An Enormous Harvest

Stepping out of the Quartermaster Office, Li Hao had an additional booklet on him: the *Five Bridges Construction Method*. He also had a bottle containing ten fruits. However, it could not be opened lightly; once unsealed, they had to be used immediately. Too much time had passed, and they were likely nearing expiration. Had they not been kept inside a storage ring, they probably would have decomposed into ashes long ago. There were also forty-six small stones, all remarkably translucent and incomparable to ordinary divine energy stones. Southern Fist and Hong Yitang had also received their copies of the manual. Beyond the booklet, Hong Yitang had exchanged the rest of his points for Spirit Nourishing Fruits. Southern Fist, on the other hand, had nothing left over. As for his promotion, he had to head to the Conscription Hall to exchange his gear for copper armor. Copper armor was not issued at the quartermaster's depot for now. At that moment, all three of them were flipping through their booklets. After leafing through it for a while, Southern Fist sighed. "I need to learn how to read!" He meant reading the ancient script! Damn it all. How embarrassing was it to hold a secret manual and not be able to read a single word? It was infuriating. Indeed, after skimming through the whole thing, he hadn't made heads or tails of what it actually said. Hong Yitang, on the other hand, understood a little and sank into contemplation. Li Hao browsed through it and found himself absorbed. It outlined a fascinating theory. While it could be called a cultivation method, it did not directly enhance one's combat strength. What made it intriguing was that, to Li Hao, such a method was extremely novel. Five bridges... Five bridges between heaven and earth, constructed across the five internal organs to form a grand cycle that unified them into a single whole. The theory alone was brilliant. Moreover, the text noted that this was merely a foundational cultivation technique from the ancient era. This meant that during the ancient civilization, everyone practiced cultivation. Yet Li Hao wondered: what about supernatural locks? Furthermore, the book described building the five bridges as an energy-based conduit. Could the supernatural locks serve as those bridges? There were five supernatural locks spanning the five organs. Li Hao had not yet figured out how to build the bridges, but as he studied the manual, he felt that the supernatural locks might act as crucial links between the organs. "Martial Uncle Hong, what if we use supernatural locks to connect the five organs, like iron chain bridges? Do you think that could work?" Hong Yitang shook his head. "I don't know. The ancient civilization's system isn't completely identical to ours. Our current system is unique—it developed on its own, pieced together and supplemented by generations of martial masters down to the present day. It might not necessarily match up to the ancient civilization's system, but it has its own unique strengths! Take our spirit intent: reaching Thousand-Battler grants spirit intent. It's difficult, yet in a way, straightforward. In the ancient civilization's system, spirit intent was actually very hard to manifest—let alone cultivating five spirit intents all at once, like your teacher did." Li Hao already knew that the ancient and modern systems differed. After looking over the manual a bit longer, he nodded. "It has great reference value, though we might not be able to apply it directly. Still, we can experiment. If it works, it would be an incredible boon for us!" Hong Yitang nodded in agreement. Southern Fist spoke up anxiously, "Hey... could you translate it for me? That thing was pretty expensive. If I can't read it, it's a total waste." That book was the only thing he had managed to get. Li Hao chuckled. "Once we have some free time. Even though there aren't many words, doing an ad-hoc translation right now might lead to errors. Some terms have different meanings between ancient and modern times. I need to consult other ancient texts before translating it for you; a direct literal translation won't do, or the meaning will be completely warped." "All right, then!" Southern Fist had no choice but to wait, his resolve to become literate hardening even further. What a miserable feeling! Passing by the Conscription Hall, Southern Fist went inside to collect his armor. A moment later, he emerged clad in a set of copper armor, beaming with satisfaction. Meanwhile, Li Hao's own armor registered several changes: new data flowed through it, indicating that the former soldier He Yong was now the commander of the 2nd Company! Southern Fist was thrilled. "I'm finally an officer!" He was now a company commander, equivalent to a centurion. If he hadn't been promoted, he would have grown depressed; being a common grunt truly was uncomfortable. Any lingering regret over spending a hundred points of military merit evaporated instantly. In both defensive capability and comfort, copper armor far