So, Yuzhen's breakthrough changed things, and not just the road itself. It was the people around him. Even though no one in the Bia convoy was saying it out loud every few minutes, you could feel the shift. The guards were paying him a bit more attention, the servants were being more careful with whatever they brought him, and even the younger disciples who weren't directly involved kept looking his way longer than before. It wasn't about feeling special, just acknowledging reality. By the second day after his breakthrough, even Anhe had stopped making the same joke every time they bumped into each other. They still made plenty of jokes, just not the exact same one.
The convoy was on flatter ground now, the mountain pass and that whole beast attack thing were behind them, though not so far back that people had forgotten. Damaged carts had been fixed or replaced, and the guards who got hurt were riding now instead of walking. The group had gotten back into order, but the easygoing vibe from before was gone. That's pretty normal, really. Once blood's been spilled on a journey, nobody's treating it like a leisurely stroll anymore.
That afternoon, the Bia family stopped near a big trade relay station by a river crossing. It was larger than the last few places they'd passed, with three long courtyards, a spirit beast stable, a merchant square, and enough going on that even prominent families had to share the road instead of dominating it. Of course, the Bia family still snagged the best spot inside. Some things never change.
After they got settled, the younger generation got some free time in the secure courtyard while the elders dealt with route details with the station managers and escort captains. Anhe took one look at the open space and said, "Finally." Wenxiu just looked at them. "You say that at every stop." "Yeah, because every road is long." "That's how roads work." "Doesn't mean I have to like it."
Lanyue just ignored them both and sat under the shade of a long roof beam where some tea had been set out. Shuyin joined her. Zichen was nearby, reading something off a travel slip that a steward clearly regretted letting him see. Runze stayed close enough to the group to feel comfortable but far enough away not to get pulled into the louder parts of their conversations. Yuzhen was the last one to sit down.
The courtyard here was warmer than the mountain road stations. The river breeze carried a bit of moisture, and you could occasionally hear voices from the outer compound – merchants, escorts, cultivators, travelers, all passing through the same crossing on their way further south. For a while, nobody said much.
That lasted until Anhe looked at the shadows moving across the outer courtyard and asked, "Think the Tianfeng people are already ahead of us?" Wenxiu snorted. "Of course they are." "That sounded annoyingly confident." "It's Tianfeng City. They're always ahead of someone." You couldn't really argue with that. Even back in Mingzu, Tianfeng City was talked about differently. Not like some legend, more like an unpleasant fact everyone had just accepted ages ago. Strongest city in the Southern Region. Strongest young generation. Strongest family lineups. More resources, better teachers, deeper foundations. If Mingzu was proud, Tianfeng had a solid reason to be.
Runze looked down at his tea. "How strong are they, really?" Anhe jumped in before anyone else could. "Very." "That's not helpful." "It's emotionally honest." Lanyue set down her cup. "The Huo family alone is enough to explain half their reputation." That got everyone's attention. Because out of all the names from Tianfeng, the Huo family was the one people mentioned most often. Wenxiu leaned back. "Go on, then." Lanyue looked at him. "Why me?" "Because if I say it, I'll sound like I'm exaggerating." "That's because you usually are." He ignored that. Yuzhen just listened quietly. He already had the broad strokes. The user had clearly set it up in their story world, and now this chapter needed to weave it in naturally: four Foundation Establishment cultivators, seven at Level 9 Qi Condensing, ten at Level 8. Twenty-one notable Huo youths. Enough to make most cities feel pretty small.
Lanyue said, "The Huo family is sending twenty-one notable juniors to the gathering." Anhe froze. Runze blinked. Even Wenxiu's expression shifted a little. Lanyue continued, calm as ever, "Four Foundation Establishment. Seven Qi Condensing Level 9. Ten Qi Condensing Level 8." The courtyard went silent. Not a shocked silence, but a heavy one. Because numbers like that didn't need any embellishment. Runze said slowly, "That's... just one family?" "Yes," Lanyue replied. Wenxiu let out a low breath. "Tianfeng is genuinely obscene." Shuyin, sitting beside the table, said, "No. It's established." "That's somehow worse." Anhe pointed at Lanyue. "How do you even know that exactly?" "Travel records. Family intelligence. The things sensible people pay attention to." Anhe looked personally offended. Yuzhen looked down into his cup for a moment. Four Foundation Establishment. That alone was enough to make a family line impressive at this age. Then add seven at Level 9 and ten at Level 8. The Huo family wasn't just sending talent. They were sending a message, plain and simple: this is what Tianfeng produces.
