True Solution of the Sword Dao

"Mei Ling and the Pei Family are getting very close. Phoenix and the Dong Family are standing together,"

"But aren’t you angry about how Xiuya was treated?"

"Angry? What is there to be angry about? Why did we join the Temple of the Gods in the first place? Wasn’t it to enhance ourselves and protect our family’s power? She, Lu Xiuya, up there on her high horse, always clinging to power—we’ve been waiting for this day." The woman in purple scorned. "This time, being abandoned by the higher-ups is due to her own foolishness, right? Foolishly following them into the Abyss on that mission—she has only herself to blame."

"A few more years, and I’m ready too. Once I ensure my family’s safety, I’ll be moving out early. I’m heading to the United States, where the benefits and treatment are much better."

"A group has already left. I heard Maidong and others have already boarded the plane. But there was no opposition from above. It seems they’d rather have them gone."

"Is that so?"

The two conversed quietly. Although their voices were low, everyone around them, no casual bystanders in their own right, could hear clearly. Many faces were indifferent, paying no mind; some slightly shook their heads and walked away quietly, not deeming it worthy of comment.

A middle-aged man in a white suit walked past them with a wine glass in his hand and sighed softly.

"Temple of the Gods, it’s practically falling apart. Their hearts are no longer in it."

"Really? Chen Yuandong, do you think these elites revolve around the Five Stars that established the Temple of the Gods? You’re wrong!" A young man came from the side. "Everyone who reached D-level is the elite of the elite! One in a thousand, one in ten thousand, even one in a million. Do you think such people joined the Temple of the Gods just for personal adoration?" The young man’s eyes slightly drooped at the sides, giving him a sinister look, what’s commonly known as drooping eyebrows.

"Of course, it’s for the resources. I know that. But," Chen Yuandong paused, "without the Five Stars, I fear things could get very messy."

"You’re wrong!" The young man pointed his index finger and shook it slightly. "The Five Stars? They were just hyped up by people, and at most, they are ordinary B-level warriors. If they were really powerful, they would have made a name for themselves long ago in the Inner World strong enough to intimidate the entire Hua Nation. They wouldn’t have ended up in their current state, allowing foreign warriors from various countries to come and go as they please."

"Well said! The Five Stars have occupied high positions for so many years, enjoying top-level resources and power yet achieving nothing—it’s about time they stepped down." A young woman nearby agreed.

"Our real reliance is not the Five Stars! It’s the favoritism from the Temple of the Gods. With the Temple’s bias, what does it matter whether we have the Five Stars or not? Give me a dozen years, and I’ll be breaking through to B level soon, then..." The woman chuckled coldly.

Clap, Clap, Clap!

Suddenly, during the reception, a sound of tapping a microphone transmitted throughout.

"Excuse me, everyone, please pause for a moment." A handsome white-haired man stood on the stage at the far end, in a form-fitting black suit, holding a microphone. His lips were an odd shade of purple, paired with his pale complexion, giving off a vampire-like impression from movies.

The people in the hall seemed to respect him greatly. The noise gradually subsided. All eyes were focused on him.

"I presume everyone here knows me, Wang Chi, the Explosive Flame Spear, so I’ll spare myself the introduction. I’m deeply saddened by the demise of our top warrior, Lu Xiuya. However, I have some news to announce. You might receive the notification tomorrow, but I still wanted to announce it here first," Wang Chi scanned the audience.

"That is, the Temple of the Gods, will reselect the Five Stars. The selection method will be through an elimination competition among you. The strongest five will be granted new titles."

Suddenly, the whole place fell silent. Now, having the chance to become one of the Five Stars—an opportunity that no one would want to miss. Being one of the strongest five! This represented the highest power at the pinnacle of the entire Hua Nation; when people like Lu Xiuya were in their prime, they completely disregarded the central government, doing as they pleased. Such power! No one could remain unmoved.

"Thus, the time is set for next month. The National Security Department will officially notify everyone. Please, look forward to it," Wang Chi smiled as he walked down from the stage.

Immediately, the whole reception got noisy again. Almost every person’s eyes sparkled with an excited gleam.

***********

State Council National Security Department

Around a long conference table sat a circle of formally dressed middle-aged men or old men, most of them with serious expressions and composed demeanors.

Sitting at one end of the conference table was a stern-faced middle-aged man with thick, broom-like eyebrows that added a touch of dignity. The man pursed his lips, not saying a word, just sweeping his gaze over everyone in the room.

