The Imperial Study was silent. Emperor Xuanwu sat there alone, his expression grave.
Outside, guards stood watch in plain sight and in hiding, sealing the Imperial Study so tightly that not even water could pass through.
As the guards kept their stern vigil, footsteps sounded.
They turned at once. When they saw who had arrived, they made way and greeted him respectfully. "This subordinate pays his respects to Lord Qin."
Qin An nodded slightly without speaking, then walked toward the Imperial Study.
Before long, he reached its doors.
He pushed them open and immediately saw Emperor Xuanwu's grave expression.
Qin An paused to think, then slowly closed the doors behind him. "Your Majesty, you must have summoned me for something important. What is it? Does it have to do with the Mysterious World?"
If Emperor Xuanwu had called him here, it had to be about the Mysterious World.
So Qin An asked before the emperor could speak.
Sure enough, Emperor Xuanwu answered at once.
"That's right. Just as you thought, it concerns the Mysterious World. They've sent us a message."
As he spoke, Emperor Xuanwu placed a sheet of paper on the desk and slid it toward Qin An.
Qin An paused in surprise, then picked it up and examined it carefully.
The paper looked exactly like the one he had seen before. Its writing was strange, and he could not read it.
But Qin An had learned from last time. Without hesitation, he immersed his Void Essence in the paper.
The paper responded immediately, releasing stream after stream of information.
Once Qin An had absorbed it all, he understood.
"So that's it. They've finished their preparations. Now we only need to make ours, enter that world at the final moment, and join them in a battle that will shake