Han Th??ng ?????, H?a Minh ??, and Th? Trung Sa ??, along with other outer disciples, were taken aboard their sect's flying ship, heading towards the Sect Headquarters—shining islands suspended in the night sky. These were rare occasions when they were allowed to visit the sect's sacred grounds. They hadn't been there long when they heard news that forced them to make a choice—a decision that would shape the rest of their lives.

  Han Trung ??? carried a box containing five Supreme-Grade Foundation Establishment Elixir Pills (Trúc C? Th??ng Th??ng C?p ?an) ?, along with a letter and a list of names that needed to be saved in the Pearl Jade Capital. The letter read: "Master apologizes to you for asking this of you. It will cost you all opportunity to remain in the Profound Ice Sect. I do not force you to do this; this is your choice. Whether you agree or not, I will still cherish you as before. Signed: Han Th??ng Nhan."

  Han Th??ng ????? initially refused, telling Han Trung: "I refuse. I have the worst aptitude; if I don't stay in the Sect, I will have no chance to advance. Please choose someone else, Senior Brother."

  Han Trung ??? said: "I have asked everyone. You are the last one. If you don't go, no one will."

  Han Trung ??? bowed his head and turned away, thinking about what to tell his Master. After walking a short distance, Han Th??ng ????? ran after him and said: "Master has been kind to me. Let me go ??."

  Han Th??ng ????? boarded the autonomous flying vessel, which would stop at a mountain near the Pearl Jade Capital. When the flying ship was far away, Han Trung ??? could not hold back his emotions and burst into tears ??, because Han Th??ng's action not only helped his Master but also himself, as he had promised to go if no one else would.

  At the same time, at the Crimson Flame Nine Suns Sect (Xích Viêm C?u D??ng Phái), H?a Minh ?? was summoned and pressured by his fellow disciples to go to the Pearl Jade Capital. His aptitude was quite high, and his father was a True Immortal serving the Moon Elf True Immortal Royal Family ??, making his future development easy without relying on the sect; being expelled would not matter much.

  As for Th? Trung Sa ?? at the Immutable Houtu Sect (H?u Th? B?t Di?t Phái), he was disliked, always meditating alone all day, rarely communicating with anyone. Thus, he was pushed into this mission with no apparent return path. But Th? Trung Sa ?? felt no distress; he accepted the mission calmly and departed.

  All three were surprised to meet at the designated spot. H?a Minh ?? joked: "We truly are fated to be together. We've been friends for so long, and now we're getting expelled together, ha ha ??."

  He nudged Th? Trung Sa ?? and asked: "How many Foundation Establishment Pills do you have?" Th? Trung Sa ?? opened his box and only saw one pill ??. H?a Minh ?? laughed loudly and said: "Haha, I have more! Two pills, that's what I have ??."

  They both looked at Han Th??ng ????? with an utterly depressed face and said: "He probably only has one pill like you, Trung Sa."

  Han Th??ng ????? sheepishly pulled out a large box containing five pills, making H?a Minh ?? want to punch him: "What?! That's almost double what the two of us have combined! What are you sad about? ??"

  Han Th??ng ????? switched his sad expression to a forced smile and said: "N-nothing, just sad to part with friends ??."

  H?a Minh ?? looked at Han Th??ng's face and instantly felt annoyed. After the two argued for a while, a Three-Eyed True Immortal (Chan Tiên 3 M?t) ??, carrying a golden bow ?? on his back, who was a head taller than the others, walked over and said: "H?a Minh, you're here too?"

  H?a Minh ?? turned his head and immediately said: "Three-Eyes Brother, did you also get kicked out of your Sect?"

  The Three-Eyed True Immortal (named Far Light ??) raised his hand and tapped H?a Minh ?? on the head, then said: "I wasn't kicked out; I gave them a debt of gratitude and favor, which is worth more than anything else. Talk less; talking too much only leads to mistakes." The Three-Eyed True Immortal asked for a drop of blood from each person onto a map, then copied and distributed one map to each of them. The map contained the entire terrain and buildings of the Pearl Jade Capital. It had many dots of different colors:

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    ?? Green: Qi Condensation (Luy?n Khí) Allies.
  
