The Western Mountain was roughly three thousand feet tall. It was steep and precipitous.

It was early in the morning, and the skies weren’t yet fully bright.

A crowd mulled about the foot of the mountain. There were people all over the place, all of them talking in hushed whispers, their expressions filled with anticipation.

News of the Imperatorial Province’s upcoming Tea Party had long since caused a widespread uproar, and throughout the province, factions both big and small were paying attention. All of them knew that the results of today’s Tea Party would determine who became the province’s next governor.

The competition over the seat of provincial governor had even triggered a clash between the second and sixth imperial princes! How could the factions occupying various regions of the Imperatorial Province’s six prefectures not pay attention? 

The appointment of a new governor would inevitably shake things up; this would affect all of them. 

A group of elite soldiers of the Redscale Army stood guard by the entrance to the mountain path. All of them were clad in Redscale Armor, and they each carried a Redscale Saber. Their formation was dense as a forest, solemn, and intimidating. 

And the man in charge of this outpost was none other than the army’s youngest commander of ten thousand men, Yuan Luoyu.

“Hm? Father and the others are here too….”

Yuan Luoyu suddenly noticed that his father, Yuan Wutong, and little sister, Yuan Luoxi, were approaching from not far away.

This was a reunion of close relatives, but Yuan Luoyu merely nodded in greeting.

He was now a commander of the Redscale Army. He needed to remain present and vigilant at all times. 

Yuan Wutong smiled faintly, then said to Yuan Luoxi, “Your Second Brother’s done rather well for himself.”

Yuan Luoxi nodded distractedly, and her beautiful eyes rapidly swept the area; it seemed she was searching for someone.

“How could Master Su appear here?” Yuan Wutong saw through her at a glance. He couldn’t help but shake his head.

Yuan Luoxi was instantly embarrassed. “Father, this is a major event; everyone’s watching to see what happens. Master Su will definitely be here.”

Yuan Wutong nodded. “His Sixth Highness values Master Su highly. If he succeeds in inviting Master Su here to support him today, it’ll increase his chances.”

His gaze swept across the area too, and he discovered numerous figures of extraordinary backgrounds.

Some were prominent figures of the province’s six prefectures, with authority sufficient to affect their entire home prefecture!

Some were leaders of the Imperatorial Provincial Capital’s prominent factions, while others were famed elders or valiant heroes of their respective territories.

Today, all of them were gathered here, by the foot of the Western Mountain. It was truly a gathering of big shots, with experts as numerous as the clouds.

Just witnessing the grand scale of it all sent waves through Yuan Wutong’s heart.

It was fair to say he was a big shot in the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital, but here, figures of his level were all over the place.

“Do you know why your eldest brother insisted on venturing into the Jade Capital?” He said, sounding quite emotional. “It was because only by leaving could he understand how vast the world really is. His talent and potential might well be heaven-defying, but had he remained in a little place like the Cloudriver Prefectural City forever, they would have been buried!”

Yuan Luoxi only half understood, but Yuan Wutong didn’t explain any further.

The world had always been like that; there was always a higher mountain to climb.

How prosperous was the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital?

Yet from the perspective of the Imperatorial Provincial Capital, it was just the capital of one of six such prefectures.

Similarly, by the standards of the Great Zhou as a whole, the Imperatorial Provincial Capital was merely the heart of a single province. It was far from comparable to the Jade Capital.

If you stepped back and examined the Azure Continent as a whole, the Great Zhou itself was but one of over a hundred nations…

It was, therefore, inevitable that the loftier your position was, the more keenly aware you were that there was always a “heaven beyond the heavens”. There was always someone stronger out there!

“Uncle Ying, an event like today’s Tea Party really is rare.”

Meanwhile, Hua Yan, the beautiful proprietor of the Imperatorial Province branch of the Goldstone Pavilion, stood by the base of the mountain too. 

Her makeup was subtle and elegant, and she had a dignified and gentle air, giving her a distinctive charm.

The white-haired elder, Uncle Ying, sighed with emotion. “Looking at the situation, it seems that more than half of the province’s illustrious figures have gathered here, including those from the six prefectures as well as the provincial capital.”

“I heard that the second prince has about a ninety-percent chance of victory. Even the Ten Directions Pavilion’s reports indicate that the sixth prince is almost certain to lose,” whispered Hua Yan.

“The Ten Directions Pavilion thinks so too?” Uncle Ying visibly reacted.

The Ten Directions Pavilion was famed throughout the nation for its network of information. If this mysterious faction dared make such a proclamation, they likely had access to information others were as of yet unaware of.

“That’s right,” said Hua Yan, her eyes flashing with strange light. “Furthermore, according to their investigations, the sixth prince’s greatest trump card is a young man called Su Yi!”

“Su Yi?” Uncle Ying seemed a bit confused.

Hua Yan shook her head. “I’ve never met him, but the Ten Directions Pavilion’s reports say that he’s extremely impressive. He once lost his entire cultivation, becoming the cast-off disciple of Blueriver Sword Manor. He then married into Guangling City’s Wen Family. He was nothing but a waste, yet a year later, he emerged as a black horse and rose to prominence!

“Just a month ago, as a Blood Circulation Realm cultivator, he seized first place in Guangling City’s Dragon’s Gate Banquet. From that day on, everything happening around him starts to get unbelievable.

“Even Mu Cangtu, the mighty leader of Blueriver Sword Manor, could only lower his head in defeat before him.

“The valiant, long-established governor of Cloudriver Prefecture, Qin Wenyuan, fell beneath his sword. So did the local Deathbringer’s Gate branch’s three dharma protectors.

