The Marquis of Wu An and the Lord of Hua Ying Palace shared a closeness known to both the court and the common folk. There was no need for concealment; their bond was forged in humbler times.

Jiang Wang, the Lord of Hua Ying Palace, was no stranger to this place.

But a late-night visit? That was a first.

Compared to the resplendence of the Chang Sheng Palace, Hua Ying Palace’s architecture was marked by a certain grandeur, reflecting a more martial spirit. Weapons often served as adornments; armor, bellies, and longbows hung from the walls. Flowers and grasses were scarce, giving way to trees chosen for their utility—capable of being fashioned into spears, bows, or even structural beams for the dwellings.

Towering trees stood guard, like sentinels in an archway.

Trailing behind the silver-haired old woman as she traversed the palace grounds, Jiang Wang observed the guards and maids. Each possessed a military bearing, their movements precise, their speech meticulous, their rituals performed with unwavering rectitude.

This old woman, a constant shadow by Jiang Wu You’s side, was nameless to Jiang Wang. He knew only that Jiang Wu You sometimes addressed her as “Shen Po”—like calling out to a divine elder.

Though their paths had crossed many times, Jiang Wang had never exchanged words with her. She was an elder of a rather aloof disposition.

Their meeting place was the martial arts field.

Within the confines of Hua Ying Palace, the martial arts field was arguably the most painstakingly constructed edifice.

Sound-proofing, breath concealment, Yuan gathering—all manner of array patterns, crafted by renowned masters, were integrated into its design. The materials used for the paving stones and other elements were, naturally, of the highest quality.

Even the weapon racks flanking the field held no ordinary implements. Knives, spears, staffs, axes, halberds—all were exceptional arms.

The sheer scale of the martial arts field dwarfed the typical training grounds of other estates. It was a vast expanse, capable of accommodating a training army of four or five hundred.

Upon arriving at the martial arts field, the bright moon hung high, casting a cold light amidst scattered stars.

The clear summer night lay stretched across the sky, mirroring the serried ranks of the palaces below.

On the grand martial arts field, a lone figure danced.

Long hair, tied back in a ponytail, whipped through the air like the crack of a lash, tracing powerful yet graceful arcs.

She wore leather armor, yet it could not conceal her robust physique.

Raw power rippled beneath the leather.

Her legs, round and strong, crossed and stepped, striking muffled beats upon the ground.

In her hand, a massive, somewhat exaggerated painted halberd, flipped and jumped with the fluid motion of a swimming dragon.

Her speed was not swift; she was in no hurry to complete each movement or style. It was a reflection of the path she had steadily walked to reach this day.

Yet, every action was infused with immense power.

Even a simple turn or a single footfall seemed to marshal her entire being.

She expended every ounce of effort to walk, to pursue, to fight.

The air was ruptured, the night wind scattered. A ground of moonlight shattered, scattering like broken glass upon her body.

As Jiang Wang watched her movements, he sensed a dragon stirring within her, roaring and turning.

This was no illusion.

It was a tangible manifestation of power.

Jiang Wu You had fully unleashed the power of the Great Dragon in her spine, wielding the human body as a mighty dragon to drive her limbs and myriad bones, capable of cracking the earth and collapsing the heavens. This was a path divergent from orthodox cultivation and distinct from the traditional martial dao. Her Dao Pulse, Teng Long, had never detached from the Tong Tian Sea; that so-called dragon roar was precisely the roar of the sea itself!

When she finally retracted the halberd’s momentum, a subtle stillness descended upon the entire heaven and earth.

With a casual flick, the painted halberd tumbled through the air and soared into the distance.

The Fang Tian ghost god halberd, which moments before had roared like a divine dragon, instantly shed all its spiritual energy, to be silently retrieved by Shen Po.

Shen Po stepped back, then, taking the Fang Tian ghost god halberd with her, vanished into the night.

The Lord of Hua Ying Palace turned back. Her healthy, wheat-colored skin exuded a sunny warmth. A fine sheen of sweat on her brow enhanced her natural allure.

She looked at Jiang Wang, speaking no superfluous words. With a casual beckoning hand, she summoned a long sword from the weapons rack at the field’s edge.

