"Oh, is this the entry token?" Ajiao, in her excitement, snatched the token right out of Yexiu's hand and dashed toward the city gate. "The guards clearly said one token per person. Whether you can enter the city depends on whether you can become my man first."

"Hey! You brat!" Yexiu tried to chase after Ajiao, but the spirited girl was already using her Qinggong (lightness skill), gliding several zhang away. She flashed the token, securing her solo entry into the city.

"Ah, I should have asked the Third City Lord for an extra one," Yexiu grumbled, glancing at the sky where the sunset was now spreading its colors. However, upon second thought, he realized it was fortunate he possessed the Ghost Step for self-defense; crossing such a city gate would naturally be simple.

The main gate of Ten Thousand Sword City was incredibly imposing, soaring dozens of meters high and wide, even grander than Xianyang, the capital of the Qin State. Hundreds of large and small Blade Guards stood stationed on either side of the gate, underscoring the fortification's solidity. Yexiu had already activated the Ghost Step in a corner of the moat, using the gate ends as anchor points, and instantly vanished into the crowd. The Blade Guards merely felt a cool breeze sweep past them, giving them little cause for suspicion.

Upon entering the city, Yexiu was immediately awed by the sheer presence of Ten Thousand Sword City. It was a perfectly square metropolis. The outer ring consisted of prosperous buildings and streets, bustling with a vibrant mix of merchants and travelers of all races. The inner ring was the royal precinct, fully equipped with various military installations. In the very center of the city stood a colossal sword plunged deep into the earth, its hilt piercing the clouds in a magnificent spectacle. The supposed royal palace of Ten Thousand Sword City was built directly into this towering blade, exuding an aura of majestic authority.

"What are you daydreaming about?" Of course, Ajiao trusted Yexiu to find a way in; she had been waiting for him nearby. "Look how unfair this notice board is! It forbids the Beast, Winged, and Water races from using their innate racial skills within Ten Thousand Sword City. Isn't that looking down on people?"

"What's the big deal? Think about it," Yexiu gestured as he imagined the scene. "If people are flying overhead, crawling on the ground, and swimming in the rivers all over the city, wouldn't that look utterly bizarre and unsightly?"

"What? You just said the people in the water looked like mermaids before, and now you say it's ugly," Ajiao pouted, ready to act spoiled again. "I don't care what you say. Where are we going now? It’s getting dark; we need to find a place to stay. I wonder if they have any beaches here."

"Beaches, your sister! Do you think this is still the region of the Cangshan Sea Tribe?" Yexiu snapped back, pulling out his coin purse and shaking it. "Don't worry, old girl, we're rich now. Come on, wife, I'll take you shopping and we can eat some good food."

"Wife?" Ajiao didn't understand Yexiu's dialect. "Is that a Central Plains word? What does it mean?"

Yexiu had only spoken casually, but when Ajiao asked, shadows of Hong'er and Xuer'er suddenly appeared in his mind. Nearly a thousand years had passed. He remembered how he had once tricked Hong'er, claiming laopo (wife) meant 'younger sister' and laogong (husband) meant 'older brother'—it seemed quite amusing now. He truly wondered how Hong'er was doing. She probably didn't know that Wang Long hadn't died. Could that silly girl still be waiting for news of him at Cloud Dream Mountain's Ghost Valley? This era without cell phones was truly infuriating; one couldn't get any information beyond what was immediately visible. Furthermore, Liu Bang was famous now. He wondered how Lü Zhi and Lü Xu were living. Xuer'er, so fragile and melancholic, might not have endured the loneliness and married someone else. Alas!

"Wife means you are more powerful than me, your martial arts are superior, and I can't beat you. Of course, you can call me Laogong—Laogong means I'm stupider than you," Yexiu chuckled, heading toward the crowded area. Ajiao chased after him relentlessly, yelling as she ran, "Laogong, Laogong, hahaha, I am your wife!"

The two roamed Ten Thousand Sword City for several days before realizing that those bandits were truly impoverished. The money Yexiu had seized from them was nearly depleted.

"See, see? I told you to be more frugal and share a room, it would have been better," Yexiu scolded while tapping his empty purse. "But you insisted on having separate rooms. Now look, we're broke, and we'll be sleeping on the streets tonight."

Ajiao scoffed, playfully fiddling with things by the roadside as they walked. "Do you think I'm truly stupid? My father taught me better than to share a room with a man."

"Damn it, what do you think I was planning to do to you? I was only trying to save money," Yexiu felt genuinely wronged. "With your looks, I wouldn't have the slightest desire. I should be worried about what you might do to me in the middle of the night."

"Hmph! Don't try to argue your way out of it. If you have no money, then find a way to earn it," Ajiao pointed her finger ahead. "Look how many people are crowding over there; there must be something good happening. Maybe some official is handing out money."

"Handing out money, handing out money? What official would be so generous as to give money to the common folk?" Yexiu turned his head to look. Indeed, the Ten Thousand Sword Plaza ahead was packed with crowds of all sizes. The crucial detail was that everyone was carrying swords and weapons.

