One day before the tournament was to be held, participants began arriving in the capital. Four large arena stages had already been erected in the city square. The registration post, purposely set up in a single location, was packed with hopeful contenders pushing and jostling for their turn. The organizers hoped that such a setup would heighten the excitement of the tournament.It was clear the royal court was not taking this event lightly. The presence of Fang An and Zhao Wen as special judges demanded that the tournament be equally prestigious. Moreover, Emperor Li Wei had declared that the tournament would also serve as the pinnacle of celebration for his daughter’s wedding to Fang An.The event brought prosperity to food stall owners and inns alike. Other merchants also profited from the flood of participants coming into town.Among the many arriving competitors, the son of Yun Xia, Zhang Wuji, could be seen walking with four others—disciples of the White Hawk Sect. Despite having

Zhang Wuji was fuming with rage. He pointed at A Long, his face flushed white with fury like a boiled crab. But A Long showed no trace of fear. The crown prince of the Yuan Dynasty merely burst into loud laughter as he descended from the stage.“So Fang An has a warrior friend, Zhang Wuji. No wonder he wasn’t afraid of you,” said one of Zhang Wuji’s friends.“A warrior? I could defeat him with ease!” snapped Zhang Wuji.“Of course you could. I’m sure of it. No one doubts the strength of the White Hawk Sect—it's the most powerful school in the entire Shang Dynasty.”Zhang Wuji’s eyes bulged with rage as A Long and Fang An walked past him, laughing mockingly.“Bastards!” he cursed inwardly. He knew full well that Fang An and A Long were deliberately provoking him.Following Fang An’s instructions, even the palace guards acted casually when he walked past them, as though nothing was amiss.The days passed quickly.

Zhang Wuji and A Long immediately turned around. They hadn’t expected Fang An to already be standing behind them.The son of the White Eagle Sect’s leader suddenly collapsed to his knees. But Fang An swiftly caught his shoulders and urged him to stand.“Stand up, Zhang Wuji... You don’t need to do that! I am not a god for you to worship.”“But why does Your Highness still grant me this position, when you yourself know what I’m like?”“If you're willing to change, I’ll still give it to you. At least there will be a representative from the White Eagle Sect serving in the palace,” replied Fang An.“I promise to change, Your Highness. For you and for the Shang Dynasty.”“Hahaha... Why would you change for me, Zhang Wuji? You should be changing for yourself. If you weren’t the son of Li Shimin, would anyone respect you with such a character? If you want to grow, be yourself. Change because you truly want to—not because others push you to,” Fang An concluded.Zhang Wuji felt like a child be

All at once, every patron in the eatery turned their heads toward the door—including Fang An and A Long.Six tall, broad-shouldered men with fierce faces and thick sideburns stood glaring at the old man wearing a bamboo hat. Slung across each of their backs were two massive swords, far larger than normal.Judging by their size, each sword weighed at least 10 kilograms, meaning each man carried about 20 kilograms on his back. Their physical strength was clearly formidable.One of them wore large round earrings in both ears. From his position and demeanor, it was clear he was the leader of the group."You can’t escape now, Snake Whip!" shouted one of the six. Four of them began closing in, while two stood guard at the entrance.The old man with the bamboo hat—known as Snake Whip—rose to his feet. There wasn’t the slightest trace of fear in his eyes, despite being hunted by such terrifying figures.To ordinary folk, the six men

"So that’s how it happened?" asked Long Xia quietly, his voice not matching his towering frame and the thick beard that nearly covered his face."It wasn’t just those two who raped and murdered my granddaughters. The other five of your brothers were involved in that vile act as well," replied Sun Zu, taking a deep breath as images of his two granddaughters—now in the afterlife—flashed through his mind."You never gave me a chance to explain why I killed your two brothers. You've let your emotions control you all this time, Long Xia," Sun Zu added."I'm sorry, Sun Zu. I was misled by the words of my other brothers. They told me you killed them blindly, without reason.""Because you didn’t take part in their crimes, I’m letting you go," Sun Zu replied."You forgive me?" Long Xia asked, barely believing what he heard."I forgive you. Now go," said Sun Zu firmly."Thank you, Sun Zu." Long Xia then pulled something out from his robe. "Please give this to the owner of this place. Also, conv