“How can a night like this be lightly wasted?” she said. “I invite the Marquis of Wu An to offer guidance on this palace’s sword techniques.”

Jiang Wu You’s cultivation was currently in the Inner Mansion realm.

Two years prior, when Jiang Wang had ventured out to sea to rescue Zhu Bi Qiong and had swept through the Inner Mansion disciples of Diao Hai Lou with his sword, Jiang Wu You had also been in the Inner Mansion realm.

Three years ago, when Jiang Wang had first arrived in the State of Qi and had just pushed open the Gate of Heaven and Earth, Jiang Wu You was also in the Inner Mansion realm.

Now, Jiang Wang had already reached the Divine Arrival realm, and was a formidable presence even among those of that level. Yet, Jiang Wu You remained in the Inner Mansion realm.

This was not due to mediocre talent, nor a lack of effort.

It was because she was pioneering a new path of cultivation.

In the current era, the martial dao had not yet reached its zenith.

Wang Xiao, the foremost figure in martial dao today, remained at the pinnacle, unable to take that final step.

Yet, everyone knew it was merely a matter of time.

The path of the martial dao before the twenty-sixth heaven had already been forged, the result of countless talented cultivators striving for it. The thick clouds shrouding the twenty-seventh heaven of martial dao had also been significantly dispersed, revealing the outline of the palaces beyond…

One could have complete faith that it would eventually open a path from the extraordinary beginnings to the absolute peak of the extraordinary. It would truly forge a new path for the human race in this era.

If not Wang Xiao, then others would succeed.

Upon accomplishing such a monumental feat, the sheer merit of opening a new path for humanity would likely elevate that foremost martial artist to a higher level, allowing them to step beyond the absolute peak.

Many astonishing and talented cultivators turned to the martial dao, not without the ambition of using it to assail the heights above the absolute peak.

After all, reaching beyond the absolute peak was an exceedingly difficult pursuit.

Even as formidable as the emperors of the Six Great Overlord Nations, none could transcend the absolute peak. Huang Wei Zhen, the most romantic figure in Chu’s three-thousand-year history, had plotted for nine hundred years and only now saw a glimmer of possibility.

But the dangers of pioneering a new path were beyond ordinary imagination.

Climbing through thick clouds and heavy mist, never knowing what lay ahead, never knowing the direction, never knowing if one’s path was right or wrong—a single misstep meant death.

Since the inception of martial dao, throughout its long history, Wang Xiao was not the sole individual who had traversed the twenty-fourth heaven, a realm comparable to the Cave True realm in orthodox cultivation.

Nor was Wang Xiao the only one to approach the True Monarch realm.

Yet, those once-magnificent figures ultimately vanished into the clouds and mist.

Indeed, Wang Xiao had reached the highest position in the history of martial dao, nearing infinite proximity to the twenty-seventh heaven of martial dao and the True Monarch realm.

But who could be certain that he would not falter in the next step, falling from that seemingly boundless cultivation peak?

One step forward—would it land on the absolute peak, or plunge into the abyss? Until that step was taken, no one could say for certain.

The explorations of countless astonishing figures throughout history had, with their lives and blood, etched four words: This road is difficult!

This road was difficult, yet the people of countless ages never ceased.

There were always pioneering giants, and there were always those who followed in their footsteps.

This was how the human race had emerged from the dark ages.

And the dao martial path Jiang Wu You walked, while a hybrid integration of two paths and not a complete innovation, was one she trod alone. Her difficulties were no less than those of any martial dao cultivator after the twenty-fourth heaven.

At this moment, with sword in hand, she stood in confrontation with the divine sword techniques of the Marquis of Wu An. Calm, confident, grand, and heroic.

Under the moonlight, the Hua Ying Palace martial arts field was instantly illuminated by sword light, as if two bright moons had risen together.

Jiang Wang naturally suppressed his cultivation to the Inner Mansion level.

But who in the world did not know that the Great Qi Marquis of Wu An had achieved unprecedented feats at the Inner Mansion level? He had faced four human demons possessing terrifying killing abilities in a life-and-death struggle and emerged victorious.

