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"How much do you know!?"

"Let me think." With a pause, Yang Ze spoke slowly. "From the arrival of the Leihui Sect to the major cities changing their factions to the war."

"So, only the surface knowledge." Old Liu nodded. It was just as he expected, the information of the people in front of him was limited.

"You see, for the people, the main reason for joining the Leihui Sect was because of the excessive tribute in exchange for nothing. However..." Speaking till here, Old Liu paused briefly. "However, the main reason was something else."

"Oh!?" Yang Ze raised his brows slightly.

"It was the promise of power." Old Liu closed his eyes as he began to speak in a calm voice. "You see, leaving aside the Mehull city, none of the other cities that changed factions have Innate powerhouse. Even the strongest of us all are just at the peak of Qi Guiding realm."

"Take Yang Yuanzhen for example. This guy is one of the strongest in the vicinity, probably even stronger than me. And has reached the peak of Qi Guiding at such a young age. Yet...

Yet, in front of an Innate powerhouse, he is like a child waving some leaves."

"The same is true for all of us... No matter how exalted or powerful we might seem, it is all worthless. And stepping into Innate is easier said than done." As soon as the old man finished speaking, the figure of a masked boy flashed in front of him as he gritted his teeth in anger.

"So they promised you all that they will help you reach the Innate realm!?"

"Sigh." The old man didn't reply, but from his expression, Yang Ze already had his answer.

"So you are telling me you believed the words of another party without a second thought!?" Yang Ze looked at him like he was looking at an idiot. "I mean didn't it cross your mind for once that maybe, perhaps maybe they were lying!?"

"I mean, if someone came and offer me an increase in strength for murdering someone, then I sure as hell would reconsider my life choices. I mean I...."

"They already gave us something." Before Yang Ze could even finish his sentence, he was interrupted by the old man who was looking at him with a stoic expression. "They already paid us and we consider it to be a worthy trade."

"I see." With a brief pause, Yang Ze smiled. "I guess I will never know what they gave."

"....." Old Liu didn't reply. "Is this all you wanted to ask!?" His patience was starting to wear thin.

"Why did you come here!? I mean Xuanwu Sect has already declared war, and instead of staying in your respective cities, you all are here!? What are you people even thinking!? Aren't you afraid your cities would be the first ones to face the wrath of the Xuanwu Academy!?"

"NO." The answer was as brief as it could have been possible. "They are not going to attack other cities. The location of the war has been appointed around the hundred miles radius of the Mehull city."

"Huh!?" Listening to the old man, Yang Ze was more confused than ever. "You guys going to war or a picnic!?"

"You haven't seen any war, have you!?" Old Liu looked at Yang Ze while shaking his head. "This is how wars are fought. Both sides decide on a location and the war takes place there."

"Oh!" Yang Ze nodded slowly. In his past life, he had read history books that described a similar style of war. In this war, the winner takes all, so they had to limit the casualties. After all, if every city was ruined, then there would be nothing left to rule!?

"What about other people!? People who joined the Leihui Sect but haven't joined the war?"

"I highly doubt there are any fools like those. But if there are then their outcome would be the worst. No matter which side wins, they would pay dearly."

"And the disciples!?"

"What disciples!?" Old Liu furrowed his brows.

"What about those who have joined the Xuanwu Academy but their family has joined the Leihui Sect!? Where do they stand in this war!?"

"Oh!" Old Liu sighed heavily. "The decision is theirs. The academy has given them choices to either take part in the war or just stand on the sidelines, or in case they truly want, they are free to go back to their families."

"Of course, they are solely responsible for the outcome of their actions."

"Now then... If we are done here, I would like to take my leave." Standing up, Old Liu patted his clothes as he looked at Yang Ze.

"When is the war going to start!?" This was the final question Yang Ze had for him.

"It has already."

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"Ancestor was there even a need to answer his questions!? We could have just grabbed the spirit stones and come out from there. After all, he was the one using our family's name. He should be grateful we haven't punished him for his actions yet."

Carrying the box on his shoulder, Hua Cheng complained in a dissatisfied tone. He still couldn't understand the reasoning behind his actions.

"Ugh." Stopping in his tracks, Old Liu looked at Hua Cheng with a disgusted expression. "How about you use a bit of your brain instead of complaining all day long!?"

"But ancestor..."

"Shut it."

The rest of their short journey passed in silence. It wasn't until they reached their designated houses that a servant of the Yuwen family arrived near them.

"Esteemed guests, there is going to be a small meeting in the evening. Powerhouses in the Qi Condensing realm or above are invited. Please be sure to attend."

After delivering his message, the servant left the cabin, making his way towards another one.

"Elder Cheng."

"Ancestor."

"Keep an eye around here."

"As you command."

As soon as he finished speaking, old Liu took a step forward before walking in the direction of the city hall, where the meeting was going to take place.

Hua Cheng who was left alone with a box still on his shoulders looked around nervously before rushing inside his room. The last thing he wanted was to let people be aware of the spirit stones he was hiding.

