In just three short years, the Sword-Drawing Day has become as significant as the traditional festivals. The Four Great Families each sent representatives to supervise and ensure fairness on the day. Four more years passed, and despite the upheavals in the cultivation world, the seventh Sword-Drawing Day was finally upon them.

With the righteous and demonic factions in conflict, turmoil spread across the lands. The demonic realm’s frequent disruptions made life difficult for the righteous sects. To guarantee a smooth Sword-Drawing Day, three of the four families—excluding the Mi Family—sent representatives to the Capital City the night before. They gathered at the largest inn in the city.

The Four Great Families included the Hulü, Situ, Wenren, and Mi families. Representing the Hulü Family were Hulü Xing and his wife, Situ Wenwan; the Situ Family sent its current head, Situ Gaoyang, the younger half-brother of Situ Wenwan; and the Wenren Family sent Wenren Yao, the nephew of the current family head, Wenren Zheng.

Compared to the Hulü and Situ families, Wenren Yao kept a low profile. He brought only four followers and stayed in his room until Hulü Xing’s servant came to fetch him for a meeting in a room specially arranged by Hulü Xing.

Inside the spacious room, over twenty people gathered, divided into three groups: the Hulü Family, the Situ Family, and the Mi Family. Representing the Mi Family were the head, Mi Hefeng, and his wife, Gu Qiu. Despite being in their own territory, they exercised extreme caution, bringing nearly ten attendants who shielded them carefully from anyone trying to get too close.

After the events four years ago, the Mi Family was still recovering. Mi Hefeng and Gu Qiu were exhausted from their endless search for their son and the constant need to fend off troublemakers. Gu Qiu, resting back in her chair with a hand on the armrest, looked elegant yet weary beneath her delicate makeup.

Wenren Yao, as the junior, politely greeted all the elders present from left to right upon entering. Then he casually chose a seat by the door.

“Now that everyone is here, let’s go over the Sword-Drawing Day procedures for tomorrow,” Hulü Xing said, raising his hand to signal one of his followers to step forward and read from a prepared booklet.

The reading took a good half an hour, and by the end, Gu Qiu could barely stifle a yawn, covering her mouth as her eyes showed signs of fatigue.

Seeing this, Mi Hefeng quietly held Gu Qiu’s hand, then turned to Hulü Xing and said, “We would have liked to welcome you all more warmly, but with all that’s happening in our family, we simply can’t spare the time. For tomorrow’s Sword-Drawing Day, we’ll leave everything to you.”

Opposite Mi Hefeng, Situ Gaoyang lazily swirled his tea and raised his gaze with a mocking smile, “Mi Hefeng, you and your wife haven’t even warmed your chairs, yet you’re in such a rush to leave?”

“We have other matters to attend to…” Mi Hefeng began, only to be interrupted by Situ Gaoyang’s sneering remark, “Or perhaps, you’re still searching for that son of yours who betrayed the righteous path?”

Mi Hefeng hadn’t even reacted when Gu Qiu’s face changed. She slapped the table beside her, “I assumed that as the head of the Situ Family, you would have some judgment, but it seems your head is purely decorative! You let others manipulate you like a puppet. Our Mi Family truly overestimated you.”

Gu Qiu’s cold stare shifted to Hulü Xing and Situ Wenwan, who had been quietly observing the situation. Though typically reserved, any mention of her son ignited a fire in Gu Qiu, leaving Situ Gaoyang momentarily speechless with her furious retorts.

“Right, Hulü Family Head and Lady Hulü? Isn’t that so?” she said with a sarcastic smile.

Hulü Xing: “…”

Situ Wenwan: “…”

What did this have to do with them? They hadn’t said a word!

Situ Gaoyang finally gathered his wits and stood, his face flushed, “Mi Lady, what exactly do you mean by this?”

“It means you should think before you speak,” Gu Qiu snapped, stepping closer with an icy glare. “We’ve explained countless times that my son was taken against his will. Over the last four years, my husband and I have spent immense resources and effort in our search for him.”

With that, Gu Qiu turned to face the stunned Situ Gaoyang, who found himself utterly unable to respond.

Situ Gaoyang’s words had struck a nerve, and Gu Qiu wasn’t about to let him off easily. She produced a communication talisman. Seeing it, Situ Gaoyang’s face drained of color.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice trembling.

“Since you’re so careless with your words, maybe it’s time we bring in a few Situ Family elders to see if they can resolve this,” she declared, preparing to crush the talisman. But Situ Gaoyang reacted faster, snatching the talisman from her grasp.

With his face slick with sweat, Situ Gaoyang hastily disposed of the talisman and tried to smooth things over, “Let’s not trouble others over this. Besides, the elders of our family have already retired for the night.”

Gu Qiu sneered in silence. It was well-known that the Situ Family, unlike the other families, had a decentralized power structure, with factions frequently in conflict. Situ Gaoyang was aligned with the Hulü Family, while the Situ elders leaned toward the Mi and Wenren families.

Situ Gaoyang was well aware of this dynamic. Seeing that Hulü Xing and Situ Wenwan were not coming to his defense, he felt a surge of frustration.

