On this day, a pillar of radiant light suddenly burst forth from the Cloud Cover Continent, piercing toward the heavens.
The light was a kaleidoscope of brilliant colors, flowing and shimmering like a celestial pillar shooting straight up to the ninth heaven.
It was so dazzling that the fur folk on all three continents — Black Fur, Yellow Fur, and White Fur — needed only to raise their heads to witness it.
"This is an immortal's manifestation!" the fur folk exclaimed one after another.
In the past, news of Gu Immortals on the three continents had been nothing more than fleeting, intangible legends.
But after the Langya Earth Spirit changed its personality, this situation underwent an earth-shattering transformation.
The Langya Earth Spirit personally issued an immortal decree, imitating the Royal Court Competition to incite wars between the three continents, and from those wars, selected elite seeds to bring to the Cloud Cover Continent for cultivation.
The wars between the three continents had affected all the fur folk, and now the "immortal's manifestation" on the Cloud Cover Continent once again ignited their passion.
"Becoming an immortal, attaining the Dao…" The Black Fur Kingdom's lord gazed into the vast sky, his eyes bursting with radiant light so intense that no one could look directly at him.
The radiance faded, and the Black Fur Kingdom's lord suddenly made his decision. "Attendants, relay my decree! An immortal manifestation appears before us — this is an immensely auspicious sign. Out of gratitude, my kingdom shall host a martial arts tournament! The victors of this tournament shall have the royal treasury opened, and may choose any treasure they desire!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The guards immediately received their orders, bowed, and withdrew.
This idea of the Black Fur Kingdom's lord was not a sudden whim — he had been contemplating it for many days.
The wars between the three continents had made the Black Fur Kingdom's lord realize that the narrow-minded notion of prioritizing Gu refinement above all else needed to be discarded. For the wars to come, he desperately needed powerful elites — Gu Masters who excelled in combat.
With a single command from the Black Fur Kingdom's lord, a massive ripple of influence spread outward from the royal capital in all directions, growing ever greater.
Half a month passed in a blur.
In Iron Thread City, a distinguished guest had arrived.
This guest received personal hospitality from the Iron Thread City Lord, for he was himself a city lord.
"City Lord Huafeng, what brings you here on this visit?" At the welcoming banquet, after several rounds of wine, the Iron Thread City Lord asked.
"City Lord Iron Thread, you're a perceptive man — you already know my intentions." City Lord Huafeng smiled. He pointed to the several fur-folk Gu Masters standing behind him and said, "His Majesty the King intends to hold a martial arts tournament, but only three participants may be sent from each region. Our area only has these two cities. The Gu Masters behind me are the candidates I intend to send to compete in the grand tournament. However, the King has limited the number of slots, so let us hold a few bouts between us to decide who will attend!"
"Ha ha ha! Excellent — that is exactly what I had in mind." The Iron Thread City Lord laughed heartily and clapped his hands, summoning several fur-folk Gu Immortals from behind the curtain to come to the hall.
Each side dispatched one contestant to the field, and the bouts began.
After several rounds, City Lord Huafeng's side won victory after victory. The Iron Thread City side failed to win a single match.
City Lord Huafeng smiled leisurely as he sipped his wine, while the Iron Thread City Lord's expression was as dark as water, his heart heavy. "I never expected City Lord Huafeng to come so well-prepared — the Gu Masters he selected are all this elite. This is bad. If our side fails to win a single bout, the results will surely be spread far and wide. For years to come, Huafeng City will overshadow my Iron Thread City."
"Only one bout remains. City Lord Iron Thread, please send out your next fighter," City Lord Huafeng pressed the attack.
The Iron Thread City Lord let out a cold snort and fixed her gaze on the last remaining hairy-man.
But this hairy-man Gu Master was drenched in cold sweat. In the current situation, he understood the weight on his own shoulders. Yet precisely because of that, his confidence had only waned further.
It wasn't just him who lacked confidence. Every official from Iron Thread City in attendance at the banquet felt the same way.
At that moment, one of the city's elders secretly transmitted a voice to the Iron Thread City Lord: "City Lord, I have a candidate who can salvage our honor."
The Iron Thread City Lord was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately asked for details.
