“Come,” Gu Daisheng beckoned. “Let me introduce you to Fellow Daoist Gwei, who oversees this place.”
The three of them descended toward the central platform, weaving through streams of traffic in the air. Flying swords shot past in flashes of light. A massive spirit crane glided overhead carrying an entire market stall on its back, its feathers brushing against drifting clouds of incense smoke. Somewhere nearby, bells rang as an auction concluded, immediately followed by cheers and groans from disappointed bidders.
As they approached the great black pillar, Mo Jian realized that the golden text covering its surface was changing faster than he had first thought. Entire sections vanished and reappeared every few breaths as new requests and transactions replaced old ones. One line offered a reward for information regarding a mutated flood dragon sighted in the Mystic Pond on the fourth level. Another sought a Core Formation cultivator willing to assist with talisman refinement. A third simply read: Seeking dual cultivation partner. Requirements negotiable.
Mo Jian looked away immediately. Beside him, Bai Ning coughed suspiciously into her sleeve.
Gu Daisheng either failed to notice or wisely chose not to comment. "Fellow Daoist Gwei should be nearby," he said.
Gwei, as it turned out, was a painting. The artwork floated beside the enormous black pillar, suspended in midair without frame or support. It depicted a man rendered entirely in black ink outlines, seated cross-legged beneath hundreds of flowing streams. Mo Jian narrowed his eyes. No, not streams, but text. Thousands upon thousands of tiny characters flowed through the painting like rivers, converging endlessly toward the figure at its center. The ink-man sat amidst them with closed eyes and an expression of perfect concentration while the currents of information poured toward him from every direction.
Gu Daisheng landed beside the floating painting and casually knocked against the fabric with his knuckles as though rapping on a door.
The painted figure’s eyes snapped open. At once, the rivers of text froze. The ink-man turned his head slowly toward them. Then he stood. The moment his feet touched the edge of the painted landscape, the surface of the artwork rippled like disturbed water. The figure stepped forward, and walked directly out of the painting.
Ink became flesh. Flat brushstrokes swelled into depth and color. Black lines transformed into flowing robes of dark silk embroidered with silver script. His hair unfurled down his back like liquid ink spilled across paper, and the countless streams of text behind him burst free from the painting entirely, circling his body in spiraling ribbons before dissolving into motes of light. By the time he fully emerged, there was nothing two-dimensional about him at all.
He looked to be a man in his late twenties, with sharp features and eyes so dark they resembled wet calligraphy ink. Mo Jian’s spiritual sense brushed against him cautiously. Early-stage Nascent Soul. The man’s gaze flicked toward him immediately. For an instant, Mo Jian had the bizarre sensation that his thoughts were being skimmed like words on a page. Then the sensation vanished.
“Gu Daisheng,” the man said pleasantly. Even his voice sounded oddly soft, like brush bristles gliding across parchment. “You rarely visit unless you require something expensive.”
Gu Daisheng laughed. “Your opinion of me wounds my heart, Fellow Gwei.”
“It should.”
Only then did Gwei turn his attention fully toward Mo Jian and Bai Ning. The streams of floating text circling him shifted subtly as he looked at them, reorganizing themselves into entirely new ribbons of characters. Some dissolved. Others appeared from nowhere. Mo Jian caught glimpses of spirit herbs, weapon names, market values, and what looked suspiciously like transaction histories flashing through the currents before they vanished again.
“Ah,” Gwei murmured softly. “So this is the new arrival.”
“Fellow Daoist Mo Jian, Fairy Bai Ning,” Gu Daisheng said, “this is Gwei Ruan, keeper of the Exchange Platform. Should you ever require rare materials, specialized treasures, information on market trends, or assistance procuring difficult resources, he is the person to contact.”
Gwei Ruan folded his hands in an elegant salute. “A pleasure.” His dark eyes lingered on Mo Jian thoughtfully. “Would you happen to possess any unusual materials you wish appraised? I assure you, my prices are fair. In fact, if you permit me only a brief examination, I could likely identify several items on your person that-”
“Ahem.” Gu Daisheng interrupted with the force of someone stopping a disaster before it began. “Let us leave business for another time.”
