A few more days later, trouble came. The day had been completely ordinary until sunset. Then, without warning, Jin Nan walked through Green Willow Village and calmly announced that everything was shutting down for the night. Shops closed their doors. Farmers returned from the fields. Children were called indoors. Standing in the center of the village, Nan spoke in a tone nobody had heard from him before. "Until the next sunrise, do not leave your homes. No matter what you hear or feel, stay inside tonight." He offered no explanation and answered no questions. Strangely, nobody argued. Over the past months, the villagers had learned to trust him completely. Within less than 1 hour, every home was sealed, every lantern extinguished, and every street emptied.
Back at the Golden Gate Sect, the 11 disciples were just as confused. They gathered in the courtyard expecting an explanation, but Nan simply pointed toward the terrace overlooking the village below. "Tonight, all 11 of you will remain there and observe," he said. "Do not interfere. Do not speak unless necessary. Just watch." Even Joong Khan looked puzzled by the unusual instructions. The disciples quickly took their positions on the terrace as darkness slowly spread across the valley. From their elevated position, they could see every house in Green Willow Village. Not a single light remained visible. The entire settlement looked abandoned. The atmosphere became increasingly tense as the last traces of sunlight disappeared beyond the distant mountains.
Finally, Nan turned toward Joong Khan. "Come with me." The two walked down the mountain together until they reached the large apple tree standing near the entrance of the village. It was the same tree beneath which travelers often rested during the day. Nan casually sat down beneath its branches and leaned against the trunk. "Stand here with me and wait," he said. Joong Khan glanced around but sensed nothing unusual. The village was silent. The roads were empty. Even the insects seemed strangely absent. Yet looking at Nan's expression, he knew something was coming. For the first time since joining the Golden Gate Sect, the Sage looked completely serious. Above them, the first stars began appearing in the night sky.
As the night deepened, Joong Khan continued watching the sky. At first, everything appeared normal. Then he noticed something strange. The stars above were becoming brighter. Far brighter than any stars should be. A few moments later, they seemed larger as well, as though they were slowly descending toward the earth. His eyes widened as he focused his spiritual sense. Those were not stars. They were flying vessels. Dozens of them. Each radiating powerful spiritual fluctuations. From the terrace above, the 11 disciples had noticed them as well. The lights continued growing larger until their outlines became visible against the darkness. What had seemed like stars were actually enormous ships sailing through the heavens.
Beside him, Jin Nan looked up and smiled. To Joong Khan's surprise, the Sage seemed more curious than concerned. After studying the approaching fleet for several seconds, he casually remarked, "This sect is still around? Hmm." The comment immediately sent a chill down Joong Khan's spine. His gaze snapped back toward the sky. He finally recognized the symbols engraved along the sides of the flying vessels. Towering structures pierced the clouds painted upon banners of silver and black. His face paled. There was only 1 faction with those markings. The Skyscraping Sect. A surviving power from the 5th Great War and one of the 8 Venerable Sects serving under the Wang Empire. Their influence stretched across countless territories.
Joong Khan's heart began racing. Even in his wandering years, he had only heard stories about them. Such a force should have had no reason to visit a remote village like Green Willow. Yet there they were. More than 30 heavenly vessels slowly descended from the clouds, blotting out entire sections of the night sky. The pressure alone would have terrified ordinary cultivators. Looking around, however, he found something even more shocking. Jin Nan wasn't worried. Not even slightly. The Sage simply remained seated beneath the apple tree as though waiting for old acquaintances to arrive. His expression carried neither fear nor hostility. If anything, he looked mildly amused. That realization unsettled Joong Khan far more than the fleet itself.
The fleet continued descending from the heavens until the individual cultivators became visible. Joong Khan's expression grew increasingly grim as he counted the forces gathering above Green Willow Village. Before he could finish, Jin Nan casually beat him to it. "8,000. They really had 8,000 warriors," he remarked while leaning against the apple tree. His eyes casually swept across the sky. "30 Golden Cores leading several hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators. The rest are Qi Gathering and Qi Refining disciples." He chuckled softly. "They have truly taken this little Sage seriously." Hearing those numbers nearly made Joong Khan's heart stop. This wasn't a force meant to punish a village. This was an army large enough to conquer entire regions.
Above them, massive ships spread across the sky in formation. Spiritual lights illuminated the clouds while banners bearing the emblem of the Skyscraping Sect fluttered in the wind. Powerful auras rolled across the valley like crashing waves. Even standing beside Jin Nan, Joong Khan could feel the overwhelming pressure. From the terrace above, the 11 disciples watched silently as instructed. Not a single one moved. Not because they weren't afraid, but because their Sage had told them to observe. And so they observed. Meanwhile, Jin Nan looked more interested in counting ships than preparing for battle. "They even brought siege formations," he noted. "Someone spent a lot of money organizing this little visit."