    


  
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    ?? Blue: Foundation Establishment (Trúc C?) Allies.
  
    


  
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    ?? Yellow: Weak Enemies (Commanders).
  
    


  
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    ?? Orange: Strong Enemies (Minor Generals, avoid fighting).
  
    


  
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    ?? Red: Extreme Danger (Major Generals, run upon sight).
  
    


  

  Next, he asked for the addresses of the people who needed to be saved.

  The Three-Eyed True Immortal said: "We must support each other. Saving people is important, but preserving your own life is even more important. Help your teammates if you can; if not, run. Don't run headfirst into a Red Dot; no one will save you. Die at your own risk! ??"

  The Three-Eyed True Immortal was about to leave when three figures appeared: Noe ??, Vong Tr?n (known as Tr??ng Thiên S?), and B?ch H? ??.

  Noe ?? said: "Allow us to register too."

  The Three-Eyed True Immortal frowned, seeing the surrounding Yin energy and Demonic Qi lingering around the three, and asked: "Who are you? Are you Demonic Cultivators infiltrating here?"

  Noe ?? smiled and said: "Why don't you open your Merit Eye (C?ng ??c Nh?n) and check?"

  The Three-Eyed True Immortal checked, and his face showed utter surprise ??, as he had never seen anyone with so much Merit before. He said: "Who are you, sir?"

  Noe ?? replied: "I am Noe."

  H?a Minh ??, standing nearby, said: "I know this person; he's my friend, the Prophet, Brother."

  The Three-Eyed True Immortal looked at the other two and asked: "Do you know these two?"

  H?a Minh ?? immediately replied: "They are our friends." The Three-Eyed True Immortal was still suspicious but kept silent.

  Vong Tr?n said: "We are Demon Subduing Heavenly Masters (Thiên S? Tr? Ma). It's normal for us to frequent places with high Demonic and Yin Qi." The Three-Eyed True Immortal smiled and registered all three. Before leaving, he added: "Be careful, kids. Under no circumstances should you enter the inner area of the Imperial Palace; the Major Generals will all be there. Entering is certain death ??."

  With that, the Three-Eyed True Immortal left to find others involved in the mission.

  The three young men (Han Th??ng, H?a Minh, Th? Trung Sa) all wondered why Noe ?? was there. Noe ?? shared: "This is a mission entrusted to me by the Heavenly Dao ??: to preserve a drop of blood for the Royal Chau Family, to continue their reign. Therefore, the three of us will go straight into the Imperial Palace ??. Once you all have rescued your people, leave this place; do not follow us."

  "If you want to enter the Imperial Palace, you must at least reach the Foundation Establishment stage; otherwise, do not enter." Noe ?? gave them three letters ?? to use in case of extreme danger.

  The Heavenly Scroll has collected and analyzed notable streams of Merit in this event. Noe ?? has the ability to use the "Merit Eye" (C?ng ??c Chi Nh?n) to see his own and others' Merit.

  The three-eyed immortal race is a special race, born with a third eye that possesses the ability of "Insight Eye" (Th?u Th? Nh?n - X-ray vision). Some members possess the "Yin-Yang Eye" (?m D??ng Chi Nh?n - seeing ghosts and deities).

  

  
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    Far Light ?? is a special case, possessing the "Merit Eye" (C?ng ??c Chi Nh?n - seeing the amount of Merit in living beings).
  
    


  
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    Noe ?? is supported by the Heavenly Scroll ??, thus possessing the "Divine Merit Eye" (C?ng ??c Th?n Nh?n - a higher version with analytical capabilities).
  
    


  

  The Heavenly Scroll has collected new data and updated the character files based on actions and results from the event: