The aftermath of Forbidden Mountain arrived and departed like a nightmare. After Tran Kien left, the kind-hearted hunters dared not linger. They hurriedly gathered their belongings and the remains of their kin, leaving that demon-haunted mountain forever. The tale of a mysterious young hero who eradicated the evil and saved the village was woven into a new legend, whispered through the hamlets at the foot of the Seven Mountains range.
But the hero of the legend was like a fallen leaf, silently merging into the river of life without leaving a single trace.
Tran Kien headed neither north nor toward the imperial capital. Following minor trails, he journeyed south, toward the vast, open sea.
This journey was no longer an escape. It was a pilgrimage of reflection and "digestion." The wounds left by the battle with the Evil Spirit were grave. His Divine Soul was damaged, and the Primordial Chaos Qi within his body was nearly bone-dry. He required time, and more importantly, he required a metamorphosis of understanding.
He traveled without haste. He moved as a true wandering martial artist, a poor scholar in search of knowledge. He traversed the prosperous southern lands, where rice fields stretched to the horizon, rivers intertwined like spiderwebs, and the people were gentle and sincere. He witnessed diverse cultures and the hallmarks of other ancient civilizations, all harmonizing upon the land of Dai Viet.
Every night, in a roadside inn or a desolate shrine, he plunged into a different kind of battle—a battle without gunpowder within his own Sea of Consciousness.
The massive torrent of memories that the Seed of Legacy had absorbed from the Evil Spirit was a treasure trove of knowledge, but also a jar of venom. Within were fragments of a distorted history.
He witnessed the glory of the "Sacred Dynasty" in its early era. The Imperial Preceptors and extraordinary individuals of immense divine ability truly intended to seek the path of eternal survival for the nation's bloodline, protecting the Lac Viet legacy amidst the shifts of the ages. They studied the stars, understood the Dragon Veins, and created unimaginable mystical arts. He saw the tales of extraordinary individuals recorded in the "Biographies of the Extraordinary Individuals of the Southern Seas"; many of them had once been connected to the Sacred Dynasty in its nascent stage.
But then, he witnessed the corruption. Power and the fear of wither had clouded their reason. They were no longer protectors; they had become tyrannical rulers in the shadows, styling themselves as the "orthodox" and labeling the existing dynasties as "usurpers." They began to utilize wicked secret arts, blood sacrifices, and the lives of the common folk to prolong the existence of their decayed souls, waiting for the day they could achieve possession and rebirth to re-establish a demonic empire. The Marquis of Vinh An was merely one of many puppets they had manipulated over the centuries.
And he finally discovered the most crucial clue. The "Sacred City," their final lair, was an island in the East Sea, concealed by an ancient Shamanic grand array. It was the repository of their greatest secrets and the core source of their power.
This process of "digestion" was incredibly perilous. The wicked memories and millennium-old resentments incessantly assaulted Tran Kien's state of mind. But he did not lose his way. He used the very "Soul" of the nation he had comprehended, using the righteous, luminous will of Son Tinh and Saint Giong as his guiding torch. He utilized his Saber Intent - A Thousand Hammers, A Hundred Refinements, not for slaughter, but to "re-temper" those chaotic memories, sifting away the evil and retaining only the purest knowledge.
After each confrontation with that darkness, his state of mind grew even more steadfast. His early Foundation Establishment cultivation, though not breaking through, had a foundation strengthened to a terrifying degree.
After three grueling months, once the wounds in his Divine Soul had fully healed, Tran Kien was no longer the youth who had left Tran Bac City. He had become a true old wolf, clad in the skin of a young lamb.
Finally, after a long journey, he arrived at Trấn Nam Cảng (Southern Guard Port).
This was one of the largest and most bustling seaports in southern Dai Viet. The air carried not just the salt of the sea, but the fragrance of exotic spices brought by foreign merchant ships. The people on the streets were not only Dai Viet folk but also dark-skinned merchants with deep eyes, speaking languages he had never heard.
Tran Kien did not rush to find a way to sea. He found an inn and settled in. He was waiting. Waiting for an opportunity, and waiting for a person.
One afternoon, as he sat in a teahouse overlooking the docks, a black silhouette appeared silently at the opposite table.
The man wore ordinary attire, but his sharp, restrained aura could not be hidden. It was Thiet Phu.
"Exalted Lord," he bowed, his voice full of reverence. "This subordinate has arrived."
"How is the City of Chaos?" Tran Kien asked, without a single wasted word.
"Reporting, everything is on track. The Formless Sect (Vô Môn) has completely seized control of the underworld. Our intelligence net has begun to spread to the neighboring cities."
"Good," Tran Kien nodded. "I need you to do something."
He handed Thiet Phu a large pouch of coins and a blueprint. "Go, use the identity of a merchant to purchase the finest ship. Retrofit it according to this drawing. Simultaneously, recruit the most skilled and loyal sailors. I require a force capable of combat upon the sea."
"Understood! And what of the Exalted Lord?"
"Me?" Tran Kien looked out at the great sea, where sails were filled with wind. "I must go meet a few old 'friends'."
He stood up and quietly left the teahouse. He did not seek out the powers of the martial world.
He headed toward the largest and most majestic manor in Trấn Nam Cảng. Above the gate hung a grand plaque with four words: "Admiral's Naval Estate."
The game upon the sea could not rely on him alone. He needed allies. And the best ally was the enemy of his enemy.
He knew that Ly Kinh Thien, that upright veteran general, would certainly not sit idly by once he learned of the Marquis of Vinh An's treasonous conspiracy.