The winter in Celestial Capital, though not as bone-chilling as the Cold Ice of the Land of the Far North, is much colder than the spring breeze of the South.

Half-asleep, he heard someone knocking on the door outside.

Liu Zixuan shivered, wrapped in the quilt, got down from the bed, opened a crack in the door, and groggily asked, "Who is it, coming over so early?"

"Master Zixuan, there’s an old man with the surname Qiu looking for you outside," said the burly man.

An old man with the surname Qiu?

Liu Zixuan scratched his head, "Let him wait in the living room for a while, I need to freshen up."

The burly man left, and Liu Zixuan returned to the bedside, giving Bai Jingjing a nudge, "Get up quickly."

"I’m so sleepy, I still want to sleep a bit more," Bai Jingjing mumbled, rubbing her sleepy eyes and turned back to lie down again.

Liu Zixuan helplessly pinched his forehead, went to the bathroom to take a shower, changed into new clothes, and walked outside.

Sister An San happened to be going in, "Jingjing hasn’t gotten up yet?"

"No, she’s sleeping like a pig," Liu Zixuan muttered.

"I’ll go wake her up. It’s the Little New Year today, let’s all have some fun," said Sister An San and walked right in.

Meanwhile, Liu Zixuan headed straight to the living room, looked at Old Qiu sitting there drinking tea, and said with a smile, "Old Qiu, happy Little New Year!"

"Happy festival to you too!"

Old Qiu stood up and cupped his hands, "I just returned to Celestial Capital yesterday and heard you were back too. I came over to chat with you."

"Chat with me?" Liu Zixuan’s expression immediately became serious.

Old Qiu, a man knowledgeable about the world, is the Pavilion Master of the Celestial Secret Pavilion. If he came to talk, it must be something significant.

Liu Zixuan casually took out a cigarette, lit it, and said, "What is it about?"

"The martial world,"

Old Qiu said with a meaningful smile.

Liu Zixuan paused, "Have those large factions made any significant moves recently?"

"Exactly, ever since the ancestor of the Willow Association called a meeting of the martial world leaders and ordered Emperor Realm experts not to harm martial artists below the Emperor Realm, all the major families and powers have been secretly busy."

Old Qiu gave a mysterious smile and said, "Even though the martial arts tournament is still more than ten days away, the entire Star Sea Martial Realm is already buzzing with excitement."

"Old Qiu, stop keeping me in suspense, what’s going on?" Liu Zixuan asked, holding the cigarette in his mouth.

"To put it simply, the martial world is now divided into two factions, one supporting unification and the other against it. The supporters mostly consist of the Eight Great Powers, Four Great Clans, and some strong sects, but not all. For example, the Shi Family and Gui Family haven’t shown any stance yet."

"Those opposing must be some sectless, scattered martial artists, right?" Liu Zixuan spread his hands.

Old Qiu nodded, "Exactly, it’s easy to guess. Whether it’s the Eight Great Powers, the Four Great Clans, or those powerful sects, even after unification, they will hold important positions, only becoming stronger. On the contrary, those scattered martial artists without any backing will find their positions even more awkward. Originally, some of them, with a bit of strength, could grab some resources, but if unified, they won’t get any resources at all."

Liu Zixuan asked suspiciously, "What’s Old Qiu’s reason for looking for me then?"

"Hahaha, there’s naturally a reason for looking for you!"

Old Qiu patted Liu Zixuan’s shoulder, "Your position is quite unique right now."

"Unique? What do you mean by that?" Liu Zixuan asked.

"Originally, many people categorized you as part of the Willow Association, given your good relations with the several young misses of the Willow Association. But since your hasty departure from the Willow Association and the incident in the Ghost Market where you struck down the Gu Family martial artist, some believe you’re on the side opposing unification."

"Their words aren’t wrong, but what do they care about me? In this grand scheme of the martial world, how can I possibly affect it?" Liu Zixuan shrugged and laughed.

Old Qiu shook his head, "Don’t underestimate yourself. You’re the most relied upon existence for those martial artists without any backing now."

"They all admire you because you rose from nothing to your current status without relying on external forces, reaching the Willow Association on your own. Such legendary feats aren’t something many martial artists can achieve."

"Now, they vaguely regard you as the leader of the opposing faction. Without any surprise, many martial artists will soon flock to you, looking to curry favor and hoping you’ll unite these scattered martial artists to counter those major sects!"

Hearing Old Qiu’s words, Liu Zixuan’s expression changed immediately, "This damn well puts me in the limelight."

"To put it nicely, they’re making me a leader for the sectless martial artists. To put it bluntly, aren’t they just using me as a scapegoat?"

Old Qiu chuckled awkwardly, "If you understand it that way, you’re not wrong. That’s why I said your position is unique. Anyway, this is the current situation, it’s up to you to decide."

"Wait, how do you even know all this?" Liu Zixuan asked.

"That day in the Ghost Market, quite a few martial artists saw you enter my Celestial Secret Pavilion. Naturally, many inquired about our relationship, so people came to ask me, and I spent the past few days chatting with some well-known martial artists and gathering information."

Old Qiu laughed, "You know, our Celestial Secret Pavilion makes a living off this kind of information."

"You old guy, you’re treating me like a gold mine," Liu Zixuan chided with mock annoyance.

"I’m just a messenger, and besides, if I don’t do it, someone else will. Comparatively, I think you’d prefer talking to me over a stranger, right?" Old Qiu spread his hands.

Liu Zixuan nodded, "I guess this festival won’t be peaceful after all."

"Others can have peace, but you definitely won’t,"

Old Qiu said earnestly, touching his chin, "Zixuan, your every move might affect the future development of the martial world."

"Damn, don’t make it sound so profound, I’m not some savior or something," Liu Zixuan laughed awkwardly.

Old Qiu waved his hand, "I’m not exaggerating at all. If the martial world unifies, the Willow Association’s position within it will be extraordinary, and you have some intricate relations with the Willow Association."

"So now, besides those scattered martial artists wanting to recruit you, the Eight Great Powers and Four Great Clans will also extend an olive branch to you, maybe not because of your strength or your personal appeal, but because of your unique position. You’re the only one connected with the Willow Association, also revered by those loose cultivators."

"In a blink of an eye, I’ve become quite the hot commodity?"