"With the collapse of the Five Stars gang represented by Bai Mingye, we can also consider our nation internally stable for a while, having eliminated certain hidden dangers. This represents our Hua Nation returning to its original order, a matter worth celebrating. However, externally, some hostile forces may take advantage of this period to cause trouble. If anyone has any opinions, please, elaborate," the broom-eyebrowed man said solemnly.

Everyone just sat silently, not speaking, or gently sipping their tea from the cups on the table.

"Good, since no one has any objections, I hereby announce the written directive issued by the upper authorities—on the selection of the Five Stars, and the upcoming establishment of a special agency under the State Council," the broom-eyebrowed man pulled a document from in front of him and began to read its contents.

Apart from a bunch of official rhetoric, the specifics were twofold.

To establish a new agency under the State Council, the Special Affairs Bureau, nominally directly under the leadership of the State Council, at the departmental level. The original Temple of the Gods is to be dissolved, with the selected Five Stars to take leadership roles in the Special Affairs Bureau, and all former members of the Temple to be incorporated into the new department.

The second point was to task the National Security Department with overseeing the security issues during the selection period.

"Finally, to notify the provincial branches to pay attention to security and defense during this period. We must bolster management and stay vigilant..." the broom-eyebrowed man began to prattle on with official speak.

*************

In a sealed room.

Dark, damp, and cold. It was just like a prison, isolated from all the noise, seemingly detached from the outside world.

The only source of illumination in the room was a candle on a desk. The candle’s halo lit up half of the room.

A middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses was meticulously copying something by candlelight, using an old-fashioned quill pen, beside which a bottle of ink stood open. With each scratch of the pen, lines of graceful and delicate letters quickly appeared on the pale-yellow parchment, the faint, strange aroma of the ink filling the air, mingling with the scent of the burning candle.

Every so often, the man dipped his quill pen into the ink at the edge of the bottle and continued writing.

"Master."

From the darkness behind him, a vague shadow slowly emerged.

"What is it?" the middle-aged man asked indifferently. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Lu Xiuya’s death has been confirmed."

Snap!

The pen tip paused suddenly.

The middle-aged man turned around.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, Hua Nation has officially issued the document to select a new Five Star," the voice from the darkness said calmly.

"Select?" The middle-aged man chuckled dryly. "Five Stars are not selected."

"The upper echelons of Hua Nation are preparing to establish a special affairs bureau, similar to the departments in the United Kingdom, at the ministerial level; it seems they want to bring Tianze Mansion under their jurisdiction. Please instruct us on our next move," the shadow said respectfully.

The middle-aged man stroked his stubble-filled chin.

"Notify all branches to get ready. Where permitted, allocate some of our forces to head to Capital City of Hua Nation. This time, we must completely eradicate Tianze Mansion. We will revive our former glory. Past grievances must be washed away with fresh blood."

The shadow slowly faded away.

"Angelina."

"At your service," a tall, black figure appeared in front of the middle-aged man. She stood on the periphery of the candlelight, her form indistinct. But from her voice, one could tell she was a young woman.

"How is the battle going with the Inner World?"

"Well, Mariana and Alexander have both achieved successful military victories. They have successfully ambushed two of the enemy’s strongmen; it shouldn’t take long to receive a letter of peace intentions from Nolanla City."

The middle-aged man nodded. "We paid such a heavy price just to protect him. Has he decided to reveal that secret yet? The heretics and the Holy See are both putting pressure on us; it needs to be resolved soon."

"He is still hesitating."

"Tell him, five days. If I don’t see his secret information within five days, he will bear the consequences himself. Moreover, how are things at the Tower of Glory? After such a heavy blow last time, that guy surely won’t be content to lie low. Perhaps you should go to Italy and see if you can pull him to our side. If we could, it would give us a greater edge."

In the darkness, the woman remained silent for a moment.

"Master, I would like to participate in this operation in Hua Nation."

"You want to join this operation?" The middle-aged man was taken aback. "It’s already a settled matter here. What difference can you make by going?" Suddenly, he seemed to realize something. "Very well, as you wish. After all, our goal is merely to keep Hua Nation’s combat power below a certain level."

He sighed softly in conclusion.

"Back when Bai Mingye and the others were still around, Hua Nation’s Five Stars could rival my Tower of the Dark Night. Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the entire Tianze Mansion has fallen to such a state. Select the Five Stars? How foolish!" he scoffed. "Five Stars are not selected, they are fought for."

In the darkness, the woman’s figure slowly disappeared. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at qidian.com, your support is my greatest motivation.)