Gwei Ruan looked genuinely disappointed.
“You will be attending my gathering a month from now, I presume?” Gu Daisheng continued smoothly. “There will be ample opportunity to discuss such matters then.”
The keeper of the Exchange Platform hesitated for half a breath, as though physically restraining himself from continuing.
“…Very well,” he said at last with visible reluctance. “Until then.”
He offered another formal salute, sleeves flowing like spilled ink. Mo Jian and Bai Ning returned it politely. Then Gwei Ruan stepped backward. His body flattened as though compressed between invisible sheets of glass. Flesh dissolved into ink, color bleeding away until he became brushstrokes once more. The streams of floating text followed after him in spiraling ribbons, pouring back into the painting one by one. A final ripple crossed the fabric. Then the artwork became still again, leaving behind only the painted figure seated amidst rivers of characters as though nothing had happened at all.
Gu Daisheng rose back into the air with the brisk energy of a man escaping before circumstances could change. Mo Jian and Bai Ning hurried after him.
"My apologies if it seemed I cut that short," Gu Daisheng said as they flew away from the central platform. "But if I had allowed Brother Gwei to continue, we would not have escaped before nightfall."
Below them, the floating market continued to churn with life and motion. “Brother Gwei possesses an astonishing obsession with evaluating materials,” Gu Daisheng continued with the tone of a man recounting a natural disaster he had survived multiple times. “Give him a single spirit herb to examine, and he will happily spend six hours discussing soil conditions, harvesting methods, historical market fluctuations, and comparable auctions from the previous century.”
Bai Ning’s lips twitched upward.
Mo Jian, meanwhile, found himself oddly unsurprised.
“And if you show him something truly rare,” Gu Daisheng added darkly, “you may as well prepare to move into the Exchange Platform permanently.”
That earned an actual laugh from Bai Ning. Even Mo Jian smiled faintly. The immense chamber slowly receded behind them as they flew onward through the twisting corridors of the Palace, leaving behind the sea of floating platforms and drifting lights.
“There is one final location I wish to show you, and th-”
Gu Daisheng stopped abruptly mid-sentence. The three of them hovered within a broad corridor lined with dark jade pillars. Ahead, a door of black metal had just opened, and an armored man was stepping out from within. The moment Gu Daisheng saw him, his expression shifted slightly. “Providence,” he muttered under his breath.
Then he turned toward Mo Jian and Bai Ning. “Since we have encountered him here, we may as well take the opportunity. This is another person you should become acquainted with before beginning your duties.”
Without waiting further, Gu Daisheng descended toward the armored cultivator below. After exchanging a brief glance, Mo Jian and Bai Ning followed. As they drew closer, Mo Jian got a proper look at the man.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, with weathered bronze skin and a face carved by hardship rather than age. A jagged scar ran from the corner of his brow down across his jawline, disappearing beneath the collar of his armor. Unlike the flowing robes favored by most cultivators in the Palace, he wore full battle armor of shining silver metal layered over dark crimson cloth. The armor was old. Not poorly maintained, quite the opposite. It had been polished so carefully that every plate gleamed faintly beneath the corridor lights. But it carried a weight that made its age unmistakable, the kind that came not from years alone but from use.
A spear rested across the man’s back. The shaft was wrapped in worn black leather darkened by years of use, and the spearhead radiated a cold, restrained killing intent that made the surrounding air feel subtly heavier.
Most striking of all was the man’s aura. Even though he was only at the final stage of Core Formation, his qi felt astonishingly stable. Settled in a way that had nothing to do with raw power and everything to do with a foundation forged through extraordinary discipline and experience. If anything, his presence felt closer to the Nascent Soul cultivators Mo Jian had met today than to any ordinary Core Formation expert.
“Miao Bu,” Gu Daisheng called.
The armored man halted immediately. Upon recognizing Gu Daisheng, he clasped his hands in a formal salute.
“Senior Gu,” he greeted respectfully. “What a surprise. I am glad to see you.”
Gu Daisheng laughed lightly as he landed before him. “And I am fortunate to have encountered you here instead of buried in whatever duty keeps you hidden these days.”
