Several people were waiting onboard when they boarded the ship. Among them was someone Wu Jian recognized.

“Welcome back, Your Highness.”

“Uncle Chenguang!” Hou Jingshu exclaimed in surprise.

The man who stood before them had a youthful face and a regal bearing. His light brown hair was long, tied into a ponytail that trailed down his back. He looked Hou Jingshu over as if checking for injuries with eyes that were a similar color to his hair. He had snow-white skin and a slender face that was effeminate enough to be mistaken for a woman’s. Despite his appearance, the overbearing aura he exuded prevented anyone from ever mocking him.

Yu Chenguang, known by many as the Dragon’s Claw, was one of the strongest cultivators within the Shang Kingdom. He was at the Human Limit Realm. There were only a handful of people in the Shang Kingdom who had reached this vaunted height, though his cultivation seemed to have stopped there. Wu Jian had heard from Hou Jingshu years ago that this man was already at an age where his cultivation slowed considerably. He was unlikely to break through to the Deva Realm. Even so, he was a hero to the people of the Shang Kingdom.

“What are you doing here?” Hou Jingshu asked with a pleasant smile.

Yu Chenguang returned it. “When I heard that you were returning to the Shang Kingdom, I knew I would have to meet you. I’ve heard you had quite the harrowing journey, and you even lost someone.” He glanced at the body wrapped in blankets being carried between Wu Jian and Wu Yong, then shifted his gaze back to Hou Jingshu. “Given all that, I felt it would be inappropriate if I did not show up myself.”

“Thank you for coming to get me, but what about Father?” asked Hou Jingshu.

“Your father is fine for now,” Yu Chenguang assured her. “I’ve set up round the clock guards to protect him. Everyone charged with his protection is an elite among my personal unit.”

His personal unit…

Known as the Emperor’s Right Claw, Yu Chenguang’s personal unit consisted of the ten most powerful members of the Shang Kingdom’s army. Cultivators needed to be at the fifth subrealm of the Asura Realm to even be considered for this position, but most of them were at the eighth or ninth subrealm.

In a nation where most people couldn’t make it past the Anima Realm, due in no small part to the lack of cultivation resources, people at the Asura Realm and above were a rare thing. His father and Wu Taohua had been among maybe one thousand people to have reached that level. While a thousand might seem like a lot, it wasn’t when Wu Jian considered how there were roughly ten or fifteen thousand cultivators within the Shang Kingdom.

“I see you have a new member.” Yu Chuanguang walked up to Wu Jian, placed the fist of his right hand in the palm of his left, and bowed. “I am Yu Chuanguang, commander of the Shang Kingdom’s First Regiment. I’ve already been told of how you helped Her Highness in her time of need. You have my gratitude.”

Wu Jian would have returned the bow, but he was helping Wu Yong carry Yin Wuhan’s body. Seeing this, Yu Chaunguang gestured for his men to take the body off their hands. They left through a door that no doubt led into the storage area. With his hands now free, Wu Jian returned the man’s bow with an identical one.

“My name is Jian Wu, and you needn’t thank me. I only did what I wanted. The Shang Kingdom is also my homeland.”

Yu Chuanguang smiled. “You seem to be a man of honor. I like that.”

“I’m hoping to have Jian Wu enrolled in the Imperial Academy,” Hou Jingshu interrupted. “He’s already strong enough to become an inner-court disciple.”

The Shang Kingdom Imperial Academy was the premiere institute for cultivators in the Shang Kingdom. Many men and women joined the academy in the hopes of earning renown or joining the Shang Kingdom’s army, which granted many benefits, including a pension so a person could retire. A lot of people joined the army so they could provide for their families. Only the Burning Hand Sect, Ice Phoenix Sect, and Saintly Sword Sect could compare to the Shang Kingdom Imperial Academy in terms of strength.

“I see. You wish to have him join the Shang Kingdom National Tournament,” Yu Chuanguang determined.

“I think he would give our opponents a big surprise if he were to join,” Hou Jingshu said with a smile.

The Shang Kingdom hosted a yearly tournament to discover talented young cultivators. Every sect was allowed to participate, though each sect was only allowed a few slots, and the number of slots was determined by the strength of the sect. This year’s tournament was even more important than previous years.

“Not only has the Shang Kingdom Imperial Academy lost every year for the past five years, we have not even made it into the top one hundred. It’s even more important this year that our academy comes out victorious.”

“Because of the Thirteen Kingdom’s Tournament,” Yu Chuanguang nodded.

Everyone around them was getting ready to depart. Crewmembers were preparing the tanks that released helium and undoing the stakes that kept their vessel from floating off.

Hou Jingshu moved off to the side to avoid getting in the way. While Zheng Yawen and Wu Yong began helping the crew, Wu Jian and Yu Chuanguang followed their princess to continue their conversation. The look in Hou Jingshu’s eyes as she leaned her hands against the railing and stared at her kingdom was filled with determination.

“The Thirteen Kingdom’s Tournament only happens once every ten years. It was thanks to our victory in the tournament over two hundred years ago that we were able to secure an alliance with the Heavenly Sword Sect. However, since then, our nation has not managed to create a similar victory even once. Nevermind taking first place, we have not even made it past the first round.”

