The three of them listened to your words, their faces awkward as they exchanged glances with each other.

Deng Wanshu was the first to lose her composure;

she gave you a sharp glare, clearly annoyed.

Then, fuming, she said, "Brother He, why are you still worrying about us? Aren’t you the one sleeping alone in a single bed!"

Xie Huide also stepped forward to explain, "My fault for not being clear. What I meant was that the three of us plan to roam the martial world again like we did in our youth. We came today to bid you farewell!"

Hu Zhongxuan nodded calmly, "Young Master He, you know our relationship is a bit special, but now that Wanshu has awakened, that’s the best outcome. Things won’t get any worse from here."

You looked at the three of them with sincerity and said, "I wish you all the best, but I have to remind you to remember the dates. You’ll only know who the child belongs to once it’s born!"

"He—Yu!!" Deng Wanshu clenched her teeth at your slander toward her innocent daughter and was about to rush forward to scratch your face.

Xie Huide and Hu Zhongxuan quickly restrained her from left and right, leaving Deng Wanshu only able to bare her teeth and claw in midair, completely powerless.

You impulsively walked up and patted Deng Wanshu’s head, "No biting allowed~"

"Ah—! He Yu!! I’ll fight you!!"

Xie Huide and Hu Zhongxuan forced a nervous laugh and hurriedly carried Deng Wanshu away, "Brother He, Brother He, we’ll leave now. We’ll meet again when we return!"

"Let go of me! I want to fight him! Let go!" Deng Wanshu’s two little feet kicked wildly but to no avail.

You politely saw the three off, "Take care, both of you. Fly safely, Sister Wanshu!"

Even after they walked quite far, you could still hear Deng Wanshu’s unwilling voice echoing behind.

You shook your head with a smile and turned back to the cultivation chamber.

Despite being interrupted by the three, your mood was surprisingly much lighter. You felt the bottleneck of the late Dragon Transformation stage had become as thin as cicada wings.

You focused on your cultivation once more, determined to break through that barrier in one powerful push.

Seven days later,

In the cultivation chamber, your pitch-black eyes slowly opened.

The aura around you grew deeper and more vast like a boundless abyss.

Vast Source Power continuously circulated, making your aura even more refined.

Today, you officially advanced to the Ultimate Grandmaster late Dragon Transformation stage!

In seven years, you had risen through three minor realms—such speed had surpassed even your close friends, though not yet Lin Mo.

However, with the enhancement of the Nine Condensations Profound Skill, your talent now ranked between the top disciples of the five major sects and Lin Mo.

Judging purely by talent, you were now above tens of thousands, with no one beneath you. After all, Lin Mo was not yet born.

You then took out the Soul Awakening Blade and the Geng Gold Iron piece.

Fierce Source Power suddenly surged and clung to it;

the Geng Gold Iron slowly melted, gradually removing most impurities, leaving behind a sharp golden aura emitting radiant light.

The Soul Awakening Blade hovered before you;

the golden sharp aura was directly manipulated by you into the blade.

The blade trembled slightly, becoming even sharper and colder, though its exterior remained unchanged—still as black as ink.

You were very satisfied.

You slowly pushed open the cultivation chamber door and stepped out.

There was still more than a month before the scheduled departure for Sea Snake Island, so you headed to the zoo.

You informed the He siblings of your plan to select beast kings.

You instructed them to focus on raising the fiercest beasts.

Moreover, you used the beast taming manual to guide the animals into developing a sense of competition, enabling more efficient screening.

You discovered the beast taming manual was actually quite interesting;

it could improve the beasts’ intelligence to some extent.

Some animals in the zoo already understood simple commands, and a few could even use calls and movements to communicate with the He siblings in basic ways.

"The Beast Taming Sect really has something special!" you thought quietly.

You recalled your chief biologist in the Qianming Mountain Range, Professor Dong Zhijie, and thought it was time to visit him to check on progress.

Finally, you instructed the He siblings to officially start the Beast King Competition upon your return and to complete the preliminary work well.

The siblings assured you to rest easy and that they definitely wouldn’t mess it up... well, not mess it up.

You had originally planned to take some beast blood, but the vital blood from the three Emberhawks left such a deep impression that ordinary blood now felt bland and tasteless.

There’s an old saying: you can tolerate darkness only if you’ve never seen the light.

After leaving the zoo, you planned to visit the Danxia Sect.

You wanted to ask Deng Rusong where Leader Yan Zhixue had been recently active and casually inquire whether your good friends were together.

You went straight to the Danxia Sect, but Deng Rusong was engrossed in the Mind Evolution Art and had locked himself in a stone chamber for secluded cultivation.

