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It took a moment for Xu Qing to realize what Honor Guard Li was talking about. After going out to sea and returning, Xu Qing had indeed gone to the Hall of Sea Annals to submit a report about seeing a giant pulling a chariot at the sea floor. Shortly after, he left for the Crimson Wilds. Now he was back. On the one hand, it made sense that someone would want to talk to him about that chariot, but on the other hand, it didn’t make sense. What made sense was that some time had passed. What didn’t make sense was that such an important individual would want to talk to him in person.

If this invitation was genuine, then Xu Qing could only guess that the giant and the dragon chariot were very important, and thus the matter had been escalated to Elder Zhao.

Of course, refusing the invitation wasn’t an option. With a silent nod, Xu Qing put away his dharmaboat, stepped onto the shore, and looked up at Honor Guard Li. The honor guard looked back at him with an enigmatic smile.

“I suggest you don’t keep the elder waiting,” he said. “We’re going up the peak; given the level of your cultivation base, you surely have some flight talismans on hand. Do I need to carry you up? Or can you follow on your own?”

With a nod, Xu Qing took out a flight talisman, put it on his thigh, and flew up into the air.

Honor Guard Li smiled again, then turned into a beam of light that shot toward the Seventh Peak.

Xu Qing followed.

As they got closer, Xu Qing thought about how this was actually his second time coming to the Seventh Peak. The first time was when he’d joined the sect. He still remembered something that the round-faced cultivator had said.

“This could well be the only time you ever go up the mountain.” [1]

Up to this point, that cultivator had been right. After all, not everyone had real hope of reaching Foundation Establishment. Even now, Xu Qing was trying to figure out how to get all the resources he needed.

As the Seventh Peak grew more and more clear in Xu Qing’s eyes, he was able to make out the verdant vegetation that covered the mountain, as well as a path that wound from the foot of the mountain to the peak.

Many side paths branched off from it, leading to all sorts of palaces, halls, and other buildings. There were also public squares in different places on the mountain, as well as mansion grottoes.

As they flew past various buildings, Xu Qing spotted the location where he’d received his daoist robe and dharmaboat. Then he noticed a magnificent hall at the very top of the mountain. It was constructed in a very imposing manner, with white spirit tiles. It was richly ornamented, with carvings of fantastic beasts that were so lifelike they looked like they might fly into the air at any moment. In front of the entrance of the hall were two stone statues that radiated awe-inspiring might.

The hall’s doors were opened, yet for some reason the interior wasn’t visible to Xu Qing. Everything inside looked blurry.

Honor Guard Li landed in front of the hall, and Xu Qing landed next to him a moment later.

Instantly, a sense of intense danger filled Xu Qing from head to toe. There were spell formation fluctuations in the area that he could sense were capable of crushing him to a paste in the blink of an eye.

But what was more terrifying came from the hall itself. It felt like there was some astonishingly terrible beast inside of it, exuding an aura that could shake one’s soul with the force of a tempest.

Honor Guard Li looked very respectful as he bowed his head and said, “Elder, Xu Qing has come.”

“Come in,” a hoarse voice responded from within the hall.

To Xu Qing, that voice sounded like thunder, and he gasped softly for breath as an immense pressure weighed down on his heart and mind. It was a struggle for him to stay on his feet as he bowed his head and clasped his hands in front of him. Then he started walking forward, one step at a time, working hard to stay steady.

With every step he took, beads of sweat popped out on his forehead. The astonishing grandeur inside that hall made his mind spin as he got closer. All of his muscles trembled and twitched.

However, he got no sense of maliciousness from whoever was in the hall. The pressure and might were released naturally, and therefore, given Xu Qing’s body refinement level and cultivation base, he was able to proceed into the hall.

Once inside, he realized why the interior of the hall had seemed blurry to him. It was because... everything inside of it was twisted and distorted.

The chairs, the pillars, and even the walls all looked like they were swaying constantly. And all of the distortions led to one spot: an old man sitting on a throne at the far end of the hall. Xu Qing couldn’t see his face clearly, but he did see that the old man wore a violet daoist robe and had white hair. The ripples and distortions radiated out from the man, apparently the result of some invisible force within him.

Fighting back against the vertigo he felt, Xu Qing inclined his head, clasped hands and bowed. “Greetings, Elder.”

“Tell me the details of the golden crow dragon chariot that you saw.” Though the old man spoke calmly, his words became like echoing booms inside Xu Qing’s mind.

Xu Qing took a deep breath. There wasn’t really anything about the incident that he could hide. Since it was a single chance encounter, he’d chosen to report it. And in response to the elder’s command, he recounted all of the details.

Elder Zhao didn’t interrupt to ask any questions.

When Xu Qing was finished, silence filled the hall. He just stood there, enduring the pressure.

After a very long moment passed, Elder Zhao spoke again, his voice devoid of any sort of emotion.

“You missed out on a destined opportunity.”

Xu Qing stood there quietly.

“But that also saved your life.”

Xu Qing hesitated for a moment. Then, struggling with vertigo, he clasped his hands and said, “Elder, might I ask... what was that dragon chariot?”

More silence filled the hall for a moment. Then the elder said, “Since you saw it, I guess there’s no harm in explaining. That was the sun’s imperial carriage!”

The words caused Xu Qing to reel even more than he already was.

“Inside the bronze dragon chariot is inscribed a secret magic known as Golden Crow Refines Myriad Spirits. From ancient times until now, it stands as one of the very rare imperial-class secret magics.

“Very few people have ever seen the sun’s imperial carriage. And even fewer people encounter the carriage and then have the opportunity to see that secret magic. And even rarer are people who can learn the secret magic.” At this point, a tinge of emotion could be heard in the old man’s voice, as if he were sighing with sorrow or regret.

Secret magic? In Xu Qing’s mind, he thought back to that giant and the dragon chariot.

“That’s why I say you missed out on a destined opportunity. Luck was not with you. But things like that can’t be forced.

“Only one person has ever learned some of that secret magic. It was the exalted president of the Seven Sect Coalition, which oversees Seven Blood Eyes. When he was young, he caught a glimpse of the interior of the dragon chariot, and thus picked up a fragment of the secret magic.

“After that, the dragon chariot disappeared into the depths of the sea. Now, a hundred years later, it seems to be looking for someone else connected to it by destiny. When another person gains enlightenment of the secret magic it carries, it will again disappear into the depths of the sea, and wait for another period of time before awakening.”

Xu Qing felt deeply shaken by all this information. It was obvious this matter was a secret that couldn’t be revealed to other Offpeak disciples.

“I’m telling you all of this because we can’t put such information into the Hall of Sea Annals, and therefore, are not able to give you a reward of spirit stones. As such, the knowledge itself will be your reward. It seems your cultivation base is on the verge of a breakthrough. The Seventh Peak’s Grand Competition is coming up. Do your best.”

As the old man’s words echoed in the hall, a stream of power wrapped around Xu Qing and removed him from the hall. Once outside, everything on the interior again seemed blurry to him.

Hands clasped, he bowed deeply in the direction of the hall. He was now covered in cold sweat. Though he had only been inside the hall for a short time, the immense pressure had been difficult to endure. Elder Zhao reminded Xu Qing of some of the beasts he had seen in the forbidden regions in the past, except vastly stronger and far more terrifying.

Honor Guard Li was waiting outside. Upon seeing Xu Qing emerge, he smiled.

“I’ll escort you down,” he said. [2]

With that, he flew into the air.

Xu Qing took a deep breath and followed him. As he flew, the wind blew, drying his sweat. However, it couldn’t remove the memory of the terrifying feeling of being in Elder Zhao’s presence.

Looking back at Xu Qing, Honor Guard Li said, “Elder Zhao isn’t an ordinary Onpeak elder. Of the thirteen elders on the Seventh Peak, he ranks third. By the way, I heard Zhongheng mention you. Zhongheng is... well, as the elder himself has said, he’s an idiot, but he has a good heart.”

At this point they were beyond the Seventh Peak. Leaving those words with Xu Qing, Honor Guard Li turned and went back to the mountain.

Xu Qing watched him go, then entered the city.

He knew exactly what was meant by the final words. They were a warning that, regardless of what friction existed, he shouldn’t try to kill Zhao Zhongheng.

Xu Qing hadn’t even been considering that anyway.

Zhao Zhongheng has a good grandpa. Also... the Grand Competition is almost here, isn’t it?

As he walked through the city, he thought back to what he’d felt in the presence of Elder Zhao’s might. And then he thought about the formation crossbow he’d acquired from Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior, and he decided to head toward the Transportation Division.

He really needed to improve his dharmaboat before the Grand Tournament.

It was currently noontime, and people in the city were all hustling and bustling on various business. As Xu Qing made his way along, he noticed a vendor cart selling some unusually large apples. After looking them over, he bought all of them, put them in his sack, and then continued toward the Port District.

Just when he’d spotted the Transportation Division off in the distance, something caught his attention. Looking into a nearby alley, he saw a pair of very cold eyes.

Peering deeper into the shadows of the alley, he saw a young man in a gray daoist robe. The robe bulged a bit, as underneath it was a dog skin jerkin. The young man’s face was dirty and smudged. He was none other than the Mute from the Violent Crimes Division. It seemed like he’d been waiting in this spot for a while. After seeing Xu Qing, he suddenly pulled a corpse out from behind him. After putting it down in front of Xu Qing, he plastered an ingratiating smile onto his face, then backed away into the alley and disappeared.

Xu Qing frowned, then looked down at the corpse. It was a criminal from the bounty list. The head was intact, but there were wounds covering the rest of the body. They looked like bite marks, as if the man had been ripped to shreds by a wild animal.

1. Xu Qing went up the mountain peak in chapters 50-51. ☜

2. It’s noteworthy that Honor Guard Li is escorting Xu Qing down the mountain. If you recall, when Xu Qing joined the sect, the round-faced cultivator did not see him down the mountain. As I mentioned in a previous footnote, in Chinese culture, seeing someone off, or escorting them when they depart, is a sign of respect. The further you escort them, the more respect it shows. ☜