The reason why Qiu Shan Jun didn’t participate in this year’s Grand Examination, wasn’t because of the marriage contract Chen Chang Sheng had placed upon the table, it also wasn’t because of that letter from Xu You Rong on the night of the Ivy League gathering, neither was it due to gossip from the world.
His reason did not contain any childish temperament, but was because he had to undertake a momentous task.
Qiu Shan Jun had already disappeared from the view of others for several months, even Gou Han Shi and the other fellow-disciples from Li Shan Sword Sect, didn’t know where their own senior brother had gone to, that was because this momentous task needed to be absolutely secret.
The masses didn’t know as to where he had gone to, neither did he himself, know as to what was currently happening in the world – the marriage-alliance between the North and South, Qiu Shan clan and Li Shan Sword Sect accompanying the Southern Ambassadors to the Capital to propose to the Divine General’s estate – Xu You Rong didn’t know of this event because it was, intentionally or otherwise, kept secret by Holy Maiden Peak, while Qiu Shan Jun himself really did not know.
Looking at the dossier, Chen Chang Sheng became increasingly quiet.
Qiu Shan Jun had gone to a place called Zhou Garden.
Chen Chang Sheng didn’t know what kind of place Zhou Garden is, only being able to speculate from the context of the dossier. Zhou Garden was probably a miniature world, or in other words a vestige site.
As with the palace in His Holiness’ Green Leaf World, Zhou Garden also had severe restrictions on the cultivation level of those entering it; they needed to be below the level of Star Fusion.
Due to some reason, Zhou Garden was extremely important, being an absolute point of contention between the human world and the demon race, but apart from the previous possessor, Zhou Garden had never been truly controlled by a second person.
Fortunately, upon Zhou Garden’s previous possessor disappearing many years ago, it hadn’t been completely sealed, but had followed a set pattern, opening once every 10 years.
Before Zhou Garden would truly open, phenomena would appear between heaven and earth and its outermost stone wall will become virtual. At that time, whether human or demon, as long as they could find the gate left behind by the previous possessor and can bring out the key for that gate, they can control Zhou Garden for a period of 10 years.
Of course, if humanity and the demon race were both unable to achieve this, Zhou Garden would once again be sealed, disappearing into the chaotic flow of space that is impossible to explore, quietly awaiting the next 10-year mark to arrive.
There had already been many years where Zhou Garden hadn’t been controlled by either humanity or the demon race.
The last time Zhou Garden had been opened, was already several decades ago.
This year was once again the scheduled time for Zhou Garden’s opening. The Five Saints had always closely followed this matter, they, alongside those several terrifying Demon Kings at Old Snow City, were the first to detect the strange phenomena between heaven and earth, swiftly sending out seekers.
For the past few hundred years, Zhou Garden’s scheduled opening had not affected the world’s situation in any way, but those important figures that truly understood Zhou Garden’s origin, as well as what was inside, definitely didn’t dare to look upon it lightly.
No one could be certain as to what would happen to the world if someone was able to find those few items inside Zhou Garden and bring them out.
Due to these reasons, Zhou Garden’s opening, alongside news of its approximate location, needed to be kept absolutely secret, apart from figures on the level of The Five Saints and the head of the Longevity Sect, only those directly involved would be privy to this knowledge.
For the millions upon millions of people living on the continent, they didn’t know of this at all. At the time, the Capital was still awaiting the Ivy League gathering’s inauguration, while Chen Chang Sheng was vexing over the new door that had suddenly appeared on the academy’s wall.
As Zhou Garden is essential, the seekers sent out by the continent’s two opposing powers were naturally extraordinary. The demon race had sent many young experts, while The Five Saints, after a round of discussion, had only sent out a single person.
That person, was the one agreed upon by humanity and the yao race, as to being the most powerful person under the realm of Star Fusion, Qiu Shan Jun.
The Five Saints were correct in their judgement, Qiu Shan Jun did indeed not disappoint, he successfully found the gate to Zhou Garden before the demons, bringing out the key, ensuring that Zhou Garden would belong to humanity for the next 10 years.
This was the reason why Qiu Shan Jun couldn’t participate in the Grand Examination.
The dossier Xu Shi Ji had Chen Chang Sheng look at, obv