The city of Shuomen was brimming with the festive atmosphere that always preceded the Spring Festival.

With just two days remaining until its beginning, both residences and shops were already decorated. And hundreds of people had been arriving at the city in a steady flow.

They came from the surrounding estates, towns, villages, and even from the three 4-tier powers around the lake. With no other reason but to take part in the festivities.

But the new arrivals weren't just limited to the ones from the surroundings, but also to the delegations from the 'Great Forest Sect' and the 'Ten Families'. Only that the latter had arrived with a different agenda.

Indeed, the 15 days of the Spring Festival were the same 15 days that the 'Underground Land of the River' would remain open.

___________________________________________________________________

Throne Hall, City Lord's Palace.

"So this time it's the 'Ten Families'? That's a bit unexpected considering as they are the weakest of all the powers" Lord Sheng asked the few people present in the room while walking towards the simple wooden throne.

"As Lord knows the Sky Tear Sect has never shown any interest in the zone. And the 'Eternal' region has been forbidding any of their cultivators from leaving" An elderly woman, the only woman in the room, dressed in a court robe lined with fur stepped forward and slightly bowed.

"But the last three times it was the 'Steel Fang' region the one to take the 3rd entrance for both realms. What could have possibly changed? And why we weren't informed?" Shou Tian, present in his quality of Guard Commander asked while showing a hint of displeasure.

"Don't think much of it. Even if they did inform us, it's has nothing to do with us. The division of two gates to the city and four to the overlords have been around for hundreds of years. So what would we care who of them uses them?" Deng Guiying as one of the few trusted advisors of the City Lord, as well as one of the most powerful cultivators of the city, shrugged.

"Elder Deng is right, the matters between the overlords should be left to them" A man thin as a match and sparse hair said in agreement. His name was Sheng Meng, and he was both the head of a small branch of the main clan and the head of the 'Law Enforcement Palace'.

"Indeed, there is no need to bother ourselves with it. What are the numbers and who leads them? From what I gather, no one of the powerhouses arrived, right?" Lord Sheng turned his head towards the woman that had answered his first question.

"Lord is right again. No one of the true decision-makers or powerful Elders arrived. The Great Forest Sect sent a hundred for each gate and six inner circle elders as guards. As for the families, they arrived in ten groups as always. Each is led by one of their Warrior Kings and has between 11 and 17 for each of the gates" The woman answered with another small bow. Her name was Shou Yi, and she was an aunt to Shou Tian. As well the sister of the late City Lord.

"Did anyone request a meeting with me?" Lord Sheng asked while looking at Shou Tian.

"No" The latter shook his head.

"Hmm, strange. Normally even the servants of the Ten Families try to do so. Showing off their status in every passing moment is like a must for being a member of any. Or maybe they are here to create trouble?" Deng Guiying half-joked while showing a surprised expression on his face. One that no one believed, how could he be worried about some King realms?

"Elder Deng is as humorous as ever. But yes, it's strange for them to not try and show off. Still, maybe the fact of the youngsters is slightly restraining them" Shou Yi showed an exasperated expression and even raised her hands to complement it. But her tone was light, and she smiled while doing so.

"Speaking of the youngsters, Uncle Meng, get your men to check on them. Nothing deep, just names and cultivations would be enough" Lord Sheng commanded after closing his eyes for a moment.

"I already asked the ones working in the respective districts to begin working on it. So it should be ready by tonight" Sheng Meng had occupied his position for a long time, even before the young patriarch of the main clan assumed his position. And he knew what would any Lord ask for perfectly.

"Good! Shou Tian, although I do not expect trouble, the two regions had always been on slightly bad terms. So..." Sheng Huangye cut his words short, and simply turned his head to Shou Tian.

"I will rearrange the guard for the formation opening. And assign the Tang's to district guard" The latter knew about Sheng Huangye's manner of allowing his subordinates to get the order without explaining it. And he greatly appreciated it, to the point of having been using it with his own as well. After all, subordinates that could fill in the unsaid words were truly thinking about the matter, and not just following orders.

