Two more days passed since the day he was wounded.

Over the past two days, tensions in the Polar Lands had only grown worse. Just yesterday, while disciples of the Western Pole Chan Sect were on duty, they were suddenly ambushed by a massive wave of demonic beasts. Caught completely off guard, seven disciples were killed on the spot.

When Master Moxin, known as the “Monk Without Robes” and the acting leader of the Western Pole Chan Sect's forces here, rushed to support them, he had the misfortune of running into one of the enemy's top elites: the Eastern Sea’s Kunpeng King.

This ancient demon, hidden in the sea for millennia, burst out in a surprise attack. With just a single blow, it left Master Moxin vomiting blood and gravely wounded. Even when Sect Masters Qingming and Ling Fengzi joined forces to trap him, the Kunpeng King only laughed and made a clean getaway, leaving the righteous sects thoroughly embarrassed.

Then, earlier today, the last of the righteous sects had arrived— the Soul Suppression Sect, the one farthest from the polar lands. Their sect leader, Li Douliang, had come rushing with his disciples from the Fallen Soul Sea.

After hearing what had happened, the famed battle-hardened master said not a word. He grabbed Qingming and Ling Fengzi, crossed the Northern Sea in one strike, and charged straight into the Polar Icefield. Over a thousand li, he slaughtered seven or eight of the enemy’s most notable rogue demons and beasts before laughing and returning in triumph.

Even though the enemy had sent out all their heavy hitters. Gu Yin, the Demon Phoenix, and the Kunpeng King. None of them could stop him.

With that, the morale that had been crushed the day before came roaring back. Whatever the sect leaders might have been planning behind closed doors, the third-generation disciples out in the field were practically dancing with joy, as if they’d already taken down the entire Miaohua Sect.

“Sect Master Li really does deserve the title of ‘Number One Executioner of the Righteous Path.’ He doesn’t mess around. When it comes to dealing with these demon freaks and evil cultivators, this is exactly how it should be done!” said one disciple from the Hui Xuan Sect.

The Hui Xuan Sect and the Soul Suppression Sect were both from the southern regions and had always had a close relationship, so he didn’t hold back his praise.

Next to him sat a Soul Suppression disciple, still dusty from travel, trying his best to appear modest. But his glowing face said it all. This was what it meant to hold your head high.

The dozen or so people around all agreed; Li Douliang had been decisive and unstoppable today, fully displaying the presence and authority of a Grandmaster.

Among the younger disciples, his reputation soared even higher.

Just then, someone chimed in, “Out at sea today, I also saw three sect masters battling three powerful demons. Sect Master Li was using his Sea-Calming Eight Techniques against the Old Demon Kunpeng’s Sky-Sea Eight Shifts! That scene... saying it looked like mountains moving and seas overturning wouldn’t be an exaggeration!”

Everyone nodded. They’d all felt the city tremble earlier. Quakes, tidal waves, crashing sounds. So his account rang true. Naturally, people urged him to tell more.

Li Xun glanced at the speaker and thought to himself: today’s patrol was led by the Three Sovereigns Sword Sect. This guy must be one of their disciples; though his face wasn’t familiar.

Of course, even if they were from the same sect, he didn’t need to know all of them. What mattered was that no one recognized him.

The man had already started going into detail, spitting with excitement as he spoke. But to be fair, his storytelling was solid. Every detail was vivid and believable. Nothing felt exaggerated.

Those with sharp insight or strong cultivation, especially ones like Li Xun, who excelled in deduction. They could almost recreate the entire battle in their minds just from his retelling, and even gain some insight from it.

The Three Sovereigns Sword Sect truly lived up to its name. For even a regular disciple to have such a sharp eye and keen judgment, that was impressive. Li Xun gave him another look and silently committed his face to memory.

At the same time, quite a few people had also turned their eyes to Li Xun; or more precisely, to the metallic sheen of the mask covering his face.

Pretty much everyone in the city knew: the masked, strange-looking cultivator in front of them was said to be some unlucky young disciple from the Mingxin Sword Sect.

In most people’s eyes, Li Xun might not have had the best luck, but he was a genuinely decent guy. At first, he had come off as a bit shy and reserved, but once he had gotten comfortable, he was sharp-witted and quick with his words; often hitting the nail right on the head. Of course, he was still just a kid, and some of his immature moments actually made him kind of endearing.

In just a couple of days, Li Xun had already gotten to know thirty or forty disciples from different sects and managed to become part of their social circle. When they had downtime, they would hang out in small groups, chatting about everything from ancient history to sword techniques and cultivation methods. That’s exactly what they were doing now.

