Fang Han was slightly startled. An invitation personally sent by Fang Hong, the number one ranked disciple of the Inner Hall?

He took the gilt-edged invitation. It was cool to the touch and made of an extraordinary material.

The invitation felt heavy in his hand. The golden powder cloud patterns on its edges seemed to flow with a dark light under the glow of the Martial Arts Room, highlighting its unusual nature.

Opening the invitation, he was met with a faint scent of ink, similar to sandalwood but colder and sharper.

Inside, the calligraphy was sharp and powerful, as if etched into the page. The message was concise yet revealed a great deal of information:

[We sincerely invite Brother Fang Han to a gathering on the fifteenth of this month at Moon Embracing Lake, outside the city, to discuss the Martial Dao and befriend one another through martial arts—

Respectfully, the Five Heroes of Liangshui: Fang Hong, Lin Ao, Yue Lingtian, He Qingyan, and Sun Qing.]

’A gathering jointly hosted by the Five Heroes of Liangshui... Is it *that* gathering?’

Fang Han’s gaze swept over the five names listed at the end, and realization dawned on him.

He had heard that every year, the five great families had their five most outstanding members of the current generation—the "Five Heroes of Liangshui"—jointly host a gathering for the younger generation.

This was not only an arena for the outstanding disciples of the five great families to compete and show their strength, but also a grand event for all the young talents in Liangshui City.

Exceptionally talented individuals from other families and martial arts schools in the city were also among those invited.

For the five great families, this was also an important way to discover and recruit unaffiliated talent.

Thinking about how he had spent the last month holed up in grueling cultivation, his nerves constantly on edge, Fang Han made a decision.

’I should get out and see the world, meet some of my peers in Liangshui City. I’ll just treat it as a way to relax.’

...

Lately, the atmosphere in the Lin Family’s Inner Hall had been somewhat oppressive.

Lin Hu walked through the Inner Hall, heading toward his private Martial Arts Room.

Thanks to the miraculous effects of the precious Elixir bestowed by the family, the terrible wound on his chest, pierced by Fang Han’s Sword Qi, had long since healed, leaving only a faint pink scar.

The wound may have healed, but the humiliation of his defeat was clearly not so easily mended.

At a corner in the corridor, he ran into Lin Ao, ranked first in the Inner Hall, and Lin Feng, ranked third.

Lin Ao was tall and thin, with a cold face and eyes as sharp as a hawk’s.

Lin Feng, on the other hand, was slightly effeminate, a faint, ambiguous smile always playing on his lips.

"Well, well, if it isn’t the Lin Family’s number two expert? Is your injury all better now?"

Lin Feng spoke first, his voice just loud enough for the passing Lin Hu to hear clearly.

He feigned concern, but his tone was dripping with an undeniable passive-aggressive sarcasm.

"Healed up quick, didn’t it? A pity the wounds on your body are easy to fix, but the dignity you lost isn’t so easy to pick back up."

Lin Ao just snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping over Lin Hu, filled with unconcealed disappointment and indifference.

"Isn’t that the truth! Brother Lin Ao, have you heard the rumors going around outside? They’re all saying our Lin Family’s number two is worse than the Fang Family’s number three!"

"Tsk, tsk. It makes it so embarrassing for the rest of us brothers and sisters still toiling away in the Inner Hall to even show our faces outside! People who don’t know any better might actually think our Lin Family’s Inner Hall is inferior to the Fang Family’s!"

Lin Feng immediately chimed in, his voice rising a little.

Every word was like a poison-tipped needle, stabbing viciously into Lin Hu’s ears.

His steps came to a sudden halt. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, and veins bulged on the back of his hands.

His face turned ashen. His chest heaved violently as that familiar, almost explosive sense of humiliation surged through him once more.

But he didn’t turn around, nor did he offer any rebuttal.

With heavy steps, he simply shoved open the thick, specially made door to his Martial Arts Room.

SLAM—!

With a tremendous noise, the door was slammed shut, the force of it seeming to make the entire corridor tremble.

From outside the door, he could faintly hear their sarcastic remarks. "Ooh, what a temper." "Not much skill, but his temper is certainly growing." The jeers only made him feel more suffocated.

He gasped for breath, his eyes bloodshot, like a caged beast.

Ever since the news of his defeat at Fang Han’s hands had spread, his status within the family had plummeted.

The Inner Hall Disciples who used to revere him and flock to his side now avoided his gaze, treated him perfunctorily, and even dared to whisper behind his back.

Though their discussions were quiet, they always seemed to drift precisely to his ears.

As for core disciples like Lin Ao and Lin Feng, who were already his rivals, they had found the perfect excuse to attack him. Their overt and covert ridicule had been almost ceaseless.

All of this was simply because he, the Lin Family’s second-ranked Inner Hall disciple, had lost to Fang Han, the Fang Family’s third-ranked!

To the outside world, this was clear proof that the Lin Family’s younger generation had been bested by the Fang Family’s.

People wouldn’t bother to investigate what a monster Fang Han was; they would simply conclude that the Lin Family’s number two was inferior to the Fang Family’s number three.

This made him the main culprit in the eyes of many of his fellow clansmen—the one who had brought shame upon the family and embarrassed them all.

"Fang... Han!"

Lin Hu squeezed those two words from between his teeth, his voice filled with bone-deep hatred and resentment.

Intense humiliation and indignation churned within his chest like a tidal wave, finally transforming into a more resolute ferocity.

His gaze suddenly snapped to the new, sturdier Black Iron Wooden Man Stake in the room, a crazed look flashing in his eyes.

’The Moon Embracing Lake gathering... Fang Han will definitely be there!’

He was certain of it.

The Fang Family would never pass up a chance for a Qilin’er like Fang Han to make an appearance at an event like the Moon Embracing Lake gathering, a perfect stage to become famous.

That would be his chance to wash away his shame.

’Just you wait! When the time comes, I will defeat you utterly before everyone’s eyes and avenge my humiliation!’

A low roar echoed in the sealed Martial Arts Room as the qi and blood in Lin Hu’s body erupted.

Like an out-of-control beast, he threw a punch that shrieked through the air, smashing it furiously into the stake that was as hard as refined steel.

BOOM!!

A deafening roar resounded, and the entire room seemed to tremble with it.

... 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

「On the morning of the fifteenth, by Moon Embracing Lake, a few miles outside Liangshui City.」

The lake’s surface was like a mirror, reflecting the lush green mountains and the dozens of pavilions scattered around its shores.

Among them, the five large pavilions in the very center were the most magnificent.

The other pavilions surrounded them like stars orbiting the moon.

On the stone table in each pavilion, fruits and pastries had already been laid out, with servants from the five great families standing by.

Descendants from the various families of Liangshui City who had received invitations began to arrive one after another in carriages, some of which were particularly luxurious.

The ones stepping out of these carriages were all renowned Inner Hall Descendants from the five great families, each with a composed aura and sharp, bright eyes.

"Look, that’s Yue Feng, ranked seventh in the Yue Family’s Inner Hall. I heard his Mountain-Breaking Fist has already reached the state of Great Success!"

"He Qingwan, fifth in the He Family’s Inner Hall, is here too. I heard that besides being skilled in Fist Techniques, she’s also an expert in Hidden Weapons..."

"Sun Miao from the Sun Family actually came? I heard he’s been in secluded Cultivation, trying to break through to Bone Refining!"

...

The arrival of these outstanding descendants from the five great families immediately sparked a buzz of attention and discussion.