As the first day of the Spring Festival festivities was about to begin, several groups of men and women could be seen leaving the city.

The groups were both big and small, with the 'Great Forest Sect' preferring to travel all together, while the 'Ten Families' divided themselves by allegiance. Not that it was something surprising, after all, for the former all the participants were from one power. While the latter was a loosely organized group of ten families. Families that always vied for supremacy in their region, only joining in a single force when dealing with outside threats.

The Shuomen city's youths followed shortly after as well.

Albeit the Sheng and Shou clans alliance had only sent people not related to them, like disciples and apprentices of the guest elders, they still provided an impressive escort. Ten, almost half of the Warrior Kings that served the City.

As for the other city participants, they came from the smaller families, clans, houses, and organizations of the city. And even though they all swore fealty to the City Lord, they traveled on their own.

***

A hundred miles from the city, a young man dressed in white martial robes stood atop a small hill. His gaze was turned towards the north, seemingly taking a look at the Li Estate.

"Young Master Chen, it is time for us to depart" A robust-looking man with short hair, dressed in the reinforced robes of a guard approached the young man while talking.

"Mmm, let's go then" Turning his head, the young man with long black hair nodded.

It was no one else than Bai Qi, who had spent all this time in the Estate that Grandmaster Li had ceded to him for training.

As for the two that now acted as his guards and guides, they were none other than the Quan brothers.

It was the next day after he met with Deng Guiying and the City Lord that the two brothers arrived at his doorstep. They had explained that the request for sparring partners reached them. And they decided to offer themselves.

Initially, Bai Qi wondered why would they simply offer themselves for such a task. After all, who wanted to spend 51 days sparring with a weaker cultivator? But the answer was quickly found, as they did it in gratitude.

It took him several minutes to recognize their faces at first. But he did recall that they were the two that had been tailing him before.

As for the gratitude debt they spoke about, it was because of the Bonejade incident. They were captured without even a chance to fight back, and if not for Bai Qi's and company actions, they would have been probably killed or used as resources for the demonic item.

The 'Underground Land of the River' extended for several hundreds of miles. From the 'Primordial Water Snake' river that began at the Shuomen Lake and then flowed down to the Bloody Sea. And south until finishing below Shuomen City itself.

But the only known manner to enter this underground area was through a formation, a formation that was set up in the place that the river connected to the lake.

This formation opened once every five years, and it was long known that the overlords, as well the Shuomen City cultivators would enter it for training purposes.

Normally the area wasn't guarded, as even Formation Saints Fang Yating from Shuomen and Gao Bao from the 'Great Forest Sect' had concluded that the formation was impossible to find outside the time it revealed itself.

But during the opening, the area would be considered forbidden to anyone unrelated. Guarded with several dozens of cultivators from the City, as well several formations of Saint level.

Bai Qi, accompanied by the two Quan brothers approached the formation that surrounded five square miles of the river's confluence.

There were several entrances to the grand protection formation, and the Quan brothers took the farthest one from the City. Their reasoning was simple, try to avoid any of the usual bickerings between the youngsters. They had got used to Chen Guang's character, and they knew that he would repay any offenses instantly.

***

In his mind, Bai Qi thanked the brothers for their precautions. Not only did they enter the formation far from the other arriving groups, but they also did it without being noticed.

And being just a single youth with two guards, he probably would remain unnoticed by most. As for the ones that would, they will not pay attention to a simple Sage accompanied by two Warrior lords.

"Young Master, we should move towards the group from the City" Quan Ruogang slightly inclined forward and said in a low tone.

"Grandmaster Li said that the formation opens exactly at midday, so we have a bit of time yet. So how about taking the long route so I observe the cultivators present?" Bai Qi responded in kind, slightly turning his head to the side.

"It can be done" Quan Mu after receiving a questioning glance from his brother confirmed with a nod.

***

The formation would open six entrances or gates. Three were called the Sage gates while the other three Warrior Lord gates. Bai Qi considered that the names were a bit off, after all, there was no minimum limit for any of the gates. In fact, even a mortal could probably enter through any of them, so they should be referred to as the limit, not just a realm gate.

In any case, the naming had nothing to do with him, and even if it did, he could not probably just go and change them. Especially with the names in place since the first opening and now being the 121st one.

Sage Gates would open on the Northern Shore, while the Warrior Lord ones on the opposite one. There was some distance between the positions that they normally occupied, and so, Bai Qi's words about looking around and finding who would enter with him were easily accomplishable. As each of the three powers groups was standing at a distance from each other.

Or at least it should be so, as the youngsters from the 'Ten Families' in the middle were constantly moving towards both sides, and Bai Qi could hear the taunts and mockeries they were shouting out.

"Are they always like that?" Bai Qi asked the brothers after taking a look and comparing the conversing Shuomen City cultivators on the right and the calm 'Great Forest Sect' to the left.

"It is the first time that the 'Ten Families' participated in the event for a long time, so I can not say" Quan Mu answered while placing himself a bit behind Bai Qi.

"But the ones from the Families are always like this indeed. Young Master should remember the young Sima and his guards at the Trade Hall Pagoda, right?" Quan Ruogang added.

