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Chapter 1160: Entering the City Qian Ruhai nodded and said, “Set the time to three days before the story begins, and the location to Yuntian City, where Zhou Ting appears.” “Time confirmed, location confirmed. Supplementing identity settings… Supplementation complete. Three thousand Faith Points deducted. The Host may now enter the world of Tianya Mingyue Dao.” After a series of operations, the Rainbow Gate emitted a dazzling light, indicating that he could step through at any moment. Qian Ruhai didn’t hesitate; he walked straight through the multicolored gate. Another dizzying spin followed, accompanied by the same sensation of the world spinning out of control. Then, as the light returned, he saw a massive city wall—this was, of course, Yuntian City. The main gate was guarded by numerous soldiers, and a dense crowd was lined up to undergo inspections and pay the entry tax. Naturally, he had no intention of joining the line. Aside from the sheer number of people ahead of him, the soldiers’ rude and intrusive manner during the body searches was enough to make him want to kill them on the spot. As the top martial artist, even though the city walls were high, he could easily scale them with his lightness skills. Acting on impulse, he didn’t even bother looking for a hidden spot; he simply leaped toward the main gate and soared up the wall. His lightness skills were nothing short of effortless; he glided effortlessly to the rooftop atop the city wall. A crowd of people waiting in line witnessed the scene and let out gasps of astonishment. “Look! Someone just leaped right onto the city wall! That wall must be at least thirty feet high—and he actually made it up there! That’s incredible. He must be one of those martial arts masters.” “Of course he’s a martial artist—and clearly a master at that. How else could he have such incredible agility? And he isn’t even afraid of those skin-flaying, damned guards.” “He’s so handsome! The way he soared through the air—it was simply breathtaking. If only I could have a husband like that, that would be wonderful.” “Stop daydreaming. You’re already married—why are you still acting like such a lovesick fool? Besides, aren’t you afraid of being drowned in a pig’s cage? A husband that handsome belongs only to someone as young and beautiful as me. You can forget about it.” The guards naturally noticed the crowd’s gasps. Earlier, they’d been too busy searching people to see him take flight, but upon hearing the commotion, they looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of his retreating figure soaring overhead. “Damn it, he’s ignoring us and flying right over our heads. He’s asking for trouble. I’m going to grab him.” A very young soldier cursed. Since taking this job guarding the city gate, his life had been nothing short of wonderful. Everyone looked at him with a mix of awe and fear, and he’d grown increasingly arrogant. As soon as he said that, a veteran soldier standing nearby—who was essentially his mentor—slapped him hard on the back of the head and snapped, ““Are you looking to die? You’re nothing but a rank-and-file soldier who’s practiced a few days of flashy but useless moves. Do you really think you’re some peerless master? Let me ask you this: can you fly up to the city walls? Do you have any idea what kind of lightness skills and inner strength it takes to do that? Anyone capable of that is, at the very least, a martial arts master. Going up there is nothing short of suicide!” “As long as they don’t rebel, martial artists are never bound by the law. If you go up there now and get killed, it’ll be a senseless death—the authorities up there won’t lift a finger for you.” The young soldier’s face betrayed fear; he’d nearly lost his life—how could he not be terrified afterward? Naturally, he paid no attention to such trivial matters. After soaring onto the city wall, he looked down into the city and found it bustling with activity—a sight he relished. The guards on the wall merely looked at him with a mixture of awe and respect, not daring to approach and interfere. He was more than happy to have the peace, so he simply found a spot to glide down and entered the city. It wasn’t until after he’d gone that the many martial artists queuing outside realized how foolish they’d been—they hadn’t even thought of such a simple solution. Immediately, they all followed suit, leaving the guards on edge, terrified that an accidental discharge might occur. Of course, Qian Ruhai, the instigator of it all, was completely unaware of what was happening behind him. Once inside the city, he strolled about and noticed that the number of people here was unusually high—almost every street seemed crowded. Even stranger was that most of these people were martial artists, carrying various weapons and hurrying about. Logically speaking, he had been transported to a time three days before the official plot of the original *Skyward Sword* began—that is, three days before the birthday of Xiang Yingtian, the Alliance Leader of the Martial Arts World. At this point, these martial artists should have been heading to the Heroes’ Manor to attend Xiang Yingtian’s birthday banquet. So why were they here in this city? There was clearly some hidden agenda he wasn’t aware of, and he needed to find out. In the martial arts world, the places where information converged most naturally were taverns and brothels. He