In the Great Zhou Dynasty, in the Wu Prefecture, in the city of Dongning.

At the main gate of 'Jinghu Taoist Academy', one of the eight major Taoist academies in Dongning City, a young man with a sword at his waist walked out of the academy.

"Senior Brother Meng."

"Hello, Senior Brother Meng."

"Greetings, Senior Brother Meng."

The other fellow disciples around were quite enthusiastic.

The young man, Meng Chuan, nodded slightly to his fellow disciples. In fact, many of these "junior brothers and sisters" were older than him, but the rule at Jinghu Taoist Academy was that the skilled take precedence. He had already entered Shanshui Tower of Jinghu Taoist Academy two years ago. The twenty-two disciples of Shanshui Tower were the strongest twenty-two at Jinghu Taoist Academy, admired and aspired to by many junior brothers and sisters. Among them, 'Senior Brother Meng' was particularly respected because he occasionally gave them guidance, while other senior disciples of Shanshui Tower were unwilling to spend time on others.

"Young Master, Young Master." Suddenly, a familiar voice came from the side.

A girl in green ran out from the side, and Meng Chuan smiled upon seeing her,"Qingzhu, why are you here?"

"My young mistress wants to invite Young Master to go sightseeing at Dongshan Mountain. Last night there was a heavy snowfall, and the snow-covered Dongshan Mountain is extremely beautiful." The girl in green smiled.

"Go sightseeing there?" Meng Chuan frowned, saying, "Dongshan Mountain is too far. A trip there would probably require staying overnight at Dongshan Mountain, and we wouldn't be able to return until tomorrow."

The girl in green smiled and said, "The Yun family happens to have a villa there, where we can stay overnight."

Meng Chuan shook his head and said, "Go back and tell Qingping that the Yu Yang Palace Demon-Slaying Grand Assembly is only a month away. I need to focus on my cultivation to prepare, so I can't accompany her there."

"Uh..." The girl in green hesitated.

"Just go back and say that directly," Meng Chuan instructed. "Also, tell Qingping to spend more time on her cultivation and not always think about going out to play."

"Yes." The girl in green could only obediently comply and return to report.

Meng Chuan shook his head slightly.

He was deeply troubled by Yun Qingping with whom he had been betrothed since childhood.

...

Jinghu Taoist Academy was built on the east bank of Jinghu Lake, and on the west bank of Jinghu Lake, there were many mansions, one of which was the "Meng Mansion".

"Young Master." Two guards at the mansion gate saw Meng Chuan and showed great respect.

"Is my father in the mansion?" Meng Chuan asked.

"Someone had just been sent from the ancestral home, and the master immediately went there," the guard said.

Meng Chuan nodded thoughtfully and entered the mansion.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!" Soon, the faint sound of arrows could be heard, and Meng Chuan followed the sound to the training ground.

On the training ground, a red-clad girl was practicing archery. One arrow after another instantly flew across dozens of feet and hit the targets, with each subsequent arrow hitting the shaft of the previous one.

Meng Chuan watched her practice from the side.

Her name was Liu Qiyue, the only daughter of "Liu Yebai", his father's sworn brother.

When he was eight years old...

Liu Yebai brought his daughter to the Meng Mansion and had since settled there.

Qiyue was very much like him; both had lost their mothers at a young age. Since childhood, Qiyue had trained together with him, and they had been training together until now, forming an extremely deep bond.

"Chuan, you're back." The red-clad girl's eyes lit up when she saw Meng Chuan. "Shooting at these targets is so boring. Come on, be my target. If it weren't for waiting for you, I would have gone to the academy to practice. The archery range at the academy is much bigger than this."

"Alright, I'll be your target."

Meng Chuan smiled and walked to the center of the training ground.

The red-clad girl changed her quiver, and the arrows were also without arrowheads. She looked at Meng Chuan with bright eyes,"Chuan, you'd better be careful, or else you'll end up with a bruised and swollen face again."

"You be careful too. This time, I'm determined to break your Seven Star String Arrow." Meng Chuan focused intently.

The red-clad girl giggled, then her fingers moved like shadows, instantly drawing the bow and shooting arrows, as if no aiming was needed.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!" One arrow after another was shot out. Each time she took an arrow from her quiver, drew the bow, and shot, then took another arrow, drew the bow, and shot... it was as natural as normal breathing, and the arrows were also incredibly fast, with great power.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!" Meng Chuan's sword was already drawn from his waist.

The sword moved in an arc, forming a vague domain in front of him, and any arrow that came would be blocked.

"Chuan, your swordsmanship is getting more and more impressive. I still have to use the Seven Star String Arrow." The red-clad girl said with a smile while shooting arrows, clearly finding it very easy to shoot arrows.

"Swish!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the new arrow she shot out broke through the air with a sharp whistle.