"Good thinking. With none of the powerhouses here, the middle-tier link's usual bickering can get out of control, so it will be to us to avoid it" Lord Sheng nodded in response.

"Lord, there are also a few other things to be addressed, such as..." With the pressing issue of the 'Underground Land of the River' opening discussed, it was time to pass to other issues. Like the festival, and all the problems that would come with it. Problems that Shou Yi as the head of the City clerks wanted to clear out.

***

"How is our youngster doing?" After the meeting ended and everyone dispersed, Sheng Huangye asked while he was walking in front of Deng Guiying.

"If I was planning to take a disciple, it would be definitively him" In place of answering, Deng Guyin praised Chen Guang with a wide smile.

"Hoh? I remember you saying that only once before. Is he truly so good? As to compare to Lu Tian?" Sheng Guying who had been walking towards the exit stopped and turned around with a surprised expression.

"You tell me. I haven't checked this week, but he was close to another breakthrough. Not to mention that after the initial six sparrings with the two Warrior Lords I sent to him, he has not lost a single one of the following" Deng Guiying continued smiling while describing the feats he was informed of.

"That's something indeed. Holding his ground against a Warrior Lord? He has quite a talent. A shame that he isn't interested in staying in the city" Sheng Huangye shook his head by the end of his words.

"Well, maybe his mind will change with time" Deng Guiying could not do anything but shrug while saying these words. After all, from what he had seen, it was an impossible thing.

"Like yours? I don't think so. Still, with the prowess he is showing, his chances for success are indeed high" Sheng Huangye allowed himself a small smile while saying these words.

Then he continued with a more serious expression "The list of participants from our side is ready, and as you know, except for a few of them, there are no truly capable ones. Chen Guang is our only chance to shed some light on the matter, so we should probably help him a bit more"

"Do I take your words as an instruction to act?" Deng Guiying's expression also changed, and he inquisitively looked at the City Lord.

"Yes, but do not go overboard. Give him a few Earth-grade pills, maybe a few utility talismans, and check if he needs a better weapon" After thinking for a bit, Lord Sheng instructed.

"The latter I already thought off. I heard he only has rune weapons on him. And another thing, I was planning to make the Quan brothers, his sparring partners, and Grandmaster Li, who will visit him tomorrow, reveal a few things about the Challenge Plates. Is that acceptable?" Deng Guiying made a motion of writing something, and Lord Sheng understood what kind of revealing the former meant.

"As you know we have agreed to not share anything about them with any of the youngsters. Still, it's a special case, and he will probably need to complete a few of them to advance with the task. Not to mention he needs to know how they work to avoid..." Sheng Huangye submerged into thought and massaged his eyes for a bit.

A few moments later, he opened them and nodded while saying "You would probably do so in any case, but yes, you have my agreement. Just make sure that he doesn't speak of it to anyone. Or we will have a mutiny between the other participants. Even our own would likely consider it favoritism, not to say the overlords"

"Hah, I truly doubt that the respective elders and masters of the participants did not try to gather information and leads or to provide all the possible help. But yes, I will provide him with only a few clues and items. It's up to him to connect them and the challenges" Deng Guiying slightly bowed and after confirming there was nothing else to discuss, took his leave.

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At the same time. Different locations inside Shuomen City.

Sheng Huangye considered that Deng Guiying's words about the masters, families, clans, and powers behind the participants were probably true. Even so, he had no idea to what level it was. Because if he did, he would have been forced to act in response. After all, the first part of the agreement about the 'Underground Land of the River' was that albeit stories could be shared, no direct help would be permitted.

And the second one was that... No one inside could deliberately kill.

***

"We have been lucky that the incident last time made the Sheng's reluctant to send their geniuses" An old, cracking, and slightly raspy voice said. The speaker was concealed in the shadows, even so, it was easy to understand that it was no one simple. After all, who would dare to use shadows inside the quarters of a Warrior Emperor?