“Dear sister, brother-in-law, you might want to explain yourselves,” Situ Gaoyang sneered, “The words I spoke were merely what I heard from you two.”

At this, Hulü Xing and Situ Wenwan’s expressions instantly changed.

“Situ Gaoyang, you must be mistaken. We never said anything of the sort.” Hulü Xing’s perfect smile didn’t waver as he gently reminded, “With the recent troubles from the demonic realm, there’s no need for internal discord.”

Gu Qiu, her anger slightly appeased by Mi Hefeng’s calming hand on her shoulder, snorted coldly.

“All this arguing is pointless. I’ll make the call,” Hulü Xing finally suggested, looking at Situ Gaoyang, “Apologize to the Mi Family Head and Lady Mi. I’m sure they won’t hold a grudge.”

Situ Gaoyang, livid yet cornered, finally gave in and muttered a grudging apology, “Mi Family Head, Lady Mi, I was out of line earlier. My apologies.”

“Since Hulü Family Head has spoken, we won’t argue further,” Gu Qiu replied coolly. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll go and investigate the demonic realm’s recent activities. Hopefully, we’ll locate Hulü Yan soon and end the baseless rumors.”

Situ Gaoyang clenched his fists, rage bubbling up as he watched them leave. When the Mi couple departed, Situ Gaoyang, unable to contain his anger, turned to Hulü Xing and Situ Wenwan, “Since you two clearly have things under control, I’ll take my leave as well.”

Slamming the door, he stormed out, with his attendants hurrying after him.

Silence engulfed the room, and only then did Hulü Xing notice the quiet figure sitting in the corner, unnoticed until now—Wenren Yao.

“Once again, you’re here on behalf of the Wenren Family,” Hulü Xing addressed him, “Wenren Zheng hasn’t shown his face in years. Is he well?”

“Thank you for your concern. My uncle is in good health,” Wenren Yao replied calmly.

Hulü Xing nodded, “Do you have any thoughts on tomorrow’s Sword-Drawing Day?”

“I have little experience, so I’ll defer to you and Lady Hulü,” Wenren Yao replied humbly, bowing slightly before excusing himself.

As he left, he nearly collided with an imposing young man—eighteen-year-old Hulü Lan, who had grown tall and strikingly resembled Hulü Xing. His mood, however, was as cold as his expression.

“Move aside,” Hulü Lan snapped, his face darkening. Wenren Yao sidestepped calmly and watched him head inside.

“Must you be so rude?” Situ Wenwan reprimanded.

“He was in my way. Why should I apologize?” Hulü Lan replied defiantly.

“Pay him no mind, Lady Hulü,” Wenren Yao said before nodding and leaving, glancing back briefly at Hulü Lan, who had begun asking about Qiu Bei of Tian Ming Mountain.

Later, back in his room, Wenren Yao murmured Qiu Bei’s name to himself and then scoffed, “Qiu Bei’s nothing—just lucky enough to be associated with Hulü Wan.”

The next morning, crowds lined up, all eager for the Sword-Drawing Day. The square around the Seven-Star Kunlun Sword was cleared, and a temporary platform was set up for the representatives and elders to observe. The atmosphere was tense, yet with the morning sunshine breaking through the clouds, there was a sense of anticipation.

Gu Qiu, citing poor health, stayed home, leaving Mi Hefeng to bring along a few juniors. Situ Gaoyang feigned indifference upon seeing Mi Hefeng.

One by one, contestants tried to draw the Seven-Star Kunlun Sword, only to walk away disheartened. Despite years of rust and wear, the sword remained as unyielding as ever, an object of relentless pursuit.

As Hulü Lan’s turn approached, the crowd fell silent, and even Hulü Xing and Situ Wenwan stood up anxiously. Hulü Lan approached the sword confidently, positioning himself and gripping the hilt tightly. After a long moment, he exerted all his strength.

Nothing.

Frustrated, he tried again, straining until his face turned red, but still, the sword didn’t budge.

A quiet laugh came from the platform, Situ Gaoyang sneering, “Looks like he’ll be back for an eighth try.”

Situ Wenwan snapped, “Enough!”

As Hulü Lan stormed off amidst the crowd’s mocking jeers, the announcer called the next contestants: Wenren Xiao, Wenren Qing, and Wenren Hu from the Wenren Family. Hulü Xing and Situ Wenwan exchanged shocked glances, looking at Wenren Yao for an explanation.

Wenren Yao simply responded, “The Wenren Family has decided to participate this year. Is that so surprising?”

His reply only provoked Hulü Xing further. He sputtered, nearly revealing something but was stopped by a gentle tug from Situ Wenwan.

Meanwhile, the three Wenren Family boys reached the sword, which began to tremble in their presence, surprising the onlookers. Black mist emerged from the sword, slithering upward as it wrapped around the hilt.

In the distant northwest forest, a young man named Hulü Yan suddenly awoke. “I heard it,” he murmured hoarsely. “It’s calling me.”

Author’s note:

Hulü Yan: Woke up to a weapon drop; woohoo!