The deal was sealed with a simple clap of hands. The sharp sound echoed briefly before Wen Biyun turned her gaze toward Luo Zhen, her eyes crinkling with a warm, triumphant smile.
"Young friend Luo," she said, her voice dripping with cordiality. "If you would be so kind, please hand over your Ascension Token."
Strictly speaking, the diplomatic agreement Wen Biyun had struck with Bai Susu didn't actually entitle her to the token. Bai Susu had ultimately declined to join the Cold Moon Sect, meaning the quota associated with the token hadn't been consumed. The token was still Luo Zhen's property to do with as he pleased.
However, Luo Zhen was a pragmatist. Holding onto a second Ascension Token offered him no additional utility—he already had his entry ticket. It was better to trade a useless object for a powerful favor.
With a casual flick of his wrist, Luo Zhen tossed the heavy, intricate token through the air. It formed a perfect arc before landing firmly in Wen Biyun's palm.
"My thanks, Luo," she said, clutching the token as relief washed over her features.
Seeing Luo Zhen's slightly inquisitive look, Zhang He, the envoy from the Blade Transformation Gate, stepped in to clarify. "It's a matter of incentives," he explained. "Any envoy sent to the outer islands to retrieve Ascension Tokens—like myself—is rewarded upon our return. For every token we bring back to the sect, we receive a bottle of pills designed to refine and advance our cultivation base."
He gestured toward Wen Biyun, who was practically beaming. "Hence her excitement. That token represents months of hard cultivation she no longer has to do manually."
Luo Zhen nodded slowly. "I see. It's a bounty system."
"Exactly," Yu Xing, the eldest of the group, interjected. He looked up at the sky, gauging the time. "Now that two of the tokens are secured, we have one left to collect. It's time we head to the State of Lu."
The group was in unanimous agreement. There was no reason to linger.
Moments later, the air roared as six streaks of light blasted into the heavens. The group consisted of the four high-level envoys, alongside Luo Zhen and Bai Susu. Among this elite gathering, Luo Zhen was technically the weakest link. His cultivation was at the late-stage King Tier—a level that would make him a god in the mortal world, but here, surrounded by Emperor Tier powerhouses, he was the junior.
To accommodate him, the group intentionally throttled its speed. While Li Hongyan of the Fire Sun Sect grumbled audibly about the delay, he had no choice but to keep pace with the formation.
Three days later, the landscape shifted.
They had crossed the vast, scorching expanse of the Red Desert, the crimson sands finally giving way to civilization. Below them lay the Imperial Capital of the State of Lu.
They did not announce their arrival with trumpets or messengers. Instead, as they hovered above the city, Yu Xing and the other envoys simply unclamped the restraints on their spiritual pressure.
It was cataclysmic.
Terrifying waves of invisible force crashed down on the capital like a physical hammer. It was the aura of Emperor Tier powerhouses, vast and suffocating. The air grew heavy, pressing into the lungs of every living creature below.
The State of Lu was structured much like its neighbors, East Yue and Wu. The Imperial Family was the apex predator, hoarding the best resources and producing the strongest fighters. The capital was a dense concentration of the nation's martial talent. But as the pressure from the sky washed over them, the local masters—men and women who were used to being the strongest in the room—stumbled out of their courtyards, their faces pale and eyes turned skyward in horror.
"E-Emperor Tier..." one cultivator stammered, his knees buckling.
"Count them! One, two, three... five Emperors?" another whispered, his voice trembling. "And a late-stage King. Great Heavens, have we offended the gods? What is happening?"
The panic was visceral. For the cultivators of Lu, this wasn't just a display of power; it was an existential threat. They had never seen such a gathering of titans in their lives. Those who had reached the Transcendent Infant realm—the local King Tier experts—shakily took to the air, hovering at a respectful distance, their muscles coiled to flee at the first sign of aggression.
Suddenly, a figure darted out from the palace complex at the rear of the city. He was an elderly man in regal yellow robes, his aura thick and refined. He was a Peak King Tier cultivator—the absolute zenith of power in this small nation.
Yet, as he approached the envoys, he looked like a frightened child.
"Greetings, Exalted Seniors," the old man stammered, bowing deeply. "I am Wang Ba. I hold the title of the strongest in Lu. May I... dare I ask what business brings such esteemed masters to our humble country?"
His fear was justified. Wang Ba was walking on a knife's edge. The envoys were 5th-Level Emperor Tier masters. If they hadn't deliberately held back the worst of their aura, Wang Ba wouldn't be flying; he would have been plastered against the pavement, his bones ground to dust.
Yu Xing looked at the trembling monarch and smiled—a benevolent expression that didn't quite reach his eyes. "There is no need for fear. We hail from the Qingzhou Prefecture. We are here on a recruitment drive."
The words acted like a magical incantation. The terror in Wang Ba's cloudy eyes was instantly replaced by a frantic, hungry light.