"Indeed, Master" A young girl with her face covered with a mask said while lowering her head even further. She was kneeling in the center of the room, and nothing except a few details could be discerned because of the lack of light.

"Do you remember everything about your objective?" The voice from the shadow asked again.

"Yes, Master" Unmoving the girl answered.

"And I have another task for you, but this will be left to your discretion. If the chance arises, kill the Tang youngster" For the last words, the voice turned into a growl. With barely contained fury.

"It will be done" Absolutely still she said without any emotion.

"But don't allow that to cloud your judgment, your main objective is still either the 'Crushing God of Earth' or the 'Devastating God of Fire' set" Complementing these words, the image of two slabs made of black stone, with an irregular brown and red shade respectively, materialized.

"And if someone gets one of them first?" The girl's head slightly rose, and the eyes behind the mask examined the stones.

"Kill without hesitation. Do not allow anyone to fuse with them" A cold answer followed.

***

"Kun'er, are you sure that you want to participate? Last time there was an incident and several cultivators died" A mild-looking woman dressed in a colorful dress asked with notable worry.

"Don't worry, mom. I am a peak Soul realm cultivator! And not that I can lose such a one-time opportunity, can I?" A young boy, not older than 12 years old said while smiling at the woman.

"You can not indeed" A man that was standing just a couple feet behind the boy said seriously. Dressed in a martial uniform sporting the colors of Shuomen City, he then slightly smiled and looking to the woman's eyes continued "Don't worry dear, Kun'er will be alright"

"Haa, what will I do with you two. But yes, I know. Kun'er, be very careful and don't forget what your older brother told you" The woman sighed and slightly inclined to the front, placing her hands on the boy's shoulders.

"Avoid the 'Challenge Plates' with multi-colored hues" The boy repeated the words that had been told to him several times by now in exasperation.

***

Six youths stood near a small stage in the middle of a small hall. On it, an old man was pacing while describing everything that their household had collected regarding the 'Underground Land of the River'.

"Each Challenge is unique, and so you will not encounter the same one. Still, they all can be classified as variations of the six main challenges you have been learning about" After saying this, he suddenly stopped and turned towards one of the youths

"Mao Xun, name them for me"

"Strenght, Speed, Wisdom, Perception, Soul, and Talent" Mao Xun, a 16 or so years old youth with spiky short hair and a claw scar that crossed his left cheek answered loudly.

"Right. Whatever challenge design you encounter, it does not change the fact that it will be based on one of these six. And you all have been prepared to solve them. But if by some chance you get stuck in one, do not continue to hit your head against a wall. Remember that you can forfeit up to two challenges without meeting any penalty from the main formation" The old man said and pointed towards the sky before continuing

"Try to only use half a day for your attempt"

One of the youths raised his hand and after being granted permission to speak, quickly asked

"Head Elder, what happens if you try to forfeit a third time? And is it even possible to check the time while inside?"

"After you forfeit for the third time, several penalties can be applied. From what we know, it can be either a timed restriction on movement, cultivation, senses, or even expulsion from the formation. It all depends on the challenge" The old man answered the first question and then took a pause as well as a couple of steps on the stage. Then he again turned towards the youths, answering the second one.

***

"Min'er, did you receive everything from Uncle Lu?" A robust man with a long beard and long hair asked the petite girl walking next to him.

"Yes, father" The girl quickly nodded several times in succession. Making her twin ponytails wildly flay.

"And I trust that you did not forget to listen to how the timed alarm talismans work? Or how to activate the formation sensing orbs?" Even though the man asked in a serious tone and his face remained severe, his eyes were full of laughter.

"Un" She again proceeded to nod continuously.

"Good, do not forget to use them every time that you attempt a Challenge. Use your time wisely with the talismans. And use the orbs to be sure of your safety. Most of the participants you know of, but there are some new ones, and we don't want them to distract you, do we?" The man allowed himself a smile by the end of his words, one that immediately made the girl widely smile in response.