"What is that?"

"Look! It looks like a ship, flying in the sky..."

"Are you kidding me? How can a ship fly?"

A clamor rose from the crowd.

Everyone looked toward the east, where the hull of a ship was suspended high in the air, flying rapidly toward Yandu City.

It closed the distance of over ten thousand meters in the span of a single breath, going from a distant speck to right before them!

It was an iron-armored warship, a hundred meters long and over fifty meters wide, entirely black. Mysterious Inscriptions were carved all over it, shimmering with a faint, bright light. It slowly descended, coming to a halt high in the sky.

"W-what in the world is that thing?" Lin Shengfeng and Chen Tianrun exchanged a look, their faces filled with horror.

Only Sima Tao, Jiang Tai, and Xu Ying frowned, their gazes sharpening as they spotted a banner fluttering on the iron-armored warship. It depicted two ferocious dragons—one red, one blue—coiling around each other, fighting over a pearl.

Awe filled the faces of all three. "The Ice and Fire Dragon Banner... T-that’s the Saint Martial Sword Sect’s Ice and Fire Dragon Banner!"

Excitement flashed across Jiang Tai’s face. "The Ice and Fire Dragon Banner? Does that mean the special envoy sent by *that* person has arrived?"

"A special envoy?"

Sima Tao was taken aback.

Jiang Tai lifted his chin slightly, speaking with a smug expression. "That’s right. The City Lord should be aware that my daughter will be heading to the Saint Martial Sword Sect to become a disciple of the Sword Sect after the Yulan Festival ends. What’s more, she was fortunate enough to have caught the eye of a major figure in the Saint Martial Sword Sect, who has specially dispatched an envoy to escort her to the Sect!"

HISS!

Sima Tao and the others’ expressions changed in unison. When they looked at Jiang Tai again, their gazes held a newfound awe and apprehension. They quickly offered their congratulations, "Congratulations, Patriarch Jiang! Truly, congratulations!" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

RUMBLE!

A booming sound came from the iron-armored warship, and two figures suddenly flew out from it.

It was a man and a woman. Both wore the attire of the Saint Martial Sword Sect and hovered high in the sky, looking down upon the masses like lofty Sovereigns.

This made Sima Tao and the others gasp. To walk on air—that was a feat only a True Monarch of the True Martial Realm could perform!

’To be experts of the True Martial Realm at such a young age... The Saint Martial Sword Sect is simply terrifying!’ Sima Tao thought, his heart pounding with shock.

Xu Ying, Lin Shengfeng, and Chen Tianrun exchanged glances, all revealing bitter smiles. ’With the Saint Martial Sword Sect backing the Jiang Family, who in all of Yandu City will be able to oppose them now?’

Just then, a cold and indifferent voice came from the man. "I am Yun Haoran, special envoy of the Saint Martial Sword Sect. Who is Patriarch Jiang Tai?"

"Lord Envoy, I am Jiang Tai!" Jiang Tai said quickly.

"Oh?"

The young man flew down, his tone toward Jiang Tai surprisingly polite. "Patriarch Jiang, I am Yun Haoran. By order of Senior Brother Lan, I have come to escort Junior Sister Ziyou to the Saint Martial Sword Sect. Might I ask which of you is Junior Sister Ziyou?"

"Ziyou is right here!" Jiang Tai said, quickly pointing to Jiang Ziyou.

The young man, Yun Haoran, looked over at Jiang Ziyou. His gaze was like a flash of lightning, so intense it seemed to make the very air churn.

A path parted in the crowd automatically, allowing Jiang Ziyou to walk straight through. She approached Yun Haoran and the woman and bowed. "Jiang Ziyou greets Senior Brother, Senior Sister!"

’What a stunning beauty. No wonder she caught Senior Brother Lan’s eye!’

Yun Haoran’s eyes lit up in silent admiration. But recalling the task Senior Brother Lan had given him, he didn’t dare to be negligent. He quickly said, "Greetings, Junior Sister Ziyou. I trust Senior Brother Lan has already informed you that he is in seclusion and could not come personally. That is why he sent me to welcome you and escort you to the Sect."

"Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother Yun," Jiang Ziyou said with a faint smile. Her gaze then fell on the cold, unsmiling girl beside him, and she couldn’t help but frown. "And this Senior Sister is?"

Yun Haoran glanced at the icy woman beside him, a hint of displeasure in his eyes. His tone was indifferent. "Senior Brother Lan originally handpicked the envoys for this trip. But halfway through, this Junior Sister Bai Ling was chosen as a replacement."

"Oh."

Jiang Ziyou gave Bai Ling a meaningful look.

Her mind was incredibly sharp, so she naturally picked up on Yun Haoran’s cold attitude toward Bai Ling. It was clear this Bai Ling was not one of Senior Brother Lan’s people.

At this thought, Jiang Ziyou didn’t even bother with basic pleasantries and said coolly, "Senior Brother Yun, I’m afraid I must trouble you to wait a few days. The Yulan Festival celebration won’t be over for some time yet."

"No matter!"

Yun Haoran waved his hand and smiled. "Actually, Senior Brother Lan was of the opinion that you would surely be invincible in this Yulan Festival, Junior Sister, so there’s no need to continue participating. But since this is a tradition of Yulan Mansion, we shouldn’t break the rules. I will stay here and enjoy watching you achieve one great success after another!"