The story of the Shang Kingdom’s alliance with the Heavenly Sword Sect was well-known to all. Hou Jingshu’s father, Hou Jun, had competed in the tournament. He had only been a prince at the time. Young, impetus, and filled with the vigors of youth, he took the tournament by storm, securing victory after victory and ultimately winning the entire tournament.

According to the story, Prince Hou Jun damaged his own cultivation in order to emerge victorious. His determination impressed the sect master of the Heavenly Sword Sect, and he offered the prince an alliance through matrimony. Prince Hou Jun eventually became Emperor Hou Jun and married Hou Cai. Her grandfather is an elder within the Heavenly Sword Sect.

The details were a little fuzzy, but that was the gist of the story Wu Jian had been told by Father so long ago.

Hou Jingshu continued talking. “We need to secure a victory. The Saintly Sword Sect has been stealing away our power. If we cannot prove that our family is deserving of an alliance, we may have no choice but to completely fall under the Heavenly Sword Sect’s sway. We’ll become little more than a branch of their sect.”

The alliance between the Heavenly Sword Sect and Shang Kingdom was currently a political alliance in which the Shang Kingdom retained its autonomy in exchange for paying a yearly tribute to the Heavenly Sword Sect. This alliance had been established after Hou Jun married Hou Cai.

However, alliances were always shifting, and the Shang Kingdom’s power was waning. The Saintly Sword Sect’s attempts to undermine the Hou Family were no doubt caused by the Heavenly Sword Sect growing tired of maintaining an alliance that did not provide them with a great many benefits. This alliance was one in which they were required to provide military support in the event that the Shang Kingdom was ever invaded, but all they received was a yearly tribute. That was how the Shang Kingdom had avoided being taken over by another nation.

If the Shang Kingdom could not prove their worth to the Heavenly Sword Sect, it was very likely the sect would push to turn the Shang Kingdom into a protectorate instead of an autonomously allied country.

Yu Chuanguang did not say anything at first, and when he did, each word was spoke with deliberate slowness. “Do you think adding one more person will change the outcome? I do not mean to undermine your confidence, but he is only at the Fourth Subrealm of the Asura Realm. The other people we have selected for this tournament are all at the fifth or six subrealm.”

“I don’t blame you for thinking the way you do. It’s true that we have several people at our academy who’s cultivation is higher, but I want you to consider this.” Hou Jingshu turned to face Yu Chuanguang, held up a hand, and ticked several points off on her fingers. “First, Jian Wu is even younger than me. Second, he helped us kill a Human Limit Realm magical beast in the White Tiger Sect Ruins. And lastly, he has received the inheritance of the White Tiger, Byakko.”

Yu Chuanguang’s eyes grew wide with each point made, until he was looking at Wu Jian in a brand new light. He cupped a hand to his chin and nodded several times.

“If he has truly accomplished all that, then you may be right. He might very well be able to turn the tides. He will still need to prove himself before we can allow him to participate, but provided he do so, I see no problem replacing him with someone else,” Yu Chuanguang said. “I’ll speak to the headmaster about this.”

The smile on Hou Jingshu’s could have lit up a room. “Thank you. Oh. I should also mention that I have decided to compete as well.”

“You… your highness?” asked Yu Chuanguang.

“That’s right.”

“I am sorry, Your Highness. I know you want to compete, but your father said—”

“Forget about what my father said. Strength is the only thing that matters in this tournament. If I’m stronger than everyone else, why should I be denied the right to compete?” Hou Jingshu raised her chin and stared at Yu Chuanguang with a fire behind her eyes. It was the same determination Wu Jian remembered from when they were younger.

The first regiment commander smiled wryly. “I see you’ve inherited your father’s stubbornness.” Hou Jingshu shrugged, and Yu Chuanguang sighed. “Very well. I will discuss the matter with the headmaster as well. We shall refrain from telling your father right now. He is still very weak, and I do not want his condition to worsen.”

“Thank you,” Hou Jingshu said softly.

“You are welcome, Your Highness.”

It wasn’t long before the Lóng Tiānkōng was ready to launch. The loud hissing of helium being released made Wu Jian look up. The fabric of the balloons was growing larger by the second. The deck shook only a little as the ship smoothly lifted off the ground and began ascending into the skies. Wu Jian watched as the ground grew smaller with every passing second, then look at the horizon and gasped.

“Breathtaking, isn’t it?” asked Hou Jingshu.

Wu Jian nodded. “It’s beautiful.”

“I never tire of seeing this,” she agreed.

Wu Jian could understand why. It was midday, and the sun was high above their heads, basking the country with its radiance and warmth. Brilliant green spread out for miles. Some of it was composed of grassland, but there were also many forests, and Wu Jian could even see mountains in the distance.

My home is somewhere north of here…

Wu Jian looked in the direction, but he could not see his home, or even the Twin Fang Mountains that marked the location of Zahn City. The mountains weren’t that large compared to the Ice Phoenix Mountain Range, the largest mountain range within the Shang Kingdom, said to spread across the kingdom’s northern border for numerous miles. He could even now see Ice Phoenix Mountain. That was where the Ice Phoenix Sect was located.

Would he eventually be able to see it as they moved closer? Wu Jian didn’t know, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to be reminded of what he had lost, not when every day he lived was already a constant reminder of the family that had been torn from him.