Before the Next Journey.

The moment Lieu Thien Van stepped through the gate, his gaze settled on Hao Nhien.

He studied him for quite some time, from his expression to the aura he was suppressing, before slowly shaking his head.

“I once thought I had already judged you highly enough.”

Hao Nhien cupped his hands.

“City Lord.”

Lieu Thien Van looked him over once more and exhaled.

“Apparently not.”

Hao Nhien laughed.

“City Lord, you say that the moment you see me. Did something give you another headache?”

“You still have the nerve to ask?”

Lieu Thien Van glared at him.

“Heavenly Eye just went through a major upheaval.”

“I received several reports I haven’t even had time to verify, and then I hear you’ve returned.”

He paused and lowered his voice.

“There are also rumors outside that the God-Lord appeared in Heavenly Eye City.”

“What exactly happened?”

Hao Nhien looked at him for a moment before stepping aside.

“Come inside. We’ll talk.”

Lieu Thien Van immediately entered.

Tieu Nhan glanced between the two men, realized they had matters to discuss, and quietly gathered her tools before leaving the courtyard.

Inside, Hao Nhien poured tea.

Lieu Thien Van did not drink.

He stared directly at Hao Nhien with an expression that made it clear he would not leave without a proper explanation.

Hao Nhien understood.

He began recounting the main events at Heavenly Eye.

The changes that had drawn all four Deputy City Lords into the struggle at the center of power.

Quan Nha’s appearance within the divine chamber.

And the shift that had followed.

He did not reveal everything.

Especially not the secrets involving the anchor or matters he himself still did not fully understand.

Even so, what he could safely explain was enough to make Lieu Thien Van set his teacup down several times.

When he heard that all four Deputy City Lords now recognized Quan Nha as the God-Lord, the old man remained silent for a long while.

“Quan Nha became the God-Lord of Heavenly Eye?”

“At present, everyone at the top of Heavenly Eye recognizes her as such.”

“And Quan Nha herself?”

“She accepted the position.”

Lieu Thien Van looked at Hao Nhien.

“You’re comfortable leaving her there?”

Hao Nhien did not answer immediately.

“I can’t say I’m completely at ease.”

“Heavenly Eye is too large.”

“And whatever exists behind that system may not be as simple as what we’ve already seen.”

“But I trust Quan Nha.”

“And before we parted, we spoke clearly about what she intends to do.”

He explained the direction Heavenly Eye was beginning to take.

More peaceful relations.

Reducing the use of faith as a tool to force tribes into submission.

Creating opportunities for cooperation between powers that had once regarded one another as enemies.

Lieu Thien Van listened carefully.

He had personally led Tam Thanh’s forces against the lines of Heavenly Eye.

He understood better than most that conflicts accumulated over many years could not disappear because of a single order.

“The four Deputy City Lords will really accept the tribes choosing for themselves?”

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“At least for now, they have accepted Quan Nha’s authority.”

“How far those changes actually go will depend on the decisions that follow and how each line handles its own interests.”

Hao Nhien took a sip of tea.

“I don’t expect everything to go smoothly.”

“But if Heavenly Eye truly begins changing, the tribes that once had no right to choose will gradually have another road available to them.”

Lieu Thien Van considered that.

“Then what happens between Tam Thanh and Heavenly Eye?”

“That still needs to be decided by both sides.”

“I only hope that from now on, matters that can be resolved through negotiation and trade won’t need war.”

Hao Nhien looked at him.

“Tam Thanh has things Heavenly Eye needs.”

“Heavenly Eye also has resources and trade networks that other places can use.”

“If both sides want to develop, one does not necessarily need to weaken the other to benefit.”

Lieu Thien Van slowly nodded.

After a while, he laughed.

“Good.”

“If things truly reach that point, maybe I won’t have to stare at military maps every day.”

Hao Nhien raised his tea.

“I think the City Lord would enjoy that.”

“Of course.”

“But I still need to see whether the people in Heavenly Eye actually do what you say.”

“They should be watched.”

Lieu Thien Van took a drink, and only then did his expression finally relax.

After a while, he looked toward the courtyard outside, where the drying racks stood beneath the afternoon sun.

“You’ve been gone too long, Hao Nhien.”

Hao Nhien looked up.

Lieu Thien Van continued,

“I passed through nearly half of Hoa Van Town on the way here.”

“This place is completely different now.”

“There are new districts even I hadn’t seen before.”

“Roads that used to be nothing but sand now have carts passing every day.”

He looked at Hao Nhien.

“Since you’re back, why not stay?”

“A few months.”

“A year, even.”

“Cultivate.”

“Rest.”

“Watch this place grow.”

“Hoa Van no longer needs you to leave and fight someone every day.”

Hao Nhien remained silent for a moment before smiling.

“I want that too.”

Lieu Thien Van looked surprised.

“Then stay.”

“But I’m afraid it won’t be as long as the City Lord hopes.”

“What happened now?”

