"Please, stop jinxing us..."

March 7th glared at Xing discontentedly: "I'm offering a beautiful blessing; you are the one jinxing us!"

Just then, Yanqing sent a message to Xing, saying he had received notification from the Sky-Faring Commission and was waiting for them at the Starcruiser Sea.

"Yanqing said the General sent him to pick us up, but where is he?" Xing looked around. Today, the Starcruiser Sea was packed with people, making it very difficult to locate the still-growing Yanqing in the crowd.

"Let's wait for him in front of the Weaving Loom. That's the most noticeable landmark on the dock."

The three walked to a crossroads when suddenly a Pepeshi tourist waved at them repeatedly, wanting to ask if the three of them were familiar with the local situation on the Xianzhou.

"We know a little. How can we help?"

The robotic tourist beside him said, "The two of us are from Penacony. Perhaps you've heard of it? We came to the Xianzhou this time to collect some interesting dream materials."

Simply put, they wanted someone familiar with the Xianzhou to recommend a few places worth visiting.

Xing was extremely familiar with this, and immediately pointed to the towering ancient tree in the distance: "Go climb to the top of the Ambrosial Arbor!"

"Hey! Don't randomly give people terrible ideas that will get them arrested!"

The Robotic Guy laughed, "Haha... you are truly interesting. Please give us some more reliable suggestions."

"...Wait a moment. That idea might not be so bad. Fortune favors the bold! Come on, let's go climb the tree!" Saying this, the Pepeshi ran toward the distant ancient tree, their eyes shining.

"Hey! Don't walk so fast! Hey... at least don't rat us out if something happens! Ugh, I hope they don't cause any trouble... That's truly unsettling."

——

One-Punch Man.

"M-Master...! I just heard something!"

"Heard what?"

Katana of the Rolling Hill's eyes suddenly lit up, and he said impatiently, "Just now, I heard two passersby next to Xing discussing that other Generals would be attending this Xianzhou Martial Exhibition!"

"Other Generals?!" Iaian was stunned for a moment. "I recall that the Generals of the Xianzhou are all Emanators of The Hunt, right? Doesn't that mean this Xianzhou Martial Exhibition will become a gathering place for multiple Emanators? Then the Xianzhou is very safe now, and we don't have to worry about the Lord Ravager causing trouble again."

"But the Lord Ravager is only one of the many enemies of the Xianzhou." Samurai Drill crossed his arms and said plainly, "The true enemies are the Abominations of Abundances that can never be fully killed or eradicated... I just fear those Abomination coming to cause trouble."

"Abomination?" Katana of the Rolling Hill couldn't help but chuckle. "Hey, hey... this isn't the usual Xianzhou Luofu, where only General Jing Yuan is stationed. This is the Luofu with'several' Emanators of The Hunt present. Even if the Abomination wanted to cause trouble, they wouldn't choose this time, right? Isn't that just asking to die?"

"Indeed, even the Lord Ravager probably wouldn't want to pick a fight with the Luofu right now." Atomic Samurai wiped the sword in his hand. "I just wonder how the other Generals compare to Jing Yuan? Speaking of which... Jing Yuan should be considered one of the stronger Generals, right?"

"Master, I think he must be the strongest. If you think about it differently, he is Jingliu's apprentice, one of the High-Cloud Quintet, and we've all witnessed his martial arts. Plus, he has the Divine Foresight helping him. Unless other Generals also have Divine Foresight... or a more powerful Lightning Lord."

Atomic Samurai nodded, not denying his disciples' statements. "That makes sense... but we shouldn't underestimate the other Generals. Anyone who can serve as a General in the Xianzhou must have their unique strengths."

——

"Look, Yanqing seems to have arrived."

They spotted Yanqing from afar. His figure stood out noticeably in the crowd, and... he seemed slightly different.

After meeting up with him, March 7th scrutinized him several times, finally realizing what was different.