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As time began to move forward, the daytime turned into night. Yang Ze didn't know how the weather of this world worked. A few days ago, it was still lukewarm, yet today, it was beginning to grow cold. As Frost grew over the windows even as Yang Ze sat beside his window. He watched the ice crystals grow for a while, allowing his brain to be empty, content to exist and be. Perhaps, the morning would bring the beauty of the ice for sure, that crunch under the boot and the bold greeting cold air brings. Yet between now and watching his breaths rise as new white-puffed clouds, there was going to be a very cold night. The kind that only stops at the doors of the well-made houses. The kind that gives him a lonely comfort, for it is only now when he feels truly alive.

"Should I take a walk!?" This thought lasted only for a moment before Yang Ze gave out a hollow laugh while shaking his head. With the war that was soon going to erupt, any little act of his might influence future events. This was not his war, and there was no need for him to entangle himself in this mess. However, with the things he had planned, sooner or later, he would have to go in regardless of his personal feelings.

Taking out a book from his personal space, Yang Ze glanced into the darkness outside as he slowly immersed himself in it. However, there was a constant sense of dread that seemed to be shadowing him.

In the city of Mehull, Yang Ze wasn't the only one feeling this sense of dread. Inside the city hall, a luxurious banquet was going on. Powerful and respected people from all around the cities were constantly talking with each other with smiles on their faces. As for whether these smiles were pretentious or not, only they knew.

Somewhere in the middle of this banquet, were two men standing quietly.

"Master, you are worried." An old man looked at the middle-aged man before asking.

"Hmm..." The man didn't reply but just kept on looking. It was only after dazing for a few minutes did he open his mouth. "Old Xia, do you think we made a mistake!?"

"Master." The old man went silent for a while. "If you are asking this old servant's inner thoughts then I would say perhaps."

"But, it was a necessary decision. Master, out of all the people I have seen, your talent is amongst the top ten. If not for the incomplete Seaheart Art, you would have already stepped into the Innate realm. What you did, is to pave a path for your and the younger generation's future. You should be proud."

"Em." Nodding his head in agreement, the man picked up a glass of wine from the nearby table before gulping it down in one go.

"FELLOW DAOIST FRIENDS." Just when everyone was busy enjoying themselves, a sound echoed throughout the hall. And as soon as the sound echoed, the hall that was bustling with activities a moment ago, became deathly quiet. So quiet, that one could even hear the heartbeats of the people present along with their breathing.

"I AM THE CITY LORD, ZHANG GEN. OR YOU GUYS CAN SIMPLY CALL ME FOURTH ELDER."

Looking at the man standing on the platform with a smile, the crowd soon gathered around before giving him a bow.

"WE GREET THE CITY LORD."

"WE GREET THE CITY LORD."

"WE GREET THE CITY LORD."

Looking at the crowd almost protesting, Zhang Gen gave out a heartily laugh before taking his seat.

"First of all, I would like to welcome you all to our beautiful city of Mehull.

I know... I know... You must be thinking BEAUTIFUL!? Well, it once was. But unfortunately, it became like this due to some unforseen events.

Now, since all of you are here, I would like to announce some news.

You all might have seen the reward list outside the city hall. So, I will spare the boring talk. The only important thing is THE WAR."

As soon as he said the words, a few people standing trembled. Even though it sounds exciting on the paper, but once truly fought, it will be a dreadful sight to behold. One that they were certainly not accustomed to.

Ignoring the reactions, Zhang Gen continued. "Two days later, that is, the day after tomorrow, the first skirmish will take place.

Interested people can register here. As this is the first battle, we will double the reward for anyone participating in it."

Even though hefty rewards were promised, there weren't any cheers or excited shouts from the people. Every single person who was present here was already a powerhouse in the realm of Qi Guiding. What kind of things haven't they seen in their life? To them, what the city lord was promising them were just empty words. Rushing in blindly without knowing the strength of the opponents was a foolish move. One that they were certainly unwilling to make.

Looking at their expression, Zhang Gen could already guess what they were thinking. With a cold sneer, he looked at the people before faking a smile on his face.

"Well, if any of you guys are interested, you can register." Standing up, he clasped his hands. "Then... Have a wonderful evening."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure disappeared from the place, leaving people on the scene with heavy expressions.

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Two days passed in the blink of an eye. The entire city of Mehull was now covered in a layer of white. Outside on the roads, children were playing with the snow, making all kinds of things. Even the smallest of them had smiles on their faces.

Adults on the other hand were busy stockpiling necessities. As the streets started to bustle, a few guards were busy changing the street lanterns, filling them up with a new supply of oil. One look at the scenery, and no one would think there was going to be a war deciding the fate of this city. Everything seemed so calm, so peaceful.

Sitting beside his window, Yang Ze had almost finished reading all the books. As he put one more book back into his storage, he gently rubbed the temple of his head.

After rubbing his head for a few moments, he looked outside the window and immersed himself in the beautiful scenery.

It was at this moment that everything felt so natural and peaceful that a loud toll of the bell pierced the silence of the city.

"It has begun." Standing up with a grave expression, Yang Ze jumped to the top of his house.

Not only him, but almost all of the people stopped in their place. Even the children who were playing carefree a moment ago stopped as they rushed back to their houses.

It was at this moment that a loud sound reverberated throughout the city.

"THE WAR..... HAS BEGUN."