Myriad Rivers to the Sea

The morning of the eleventh day brought a noticeable shift in the atmosphere surrounding the Li Clan pavilion. The dramatic reveal of Gilded Calamity and Firmament's End during the evening spar had completely shattered the established hierarchy as people’s thoughts changed slightly.

The clan members could no longer view Li Yu as just an outsider who happened to share their blood. He was a legitimate son who wielded two of the greatest ancestral weapons in their history. The political implications were too massive to ignore for some while it didn’t matter much for others. The higher up in the clan a person was, the more that they had to think about such things, if not for themselves, for the sake of the immediate family.

Several Li Clan members made an active attempt to chat with Li Yu as the morning demonstrations began on the main stage. They approached his table with polite smiles and struck up conversation. Some of them were driven entirely by political ambition.

They firmly believed that his possession of the ten great swords meant he was being secretly groomed to become the next heir. They wanted to get closer to him now to secure their own futures within the clan structure later on. In the worst case, it wouldn’t hurt to not be disliked by him. They asked veiled questions about his conversations with Ancestor Cangyuan and tried to pry into his long term plans.

Other members approached him with no ulterior motives at all. They were simply younger cousins who were genuinely curious about the person who had lived outside the estate for so long. Seeing as others from the clan were approaching him now, they wouldn’t be judged one way or another for doing so as well. They wanted to get to know him better and they asked simple questions about his travels or his experiences in the mortal cities.

Li Yu did not mind that some were talking to him for the wrong reasons. He saw through some of the political maneuvering but he treated everyone exactly the same. If they reached out and approached his table, he welcomed them warmly. He offered them a seat and he answered their questions with polite neutrality.

He also made a few proactive attempts to talk with different members of the delegation throughout the eleventh and twelfth days as well. He walked over to their tables during the lunch breaks and initiated basic conversations. He made this effort entirely because he knew his father would like that. Canghai loved the clan and he wanted his son to find a place within it. Li Yu was willing to build those bridges to honor his father's wishes and it never hurt to have more friends.

Still though, most of the Li Clan members did not chat with him much. That initial wave of curiosity and political probing only accounted for a small fraction of the delegation. The vast majority still kept their distance and observed him with lingering wariness. He was a stranger to them after all. There was a hard limit to the conversations they could have when their fundamental approaches to the Dao were so different.

Li Yu accepted this reality without any resentment because he had similar thoughts. These things couldn’t be forced but at least he and some of them were taking some actions now. The reason behind the actions were all a bit questionable but the result was the same. He fulfilled his social obligations to his family but most of his free time was still spent with the Freeblade Alliance.

The rugged mercenaries were a sanctuary of honesty in a sea of orthodox politics. Li Yu shared his new combat theory with them during a loud dinner on the thirteenth day. He explained his realization that he did not need to limit his Qi control to just swords. He told them he planned to use the heads of large hammers, flying needles, spear tips, clubs and others as an interchangeable arsenal.

The mercenaries loved the idea but also threw in concerns about the amount of Qi needed and the mental strength to support. Boran laughed so hard he spilled his wine across the table as he praised the sheer audacity of throwing an anvil at an opponent. Lead Envoy Ren spent hours discussing the tactical advantages of mixing blunt force weapons with piercing strikes in a fluid rotation.

The fourteenth day of the conference passed in a blur of final spars and concluding lectures. The Heavenly Sword Sect elders summarized their teachings and the various delegations began packing their larger pavilions. The sun finally set over the jagged peaks and signaled the end of the combat portion of the gathering.

Li Yu sat with the Freeblade Alliance late into the night. The wooden tables were covered in empty plates and large clay jugs of strong spirit wine while the atmosphere was celebratory but it carried a heavy sense of impending departure. The mercenaries were preparing to return to the lawless territories and the brutal realities of their daily survival.

Ren suddenly stood up from the table as he walked over to Li Yu and his usual wide grin was replaced by a serious look. He reached into his leather armor and pulled out a heavy token. It was forged from dark iron and bore the jagged emblem of the Freeblade Alliance.

"Take this." Ren said as he placed the heavy iron token on the table in front of Li Yu. "You are a brother to us now. If you ever find yourself tired of the rigid rules in the orthodox empires, you can find me. If you ever visit our territories and need a safe place to rest, show this to any of our outposts. We take care of our own."

Li Yu looked at the dark iron token and he could feel the genuine weight of the gesture. It was an open invitation to a different life should he ever need it.

"Thank you." Li Yu replied with a sincere smile. He picked up the token and stored it safely in his spatial ring. "I will keep that in mind and will definitely come to visit."

Before he could pour another cup of wine, Boran stepped forward. The massive man reached into his pouch and pulled out a personal token carved from the bone of a spirit beast.

"This is my personal mark." Boran stated loudly. He handed the bone token to Li Yu. "If you ever need an axe to solve a problem, you send Qi into that bone. You can contact me using it."

A female mercenary named Lin stepped up next. She handed him a sleek piece of polished jade. Five other members of the group followed her lead. By the time they were finished, Li Yu had received eight personal tokens from the hardened fighters. They were not offering political alliances or seeking future favors from the Li Clan. They were offering a way to stay in touch, a helping hand and a different life should he want it.

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"I am honored." Li Yu said as he carefully stored each individual token away while giving them tokens as well as a thankful gesture. "I will not forget this."

"Enough serious talk." Ren shouted as he grabbed a fresh jug of wine. "We drink until the sun comes up."

They drank deep into the night of the fourteenth day as they shared stories of narrow escapes and brutal victories while the cold mountain wind howled through the courtyards. Li Yu felt a sense of belonging among this group.