“Furthermore, all of this happened within just one month!”

Uncle Ying was visibly surprised; he couldn’t help it. “What exactly happened to the boy? How did he become so strong?”

Hua Yan’s eyes flashed with strange light. “That’s exactly what I wanted to know. Apparently, the Ten Directions Pavilion already sees him as an important figure, and they’re currently investigating his origins. I trust that before long, we’ll have ourselves some answers.”

Uncle Ying fell silent for a while, then said, “But even if Su Yi were stronger, he’s still just one person. How could the sixth prince see him as his greatest trump card?”

He paused, then said, “Remember, this Tea Party doesn’t just involve the big shots of the provincial capital; the second and third princes, and the factions they represent, are involved too. How could Su Yi alone change anything?”

Hua Yan froze for a moment. “You’re right! I don’t get it either, but that’s why I chose to come here and watch this play out in person.”

A moment later, she added, “Of course, the Ten Directions Pavilion has already completed their analysis, and they say that the sixth prince is sure to lose. I imagine that even if the mysterious Su Yi intervenes, it’ll all be in vain.”

Almost as soon as she said this, there was a commotion from afar. “The Sixth Prince has arrived!”

“That man with the curled beard ought to be the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect’s Grandmaster, Chang Guoke. He’s extremely powerful!”

“The heads of the Zheng and Xue Families are with him too.”

“How did the Harmony Prefecture’s governor, Mu Zhongting, get so lucky? He actually won the sixth prince’s favor!”

…..Amidst the sound of widespread discussion, a horse-drawn carriage rolled to a stop, and Zhou Zhili and company filed out, drawing the gaze of everyone present.

Of course, most people noticed Su Yi and Cha Jin, but only a select few knew who they were.

“Father, look! It’s Master Su!” Yuan Luoxi’s eyes lit up with delight.

Yuan Wutong instantly took hold of her arm, and he whispered, “Rein it in, lass. This is no ordinary occasion. We can go greet him after the Tea Party ends.”

Inside, a strange emotion coursed through him. Just how much time and effort did His Sixth Highness put into convincing Master Su to lend his aid?

“He…. Don’t tell me that he’s Su Yi?” When Hua Yan saw the youth in blue accompanying the sixth princess, she was dumbstruck, and her beautiful eyes widened.

A few days ago, she’d welcomed that very youth, and he very much intrigued her. However, she never would have guessed that he was quite likely the mysterious Su Yi of rumor!

Uncle Ying was dumbfounded. “Miss, you recognize him?”

Hua Yan whispered, “Do you remember that incident I told you about? Not long ago, someone came with weapons belonging to three of the third prince’s Grandmaster-level retainers. He wanted to sell them to our Goldstone Pavilion…. At the time, I assumed the young man in question was just disposing of stolen goods, but now, it seems all of us were mistaken!

As soon as this thought occurred to her, an inexplicable emotion rose within her.

Uncle Ying was visibly stunned. He gasped, “You mean that boy was the same young man accompanying the sixth prince now? ….Su Yi?”

“That’s right. It’s him.” Hua Yan’s eyes flashed as if she’d uncovered a shocking secret. When she next spoke, her voice revealed her excitement. “From this, I can deduce that the third prince’s three retainers likely perished at Su Yi’s hands!”

She’d once tried getting Su Yi’s name out of Cha Jin, but Cha Jin refused to answer.

Now, everything was clear to her!

Only then did Uncle Ying react. His eyes flashed, and he said, “That kid sure is fierce. He defeated Mu Cangtu of Blueriver Sword Manor, slew Prefectural Governor Qin Wenyuan, eliminated three dharma protectors of the Deathbringer’s Gate, and quite possibly even three of the third prince’s Grandmaster-level retainers! I almost dare not believe it!”

“That’s what makes it interesting!” Hua Yan’s eyes shone with expectation. “I’m increasingly curious to see how today’s Tea Party turns out.”

Then, beneath countless gazes, Su Yi and company proceeded toward the foot of the mountain.

“Greetings, Sixth Highness! Greetings, Master Su!” Yuan Luoyu solemnly clasped his fist in respect.

When he saw Su Yi, a hint of delight flashed across his face. He hadn’t expected this profoundly capable “fallen immortal” to make an appearance today!

Su Yi glanced at Yuan Luoyu. “If you have the spare time, you’re welcome to come to the House of Waveswept Rocks and have a drink.”

Yuan Luoyu was only too delighted to agree.

When they saw this, the other Redscale Army soldiers couldn’t help but raise their eyebrows. They were all a bit curious about Su Yi’s origins.

With one exception. One of the soldiers had a conflicted look on his face. He subtly lowered his head, his heart filled with indescribable bitterness and a sense of defeat.

This soldier was none other than Mo Tianling.

The man who, after being cast out of Blueriver Sword Manor, enlisted in the Redscale Army.

Then, in the final battle of Guangling City’s Dragon’s Gate Banquet, Su Yi thoroughly trounced him!

Time passed quickly, but it had only been a month or so.

Mo Tianling was still only a leader of a thousand men, while Su Yi was already walking side by side with the sixth prince!

How could Mo Tianling fail to realize that Su Yi had already left him in the dust? Only when your opponent was so superior that you could only gaze upon them from afar would you understand that kind of bitterness and despondency!

But then, no one noticed Mo Tianling’s unusual behavior, nor did Su Yi notice the man he’d once defeated.

He’d always been like that; he could never be bothered to commit such unimportant figures to memory.