"Although it doesn't feel like much time has passed since we left, Yanqing, are you..."

"What is it, Miss March 7th?"

"They say if you're not paying attention, little children can suddenly grow up so much that even adults don't recognize them. Yanqing, have you... grown a little taller?"

Dan Heng sighed silently: "We've only been gone for a few months."

(Did he really grow up? I don't believe it...)

Taking Yanqing by surprise, Xing quickly reached out and pinched his cheek.

Hmm, it felt great. March 7th's words were true.

Yanqing was startled and backed up several steps. "Eh? Teacher, what are you doing?"

Xing's mind raced, and she immediately came up with a brilliant excuse: "Sorry, the adventures over the past few stops have developed my habit of caution. We have to be wary of the first person who appears to greet us in any new place."

Yanqing immediately stood at attention, greatly admiring Xing's vigilance: "You're wary of me too?"

"You know, the last time we came to the Xianzhou, the first person to greet us was..."

Yanqing nodded: "Yanqing understands. It's good to be cautious."

——

Demon Slayer.

"I I I I I... I want to touch too!!"

Looking at Yanqing's fair cheeks, Mitsuri Kanroji was instantly overjoyed. Yanqing was simply too adorable!

"Youth, swordsman, genius... we happen to have a stand-in right here." Shinazugawa glanced at Muichiro Tokito beside him, but the latter seemed to have anticipated something and had already hidden away somewhere.

Stone Hashira clasped his hands together, two lines of tears slowly streaming down: "I heard those pedestrians say that other Generals would be attending this ceremony. I wonder if any of them are experts in using weapons like axes, hammers, or similar tools?"

Serpent Hashira Iguro Obanai said lightly, "Do you also want to improve your Breathing Style?"

"Exactly."

"But honestly, even if such experts appear, the Xianzhou's techniques might not suit us. The 'Ice Breathing' Muichiro developed is already enough for us to practice. To this day, besides him, it seems no one else has been able to fully learn those forms, right?"

Muichiro's Breathing Style was developed based on Jingliu's swordsmanship, naturally incorporating Jingliu's vastly different sword techniques. Although Muichiro himself mastered it quickly, the other Pillars' Talent were not on par with his, and their attempts all ended in failure.

Especially Stone Hashira... his weapon has nothing to do with a sword at all. He probably wants to see if there are any masters of other weapons who can inspire him this time?

——

Yanqing explained that the people coming and going here were not only residents of the Realm Within but also guests traveling from other planets.

"The General said that for the Luofu to recover and rise again after the disaster, this Martial Exhibition Ceremony is precisely what is needed. It demonstrates military virtue, stabilizes the public, boosts morale, and also provides an opportunity to invite guests from friendly nations to visit, fostering trade and peace."

"Speaking of which, the Alliance pays great attention to this ceremony. Both the Xianzhou Zhuming and the Xianzhou Yaoqing have dispatched envoys to offer congratulations!"

"Xianzhou Zhuming?"

"Yes. I wonder if Teacher has heard of the name 'Thousand Stars Forge'? It supplies five or six tenths of the Cloud Knights' armament technology. The Xianzhou Zhuming has always been famous for its skilled craftsmen. I heard that General Huaiyan himself is a leader among artisans. Ah... if I could be lucky enough to receive a treasured sword forged by his own hands, I'd probably wake up laughing in my sleep."

March 7th asked curiously, "By the way, Yanqing, where should we go next?"

Yanqing quickly patted his head and apologized: "Ah, look at me, just standing here rambling on about nothing. The General asked me to bring you all to the Palace of the Stars for a short rest. He hasn't seen you all in a long time and wants to hear about the Astral Express's recent news."

Seeing Yanqing's slightly serious demeanor, March 7th couldn't help but chuckle: "This little adult shows his childish side whenever he talks about something he's interested in."

"He's really cute."

March 7th nodded vigorously: "Indeed."