Indeed, combat was ever-changing, with infinite possibilities. At that time, Jiang Wang, with significantly inferior strength on paper, had only achieved that life-and-death victory at the heavy price of broken limbs and a mutilated body. It was not a crushing victory, and did not represent absolute dominance.

Throughout history, there were certainly Inner Mansion cultivators with the qualifications to challenge this achievement.

But everyone had to acknowledge that Jiang Wang, at the Inner Mansion realm, truly deserved the title of first in history. No matter how great an existence, if faced with such a Jiang Wang in their Inner Mansion realm, they would have to accept the possibility of being killed.

And today, Jiang Wang had suppressed his cultivation. His performance at the Inner Mansion level was utterly beyond imagination!

Of course, even forcibly sealing his golden body and jade marrow, he was not truly an Inner Mansion cultivator.

But the terrifying aspect lay in this fact: facing such a Jiang Wang, Jiang Wu You still possessed the power to contend!

Jiang Wu You’s sword, momentum, and intent were seamlessly integrated. She had utilized her Inner Mansion level power to the absolute limit, without a single trace of waste.

After suppressing his cultivation to the Inner Mansion level, Jiang Wang naturally did not hold back.

He held enough respect for Jiang Wu You to display sword techniques that could be described as absolutely perfect at the Inner Mansion level.

And Jiang Wu You’s figure, radiating both power and beauty, danced through the moonlight. She transformed the three-foot green blade into a form of art.

Her turning gaze was like a dragon soaring through the nine heavens.

Her light cry was like a phoenix singing from the Wutong tree.

She lifted her sword as if lifting mountains and rivers for ten thousand miles, and brought it down to crash upon the people and the common folk!

Great and small were contained in a single thought.

At times she was an emotional emperor’s daughter, at times a heartless king.

Her eyebrows, her eyes—supreme and noble.

Her sword, her person…

When the sword rose, it was like a startled swan dancing; the moonlight and the night were both diminished!

Suddenly!

Jiang Wu You suddenly flung the sword away. With a beckoning hand, she grasped a long knife.

Her entire being was like a fully drawn bow. With a tremor of the string, her body surged forward.

“I have a knife; pray for a smile from the gentleman!”

The knife light thus shattered the night, unexpectedly intruding into Jiang Wang’s vision.

Her sword techniques were already superb, and her knife techniques were by no means inferior.

Considering only knife techniques, among all the opponents Jiang Wang had faced at the Inner Mansion level, she was only slightly less skilled than Qin Zhi Zhen.

Jiang Wang focused on facing the attack. Then, with a single branch of Long Xiang Si, he suppressed all of the snow-splashing knife light.

The long night was unwilling to end; the sound of metal on metal echoed.

Jiang Wu You continuously switched between seven sets of top-tier knife techniques, some solemn, some fierce, some vicious, displaying every style. None could break through Jiang Wang’s sword encirclement. Returning the knife to the rack, she pulled with her hand, shaking out a red-tasseled long spear!

With the red tassel in hand, she seemed to have already charged onto the battlefield.

Thousands of armies and horses surged in the night.

Her two hands crossed, then shook and pointed. Cold stars exploded, and countless spear lights blanketed the night sky, instantly raising a thousand sounds of whistling, ten thousand sounds of crying.

This spear was Feng Qi Wu.

And this spear was Hundred Birds Toward Phoenix!

“Good spear technique!”

Jiang Wang sincerely praised. With a casual horizontal sweep, it was Ming Shi Lao Dao. Raising his sword with a pick, it transformed into Nian Shao Qing Kuang.

He freely wielded his sword techniques, stripping away the hundred birds and cutting the lone phoenix back to its Wutong tree.

And as the spear shadows in the sky vanished, Jiang Wu You gripped a large axe in both hands, descending from the sky like a goddess cleaving a mountain!

This was truly a rare sight in the world!

The Lord of Hua Ying Palace unfolded her entire martial arts repertoire. Knives, guns, staffs, rods, axes, halberds, hooks, forks—eighteen kinds of weapons. She wielded them all at will, and all were superb.

Jiang Wang responded only with his sword techniques, witnessing a dazzling array that left his eyes wide.