surpassed black armor. Black armor could not withstand attacks from Three Sols or Rising Light experts, and could even be easily torn apart by the latter. But at the level of copper armor, while a Rising Light could still rattle the wearer with shockwaves, tearing through the armor itself was vastly more difficult. Earlier, some copper-armored soldiers had perished trying to stop Xu Feng, but those deaths had resulted from self-destruction; Xu Feng had not been able to shatter copper armor in a single blow. And that was when those soldiers were long dead. With someone as formidable as Southern Fist wearing it, a Rising Light would have virtually no hope of breaching his copper armor. Having collected their equipment, the trio headed outside. Before they had walked very far, the clanking of armor echoed from behind them. A red-armored figure appeared, its coloring notably more vivid than that of the previous red-armored guards. The figure swiftly caught up and transmitted a unique pulsation: "Regiment Commander Li, are you planning to leave the military camp?" "Yes." Li Hao nodded. "According to wartime regulations, you are still in your recruit phase and have not completed basic training. Barring urgent combat missions, you may not leave!" "..." The trio froze. What did that mean? They couldn't leave? At that moment, a thought struck Li Hao. "Um... if I try to leave the city, will my armor explode?" "Yes!" "..." "Not just yours. Armor worn by company commanders and above will detonate as well!" "..." Southern Fist's delight vanished, his face going blank with shock. *If I'd known, I wouldn't have taken the damn promotion!* However, since the red-armored warrior had pursued them, it was clearly not just to deliver bad news. Another pulse echoed: "The division commander has just issued an order. You three are not warriors of our era, nor are you ordinary recruits. As Battle Heaven City is currently nearly dormant, remaining here might not allow you to complete your training anyway. "Therefore, the division commander instructed me to inform Regiment Commander Li: if you wish to leave Battle Heaven City, remember to go to the Mission Hall and accept a deployment mission outside the city. Although those missions expired long ago, you can still accept some. The fact that they have expired is actually advantageous—it allows you to remain outside indefinitely. However, you must not leave Battle Heaven City directly, or you will be classified as deserters and rebels... and then, you will be in tremendous trouble!" The division commander? Li Hao recalled that golden warrior—the very one who had demoted him! Otherwise, Li Hao might have held the same rank as him. So that meant he was the commander of the Ninth Division. A division commander was a golden warrior, and the figure in the City Lord's Estate was also a golden warrior. What about the corps commander of the Reserve Guard Army? Could there be an even higher tier of armor above gold? They had to accept a mission to leave Battle Heaven City. Had this warrior not arrived to warn them, they would have been in dire straits if they had simply run off. Li Hao hurriedly asked, "Understood. Where is the Mission Hall?" "Are you going now? If so, I can lead the way." "Let's check it out!" Without further words, the red-armored warrior led them deeper into the facility. This granted Li Hao and his companions a chance to observe their surroundings more closely. Drill grounds, barracks, low-rise buildings... Everything was austere yet vast. The ground was paved with a special kind of stone, identical to the ground outside, but feeling even sturdier. After taking several steps, Li Hao could not resist asking, "Is this the headquarters of the Battle Heaven Army?" "No, this is the Ninth Division headquarters. Further inside lies the corps headquarters of the Reserve Guard Army. Battle Heaven City only stations the Reserve Guard Army. Other army corps are stationed elsewhere; frontline corps only return here for rotation and rest..." Further inside... Li Hao and the others peered into the distance, but everything was pitch-black; they could see nothing. So this city might still harbor an expert of corps commander caliber? "Is the Reserve Guard corps commander still in the city?" "Unknown. The movements of the corps headquarters are not disclosed to us... We have not seen them in many years. They may have departed, or they may have fallen into eternal silence." Southern Fist could not hold back either and asked, "When everyone else left back then, did you all just remain on guard without leaving?" "We did not. Our mission was to garrison Battle Heaven City and protect its residents." "Then..." Southern Fist hesitated before asking, "Are all the residents dead?" "Yes. A portion died of old age, while others departed." "Are there other cities nearby?" "..." The red-armored warrior seemed to be reminiscing, or perhaps contemplating whether this information could be disclosed. After a long pause, it responded, "There are! The Eight Great