Miao Bu shook his head faintly. “The usual matters.”
His gaze shifted toward Mo Jian and Bai Ning. He extended another salute.
"Fellow Daoist Mo Jian and Fairy Bai Ning have recently joined the second level," Gu Daisheng said. "I am showing them around the Palace so they may familiarize themselves with the people and places here."
Understanding flickered across the armored man’s face. “I see. Then Senior Gu wishes me to introduce them to the other commanders of the Tiger army?”
Gu Daisheng smiled knowingly. “There is no need for that just yet. They will meet the others in time. For now, I simply wished for them to make your acquaintance and gain a clearer understanding of the role the Imperial Armies play within the Palace.”
He turned toward Mo Jian and Bai Ning. “Fellow Daoists, how much do you know about the Imperial Army?”
Mo Jian raised an eyebrow, but answered honestly. “Only what most people in the capital know. The Imperial Army is divided into four branches, and one of them is responsible for guarding the Palace.”
Gu Daisheng nodded slowly, exchanging a brief glance with Miao Bu.
“A little elaboration would not go amiss, I think.”
He folded his hands behind his back before continuing. “It is more accurate to say that there are four Imperial Armies rather than one army divided into four. The Lion Army, the Tiger Army, the Peacock Army, and the Horse Army. Each army possesses its own command structure, territories, duties, and traditions. Every century, the four armies participate in a grand military evaluation overseen by the court itself. The competition includes staged wars, tactical exercises, logistical trials, and even personal duels between the four Great Generals.”
Mo Jian's attention sharpened.
“The final rankings determine each army’s responsibilities for the next hundred years.” Gu Daisheng’s voice remained calm, but there was unmistakable weight behind the words. “At present, the Lion Army ranks first. As such, they are entrusted with the protection of the Inner Court. The Tiger Army ranks second, and therefore oversees the security of the Outer Court. The Peacock Army ranks third and handles internal administration, investigations, and patrol duties throughout the empire. And the Horse Army ranks fourth, which leaves them stationed primarily along the imperial borders to deal with foreign threats and external warfare.”
He paused briefly. "Each army is commanded by a Great General at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm. Those four individuals are counted among the most formidable figures in the entire empire."
Then he gestured toward Miao Bu. “Fellow Daoist Miao is a Hundred-Thousand-Man Commander of the Tiger Army and oversees the soldiers stationed across the second level of the Outer Court. Should you ever require military assistance, or need to discuss matters involving the army, he is the person you should seek.”
Mo Jian immediately cupped his hands toward Miao Bu again, seeing him in an entirely different light now. A Hundred-Thousand-Man Commander. No wonder his aura carried such terrifying stability.
Beside him, Bai Ning also saluted respectfully before asking, “Pardon me, Fellow Daoist Miao, but I had always heard in the city that the Tiger Army was responsible for protecting the palace itself. Was that simply a misunderstanding?”
Miao Bu smiled, or tried to. With the scar cutting across half his face, the expression looked more like a grimace. “To the vast majority of the capital, the Palace is simply the Palace,” he said evenly. “They know nothing of the distinctions between the Inner Court and the Outer Court, nor how responsibilities are divided within them. Since the Tiger Army is also stationed throughout the lowest levels and the Four Great Plazas, the misunderstanding spread naturally.”
His expression darkened slightly. "Though… fifty years ago, it was the Tiger Army that guarded the Inner Court." His jaw tightened. "Perhaps the news simply has not had enough time to fully spread."
Mo Jian and Bai Ning exchanged a loaded glance. The way Miao Bu had said those words made it obvious there was more behind them than a simple military reassignment.
Even Gu Daisheng’s smile dimmed. “Is the Tiger General still unwilling to return?” he asked quietly. “What happened back then was a travesty, but he still commands tremendous support among the soldiers. Even General Qing spoke publicly in his defense.”
For the first time since they had met him, genuine pain crossed Miao Bu’s face. “The General…” He paused briefly, as though struggling to choose his words. “The General has already submitted his resignation, even if the Emperor has yet to accept it.” The corridor seemed strangely quieter now. “When the next ranking competition arrives, the Tiger Army may stand without a General for the first time in centuries. Either we will be forced to select a successor ourselves, or the Emperor will appoint one directly.”
