He made his leisurely way to the shores of Azure Sea Lake.
A gentle breeze swept across ten thousand expanses of jade-green water, stirring ripples upon ripples. The vast lake stretched beyond sight, washing the heart clean and leaving the mind refreshed.
Along the shore, tracts of spirit farmland had been reclaimed one after another, their paths interlinked, spreading into a boundless plain of spirit soil.
The crops were nearly ripe now. Every ear of spirit rice bore plump, golden grains, swaying gently in the wind.
An ornate pleasure barge lay moored by the shore, its cabins rising four or five stories high, with vermilion paint and sweeping eaves-a magnificent sight.
A great banner snapped from its mast, embroidered with a fierce tiger totem. One glance identified it as a flagship of the Water Tiger Tribe, one of Azure Sea Lake's Nine Great Clans.
Sixty years ago, the Water Tiger Tribe had backed the Dragon Monarch in his bid to secure the throne. From then on, its fortunes had soared, its influence growing by the day.
Once ranked near the bottom of the Nine Great Clans, the Water Tiger Tribe had now risen to the forefront, only slightly behind the Top Three Clans.
Over the years, its descendants had carried themselves with unbending arrogance in the Azure Sea Dragon Palace, forever striking the pose of loyal defenders of monarch and lake.
They dared defy the Top Three Clans above them and reprimand the other clans below. These years had brought them boundless glory, with none to rival their prominence.
"Idiot! Watch what you're doing!"
"These lake fields are under the Dragon Palace's jurisdiction! Damage so much as a hair of them, and you'll have more trouble than you can carry!"
"**Die if you want, but don't drag me down with