Guardian Families constructed eight cities in the land of Silver Moon to encircle and guard the Star Gate!" "...The Star Gate?" The trio asked in unison. But the red-armored warrior replied, "Memory corrupted. What the Star Gate is, I have forgotten!" Had it truly forgotten, or was it unwilling to say? At that moment, Li Hao thought of the stone gate in Silver City. Could that be the Star Gate? These ancient figures knew a great deal. The greatest wealth of Battle Heaven City was not its resources, but rather the intelligence provided by these fallen souls, including the cultivation systems of the ancient civilization, which were well worth studying and referencing. The Eight Great Guardian Families built eight cities to encircle and guard the Star Gate. Did that mean there were seven other cities in Silver Moon? Furthermore, had this land been called Silver Moon since antiquity? Li Hao felt puzzled. The name "Silver Moon" had supposedly been derived from the first characters of Silver City and White Moon City. Why did this ancient entity also refer to it as Silver Moon? "Has this place always been called Silver Moon?" Hong Yitang asked. The red-armored warrior's voice rippled: "This is the land of Silver Moon, so naturally it is called Silver Moon! This entire starry sky is named Silver Moon... because the moon here is silver... exceptionally beautiful!" The trio froze. Silver? It wasn't! The moon in the sky had a reddish hue; where was the silver? Li Hao felt a sense of disorientation. The *entire starry sky* was called Silver Moon, not merely this earthly territory. The red-armored warrior guided them a while longer until they arrived outside a large hall. Li Hao suddenly said, "The Ninth Division previously had eleven regiments, meaning eleven thousand men. One thousand were wiped out, so ten thousand should remain... Three thousand are stationed outside the city. Are there still seven thousand here?" The red-armored warrior remained silent. Li Hao couldn't help asking, "Is that classified?" "No... It is your statement that one thousand were wiped out that is incorrect. We are all dead." The red-armored warrior stated calmly, "It was simply that the 10th Regiment could hold out no longer; all of us have already perished! Furthermore, the Ninth Division had more than eleven thousand men. There were also the division headquarters, Quartermaster Office, Supervisory Guard, Education Office, Training Office... The Ninth Division totaled over fifteen thousand personnel." A single division had over fifteen thousand men! "How many divisions were in the Reserve Guard Army in total?" "Ten. At full complement!" That meant a single Reserve Guard Army comprised roughly one hundred and fifty thousand troops. Terrifying! And right now, they were only inside the Ninth Division. Southern Fist asked, "Then the entire Battle Heaven Army numbered over a million men. Yet this Battle Heaven City... is quite small!" The city appeared to be roughly the size of Silver City. "It was shrunken down, that is all," the red-armored warrior replied matter-of-factly. "Energy was depleted. To consolidate defenses, Battle Heaven City was greatly reduced. Originally, Battle Heaven City had an enormous operational radius. What you see now is Battle Heaven City in its folded state. In its prime, Battle Heaven City could accommodate a population of fifty million and an army of a million. Within the city, General Sophora oversaw the domain while twelve monster plant generals expanded outward to provide energy, capable of piloting Battle Heaven City into aerial flight for combat at any time..." At this point, the red-armored warrior pointed ahead. "Enough of that; it is all in the past. Today's Battle Heaven City... is only this large! We have arrived at the Mission Hall. Go inside and claim your mission. Someone should be on duty; several fallen soldiers were revived today..." Meanwhile, Li Hao and the others stood frozen like wooden chickens! A gargantuan city capable of housing fifty million people, capable of taking flight to fight... Fuck! Could this... even be called a city? Moreover, a city could shrink? It could be *folded*? The more they learned, the more insignificant they felt! Battle Heaven City was nothing less than a divine artifact! Dazed, the three walked into the Mission Hall. The so-called Mission Hall consisted of countless individual service windows, densely packed together. However, they saw that many windows were vacant, while others had red-armored figures slumped over on the floor, seemingly completely dead. Only a handful of windows still flickered with light, indicating they were operational. A quick glance revealed barely three or four active counters out of more than a hundred. Evidently, the city was far from fully revitalized; only because many people had died today had a fraction of its functions been reignited. They walked toward one of the glowing windows. Behind it sat a red-armored warrior. Upon seeing Li Hao, he abruptly stood up. "Regiment Commander!" He