Although Shawn Steele had refused Emperor Ji Qian's invitation, the emperor showed no anger or displeasure. Instead, the next day, he sent a pure gold plaque inscribed with the words: Number One Stronghold Under Heaven.
Those five words—Number One Stronghold Under Heaven—were personally written by Emperor Ji Qian.
When Shawn ordered the plaque to be hung above the stronghold's main gate, the system notification sounded—the alert for completing the second main mission.
"Wasn't that a little too easy?"
He hadn’t expected that after just over two months in this world, he’d already finished the first two missions—now only the third remained: two hundred creative robberies.
With only one mission left, Shawn decided that once this round of trouble was settled, he’d travel the world—sightseeing while ticking off his creative robbery quota.
A few days later, the Three Holy Lords of the Three Great Holy Lands appeared together atop Sunrise Peak.
Rumor had it, the Number One Bandit Under Heaven fought a secret battle with the Three Holy Lords atop Sunrise Peak—no one knew who won. But afterward, he released both captive Saintesses and nine top experts.
Some guessed that the Number One Bandit Under Heaven had lost—otherwise, why let his captives go?
Others speculated that the Three Holy Lords had lost—if the bandit chief had been defeated, how could the Three Great Holy Lands possibly let him go after he’d so brazenly challenged their authority?
Others guessed that both sides had settled for a draw.
But no matter how the rumors swirled in the martial world, no one came forward to clarify. The disciples of the Holy Lands, in particular, kept utterly silent about the matter.
One month later.
On an old road in Yan Province, Grand Zhou Empire.
A handsome young scholar, with a jade pendant at his waist and a sword on his back, was riding a tall horse, holding an ancient scroll as he moved along at a leisurely pace.
In the grass on both sides of the old road, heads were bobbing—over a dozen bandits were lying in ambush, ready to rob travelers.
"Second Chief, that scholar looks like a fat sheep. Should we rob him?" One lackey glanced at the scholar on the old road and quietly asked the scar-faced second-in-command.
"Are you stupid? Do you even need to ask? Not robbing such a fat sheep would be against the laws of heaven!" The second-in-command slapped the lackey on the back of the head and scolded him.
The scholar had no idea he was already being targeted by bandits, and kept nodding and swaying as he savored the wisdom in his ancient scroll.
Just then, a dozen bandits leapt out from both sides of the old road and landed in the middle. Two of them waved long sabers and shouted: