[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign":3,"chapter-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-207":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Eternal Green Immortal Sovereign",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2270215,4432,"Chapter 207: Jiang Lin? Not That Impressive!","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-207",207,"\u003Cp>His robes fluttered as seven small swords circled his body, making him seem like a sword immortal stepping out of a tale from Shu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Lin regarded Li Rui with calm eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather, in the dream, he had never worn any expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One small flying sword drifted slowly forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Lin murmured softly: “Tan Lang, go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Lang, the first star of the Northern Dipper, also known as Tian Shu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Lin’s seven swords were all named after the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper: Tan Lang, Ju Men, Lu Cun, Wen Qu, Lian Zhen, Wu Qu, and Po Jun—none superior to the others, each excelling in its own way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for why he had sent Tan Lang first—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was simply because Li Rui had only ever seen Tan Lang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The small sword Tan Lang became a streak of light, piercing through the sea of clouds between Jiang Lin and Li Rui in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dragon’s roar echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui swung his Zhan Dao to its limit, weaving layer upon layer of dense blade nets before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Tan Lang struck the blade net—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The net collapsed after only a breath, yet Li Rui showed no sign of panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Zhan Dao cut through the scattered blade qi and struck precisely against the tip of the small sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A perfect clash of needle against grain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Terrifying power exploded as invisible sound waves, pushing the sea of clouds hundreds of meters away, leaving the Cloud Terrace utterly empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui spat blood and collapsed onto the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his eyes burned with excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though utterly battered, he had genuinely blocked Jiang Lin’s sword strike—no one else in the Dragon Gate realm could claim such an achievement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang Lin?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not that impressive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, Li Rui felt the youthful exuberance of an old man reliving his glory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Again!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He roared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Lang turned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Darkness swept over his vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui jolted upright on his bed—the sensation of death in the dream had been too real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He touched his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, another sleepless night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he felt no fatigue; having blocked Jiang Lin’s sword, he had reason to be proud—and proof that the first technique, “Hidden Dragon, Do Not Use,” was now complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pushed open the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky was dim, roughly the hour of Chen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui stepped into the courtyard, picked up his unsharpened Zhan Dao, and moved it casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the creator of the Six Drunken Dragon Cuts, he had no predecessors to follow, so he need not be bound by rigid forms—his movements flowed naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He’s voice sounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui sheathed his Zhan Dao and smiled at Liang He: “You too, couldn’t sleep?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He blinked in surprise: “You also can’t sleep?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sometimes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Liang He’s mind, Li Rui had always been calm, in control, unfazed by anything—he never imagined he’d suffer insomnia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui: “Why can’t you sleep?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He looked embarrassed: “I heard Liu Tong arrived in Qinghe—and he’s already eighth-rank. I can’t stop thinking about it, and I can’t fall asleep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d heard the news too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shenbing Manor was the first major sect to arrive in Qinghe, but soon after, more great sects kept pouring in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strangely, Huaqing Sect had also sent people to station themselves in Qinghe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huaqing Sect was an Anning Prefecture sect—they could set up branch temples without approval, yet they’d remained silent until now, only arriving after the others had come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumor says Huaqing Sect sent over thirty people—quite a show of force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong was one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young man, having ambition is good. Don’t feel ashamed. Pretending to be desireless only lowers you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui didn’t mind at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been just as ambitious in his youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I was young, I worked as a stable boy for the Zhu family. I fought a cook over a girl no bigger than a buttock.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He’s attention snapped to him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You fought a duel for love in your youth?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So did you win?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui smiled at the memory: “Pfft. The cook weighed over eighty kilos. I weighed forty-five. I nearly got beaten to death—but the cook didn’t walk away unscathed either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He was already waiting for Li Rui’s comeback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He always had absolute faith in Li Rui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because the girl ran off with a young guard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He didn’t know how to respond, but his inner gloom had lifted considerably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do what’s appropriate for your age. Just reach eighth-rank, and that’s that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He muttered inwardly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If eighth-rank were that easy, wouldn’t he already be there?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Rui’s words had genuinely stoked his determination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He’s gaze hardened: “Master, I’ll work harder!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui didn’t want his disciples, barely out of their twenties, to be dull and weary—that was for old men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young should burn with vigor, should strive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Desirelessness doesn’t mean cutting off emotion from the start—it means experiencing first, then letting go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, once lost, those experiences can never be reclaimed in old age. You may lack arrogance, but never lack backbone. Like Li Rui—he’d lived through the world, and his pursuit of the Dao and immortality was far stronger than any ordinary man’s, untouched by external distractions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t be fooled by his constant banquets and indulgence in wine and women.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those were merely external forces necessary for his Dao—not indulgences he succumbed to. Holding fast to his original intent while navigating such temptations was no easy feat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The saying “outer flexibility, inner integrity” meant precisely this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui wasn’t a sage—he didn’t know this the moment he was reborn. He learned it through years of hardship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without experience, where would wisdom come from?