saluted! Before Li Hao could respond, the soldier sat back down, the light in his eyes flickering. "Is the commander here to accept a mission?" Li Hao felt somewhat unaccustomed to this, but nodded anyway. "Yes. I want to take an out-of-city mission—the kind without a time limit... Are there any missions available to take?" "There are. Some missions were never canceled due to the passage of time—either because they were forgotten, or because the systems remained running..." After delivering a few mechanical responses, he swiftly presented a screen-like device for Li Hao to inspect. "Regiment Commander Li, these three missions meet your criteria. You may select one!" Li Hao focused his gaze. *Mission 1: Battle Heaven City's life energy is severely depleted. Heaven and earth have overturned, and the eight cities have lost contact. Travel to the other seven cities, re-establish the life communication network, restore communication among the eight cities, and secure life energy support. Reward: 100,000 military merit points.* *Mission 2: The Forbidden Sea has backflowed into Mount Cang. Locate the backflow breach and seal the seawater conduit. Reward: 10,000 military merit points.* *Mission 3: Heavenly Star Island's Heavenly Star Town has lost contact; the island is suspected to have fallen. Proceed swiftly to Heavenly Star Island, investigate the situation, and restore communication. The energy vein of Heavenly Star Town must not fall into enemy hands... Reward: 10,000 military merit points.* Li Hao read through them and blinked. Heavenly Star Island? Mount Cang? Damn, so many familiar names. Did the Heavenly Star Dynasty and the present-day Mount Cang have any connection to what was recorded in this ancient script? He couldn't help asking, "Where is Heavenly Star Island?" "Deep in the ocean!" The red-armored warrior issuing the mission responded, "Heavenly Star Island was a vital energy base, possessing a massive energy vein administered by Heavenly Star Town! It was responsible for supplying energy stones to Battle Heaven City and several other major cities. During the early stages of the Heavenly Turmoil, communication was lost. We dispatched scouts to investigate, but all lost contact. They may... have suffered an enemy assault!" Southern Fist hadn't understood the text at first, but now he started slightly. "Heavenly Star Island... Heavenly Star Town... Is this island... large?" "Very large!" The red-armored warrior continued, "It sits upon a colossal mineral vein, with abundant energy, and held the duty of pacifying the maritime domains. Garrisoned by a hundred thousand troops, it was a fortified military town. If you accept this mission... well, it hardly matters now. Naturally, if you can uncover any clues... even if it serves no purpose today, you will still receive the corresponding military merit upon your return." Hong Yitang didn't care about that. Instead, he asked urgently, "I recall ancient texts stating that the Heavenly Gold Lotus grows in the Forbidden Sea, correct?" "Correct!" At these words, all three pairs of eyes flashed. The Valley of Severed Mountains! There, they had discovered a Heavenly Gold Lotus. Li Hao hadn't understood before, but now he immediately stared at the second mission. What did it mean? Could that valley be the very breach where the backflow occurred? So the lake inside it was actually seawater? "What is the Forbidden Sea?" Li Hao pressed. "The ocean!" *No shit!* Li Hao was speechless. The red-armored warrior added, "In the primordial era, supreme experts fell, and their blood dripped into the ocean, creating the Forbidden Sea. It possessed the property to corrode everything. However, the Human King later pacified the realm, and the Forbidden Sea was calmed, though some corrosive effects still linger..." He said only that much before asking, "Which mission would Regiment Commander Li like to accept?" "Can we take all three?" "..." The red-armored warrior said nothing, checked the system, and replied, "Permissible!" Li Hao held out a sliver of hope... what if they managed to complete one? In any case, accepting missions didn't cost anything, so they might as well take them. Soon, the three missions were logged into Li Hao's armor. As for the deadline, there was none. The assigned personnel were the three of them—the entire 12th Regiment mobilized! After accepting the missions, Li Hao and the others wished to ask for more details, but the soldier simply shut the window. Li Hao was left dumbfounded. Had it opened for a moment purely for their sake? ... "This city likely hasn't truly revived yet; it lacks energy." Exiting the hall, Hong Yitang glanced back and sighed with emotion. He continued, "Heavenly Star Island... I now suspect whether the Heavenly Star Dynasty obtained some inheritance from Heavenly Star Island. Could their Black Armor Army be wearing the armor left behind by the garrison of Heavenly Star Town? If that's truly the case... is the Central Region an island?" Southern Fist was also filled with wonder. "Perhaps! Heavenly