"So, the participants each year are selected by the Imperial Court, is that it?" Zhou Huan followed up, asking Tian Lang.

Tian Lang smiled. "That's right. Even so, the number of competitors each year is no less than ten thousand. The preliminaries alone take ten days, and after the entire ring tournament concludes, it will still take a full two months."

"When does it start?"

"It begins on the sixth day of the sixth month every five years, running until the fifteenth of the eighth month. On the fifteenth of the eighth month, His Majesty will watch the displays of these extraordinary individuals during the Mid-Autumn Moon Viewing Festival, after which awards will be bestowed."

Upon hearing this, an idea formed in Zhou Huan’s mind. However, he knew his current skills were insufficient; he likely wouldn't even pass the preliminaries, so Zhou Huan didn't press the matter further.

But Tian Lang proactively spoke up, "Master Zhou, I see you are a man who stands up for the wronged, and your martial skills are quite commendable. To fight off a formidable opponent like Tian Ya is no ordinary feat."

"Not at all, it was pure luck. You saw the situation just now; I was almost finished off myself."

"Master Zhou, I don't mean to flatter you. You misunderstood. I only wish to say that I possess four invitation tokens. Now my master is dead, my junior brother is also dead, and Tian Ya has fled. It’s just me left. If Master Zhou is willing, why don't you join me in participating in the Dharma Assembly? What does Master Zhou think?" Tian Lang’s proposal sounded genuinely earnest, but since he didn't know Zhou Huan's true intentions, he waited for Zhou Huan’s response.

Zhou Huan chuckled, pondering for a long moment. "That works too. We don't have anything pressing to do anyway. We haven't thought about returning since leaving home. This time, let's make a trip to the capital. We can see the Forbidden City under the old Emperor—consider it a bit of tourism. We'll tag along and see the sights!"

"That’s wonderful! It’s April now. It will take us at least a month to reach the capital. We’ll have just enough time to prepare before the competition begins. Along the way, we can at least keep each other company!" Tian Lang seemed overjoyed. At last, the invitation tokens painstakingly secured by his master would not go to waste.

Zhou Huan glanced at the four men under him. Strangely, all four nodded their assent without needing to consult one another. So, Zhou Huan smiled, "Then let's set off immediately. We shouldn't linger here."

Zhou Huan was quite surprised by his disciples' agreement. In truth, Zhou Huan only intended to travel with Tian Lang; he had no desire to participate in the Dharma Assembly. After all, his current strength lay only in attack speed, lacking substantive ability. If he joined the Assembly, he would suffer greatly. Fortunately, there was still over a month before reaching the capital. Along the journey, Zhou Huan could search his memory for the principles of his former training, perhaps even finding some shortcut.

While thinking this, Zhou Huan followed Tian Lang and his three disciples toward the capital. Along the way, they stopped in every village they encountered and crossed every mountain. If they were in the wilderness, they even traveled by night. This urgency was partly to reach the capital sooner, and partly because Zhou Huan wanted to move quickly enough to leave Tian Ya far behind, avoiding any potential trouble from that fellow.

"Master Zhou, after rushing day and night these past few days, haven't you felt any fatigue?" Tian Lang gasped, breathing heavily, his words coming out in broken bursts.

Yet, Zhou Huan felt as if the rigorous travel of the last two days had made him incredibly vigorous. His temples pulsed slightly, and his complexion was flushed a ruddy red. Hearing Tian Lang’s question, Zhou Huan paused to consider. The pace over the last two days had indeed been rapid. He looked back at his three disciples; none of them seemed to show any difference, all brimming with energy and endurance.

Zhou Huan was a bit perplexed. He was originally lacking in cultivation, so why was his energy so abundant now? He tested the qi in his Dantian. With a strong push, he felt a surging torrent rush up from his Yongquan acupoint below his feet. This stream of energy seemed fully grounded, surging directly up to the Baihui acupoint on the crown of his head. Instantly, his true qi began to disperse towards every point, yet when he tried to forcefully employ his Shoushi technique, he still felt a distinct lack of power.