"Qingzhou Prefecture?" he gasped. "Then... you are here for the Ascension Token?"
"Correct," Yu Xing confirmed. "Bring out your candidate. Let us see if they have the aptitude to warrant the token."
"Yes! Immediately! This old man will go right now!" Wang Ba was practically vibrating with excitement. He turned to leave, then froze, remembering his manners. "Ah! Seniors, you must be wary of travel. Please, descend to the palace. Allow us to serve you while you wait."
"Very well," Yu Xing agreed. "Lead on."
By the time the group touched down in the palace courtyard, the news had spread through the city like wildfire. The terror of the invasion had morphed into the thrill of opportunity. The entire city was boiling with gossip.
Every cultivator above the Origin Dan realm crowded into the palace grounds, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the envoys.
"They really are from Qingzhou," a local martial artist whispered reverently. "That explains the power. Just look at them! We act like kings here, but compared to them, we're nothing."
"The State of Lu's strongest is just a Peak King," another agreed. "These envoys could wipe us off the map with a sneeze. The outside world is truly terrifying."
Inside the courtyard, the Lu Imperial Family presented their hope for the future.
She was tiny—a little girl no older than six, dressed in a delicate blue floral dress. She clung to the fabric of her skirt, her large, watery eyes wide with confusion.
"Seniors," Wang Ba said, his voice thick with pride and anxiety. "This is my great-granddaughter, Wang Xiaoxiao. She is the jewel of our clan."
Yu Xing blinked, surprised. "A female child?"
His gaze automatically shifted to Wen Biyun. There was an unwritten rule among the sects: female talents with high potential were the domain of the Cold Moon Sect. The other three factions rarely contested it.
"I'll take a look," Wen Biyun said, stepping forward. She knelt, bringing herself to eye level with the child. "What is her aptitude?"
"She possesses the Wind Spirit Body," Wang Ba announced, his chest puffing out slightly.
"A Wind Spirit Body?" Wen Biyun's eyebrows shot up. She gently took the girl's small hand, closing her eyes to send a pulse of spiritual energy through the child's meridians. After a moment, her eyes snapped open, shining with genuine surprise. "You aren't lying. The affinity is pure."
Wang Ba leaned in, desperate. "Senior, regarding her entry..."
"The Cold Moon Sect accepts her," Wen Biyun declared firmly.
"Wonderful! Thank the Heavens!" Wang Ba let out a shout of joy, nearly leaping into the air. Around him, the elders of the Wang family wept openly. Their ticket to power and protection had been secured.
Wen Biyun collected the final Ascension Token and lifted the little girl into her arms. "Our business here is concluded," she announced to the group. "It is time to return to Qingzhou."
"One moment," a voice cut through the celebration.
The group turned. It was Luo Zhen.
"Is something wrong, Young Friend Luo?" Wen Biyun asked.
"Please wait a moment. There is a loose end I need to tie up." Luo Zhen turned his gaze toward the crowd of onlookers gathered at the periphery of the courtyard. His expression was calm, but his eyes were cold. "Old Monster Red Fire. It has been a long time."
Wen Biyun followed his line of sight. Standing in the crowd was an old man with skin the color of burnished copper and a crimson face. He was staring at Luo Zhen, his jaw slack with shock.
This was Old Monster Red Fire. He had come to the palace to gawk at the high-level emissaries, hoping to glean some insight into the power of the mainland. Instead, he had found a nightmare.
He recognized Luo Zhen. How could he not? The features were identical to the Green Snake Demon General he had hunted so relentlessly. But the logic didn't hold up.
It can't be, Red Fire thought, his mind racing. That snake was barely a Half-Step King when I last saw him. That was... what? Less than a hundred days ago? This man is a Late-Stage King. He is two tiers above me!
It was a mathematical impossibility. Red Fire was a genius in his own right, born with a Red Fire Spiritual Root. Yet, it had taken him twenty years to bridge the gap to the King Tier, and another fifty years to reach the mid-stage. He was proud of that speed.
But if this was the same person, then Luo Zhen had done in three months what took Red Fire seventy years.
"You... you know me?" Red Fire asked, his voice cracking.
"Of course I do," Luo Zhen said, his smile failing to mask the killing intent radiating from him. "You chased me into the depths of the Red Desert. You ambushed me at the Secret Realm entrance. I killed your three disciples. Have you gone senile so quickly that you've forgotten?"
"You are the Green Snake?" Red Fire shrieked, the denial finally breaking. "Impossible! How?! I am a genius! It took me decades! You... you're a monster! This doesn't exist!"
"Doesn't exist?" Luo Zhen laughed softly. He released a sliver of his demonic aura.
It washed over Red Fire, distinctive and undeniable. Red Fire's ability to scent auras was better than a bloodhound's. There was no mistake. The scent was the same.