Star Island... Heavenly Star Dynasty... Could it be such a coincidence? An energy mineral vein... A pity that even if one existed, it's probably gone by now!" "Still, if the ruins of Heavenly Star Town remain... Sitting on such a massive vein, what they call 'colossal' must truly be immense. Otherwise, how could it sustain the consumption of grand metropolises like Battle Heaven City? The reserves must be staggering... I get the feeling the royal family has an enormous supply of divine energy stones, yet they rarely explore ruins. Could it be... they obtained that city?" At that thought, Southern Fist inhaled sharply. "If so, and they still possess vast quantities of divine energy stones, the royal family's strength might be far more terrifying than what meets the eye!" Heavenly Star Town had been a garrison town stationed on an island to provide energy stones. Just how much reserves would such a city hold? As long as they were kept inside storage rings, barely any energy would dissipate over time. The thought alone was chilling. "Moreover, seven other cities actually exist... Li Hao, you brat struck it rich!" Li Hao gave Southern Fist an exasperated look. "How did I strike it rich?" "Your Li family might possess a city of its own—no, definitely does! If you find it, won't you be swimming in fortune? Here, you're an outsider. Once you arrive at your own family's city, you'll be the crown prince!" Li Hao rolled his eyes. As if! Without sufficient strength, even if it were the Li family's city, and even if it had armored warriors like these, Li Hao felt he would probably meet the same fate: punched flying, followed by the evaluation that he was "hopeless material"! At this moment, all three felt their horizons greatly broadened. Indeed, everything they had seen in the past seemed utterly trivial now. A great city accommodating fifty million people, capable of flight and combat, boasting an army of a million... and that was merely one of eight such cities! The weakest soldier back then had probably possessed Thousand-Battler strength. Currently, they were comparable to Hundred-Breakers, but in their prime, they were at least Thousand-Battlers, weren't they? A million such soldiers in one city, eight million across eight cities! Add in the smaller towns and cities... It was almost impossible to fathom how powerful they had been. When it came to divine energy stones, they didn't measure them in individual pieces, but in veins—a mineral vein here, a mineral vein there... Just listen to that. What true extravagance! Southern Fist sighed repeatedly. "If only I could witness the splendor of that ancient civilization! With my strength, if the system weren't so rigid back then, scraping together a silver rank wouldn't have been a problem, right?" "..." Hong Yitang murmured, "Are you sure? When these silver regiment commanders revived, they were close to the peak of Rising Light and approaching metamorphosis. And that's without flesh and blood, without a physical body. What kind of strength do you think they possessed in their prime?" *Fair enough!* Southern Fist consoled himself inwardly, then said, "Once I unlock my supernatural locks, I won't be weaker than they were back then!" Hopefully so! "All right, there's no point talking about this now. Let's head out. A division commander oversees this military camp; we'd better keep our distance so we don't annoy someone into punching us to death!" With that, the three walked toward the camp exit. ... At the gate, Black Panther was waiting. It hadn't entered earlier, and the guarding soldiers didn't seem inclined to let it pass. Evidently, the dog did not belong to the military system. Whatever benefits it had obtained earlier had likely been granted by someone else. Exiting the barracks, Li Hao looked at the other two. "Where to now? Should we check out the City Lord's Estate? I wonder if that golden warrior has returned... Calling me over—who knows if it's to bestow benefits or give me another punch." Having taken a punch earlier, he still harbored some lingering trepidation. Those figures were immensely powerful. Even in death, they remained terrifying. When alive, one of them truly could have swatted him dead with a single punch. "Let's go have a look!" Hong Yitang glanced toward the distant Tortoise Tower and spoke up: "Last time we came, we actually gained some benefits; everyone walked away with something. After entering the City Lord's Estate, we took some ancient texts and a few trinkets of unknown utility... It was only when someone tried to seize their tortoise seal that we enraged that figure, and the guy from Feitian was killed." Last time, they had entered the City Lord's Estate. This time, he wanted to walk over and take a look openly and legitimately. Moreover, as a descendant of the Eight Families, Li Hao had read in the tourist brochure that descendants of the Eight Families could proceed directly to the City Lord's Estate and receive courteous treatment. After mulling it over, Li Hao decided to go