After finishing his story about Li Douliang, the disciple from the Three Sovereigns Sword Sect moved on to Qingming, and he was full of praise for Qingming’s swordsmanship. That naturally brought up the Mingxin Sword Sect.

Aside from Li Xun, there was another Mingxin disciple in this group, Ling Zhe, one of the sect’s "Three Spirits." He was lively, energetic, and very talkative.

When he heard Qingming’s name, he perked up and happily joined in the conversation. A few words later, they exchanged names.

That’s when Li Xun found out that the Three Sovereigns Sword disciple was named Luo Wuchang. The name struck him as a little odd. But with the surname Luo.... could he be related to Sect Master Luo Qichang?

“Luo Wuchang? Now that’s a strange name.”

Li Xun suddenly heard someone mutter that nearby. He smiled, amused that someone else had the same reaction. He turned his head and spotted a small, slender cultivator murmuring quietly to themselves.

Noticing Li Xun’s gaze, the cultivator looked up. Their eyes met. And both of them froze for a moment.

What surprised Li Xun was how delicate and graceful the person looked. Their skin was smooth and fair like jade, and their features carried a soft, almost feminine charm. It was clearly a young woman dressed as a man, and a very beautiful one at that. No wonder he’d found something strange about her.

Cultivators weren’t like mortals. They didn’t favor men over women. Aside from a few exceptions, most sects in the Tongxuan Realm treated female cultivators as equals to their male counterparts. In fact, women often received even more respect and consideration. So under those circumstances, a woman disguising herself as a man was… kind of baffling.

Of course, "baffling" didn’t mean it never happened. But what puzzled Li Xun even more was this: someone this beautiful, who also chose to dress like a man, should’ve been well-known in a place like Nightless City, right?

“You must be Junior Brother Xun from the Mingxin Sword Sect? I’ve heard a lot about you!”

The girl actually spoke first. Her voice was soft and pleasant, unmistakably feminine. A woman with a voice like that… choosing to dress as a man?

Still, what caught Li Xun off guard was that she already knew who he was; while he had no idea what her name was.

Thankfully, his youth was an asset. He could play innocent without raising suspicion. So he nodded in response, scratched his head awkwardly, and gave her a sheepish look.

Sure enough, she was exceptionally intelligent. Smiling, she introduced herself: “Water Mirror Sect, Yan Shuiyue. You can just call me Senior Sister Yan.”

Something stirred in Li Xun’s mind. He caught the quick glimmer of wit and cleverness in her eyes and hesitated slightly.

After all, if he was pretending to be young… who’s to say she wasn’t pretending to be older and more mature? Her personality might not be quite what she was showing right now.

Still, he doubted there was anyone here younger than him. Calling her “Senior Sister” wouldn’t be wrong.

That thought passed quickly through his mind. He gave a small nod and called out quietly, “Senior Sister Yan.”

At that moment, it finally clicked for Li Xun. Since she was from the Water Mirror Sect, could this Senior Sister Yan be the very same disciple he’d heard about yesterday? The one who had come to the city alongside Daoist Yu Lan and her only disciple?

Although Water Mirror Sect was officially listed among the ten righteous sects, most people in the Tongxuan Realm actually viewed it as a strictly neutral faction.

That was partly due to the sect’s open-door “Mirror Assembly,” which didn’t discriminate between righteous and demonic paths. But it also had to do with Water Mirror Sect’s overall reputation; they were seen as benevolent to a fault, always trying to play peacemaker.

The sect was known for its gift of foresight. Able to glimpse fate and predict calamities. And instead of hoarding that knowledge, they generously shared it with others, often warning various sects about looming disasters, big and small. Nearly every sect had benefited from them in some way.

Besides, with so few True Person and Grandmaster-level cultivators capable of holding their own, they posed little threat to the other sects. Over time, that combination of generosity and humility earned Water Mirror Sect widespread respect.

So the fact that they’d agreed to take part in this Polar expedition came as a surprise. Even though they’d only sent two people, no one was about to underestimate them.

After all, having someone who could foresee danger and guide the group away from disaster was a major asset. Of course, no one expected them to fight on the front lines either.

Now that he knew who she was, Li Xun didn’t dare be careless. He exchanged a few more polite words with her, then circled the conversation back to what she’d just said.

“Senior Sister Yan, you mentioned earlier that Brother Luo’s name sounded odd. What did you mean by that?”

Yan Shuiyue gave a soft, knowing smile but didn’t answer right away. Her eyes drifted toward Luo Wuchang, who was still happily holding court with a crowd of disciples, then she looked down and started counting on her fingers.

