The door was kicked open.
Jiang Chen turned to look. A man in lavish garments, his nose a sharp hawk's hook, was glaring at him with undisguised fury.
Two servants from the tavern flanked the doorway, wanting to stop him but not daring to lay a hand on him.
"You? You're the one? Some middle-aged wreck who hasn't even opened the Gate of Heaven and Earth — and you dare compete for my slot?"
He shoved the servants aside and shouldered his way into the room, his expression a volatile mixture of disbelief and outrage.
"Get out."
Chongxuan Sheng spoke flatly.
The jovial warmth was gone from his round face. His voice was not loud, but his eyes had narrowed to even finer slits.
The hawk-nosed man's expression stiffened, but he forced himself to speak: "Brother Sheng, surely you don't think this old man is stronger than me? Cultivation is not a matter measured by years!"
"Excuse me," Jiang Chen said, unable to hold back. "Would you mind taking a closer look? White hair doesn't mean I'm old."
The man did not dare talk back to Chongxuan Sheng, but he showed Jiang Chen absolutely no courtesy. "Who are you to call me brother? Take a piss and look at yourself in a puddle!"
Jiang Chen was not the sort to anger at such naked provocation, but neither could he be said to be in a pleasant mood.
At that moment, Chongxuan Sheng's fat hand patted Jiang Chen's shoulder.
"Brother Jiang, you're too polite to every stray cat and dog that wanders in," the fat man said with a reproachful tone. "Does he deserve it?"
The hawk-nosed man's face could hold no more. He snapped: "Brother Sheng, you'd do well to remember your surname! You insult a member of the Chongxuan clan for the sake of some nameless outsider?"
"Chongxuan Xin, you are in no position to tell me what to do," Chongxuan Sheng drawled, regarding the hawk-nosed man lazily. "You are you, and I am I. Even I don't presume to represent the Chongxuan clan. What exactly do you represent?"
"Fine!" Chongxuan Xin ground his teeth. "Put that aside. I came today to ask you this — we are family. You gave my slot to an outsider! Do you think that's appropriate?"
Chongxuan Sheng rose slowly from his chair. He patted Jiang Chen's shoulder once more, signaling him to stay calm. Then he walked over to stand before Chongxuan Xin and looked him in the eye.
"This expedition into the Heavenly Abode Secret Realm revolves around me. Everything is geared toward securing my divine skill at the Inner Palace stage first. That is the final resolution passed by the elders. I choose whoever I believe will best help me achieve that. In other words, I give my slots to whomever I please."
"Now — tell me. Why is that not appropriate? How is it not appropriate?"
Chongxuan Xin's gaze wavered, but he held his neck stiff. "Whatever else, I'm still more trustworthy than some outsider, and I'm still stronger! If we're talking about helping you, wouldn't I be more useful? Let me fight him — let's see who's stronger, and who deserves the slot!"
"Chongxuan Xin, I will say this one last time." Chongxuan Sheng had no patience left for words. He extended a pudgy finger and tapped it against the man's chest, his voice perfectly calm. "Get out."
Shame, fury, and a tangle of emotions crossed Chongxuan Xin's face.
But in the end he said nothing. He retreated slowly, widening the gap between himself and Chongxuan Sheng's finger, then turned and strode out.
His footsteps fell heavy and hard, the floorboards booming with each step.
"Young Master Sheng," one of the servants bowed and explained, "Young Master Xin insisted on barging in. We..."
Chongxuan Sheng said nothing, merely flicked a hand in dismissal.
The door closed again. The servants withdrew in silence.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Actually, fighting wouldn't have been a problem. I don't think I'd lose."
He had traveled ten thousand miles, sharpening only a single sword.
Even Jiang Chen himself did not know how powerful that sword would be when drawn.
But one thing he was certain of: against any cultivator of the same rank, he had every right to fight and a real chance of victory.