"Here it comes!" Meng Chuan also became more serious.

"Thud." "Thud."

Meng Chuan's sword moved in an arc, like a sphere, blocking one arrow after another. But the Seven Star String Arrow was a deadly technique that consumed a lot of true energy, and the speed of the arrows would get faster and faster.

By the sixth arrow, Meng Chuan's sword had missed its block, and then he felt a pain in his chest, stumbling involuntarily, likely resulting in a bruise on his chest.

"Still couldn't block it." Meng Chuan shook his head helplessly.

"Of the five deadly techniques I've mastered, you can already block four of them, only the 'Seven Star String Arrow' left." The red-clad girl said with a smile, "You're already very impressive. At the academy, no one at the Marrow Cleansing level could block my 'Threefold Phantom Arrow', but you could."

"I've been blocking your arrows since I was a child, of course, I'm a bit stronger than those at the academy." Meng Chuan shook his head, "These are still arrows without arrowheads. If they had arrowheads, the speed would be even faster. Your five deadly techniques... I'm afraid I couldn't block most of them."

"Chuan, haven't you heard? No one in the same realm can withstand the continuous assault of an archer." The red-clad girl said proudly.

"Qiyue... in a real life-and-death struggle, I would have rushed to your side long ago." Meng Chuan snorted.

"Archers always have guards," the red-clad girl said with a pout, "My guards would stop you, and then you'd become my target. Maybe in the future, you'll be my guard!"

Meng Chuan laughed.

He was well aware of how terrifying archers could be. In any faction, skilled archers held extremely high positions and were very well protected.

His younger sister Qiyue had a great talent for archery.

"Chuan, today your academy's headmaster summoned you, was it about the Yu Yang Palace Demon-Slaying Grand Assembly?" Liu Qiyue asked.

"Yes, did your Liyang Taoist Academy say the same?" Meng Chuan asked.

"Yes! Among the ten top disciples of the Marrow Cleansing level at my Liyang Taoist Academy, I'm the only archer, so the headmaster directly granted me a spot." Liu Qiyue said, "In the Yu Yang Palace Demon-Slaying Grand Assembly, dealing with demons, archers are the most skilled."

Meng Chuan smiled and said, "There are only three spots for the Marrow Cleansing level at our Jinghu Taoist Academy. Although I'm one of the ten top disciples, I still have to compete for a spot. If I don't get a spot, I won't even have the qualification to go."

"Then you'll just have to fight for it," Liu Qiyue said with a chuckle.

"Don't be careless. At the Yu Yang Palace Demon-Slaying Grand Assembly, when you face demons, don't let them get close to you." Meng Chuan said, "Let's practice first."

As he spoke, Meng Chuan suddenly lunged forward.

"Try to catch me."

Liu Qiyue immediately darted away, even turning back to shoot an arrow.

...

Elsewhere, in the Yun Family, one of the Five Great Divine Lord Clans of Dongning Prefecture.

Yun Qingping was brewing tea for her father, Yun Fuan.

"Father, try this," Yun Qingping said sweetly, placing a cup of tea in front of her father. Suddenly, she caught sight of the maid, Lv Zhu, returning from afar, and her eyes lit up. "Lv Zhu!" she called out.

Lv Zhu had no choice but to obediently approach.

"Well, what did Meng Chuan say?" Yun Qingping asked eagerly.

"Young Master Meng said that the Jade Sun Palace Demon-Slaying Festival will be held in a little over a month, and he needs to focus on his cultivation to prepare, so he can't accompany Miss Yun to Dong Mountain for a trip," Lv Zhu replied softly.

"Again, he's not coming?"

Yun Qingping was a bit annoyed. "All he knows is cultivation, cultivation, cultivation."

"Young Master Meng also asked me to tell Miss Yun that she should spend more time cultivating and not always think about going out to play," Lv Zhu added.

"Does he even have the right to tell me what to do?"

Yun Qingping became even more irritated.

"I think what Meng Chuan said is right," Yun Fuan said, sipping his tea contentedly. "You should focus on your cultivation instead of always being so playful, girl."

"Father, Meng Chuan is just like a block of wood," Yun Qingping said, looking at her father. "When I was just a month old, you arranged a betrothal between me and Meng Chuan! But our personalities are completely different. I like to play and invite many friends to join me. He, on the other hand, likes to cultivate, paint, and enjoys solitude. When I talk to him, we just don't click. Thinking about marrying him in the future is driving me crazy."

"You're just too restless, and it's good to have someone who can rein you in," Yun Fuan chuckled.

Yun Qingping quickly went to her father's side, hugging his arm and pleading, "Father, please, I beg you, go talk to the Meng Family, ask Uncle Meng to dissolve the engagement."

"Don't even think about it!" Yun Fuan said, sipping his tea, dismissing the idea outright.

"Father!"

