The reason Zhou Huan leaped out was that he heard movement in the nearby bushes, and the intent behind the sound felt distinctly unwelcome.

A moment later, a person leaped from the thicket. This person was intimately familiar to Zhou Huan—it was Tian Ya, the traitor from his sworn sworn-brother's sect, Tianlang. Where had he come from?

"Zhou Huan, I didn't expect you to last this long," Tian Ya's first words upon revealing himself sent a slight ripple of displeasure through Zhou Huan.

As Zhou Huan scrutinized Tian Ya, he noticed that Tian Ya seemed to be clad in thin armor made of some metallic substance, and he was gripping a new saber, upon which a dragon pattern appeared to be etched.

"Tian Ya, what brings you here at this time? What, do you also intend to participate in the Canfa Grand Assembly?" Zhou Huan couldn't help but ask.

At this moment, Tian Ya let out a sinister sound, his laugh conspiratorial: "Zhou Huan, we are right under the Emperor's nose. I won't make a move against you here. We will meet at the Assembly. I will settle the score of that day, and I will reclaim what I was due today. Hahaha!"

"That’s a joke. If you are so confident, why did you even bother showing up here tonight?" Zhou Huan felt Tian Ya was slapping his own face with his words, then he chuckled again: "Besides, if that were truly your intention, you might as well have come out just now and defeated me outright. Then I wouldn't have to attend the Assembly at all; wouldn't that be easier?"

"When has Tian Ya ever been such a treacherous villain? I will defeat you openly and honorably at the Canfa Grand Assembly!" Those were Tian Ya's words. Everyone knew his character was pure nonsense; he was no good man. Everyone around knew this fellow was utterly despicable. To kill his own master and fellow disciples, and even harm outsiders—truly, killing him a hundred times would not be enough.

Zhou Huan thought to himself that he would resolve things with this scoundrel at the Canfa Grand Assembly, exposing his vile face then. By then, this brat would likely not even have the face to be a ghost; perhaps upon descending to the netherworld, he would be beaten into hell by the stragglers of the Underworld courts. However, Zhou Huan had noticed something else: Tian Ya’s aura upon this return seemed different from before. It wasn't any Daoist cultivation technique; it felt more like some sinister energy belonging to ghosts or demons from the Underworld.

"Hey, Tian Ya, are you possessed by something? Your complexion doesn't look too good!" Zhou Huan said this deliberately, hoping to provoke Tian Ya into revealing his secrets. This way, Zhou Huan would have a better understanding of how to deal with him.

But Tian Ya had grown cautious. Hearing Zhou Huan’s words, he became wary: "Hmph, trying to provoke me? I don't fall for that trick. Stop the nonsense. See you at the Canfa Grand Assembly!" With a long burst of laughter, Tian Ya moved as lightly as a swallow and vanished into the deep night.

Zhou Huan’s worries were justified. Shi Bingyuan watched from the side, saying little, only asking Zhou Huan blankly, "How is that guy still alive?"

"He has a thick hide. Besides, if he stays alive, we have things to do. For the next two days, don't overexert yourselves. Keep an extra ear open when sleeping at night; be wary of this scoundrel playing dirty tricks."

Zhou Huan and Shi Bingyuan quickly finished their current tasks, sending off all those lonely souls. The two hurried back to the inn. Upon entering their room, Zhou Huan sat on his bed, folded his legs into the lotus position, formed the lotus mudra with his hands, closed his eyes slightly, and regulated his breathing to be slow and even.

"Old Shi, what is Master doing?" Dongzi asked curiously, leaning close to Shi Bingyuan’s ear to whisper.

Shi Bingyuan mumbled quietly, "Master is gathering his vital energy (Yang Qi). He will probably sit like this until the Assembly begins. Alright, let's not disturb him. Our job is just to guard the door and ensure nothing happens to Master while he's cultivating; we need to act as his Dharma Protectors!"

"Dharma Protectors? What are Dharma Protectors?"

"It means protecting the safety of the cultivator during their practice. Really, keep watch. Don't let anyone enter this room, and don't let Master catch a chill." After explaining, Shi Bingyuan nudged Dongzi out of the room, then he himself stepped out and placed a large cushion at the doorway, sitting cross-legged on it himself to begin gathering his own Yang Qi.

Dongzi was left alone, tasked with looking after Miss Xiao Fang on one hand, and guarding the safety of Shi Bingyuan and his Master on the other. These two days truly wore Dongzi out. It wasn't until the third day, when he heard the announcement that the Canfa Grand Assembly had begun, that Dongzi finally sighed in relief, muttering to himself, "It's finally over; these few days have been something else." Dongzi, in his exhausted state, followed routine: first checking on Shi Bingyuan sitting by the door, then calling out to Xiao Fang to confirm her safety. Once Xiao Fang came out to take over for a short while, Dongzi rushed back to his own room and fell into a deep sleep.

But just as Dongzi lay down, he heard gongs and drums starting up at the inn's entrance. As the sun climbed toward noon, coinciding with the auspicious hour, the sound of firecrackers boomed along the main road—it was quite festive. Afterward, he heard the shuffling footsteps of a dense crowd moving toward the platform for the Canfa Grand Assembly.

The noise made it impossible for Dongzi to sleep. He got up and found that both Shi Bingyuan and Xiao Fang were gone. When he entered Zhou Huan’s room, he saw Zhou Huan speaking with Shi Bingyuan: "This time, I want you to participate in the Assembly with me."

"No problem here, Master. When do we leave?" Shi Bingyuan seemed quite enthusiastic; he genuinely enjoyed participating in such events.

Zhou Huan pondered for a moment: "No rush on that; we’ll decide after planning. We are specially invited guests anyway. Remember, the Assembly platform is quite wide, but if we truly rely on agility or evasion to win, that space will definitely be insufficient. Therefore, if we want to win, we must rely on our own strength; we must strike the opponent down, though not necessarily to the death. Let’s remember: always show restraint."

"That won't do, Master. If we show restraint, those fellows won't show us any!" Shi Bingyuan’s concern was natural. Indeed, regardless of who said it, contestants in the Canfa Grand Assembly were required to sign a life-or-death waiver; if they refused to sign, they weren't allowed on the stage.

Zhou Huan smiled: "Don't forget another rule: as soon as a person falls off the stage, the moment their foot touches the ground, they lose. So we must achieve this—try our best to knock defeated opponents off the platform. Falling off the platform shouldn't result in death."

"This… Master, is that really alright?" Shi Bingyuan remained worried.

But Zhou Huan smiled: "No problem. Trust me, we’ll handle it this way. Also, prepare your own defenses. If your personal safety is genuinely threatened, forfeit immediately; don't fight recklessly if you can’t win. Also, if an opponent is truly unrelenting, we must voluntarily jump off the platform ourselves. Furthermore, during the match, we must pay attention to finding the opponent’s weakness and striking it!"

"En!" Shi Bingyuan ultimately trusted Zhou Huan. After hearing Zhou Huan’s detailed explanation, he was convinced, turning back to prepare the things he needed.

Zhou Huan let out a breath: "Dongzi's task is to take good care of Miss Xiao Fang, and that rabbit. Watching from below the stage is fine, but you must ensure your own safety."

"Don't worry, Master, that won't be an issue at all. When do we depart?"

"No hurry. We'll go in the afternoon. Those competing in the morning might not be our opponents; there's no need to waste energy up there. We'll compete a bit later, giving us a chance to observe the methods of the other contestants first!"

"Understood, Master. I’ll take the first half of the matches. If I get tired or can't manage, Master, you step in!" Shi Bingyuan had devised a decent plan.

Zhou Huan smiled: "That's a good idea. Let's go downstairs first to get some food. After eating and resting a bit, we’ll set off!"

"Aye!" Dongzi responded, turned, and hurried downstairs with quick steps. Moments later, the waiter returned carrying a bucket of dishes and a rice container upstairs.

After Zhou Huan and the others ate, they rested in the room for a while. Then, the four of them got ready and headed downstairs.

The inn’s waiter knew Zhou Huan’s standing; he had been personally appointed by Heshen. No one dared provoke him, and sometimes, someone appointed by Old He was even more formidable than someone appointed by the Emperor himself. Seeing Zhou Huan descend, the waiter almost wanted to scrub the stairs again.

"Master Zhou, are you participating? Have you finished eating?" The waiter asked, but before he could finish, the innkeeper rushed out from behind the counter.

The innkeeper bowed deeply to Zhou Huan: "Master Zhou, as you attend the Canfa Grand Assembly, our inn will provide chairs. Shall I have someone help carry them down for you now?"

Zhou Huan thought this was rather thoughtful, so he nodded, thanked the innkeeper, and led Shi Bingyuan and the others out of the inn, heading straight for the Assembly site.

Upon arrival, Zhou Huan instantly froze. He hadn't expected such a massive crowd to surround the small battleground for the Canfa Grand Assembly. It was packed three layers deep inside, with another layer ringing the outermost perimeter.

Before Zhou Huan could push toward the center, he heard the inn’s waiter shouting loudly behind him: "The specially invited contestants of the Assembly are entering! Make way, everyone!" While shouting, the waiter used the two chairs he carried to clear a path. Behind the waiter followed several people carrying tables, chairs, teapots, and tea.

Indeed, this waiter had quite a loud voice. In a short time, a path opened for Zhou Huan through the crowd. Zhou Huan led his group toward the center, stopping at a sparsely populated spot about three meters away from the safe zone near the stage, where they set up a large table, a pot of tea, and several cups.

Logically, such treatment could only be bought with money, or perhaps granted to someone like Zhou Huan. But what was different about Zhou Huan was that he didn't have to spend a single coin; all of this was prepared for him by the inn free of charge.