The suitable candidate for widowhood... This is clearly a case of trying to shirk responsibility after the fact. How can someone who speaks such nonsense claim to be of noble character? If it weren't for previous events, Su Yuqing would have scolded him immediately. She said angrily, "Do you think any random person can fulfill the conditions by cultivating with you? If that were the case, it wouldn't be so troublesome!" Lu Ye pondered, "Does it have to be..." Su Yuqing nodded, "It must be a woman of pure body who can deploy a unique secret technique of our Dwarf Race during her first cultivation with you. Only then can your body contain the aura of our Dwarf Race, fulfilling the requirement to enter the Black Abyss." Lu Ye felt somewhat awkward: "In this case, I was rather abrupt." He hadn't thought so much before, mainly because he wasn't aware of the intricacies. Now it seemed he had oversimplified things. "You can consider it further; there's still two months until the Martial Arts Meet, so time is relatively abundant." Su Yuqing softened her tone. There was no helping it; she was in need of him now, and he was indeed the most suitable candidate before her. She didn't want to give up. Lu Ye shook his head: "No need to consider, senior. If this method doesn't work, then let's forget it. Let's do everything according to the rules of Mount Fangcun." Su Yuqing said, "Are you really willing for your senior sister to stay here for a hundred years?" Lu Ye smiled slightly: "I trust the Dwarf Race won't harm her. At worst, I'll accompany her here for a hundred years." A hundred years might not be considered short even for a Constellation, but with Hai Tang watching over her, at least Nian Yuexian's safety wouldn't be a concern. As for him saying he'd stay here with Nian Yuexian for a hundred years... it's just a strategic retreat! After some deliberation with Nian Yuexian, Lu Ye roughly understood the behind-the-scenes aspects of the matter, including a fierce battle between Su Yuqing and Chen Xuanhai, which was likely a performance for him to watch. In a performance, there's always one with a dark face and one with a light face. It's a cliché but effective. So, in the end, Chen Xuanhai isn't some stubborn old man holding strictly to ancestral teachings. Bringing Nian Yuexian away wouldn't be too difficult for him. It's just that, due to the Black Abyss Martial Arts Meet, the domain needed a reason to ask for his effort, hence the appearance of Chen Xuanhai's stubborn image. The domain here couldn't really let him stay for a hundred years; after the Black Abyss Martial Arts Meet, if Lu Ye brought up the matter again, there's a high chance there won't be any resistance. It's possible that there will be a performance of "Chen Xuanhai, the old rascal, went out to wander and hasn't returned, and Su Yuqing quietly sent Lu Ye and his senior sister out of Mount Fangcun." Previously, while pondering in his room for a long time, what he thought about wasn't finding a widow to cultivate with, but rather these issues. Now that he's figured things out, naturally, he felt relieved. Hearing his answer, Su Yuqing looked at him helplessly, and finally waved her hand. Lu Ye stood up, apologized, and left. When he returned to the valley and explained the matter to Nian Yuexian, she indicated she knew and didn't express much opinion. Lu Ye said, "That Black Abyss Martial Arts Meet matter probably doesn't need worrying about now. But senior sister, since we've come to Mount Fangcun, we shouldn't leave empty-handed." Nian Yuexian immediately became vigilant: "There are three Sun Blaze cultivators stationed in this domain; you better not act recklessly." Lu Ye laughed: "What are you thinking, senior sister? Why would I act recklessly?" Nian Yuexian frowned: "Then what do you plan to do?" Just now, Lu Ye looked like he wanted to steal something, which gave her quite a scare. "Senior sister may not know, but previously, when I led Senior Sister Hai Tang off the Ghost Ship, returning to Nine... Heavens, I sent a message to Senior Brother Jian Guhong. He told me to definitely bring Hai Tang back. Due to Mount Fangcun's roaming nature, throughout the stellar space, the Dwarf Race is considered a knowledgeable race. Senior Brother meant that at that time, we could consult Senior Sister Hai Tang about various common knowledge regarding stellar space, saving us the trouble of exploring on our own." Speaking up to here, Lu Ye sighed: "You know what happened afterward. Now that Senior Sister Hai Tang has returned to the domain, it's impossible to bring her back, but since we've come here, we can definitely investigate on our own. There must be records of stellar space marvels and the like here. I've also heard Senior Sister Hai Tang mention these before." Nian Yuexian realized this and understood what Lu Ye intended to do. She immediately nodded: "This is indeed worth investigating, but do you know where to investigate?" Lu Ye confidently replied: "Find Senior Sister Hai Tang." With that, he sent a message, and shortly after, Hai Tang arrived. After voicing his needs, Hai Tang readily agreed: "No problem, there's a Xiyuan Pavilion in the domain here, which records such information. I can take you there." New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹~𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮~𝚗𝚎𝚝 As a newly upgraded large domain, the Nine Provinces now particularly emphasize the collection and aggregation of various information about stellar space. Jian Guhong and others established the Nine