Chapter 31: The Azure Cloud Envoy
The Imperial City, still buzzing with the afterglow of Ling Tian's victory, was suddenly gripped by a new kind of anticipation. News had spread like wildfire: an envoy from the Azure Cloud Sect, a powerful and ancient cultivation order from a realm far beyond their own, had arrived. The Emperor, in a move that baffled his court, had personally welcomed the envoy and even granted her a residence within the inner palace walls. It was a sign of immense respect, and also of profound apprehension.
Ling Tian, now the official Protector of the Realm, felt a subtle shift in the city's spiritual energy. It was a presence, cold and refined, like a glacier against the sun-warmed earth. It was powerful, but devoid of the malicious corruption of the Shadow Ascendants. It was the power of a true master, one who had reached a peak far beyond anyone in the Eastern Realm.
He was in his palace courtyard, training with his companions. The atmosphere was no longer about survival, but about growth. Zhao Wei, his fire cultivation now infused with a new, controlled intensity, sparred with Mu Qing, whose spear was a blur of focused, devastating power. Princess Mei Ling, ever the strategist, watched them, her mind analyzing every move, while Xiao Li, a silent phantom, practiced her stealth in the shadows. Lin Yue, the anchor of their group, was in her garden, tending to the spiritual herbs she had grown, her healing aura a soft, constant balm on the air.
As they trained, a servant rushed in, his face pale with a mix of fear and excitement. "Lord Ling Tian! The Emperor has summoned you! He wishes for you to meet the Azure Cloud Envoy in the Grand Hall!"
Ling Tian nodded, his face calm. He had been expecting this. He looked at his companions, a silent understanding passing between them. They were ready.
The Grand Hall was a spectacle of opulence and power, filled with the highest-ranking nobles and cultivators of the Eastern Realm. But all eyes were on a single figure who stood beside Emperor Xuan's throne. She was a woman of breathtaking beauty, with hair the color of midnight and eyes the shade of a clear, cold sky. Her robes, a vibrant shade of azure, were embroidered with the crest of the Azure Cloud Sect—a mountain peak shrouded in mist. Her aura was powerful, yet perfectly contained, a coiled serpent of immense cultivation. This was the envoy, Shen Luoyan.
Emperor Xuan, his face a mask of practiced diplomacy, gestured to Ling Tian. "Protector of the Realm, I present to you the esteemed Envoy of the Azure Cloud Sect, Shen Luoyan. Envoy, this is Ling Tian, the hero who saved our realm."
Shen Luoyan's cold gaze swept over Ling Tian. There was no arrogance in her eyes, only a clinical, professional assessment. "So, you are the one," she said, her voice a cool, melodic whisper that carried through the entire hall. "The one who defeated an emperor-level cultivator and purified a spiritual plague. Your name has reached our realm, even in its quiet corners."
Ling Tian bowed respectfully, but his gaze was unwavering. "I am honored by your words, Envoy. The Eastern Realm owes a great debt to its protectors, and I am merely one of them."
Shen Luoyan gave a slight, almost imperceptible smile. "A Protector. A humble title for a man of such immense power. We in the Azure Cloud Sect have a different way of assessing a man's worth. We believe that true power is not just about victory in battle, but about the very nature of one's cultivation. It is a philosophy that has been passed down for a thousand generations."
She then turned to Emperor Xuan. "Your Majesty, I have come to make a request. My sect has sent me here to assess the Eastern Realm's strength, and in doing so, to extend an invitation to its most promising genius." Her eyes, cold as ice, returned to Ling Tian. "I wish to see the strength of this 'Protector' for myself. I challenge you to a duel."
The hall erupted in hushed whispers. A challenge? This was an unprecedented diplomatic move. Ling Tian, the hero of the realm, was being challenged by a woman from a sect they knew nothing about. The Emperor, his face now a mask of profound worry, looked at Ling Tian, a silent plea in his eyes.
Ling Tian, however, was not afraid. He was intrigued. He had felt her power, and he knew she was not a rival to be underestimated. She was a true master, a worthy opponent. He looked at her, his golden eyes filled with a quiet challenge of his own.
"A duel," he said, his voice carrying through the murmuring hall. "I accept."
The duel was set for a week later, on the grand training grounds of the Imperial Palace. The news of the impending duel sent a ripple of excitement and speculation through the entire realm. Everyone knew this was not just a simple match, but a clash of philosophies, a test of power, and a direct confrontation that would decide Ling Tian's place in the wider universe of cultivation. The Eastern Realm's greatest hero was about to be put to the ultimate test, and his fate, along with the fate of his new family, hung in the balance.