details.

Just then, footsteps approached from afar.

The two women who had left returned, and with them came another woman.

This newcomer carried herself with a heroic air. Her hair was cut short to her ears, and she wore a black fitted robe that accentuated every curve of her figure.

Her phoenix eyes gleamed with sharp light, as if they could pierce straight into your heart.

At her waist hung a sword, and another was strapped to her back.

Her features were exquisitely carved.

“Senior Sister,” Shangguan Lan greeted as the woman arrived. “What should we do with him?”

The woman cast one look at Xu Zimo. Before he could even speak, the sword at her waist was already drawn.

It shot straight at Xu Zimo’s throat.

He didn’t resist, he couldn’t, not with his current strength.

The blade halted just a fraction of an inch from his skin.

Cold light radiated from the steel, then the sword was sheathed again.

“Let him stay,” the woman said indifferently.

“Stay and do what?” Shangguan Lan asked. “Find him some chores. We’ll provide his meals,” the woman replied.

“You heard our senior sister, didn’t you? Hurry up and thank her,” the girl on the left said.

Before Xu Zimo could say a word, the short-haired woman waved her hand and turned to leave.

“Come with me,” Shangguan Lan told him, leading him out of the herb garden.

The other two followed behind.

“Our Martial Heaven Sacred Ground may not be big, but its rules are strict. If you’ve got nothing to do, stay on Spirit Herb Mountains and don’t wander,” Shangguan Lan explained.

“What’s that woman’s name?” Xu Zimo asked.

“That’s our senior sister, her name is Xia Wanqing. You should call her Senior Sister Xia, understood?” the girl beside him replied.

“It’s strange, though. Normally, Senior Sister never allows any man on Spirit Herb Mountains. Yet today she made an exception for you.”

“Maybe it’s because I’m handsome,” Xu Zimo said seriously.

“Didn’t know you were so shameless,” the girl teased, sticking her tongue out.

Xu Zimo was led up Spirit Herb Mountains.

The mountains were covered in countless rare medicinal herbs.

Halfway up stood thousands of towers.

They brought Xu Zimo into one of them.

At its center was a massive golden alchemy furnace.

“From now on, you’ll be in charge of keeping the furnace burning,” Shangguan Lan said.

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“I forgot,” Xu Zimo answered.

“You forgot?” Shangguan Lan frowned, thinking for a moment, then said:

“Fine then, we’ll just call you Big Dummy.”

“...That name is way too careless!” Xu Zimo protested.

“You don’t know anything, and you’ve got that dopey look. It kinda suits you. So it’s decided,” Shangguan Lan said with a grin.