It took some time for madam Ge's composure to return.

“Say, Old Tie, are you sure he is your disciple or your enemy? Did this boy wrong you in his past life?” she stared at him incredulously.

“What? I just said he is my disciple. Has making too much wine blocked your ears?” Tie Nse asked mildly, his eyes trained at the fire.

“Baju Valley, that is not a place you send a precious disciple. It's not even a place you send your enemy,” she stared at him in disbelief.

“Like I said, he is beyond special,” Tie Nse said solemnly, taking a sip of his wine.

“Nobody is that special. That is not a training ground, Old Tie. That is an execution ground! Have you lost your mind?” Madam Ge asked.

“It doesn't matter anyway, surviving there will raise his chances of staying alive when he returns,”

“If he will die here, why not let him die in peace?”

“He refuses to die, so this is the path he must take,”

“So, you have been sitting here for ten years waiting for the disciple you placed in the valley? You really are mad. Even someone like you would not survive a day in there. You know that. Do you really believe he will come out?” Madam Ge asked in disbelief. She had always said this old man was not alright in the head, but she had never thought he was this far gone.

“He is not dead,” Tie Nse said softly, but she still heard him.

“How do you know?”

“The life stone. It has not shattered yet,” Tie Nse said and the woman looked at the stone on the small table beside him. She had seen it the moment he walked in but had never thought he had made the rock a life stone.

“Impossible. Do you know the implications of what you are saying? The Baju Valley has weakened?” she stared at his bowed head.

“If it has, all the patriarchies of the realm would have known,” TIe Nse answered.

“Then you made a mistake. He is not in that valley or that stone is not connected to his life. That stone cannot possibly be connected to someone in the Baju valley,”

“I told you before; he is special. There has never been anything like him ever seen before. If not, those who had seen were too busy staring with their mouth open to leave a record,”

“Still, isn't Baju Valley a little much?” she frowned. If such a person exists, shouldn't he be more careful with training him?

“Baju Valley?” Tie Nse scuffed, “The heavens themselves, wish to kill him,”

Silence took over the restaurant as Madam Ge no more wanted him to leave. She too wished to see the person that survives the Baju Valley.

Silence may have taken the restaurant, but that could not be said for the rest of the world.

Lady Jian had entered seclusion to train the moment she returned, only leaving a sentence behind,” When I come out, I will kill you,” she had said to one of the elders who returned with her. This sent her entire clan into an uproar. Many wanted to know what Elder Hu had done.

Lady Jian's parents had rushed over to see her when they heard she had returned but she had not waited for them, swiftly entering seclusion before they arrived.

The Emperor Sage Academy was preparing for the Godhand meet in five years. Anyone that passed would have the chance to be chosen by the Godhand gate. To be trained with the resources of the Godhand gate, that person was sure to become a power in his generation.

Not only the Emperor Sage Academy but even other sects and schools in the area were also preparing for this. Yes, there were still five years remaining, but what were five years in their world?

The Godhand meet is a competition between those of the spirit merging stage to the spirit awakening stage. This was an opportunity for the Godhand gate to see the talents of the younger generation and accept them into their fold. This was a necessary ritual as all the gates wished to maintain their strength and this was a way to make sure that they have the best talents across all generations.

The entire Sage empire and other empires were getting ready. Like the sage empire, most royal families only sent their children to the best schools to train them, but the children maintained their titles. This was necessary as the empires wanted to take the entire glory when their children entered the Godhand gate.

Already many of the younger generation's names were resounding across different empires. This was normal around this time as many wishing to participate in the Godhand meet would be venturing out of their sects and schools, coincidentally meeting those of the same generation and challenging them to a fight.

These coincidences would usually resound across empires after the clash, raising the reputation of the ones in question. These coincidences were not all ego trips, but also helped the younger generation gauge their opponents' strength before the Godhand meet.

These coincidences were the talk of all the gathering spots as they loved this time the most. People gathered around taverns and inns to discuss the powers displayed by the younger generation. When fights broke, news spread so fast and those that can approach to watch do with kin eyes so that they might tell all that wish to hear. All the regions under the Godhand gate were very entertained.

But of course, these also caused conflicts between large powers as stars were created on the backs of those that fell. As such, those powers that had their disciples killed by a stronger opponent did not take kindly to this, causing a feud across generations.

While these happened, Ed remained in the Baju valley. He had lost track of time and did not know how long he had been there. All through, he had gone through different terrains and experiences. Forests to mountains to deserts to sea. The more environments he passed, the more difficult it was. But he triumphed all till the air around him stiffened as he sat at the bottom of a great sea, relaxed and still. All went black, like his first night in the valley, but he did not panic. Soon, he opened his eyes to a farming plain and a run-down restaurant sitting ahead.

The moment he opened his eyes, all the patriarchs and heads of the great powers in the realms, all those who controlled the gates, including Tie Nse and Madam Ge sitting in the restaurant were alerted.

Someone had escaped the Baju valley.