The elder replied: "My Lord, could it be that you've forgotten? You recently acquired a human slave — he possesses Fifth Transformation cultivation."
The Iron Thread City Lord froze, a bitter expression spreading across her face, and she transmitted back: "That won't do! My confrontation with City Lord Huafeng here is legitimate and honorable. If I send my human slave out to fight, never mind losing — even if he wins, I would have to nominate him for the martial tournament. If the Country Lord sees that Iron Thread City sent not a hairy-man but a human, won't he hold me accountable?"
The elder smiled.
He knew perfectly well that these were nothing but excuses.
The truth was that the Iron Thread City Lord simply couldn't bear to part with him.
That slave called "Fang Yuan" — ever since the City Lord had purchased him, she had kept him by her side almost every single night. This situation had long stirred discontent among many of the higher-ups.
Elder Yun went on: "My Lord, you need not worry. The current Country Lord is magnanimous and values talent above all. Among the national elders who serve him, there are no shortage of snowmen and feathered folk. If you send Fang Yuan to fight and he loses, you can place the blame squarely on him. If he wins, our city's honor is preserved — and nominating him for the tournament would surely make the Country Lord think highly of you, My Lord. He might even come to regard you as a kindred spirit. Who can say?"
The Iron Thread City Lord gave the elder a meaningful look, muttering inwardly: "You old fox — what a scheme! This is all because I've been neglecting the nephew you sent to me recently. And now you offer such a venomous plan. If Fang Yuan wins, I have to send him up. If he loses, I have to execute him and pin the blame on him. Either way, I lose Fang Yuan."
"Sigh, fine!" the Iron Thread City Lord sighed heavily in her heart. "Am I the kind of fool who would abandon a great cause for the sake of mere beauty?"
Although the Iron Thread City Lord kept Fang Zheng by her side every night and was enamored with him, she was at heart a cold, iron-willed hairy-man consumed by ambition.
In her eyes, mere beauty meant nothing.
And so, the Iron Thread City Lord promptly swapped out the hairy-man and summoned Fang Zheng, giving him a set of instructions.
After learning what was at stake, Fang Zheng walked out into the arena.
"A Fifth Transformation Gu Master?!" City Lord Huafeng's heart lurched. Sensing Fang Zheng's Fifth Transformation aura, he immediately grew wary.
He smiled and said: "By the rules, this round's format should be decided by our side. In the previous rounds, we competed in combat — but how can we abandon the essence and tradition of us hairy-men? This round, let us decide the winner by Gu refinement."
The moment these words left his mouth, the Iron Thread City Lord nearly erupted in curses.
The elders on Iron Thread City's side all cast looks of contempt toward City Lord Huafeng.
But City Lord Huafeng had served as city lord for many years and had long since developed a thick skin. He paid no heed to their stares.
Unable to argue — since these were the rules established beforehand — the Iron Thread City Lord could only wave at Fang Zheng and say: "Go fight. Make sure to use every ounce of your strength. Remember one thing: this is a battle you must win and cannot afford to lose. If you lose, you will pay with your life."
Fang Zheng listened, his expression still devoid of any emotion.
These past days, he had endured every possible humiliation. The Iron Thread City Lord's desires were insatiable—he favored all manner of positions, demanding himself upon Fang Zheng seventeen or eighteen times a night without the slightest restraint. It made Fang Zheng wish he were dead.
Fang Zheng truly wanted to die, but as a prisoner at another's mercy, he could neither live as he wished nor die as he pleased.
Now that the Iron Thread City Lord was threatening him with death, he actually felt a sense of relief.
A thought surfaced in his mind: "Would I even mourn this world? Why not simply surrender and just ask to die!"
But at that very moment, a voice echoed in his mind: "Fool! A true man must know when to bend and when to stand tall. What is a little humiliation compared to that? If you have the nerve, then take your revenge in the future—slice every last one of those enemies who humiliated you into minced flesh and bone shards. That is what a hero would do!"
"Who's there?!" Fang Zheng was startled and cried out involuntarily.
Over there, the last hairy-man Gu Master from Huafeng City had just stepped into the arena.
He thought Fang Zheng was calling out to him, so he puffed out his chest and shouted at the top of his lungs: "The name is Mao Shiba!"