The New Thousand Wood Temple (Please Subscribe, Please Vote)

True Sun Mountain.

This miraculous region had endured a hundred years of upheaval and had now barely settled down. On the surface, it fell under the jurisdiction of the Great Harmony Imperial Court, but in truth, aside from the governors and commanders at the top of the three regions, the counties and prefectural offices below were all controlled by local great clans.

At every imperial examination, these great clans had quite a few juren slots. With an imperial decree, they could directly become Juren gentlemen, then assume the posts of chief officials in prefectures and counties.

North of True Sun Mountain's main peak, more than a dozen county towns had been built along the mountain. For historical reasons, these towns all harbored some grudge against one another, and armed brawls frequently broke out. Every time, the Single Saber Sect on True Sun Mountain had to step in to settle the dispute.

The Single Saber Sect's grounds stood before the former golden statue of Lord Xiaoshan.

The once-majestic statue had long been destroyed in the turmoil more than a hundred years ago. The place where the golden statue had stood was now a vast reservoir, with mountain springs extending down from True Sun Mountain's summit on either side. It was one of the region's main water sources.

Built around the reservoir, the Single Saber Sect was a small city encircling the mountain. There were several thousand disciples in the city, and with their families included, its population approached fifty thousand. It was one of the largest cities in the region. To feed so many people, terraced fields stretched endlessly beside the mountain springs on both sides of the city.

Early this morning, the bells at the sect gate rang throughout the city and beyond. Then all the sect's inner sect disciples