take a look. There were still many places in this city he hadn't explored. Yet the City Lord's Estate was the place that piqued his curiosity the most. The three men and one dog began walking in that direction. Black Panther seemed somewhat uneasy and reluctant; it didn't want to go there, as that place was utterly terrifying! However, Li Hao insisted on going, so Black Panther had no choice but to tag along. ... The City Lord's Estate. The Battle Heaven City Lord's Estate stood right beside the Tortoise Tower, sprawling across a vast expanse, its main gates wide open. When Li Hao and the others arrived, Li Hao couldn't help glancing up at the adjacent Tortoise Tower. Atop the tower sat a massive carved tortoise, its shell shimmering with light that illuminated the ancient city with a faint glow. Just as the three arrived, three silver-armored warriors stepped out of the estate. "Regiment Commander Li!" The leader greeted Li Hao. His tone seemed to carry a bit more emotion and even a hint of a smile. "We are heading to the East Gate to defend. Once Regiment Commander Li finishes his business, come by for a chat!" Li Hao was taken aback, then overjoyed. "Regiment Commander Jiang, you're all right?" "Of course!" These three commanders were the ones who had previously guarded the East Gate. Li Hao had assumed that after reviving, they would completely dissolve into ash like the commander last time. Yet all three were alive... Well, "alive" might not be the right word, but none of them were harmed, which was truly a surprise. The 7th Regiment Commander's tone carried a faint trace of amusement, something absent before. "We'll be going now. You may enter; Director Wang of the Security Bureau is waiting for you inside." Li Hao was startled. "Director?" "Yes. The Security Bureau oversees daily security in Battle Heaven City, headed by the figure you saw earlier. The military usually doesn't manage those affairs; he handles them, and he is also responsible for guarding the City Lord's Estate. After the City Lord and the others departed, he remained to oversee and manage this place..." Only then did Li Hao understand! So that golden warrior was not the City Lord, but something akin to the Chief of the Inspectorate. With that comparison, everything became clear. The division commander of the Ninth Division was roughly equivalent to someone like Huang Yu—or perhaps even lower, like Hu Dingfang and the others. Meanwhile, the figure inside held a status comparable to Kong Jie. As for who held higher status between the two, both were golden warriors, making it difficult for Li Hao to judge. After deliberating for a moment, the three were about to enter when a voice reverberated from within: "Li Hao alone may enter!" Southern Fist rolled his eyes. Hong Yitang chuckled and didn't insist, choosing to wait outside the gate. Feeling slightly apprehensive, Li Hao stepped inside. He crossed the front plaza, advancing along the path. A moment later, an open hall presented itself before him. Inside, a golden warrior sat in state. Upon the table before him rested a large seal. A glance from the corner of Li Hao's eye showed that it resembled a tortoise. Perhaps... this was the Black Tortoise Seal? The golden warrior's eyes gleamed with a faint golden light. It was impossible to tell whether he possessed actual eyes, but the sight was rather intimidating. "Time is merciless. The Li family of the past, descendants of the Sword Venerable, have fallen into decline today..." Li Hao had nothing to say, unsure of how to respond. The golden warrior did not dwell on the matter and quickly continued, "Originally, Battle Heaven City had fallen into total silence. In several more years, it likely would have turned to ash! However, several years ago, someone seemingly breached a taboo, allowing energy to seep into Silver Moon, which had already become an impoverished desert... We unexpectedly regained some consciousness, and Battle Heaven City was able to reboot." The rise of supers! Li Hao understood in his heart. He also realized why Silver Moon had become an impoverished land: its energy had likely been sucked away by these ancient cities, leaving very little mysterious energy behind. "Had we remained in eternal silence, we would not have entertained any thoughts. But since we have revived, we still wish to accomplish something." The Security Bureau Director seemed to scrutinize Li Hao. "As a scion of the Eight Great Guardian Families, wielding the Starry Sky Sword, I do not intend to lecture you about responsibilities or duties... Times have changed; none of that matters now. Each era has its own mission. We have ours; you... have yours! Restoring glory, warring across the heavens once more... none of that is your duty or obligation. Do as you please! "However, since coincidence brought you to Battle Heaven City... I would like to entrust you with a task. Naturally, I will provide compensation and reward." Li Hao finally spoke: "Please speak, General!" "I am not a general... Never mind, call me what you will." The Director continued, "The Eight Great Guardian Families possess eight ancestral ancient weapons! These ancient weapons cannot be destroyed; they definitely still exist! The Starry Sky Sword in your hand is one of them. There are seven others. One resides here in Battle Heaven City; six are lost, unknown whether they remain in other cities or were carried off by descendants of the Eight Families... "If possible, I hope you can collect these ancient weapons." Curious, Li Hao asked, "What purpose do these ancient weapons serve, aside from their formidable power...?" "They are keys... Though it has little to do with you." *Hearing that... I'm holding the Starry Sky Sword, aren't I? How can it have little to do with me?!