Lord of the Court

The sun lit up the land, and birds soared in a clear, blue sky. Fan and Hao Lin walked along the carriage road, heading towards Blue City.

Hao Lin explained the tournament's rules and system to Fan. He told him that it began with a test conducted by the Elder of Knowledge from the Murim Alliance, one of the Nine Elders. A participant would stand before the Elder, who would assess their strength. If they were powerful enough, the Elder would approve them; otherwise, they would be rejected. Only thirty-two participants were allowed, and they would engage in duels until only two remained. The victor between them would claim the title of "Worthy Talent."

Fan didn't seem particularly interested. Then he asked, "Hao Lin, if you participated, would you win?" Hao Lin replied with a calm, realistic tone, "Of course... The participating talents are strong, but unfortunately, not strong enough. And the problem, my lord, is that you will be participating." Fan responded, "Hmm, I'm starting to lose my desire to participate." Hao Lin then shouted, reproaching Fan, "You can't do that after you've gotten Sina into so much trouble!"

Suddenly, a voice called from afar, "Young Master!" It was the First Elder of the Namjoong family.

The First Elder greeted both Fan and Hao Lin, then said urgently, "Young Master, I have a request for you, and I earnestly ask for your approval. A delegation is arriving from the demonic Ruan family, the most prominent demonic family in the Heavenly Demonic Sect. Their purpose is to discuss an arranged marriage between their fourth daughter and you, Young Master. As you are now a member of the Supreme Court, we have no authority over you. Therefore, I ask you to come with me to the family to either accept or refuse."

Hao Lin spoke in a stern tone, "What are you talking about, First Elder of Namjoong? I am the great Sixth Judge, one of the seven great judges affiliated with the mighty Supreme Court. How can you ask me such a ridiculous request? Get out of here; I will act as if I heard nothing."

Fan interrupted, "Hao Lin, just go..." Hao Lin shouted, "What are you saying, my lord? I am a member of the Court, not of Namjoong! The Ruan scoundrels came to Namjoong because they are too cowardly to come to the Supreme Court!"

Fan replied, walking forward, "If you are from the Court, then its Lord orders you to go immediately. Your family needs you; your father is injured after his fight with me, and I don't think he's capable of standing and properly showing Namjoong's prestige. I hope you accept the marriage proposal, as this might bury the past grudges between Murim and the Demonic Sect." Hao Lin fell silent; the Supreme Court Lord's order was absolute and had to be obeyed. Then he turned back and headed towards Green Sword City.

Fan proceeded forward, and the First Elder slightly bowed his head to Fan, saying, "Thank you, Lord Tian Zong." Fan thought to himself after walking a little further, "Damn, I forgot to tell him exactly where I was going."

Two Days Ago...

In the east, at the entrance of the great Valley of Evil, a vast, wide valley situated between the formidable Eastern Mountain Ranges, controlled by the great Demonic Sect, and the great Icy Mountains, controlled by the Lion Tower Sect, which is part of the Black Alliance.

The Black Alliance comprises the Lion Tower Sect and the Four Evils, not as conventional allies, but rather serving each other's interests and acting to entirely prevent the influence of the Murim Alliance and the Demonic Sect in the Northeast. The Valley of Evil is known as a haven for fugitives, criminals, and extremist groups, where laws are virtually nonexistent. To survive, one must either join the Poison Palace, affiliated with the Lord of Poison (one of the Evils), or join the Tower of Love, which operates the continent's largest prostitution business, owned by the Lady of Lust, or join the Red Arena, owned by the Axe Lord. The Red Arena serves as a mercenary hub for hiring warriors for wars or security. As for the Fourth Evil, Sword Demon, he lives in isolation within a desolate cave in the Valley of Evil, occasionally visiting the Tower of Love for tea or engaging in conversation at the Poison Palace or Red Arena. He has not drawn his sword since leaving the Demonic Sect and the death of the Dark Lord, the former leader of the Demonic Sect.

