The once-every-five-years Ten Sect Assembly was being held in Luo City, drawing cultivator clans and sects from within a 1,500-kilometer radius. The streets were packed with people, lively and bustling.
At the highest level of the venue, a young man in a python-patterned robe sat on a high seat with an old woman in a purple robe beside him. Luo City’s City Lord sat nearby, accompanied by six beautiful maids. This young man in the python robe had come from the royal city of the Great Qian Empire. Though he hadn’t revealed his true identity, the City Lord could tell he came from an extraordinary background—he held a noble command token from Great Qian. Anyone who possessed such a token had to be a noble of the empire. Luo City was one of the eighteen cities under Great Qian’s jurisdiction, and its City Lord dared not offend the young man.
However, the python-robed man had no interest in the City Lord. His attention was entirely on the beautiful maids around him, teasing and laughing with them from time to time.
“City Lord Xu, is there a side hall in the back?” he asked, lifting one of the maids into his arms.
“There is a resting side hall in the back,” City Lord Xu responded quickly, instantly understanding his intentions.
“Then I’ll go rest for a while. I’ll come out once I’ve had enough rest.” Without waiting for a reply, the python-robed man carried the maid into the side hall.
The purple-robed old woman glanced at him coldly, a trace of disgust flashing in her eyes, but she said nothing.
She turned to the City Lord and said, “City Lord Xu, we actually met once, seventeen years ago.”
“Oh? We’ve met before?” City Lord Xu looked surprised.
“Back then, this old woman worked for the Ministry of Justice in Great Qian. I once visited Yun City to investigate the destruction of the Blood Fiend Sect. It was you, the then chief of Yun City, who received us,” she said.
“So it was you, esteemed one. I didn’t recognize you earlier, please forgive me,” City Lord Xu replied with realization and quickly apologized.
“Time changes everything. Seventeen years have passed. It’s normal not to recognize me,” she said with a smile.
“You once worked for the Ministry of Justice. How did you end up as this Young Master’s path guardian?” City Lord Xu couldn’t help but ask.
The Ministry of Justice’s officials were once chosen personally by the King of War. Even if someone didn’t rise high, after seventeen years they should at least have an official post. Being a path guardian sounded noble but was actually a tough and thankless job.
“I made some mistakes and was punished,” the purple-robed woman sighed.
“I see.” City Lord Xu quickly changed the subject. “By the way, was there ever any conclusion to the Blood Fiend Sect case in Yun City back then?”
“None. It became a cold case. No progress to this day,” she replied, shaking her head.
“Not a single lead?” City Lord Xu looked at her.
“Not exactly. We found some clues, but the higher-ups didn’t believe them. The case was sealed, and we were forbidden to investigate further,” she said with a sigh.
“Why wouldn’t they believe you?” he asked in confusion.
“Because the Blood Fiend Sect might have been destroyed by a mysterious expert with a single palm strike…” she said in a lowered voice and then immediately fell silent.
“A single palm…” City Lord Xu’s expression changed in shock.
He had also visited the Blood Fiend Sect’s ruins. The area was a mess, clearly ravaged by immense force. At the time, he had assumed it was the result of a sect war or a group attack. He had never considered that one person alone could have done it.
And yet she had said a single palm had destroyed the Blood Fiend Sect.
What kind of cultivator could unleash that level of power?
If such a person really existed, they could destroy the entire Great Qian Empire in moments.
No wonder the Ministry of Justice had sealed the case.
If he had been the head of the ministry, he wouldn’t have believed such a claim either.
The purple-robed woman noticed the City Lord’s skeptical look and knew he didn’t believe her, so she didn’t continue the topic. He might not believe it—but she did.
She had personally visited the Blood Fiend Sect, spent six years investigating, recreating the scene with her subordinates. That conclusion wasn’t baseless.
At that moment, the python-robed young man came out of the side hall, looking extremely satisfied. But his gaze immediately shifted to the female disciples entering the venue one by one.
