The two thin pages felt as heavy as mountains in Yue Minzhi’s hands. Despite his disbelief, Yue Minzhi recognized the handwriting on the letter as that of his own younger sister, Yue Jinghua. Although the turmoil in Shang Kingdom had not been widely publicized, it was an open secret among the highly sensitive upper echelons of Wo Hua Imperial City. While in the Reserve Camp, Yue Minzhi often felt the urge to leave immediately and head to Shang Kingdom. However, burdened with debts and with his mother Lie Rou seemingly having guessed her son’s thoughts long ago, she made sure to send two family letters every month. The letters also explained that the turmoil in Shang Kingdom had not affected the three members of the Yue Family, but Lie Family Mansion had been destroyed in the unrest. Lie Rou had packed up her belongings, found a safe route, and returned to the Dragon War Empire, but she had encountered severe winter and mountain closures, temporarily residing in Fengdan County within her territory. Regarding Fengdan County, Yue Minzhi always felt a sense of guilt. The family’s hereditary lands, which had come into his possession, were now plagued by famine and harassment from Beast Tides and Viscount Mo’er. If it were someone else, they might have already rushed to Xuan Beast Ridge, risking life and death against Viscount Mo’er. But the decline of his family made Yue Minzhi much more resilient than ordinary people. He understood that only by officially becoming a Dragon Rider and earning the favor of a battle dragon in the Dragon Pulling Test, would he have the opportunity and ability to contend with a Viscount of the Empire. Day and night, his heart, swearing to protect his mother and younger siblings, throbbed intensely within his chest. This impulse drove him to train feverishly, and his Candle Dragon Technique had also broken through to the second layer. With the monthly bottle of Dark Earth Pill and a precious blue liquid sent by his sister, three days ago, he had made a breakthrough to Dark Heavenly. He, who had barely reached Dark Earth, had now, in just over a year, broken through to Dark Heavenly. All of this, Yue Minzhi had never spoken of to outsiders, and not even a word of it appeared in the family letters. Beyond worries of information leakage, at the bottom of Yue Minzhi’s heart, there was an ambition for the Xuyang Trial. With his strength today, passing the Dragon Pulling part shouldn’t be too difficult. As long as he obtained a Sub-Asian Dragon and achieved a small success in Dark Heavenly cultivation, he was likely to secure a top ten spot in the qualifying rounds of the Empire’s Xuyang Trial. At that time, he would personally go to White Crane County to twist off Viscount Mo’er’s head with his own hands. Just as he was about to conclude his training in the Reserve Camp and participate in the Dragon Pulling Test, this letter had been delivered into his hands. The letter in his hand felt so unreal, yet it was indeed real. At the end of the letter, the signature "Yue Jinghua" was written in a majestic and sweeping style. What exactly had happened in Fengdan County? The family’s territory... No, none of that mattered. What was important was what exactly had happened to his sister, Yue Jinghua? The upheaval in Shang Kingdom, Huahua’s fiancé Fa Xiaoyi had died. Yue Minzhi did not care much about this; in his eyes, his dear sister Huahua deserved the best man in the world, and a petty person like Fa Xiaoyi was far from worthy of her. He was well aware that Huahua was deeply devoted to Fa Xiaoyi. Could it be that some mishap had occurred amidst her sorrow? Yue Minzhi’s mind was like a torrent of revolving thoughts as he pondered for a moment. Looking again at the handwritten letter from his sister, there was not even a hint of romantic sorrow between the lines. "No matter what, if Fengdan County is in trouble, I absolutely cannot sit idly by. Hong Shan, you bring the Duke Mansion’s golden scroll... No, there’s no time," Yue Minzhi knew that this time the task of escorting the Imperial Tax Officer Niu Er to the Xuan Beast Ridge was assigned to Jin Nuo from the Imperial Black Dragon Camp. Jin Nuo of the Pengbo Family, a decisive real man, whose Black Winged Dragon ranks among the top ten in combat power among dragon knights, and its flying ability is among the top three. Yue Minzhi thought for a moment, then suddenly blew a loud whistle. In the sky, the cry of a golden eagle tore through the expanse, and as it landed, it affectionately pecked at Yue Minzhi’s forehead. "Dear eagle, take this golden scroll to Fengdan County and deliver it into Huahua’s hands. You must ensure her and mother’s safety," Yue Minzhi attached the Duke Gold Voucher to the eagle’s leg. Upon hearing that it was going to find Yue Jinghua, the feathers of the Golden Arrow Eagle almost bristled, and only after repeated coaxing from Yue Minzhi did it reluctantly set off flying southward to the Empire. Watching the eagle growing distant, Yue Minzhi gripped the letter in his hands tightly, muttering: "Huahua, give me another six months, in this Dragon Pulling Test, in the selection of the new dragon knights of the Empire, I must come out on top." The golden eagle, carrying Yue Minzhi’s earnest hope, soared high, flying over the Empire’s vast mountains and vast grasslands. Meanwhile, Jin Nuo and others also crossed over the Xuan Beast Ridge, heading straight towards Fengdan County. Since they intended to catch Fengdan County off guard, Jin Nuo did not take the usual mountain path, but rather chose a relatively secluded trail. Newest update provıded by 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝘯𝘦𝘵 The Xuan Beast Ridge, worthy of being called the Empire’s treasury of Dark Beasts, even with the Sub-Asian Dragon Black Beauty as cover, Jin Nuo and others were still tremendously cautious. Occasional appearances of Dark Beasts and some spirit wood that attacked people caused many imperial soldiers to be injured. Fortunately, with the Five Holy Beasts leading and with the Four Great Holy Beasts fallen, there was no immediate threat. Coupled with Jin Nuo’s extensive leading experience and having enough Elixir Pills, after three days and nights of travel, they finally crossed the Xuan Beast Ridge at dusk on the fourth day. Ahead was the territory close to Fengdan County. Just a few more miles of walking and they would reach Fengdan County. From about five or six miles away from Fengdan County, Jin Nuo looked up and indeed saw the long-vanished Sky Dragon Palace, floating above Fengdan County. They had thought that they would be able to see the scenes within Fengdan County from a few miles away, but the soldiers discovered that the outskirts of Fengdan County had an unforeseen wall built around it. This wall enveloped the otherwise open county, making it impossible to see what was inside. "Everyone, set up camp here and rest for a day; send a few Snake-eyed Eagles to patrol above Fengdan County," looking around at his soldiers, who were showing signs of fatigue after days of trekking, and even the Dark Beasts needed recuperation. Thus Jin Nuo decided not to rush to attack the city. He would first find out about the situation inside Fengdan County, and then plan the next step of the combat strategy. Upon receiving the orders, the cultivators who bred the Dark Beasts immediately released a few Snake-eyed Eagles. The few gray-colored, small scout eagles that were almost indistinguishable from ordinary birds silently blended into the night, flying directly towards Fengdan County.