The scene shifts to the Tower of Love, located in the heart of the Valley of Evil. The Tower itself resembles a small city built atop a larger one, standing exactly 10 stories high. It is considered the second largest tower in the world after the Lion Tower, which belongs to the Lion Tower Sect. At the very top of the Tower of Love lies the City of Rose Sweat, where the Lady of Lust's immense white residence, adorned with pink plum blossoms, is situated.

The scene moves to a lavishly decorated room, filled with beautiful artifacts and paintings, permeated by the smoke from the incense the Lady of Lust was burning. She was seated on a red chair that resembled a bed, crafted from Soler wool, an exotic animal from outside the continent. Lady of Lust Han was a woman of 39, yet her appearance suggested she was in her twenties. Her purple hair cascaded behind her, and her eyes were dark black. Her body was meticulously sculpted, as if she were a doll fashioned by a womanizer. Suddenly, her daughter Saha entered, leaping directly onto her mother while shouting, "Mother!" Lady of Lust Han embraced her daughter joyfully, saying, "I truly missed you, my dear..." She hugged her tightly, adding, "Don't disappear from your mother's sight again."

Then Twang, the branch lady who had brought Saha from the south, entered. Twang greeted the Lady of Lust. Han waved to Twang dismissively, then continued her conversation with her daughter, Saha. Twang decided to leave the room to allow the Lady of Lust and her daughter privacy, but the Lady of Lust stopped her. "Wait! Hold on," Twang replied with a respectful bow, "Is there anything else, my lady?" Lady of Lust asked, "What did you mean in your message that the south had become somewhat dangerous for Saha?" Twang replied with a tremble and a fearful expression, "In fact, Lady Saha was targeted by some men from the Red Tiger Sect during her outing." A purple aura emanated from the Lady of Lust, shattering the surrounding wood. "What...?!" Twang fell to her knees in terror. "I'm sorry, my lady, I was not present and allowed Saha to be exposed to danger. I deserve death, my lady." Then Saha placed her hand over her mother's mouth and said, "Stop, Mother! Don't worry about Saha, for Saha is strong, and she was also protected by a very kind young man."

The Lady of Lust smiled at her daughter and asked Twang, "Who is this young man?" Twang replied, "I don't know exactly, but most likely from the Supreme Court. However, I don't think he's of high rank, as he was obeying another man's orders." The Lady of Lust sighed, "Hah, forget about it. I'm already in trouble with the Murim Alliance; I don't want to ignite problems with the court as well." The Lady of Lust patted her daughter and continued, "Tell the First Elder to go to the south, specifically to the Red Tiger Sect, to intimidate them. Let him kill some of their elders. The important thing is that he doesn't touch their sect leader so that the matter doesn't escalate into a full conflict with the Murim Alliance." Twang lowered her head, acknowledging her lady's command, then said, "My lady, the Lord of the Hang family, affiliated with the Sun Sword family, a noble imperial family, requests to meet you." The Lady of Lust sighed and allowed him to enter.

An ugly, bald, very short old man entered, adorned with many jewels and expensive clothes. Lord Hang greeted the Lady of Lust and sat in a chair to the side as if awaiting something. The Lady of Lust placed Saha down and told her to go play a bit; her mother would play with her later. Lord Hang looked at Saha with repulsive gazes while licking his lips, and the Lady of Lust noticed this. Lord Hang said, "I hope Saha grows up quickly..." Then he continued, "Playing with both mother and daughter would be truly fun." Lord Hang said that, only to find the room turned upside down. But unfortunately, it was his head that had turned upside down, severed by the Lady of Lust without him even noticing.

Two Days Later...

In the Red Tiger Sect, a major incident and a massive massacre occurred where 4 elders and 8 leaders of the Red Tigers died at the hands of an old man in red clothes who used a long chain as a weapon. As a result, the sect leader also died after trying to pursue that old man, but he too was killed after insisting on pursuing him. This event rocked the continent and intensified the hatred between the Murim Alliance and the Black Alliance.