ruled out the brothels—he had no interest in those common women—so he found a luxurious-looking restaurant and walked inside. Instead of choosing a private room, he sat down right in the main hall. A waiter approached him immediately and asked respectfully, “What would you like to order?” “Bring me a few of your signature dishes and a pot of good wine. Here you go,” he said, tossing a small silver ingot onto the counter. The waiter caught it and immediately beamed. Most of the patrons here were big spenders, but few tipped this generously all at once—this was more than his monthly wages. He had already exchanged some of his gold and silver upon arrival, so he didn’t think much of it. At the waiter’s prompting, the dishes were served quickly. After dismissing him, he began listening to the various rumors circulating. Most of the wealthy patrons who came here were martial artists, so gossip about the martial arts world was naturally abundant. Seated at the table to his right were four martial artists—three middle-aged men accompanied by a young man, who appeared to belong to some martial arts sect. “Young Sect Master, isn’t the food here quite good?” one of the middle-aged men asked the young man ingratiatingly. The youth scowled with disdain. “Good my ass. Why the hell did we even come here? I’m living the high life back at the sect—eating fine food, drinking fine wine, and having maids to keep me company…” The three middle-aged men looked awkward as they replied, “Young Sect Master, home is indeed comfortable, but this is an order from the Sect Master himself. It’s a matter of great importance and will significantly boost your status and prestige within the sect.” “Are you sure? You’re telling me that so-called ‘Four Absolute Decree’ can save the Grand Elder and boost my prestige? That just doesn’t sound right to me.” The young man, addressed as the Young Sect Master, replied with a look of confusion and skepticism. His voice was loud, so nearly everyone in the tavern heard him, and the moment he finished speaking, all eyes turned to him. Cold sweat instantly broke out on the foreheads of the three middle-aged men, and they immediately said, “Young Sect Master, please be careful with your words.” “It seems your Young Sect Master doesn’t keep up with his duties. He doesn’t even know what the Four Absolute Edicts are, yet he dares to come here. He’s really asking for trouble,” a burly man at the next table sneered mockingly. He occupied an entire table by himself; his face was covered in deep scars that ran from beneath his eyes down to his chin, giving him a truly menacing appearance. However, the Young Sect Master wasn’t intimidated by him. He glared at the man and retorted, “You’re the one courting death. You seem to know the Four Absolute Edicts quite well. Go ahead, tell me—don’t just spout nonsense.” Hearing this, he became curious as well. He was quite eager to hear what this “Four Absolute Edict” was all about. It didn’t seem to exist in the original story, and he had a feeling it might have some connection to him. The burly man didn’t beat around the bush. He cut straight to the point: “There isn’t a single martial artist in the underworld who doesn’t know about the Four Absolutes Token. I suppose only a good-for-nothing brat like you would be unaware of it. The Four Absolutes Token is the emblem of the Four Absolutes Prince.” “The Four Absolutes Prince? What on earth is that…” Before the burly man could finish, the somewhat dim-witted young sect master interrupted. But the moment those words left his mouth—before he could even finish—the atmosphere in the entire tavern turned tense. Everyone stared at him as if he were an idiot, while the three middle-aged men accompanying him suddenly looked at him with fear and sternness, barking, “Young Sect Master, don’t spout nonsense. Be careful not to bring utter ruin upon us.” The young sect master wasn’t exactly a fool. Seeing the expressions and attitudes of his three subordinates—who usually treated him with the utmost respect—he realized he might have said the wrong thing, and that the consequences could be severe. So he changed the subject and said to the burly man, “My friend, please continue. I truly don’t know anything about the Four Absolutes Decree.” He now realized that the Four Absolute Edict was indeed connected to him—it was clearly an extension of the framework he had established. This piqued his interest, and he wanted to hear exactly what new elements had been added to it. “I’ll give you credit for knowing your place. Otherwise, your entire sect would likely have been wiped out. Don’t think I’m exaggerating—everyone here knows the fame of the Fourth Absolute Master. He is, after all, the greatest figure under heaven.” The burly man’s face lit up with admiration when he mentioned the Four Absolutes; anyone unaware might have thought the Four Absolutes was his own father. Of course, the other martial artists present also wore expressions of either admiration, wariness, or even fear—but the young sect master alone looked completely baffled. “The greatest under heaven?” He couldn’t help but glance at the three middle-aged men from his own sect and blurted out, “What’s going on here? If the Four Absolutes is truly the greatest under heaven, why isn’t his name on the Martial Arts Hall of Fame that Young Master Yu established?” At this, the three middle-aged men didn’t know how to respond. At the Summit