Chapter 6: The Golden Carriage and the Emperor's Blood
The road to the Myriad Kingdom Alliance was a grand artery of white stone, stretching across thousands of miles of fertile plains and jagged mountain passes. It was the lifeline of the continent, traveled by merchant caravans, wandering cultivators, and the elite entourages of twenty different nations.
Tian Mo's carriage was modest, crafted from sturdy but common oak, drawn by two Wind-Chasing Horses that the Queen had insisted he take. Inside, the space was quiet. Li Feng sat with his eyes closed, his breathing rhythmic and deep, following the Heaven's Path Breath to stabilize his foundation. Princess Ling'er sat opposite him, her Lightning Lizard—now named Xiao Lei—periodically sparking as it napped in her lap.
Tian Mo himself was reclined against a silk cushion, the iron key from the auction house spinning slowly between his long, elegant fingers. To any passerby, they looked like a minor noble family on a pilgrimage.
That was, until the sound of a horn shattered the tranquility.
Bwaaaaa-rumph!
The ground began to tremble. From the horizon behind them, a massive cloud of dust rose into the air. Within seconds, a sprawling convoy appeared. At its center was a carriage the size of a small house, plated in shimmering gold and pulled by eight Earth-Shaking Rhinos. The beastly mounts rumbled like thunder, their heavy hooves cracking the white stone of the road.
"Make way! Make way for the Crown Prince of the Blue Frost Kingdom!" a herald shouted from the front of the convoy, his voice amplified by Qi.
Tian Mo's carriage was currently in the middle of a narrow bridge spanning a deep mountain gorge. There was no room to move aside without stopping entirely and backing up—a maneuver that would take several minutes.
"Master, they are moving too fast," Li Feng said, his hand instinctively gripping the hilt of the spear resting beside him. "If they don't slow down, they will crush us."
Tian Mo didn't even open his eyes. "The road is wide enough for those who know how to walk. For those who are blind with pride, it is always too narrow."
The Clash of Wills
The Golden Carriage didn't slow. Instead, a commander clad in azure armor galloped forward on a Winged Steed, stopping just feet away from Tian Mo's horses. He leveled a halberd at Janitor Lu, who was shaking so hard the reins were slipping from his sweaty palms.
"Halt, you peasant! Back your pathetic wooden box off the bridge immediately! His Highness, Prince Xuan, does not wait for trash from the borderlands!" the commander roared.
Janitor Lu looked back at the carriage, his voice trembling. "M-Master... it's the Blue Frost Kingdom. They are a Tier-2 Power. We... we should move."
From inside the carriage, Tian Mo's voice drifted out, calm and cold. "The horses have already set their pace. To stop now would be a flaw in their journey. Tell the 'Highness' that if he is in such a hurry, he is welcome to fly."
The surrounding guards, who had caught up, gasped. Fly? Over a thousand-foot gorge?
The curtains of the Golden Carriage parted. A young man stepped out onto the balcony of the moving palace. He was dressed in robes of silver fox fur, his skin so pale it looked translucent. This was Prince Xuan, a genius of the 9th Stage of Qi Sensing. However, his face was flushed with an unnatural, sickly violet hue.
"Who is the arrogant fool in the wooden box?" Prince Xuan asked, his voice thin and laced with a cold, biting frost.
Tian Mo finally opened his eyes. He didn't look at the Prince. He looked at the air around the Prince.
[DING!]
[Divine Library Initiated. Target: Prince Xuan.]
> Subject: Prince Xuan.
> Condition: Frigid Liver Internal Combustion.
> The Flaw: He has consumed too many 'Blue Frost Pills' to force a breakthrough. The cold energy has reached its limit and is now 'fermenting' in his liver, turning into a deadly heat-frost poison.
> Observation: He is exactly ten breaths away from a total internal collapse.
> Recommended Action: Silence.
>
"Prince," Tian Mo said, his voice echoing across the gorge, audible even over the thundering rhinos. "Your 'Frost Qi' is no longer yours. It is currently burning your liver into ash. Your pride is high, but your life force is low. My horses will not move, but I suggest you do. If you take ten more steps forward, you will cough up the very essence of your soul."
Prince Xuan let out a shrill laugh, though it ended in a sharp, dry wheeze. "A backwater teacher trying to play physician? My royal alchemists are the best in the alliance! Guards, clear the road! Destroy the carriage if you must!"
The azure commander raised his halberd, glowing with frost energy. "Die!"
But before the blade could fall, Prince Xuan's laughter stopped. His eyes widened, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks. He clutched his chest, his body jerking as if struck by lightning.
One step... two steps...
The Prince staggered forward on the balcony, his face turning from violet to a terrifying, charcoal black.
Nine steps... ten.