His jaw tightened. “We’ve all tried to persuade him, every commander and veteran officer, but the General refuses to listen.” Miao Bu’s voice grew heavier with every word. “He believes he failed, not only himself, but everyone who placed their trust in him. And because of that, he says he has no right to return.”
Gu Daisheng sighed softly.
Seeing the confusion on Mo Jian and Bai Ning’s faces, Miao Bu finally explained.
“It is no secret within the Palace. Fifty years ago, during the centennial military competition, the Tiger Army suffered a devastating defeat against the Lion Army. During the duel between the two generals…” He hesitated. “Our General was crippled. He fell from the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm all the way back to Core Formation.”
Mo Jian felt his breath hitch. An entire major realm; to cultivators, that was not merely an injury. It was a catastrophe.
“Since then,” Miao Bu continued quietly, “the General resigned his position and withdrew to the lower levels of the Palace. The only reason he has not vanished to some forgotten corner of the empire is because the court still refuses to formally approve his resignation.”
“The Emperor is showing him grace,” Gu Daisheng added softly. “Giving him time to reconsider.”
“But he refuses,” Miao Bu said bitterly.
Silence settled over the corridor.
Mo Jian shook his head slowly. "An injury severe enough to erase an entire realm of cultivation… and one that cannot be healed even after fifty years."
Miao Bu's expression twisted. "That is the worst part," he said. "It can be healed."
Mo Jian looked at him.
"The General simply refuses treatment." Anger crept into Miao Bu's voice for the first time, thin and controlled but unmistakably present. "He says he failed the people who believed in him, and that all of them suffered because of his weakness. So he chooses to remain exactly as he is, as punishment." The word left his mouth like something bitter. "He calls himself a failure." The hand on his spear tightened. "As though any of it was truly his fault." The restraint in his voice frayed slightly at the edges. "He only lost because of a filthy scheme. If not for that snake Chengxuan-"
“Miao Bu.”
Gu Daisheng’s voice cracked through the corridor like a whip. The warning in it was immediate and unmistakable. “Be careful with your words,” he said sharply. “The Crown Prince is not someone the likes of you or I can casually slander.”
For a brief moment, Miao Bu looked openly mutinous. His jaw tightened, and the hand resting near his spear clenched hard enough for the leather wrapping to creak softly beneath his grip. Then the anger drained from him, leaving only frustration behind.
“Thank you for the warning, Senior,” he said stiffly. “Though General Qing says far worse about him, and she has never been known for restraining her tongue.”
“General Qing,” Gu Daisheng replied dryly, “is also far removed from ordinary standards.”
His tone softened slightly as he turned toward Mo Jian and Bai Ning. “General Qing is the commander of the Peacock Army,” he explained. “She is widely regarded as both the most powerful and the most beautiful woman in the empire.” Even Miao Bu’s grim expression eased slightly at the mention of her. “For decades, influential cultivators, nobles, sect heirs, and even princes have pursued her,” Gu Daisheng continued. “Every one of them was rejected.”
Bai Ning’s eyes brightened immediately. “Oh?”
Gu Daisheng chuckled quietly. “She publicly declared that she would only take a Dao companion who could defeat her in battle.”
Mo Jian raised an eyebrow. “And no one has managed it?”
“Not a single person.”
There was unmistakable admiration in Gu Daisheng’s voice now.
"She remains undefeated to this day. Poets across the empire lament it and celebrate it in equal measure. Some compare her to a celestial phoenix too proud to descend upon mortal soil, and that no one short of the Immortal Emperor himself could ever best her. Every genius and hidden old monster who has tried has failed without exception."
He paused briefly. “Even Prince Chengxuan.”
That finally drew a reaction from Mo Jian. “The Crown Prince challenged her personally?”
“Three times,” Miao Bu said with poorly concealed satisfaction. “And he lost all three.”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Gu Daisheng’s mouth. “General Qing rejected him each time without the slightest hesitation.”