He said this to flatter Jiang Ziyou and curry favor with her.

But Yun Haoran never expected that upon hearing his words, Jiang Ziyou’s expression would shift, a shadow falling over her face.

Yun Haoran’s heart skipped a beat. He asked, "What is it, Junior Sister Ziyou? Did I say something wrong?"

Jiang Ziyou’s face was grim. She didn’t speak.

From the side, Bai Ling spoke with a nonchalant expression, "Senior Brother Yun, I’m afraid the ’invincible’ Junior Sister Jiang you speak of already fell behind in the first round of the Yulan Festival."

"What?"

Yun Haoran was stunned. He immediately looked toward the Zhenjiang Stele. When he saw that Jiang Ziyou had reached a height of twenty-one *zhang*, he couldn’t help but be surprised, giving her another glance. ’This Jiang Ziyou is truly worthy of Senior Brother Lan’s favor. Not only is she beautiful, but to reach the twenty-first *zhang* of the Zhenjiang Stele at the mere age of fourteen... her talent is not weak at all!’

However, when his gaze fell upon the highest point of the Zhenjiang Stele, his pupils contracted violently. "Th-this is impossible! Thirty *zhang*? Jiang Chen?"

The names on the Zhenjiang Stele were fresher the more recently they’d been carved, and he could naturally tell that Jiang Chen’s name was from just a short while ago.

Yun Haoran was shaken. He finally understood why Jiang Ziyou’s expression was so ugly.

’My flattery completely backfired.’

"Junior Sister Ziyou, I honestly didn’t know... this..." Yun Haoran’s face was a little awkward.

Jiang Ziyou’s face remained grim, and she did not reply.

Bai Ling sneered from the side. "Senior Brother Yun, looks like your flattery missed its mark!"

"You..."

Yun Haoran’s face stiffened, but thinking of Bai Ling’s status, he could only swallow his anger. He turned his fury toward Jiang Chen instead, his face dark as he growled, "Who is Jiang Chen?"

Jiang Chen was currently feeling very puzzled. ’This special envoy from the Saint Martial Sword Sect seems to be doing everything he can to suck up to Jiang Ziyou. What’s that all about?’

Just as he was wondering about this, he suddenly heard Yun Haoran call his name and answered instinctively, "I am!"

Yun Haoran glanced at Jiang Chen, a hint of suspicion in his eyes. ’To reach a height of thirty *zhang* on the Zhenjiang Stele at such a young age... could he be an even greater genius than Jiang Ziyou?’

Beside them, Jiang Ziyou sneered mockingly, "Senior Brother Yun, this Jiang Chen has only awakened a Yellow Tier First Grade Golden Needle Martial Soul. What’s more, he’s already fifteen this year and only barely broke through to the Martial Arts First Stage Realm two months ago. I just can’t imagine what happened to him that would allow him to reach a height of thirty *zhang* on the Zhenjiang Stele after just two short months."

As soon as she said this, the suspicion on Yun Haoran’s face intensified.

Even Bai Ling, as cold as an iceberg, was taken aback. A flicker of curiosity appeared in her eyes as she looked at Jiang Chen. "A Yellow Tier First Grade Martial Soul, broke through to the Martial Arts First Stage only two months ago, yet he can reach a height of thirty *zhang* on the Zhenjiang Stele? Interesting, very interesting..."

"Jiang Ziyou, you publicly disparage me again and again. Isn’t it just to highlight your own excellence? I’m just curious, if you’re so excellent, how did you end up being crushed under my foot?" Jiang Chen said with a sneer, the corner of his mouth curling up in a mocking expression as he looked at Jiang Ziyou, delivering a merciless slap to the face.

"You..."

Jiang Ziyou’s expression froze, turning incredibly ugly.

But Yun Haoran let out a roar like a clap of thunder. "How audacious! What right do you have to speak to Junior Sister Ziyou like that?"

The roar of a mighty True Martial Realm Powerhouse unleashed a powerful pressure that bore down on Jiang Chen like a mountain.

Jiang Chen’s face instantly went deathly pale. His body trembled violently, and the ground beneath his feet sank an inch. Gritting his teeth, he jerked his head up to glare at Yun Haoran and said without a trace of subservience, "And what right do you have? You think you can control the heavens and the earth? Are you going to control when I take a shit or a piss, too? Does this old man need your damn permission for every word I say?"

"You bastard! How dare you be so rude to me, the special envoy! You’re courting death!" Yun Haoran’s face shifted between shades of green and white. He was now intent on killing.

’I am a grand special envoy of the Saint Martial Sword Sect! Even the Mansion Master of Yulan Mansion has to respectfully address me as ’Lord Envoy’! And now I’m being berated by some piece of trash with a Yellow Tier First Grade Martial Soul?’

Killing intent gleamed in Yun Haoran’s eyes. "Audacious Jiang Chen! To dare to offend me, the special envoy, it seems you have no regard for the Saint Martial Sword Sect at all. In that case, I, the special envoy, will act on behalf of the Saint Martial Sword Sect and execute an arrogant fool like you who doesn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth, all to prove the supreme majesty of my Saint Martial Sword Sect!"

SWOOSH!

Yun Haoran lifted his index finger. A True Essence Blade condensed at its tip and shot toward Jiang Chen.

A smug and cold expression appeared on Yun Haoran’s face...

’Brat, go die!’