"Look, look! The First Tournament of the Three Swords Realm!" Ajiao grabbed Yexiu and shoved into the crowd, looking up and shouting, "The martial artist who takes first place will be granted the status of the Ten Thousand Sword Royal Family, with a reward of one hundred thousand Ten Thousand Sword Coins—wow, that's so much money!"

"What's the use of the Ten Thousand Sword Royal Family status?" Yexiu was dismissive. Royalty was nothing more than people who lorded it over the common folk. "However, taking money is certainly worth considering. Ajiao, you could try participating."

"Too bad, women aren't allowed to compete," Ajiao continued to crowd around the central notice board. "The first-place winner also earns one of the Three Swords: the Beast Race's Sandstorm Blade."

"The Beast Race's Sandstorm Blade?" Yexiu's spirits instantly soared upon hearing those words. He craned his neck to get a better look. "Ajiao, didn't you say Water Tribe people don't use swords? So, do the other two of the Three Swords even exist?"

Ajiao looked genuinely wronged. "I really didn't lie to you. Truly, no Water Tribe person uses a sword, nor does any Winged Tribe member. Only the Beast Race uses blades and swords."

Yexiu stuck out his tongue and licked his lips. Setting aside the Water and Winged Tribes for now, the Beast Race's Sandstorm Blade seemed to be right in front of him. This First Tournament of the Three Swords was a perfect opportunity for him to show off his prowess. If he won and was inducted into the Royal Family, it might greatly assist him in finding the other two swords later.

"What's wrong, Yexiu? What are you thinking? Are you going to register?"

After careful consideration, Yexiu realized he was a newcomer to Ten Thousand Sword City, utterly alone and without any connections. He might as well use this tournament to make a name for himself. He nodded. "Of course, I'm participating. Not only that, but I must take first place."

"Great! I'll go register for you, haha." Ajiao loved excitement, and she was immensely confident in Yexiu's martial skill, believing that within the Three Swords realm, no one could match his speed.

Mid-afternoon arrived, and the Ten Thousand Sword Plaza remained packed. Martial artists of all descriptions poured in. Yexiu and Ajiao were enjoying a hearty lunch at an inn. Just as they were preparing to pay and leave, the waiter approached with a beaming smile: "Safe travels, esteemed guests. Another patron has already settled your bill."

"Where is that person?" Yexiu asked the waiter nervously.

Ajiao, however, felt no suspicion, looking rather smug instead. "Hahaha, someone paid for our meal! There are so many good people nowadays."

The waiter, focused only on receiving the payment, hadn't paid attention to who had paid. He could only shrug helplessly.

Yexiu scanned the surroundings lightly and suddenly noticed a faint shadow shifting by the corner of the wall. He couldn't help but turn back and instruct Ajiao, "Go wait for me back at the inn. I'm going to buy you something and I'll be right back. Remember, don't go anywhere without me."

"What are you going to buy me?" Ajiao was curious. "I'm sick of all those foods and drinks these past few days. If you want to surprise me, you need to use your brain a bit more."

"Alright, alright, just go back and wait. I promise you a surprise," Yexiu vaguely dismissed her, grabbed his sword, and followed the figure.

Up through the dense crowds, the entire Ten Thousand Sword City was under heavy guard due to the tournament, with Blade Guards everywhere. With no other choice, Yexiu used the Ghost Step to ascend onto the rooftops, tracking the furtive person from above. Finally, he followed him into an uninhabited alley.

"Young Hero Ye, your martial arts are truly astonishing; you didn't alert a single one of the Ten Thousand Sword City guards," spoke a young man holding a feather fan, his voice gentle, with his back turned to him.

Yexiu coldly scrutinized the man before him—composed, detached, yet undeniably authoritative. The azure Qilin embroidered on his boots remained striking. "It is the Third City Lord, I see. I wonder what the Third City Lord's intention was in deliberately luring me here?"

Wan Jian Qinglin slowly turned, waving his feather fan. The heroic air about his features was still startling. "Since Young Hero Ye noticed long ago, Qinglin will be direct. I know you have registered for the First Tournament of Ten Thousand Sword City. May I ask why?"

Upon hearing this, Yexiu raised his Hengchen sword in hand. "The Third City Lord also knows I am a man of the Jianghu. A man of the Jianghu naturally wishes to prove himself to the world through the sword."

"That simple?" Wan Jian Qinglin stared intently at Yexiu. "Qinglin believes Young Hero Ye’s participation is not for fame, nor for money, and certainly not for the negligible status of royalty."

Hearing this, Yexiu inwardly admired Wan Jian Qinglin. Throughout history, rulers didn't fear those with great power or high strategy; they feared those with such deep composure that they could easily perceive the hearts of others.

Wan Jian Qinglin stepped closer to Yexiu and lightly covered his mouth with the feather fan, whispering, "If Qinglin hasn't guessed wrong, Young Hero Ye is here for the Beast Race's Sandstorm Blade."

"Hoo..." Yexiu sucked in a cold breath. He realized that since nothing could escape Qinglin’s eyes, it was better to be straightforward. "I greatly admire the Third City Lord. To be honest, Yexiu has stumbled into the Three Swords Realm and desperately wishes to return to the Central Plains. Legend says that only by finding the Three Swords can one have a chance to go back."