Liuli Island.

He Zhenghao gazed upon the island he had guarded for decades, then at the timid guardian who had succeeded him, bowing and scraping at his side. A surge of pride welled up in his chest.

There was a time when he, too, had been like this man—filled with dread and anxiety whenever a superior came for an inspection, terrified of incurring their displeasure.

But now, after only a few short years, He Zhenghao had become precisely the kind of "important person" he once regarded with awe.

After offering a few words of encouragement to the junior named Zhao Changli, He Zhenghao entered the Mountain River Constellation Array with practiced ease.

Mountains hung overhead, shielding those within from any outside observation.

The cultivators He Zhenghao had invited were already there, waiting.

"Fellow Daoist He!"

The moment he appeared, they greeted him with effusive warmth. In their...