“Thank you very much, Young Master and Young Miss, for saving us. I don’t know how to repay your kindness,” said the head merchant, a slightly plump man.“It’s no trouble, sir. By the way, are you planning to leave the Moon Empire?” Tian Zhu asked.“That’s right, Young Master. We’re heading to the Sun Empire to trade. There will be a tournament held there soon, so we plan to sell a large number of goods. Do you need a ride?” the plump man asked with a friendly smile.Indeed, merchants from empires neighboring the Sun Empire usually flocked there to sell their goods whenever the tournament was about to be held, as many cultivators would gather to participate.Not only cultivators from within the empire, but also from other empires would come. Many ordinary citizens would also arrive to watch the battles between cultivators, turning the Sun Empire into a gold mine for merchants.“Yes, we do need a ride.”Entering or leaving an empire was no easy matter, as it required special permits. T

Tian Zhu made several attempts, hoping to weaken the curse he carried. However, instead of weakening, the curse only grew stronger, until Tian Zhu finally gave up.Previously, he had been able to sit about one meter away from a woman without feeling any discomfort. Now, however, he felt suffocated just being one meter away from Ling Yin.The more Tian Zhu tried to remove the curse, the stronger it became. Thinking about this made him somewhat frustrated, and he ended up locking himself inside his room for two full days.Tian Zhu had never felt like this in his life. In the past, he could freely approach any woman he wanted, but now he couldn’t even touch them.Ling Yin knocked on his door several times, trying to comfort her Master, but she never received any response.Ling Yin felt sorry for her Master. Well, if she knew the true reason why Tian Zhu had ended up with such a condition, she might say that it was something he deserved.Finally, on the third day, Tian Zhu came out after

“Miss Xie, she is my disciple, Ling Yin. She may become your rival in the tournament later.”‘A disciple?’ Xie Dao Yun was quite surprised. She found it hard to believe that Tian Zhu, who was only at the early Golden Core stage, could have a disciple with the same cultivation level as herself.However, she did not think too deeply about it. There was probably a special reason behind it.“Greetings, Miss Ling. I am Xie Dao Yun from the Sky Sword Sect,” Xie Dao Yun said politely.“I’m Ling Yin.” Ling Yin clasped her hands in return, then shot a sharp glance at her Master. ‘How could he invite Miss Xie so casually after such a vague first meeting?’“Master, if I’m disturbing you, I’ll leave,” Ling Yin said as she stood up.“There’s actually no problem if you stay, Yin’er,” Tian Zhu replied.“No. Besides, I’m hungry and want to eat on the first floor.” Ling Yin left immediately afterward, closing the door a little harder than necessary to show her displeasure.“Miss Xie, let us continue d

General Ling Duan went on to explain several details and rules regarding this elimination round of the tournament. Participants were allowed to form teams with other cultivators. Killing was permitted, but participants were strictly forbidden from killing members of their own group.The elimination round would last only three days. Before the time limit ended, participants had to head toward the center of the forest and submit the five tokens they had obtained in order to be registered for the next round.“Alright, those are all the rules. Now, follow me!”Hudo Forest was located to the south of the capital. The distance was not far—only a few kilometers away.The five groups of participants were escorted to five different sides of Hudo Forest. They arrived at their respective locations in less than ten minutes.“Very well, the elimination round begins now!”As soon as General Ling Duan announced the start of the tournament, the participants immediately shot off in different direction

One day had passed. Tian Zhu and Xie Dao Yun had finally managed to obtain five participant tokens each. They had met the required target, and it was time for them to head toward the center of the forest to submit what they had collected. However, it would not be that easy. One full day had already gone by, so at the very least, everyone now possessed tokens taken from other participants. Because of this, even participants from the same group would inevitably fight each other to seize more tokens. Reaching the center of the forest was certainly no simple task. There were bound to be many cultivators forming teams along the routes leading there, lying in wait to rob others of their tokens. As they traveled together, Xie Dao Yun felt slightly confused by Tian Zhu’s behavior. He always seemed to keep a certain distance from her. Not once did he look at her with the kind of gaze that other men usually directed at her. Tian Zhu treated her like an ordinary person. This made Xie Da