of the Clouds, Gongzi Yu had established the Martial Arts Hall of Fame, which encompassed the top masters from every school and sect across the land—the Number One Fist, the Number One Sword, the Number One Hidden Weapon, and so on. It could be said to be the most authoritative ranking in the martial arts world. Yet the Four-Absolute Young Master was conspicuously absent. It was said this wasn’t because he was overrated, but because Young Master Yu dared not include him—or rather, lacked the authority to do so, as the Four-Absolute Young Master stood far, far above everyone else. Before the three middle-aged men could answer, the burly man spoke up: “Since you don’t even know the Four-Absolute Young Master, I’ll kindly give you a detailed introduction. After all, as someone who roams the martial world, not knowing the Four-Absolute Young Master is simply the biggest joke under heaven.” The young sect master’s voice had not been soft; as martial artists, everyone had heard him clearly. Upon hearing the burly man’s offer to introduce the Four-Master, the young sect master and the other newcomers to the martial world couldn’t help but perk up, eager to hear the secrets surrounding the Four-Master. Of course, this included Qian Ruhai himself. Although he had established his identity, the details were all extended and supplemented by the system, so he too wanted to see if the assigned identity suited his tastes. Seeing everyone listening intently, the burly man immediately felt a surge of pride. Even though he had absolutely no connection to the Four Absolutes, he felt an unparalleled sense of pride at that moment and began to speak at length: “'The Four-Absolute Young Master' is the name everyone uses to address this great master, and it has gradually become his title. In fact, the Young Master’s real name is... Why do people call him the Four-Absolute Young Master? Because he possesses the Four Absolutes.” “The First ‘Absolute’ is his peerless martial arts—the best in the world. Don’t doubt this. Don’t pay attention to any rankings, because they don’t apply to the Four Absolutes. The ‘Peak of the Clouds’ martial arts ranking, created by Young Master Yu, is considered the most fair and accurate. It encompasses all the top masters from every school and sect across the land—the World’s Number One Fist,the world’s finest sword, the world’s finest throwing weapons, and so on. Yet the Four-Master’s name is conspicuously absent. This isn’t because his martial arts are lacking, but because they’ve reached a terrifying level—so high that no one can be compared to him. Even Gongzi Yu dared not include the Four-Master’s name on the list. It is said that Prince Yu has lost only once—defeated in a single move by the Four Absolutes. Though he has never given a direct response, he has never denied it either, remaining silent all along. That alone speaks volumes.” “The Second Art: The Four Arts of Music, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting. It is said that the Fourth Peerless Prince’s mastery of these arts has reached the pinnacle of human achievement, surpassing anyone in the world. The calligraphy and paintings he has released are worth a fortune, truly reaching the point where a single character is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Do not think I am exaggerating; I have a friend who was fortunate enough to see some of the Fourth Peerless Prince’s works that have been circulated. A wealthy tycoon once paid a thousand taels of gold for a single character, and as for the paintings, legend has it that they cannot be obtained for less than a hundred thousand taels of gold.” Hearing this, many people couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment. The notion of him being the greatest in martial arts was merely a broad concept to them; after all, none had ever seen him in action. Although Gongzi Yu had been defeated by him, they hadn’t witnessed it firsthand either, so they couldn’t fathom just how formidable he truly was. But a single character fetching a thousand taels of gold—that was a vivid image. Who didn’t know the importance of money? Who didn’t need it? A single character was worth a thousand taels of gold. Keep in mind that one tael of gold was equal to ten taels of silver, and one tael of silver was enough to cover an ordinary family’s expenses for three months—or even half a year for some poorer families. To put it more simply, even the finest mansion in the prime location of Yuntian City wouldn’t fetch more than a few dozen taels of gold. One can only imagine the value of these calligraphy and paintings. A single character is enough to ensure a person’s financial security for a lifetime, let alone a painting worth 100,000 taels of gold—that is an unimaginably vast sum. “The Third Secret: Killing to Deliver a Message—neither good nor evil. It means exactly what it says. Rumor has it that the Four Secrets Prince follows neither the righteous path nor the evil path; he acts entirely on his own whims, doing as he pleases and roaming the world freely. If a demon cultivator provokes him, he kills; if a great virtuous person provokes him, he kills just the same. His wrath is contagious—if one person provokes him, the entire family and the entire sect are implicated.” “Don’t think this is a joke. In fact, there was a sect back then that served as a living example. Do you still remember the Sun Heaven Sect?” The burly man paused here.