If the assassin truly belonged to the Yan Family, Jiang Zhu had ample strength and motive to storm the Yan Family.
"Hmph! You had better leave soon." In the end, Second Commander Chi Ge did not attack, but left in anger with the soldiers.
The days that followed were calm, with no further assassination attempts.
At dawn on the fifth day, a distant, desolate horn resounded throughout the city. Its ancient, mournful call seemed to have crossed the long river of time and space.
Everyone set out silently, converging on the central square. In the blink of an eye, a dark sea of people packed the square, their densely clustered figures forming an unbroken mass.
The Reception Envoy appeared once more on the raised platform. His figure remained indistinct, the void warping where he stood, as though he were an illusion.
Only his eyes shone like golden lamps, so piercing that no one dared look directly at them.
"This was the horn the ancestors of the Human Clan sounded when they pioneered the cosmos and fought on its frontiers. Listen well, all of you!" The Reception Envoy's voice was exceedingly stern.
The ancient horn echoed across the square, carrying the aura of a savage age, as though drawing everyone into that ancient world of harsh environments where ferocious birds and beasts roamed unchecked.
The horn stopped abruptly, and the Reception Envoy spoke again. "Today, you will enter the Trial Grounds. Your goal is the profound meaning of the Great Dao. Anyone without the insight for this may withdraw now!"
His words were as brief as ever. Having spoken, he vanished from the stone platform, unwilling to explain anything further.
Even those who felt dissatisfied dared not complain. If they angered the City Lord, they might not even make it out