He felt a boundless joy in his heart!

With his current cultivation, sparring with Jiang Wu You in the Inner Mansion realm could still yield gains.

No wonder there were words like “Worldly men fear facing shame.”

No wonder she was capable of pioneering the dao martial path!

The weapons on the rack were tried one by one. Jiang Wu You took what she would, then displayed her mastery. She performed with increasing fervor, stirring wind and clouds.

The more she fought, the more majestic her momentum became, like a dragon soaring and a phoenix dancing.

Then, gradually, it restrained itself, like still water flowing deep.

Such a magnificent duel, a pity no one appreciated it.

Such a magnificent duel, why would it need someone to appreciate it!

When Jiang Wu You finally returned a pair of iron maces to the weapon rack, her entire body was devoid of even half a point of momentum. Her energy blended and merged with the heaven and earth.

Beneath the bright moon and scattered stars, she stood with a sense of self and freedom.

Jiang Wang sheathed his sword, sincerely saying: “Congratulations, Palace Lord!”

He realized that Jiang Wu You’s dao martial path had already been traversed.

The dust-laden locks of many years had suddenly been opened, breaking through the bitter, narrow, and dangerous pass.

Jiang Wu You also smiled: “Thank the Marquis of Wu An for accompanying me on this segment.”

“I merely happened to be present, yet I witnessed history.” Jiang Wang sighed, “How fortunate!”

“To speak of witnessing history might be too early,” Jiang Wu You said. “The path is only halfway complete. At least until the True Person realm, there are no obstructions.”

Saying this, she let out a light sigh.

Jiang Wang, of course, understood her unspoken words.

The dao martial path, at least at the current stage, after being deduced to the Cave True realm, offered no further road to walk.

Because her path was a hybrid of two disciplines, but the martial dao path itself, those martial men had not fully traversed it.

Until the martial dao produced a True Monarch and revealed the path ahead, Jiang Wu You’s dao martial path would offer no further possibility.

“Frankly, I’ve always been curious about one thing,” Jiang Wang said. “With the Palace Lord’s talent and ambition, whether you walked the orthodox cultivation path or the martial dao, you could have gone very far by now. Why choose to forge your own dao martial path, such a difficult road?”

Jiang Wu You did not answer directly, but asked: “Do you know why I am called Wu You?”

Jiang Wang shook his head.

Jiang Wu You said: “The day I was born, the First Qi Xia War had just begun. My father, the Emperor, beheaded the Xia Emperor in battle and inflicted a great defeat upon the Xia army. Upon hearing the news of my birth, he was overjoyed and declared, ‘My Wu You is here!’ And so, he named me Wu You.”

She did not answer, but she had already answered.

Her name carried the beautiful vision of the Qi Tian Zi.

She wanted to walk a path that could lead her to become the “strongest”—to allow her father, the Emperor, to be truly “Wu You,” without worry.

She was born in the 24th year of Yuan Feng, and it was now the 57th year of Yuan Feng. She was already thirty-three years old.

Looking across the entire world, those who had not achieved Divine Arrival by the age of thirty were not considered absolute top prodigies.

And she, possessing absolute top talent, still lingered in the Inner Mansion realm at thirty-three years old.

This was the price she had paid for this difficult road.

Even in the foreseeable future, these prices were far from sufficient.

But this courage, this spirit, this boldness—how many in the world possessed it?

Jiang Wang sighed: “I also feel shame before the Palace Lord!”

Jiang Wu You laughed heartily: “The night is deep, the Marquis of Wu An should return. Today’s excitement is spent; I will not keep you for a drink.”

Jiang Wang also laughed: “Wait until I return from this mission; then we shall drink facing each other, Your Highness.”

He turned and strode towards the exit.

And behind him, Jiang Wu You’s momentum suddenly erupted, growing stronger and more majestic. It pierced the night curtain, illuminating Lin Zi.

Her voice resounded through Hua Ying Palace—

“This palace has now achieved Divine Arrival, to send off the Marquis of Wu An. Your journey as envoy to the grasslands should be a display of Qi’s brilliance, overcoming the prodigies of the world!”