Yun Qingping exclaimed in frustration. "Why do you insist on forcing me to marry him? When I was just a month old, I didn't even know anything, and you arranged this betrothal. How could you know what Meng Chuan would be like when he grew up? You didn't know, yet you forced me to marry him. You never cared about my thoughts. Don't you think that's too much?"

"Meng Chuan is still a good match," Yun Fuan said. "Among the younger generation of the Five Great Divine Lord Clans in Dongning Prefecture, he's quite outstanding."

"Even if he's great, I don't like him!" Yun Qingping retorted angrily. "I don't want to marry a so-called genius with whom I can't even have a decent conversation."

Yun Fuan gently placed his teacup down, his eyelids lifting as he coldly glanced at his daughter.

Yun Qingping's heart trembled.

But her pride made her lift her chin and stare back at her father!

"In the past half year, you've asked me to dissolve the engagement six times," Yun Fuan said coldly. "It seems I've been too lenient with you. Today, I'll make things clear."

Yun Qingping stared at her father.

Yun Fuan continued, "Your betrothal with Meng Chuan is not just a matter between the two of you. It's also a matter between our Yun Family and the Meng Family! Although our Yun Family is one of the Five Great Divine Lord Clans, we've only been in Dongning Prefecture for a few decades, with only a few dozen family members, and our foundation is still shallow. The Meng Family, on the other hand, has been rooted in Dongning for over a thousand years, with tens of thousands of family members! Meng Chuan's father, Meng Dajiang, will be the next head of the Meng Family. You are the only girl in the third generation of our Yun Family. If you marry Meng Chuan, the relationship between our Yun Family and the Meng Family will naturally improve significantly. This is of great benefit to our Yun Family."

"Grandfather has already cultivated into a divine being," Yun Qingping rebutted. "With Grandfather around, no one can shake our Yun Family! If that's the case, why can't I live a more carefree life?"

"Carefree? Carefree means you can marry whoever you want?" Yun Fuan said coldly.

"Why not?" Yun Qingping retorted, lifting her chin. "Must I sacrifice myself for the family? Father, don't you feel any shame in that?"

"Shut up!"

Yun Fuan stood up in anger, pointing at his daughter and shouting, "Yun Qingping, you want to go out and play, with a whole retinue of guards and servants. In the middle of winter, you want to eat fire-dragon fish, and someone risks their life to get it for you. You don't focus on your cultivation, yet we use countless treasures on you, allowing you to reach the Bone Marrow Cleansing this year. I hire experts to give you one-on-one guidance, and because your strength is weak, I hire three Transcendent Stage guards to protect you in secret. Hiring three Transcendent Stage guards costs five hundred taels of silver a month, not to mention the other various treasures bestowed upon you..."

"For your so-called carefree life, do you know how much the family has sacrificed?" Yun Fuan glared at his daughter.

Yun Qingping was stunned.

She wasn't stupid.

A quick calculation revealed the staggering amount the family had spent on her to maintain such a lifestyle.

"Since you enjoy all the benefits the family provides, you must also fulfill your responsibilities!" Yun Fuan shouted angrily. "Just enjoying the benefits and doing nothing in return? That's out of the question!"

"Moreover, I know there's a young man at your academy, Zhang Chong, who's been quite attentive to you lately, hasn't he?" Yun Fuan sneered. "A mere side branch member of the Zhang Family, does he think he's worthy of marrying my daughter, Yun Fuan, in our society of noble families? He should take a good look in the mirror and see what he is!"

"Father, I haven't... I mean, Zhang Shixiong and I haven't..." Yun Qingping quickly tried to explain.

"If I find even the slightest transgression between you two, sullying the reputation of our Yun Family and the Meng Family, not only will he die, but you as well! I will purge the family's honor!" Yun Fuan said coldly, staring at his daughter, who was now frightened. "Don't blame your father for being merciless when that time comes."

Yun Qingping felt a chill in her heart.

She had never seen her father so cold before, and she was only fifteen years old.

"Daughter," Yun Fuan's expression softened. "Family alliances are like this. Even if he's ugly or incompetent, you still have to marry him. When your father married your mother, it was arranged by your grandfather, as was the custom, and there was no choice! And speaking of it, Meng Chuan's character is quite good, so you should consider yourself fortunate."

After saying this, Yun Fuan glanced at the maid Lv Zhu, who was trembling behind his daughter, and instructed, "Lv Zhu, keep an eye on your young mistress and don't let her make any mistakes."

"Yes," Lv Zhu hurriedly replied.

Yun Fuan then turned and left, his hands behind his back.

Yun Qingping stood there, staring blankly at her father's retreating figure, thinking of the words, "Even you, I will purge the family's honor. Don't blame your father for being merciless when that time comes." Those words had indeed struck a deep chord with Yun Qingping.

She felt that the world was not what she had imagined it to be all these years.