The fourth day of the fourth lunar month.

To the ordinary citizens of the Great Zhou, it was just another perfectly normal day.

However, to the various factions scattered throughout the empire, it held an entirely different significance.

Because today, the seventeen-year-old Grandmaster, Su Yi, began his journey to the Jade Capital!

Dark undercurrents had long since started surging beneath the surface.

Ambushes lurked on every corner!

Water Caltrop Ridge.

A place deep in the mountains, about a hundred miles from the Imperatorial Provincial Capital. It was shaped much like a water caltrop, hence the name.

The cliffs were steep, and humans rarely visited.

A run-down temple of ambiguous age stood alone by one side of the road. The main gates were crumbling and decaying, and the interior was covered in dust and cobwebs. Its statue of the Lord of the Soil had long since crumbled into stone fragments.

Night drew near, along with wind and light rain. The air was shrouded in mist.

A blue-robed youth carrying an oil paper umbrella walked along the winding path. He seemed perfectly at ease, as if here on a leisurely stroll.

This was none other than Su Yi.

Since departing...