In the blink of an eye, a myriad years passed, in the Sword Realm's Qingzhou, the incense of the Shrine of the Ridge Ancestor has been swirling for millennia, worshippers arriving ceaselessly.
Inside the hall, the gilded statue of the Ridge Ancestor holds an ancient sword, its brow and eyes imbued with the fierce murderous aura from slaying an immortal with a single sword strike millennia ago.
Within the depths of the incense mist, a young boy kneels on the foremost cushion, hands clasped in prayer, murmuring:
"I beseech the Ridge Ancestor to reveal divine presence, to bless this disciple's examination of literature and law, allowing him to pass."
Outside the hall comes the hawker's call, the boy suddenly opens his eyes, quickly kowtows thrice with a resounding thud, strides out of the temple doors, hastening along the winding mountain path towards Qingzhou City.