Then Jin Nan snapped his fingers. The sound was soft, yet it echoed throughout the valley like thunder. Instantly, golden light erupted from the mountains surrounding Green Willow Village. Countless glowing lines appeared across the earth before connecting into a massive barrier that rose into the sky. The entire valley disappeared beneath a dome of shimmering gold. At the same time, the sign above the Golden Gate Sect began glowing brighter and brighter. The 3 characters radiated a brilliant golden light that quickly overwhelmed the moon and stars themselves. For several moments, the night ceased to exist. There was only gold. Standing beneath the apple tree, Jin Nan smiled faintly. "Now then," he said, looking toward the approaching army. "Let's see what kind of lesson tonight has prepared."
For several moments, nobody moved. The golden barrier stretched across the entire valley while the words Golden Gate Sect shone like a second sun in the night sky. Even the cultivators aboard the flying ships became visibly unsettled. Their original plan had been simple. Arrive with overwhelming force, crush the village's resistance, and drag the mysterious Sage back to answer for humiliating Black River City. Now they weren't so sure. Standing at the front of the fleet was an elderly Golden Core cultivator wearing black robes embroidered with silver towers. He stepped forward and amplified his voice with spiritual energy. "Green Willow Village! By order of the Skyscraping Sect, surrender the false Sage immediately!" His words rolled across the valley like thunder.
Jin Nan looked around in confusion. "False Sage?" he asked Joong Khan. "Are they talking about me?" Joong Khan wisely chose not to answer. Above them, several Golden Core elders exchanged frustrated looks. One of them pointed directly at Jin Nan. "You are charged with establishing an unauthorized sect, resisting lawful authority, and interfering with regional governance!" Hearing this, Nan suddenly burst out laughing. He laughed so hard that he had to wipe tears from his eyes. The sound echoed across the silent valley. "Unauthorized?" he asked between laughs. "Do people need permission to build a hut now? If I build a chicken coop tomorrow, should I report that too?" Several disciples watching from the terrace struggled to suppress their own laughter.
The leading elder's face darkened. "Enough! Attack the barrier!" he roared. Instantly, dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators and 30 Golden Core experts unleashed techniques toward the golden dome. Sword lights, fireballs, spiritual spears, and countless other attacks crashed into the barrier simultaneously. The resulting explosion illuminated the entire region. Yet when the smoke cleared, the barrier remained completely untouched. Not even a ripple appeared on its surface. The entire army fell silent. Under the apple tree, Jin Nan tilted his head. "Hmm." He looked genuinely puzzled. "Was that the attack?" The elder's expression froze. Joong Khan, meanwhile, was beginning to suspect that his Sage might be far more terrifying than anyone had imagined.
Jin Nan watched the stunned army for a few seconds before casually reaching up and snapping off a branch from the apple tree above him. The branch was ordinary in every way. No spiritual fluctuations. No inscriptions. No treasures hidden within it. He handed it to Joong Khan. "Use this." Before Khan could ask why, Nan pointed toward one of the Golden Core cultivators hovering in the sky. The Sage flicked a finger. Instantly, the cultivator's face changed. An invisible force slammed into him and sent him crashing from the heavens like a falling meteor. He struck the ground several hundred meters away, carving a deep crater into the earth. "Good," Nan said. "Now go fight." Joong Khan stared at the branch in his hand and sighed.
The Golden Core elder climbed from the crater covered in dirt and humiliation. His cultivation was unharmed, but his pride had suffered tremendous damage. Seeing that his opponent was merely an Early Stage Golden Core cultivator wielding a tree branch, his anger immediately exploded. "You dare mock me?" he roared. Before anyone else could interfere, however, the earth suddenly shook. Massive roots burst from beneath the apple tree and spread outward in every direction. They twisted together, forming a gigantic circular arena around the two Golden Core cultivators. The roots climbed dozens of meters high, creating a living wall that sealed the battlefield from the outside world. The watching army immediately grew restless.
Then the thorns appeared. Countless black thorns sprouted from every root surrounding the arena. A strange mist slowly drifted from them and spread through the air. Almost immediately, the surrounding cultivators felt their spiritual energy become sluggish. Several Foundation Establishment cultivators turned pale. Even the Golden Core elders felt their cores tremble uneasily. Whatever poison the thorns carried, it was powerful enough to threaten them. Inside the arena, however, neither Joong Khan nor his opponent seemed affected. Jin Nan sat beneath the apple tree and yawned. "No interruptions," he announced casually. On the terrace above, the 11 disciples watched with shining eyes. Their first lesson under Sword Master Joong was about to begin.