* "Does General mean that I should collect these ancient weapons and hand them over to you?" "No need," the Director said slowly. "You only need to lend them to me once; I will return them to you afterward!" He added, "There is no rush. Countless ages have already passed; this is merely a lingering wish." Li Hao paused, thought for a moment, and suddenly asked, "Does General know about an Eight Trigrams Formation, as well as a stone gate...?" The Director seemed to sink into silence. Only after a long while did he ask, "You... have seen that place?" "Yes!" "*Sigh!*" A sigh echoed. A moment later, the Director spoke: "It seems... they truly did not return! "Setting aside the Eight Trigrams Formation, there is not just one stone gate, but eight. What lies behind the stone gate, I am not entirely certain; the City Lord might know. However, I know one thing: behind the stone gate may lie inheritances left behind by supreme experts of the Eight Families. In our era, whenever exceptional seeds appeared among the Eight Families, they would be sent inside to receive opportunities. "Of course, it is hard to say now; too much time has passed!" He continued, "Your Starry Sky Sword has not been unsealed. That is for the best; even if it were unsealed, you could not wield it. It is fine as it is. As for the stone gate... if you see the Li family's stone gate, do not rush inside. You are too weak; entering could lead to disaster! "As for the Eight Trigrams Formation... at your current level, do not attempt to explore it. It is too dangerous; you could easily lose your life!" At this point, he added, "And do not attempt to unseal it..." "Is that a seal?" Li Hao started, then added, "But right now, someone has wiped out the lineages of the Eight Families. Except for me, all the others are dead. I even saw that seven of the lines in the Eight Trigrams Formation have been seized by one person!" The Director fell silent once more. After a long time, he spoke: "Is that so? Then the person controlling those lines... must be a descendant of one of the Eight Families. Outsiders cannot control them. It seems that through the passage of time, traitors have emerged among the Eight Great Guardian Families... It is only natural; too much time has passed! Forgetting the glory of one's ancestors is normal; one cannot demand too much." He seemed very open-minded and philosophical about it. However, after some thought, he added, "If that is the case, be careful; that person is certainly not weak! It seems that even if you do not seek him out, he will come for you. Since he knows something, he will inevitably strike at you!" Li Hao nodded. "He has attempted to kill me multiple times. At first, he acted in secret, but was later exposed. In the beginning, he didn't want to kill me directly, but tried to devour my bloodline using a kind of blood shadow..." "He simply wanted to unseal the Starry Sky Sword." The Director was surprisingly well-informed. "The Starry Sky Sword is the core of the eight ancient weapons. Even if the other seven ancient weapons are truly lost, as long as the Starry Sky Sword is sufficiently powerful, there is actually hope of using it to substitute for the other seven weapons. "It seems this person knows a great deal. Otherwise, attempting this while knowing the Wang family's Black Tortoise Seal is absent would be utter foolishness." Li Hao still felt somewhat confused. Unfortunately, he knew too little, certainly far less than Ying Hongyue. Did that mean Ying Hongyue was truly a descendant of one of the Eight Families? Not necessarily! Perhaps... someone else stood behind him? Who knew! The Director said nothing further on the matter, nor did he instruct Li Hao on how to deal with Ying Hongyue. He merely said, "Watch yourself. As for the blood shadows you mentioned, I saw them earlier—those things outside the city, right? Those are blood puppets, nothing good. Cultivating blood puppets carries the risk of backlash! Blood puppets are created by devouring the blood vitality of others. Cultivating blood puppets for extended periods inflicts severe self-harm... Of course, some villains use the blood vitality of others to nourish blood puppets. Those outside might be subordinates of the person you mentioned, or perhaps his enemies." Li Hao