The deep and resonant sound of the massive iron gong shattered the quiet dawn and day fifteen had officially arrived. It signaled the last day of the gathering and the beginning of the second major event.

The visiting cultivators filed into the main assembly hall. Many of them nursed heavy heads from the farewell celebrations of the previous night but their eyes were sharp with anticipation. The Heavenly Sword Sect had promised one final event before the gates were closed.

The Sovereign realm referee stood on the raised black stone platform and he was flanked by a dozen high ranking priests in pristine white robes like before on day 7. The atmosphere in the hall was incredibly solemn. The time for sparring and physical demonstrations was over.

"Welcome to the final day." The elder announced. His voice echoed with a heavy and commanding Qi that instantly silenced any lingering whispers. "You have spent the last fourteen days refining your physical techniques and polishing your combat intent. You have shared your arts and you have learned from your peers. But physical technique is only one part of the Dao."

The elder paced slowly across the front of the stage as he looked out over the sea of young talents from across the Myriad Realms.

"Today we are opening our Temple of Purity to all invited guests." The elder declared.

A collective murmur of swept through the hall. The Li Clan elders sitting near Li Yu exchanged looks of respect for the hosting faction. The Temple of Purity was a renowned location within the Heavenly Sword Sect. It was not a spatial realm filled with treasure like the Starry Path. It was something far more important and far more dangerous.

"This place is one of the foundations of our sect." The elder explained clearly. "The temple tests a cultivator's true resolve. It tests the purity of your chosen path. It does not matter if you walk the path of the sword, the path of the spear or the path of the elements. The temple will strip away your physical strength and look directly at your soul."

Li Yu and the others that hadn’t heard of it listened intently.

"The temple tempers the Dao heart." The elder continued. "It confirms your beliefs in your own martial path, your own path towards the Dao. When you step inside, you will face the physical manifestation of your own doubts. If your conviction is absolute, you will pass through the halls and your mind will be forged into something even stronger. If one does not have a strong enough Dao heart on their chosen path, they will falter and they will fail. The temple will eject you instantly to prevent your soul from shattering."

The older experts in the crowd nodded in solemn agreement. A shattered Dao heart was worse than a severed limb. It meant the end of a cultivator's progression forever.

"It is a necessary test for everyone to take." The elder stated firmly. "Especially those of you who currently sit below the Tribulation realm. The vast majority of the younger generation here today has yet to face the judgment of the heavens."

The elder stopped pacing and locked eyes with the prominent heirs in the front rows.

"When you finally attempt to cross into the Tribulation realm, the heavens will test you." The elder warned them. "The lightning will strike your body but the heavenly tribulation will also strike your mind. It will summon mental demons and terrifying illusions designed to break your will. If your Dao heart is weak, you will suffer Qi deviation and burn from the inside out."

The heavy reality of the elder's words sank into the crowd as they were reminded of the road ahead. The Tribulation realm was the great filter of the cultivation world. Countless geniuses died at that bottleneck.

"The Temple of Purity will allow you to see what might show up during your future tribulation." The elder offered a rare smile. "It will project those specific mental demons in a controlled environment. Failing in the temple only results in ejection. Failing under the heavenly lightning results in death. This is our final gift to you for being here. We offer you the chance to find the cracks in your Dao heart before those cracks consume you. Do not see failure here as true failure but as a second life to do even better."

The crowd erupted into quiet but intense conversations. The value of this opportunity was grand as the temple came close to what one could possibly see during Tribulation. There were other methods to achieve this result as well but the temple was one of the best. Not only did it allow you to see these things, it will also help temper your dao heart and strength it while you are undergoing the illusions.

To get a preview of their own heavenly tribulation was a cheat code that could literally save their lives in the future. The minor empires and the wandering cultivators looked at the Heavenly Sword Sect priests with deep gratitude.

"We will depart immediately." The referee elder announced as he turned toward the back of the massive hall. "Follow the priests and maintain silence once we reach the holy steps. The temple demands respect."

The assembly moved as a single massive entity. They filed out of the gathering hall and walked across the sprawling courtyards of the main sect. The air grew significantly colder as they left the lower pavilions behind.

The priests led the cultivators toward a massive set of ancient stone steps carved directly into the side of the second highest mountain peak. The stairs were steep and covered in a thin layer of permanent frost. The procession began the long climb in total silence with each person’s thoughts wondering what they would face. The only sound was the crunch of boots on the icy stone and the heavy breathing of the cultivators.

Li Yu walked near the middle of the Freeblade Alliance. He kept a steady pace and regulated his breathing to prepare for what was to come. He thought about the elder's words as they climbed higher into the clouds. He wondered what his own mental demons would look like.

The air became incredibly thin and the ambient Qi grew terrifyingly dense. The endless stone steps finally leveled out onto a massive plateau entirely covered in white snow. At the far end of the snowy expanse stood the Temple of Purity.

It was not an ornate palace filled with gold and jade. It was a brutal and austere structure built entirely from massive blocks of black stone. It had no windows and no decorative carvings. It looked like a heavy iron box resting on top of the world. Two massive doors reinforced with dark steel bands marked the only entrance.

The spiritual pressure radiating from the black stone was suffocating for many. It did not project malice or killing intent. It projected an aura of unyielding judgment. It was like a silent god judging everyone’s movements.

The cultivators gathered on the snowy plateau and stared at the imposing structure. The nervous anticipation from the lower halls had transformed into genuine fear for many of the disciples. They knew that stepping through those doors meant facing the darkest and most insecure parts of their own souls. Parts they most likely didn’t even know existed.

The elder walked to the front of the crowd and stood before the massive doors. He placed his hands on the dark steel bands and pushed as the doors groaned loudly. They slowly swung open and revealed a pitch black void within.

The final gift and test had begun.