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three days later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui received an invitation from Liu Tong: a banquet at Zui Xian Pavilion in town, meant to reunite with old friends from Tianyi Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li Rui and Liang He entered the private room upstairs—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They saw Liu Tong and Zhou Shulin chatting merrily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Rui, both rose at once and bowed: “Hall Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>=9+book_bar\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, given Li Rui’s current status and theirs, they shouldn’t be calling him “Hall Master” anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong was now a disciple of Huaqing Sect—he should address Li Rui as “Master Li.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Shulin should call him “Lord Li.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calling him “Hall Master” was merely a sign of their closeness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong hadn’t been seen in years, but Zhou Shulin still crossed paths with Li Rui occasionally—he’d heard Zhou was thriving in Qinghe, riding on Li Rui’s name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui gestured: “Sit, all of you. No need for formalities.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four sat down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Li Rui smile and ask: “Little Liu, when did you arrive in Qinghe?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong: “I just arrived today with Elder Han. As soon as I had a moment, I came to find you, Hall Master, to repay your kindness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re clever on your own. I didn’t have to tell you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui wasn’t impressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d heard Liu Tong was doing quite well in Huaqing Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seems he’s become lovers with an Elder’s daughter, to the point of nearly being engaged—and his rapid rise to the Eighth Rank was due entirely to that Elder’s deliberate cultivation of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong’s face was earnest: “The Hall Master showed me a clear path; I truly have a gift for this path.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cough, cough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui knew perfectly well which path Liu Tong meant—it was the path of living off a woman’s wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he would never look down on Liu Tong for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So what if you live off a woman’s wealth?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How many mighty heroes didn’t start that way?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s not shameful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong raised his cup, said nothing about “you all drink as you please, I’ll down mine,” and simply knocked back three cups in quick succession: “Hall Master, the day you went to Huaqing Sect, I was out on assignment and failed to greet you—it was my fault.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui smiled lightly: “Having that heart is enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had recently accompanied Ning Zhongtian, leading the Benhu Cavalry to inspect Huaqing Sect, and Liu Tong had not shown his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already learned from Han Qin that Liu Tong had been on an external mission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little Liu, the Elder you just mentioned—is that Elder Han Shaoquan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong nodded: “Yes. Originally, Elder Han Qin was supposed to come too, but something urgent came up and he couldn’t make it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui raised an eyebrow: “Elder Han is thorough in his duties; overseeing affairs in Qinghe is reassuring.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it turned out—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong shook his head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The one in charge this time isn’t Elder Han—it’s Elder Jiang Haitao of the Jiang clan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Haitao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui’s mind conjured the information he knew about Jiang Haitao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Haitao, by seniority, is Jiang Linxian’s cousin, on the same level as Jiang Ding, and holds considerable prestige within the Jiang clan, known for his decisiveness and bravery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sending him to Qinghe shows Huaqing Sect and the Jiang clan’s high regard for Qinghe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Shulin chimed in: “Brother Liu, does this Elder Jiang have a daughter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong immediately caught Zhou Shulin’s implication and laughed bitterly, punching him in the arm: “Elder Jiang has three sons, and I’m about to get married—don’t you dare tarnish my reputation!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He’s mouth twitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Liu Tong’s logic, if Elder Jiang really had a daughter—and if Liu Tong weren’t about to marry—would it be acceptable?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong and Zhou Shulin exchanged playful blows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually they calmed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thought stirred in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That’s not without merit.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Who holds the most power in Huaqing Sect? The Jiang clan, of course. Jiang Linxian is out of reach, but finding a daughter of another Jiang Elder is feasible.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The essence of living off a woman’s wealth isn’t just eating from one bowl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, it loses its point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Plan it carefully.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Liu Tong thought of this, his smile widened, and he unconsciously drank a few more cups.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, he rarely drank at Huaqing Sect—after all, which woman would like a man who gets drunk every day?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, seeing the old men of Tianyi Hall, especially Li Rui,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he was genuinely happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were among the few people he could truly confide in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After three rounds of drinks,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong began to feel the effects of the alcohol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He told Zhou Shulin and Liang He: “Shulin, Brother Liang, the reason I came to Qinghe this time was arranged by my father-in-law.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Shulin perked up immediately: “Wait, are you here to gain prestige?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong kicked Zhou Shulin: “Pfft, prestige? This is a major opportunity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What opportunity?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He was now also drawn in by Liu Tong’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Liu Tong, the Elder on his list was at the peak of Sixth Rank, just one step away from opening his Qi Sea—anything that such a person considered an opportunity must be extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Could it be that a rare treasure is about to emerge?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the two speculated wildly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong gave the answer:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes—the Southern Frontier’s Witch Nation. The imperial court plans to open a mutual trade market with them. Qinghe will soon establish a Trade Office.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Open mutual trade!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing those four words, Liang He and Zhou Shulin both sucked in a sharp breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1900,"2026-06-19T22:01:11.003Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","22377a2a22f82b33b10a686158a3fde02f9f592258f0c7595f6c36d73942f497","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-208","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-206",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feternal-green-immortal-sovereign-cover.jpg"]