Wenxiu turned towards Yuzhen. "At least now I feel less annoyed by the family tightening the escort around you." Anhe added, "I still feel annoyed. Just in a broader emotional sense." Lanyue glanced at Yuzhen too. "At the gathering, people will compare cities first, then families, then individuals." Zichen finally looked up from the slip in his hand. "Not always in that order." That was true. A city built its reputation. A family carried weight. But one person could still change the whole dynamic if they were eye-catching enough. Yuzhen said, "For Tianfeng, the Huo family probably covers all three." Wenxiu gave him a look. "That sounded almost respectful." "It was accurate." Anhe clicked their tongue. "I hate it when accuracy is discouraging." Shuyin said, "You'd hate it less if you trained more." "I do train." "You complain more than you train." "That's because I'm talented in multiple areas." That got a tiny chuckle from Runze, which was probably Anhe's real goal.
Just then, a servant entered the courtyard carrying a fresh teapot. Behind him came one of the outer stewards assigned to the Bia convoy. He bowed first to the direct-line juniors, then said, "Young masters, young ladies, the Family Head asked that I pass on something." Everyone straightened up a bit. "What?" Lanyue asked. "The Tianfeng relay group passed this station yesterday morning." That hit fast. Wenxiu sat up. "Yesterday?" "Yes." The steward continued, "Not just Tianfeng City's main group. Several of their major families too." Anhe groaned. "So they're really that far ahead." The steward hesitated, then added, "The station manager said the Huo family's group was especially hard to miss." That sounded exactly like the kind of thing station managers would remember and repeat for years. Wenxiu muttered, "I'm starting to dislike people I haven't even met yet." Shuyin said, "That saves time." The steward withdrew after delivering the message. For a little while, nobody said much again. This time, the silence had less to do with comfort and more to do with scale. Until now, the Southern Region gathering had still felt somewhat abstract, even with the road under their feet and the beast blood not fully washed from memory. They were on their way, sure. But "on the way" and "arriving in a place where Tianfeng's main families are already being talked about in station courtyards" were two different things. The world was getting closer.
Runze finally asked, "Do we know the names?" Wenxiu looked at him. "The Huo family names?" "Yes." Anhe said, "The only one people mention like it already means something is Huo Jingxuan." Lanyue nodded once. "He's the most talked about." That was enough to sharpen the air again. A name repeated often enough always took on a shape before the person even arrived. Yuzhen said nothing. Because at this point, Huo Jingxuan was just a name to him. A strong one, clearly. One with enough reputation to travel faster than the person carrying it. But still just a name. That was important. He didn't know the man yet. Hadn't met him. Had no reason to think of him beyond what his place in the Southern Region suggested. Anhe leaned towards Lanyue. "What do people actually say about him?" Lanyue answered simply. "Strong. Talented. Cold." Wenxiu snorted. "That describes half the people with good family backgrounds." Zichen said, "Then the difference is probably that he deserves the description." Nobody argued with that. Yuzhen finally spoke. "Which of the four is he?" "Foundation Establishment," Lanyue said at once. "Obviously." "I meant among their four." She gave him a look. "That part isn't obvious." Anhe grinned. "So you are curious." Yuzhen looked at them. "I'm on the road to the same gathering. It would be foolish not to be." "That sounded too sensible. I reject it." Wenxiu said, "You reject everything that doesn't entertain you." "Yes."