The reality of the situation crashed down on the old man. The shock of Luo Zhen's progression was replaced instantly by the primal urge to survive.
Without a word, Red Fire exploded into a pillar of flame, rocketing into the sky. He burned his blood essence, pushing his speed to the absolute limit, desperate to put the horizon between him and this anomaly.
Luo Zhen didn't even take a step. He merely flicked his sleeve.
"Too slow."
A phantom roared into existence—a massive Thunder Flood Dragon composed of pure, crackling electricity. It tore through the air with the sound of a thunderclap, moving faster than the eye could track.
BOOM.
The lightning dragon caught the fleeing streak of fire. There was no contest. Old Monster Red Fire was vaporized instantly, his body detonating into a mist of blood and charred meat. He didn't even have time to eject his Nascent Soul.
The threat was extinguished.
Luo Zhen turned back to a pale-faced Wang Ba. "Where is his base? The Red Fire Sect."
"Fifty miles south," Wang Ba answered instantly, eager to please the man who swatted mid-tier Kings like flies. "Just outside the city."
"Wait here," Luo Zhen told the envoys. "I'm going to pull up the roots."
He vanished in a streak of green light. Three minutes later, he was back, smelling faintly of ozone and smoke. The Red Fire Sect was no more.
"Done?" Zhang He asked casually.
"Done," Luo Zhen replied.
"Then let's go home."
The return journey was a marathon.
They flew over the ocean for a solid month. The endless blue below them became monotonous, broken only by the occasional sea beast that knew better than to challenge the formation flying overhead.
Finally, a line broke the horizon.
It started as a smudge, then grew into a coastline, and finally expanded into a sprawling continent that stretched beyond the limits of vision.
They flew inland for another hour until a colossal city rose from the earth. It was a perfectly square fortress of civilization, easily a hundred miles across. The architecture was imposing, the streets teeming with millions of souls.
"This is the Qingzhou Prefecture City," Zhang He explained as they began their descent. "It is the center of commerce and politics here. The City Lord governs from within, but the sects—our sects—do not reside in the city itself."
"Where are they?" Luo Zhen asked, scanning the urban sprawl.
"We value the spiritual veins of the earth," Zhang He said, pointing toward the jagged skyline surrounding the basin. "The city is ringed by mountains on three sides. That is where we build our foundations."
The group hovered for a moment of farewell.
"The mission is a success," Yu Xing said, clasping his hands in salute. "We part ways here. Until next time." He vanished toward his own sect. Li Hongyan followed suit, offering only a grunt of acknowledgment.
Bai Susu turned to Luo Zhen. There was a lingering look in her eyes—a mixture of shared history and unsaid words. But she had made her choice, and he had made his. She turned and followed Wen Biyun toward the Cold Moon Sect's peaks.
Luo Zhen watched her go, exhaling a long breath. The chapter of the Silver Dragon Island was officially closed.
"Come," Zhang He said, clapping a heavy hand on Luo Zhen's shoulder. "Let me show you your new home. Wait until you see the Blade Transformation Gate."
A quarter of an hour later, the destination loomed ahead.
It was a singular, massive peak that pierced the clouds—Mount Blade Edge. The mountain itself seemed sharp, aggressive. The spiritual energy here was thick enough to taste, a rich, revitalizing fog that cleared the mind with a single breath. Massive structures clung to the cliffs, and powerful auras drifted down from the summit like weather patterns.
They landed at the mountain's base, and immediately, a wall of sound hit them.
Luo Zhen blinked. The base of the mountain was packed with people. A massive drill ground was filled with cultivators, the air filled with the sounds of shouting, the clash of steel, and the hum of magic.
He walked closer and saw men and women standing on testing stones, sweating nervously as judges marked clipboards. Others were locked in fierce duels in sand circles.
Luo Zhen scanned the crowd with his spiritual sense and felt a jolt of shock. These weren't novices. The weakest among them were at the Origin Dan realm. Many were King Tier experts—people who, back on the islands, would be ancestors of their own clans or rulers of cities.
Here, they were pleading for a chance to sweep the floors.
"Elder Zhang," Luo Zhen asked, gesturing to the chaos. "What is happening here?"
"Recruitment season," Zhang He said nonchalantly. "Once a year, we open the gates. Cultivators from all over the continent come to test their luck. They want the resources, the protection, the techniques."
He pointed to a King Tier cultivator who had just been rejected by a judge and was walking away with slumped shoulders. "We are picky. Being a King isn't enough here. We need talent. We need potential."
Luo Zhen watched the desperate faces of the applicants, realizing for the first time just how valuable the item in his pocket was.
"Do I need to join the line?" Luo Zhen asked. "Take the aptitude test? Fight a duel?"
Zhang He laughed, shaking his head.
"Not you, Luo. You have the Ascension Token." He gestured toward the grand staircase leading up the mountain, bypassing the sweating masses entirely. "You walk right in."