Provinces Governor's Palace especially with this in mind. A newly promoted large domain is , Mount Fangcun, being such a top-tier domain, naturally shouldn't be ignorant. The intelligence and information they've gathered far surpass what the people of the Nine Provinces might achieve over dozens of generations. Xiyuan Pavilion is where these intelligence and information are stored. It can be said that every cultivator who has ascended to the Constellation in Mount Fangcun spends a long time in Xiyuan Pavilion, familiarizing themselves with the records and information left by their predecessors as preparation for exploring the stellar space. Xiyuan Pavilion isn't within Immortal Spirit Peak but isn't far from it, as the headquarters domain isn't very large. At present, Lu Ye and Nian Yuexian, under Hai Tang's lead, flew outward, and after more than two hours, they descended into a valley. Within the valley was an extremely ancient hall where numerous cultivators, both Constellation and Divine Sea, moved in and out, creating a lively scene. This is Xiyuan Pavilion, guarded outside by a Constellation cultivator, an old man with white hair. Hai Tang led the two forward to pay respects. The old man merely glanced up at them without asking anything more and promptly allowed their passage. For the headquarters Dwarf Race, entry into Xiyuan Pavilion requires no special conditions—one can enter anytime as long as the cultivation is reached, naturally avoiding stringent investigation. Leading Lu Ye and Nian Yuexian into Xiyuan Pavilion, Lu Ye first saw a row of tall wooden racks. These racks were divided into small compartments, most containing a jade slip, with only a few empty. Hai Tang introduced to the two, "Xiyuan Pavilion is divided into five levels. The jade slips on the first level record all kinds of valuable experiences from our Dwarf Race predecessors during their stellar space exploration, somewhat chaotic with various records. The second level documents information on various domains and some star maps. The third level mainly records introductions to various stellar races and a wide variety of star beasts. As for the fourth level, it records stellar marvels." Lu Ye and Nian Yuexian looked around, dazzled by the view. Although this place isn't a treasure vault filled with gems, to them and the Nine Provinces, these things are currently most needed. From Hai Tang's introduction, it's evident that the jade slips in Xiyuan Pavilion nearly cover everything in stellar space, and absorbing all this intelligence won't make one a stellar know-it-all, but at least will ensure future Nine Provinces cultivators won't appear clueless when navigating the stars. "What about the fifth level?" Lu Ye couldn't resist asking as Hai Tang didn't mention the fifth level. "The fifth level records various secret techniques, but they're not cultivation methods. They're summaries of the characteristics of secret techniques from different races made by our Dwarf Race predecessors. However..." Hai Tang looked at Lu Ye slightly embarrassed, "My master just transmitted to me saying you can't enter the fifth level unless Junior Brother Lu possesses the aura of our Dwarf Race." Lu Ye chuckled. Su Yuqing is still trying to hold onto something here, seemingly unwilling to give up. But having made a decision, Lu Ye wouldn't casually change his mind. Although understanding various races' secret techniques can be useful for future preparations in case of confrontation, Lu Ye cannot be swayed for such reasons. "Master also said the items in Xiyuan Pavilion can be explored and replicated by you two but not taken away, which is a rule in Xiyuan Pavilion, applicable to even our race's cultivators, and not targeting you two specifically." Lu Ye nodded, "Rest assured, Senior Sister Hai Tang, we won't do such things. But, Senior Sister... Do you have spare jade slips?" Though he carries some spare jade slips with him, the number isn't many. With such a vast amount of intelligence in Xiyuan Pavilion, a large number of spare jade slips will be needed for replication. Hai Tang smiled, "I'll prepare more for you." "Thank you, Senior Sister." Hai Tang departed, while Lu Ye stood side by side with Nian Yuexian, discussing carefully, "Senior Sister, you take the top, or I take the bottom?" "There's no difference, you choose." Nian Yuexian expressed indifference. "Then I'll take the top, and you take the third and fourth levels." Nian Yuexian nodded and advised, "Investigate thoroughly when replicating. Don't copy useless or outdated information to avoid misleading cultivators of this domain later." "Got it." Lu Ye waved his hand towards her, briskly stepping onto the fourth floor. The number of jade slips on this level is noticeably less than on the first level. In fact, while passing the second and third levels, he briefly investigated and found fewer jade slips than on the first, mainly due to different classifications. Each jade slip on the first level equates to at least a lifetime's worth of experiences from a Constellation Realm cultivator; countless were born in the headquarters domain throughout history. Even if only some left traces here, the quantity is still considerable. As for the second to fourth levels, since they record specific subjects, the quantity naturally decreases. However, the space remains spacious. With a slight sense, Lu Ye detected at least twenty Dwarf Race cultivators scattered in different areas, each grasping a jade slip, immersed in exploration, including Divine Sea and Constellation cultivators.