The conversation then shifted to smaller things. Would Tianfeng youths travel in tighter formations or looser ones? Would the strongest families stay apart in the gathering city or cluster by faction? Would Mingzu be looked down on immediately, or only after first introductions? Anhe thought immediately. Wenxiu said definitely. Lanyue said possibly. Zichen said "that depends" so often that Anhe threatened to throw tea at him. Yuzhen mostly listened. The more they talked, the clearer one thing became. Everyone in the Bia group felt it now: they had left the part of the journey where Mingzu still felt big. That wasn't a bad thing. It was just the truth.
Later that evening, after the courtyard meal and the usual checks from attendants and escort guards, Yuzhen found his grandfather standing alone near the inner railing overlooking the river road. The sun had already set. Lantern light from the station cast a warm gold over the railings and stone ground, while beyond the walls, the river reflected only broken strips of dim light from passing traffic. Yuzhen stepped over and bowed slightly. "Grandfather." Bia Zhenyuan didn't turn right away. "You've heard about Tianfeng." "Yes." "And?" Yuzhen thought about it before answering. "They're strong." His grandfather nodded once. "They are." The old man turned then, resting one hand behind his back. "For many cities, hearing that is enough to make them cautious," he said. "For foolish ones, it makes them reckless." Yuzhen met his gaze. "And for us?" "For you," Bia Zhenyuan said, "it should make your eyes clearer." That made sense to him. No false comfort. No prideful nonsense about Mingzu standing above the strongest city just because a family head wanted to sound bold. Just clarity. Yuzhen said, "I understand." His grandfather looked at him for a long moment, then added, "You don't need to defeat a reputation before you've met the people carrying it." That was so direct it almost made Yuzhen smile. "Did Anhe say something?" "No." Bia Zhenyuan's expression didn't change. "Your face did." That was unfortunate. Still, the advice was good. Because Yuzhen knew himself well enough to understand the danger at this stage of life. A person who had just broken through, just regained what they lost, just started walking forward again—it was easy for that person to become too eager for the next proof. The next comparison. The next victory. The next person worth measuring against. But the road to strength was long, and rushing to turn every name into a personal challenge was the habit of people who burned brightly and briefly. Yuzhen had no interest in that anymore. "Good," Bia Zhenyuan said when he stayed silent. Then: "Rest tonight. We move early." That was the end of it. Short, as usual.
When Yuzhen returned to his room, Anhe was waiting outside his door with the expression of someone who had definitely planned to "accidentally" catch him there. Yuzhen stopped. "Why." Anhe folded their arms. "That's a very cold greeting." "It's accurate." "I came to ask one thing." "That sounds dangerous." "It's important." Yuzhen unlocked the door and stepped inside. Anhe followed before being invited, which was expected by now. Then they turned and asked, "When we see the Tianfeng people, are you going to act normal?" Yuzhen stared at them. "What does that even mean." "It means," Anhe said seriously, "don't suddenly become weird and proud and hard to talk to because they're famous." Yuzhen shut the door behind them. "I'm always hard to talk to." "That's true," Anhe admitted. "But I mean a new kind." Yuzhen sat at the table. "No." Anhe narrowed their eyes. "No, you won't act normal?" "No, I won't become weird because of Tianfeng." "Good." They sounded genuinely relieved. That made him curious enough to ask, "Why are you asking this?" Anhe shrugged and dropped into the chair opposite him. "Because people change when they start looking too hard at what's ahead." Yuzhen was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "So do you." Anhe blinked. "That sounded way more meaningful than I expected from you." "It was an accident." Anhe laughed. A little later they left, apparently satisfied that he wouldn't embarrass the Bia family by developing some sudden obsession with famous southern geniuses before even meeting them.
Inside the pendant space, Yuzhen didn't refine that night. Instead, he cultivated steadily and then walked the edge of the expanded herb field, feeling the richer spiritual breath in the new strip of land. The spring glowed quietly behind him. The library stood waiting in the distance. Tianfeng City was ahead. The Huo family was ahead. The gathering city was ahead. And somewhere in all that, so was the next part of his life. For now, though, they were still names, numbers, and distance. That was enough.