Peace, as it turned out, was a subscription service. And Jiang Fan's free trial had just expired.
It happened at noon. Jiang Fan was in the middle of a very important meeting (he was debating with Snack whether a nap in the sun was better than a nap in the shade).
Suddenly, the sky above Sector 01 tore open.
There were no ships this time. No invading armies. Just a massive, blinding rift of golden light that turned the clouds into shimmering curtains.
"Oh, come on," Jiang Fan groaned, shielding his eyes. "I just adjusted the brightness on my eye mask."
From the rift, a voice boomed. It wasn't a person shouting; it was a magical projection that resonated in the bones of every living thing for a hundred miles.
"HEAR YE! HEAR YE!"
"I can hear you!" Jiang Fan yelled back at the sky. "You're at volume 100! Turn it down to a 4!"
The voice ignored him.
"The Eternal Emperor announces the GRAND TOURNAMENT OF THE FIVE EMPIRES!"
A massive scroll materialized in the sky, written in flaming golden runes.
"To celebrate the Millennial Alignment, the Imperial Vault shall be opened. The strongest warriors under the heavens are summoned to the Capital."
"The Champion shall receive the ultimate prize: THE HEART OF THE CELESTIAL DRAGON."
"One Wish. One Miracle. Boundless Power."
The projection ended with a deafening gong sound, and a single golden invitation card floated down from the heavens. It drifted slowly, lazily, until it landed right on Jiang Fan's face.
Plap.
Jiang Fan peeled the card off his nose.
"Littering," he muttered. "They are literally littering from space."
THE WAR ROOM
Ten minutes later, the team was gathered in the Command Center. The golden card sat on the table, pulsing with an annoying rhythmic light.
"The Heart of the Celestial Dragon," Su Qing whispered. She was leaning forward, sniffing the card. "It smells like... ozone. And ancient blood. And infinite possibility."
"It is a myth," The Princess said from her floating Lotus Pod. She looked pale. "The First Emperor used it to build the Capital in a single day. It is said to possess the power of a God."
"A wish," Yun Xi crossed her arms. "Like a genie?"
"More like a reality editor," Gu Ling corrected, analyzing the energy signature of the card. "It manipulates the laws of causality. If you wish for a mountain to vanish, it doesn't blow it up; it rewrites history so the mountain never existed."
Jiang Fan sat in his chair, spinning the golden card between his fingers. He looked bored.
"So," Jiang Fan yawned. "It's a magic rock. Who cares? I have a comfortable bed and 0% tax. Why would I go to the Capital to fight a bunch of sweaty muscle-heads?"
"Because," Su Qing turned her head toward the Princess. "The Heart can knit what cannot be knit. It can bridge the gap between flesh and spirit."
The room went silent.
Jiang Fan stopped spinning the card.
He looked at the Princess.
She was sitting in her pod, her paralyzed legs hidden beneath her silk dress. She had made progress—she could move four feet on the parallel bars—but she was still broken. Her cultivation was stalled. Her nervous system was a dead end.
"A miracle," Jiang Fan murmured.
"It could fix the nerves," Su Qing confirmed softly. "Completely. It could restore the Heavenly Sword Physique to its peak. Maybe even higher."
The Princess looked down at her hands.
"Jiang Fan," she whispered. "Don't. It's a trap. My father... he knows you defeated General Boru. He knows I am here. This tournament... it's a way to draw you out. If you go to the Capital, you are walking into the lion's den."
"I hate lions," Jiang Fan said. "They have bad breath."
He stood up. He walked over to the window and looked out at the rehabilitation garden where the Princess struggled every day.
He thought about the way she flinched when her pod hit a bump. He thought about the shame in her eyes when she had to be carried up the stairs.
He turned around.
"Yun Xi," Jiang Fan said.
"Yes, Master?"
"Pack the bags. We're going to the Capital."
"Jiang Fan!" The Princess spun her pod around. "Did you hear me? It's a death trap! Every Grandmaster, every hidden monster, every assassin will be there! They will kill you!"
"Let them try," Jiang Fan shrugged. "I have a maid."
Yun Xi smirked and cracked her knuckles.
"Besides," Jiang Fan walked over to the Princess. He leaned down, resting his hands on the armrests of her pod, trapping her gaze.
"You owe me rent," he said softly. "And you can't work off your debt if you're stuck in this chair forever. I need my tenant fully operational."
The Princess stared at him. She knew he was lying. He didn't care about the rent.
He was going to war with the entire world... just to get her legs back.
Tears welled up in her eyes. "You are an idiot," she choked out.
"I know," Jiang Fan smiled. "Now, go pack your fancy dresses. We're going to crash a party."
THE PREPARATION
The next hour was a flurry of activity.
Gu Ling was in the workshop, screaming at her machines.
"Upgrade! Faster!" she yelled, welding a new plating onto the Sky-Whale Airship. "If we are going to the Capital, we need shields that can withstand a God-Tier strike. And cup holders! We forgot cup holders last time!"
Yun Xi was in the armory. She wasn't packing clothes. She was packing an arsenal.
"Spiked mace. Check. Combat broom. Check. Poisoned hairpins. Check." She looked at a massive Warhammer. "Is this too formal for a dinner party? No. It makes a statement."
Su Qing was in the garden, harvesting every rare herb she could find.
"Painkillers," she muttered, stuffing jars into a bag. "Stimulants. Anti-fear toxins. And... breath mints. For the lions."
Jiang Fan was in his room.
He was packing the essentials:
His favorite pillow.
A bag of spicy dried squid.
Snack, the Void-Eater kitten.
"Meow?" Snack asked, watching Jiang Fan stuff a blanket into a spatial ring.
"We're going on a trip, buddy," Jiang Fan explained. "Lots of people to eat. Try not to get fat."
THE DEPARTURE
The sun was setting as the team boarded the upgraded airship.
It looked different now. Gu Ling had painted it matte black with violet trim. The Sector 01 logo—a stylized sleeping eye—was painted on the side.
The Princess floated up the ramp last. She stopped at the top and looked back at the mountain sanctuary.
"I swore I wouldn't go back," she whispered. "Not until I could walk."
"You aren't going back as a failure," Jiang Fan said, appearing beside her. "You're going back as part of the winning team."
He put a hand on her shoulder.
"System," Jiang Fan called out. "Launch."
HUMMMMM.
The anti-gravity engines roared to life. The ship lifted off, shaking the dust from the plaza.
They ascended through the clouds, leaving the safety of the sect behind. Ahead of them, far to the north, lay the Imperial Capital. A city of dragons, politics, and power.
Jiang Fan stood on the prow of the ship, the wind blowing through his robes.
[ System Quest Updated: The Grand Tournament ] [ Difficulty: Nightmare ] [ Objective: Win the Dragon's Heart. ] [ Side Objective: Don't let the Emperor execute you. ]
Jiang Fan opened his fan with a sharp snap.
"Capital City," Jiang Fan grinned. "I hope you have comfortable chairs. Because I'm going to sit on your throne."
He turned to his team.
"Full speed ahead. I want to get there before the buffet closes."