The sun did not shine over Violet Ash Sect that day.
A haze hung above the peaks like mourning smoke as two figures strode toward the main gates: one wrapped in quiet stillness, the other seething with violent calm.
Master War walked ahead, every step heavy with intent. Floating behind him were the bound, cold bodies of foreign cultivators—those who had kidnapped disciples, invaded Loc Empire lands, and died by his blade in Scorpions Pass.
Beside him, shrouded in a tranquil pressure that bent the wind and weighed down space, was the Sword King of Singularity. His long robe moved like silk through water. A simple black pearl hairpin pinned his topknot. No sword was visible—but every cultivator watching from the walls felt as if a blade had already been drawn… inside their chest.
The guards didn't dare raise an alarm. By the time they blinked, the two men were already in the central courtyard.
Master War's voice thundered through the inner mountain like a cracked war drum.
> "You defied the Martial Code. You kidnapped disciples under treaty protection. You interfered in sacred ground, colluded with other foreign sects, and nearly woke the sleeping calamities of Scorpions Pass."
> "These bodies," he said, gesturing behind him, "are your disciples. Their deaths were earned."
The assembled elders and disciples recoiled.
From the inner sanctum, three Gold Seal Elders emerged in fury and confusion. Leading them was Elder Mu Jianshi, Peak Stage Gold Seal Master and chief enforcer of Violet Ash's external affairs.
> "You dare bring corpses to our gates and accuse us on foreign soil, Azure dog?" he shouted.
> "I dare deliver justice where the realm's balance was broken," Master War said.
Without another word, he launched forward.
Swords rang. Heaven-shaking strikes burst.
The fight was brutal. War's techniques were heavy and overwhelming. Mu Jianshi's style—based on corrosive ashfire and defensive clouds—was deadly, but War's sheer aggression left no room to breathe.
Buildings crumbled. Formations shattered.
Then—a roar shook the peaks.
An ancient talisman, hidden beneath the mountain's core, shattered—releasing a presence far above Gold Seal. An aura surged that warped the clouds and carved runes into the very air.
From the Violet Flame Pagoda above the central chamber, a man appeared, floating mid-air—gray robes stitched with heavenly metal, a crown of ash-flickered fire blazing above his head.
His presence suppressed everything. Even Master War's qi faltered.
> "No one attacks Violet Ash and leaves whole," he declared.
Sect Ancestor Shen Kuan, a Half-Step Pseudo Immortal, stepped forward. A being who had not left seclusion in two hundred years.
> "War, your arrogance ends now."
The Azure Sect master took a breath, gripping his weapon.
That's when a calm voice spoke beside him.
> "You've reached the door," said the Sword King of Singularity, looking up at Shen Kuan. "But you do not yet hold the key."
Everyone turned. Shen Kuan narrowed his eyes.
> "And who are you to speak to me like that?"
The Sword King stepped forward—casually, as if walking through memory.
> "I am the one whose name was erased by the heavens to avoid offending fate. I am the third Sword King of the Loc Empire. Level Five, Pseudo Immortal Seal Stage."
And then he raised one hand.
The space around him stopped—not slowed, but froze, like a story paused mid-chapter.
Shen Kuan unleashed his full power, raining ashfire swords and divine ash seals—but the Sword King waved his sleeve once.
Every technique unraveled before they reached him.
> "You climbed toward immortality through selfish hoarding. I did it by cutting away falsehood."
Then he vanished.
Reappearing directly behind Shen Kuan.
He tapped the man's spiritual core with two fingers.
And with that motion—Shen Kuan's cultivation shattered, his body frozen in midair as golden-crimson cracks formed across his core.
> "Live, but kneel," said the Sword King.
Shen Kuan fell from the sky, crashing into the sect's central steps, coughing blood and qi.
The entire Violet Ash Sect fell silent.
Disciples dropped to their knees in fear.
Elders trembled.
> "This is the price of breaking the Martial Code," Master War said.
The Sword King turned to him and nodded. "Finish the work."
And so Master War did. The elders were arrested, all sect scrolls related to forbidden talismans were seized, and Violet Ash Sect was dissolved by decree.
As they stood above the ruined sect, now hollowed of power and pride, Master War asked:
> "You could've destroyed him."
> "That's not why we came," the Sword King replied. "But they will remember. And so will the others."
The Sword King looked east.
> "One crown has returned. More relics will rise. The Realm is waking again."
Then he turned away from the rubble and vanished into the air, leaving Master War to give the final orders.
Above the fractured sect, the black clouds began to scatter, but the fear remained—for now the cultivation world remembered:
> The Sword Kings still walk.
The towering halls of the Azure High Palace had never been more alive.
Jade columns pulsed with faint runes, their brilliance intensified by the convergence of the highest powers in the Loc Empire—leaders of every major sect, the Prime Minister Pei Li, and a singular presence that outshone them all:
His Highness, Crown Prince Yoon Gi, first son of the 5th Sword King.
