The night at Guan He Tai was a symphony of clamor.

Here resided countless tales, an endless tapestry of history. Only the unsettled hearts of men, like scattered clouds, drifted across the peaks, accompanying the silent flow of the long river.

“Sugarmen, oh, come buy a sugarman! Want me to mold one for you?”

“Little Wang, your father was a good man, truly. Last year, I owed him for two doses of medicine. He never once pressed me for it, and I always felt too ashamed to visit. I never expected… What a pity!”

“Come, come, hot lamb soup, fragrant boiled lamb!”

Jiang Wang felt his mind strangely buoyant, yet also incredibly distant.

“Senior Brother Jiang, hehe, could I trouble you for some pointers on sword techniques?”

“Well done, Junior Brother Jiang, you show quite a bit of this senior brother’s style from back in the day.”

“Jiang Wang! Since you’ve entered my Dao Institute, you must remember to be diligent and hardworking. In the future, your entire being is bound to the myriad common people!”

His soul fluttered, unsure where it wandered.

“Third Brother! Let’s go drink wine together!”

“Old Third, you should rest. I’ll call for you again tomorrow.”

Rumbling.

It sounded like thunder.

Before his eyes, the earth cracked, lava surged forth, houses crumbled, and people fled in panic.

Cries, shouts, and lamentations filled the air.

“Old Third!”

“Third Brother!”

“Jiang Wang!”

Jiang Wang awoke with a start, his eyes scanning his surroundings. He was still in his own bed, the room empty. It was a dream.

He hadn’t dreamt in a very, very long time. Almost every night was spent in cultivation. This night should have been no exception. But thinking of the morrow, of the main competition, of striving for the title of world champion, he had allowed himself to relax, to rest properly for one night. He hadn’t expected… this single night to be so inescapable.

He had stood upon the World Platform, watching others’ swords pick out the red lotus, sighing at his own internal wounds. Yet, was he himself not burdened and pressing forward?

Outside the window, the night remained deep, the dawn not yet arrived. Jiang Wang saw no point in returning to sleep. He dressed and rose, taking the sword leaning beside his bed. The scabbard, crafted from Divine Dragon Wood, felt warm and moist to the touch, its grain intimately familiar under his hand. This brought him some sense of stability.

Holding the sword, he walked out of his room and into the courtyard. A bright moon hung high in the night sky, casting down a cold, frosty light. With the myriad countries gathered at Guan He Tai, the night was naturally not too quiet. Many nobles sought entertainment. But the courtyard’s protective formation blocked out all the noise.

Jiang Wang had no intention of going anywhere else. He took a few steps forward and stopped, standing simply in the center of the courtyard. He raised his head to gaze at the moon, vaguely sensing the presence of his dream. The bright moon remained, but the people of the past were gone. Perhaps someone had sighed, but that must have been in the dream.

At this moment, Jiang Wang was silent. He grasped the ink-colored sword hilt and drew out a frosty gleam. The frosty light danced under the moon’s glow, not fierce, nor displaying any obvious power. All killing intent, all sword qi, were contained within the sword, and even the sound was silenced. Yet, it was incredibly beautiful. The man was like a startled swan, gliding in and out; the sword was like a wandering dragon, twisting and turning.

A figure in a green shirt, with sword held vertically, danced alone and in silence under the moon. Those surging, restless emotions gradually calmed. The moonlight protected him, the night soothed him. He had simply endured countless difficult nights in the company of this moonlight and this night.

The Violet Qi Comes from the East Sword Canon.

The Heaven, Earth, and Human Three Swords.

Then, to the Human Dao Sword Style.

An old general in his twilight years, his single sword like the setting sun giving chase.

A single sword drawn horizontally, mirroring the dissolute scholar, wielding his brush wantonly. Ten years of decline, with life and death entwined in enmity.

The sword lifted, a youthful recklessness. The sword held vertically with pride, returning to a composed state.

The person like a floating duckweed, one sword folding out a body not his own.