You couldn’t see Deng Rusong;

you guessed even Yan Zhixue could only sigh helplessly outside the wall.

So you didn’t linger and moved your departure to Sea Snake Island ahead by a month and a half instead of just one month.

On the day you left, Old Wang looked at you with teary eyes.

You generously left Old Wang more money—enough for the manor to spend lavishly for years.

Although Old Wang was a bit eccentric, his character was reliable;

you knew this because he refused to fabricate experiences to optimize his contract.

Old Wang kept meticulous records of every expense in the manor, and you had quietly audited them yourself—everything was in order.

You bid farewell to Old Wang and headed for Sea Snake Island.

The letter from Qi Xuan said the Earth Source was near Sea Snake Island, and you hoped it wouldn’t again be beneath that light shield.

That turtle shell was incredibly sturdy, and no matter what you tried, you couldn’t break it yet.

But you weren’t overly discouraged because the last time you used the Life and Death Slash, you sensed significant fluctuations in the shield.

That meant the shield had a bearing limit, and as long as you kept improving, there was a good chance you could shatter it.

One month later,

You arrived again over Sea Snake Island. The vast blue sea shimmered like scattered jade under the sunlight.

Since you arrived too early, no one else had come.

You tried attacking the shield again, but it still had no effect.

You endured alone on the sea for half a month.

That day, you finally saw four other Ultimate Grandmasters arrive above Sea Snake Island.

At last, you saw other living people and quickly floated up to greet them.

"Hello! Are you here looking for the Pirate King’s treasure too?"

The four Ultimate Grandmasters glanced at you. The leader was about to respond when someone behind him suddenly shouted in alarm, "Palace of Ten Thousand Dreams Sect Leader! Shangguan Gousheng!!"

You looked over in surprise, feeling the man was somewhat familiar. You eventually remembered he was one of the dozen surviving Ultimate Grandmasters when you killed Li Anlong.

You smiled happily, "What a coincidence! You’re still alive?"

"Run! Run for your life!!" the man shouted hoarsely and fled at his fastest speed.

The other three were also shocked;

these past months, your name had thundered in their ears.

But seeing you in person, you were not as terrifying as the rumors claimed. The gossip said you looked ferocious and mighty, standing eight feet tall with an equally wide waist.

You smiled faintly, "If you’re here to steal the Earth Source, you can leave."

"Brother Shangguan, can we just take a look?" The three hoped for mercy because you seemed friendly.

You smirked and flicked your hand, slashing your blade.

A flash of light cut off all three of their luscious hair, giving them an even flat-top haircut.

"Ah?!"

"Run!!"

The three fled desperately.

In the following days, you encountered several more Ultimate Grandmasters, all frightened off by you.

Eight days later, another Ultimate Grandmaster appeared.

But he wasn’t here to steal the Earth Source;

he was here looking for you.

Ge Banqing rushed to Sea Snake Island, and upon seeing you there, he was extremely excited.

Ge Banqing exclaimed, "Brother Shangguan, you really are here collecting Earth Source!"

You looked at the stranger and asked, "Are you looking for me?"

Ge Banqing laughed heartily, "Brother Shangguan, I’ve searched for you for over two months, even went to your Palace of Ten Thousand Dreams, but couldn’t find you!"

"What do you want with me?"

"I want to challenge you for the title of the number one in the world!" Ge Banqing shouted fiercely.

You finally understood—he was a martial arts fanatic.

You said, "Alright, come on."

"Hahaha, Brother Shangguan, you’re straightforward!" Ge Banqing unsheathed his sword with a clang.

But you were instantly stunned.

Because the sword in Ge Banqing’s hand was also a Soul Awakening Blade.

You recalled Lin Jingzhi saying during the third simulation that the Soul Awakening Blade was originally a weapon an Ultimate Grandmaster lost to him—it turned out to be this Ge Banqing guy.

A playful smile spread across your face.

Then you also drew an identical Soul Awakening Blade with a clang.

Ge Banqing’s excited expression instantly froze.

He looked confusedly at the sword in his hand, then even more baffled at the sword in yours.

Ge Banqing repeatedly stared back and forth in utter disbelief.

Finally, scratching his head, he asked awkwardly, "Brother Shangguan, why is your sword the same as mine?"

"Yours is a counterfeit," you said calmly.

"A counterfeit?!" Ge Banqing’s mind completely short-circuited. "But the Soul Awakening Blade was forged by me!"

You raised your sword, "Enough nonsense. Whoever loses is the counterfeit owner!"