"BLEGH!"
A fountain of dark, frozen blood erupted from the Prince's mouth, splattering across the gold-plated railings of his carriage. The blood hit the floor and immediately turned into jagged icicles. Prince Xuan collapsed, his body convulsing in a fit of violent shivering.
"PRINCE!" the commander screamed, abandoning his attack on Tian Mo and rushing back to the Golden Carriage.
The entire convoy came to a screeching, chaotic halt. The Earth-Shaking Rhinos bellowed in confusion, their massive bodies nearly skidding off the edge of the bridge.
In the midst of the chaos, Tian Mo's modest wooden carriage continued its steady, rhythmic pace. As they passed the stalled Golden Palace, Tian Mo pulled back the curtain slightly. His gaze met the dying Prince's eyes for a split second.
"A teacher's word is a law of the universe, Prince," Tian Mo said softly. "You should have listened."
He dropped the curtain. "Lu, continue. We have a tournament to attend."
The Gates of the Alliance
Three days later, the majestic walls of Alliance City appeared on the horizon. The walls were built from 'Spirit-Tempered Granite,' soaring five hundred feet into the air, etched with defensive arrays that shimmered like a spider's web in the sun.
This was the center of the world for the twenty kingdoms.
As the carriage approached the main gate, the sheer scale of the city became apparent. Floating palanquins drifted through the air, and massive beasts—from winged tigers to armored elephants—carried nobles through the archways.
At the registration booth for the Supreme Teacher Pavilion, a young receptionist with a 1-Star badge was busy ignoring a line of lower-tier applicants. When Tian Mo stepped up, the receptionist didn't even look up.
"Name, Kingdom, and Rank," she said, her voice dripping with boredom.
"Tian Mo. Hung Kingdom. 3-Star," Tian Mo replied.
The girl's pen stopped. She looked up, her eyes scanning Tian Mo's youthful face. She looked at his simple white robes, then at the dusty Li Feng and the veiled Ling'er.
"Hung Kingdom?" she asked, a smirk forming on her lips. "The kingdom that hasn't produced a 3-Star teacher in fifty years? And you... you look like you've barely started shaving. Please, move to the 'General Cultivator' line. Fraudulent claims are punishable by flogging."
The teachers from the other kingdoms in the line began to snicker.
"Hung Kingdom? Is that the place where they still use ox-plows?" a 2-Star teacher from the Serene Cloud Empire mocked. "Kid, go home before you get hurt. This is the Alliance, not a village school."
Tian Mo didn't get angry. He didn't even argue. He simply looked at the massive Ancient Bell hanging in the center of the Pavilion's plaza.
[DING!]
[Divine Library: Target: The Bell of Resonance.]
[History: Gifted by a 6-Star Sage. It has not rung in 500 years because the internal 'Sound-Node' is misaligned by 0.003 millimeters.]
[Flaw: A single strike at the 'Golden Ratio' point will resonate with the entire city's Qi.]
Tian Mo walked away from the desk toward the bell.
"Hey! Where are you going?" the receptionist shouted. "That's a sacred relic! Don't touch—"
Tian Mo didn't use a hammer. He didn't even use his palm. He simply extended his index finger and tapped a specific, unremarkable spot on the bottom rim of the bell.
Ting.
For a second, there was silence. The teachers laughed. "A tap? He thinks he's a—"
BOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM—!!!
The sound didn't just ring; it exploded. A visible golden ripple of sound erupted from the bell, traveling through the plaza, through the streets, and across the entire five hundred square miles of the city.
The windows of the Pavilion shattered. The arrogant teachers were knocked to their knees, their ears bleeding from the pure resonance. The "Spirit-Tempered" walls of the city hummed in harmony, and every bell in every tower of the city began to ring in response.
From the highest floor of the Pavilion, three figures in deep purple robes—4-Star Elders—flew out of the windows, their faces filled with shock.
"The Bell of Resonance? It has awakened?!" one of the Elders cried out, landing in the plaza.
He looked at the scene: the shattered windows, the kneeling teachers, and in the center of it all, a handsome young man in white robes, standing calmly with his hand behind his back.
Tian Mo turned to the frozen receptionist. "As I was saying. Tian Mo. Hung Kingdom. 3-Star. Is the registration complete, or do I need to ring it again?"
The receptionist's pen snapped in her hand. The Elders descended, their gazes landing on the 3-Star badge pinned to Tian Mo's chest—the one delivered by the Appraiser's Guild.
"Hung Kingdom..." the lead Elder whispered, bowing his head. "Forgive our rudeness, Grandmaster. We did not know a dragon had entered our gates."
Tian Mo nodded, looking toward the Tournament Grounds. "The dragon is here. Now, show me where the 'Geniuses' are. My students are bored."