Clad in flowing silver-blue robes trimmed with sunsteel thread, the Crown Prince's calm presence emanated pressure—not the kind born of Qi or cultivation, but the ineffable weight of bloodline and destiny. It was known that he had reached the Half-Step Pseudo Immortal Seal Stage, but even beyond cultivation, his insight, intellect, and restraint made him feared and respected alike.
To his left sat Prime Minister Pei Li, that shrewd old dragon with a face like ancient parchment and eyes like piercing steel. To his right, a seat notably unadorned save for a dark-sheathed spirit sword and a folding fan, was the unoccupied place of the 3rd Sword King of Singularity, who had already departed after handling Violet Ash Sect's judgment.
The sect leaders were seated in a ring of spiritual light, each pulsing with their respective auras—eight Grand Sect Masters, twelve Elite Peak Lords, and two independent cultivators recognized by the court.
And then there was Huang.
He stood at the foot of the throne platform, not seated, but not bowed either. It was not arrogance—it was recognition, earned through fire, battle, and legacy.
---
Crown Prince Yoon Gi's voice echoed across the hall like a measured song:
> "The Beast Crown has returned. It was retrieved by Disciple Huang of the Azure Sect, under the watchful eyes of the Sword King himself."
He turned his gaze toward Huang, warm yet sharp.
> "Tell us, Disciple Huang. How do you believe we should safeguard this power?"
There was a brief stillness. All eyes turned.
A few sect leaders narrowed their eyes. Whispers stirred the chamber like subtle winds.
Huang bowed slightly, then straightened.
> "Your Highness," he said clearly, "this artifact should not belong to a sect or the court. It belongs to the Empire's future."
> "There are Beast Tamers in every sect. Many with potential. But only one can wield the Crown. I propose a Grand Tournament, where Beast Tamer disciples from all sects may compete."
He paused.
> "But strength alone is not qualification. The victor must also be tested for compassion, balance, and their bond with beasts. Only one of heart and ability should wield a tool that can command a thousand Spirit Beasts."
Silence.
A thoughtful murmur swept the room. It was a compelling idea—and a dangerous one.
Then, Sect Leader Han Xi of the Blazing Feather Sect rose from her glowing seat, her sleeves flicking like fire.
> "Your Highness, with all due respect," she said smoothly, "this disciple's accomplishments are praiseworthy. But his proposal places too much power in the hands of the unproven. A tournament may invite chaos, manipulation, or worse—defection."
> "An artifact of this level must remain within the Imperial Vault, guarded by Immortal-Seal Masters."
Several nodded in agreement.
Crown Prince Yoon Gi looked unbothered. But before he could speak—
Prime Minister Pei Li's voice cracked across the hall:
> "Are you questioning His Highness' discretion in seeking the opinion of one who retrieved the artifact with his own hands—while risking his life under siege from foreign sects?"
The chamber quieted.
> "If Disciple Huang is good enough for the Sword King to shield, and for the Crown Prince to hear, then he is good enough to advise us all. Let none confuse tradition with stagnation."
Han Xi bowed stiffly and returned to her seat. The fire in her eyes dimmed, but did not extinguish.
Crown Prince Yoon Gi smiled faintly and gestured at Huang.
> "A tournament it shall be."
He turned to the assembly.
> "Each sect will be allowed to submit two representatives. They will be judged across five trials: strength, bond, restraint, knowledge, and sacrifice. The victor will not serve a sect, but the Empire itself."
> "Let this not be merely a contest—but a test of who may lead the future of Beast Taming cultivation."
---
Later, as the gathering thinned and sect leaders began making preparations, Crown Prince Yoon Gi approached Huang privately on the palace terrace.
The stars above shimmered, and the Sword King's hairpin glowed faintly within the Crown's protective casing.
> "You spoke well," Yoon Gi said, hands clasped behind his back. "But you understand what you've triggered, don't you?"
> "Yes," Huang said. "They'll fight harder now. Cheat more carefully. Scheme in the shadows."
> "Good," Yoon Gi said, his eyes glinting. "Because if they didn't, this would be too easy."
He studied Huang closely.
> "I see the Sword King's instincts were not wrong."
Before he left, he added quietly:
> "Your cultivation is advancing too quickly. Don't rise so fast you forget where the ground is. We already have enough monsters."
Huang bowed.
> "Then I'll be the monster that hunts them."
Yoon Gi chuckled.
> "Sharp tongue. You'll need it."
As he vanished into the palace halls, Prime Minister Pei Li stepped from the shadows with a knowing smile.
> "The Sword Kings don't choose lightly. Nor does the Empire."
He handed Huang a sealed scroll. On it was the sigil of the Ministry of Beasts and Spirit Bonds.
> "This is your formal appointment. You will assist in organizing the tournament alongside Imperial officials."
> "Good luck, Disciple Huang. The realm is watching."