[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou":3,"chapter-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-175":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ink Saint of Great Zhou",{"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},2292138,4481,"Chapter 175","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-175",175,"\u003Cp>“The best is yet to come.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan gritted his teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His heart had been too eager just now, causing him to waste much of his strength early on; to reach the very peak of the snowy mountain, he must slow down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he was confident he would make it to the summit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Lu Fang continued at this pace, Pan believed he could never reach the peak, for the higher one climbed the snowy mountain, the stronger the influence of extreme yin energy became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This extreme yin energy affected even the Luo Sha clan to some degree, let alone a human like Lu Fang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Pan began climbing at his own rhythm, never lifting his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He should be catching up to the Marquis of Wenguan soon!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hasn’t he caught up yet?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I suspect the Marquis of Wenguan is about to give out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As time passed, Pan’s mind grew increasingly agitated; finally, he couldn’t help but look up—and his eyes nearly popped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no sign of Lu Fang on the mountain’s cliff face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Luo Sha had excellent eyesight; he was certain Lu Fang wasn’t there. What was going on? Had he climbed too fast and accidentally fallen?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, Pan instinctively looked downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t see Lu Fang, but he locked eyes with a Snow Luo Sha below—she was seventh-rank third-tier, hadn’t specially cultivated her body, and thus climbed slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where’s the Marquis of Wenguan? Did he fall?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan called out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Snow Luo Sha shook her head and nodded upward with her lips: “He’s already reached the summit. Didn’t you see?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?! He’s already reached the summit? That’s impossible! In such a short time, no one could climb to the peak—he must have fallen! Snow Princess, you’re joking!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan shook his head repeatedly, refusing to believe it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Snow Luo Sha rolled her eyes. “Do you think I’m joking? If the Marquis of Wenguan had truly fallen, wouldn’t there have been some noise?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, I understand how you feel. When I first saw him climbing faster and faster toward the summit, I was shocked too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You and I both know the higher you climb, the more severe the intrusion of extreme yin energy—but he’s felt no effect at all. It’s unbelievable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m surprised, yet not entirely unexpected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t know this Marquis of Wenguan from the Great Zhou. Back in the Seventh-Rank Small Upper Realm, I spent some time with him—he’s always full of surprises.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At first I thought he was reckless, but gradually I realized he’s the type who plans everything in advance; if he had no confidence, he’d never agree to a contest with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once he agrees to a contest, he will win.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But…” Pan’s mood sank; he couldn’t speak for a long while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Snow Luo Sha smiled gently. “Actually, you’ve done quite well—your opponent is just the Marquis of Wenguan. His deeds are legendary; in the Seventh-Rank Small Upper Realm, he single-handedly slew three seventh-rank third-tier demonic clansmen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One of them had just gained an ancient divine technique.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Losing to him isn’t shameful at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan nodded solemnly. “Right now, I’m no match for the Marquis of Wenguan, but in the future, I’m confident I’ll surpass him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Snow Luo Sha suddenly laughed. Seeing Pan look at her, she sighed and shook her head. “Don’t misunderstand—I’m not mocking you. When I first met him, I said exactly the same thing in my heart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Back then, I hated him. I swore I’d cultivate hard and become stronger than him as soon as possible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even after our relationship improved, when I left the Seventh-Rank Small Upper Realm, I still trained diligently.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But now, seeing him again, clearly he’s grown much stronger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I suddenly have a feeling that the gap between his realm and mine will only widen further.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan hurried to comfort her. “Snow Princess, you’re overthinking it. With your cultivation talent, if you train hard, you’ll surely catch up to the Marquis of Wenguan soon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hope so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Snow Luo Sha gave a helpless smile and couldn’t help saying: “It’s strange—why is this happening? He’s clearly bound by Heaven’s Dao, yet his realm advanced too quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They continued talking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both of them reached the summit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Pan saw that Lu Fang had truly reached the summit, he sighed. “I lost. No wonder he’s the Marquis of Wenguan—I accept this defeat wholeheartedly. But I’ll train harder. I believe one day I’ll surpass you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I believe you can.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang replied vaguely, then took the storage bag from the Snow Luo Sha—it held the materials Pan had wagered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Snow Luo Sha looked toward a cave entrance in the distance. “Marquis of Wenguan, that’s where we’ll cultivate this time. Do you want to see the other side of the snowy mountain, or go straight in?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang didn’t hesitate. “You two go in first. The scenery here is quite nice—I happen to have a recording talisman. I’ll go see the other side of the mountain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Snow Luo Sha nodded, warning: “Marquis of Wenguan, remember—never descend from the other side of the snowy mountain. There are many unknown places there, and they’re dangerous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We don’t need to risk it; cultivating here is perfect and completely safe. But if you descend from the other side, I can’t guarantee your safety.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m quite fond of my life. Don’t worry—I’ll be back soon.” Lu Fang said, then immediately vanished into the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This snowy mountain was larger than he’d imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even moving at full speed, Lu Fang took a full hour to reach the cliff on the other side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place was strange—flight was impossible for long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once airborne, one’s strength drained rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even standing before the cliff and merely glancing at the distant corner, Lu Fang was stunned: multicolored snow peaks shimmered everywhere, stretching endlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A quick glance revealed roughly a hundred snow peaks of identical size, differing only in color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Truly miraculous!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The interior of these snow peaks held such a dazzling structure; just one look made one sense their mystery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How had this formed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unknown lands and unknown dangers—these stirred curiosity, compelling one to peer inside and discover what lay there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demon Heart: “This place must be rich in heavenly treasures. Too bad your power isn’t enough yet—if it were, you could go treasure-hunting. Don’t listen to the Luo Sha clan’s warnings—they’re just scaring you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang nodded. “There’s certainly some scare-tactic in it, but there are also unknown dangers here. For risks with unstable factors, I have no interest in exploring them for now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, weren’t you eager for me to win that material from Pan? What is it? Don’t you owe me an explanation?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1116,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","02c0c43ae6ad92126f1e618aaddb43c4c257b61f3839789461c0731c5eee5436","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-176","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-174",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]