The participating teams from the nations across All-Under-Heaven set off for the River Viewing Terrace.
The Qi State team departed from Linzi, headed west through Zheng Kingdom, skirted the northern edge of Jing Kingdom, then crossed Ji Kingdom and traveled from Wo Kingdom to the River Viewing Terrace.
As it happened, Jing Kingdom lay directly west of Qi State, and the River Viewing Terrace lay directly west of Jing Kingdom.
The Qi State team could have gone straight through Jing Kingdom and headed west the whole way. It was obviously the fastest route.
But obviously, that was impossible...
For one thing, when Qi State's cavalry crossed the border, if the Jing Kingdom authorities ordered them to disarm, would they obey or not?
And Jing Kingdom's many rules and Daoist rites—would they follow them or not?
They were both among the six great powers of All-Under-Heaven. If one side yielded to the other, neither would come out looking good.
So they might as well let the main road stretch to the horizon and each take their own path.
Every year, Qi State's team made the long detour through Wo Kingdom to reach the River Viewing Terrace.
Jing Kingdom, for its part, said nothing and let them go whichever way they pleased.
The "Land of Fertile Soil" was naturally blessed with excellent terrain and very fertile land.
But what had truly made this small nation prosperous was the Yellow River Assembly.
The so-called "Yellow River stretch" of the Land Vast Sea lay between Wo Kingdom and Jingtian Mansion in Jing Kingdom.
Beyond Wo Kingdom to the west lay the Pegasus Plateau.
There was no need to speak of the nations to the south. Most teams coming from the north had to pass through Wo Kingdom on their way to the River Viewing