That included Chongxuan Sheng himself. Even factoring in whatever new abilities Chongxuan Sheng must have gained upon reaching the Heaven-Piercing realm, and with both of his own secret arts fully unleashed, Jiang Chen estimated his odds at fifty percent. Chongxuan Xin, who was clearly far inferior, was not even worth mentioning.
"It wouldn't have been a problem," Chongxuan Sheng agreed, settling back into his seat. "But why should I? Who does he think he is, that my friend should have to prove himself to him?"
"Brother Jiang, look around this city. How many people are clawing for a spot in the Heavenly Abode Secret Realm? How many are bitter, how many are indignant? Am I going to make you prove yourself to every single one of them?"
Chongxuan Sheng lifted a wine pot and poured two cups. "I invited you here. All you need to do is show up. The rest should not be your burden. What happened just now — that was my oversight. Allow me to make amends."
Clans had their complexities. Jiang Chen understood that completely.
Even a minor family like the Fang clan of Maplewood City had never known a moment free of scheming and backstabbing. How much more so the Chongxuan clan, a colossus of the State of Qi — one of the Six Powers of the realm, alongside the States of Jing, Qin, Chu, and Mu.
The Chongxuan clan had sunk deep roots into such a mighty nation, its branches spreading far and wide. Its strength rivaled that of many smaller states. Internal strife was inevitable.
Jiang Chen accepted the wine cup and drained it in a single draft.
Such things did not trouble him.
...
The seventh day of the third month — the day the Heavenly Abode Secret Realm would open.
The location was the exact center of Tianfu City.
It was a perfectly circular pool, known as the Tianfu Pool, though most called it the Full Moon Pool.
On ordinary days, it was nothing remarkable. The water was clear enough to see the bottom at a glance. People had examined it countless times over the years and found nothing special.
But every twelve years, when the time came for the realm to open, the Full Moon Pool would grow dark and fathomless.
In that state, the pool's true depth was beyond reckoning. No one, as far as anyone knew, had ever seen through to its bottom.
The entire pool was protected by a great formation array, and beyond the array stood high walls and encircling corridors.
All the work of the State of Qi's official apparatus, designed to prevent those without a slot from causing disruptions.
Tianfu City had originally been built around the entrance to the Heavenly Abode Secret Realm.
Thus the heart of the city was the heart of the realm.
The State of Qi maintained a permanent garrison here. Tianfu City was unassailable as a mountain, and over the years every malevolent cultivator who had come looking for trouble had perished.
The ten slots released by the State of Qi this year had already been decided. There were no restrictions on nationality, background, or school of cultivation. Good and evil mattered not.
Only strength.
The fierce days of selection that preceded this moment were themselves a major driver of Tianfu City's prosperity.
But now the dust had settled, and the moment that mattered most had finally arrived.
The Heavenly Abode Secret Realm would open tonight.
Jiang Chen had come with Chongxuan Sheng to the perimeter of the Full Moon Pool early to await the opening. They were far from alone — most of the participants had arrived ahead of time as well. No one knew what lay within, and that meant anything could happen.
Every person taking part was a potential rival. One had to observe and prepare in advance.
That Chongxuan Sheng had taken such care spoke volumes about how seriously he regarded this expedition.
...
Most of those present were cultivators at the Heaven-Piercing realm — the ceiling imposed by the secret realm's restrictions.
In fact, many cultivators from the State of Qi who held slots had deliberately suppressed their cultivation at the Heaven-Piercing stage, refusing to push open the Gate of Heaven and Earth, all in order to wait for the realm to open.
The fortunate among them had waited only a year or two. The less fortunate had waited the full twelve.
Whether it was worth it was a matter of opinion.
Many clan elders had come as well, ostensibly to help their juniors assess the competition and offer last-minute guidance before the expedition.
The city's official cultivators guarded the perimeter, maintaining order and standing ready for contingents.
People conversed quietly with those they knew.
Amid the murmuring, a harsh voice cut through the crowd: "What clan is this Zhang family? How did they get a Heavenly Abode slot without going through the selection? The great houses — fine. But I have never heard that there was a Zhang family in the State of Qi!"