For a moment, even the tension lingering from the earlier conversation eased. Then Gu Daisheng went on. "The only reason the Peacock Army does not stand above the others in the rankings is because the centennial evaluation measures far more than the strength of a general alone. Strategy, discipline, territorial management, troop performance, logistics, formation warfare, and political evaluations all factor into the final result."
"And," Miao Bu added flatly, "because the Peacock Army does not fill its ranks with treacherous bastards the way the Lion Army does."
Gu Daisheng frowned but did not interrupt this time.
Miao Bu’s voice hardened. “After General Tang was crippled, both General Qing and General Lou refused to continue challenging the Tiger Army. They forfeited their remaining matches voluntarily, ensuring we retained second place rather than falling further."
There was genuine respect in his eyes now. “They did it out of decency and honor.”
For the first time since the topic had arisen, some of the bitterness in Miao Bu’s expression eased.
Mo Jian slowly nodded. This General Qing was becoming increasingly interesting with every sentence. A woman powerful enough to stand undefeated for decades. A cultivator who had openly rejected the Crown Prince three separate times without fear of consequence. And someone honorable enough to refuse to profit from another army’s disgrace. Such people were rare anywhere in the cultivation world.
And worth considering carefully. When his own plans eventually came to fruition, Prince Chengxuan would become one of his most significant obstacles. A figure commanding armies, wielding influence throughout the Palace, and capable of bending powerful cultivators toward his ambitions was not an enemy to underestimate. Which meant allies would matter enormously. And General Qing sounded precisely like the sort of person worth keeping in mind.
“Alright,” Gu Daisheng said at last, clapping his hands together and dispelling the heavy atmosphere. “Enough of this. Let us not lose ourselves in old grievances. We still have one final place to visit.”
He cupped his hands toward Miao Bu. Mo Jian and Bai Ning followed suit immediately.
Miao Bu returned the salute solemnly. “Until next time, Fellow Daoists.”
After a final exchange of nods, the three of them took to the air once more. This time, Gu Daisheng flew in silence. The ease had faded from his expression, replaced by something more contemplative. Mo Jian did not disturb him. He had more than enough of his own thoughts to attend to. By now, he had met so many people in such rapid succession that he felt almost numb from the accumulation of them, and more than ready for the tour to reach its end.
Perhaps some deity up in Heaven heard his thoughts and took pity on him, because less than fifteen minutes later, the corridors finally opened onto a massive stone archway. Beyond it stood a solitary pavilion. Compared to everything else he had seen within the Palace, it was strangely modest. The building rose only four stories high and was constructed from dark blackwood polished to a mirror sheen. Slender bridges connected small side structures above gently flowing water, and beyond the pavilion stretched what appeared to be the bank of a quiet river winding through a miniature landscape of stone gardens and ancient trees.
Yet despite the simplicity of the place, it radiated a pressure unlike anything Mo Jian had encountered all day. A colossal formation enveloped the entire estate. Five-colored light shimmered overhead in the shape of a vast translucent dome, the colors shifting constantly like flowing crystal. Countless runes drifted within it, appearing and vanishing in endless cycles. Even without touching it directly, Mo Jian could sense the terrifying power hidden within the formation.
It was the kind of defensive barrier that could probably withstand an assault from multiple Nascent Soul cultivators without budging.
And the qi-
Mo Jian’s breath caught slightly as he felt it. The spiritual energy inside the formation was so dense it had almost become visible. Wisps of white mist curled along the ground and drifted lazily through the gardens. The trees beyond the arch were impossibly lush, their leaves gleaming with emerald vitality, while flowers growing beside the river shone faintly with spiritual light. Even the air smelled different here. Every breath felt like inhaling diluted spiritual essence.
Gu Daisheng came to a stop before the archway and gestured calmly toward the pavilion. “This,” he said, “is the residence of the overseer of the second level of the Palace.”
His tone remained casual, but Mo Jian still straightened instinctively.
“You may think of him as the person responsible for overseeing all affairs on this level. Since the two of you will be working here from now on, it is best that you remain on his good side.” Something glimmered briefly in Gu Daisheng's expression, a private amusement he made no effort to entirely conceal.
Bai Ning's instincts as the daughter of a sect master surfaced at once. "Should we request a formal audience," she asked carefully, "or would it be more appropriate to leave a message along with a gift?"