“There are seventeen people in the Three Sovereigns Sword Sect with the surname Luo; six women and eleven men. Among the third-generation male disciples, there are only four. I don’t know all their names, but I do know third-generations use the character Yu in their courtesy names. So how come he…”

Li Xun was stunned by how precise she was. Watching her count on her fingers like a little kid, he couldn’t help but smile. Suddenly, he felt an urge to tease this overly serious, pretending-to-be-mature girl.

“Senior Sister Yan, are you with the Water Mirror Sect, or secretly from the Yanxing Sect? Why are you so concerned with someone else’s sect business? Besides, naming conventions inside sects aren’t always so strict."

He tapped his own metal mask, “Take me, for example. I’m from the ‘Ling’ generation, but my name doesn’t include it. And my Second Martial Master’s name doesn’t have...”

“Huh. I guess that’s true,” Yan Shuiyue admitted, her confidence in her own theory wavering. For the moment, she let his explanation slide.

But the more she backed off, the more Li Xun found her behavior suspicious. At the same time, Yan Shuiyue was starting to take an interest in him.

“Junior Brother Xun, since you’re from the Mingxin Sword Sect, you must be pretty close with Immortal Master Zhong Yin, right?”

Li Xun replied casually, “Uh, well… so-so, I guess.” Honestly, among all the third-generation disciples, he was probably the only one who had the right to answer like that.

But Yan Shuiyue didn’t know the full story. And even if she did, she might not care. Still, she lit up with excitement and suddenly grabbed Li Xun’s sleeve.

“Then tell me... when exactly is Master Zhong Yin’s ascension scheduled?" Her voice growing a little hoarse from emotion. "Is it on the seventh day of the twelfth month, or the eighth?”

“…Huh?”

At that moment, Luo Wuchang’s storytelling had reached a dramatic peak. A few lively disciples around him started clapping and cheering, their voices loud enough to drown things out. Yan Shuiyue saw the blank look on Li Xun’s face and thought he hadn’t heard her. She gave a barely noticeable little eye-roll, finally showing a glimpse of her true personality.

Yan Shuiyue tugged on Li Xun’s sleeve, pulling him out of the crowd. She led him to a quiet, secluded spot, then stared at him and enunciated each word clearly: “I said, on which day is Immortal Master Zhong Yin’s ascension scheduled? The seventh of the twelfth month, or the eighth? Did you hear me now?”

“…”

“What is wrong with you? This is important! I made a bet with my master; she says it’s the seventh, I say it’s the eighth. If I can’t settle this, I won’t be allowed into the Feiyan Book Pavilion… What’s... the problem?”

Yan Shuiyue was actually very clever. She wouldn’t have the qualification to challenge her master in a bet otherwise. She’d just gotten a little carried away with excitement earlier. But now, seeing the look on Li Xun’s face, it was obvious something was wrong.

"Hey, don’t tell me you… have no idea at all?"

Li Xun stared at her silently, and with the expressionless metal mask on his face, he looked like a corpse that had suddenly come to life.

Yan Shuiyue instinctively stepped back half a pace.

Then she saw his chest suddenly rise and fall twice, sharp and quick. Then still again.

The next moment, her wrist was caught in a firm grip.

Li Xun’s voice was cold and hollow, like a chill wind rising from deep underground: “Everyone in the Water Mirror Sect… already knows about this?”

Yan Shuiyue felt like she couldn’t even breathe properly. She nodded furiously.

Li Xun stared at her for a moment longer, then released her wrist, turned, and walked away.

Yan Shuiyue stood frozen for a moment. Then she hurried after him, plucking up her courage to ask, “Don’t you all know?”

“That’s right. No one knew.” Li Xun didn’t hesitate for a second.

Of that, he was absolutely certain; if word had gotten out, Qingming would never have led most of their top disciples down the mountain. And the senior immortal masters wouldn’t be all the way out here, thousands of li from the sect, worrying about someone else’s problem.

Yan Shuiyue looked utterly confused. “But… why?”

“Yeah,” Li Xun said, “I’d like to know that too.”

If you really want answers, go ask Zhong Yin yourself…

That’s what he thought, but he didn’t say it aloud. Instead, he picked up his pace. He needed to find Qingming as soon as possible and report this.

This kind of thing… He was just a third-generation disciple. He wasn’t going to take responsibility for it. 

And he couldn’t, even if he wanted to.

Yan Shuiyue seemed unsure whether to follow him or not. As Li Xun walked five steps ahead, the world around her suddenly dimmed. She instinctively looked up. The sky had gone dark.

It’s getting dark… Is it going to rain?

Then it hit her. There was no day or night here in the polar lands. And this place was known for being bone-dry, with almost no rainfall. For the sky to cloud over so suddenly. That was practically unheard of.

She was stunned by the strangeness of it, and right after, unexpected changes erupted from all sides.