Hao Nhien placed his cup down.

“I just reached Foundation Establishment layer nine.”

Lieu Thien Van had been about to raise his cup.

He stopped.

He stared at Hao Nhien.

Then slowly lowered the cup back to the table.

“Foundation Establishment layer nine?”

“Yes.”

“When you left Hoa Van, you were only at layer eight.”

“Correct.”

Lieu Thien Van watched him for a while longer.

“When did you break through?”

“Before returning.”

“After everything that happened at Heavenly Eye.”

The old man remained silent for quite some time.

Then he shook his head.

“Monster.”

Hao Nhien laughed.

“City Lord, there’s no need for that.”

“I had already accumulated for a long time. The opportunity simply arrived at the right moment.”

Lieu Thien Van looked at him as though he could not believe what he was hearing.

“Do you know how many late-Foundation cultivators spend their entire lives without advancing another layer?”

“I do.”

“And you still say it as though it were nothing?”

Hao Nhien decided drinking tea was safer than answering.

Lieu Thien Van stared at him for a while longer before asking,

“Has the new realm stabilized?”

“Yes.”

“More stable than I expected, actually.”

Hao Nhien thought for a moment before continuing.

“This breakthrough was different.”

“My cultivation foundation had already accumulated enough.”

“But there were still places where my soul and my control over True Qi were not completely synchronized.”

“After what happened at Heavenly Eye, that condition seems to have changed.”

He did not go deeply into the force born from belief or the workings of the Soul Art.

He himself had not yet determined the whole truth.

Lieu Thien Van’s expression gradually became serious.

“Then have you thought about the next step?”

Hao Nhien looked at him.

“Golden Core?”

“Mm.”

Lieu Thien Van nodded.

“You’re already at Foundation Establishment layer nine.”

“There is still peak Foundation ahead.”

“But with your cultivation speed, some things need to be prepared early.”

Hao Nhien fell silent.

He understood what worried Lieu Thien Van.

The Western Wastes could not sustain a true Golden Core cultivator.

Duong Quang’s forbidden pill had once forced his combat strength close to that threshold, and the result had shown exactly how dangerous it could be to force oneself beyond the region’s limits.

If Hao Nhien truly reached the point where he could form a Golden Core, he could not attempt it casually while still here.

“I’ve thought about it.”

“If I begin approaching that threshold, I’ll leave the Western Wastes before attempting the breakthrough.”

Lieu Thien Van looked at him.

“Remember what you just said.”

“You’ve cultivated this far already.”

“Don’t let impatience put you in danger.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“I know.”

Lieu Thien Van exhaled, lifted his now-cold tea, and took a drink before glancing toward the door.

“Then rest for a few days.”

“At least here in Hoa Van, there are people capable of handling what happens outside.”

Hao Nhien smiled.

“That was my plan.”

Lieu Thien Van looked at him suspiciously.

“You mean that?”

“City Lord, I just spent nearly a month traveling back.”

“I am still human.”

“I do get tired.”

“I was beginning to think you didn’t know that.”

Both men laughed.

By the time Lieu Thien Van left the courtyard, evening was already approaching.

Hao Nhien walked him to the gate, then returned.

Tieu Nhan had already finished tending the medicinal beds.

Several drying racks had been moved beneath shelter to avoid the night dew.

A fresh pot of tea waited on the stone table beneath the tree.

Hao Nhien sat down and let the evening wind pass through the small courtyard.

Voices drifted in from the street outside, mixed with the sound of beast carts carrying goods and children calling one another home.

Those sounds had once been rare in Hoa Van.

Now they had become an ordinary part of the town’s life.

Hao Nhien remembered the earliest days when this place had first been built.

Back then, people cared about only a few things.

Whether there was enough water.

How long the food would last.

And if an army came, how they could protect everyone inside.

Now the people of Hoa Van were planning new medicinal gardens.

Building houses.

Managing warehouses.

Receiving new families.

There were still disputes.

There were still difficulties.

But at least they now had time to think about the future instead of merely surviving until tomorrow.

Hao Nhien lifted his cup and looked toward the new rooftops visible beyond the courtyard wall.

The last evening light slowly withdrew from the low stone wall.

The scent of drying herbs mixed with warm tea.

Voices continued drifting steadily from the streets outside.

Hao Nhien sat there for a while longer, allowing himself to feel a rare peace after the long journey.

He had promised to meet everyone at the square that night.

There were things he needed to say.

People he wanted to thank.

But before that, he still had a meal waiting in this familiar courtyard, where things had changed somewhat but the feeling of having somewhere to return to remained.

He had thought that after the gathering that night, he could spend several days resting.

He would look over the unfinished matters in Hoa Van.

Then take Tieu Nhan back to Cat Loi as promised.

Whatever journey came afterward could wait a little longer.

For once, he wanted to decide for himself when he would leave.

Unfortunately, on the path of cultivation, some things had never cared whether he was ready for them.