Gu Daisheng laughed. "Neither."
He folded his hands behind his back and looked toward the pavilion with an expression that suddenly seemed far too relaxed. “The overseer rarely leaves his residence apart from the monthly meetings with the Nascent Soul cultivators and the occasional inspection to keep himself informed about the happenings of the second level.”
He paused. “And, of course, to personally guide new arrivals around the Palace.”
Mo Jian went still.
He turned sharply toward Gu Daisheng. Beside him, Bai Ning had already reached the same conclusion a breath earlier. A composed smile had settled across her lips as she bowed gracefully in midair.
"Then Senior Gu himself is the overseer of the second level."
Gu Daisheng burst into open laughter. The sound rang lightly under the vast archway, warm and unguarded. "Yes." He let the word settle before continuing. "My apologies for the omission, but I have always found it far easier to understand people when rank is removed from the equation. Titles make others cautious, and cautious people rarely say anything worth hearing."
He glanced sidelong at Mo Jian, still clearly enjoying the stunned expression that had not quite left his face.
Mo Jian wrestled his composure back into place with some effort. "It seems," he said at last, with a helpless exhale that almost became a laugh, "that I have spent this entire day as the subject of Fellow Daoist's quiet amusement."
"Not amusement," Gu Daisheng corrected at once, though the smile remained. "I genuinely enjoyed our conversations." Then, for the first time since the tour had begun, his tone became fully serious. The lightness did not disappear, though it did step aside. "You both have many questions. That is natural and expected. But the Palace is not something that can be understood in a single day, or a single month."
His gaze drifted briefly toward the endless corridors stretching behind them, towards all those people and places they had just seen.
"It is better to settle in first." He looked back at them. "We will meet again at the gathering next month in any case, so there is no need to rush."
The smile returned, gentler this time.
“Until then, simply focus on surviving your first month here.”
There was humor in the words, but not entirely. After everything Mo Jian had seen today, he was no longer certain where the line between jest and warning truly lay within the Palace.
Gu Daisheng lifted a hand casually. The enormous formation surrounding the residence rippled at once. Five-colored light folded apart soundlessly, opening a path through the barrier like curtains being drawn aside. A wave of pure spiritual qi washed over them immediately. Mo Jian felt every pore in his body open instinctively. The Nascent Soul within his dantian stirred, absorbing the ambient qi greedily. Even Bai Ning’s eyes widened slightly at the density of spiritual energy within the estate.
“If you cultivate here for too long,” Gu Daisheng remarked lightly as he began walking forward, “ordinary spirit veins start to feel thin and muddy.”
Mo Jian believed him.
The three of them stepped through the archway together. Inside, the sounds of the Palace faded almost completely. The bustling corridors, distant voices, and flowing traffic all vanished behind the formation, replaced by quiet running water and the soft rustle of leaves. The river winding through the estate glimmered beneath pale crystal lanterns suspended above its banks, while schools of silver fish swam lazily beneath the surface, each carrying faint traces of spiritual aura.
Gu Daisheng led them across a narrow blackwood bridge toward the pavilion itself.
“Come,” he said. “At the very least, allow me to offer tea to my guests before we part ways.”
And with that, Mo Jian and Bai Ning followed the overseer of the second level into the depths of the Imperial Palace.
……………………………………..................................................
AN: The core reason I split this scene into two chapters isn’t length, but the sheer number of things that needed to be shown and explained. Even now, I’m not entirely sure I chose all the right details first or presented them as clearly as I could have. There are still more explanations to come, such as how all of this connects to the actual court system (both its ruling structure and administrative side), who determines these postings, how promotions work, and more.
If I had included everything from the start, we’d still be reading. So I’ve moved that material into a separate meeting, which will appear in the next chapter.
That said, I realize I’ve thrown a lot at you. This is just a note to say I’m happy to provide extra explanations if anything is unclear, or if there’s something you think should have been explained already. It also helps me refine things; see where my assumptions are correct and where I may have skipped over something important.
So feel free to ask as many questions as you like. I’ll do my best to answer them all by tomorrow. Cheers!