nodded. "They all belong to Red Moon. The leader of Red Moon is the villain I spoke of!" "It seems this person obtained some corrupt, sinister inheritance; it is not the orthodox path." After a few brief remarks, the Director concluded, "Kill him if you can. If you cannot... leave him be. Sooner or later, he will weave his own cocoon and dig his own grave! Just avoid him for now. He won't be weak; I observed that some of the blood puppets outside were nurtured quite well. While harmful to others, they do confer benefits to the user." Li Hao nodded. Ying Hongyue was unquestionably formidable, no doubt about it. That man's five organs were likely exceptionally powerful. Consuming Blood God Seeds every day—how could he not be powerful? However, judging by the Director's tone, it wasn't a good path. Those supers who nurtured blood shadows would likely suffer harm eventually; they simply weren't aware of it. "Off you go; there is nothing more for you here!" "..." Li Hao was speechless. *Wait... no rewards for me?* *You called me all the way here just to ask me to collect ancient weapons?* *This fellow is rather stingy!* As if discerning Li Hao's thoughts, the Director said calmly, "No need to stare; there are no handouts! In this world, nothing comes for free. Only by paying a price does one reap a reward; everything is an exchange of equal value! Martial artists must fight for what they want—fight for it yourself! Everything a martial artist possesses must be seized with their own hands, and the Eight Families are no exception. Let alone the Eight Families, even back when the Human King arose, he had to slaughter countless foes and tread upon mountains of corpses just to obtain a single energy stone... Your bloodline granted you entry into the Battle Heaven Army; that is already your advantage. The rest... exchange for it yourself, strive for it yourself! Battle Heaven City merely provides you with a platform! "Your ancestors have already secured advantages for you; expect no more!" *Fair enough!* Li Hao reflected on the words and nodded. It made sense. Things earned by one's own efforts tasted sweeter anyway. "Then... thank you, General. I will take my leave!" Li Hao turned to go, harboring no deep regrets. Although he hadn't received any physical treasures, he had gained valuable insights. That was fine too; at least he now knew that the bastard Ying Hongyue was truly formidable and might even be a scion of the Eight Families... That alone was worthwhile. Just as Li Hao reached the doorway... The Director seemed to remember something and suddenly called out, "While I cannot give you material rewards, I can offer you a clue. Back then, to nurture the younger generation, the Eight Families established a martial arts academy named Silver Moon Martial University. If you can locate this place, you might stumble upon unexpected gains, for that university was founded entirely for the Eight Families! "Within it lie battle techniques and combat arts unique to the Eight Families, as well as distinctive training methods. However, times have changed. Back then, this university was situated at the center of the eight cities. Where it lies now... I am not entirely certain, but it cannot be far from the Eight Trigrams Formation you mentioned!" Li Hao's eyes flickered. Turning back, he offered his thanks once more: "Thank you for the guidance, General!" "It is merely a clue; everything depends on your luck. Perhaps it was destroyed long ago!" "Yes, I understand!" Only then did Li Hao turn and leave. After his departure, the golden warrior remained silent for a while before suddenly murmuring, "Guardian, should we truly offer him no pointers at all?" "The ancient and modern differ; constitutions and paths are entirely dissimilar. One cannot substitute the ancient for the modern! Even if you gave him supreme cultivation manuals, he might not be able to practice them and would only be led astray. Their method of cultivation differs from ours. Observe his mental energy: it is exceptionally potent, far surpassing his physical body... Not only him, but many outside the city are the same. In our era, would such a thing have occurred? One cannot say which is superior; perhaps... this is the method most suited to them. If you give him powerful manuals and he becomes obsessed with them... in the end, he might end up utterly ruined." "Understood!" The Director said no more. Originally, he had indeed intended to offer some benefits, but had been dissuaded by the Guardian. They could not be given! Giving them might actually harm him. As for supplementary texts like the *Five Bridges Construction Method*, they could serve as points of reference. But if a complete cultivation system were handed over, Li Hao would become nothing more than an ordinary ancient martial cultivator. Practicing ancient martial arts in this era would, in all likelihood, yield results far inferior to the strength of their own path. Watching Li Hao fade into the distance, the Director sank once more into eternal silence.