He looked at Tian Lang. "Perhaps I am a bit tired. We will rest in the mountains tonight. You should get some good rest. There might be wild beasts in the forest tonight, but my disciples will keep watch. Rest assured!"

"Then I must trouble Master Zhou," Tian Lang said, sinking onto the ground, his eyeballs darting around. He was covered in a cold sweat, muttering to himself, "Strange, I really am a bit tired these last two days. I don't know how long it will take to recover from this super-intense physical exhaustion!"

"Haha, it's nothing. We are both young; a night’s sleep will fix it. Don't worry," Zhou Huan replied. Then he instructed Dong Zi, "Dong Zi, you take the first watch. Shi Bingyuan will take over at the Zishi hour tonight, and I'll take the final shift until dawn. If anything unexpected happens, let each other know." After giving these instructions, Zhou Huan arranged for everyone to sleep, lying down in the tall grass himself.

After Dong Zi finished his normal watch, Bingyuan took over. Two hours later, Zhou Huan rose to take his shift. In fact, Zhou Huan hadn't slept at all; he had been meditating and conserving his energy. Only when it was his turn did he rise to relieve Shi Bingyuan, settling onto the straw mat and continuing his qi practice.

As he practiced, Zhou Huan felt a tightness in his Yintang acupoint. Could his Ghost Eye have reopened? Zhou Huan silently recited the Soul Summoning Incantation. Sure enough, he vaguely perceived several shadowy specters near where they slept, all staring intently at him. Suddenly, the specters simultaneously struck toward Zhou Huan. Zhou Huan immediately recited the Soul Sending Incantation, but it was no longer effective. He slightly closed his eyes and only saw the specters seemingly speaking, though he could not hear them.

"My Tongtian Ear isn't open yet, so I can't hear what these spirits are saying. But judging by their movements..." Zhou Huan analyzed based on his remaining experience. These spirits seemed intent on causing trouble. To summon them and then try to send them away without reason was illogical, going against both human decency and ghostly intent.

Zhou Huan desperately cycled through his various incantations, testing each one, but none worked. The ghosts began striking at him. Fortunately, Zhou Huan had recovered his speed. He dodged desperately as the specters floated after him. Zhou Huan began to run at lightning speed around the area where his men slept, darting up trees one moment and down to the ground the next. He managed to keep the spirits occupied until dawn broke. As the sun appeared, the spirits snapped their spectral whips and retreated angrily, drawing a circle on the ground as they left.

Seeing that the immediate threat had vanished, Zhou Huan hurried to the circle drawn by the ghosts. Indeed, a pattern was etched on the ground—it was the image of a Yuanbao (gold ingot). Zhou Huan instantly understood the spirits' meaning: after a night of work, they expected a performance fee of sorts. So, Zhou Huan burned all the paper Yuanbao and spirit money he had left, chanting aloud, "Brothers of the spirit world, last night I was just trying out my Shoushi art, please don't take offense. Here is your performance fee for the morning. Let's put this matter to rest." As he spoke, the paper money inside the drawn Yuanbao began to swirl. When the swirling stopped, Zhou Huan finally let out a sigh of relief. He had managed to send the ghosts away.

"Master, were you alright last night?" Tian Xiong, who hadn't been assigned a watch, woke up very early. Seeing Zhou Huan burning paper money first thing in the morning, he asked.

Zhou Huan saw Tian Xiong awake so early and, not wanting anyone to know about his nocturnal activities, spun a lie. "Oh, it's nothing. I was worried about any lonely wandering spirits at night. Since they likely had no money, I burned the remaining paper money and ingots I carry, just to do a small act of charity!"

"Oh. But Master, I saw you running around constantly; you seemed very hurried and flustered. What was bothering you?" Tian Xiong continued to press.

Zhou Huan frowned slightly. "Nothing important. I was just a little cold. Alright, go prepare some breakfast. We shouldn't travel on an empty stomach. Go on!"

Just like that, Zhou Huan sent Tian Xiong away. Fortunately, his business from last night hadn't been exposed; otherwise, he would have been truly humiliated!