A group of young disciples wearing uniform silver robes, each bearing a crescent moon symbol, entered under the lead of three elders. They immediately attracted attention.
“Silver Moon Sect is here.”
“This year’s lineup is much stronger than the last. I heard three of them are in the top ten of Luo City’s Earth Ranking.”
Disciples from other sects watched Silver Moon Sect closely. Those aiming to rank high viewed them as their fiercest rivals.
Just then, another group of young men and women dressed in crimson robes entered. Their appearance was exceptional, their bearing proud and lofty.
They were disciples of the Myriad Beasts Sect.
The Myriad Beasts Sect had ranked first for five consecutive assemblies.
“This year’s Myriad Beasts Sect is strong again. Not only do they have Murong Bo, who ranks first on Luo City’s Earth Ranking, but also those ranked third and fourth.”
“That’s not all. The rankings updated yesterday—there’s now a new person at tenth place from Myriad Beasts Sect.”
“Tenth place? Who is it?”
“Who else? It’s Lin Huaiyue, recently accepted as the last disciple of Beastmaster himself.”
“Wasn’t she originally the fiancée of Qin Yun, Young Master of the Heavenly Mystic Sect?”
“She already made it to tenth place? That’s unbelievable!”
The crowd was stunned. Lin Huaiyue had only been thirty-eighth before. In just a few days, she had soared to tenth. Her rise was astonishing.
“Looks like leaving the Heavenly Mystic Sect for Myriad Beasts Sect was the right choice. If she had stayed, she’d never have reached this level.”
“Don’t say that. If not for Qin Yun taking care of her for two years and providing spiritual medicine, would she have even awakened her bloodline?” Find the original chapter at novelping.com.
“If her bloodline hadn’t awakened, would the Myriad Beasts Sect even have looked at her?”
“They’re clearly using Lin Huaiyue to make a statement—what other sects can’t raise, the Myriad Beasts Sect can, and quickly.”
“They’re publicly humiliating the Heavenly Mystic Sect. Lin Huaiyue was unknown for years there. But after joining the Myriad Beasts Sect, she became tenth place in Luo City.”
“This isn’t the first time they’ve done it. They’ve poached top disciples from other sects before.”
“And Lin Huaiyue is cold-blooded. After all Qin Yun did for her, she turned her back on him the moment she awakened her bloodline and ran to Myriad Beasts Sect.”
Lin Huaiyue was enjoying the attention, but her smile vanished when she heard those comments.
“What did you just say?” she snapped, glaring at the speaker.
“We didn’t say anything.”
“Did we say anything?”
“Nope.” Everyone denied it.
“You clearly said it, yet you won’t admit it…”
Lin Huaiyue was about to lash out when Murong Bo pulled her back. “Junior Sister Lin, why waste time with trash like them? When the Ten Sect Assembly begins and we fight for the flag, just kill them with a single sword strike.”
“You’re right, Senior Brother. For trash like them, just killing them will do.” Lin Huaiyue nodded.
She followed the leading elders and Murong Bo to take their seats at the Myriad Beasts Sect area and waited for the other sects to arrive.
Suddenly, noise came from the southern entrance.
The Heavenly Mystic Sect had arrived.
At the front was the Grand Elder, with the Second and Third Elders flanking him. Qin Yun walked in the center, followed by eight more elders. Behind them came a large group of sect disciples.
“Eleven of the sixteen elders came?”
“Their formation looks like a defensive array…”
“It’s not just similar—it is a defensive array. They’re protecting the Young Master, Qin Yun…”
“Sending eleven elders to protect one Young Master? That’s overkill.”
“You haven’t seen past assemblies. Last time, all sixteen elders came. This time, five were injured and couldn’t make it. That’s why only eleven showed up.”
“Is it really necessary? A whole group of elders just to protect a good-for-nothing?”