"Ah yes, and from what I remember their colors are like the ones of the three youngsters shouting something at the golden robed group there" Bai Qi pointed towards the shore, where three people in the deep blue and crimson from the Sima Clan were wildly gesticulating towards a group on the Shuomen City spot.

"Young Master Chen sight is truly great. Indeed, it seems like they are trying to pick a fight with the 'Trade Hall'. Probably the latter has again refused to lower prices for them. And now the Sima youths think of themselves as champions for their family" Quan Mu said after using a bit of qi and zooming on the pointed area.

"Well, I think it's time for us to go and meet the contact that I was told about" Bai Qi slightly smiled and began walking towards the right side of the shore.

***

During the meeting, it was made clear that Deng Guiying and Lord Sheng would attempt to keep Bai Qi's task secret.

Some close people would know, but except for them, he would be considered a participant from a small affiliated clan.

To do so, except for the arrangements, there had been no open help or contact.

Even the training area or the estate where he stayed for the last weeks was provided by Grandmaster Li. While the Quan brothers were 'dispatched' to fetch him from the Dai Clan that occupied a small land a thousand miles from the City.

So from this moment, Chen Guang would have to introduce himself as one of the cultivators affiliated with the Dai Clan. A clan that was about to fall, only owning a few parcels of land near the Blood Sea and not even a single house in Shuomen. Still, it had not fallen and was affiliated to the City, allowing their application, one that they never sent, to be accepted.

And as being received by one of the bigshots of the city would be too strange, a contact to inform Bai Qi of all that could be needed was arranged.

The name of the contact was Zhuan Kang, and the Quan brothers knew him well. After all, he had been the Law Enforcement Elder that first captured and then recruited them.

"Oh there is Senior Zhuan, let's go" And indeed, it took Quan Ruogang only a brief moment to locate the man and begin walking towards him, with Bai Qi and Quan Mu following right behind.

***

Zhuan Kang had been a member of the Law Enforcement Palace for several decades, and he was one of the trusted aides for Head Sheng. He had been worried about the situation that occurred during the last opening, and if not because only the ones who shared blood with the Sheng and Shou clans were killed... He would have never allowed his only daughter, Min, to participate.

Thus when Head Sheng approached him with a task and one that was related to the investigation of the incident, he accepted right away. Although his thoughts also took another route, the one that any cultivator sent inside by the orders of the Sheng's would be powerful, and so could help his daughter.

Having assumed a position slightly to the north from where the youngsters gathered, he quickly saw the Quan brothers that were approaching him. But his eyes only barely scanned them, concentrating on the youth walking with them.

"Not bad, not bad at all. 4th level Sage, pretty young, and from what I see both rascals seem to like him" He mulled while taking a few steps in their direction.

After a small greeting and introduction session, Zhuan Kang reaffirmed his impression. This Chen Guang was definitively not simple, and how he carried himself revealed that he wasn't a young idiot like most of the participants. Just the lingering air of battle that any cultivator that fought and killed would have was enough to prove the contrary.

"You two are just guides, so it would be best for you to leave. I will take care of the explanations" Zhuan Kang said while motioning for the Quan brothers to scram. It could be a bit offensive, but Bai Qi noticed how the older cultivator's eyes twinkled.

After the pair left, Zhuan Kang took a storage ring from a pouch on his belt and after making sure that no one was watching passed it to Bai Qi.

The latter immediately stored it into his Void Ring, the single ring he now had on, having replaced the four smaller Storage Rings from before. And only then sent a questioning glance at the Law Palace Elder.

"There are several talismans, orbs, and other items you may need inside" Zhuan Kang used qi transmission to pass this message while loudly asking about the Dai clan's wellbeing.

"Understood, please pass my thanks to the one who arranged it for me. Anything else that I need to know?" Bai Qi responded in the same way, voicing a prepared answer about the hard times and such that befell the clan that had been helping him.

"The overall level is about the same as expected, with only 16 Sages without you"

"Their levels?"

"Six on the first, three on the second, four on the third, two on the fourth and a single fifth level"

"The bait?" Bai Qi decided to confirm what the rumors that would make the mysterious hostile party act had been spread. After all, they had only attacked the Sheng and Shou clans, and with no one from their cultivators being present... What would be the reason to reveal themselves?

"It was spread around all the city, even the Overlord groups know of it"

"What was the exact wording? I was only told about it two days ago"

"Lord Sheng's only, and until now unrevealed son will be participating under a fake identity. His cultivation was at the 1st level Sage a few weeks ago" Zhuan Kang who was one of the people who spread the rumor answered right away.

"Got it, I will go take a look around and try to check on the higher level sages" Bai Qi had found all that he needed, so he proceeded to salute.

"Before that, do you mind if I introduce you to my daughter? She could keep you company so you can walk around with no trouble, and she knows most of the youngsters around" Zhuan Kang said before Bai Qi left. He spoke calmly, but a small smile crossed his face when he mentioned his daughter.

"I would be honored" Bai Qi stopped in his tracks and turned around. He knew that probably Zhuan Kang wanted to make him look after her inside, but could not ask directly. "Well, if I can, I will" Bai Qi thought.