With some time before the flight, Chen Chu casually ate something in the airport. When he arrived at the departure gate, his gaze immediately fell on a young man in a Daoist robe who looked about eighteen or nineteen.

The youth had long hair down to his waist, casually tied behind his head with a Daoist hairpin, and exuded a carefree and otherworldly aura, though his appearance was quite ordinary.

Chen Chu approached the Daoist-robed youth and quietly said, "Li Daoyi?"

"Chu Batian?" The young man in the Taoist robe showed a look of surprise as he stared at Chen Chu, marveling at how excessively handsome this guy seemed to be.

Chen Chu's lips curved slightly. "Brother Li, I've heard much about you."

As Li Daoyi scrutinized Chen Chu, Chen Chu also took the opportunity to observe him. In Chen Chu's eyes, an invisible force naturally surrounded Li Daoyi, allowing his body to automatically absorb and exhale free-floating transcendent energy without actively cultivating.

Out of politeness, Chen Chu glanced briefly and then looked away, taking a seat next to Li Daoyi.

Li Daoyi then whispered, "Brother Chu, how about we discuss something?"

"What is it?"

Li Daoyi humbly suggested, "I think I'm better at defense. Why don't we switch roles? I'll be in charge of protecting her, and you handle any attackers."

Chen Chu smiled. "I don't mind, but can you discern malice just by looking at someone?"

"Well... no." Li Daoyi admitted with a sigh. "Alright, I'll stick to my role. Honestly, I prefer cultivating over fighting."

Chen Chu didn't respond to that. Despite both being tasked with protecting Yan Ruoyi, their roles were clearly defined. Chen Chu, with his Insightful Eye, was responsible for her immediate safety and detecting enemies.

Li Daoyi, at the middle stage of the Sixth Heavenly Realm and possessing greater combat power, would handle the actual confrontation and interception of threats, including avatars of the Blood God and demon king. While both were in the Sixth Heavenly Realm, to the military high command, Li Daoyi's mastery of thunderbolt powers made him the stronger combatant.

Chen Chu was perfectly content with this arrangement, as it would allow him time to study the Divine Might Dragon Elephant secret scripture and develop his top-level art.

Just as Chen Chu was about to close his eyes and rest, Li Daoyi leaned in excitedly and whispered, "Brother Chu, have you noticed all the beauties around here? Look at that lady in the white bodycon dress. Her legs are so fair and shapely. Even with sunglasses on, she must be pretty. I'd give her an 80.

"And the one in the red dress over there, wow, what a figure. Her looks might only be a 60, but her body brings her up to a 70."

Chen Chu gave Li Daoyi a strange look as he rated the women around them, suddenly doubting his reliability.

You're supposed to be a legendary Innate Awakener, with your Daoist robes and elegant aura, yet you're acting like you've never seen the world—or rather, never seen women. This doesn't fit your persona at all.

Just as Chen Chu was feeling at a loss, the announcement for their flight came over the broadcast.

"Flight X-155 to Tiannan City is now boarding. Please proceed to Gate 3 for boarding..."

"Let's go, Brother Li," Chen Chu said as he stood up. Following the flow of passengers, the two of them boarded the plane one after the other.

This was a large aircraft. In the past, it could seat over two hundred people, but after modifications and weapon installations, it could now only accommodate about one hundred.

Under the gazes of many passengers, Chen Chu and Li Daoyi walked down the aisle and entered the first-class cabin. The spacious first-class section of the plane had only two seats.

As soon as they sat down, Li Daoyi excitedly whispered, "Brother Chu, did you notice how pretty the flight attendants are? Maybe we can ask to add them as friends on socials later."

"...I don't think that's necessary." Chen Chu sighed inwardly, feeling that this mission would possibly be more troublesome than he had anticipated.

Shaking his head, Chen Chu took out the white, stone-like book from his Sumeru Bracelet. The flight to Tiannan would take two hours, and he didn't want to waste any time.

Over the past few days, Chen Chu had gained a good understanding of the Divine Might Dragon Elephant secret scripture, particularly the creator's thoughts, which had greatly inspired him. Both this secret scripture and the one he intended to create focused on the Divine Might Dragon Elephant runes.