Finally, a raised head to look at the moon, the sword falling with lovesickness, fixing itself in that state. This single style of sword-dance, born of lovesickness, had not been used since Dong A’s passing.

Jiang Wang returned his sword to its sheath, ending this impromptu painting. The technique of Sound Annihilation left no trace, and he had no intention of disturbing anyone. He had felt inspired to dance under the moon, and when his interest waned, he returned his sword and returned.

Indeed, it was not yet time to rest. He thought. He returned to his room alone and began cultivating again, as if nothing had happened.

The same moonlight sprinkled upon a small building not far from his courtyard. On the second floor, Cao Ji stood with his hands behind his back. As the leading strong practitioner in this delegation, his residence was near the three participating Chosen. This offered both protection and the convenience of providing guidance at any time. Besides addressing their own cultivation issues, a contemporary True Person’s insights into already formidable opponents were quite valuable.

Though Jiang Wang had intentionally suppressed all sound, the scene of him dancing under the moon had not escaped his eyes. Nor could it have. Tomorrow was the main competition of the Inner Residence Field, and he was naturally very concerned about Jiang Wang’s state. In the Outer Building Field competition, although Zhong Xuan Zun could be called dazzling, he had ultimately failed to seize the first place and bring glory to the country. Ji Zhao Nan was of course a top-tier genius, but this time, the Jing Kingdom’s confidence was too great, their momentum too powerful… That was, after all, the world’s oldest and strongest country. No matter how much faith he had in Ji Zhao Nan, he could not underestimate the powerful Jing Kingdom.

Calculating everything, it seemed Jiang Wang had a greater possibility of achieving first place.

“Speaking of which, who secured the last spot for the Inner Residence Field?” Cao Ji, still looking at the courtyard, suddenly asked.

From the shadows behind him, a voice replied, “Bai Yu Xia of the Yue Kingdom.”

As many had anticipated, Bai Yu Xia had indeed taken the last main competition spot. The result seemed to have brought no change, but in this process, the Yue people’s self-confident and spirited image had been established. For Bai Yu Xia himself, it was undoubtedly a form of perfection. Of course, with Cao Ji’s intentional highlighting, the Yue Kingdom’s Chosen advancing to the main competition in this manner only made the Xia Kingdom’s Chosen appear more awkward.

“Is there still no concrete information about Tai Yu?” Cao Ji asked again.

“This subordinate is incompetent,” the voice from the shadows said.

Cao Ji raised a hand. “Not a crime of war.” After a pause, he continued, “Then let’s see what the Jing Kingdom is hiding. This time, the problem is significant.”

He took one last look at the small courtyard where Jiang Wang resided and reached out to close the window. In the darkened room, he said, “Go handle something for me now…”

The moonlight was not stingy with anyone. Whether you were from the Inner Residence or Dong Zhen. Whether you were Jiang Wang, or… Lin Zheng Ren.

In the Zhuang Kingdom’s allocated courtyard. Under the moonlight, Du Ru Hui casually demonstrated a Dao technique. “If Huang Su attacked you with this technique, how should you respond?”

Lin Zheng Ren thought seriously before replying, “I should first use the Wall Flow technique to dissipate the force…”

“No,” Du Ru Hui shook his head. “I want your first reaction.”

“I should evade it,” Lin Zheng Ren said.

“That is also not the best choice,” Du Ru Hui explained in detail. “Because this technique has a special nature, you should…”

The strong practitioners leading the delegations to the Yellow River Assembly almost all took the time to guide their own Chosen. But perhaps none were as detailed as Du Ru Hui… accompanying the Prime Minister of a country with such honor.

From Bei Gong Ke of the Yong Kingdom, Huang Su of the Liang Kingdom, Xie Ai of the Xue Kingdom, to Dong Guo Bao of the Wei Kingdom, and Jiang Shao Hua of the Shen Kingdom. He analyzed every potential opponent one by one. It was almost a hand-in-hand lesson for Lin Zheng Ren on how to cope with different fights, perfecting various response strategies…

Unbeknownst to them, the eastern sky was already turning white.