Li Daoyi was surprised. "A top-level secret scripture, Brother Chu? Aren't you only at the beginning stage of the Sixth Heavenly Realm? Are you already starting to cultivate one?"

"No, I'm not cultivating it."

Li Daoyi was slightly puzzled. "If you're not cultivating... are you planning to create your own secret scripture!?"

Chen Chu nodded. "That's the idea."

Li Daoyi was amazed. "Incredible. I've met many geniuses over the years, but this is the first time I've encountered someone confident enough to create their own secret scripture."

"Not at all. I'm just making preparations. If my secret scripture doesn't take shape by the late stage of the Sixth Heavenly Realm, I'll abandon the idea of creating my own."

Speaking of this, Chen Chu couldn't help but feel curious. "Brother Li, do Innate Awakeners like you cultivate others' secret scriptures after reaching the peak of the Sixth Heavenly Realm, or do you create your own?"

"Neither," Li Daoyi replied without hiding anything. "At the peak of the Sixth Heavenly Realm, we have a special blank secret scripture. We don't need to follow anyone else's path.

"This particular secret scripture is essentially an empty shell constructed from basic runes. When we break through to the Seventh Heavenly Realm and resonate with the heavens and earth, our innate abilities naturally form the True Martial Phantom that suits us best.

"Since everything is perfectly tailored to us, condensing the True Martial Battle Body and breaking through to the Ninth Heavenly Realm to form a domain isn't particularly difficult for us."

Chen Chu's face immediately showed a hint of envy. Compared to ordinary cultivators, or even someone like him who had to create their own secret scripture, these Innate Awakeners seemed incredibly fortunate.

However, Li Daoyi then smiled wryly. "But we have our disadvantages too. Our talent is singular and can only be pushed to the extreme. When we reach the king level, our talent might even become a shackle."

Of course, these so-called disadvantages were minor in comparison. Who wouldn't envy the ability to effortlessly cultivate to the Ninth Heavenly Realm and even break through to the king level?

Seeing that Li Daoyi was in the mood to chat, Chen Chu set aside his secret scripture and started conversing with him, particularly about Innate Awakeners.

Li Daoyi didn't hold back any information. After all, with Chen Chu's talent, he would soon break through to the Seventh Heavenly Realm and naturally learn these things anyway.

Two hours passed in a flash, and the plane landed at Tiannan Airport. Chen Chu and Li Daoyi followed the crowd off the plane, and soon spotted a beautiful woman in her early twenties holding a sign near the runway, one that prominently displayed the names "Chu Batian" and "Li Daoyi."

Many passengers couldn't help but take a second look. It couldn't be helped; "Chu Batian"[1] was such a unique name. Even Ling Yi had paused for a moment when Chen Chu chose it for his new identity.

Chen Chu didn't mind. Edgy or not, it was just a codename.

"Let's go, Brother Li. Someone's here to pick us up."

Next to the woman with the sign stood a mature woman, exuding an air of elegance and appearing to be in her thirties. As they approached, the mature woman smiled and said, "You must be Chu Batian and Mr. Li Daoyi. I'm Bai Yunfeng."

Chen Chu nodded slightly. "Hello, Director Bai. I am Chu Batian."

Having reviewed her file, Chen Chu instantly recognized Bai Yunfeng, though he was surprised to see that she looked even younger in person than in her photos. Isn't she supposed to be fifty-one?

Li Daoyi said nonchalantly, "I'm Li Daoyi. I didn't expect Director Bai to come to pick us up personally."

Bai Yunfeng said, "Originally, Little Yi was supposed to greet you both, but she's currently rehearsing a new dance for the concert, so I apologize."

Chen Chu replied calmly, "No need to apologize, Director Bai. It's getting late. Let's get in the car and talk on the way."

With that, the four of them got into the luxurious business car parked nearby. As the driver started to pull away from the airport, Bai Yunfeng began to give Chen Chu and Li Daoyi a brief introduction to the company.

The pretty female assistant, meanwhile, curiously observed the two of them, wondering what kind of important figures they must be to warrant a personal reception from the company director.

1. Chu Batian translates to Heavenly Ruler Chu ☜