Void Gate City had rules. No fighting. No weapons. No drama.
So naturally, something dramatic was happening.
The sky hadn't even fully sealed after the rift closed, and the entire plaza outside the gate had gone quiet — like someone had turned off the sound of the universe.
The man in violet was walking forward, calmly, straight-backed, eyes fixed ahead. His robes barely moved. No wind dared to touch him. He walked like someone who knew exactly where he was going and why.
And right now… he was going straight toward Shen Hao.
Shen Hao, meanwhile, was standing there like a confused tourist, one foot back, one foot forward, visitor badge still glowing dimly on his chest.
He hadn't moved. Mostly because he didn't know what to do.
People around him stepped back quickly, opening space like the sea parting. Everyone gave the man respectful fist-in-palm salutes — guards, vendors, cultivators, even that guy selling glowing fruits on a stick.
Everyone knew what to do.
Everyone but him.
"Uhhh… Master?" Shen Hao whispered in his mind.
"Say nothing," Mo Han replied instantly. "Don't speak. Don't move. Let him come."
"That's the problem. He is coming."
"Good. That means he noticed you."
"How is that good?!"
"Because you didn't insult him. Yet."
Lingfeng snorted from beside his waist.
"I swear if he pulls out a scroll and starts reading your sins, I'm turning invisible."
"You're a dagger. You're already invisible half the time!"
Shen Hao swallowed hard.
The man was close now — ten steps… six… three…
He stopped directly in front of Shen Hao. The space between them was quiet, like the city itself was holding its breath.
Shen Hao looked up slightly. The man was taller. Not bulky — lean and refined — but there was something dense about his presence. Like the air thickened around him out of respect.
He didn't say anything.
Just stared at Shen Hao with calm, pale silver eyes.
For a second, Shen Hao thought maybe he'd forgotten how to speak.
Then, after a few slow heartbeats, he lifted one hand… and gave a clean, measured fist-in-palm salute.
Shen Hao, eyes wide, mirrored it quickly. Probably too quickly. His hands smacked together too loud. Awkward.
The man smiled lightly.
Then, in a calm voice with zero tension, he asked:
"Are you new here?"
Shen Hao blinked. He had a hundred thoughts in his head — where am I, who are you, why is this happening, is this how I die — but all that came out was:
"…Yes."
The man didn't blink. He just kept that same calm look on his face, like he wasn't standing in a crowd full of silent, wide-eyed cultivators, but having a casual chat over tea.
"Where are you from?" he asked, voice low but crystal clear.
Shen Hao's mouth was suddenly dry again. He tried to breathe through it and responded with the most basic answer he could think of.
"…Planet Earth. Milky Way Galaxy."
The man tilted his head slightly, as if tasting the words.
"Milky Way," he repeated. "Hmm. A small galaxy, then."
It didn't sound mocking. He didn't roll his eyes or smirk. It was just… fact.
But still, Shen Hao felt like a squirrel claiming it lived in a garbage bin while standing in front of a cosmic library.
"Master," he thought quickly, "what do I say if he asks something I don't know?"
"Answer honestly. Do not exaggerate. Let him lead the conversation."
"Right. Got it. Be honest. Don't brag. Don't die."
The man studied him for a moment longer, then asked another question — slower this time.
"Do you know who I am?"
Shen Hao blinked again. He looked at the man's face, his robes, his aura — which somehow still felt like a giant mountain made of silence — and then said honestly:
"…No."
There was a small pause.
Lingfeng whispered, "Good answer. No flattery. No nonsense. Just ignorance. Honest ignorance."
The man didn't seem offended. If anything, his smile grew just a bit.
"You're honest," he said simply. "Rare."
Then, something changed in his tone — not threatening, not formal, just more… curious.
"I enjoy studying the realms," he said. "Collecting star charts, ancient maps, records of lost planets. I've read about thousands of systems, but never once has your planet's name crossed my path."
His silver eyes narrowed slightly.
"And yet… you stood your ground. You didn't run. You didn't kneel. You even saluted me—assuming I was some kind of big shot."
Shen Hao stood straighter, unsure if he should apologize or say thank you.
The man continued, almost to himself now.
"A place I've never heard of… producing someone like you. Now that's interesting."
He took a slow breath, then looked directly at Shen Hao again.
"Come. Let's not create a commotion here."
He turned and started walking calmly toward the inner district of the city, the crowd still parting in silence.
His guards moved with him, flanking the sides like silent shadows — but none of them stopped Shen Hao from following.
"Master?" Shen Hao asked internally.
"Go. Walk beside him. But keep your tone respectful and your posture steady."
"I feel like I'm walking into a trap."
"Then walk like you belong there."
Shen Hao exhaled once and stepped forward, falling into step beside the man.
"So… uh… should I just pretend this is normal?" he muttered quietly.
"Absolutely," Lingfeng replied. "You're just casually chatting with the scariest man in the city. Totally normal."
Shen Hao walked beside the man in silence.
He didn't dare speak. Mostly because he still wasn't sure if this was some test, a weird form of interrogation, or the setup to a "just kidding" moment that ended with him being launched into a different realm.
The mysterious man didn't say anything either. He just walked — smooth, casual, purposeful — with Shen Hao at his side and guards trailing silently behind them.
The plaza had turned into a walkway of whispers.
People along the path parted once more as the group passed through. Traders, cultivators, street vendors—each one stepped aside, offering respectful fist-in-palm salutes. Some avoided eye contact entirely.
And then… there was Shen Hao.
"You really stand out," Lingfeng whispered. "Like a single cracked talisman in a shop full of treasures."
"Can you not?"
"You want encouragement? Here's encouragement: I'm proud of you for not fainting yet."
"Master?" Shen Hao thought.
"Keep your steps measured. Do not hunch. No need to pretend you're important — just be stable. Confidence without arrogance."
Shen Hao tried. Really, he did. But he could still feel the glances.
Dozens of cultivators on the edge of the path stared, trying to figure out who this kid was. Some whispered guesses. Others just looked confused. A few even started scanning Shen Hao with spiritual sense, though they pulled back quickly — probably afraid the man beside him would notice.
"Do you think they think I'm his... disciple?" Shen Hao muttered mentally.
"No," Lingfeng answered immediately. "You look more like his lost delivery boy."
"Shut. Up."
They passed through an open courtyard filled with floating crystal lights, a water fountain shaped like a giant celestial compass, and into a grand street lined with towering structures. The biggest one stood at the very center — tall, curved, glowing gently at its corners with spatial inscriptions.
A circular platform hovered above its front gate, displaying a name Shen Hao couldn't read.
He was about to ask Mo Han for a translation when the man beside him casually said:
"This is the Celestial Whisper Pavilion. Finest accommodations in the city."
Shen Hao blinked.
"Oh."
He expected a temple. A war council. Maybe a fortress.
Not a… hotel?
Guards at the front door stepped aside without hesitation. One of them did a low fist-in-palm salute and opened the grand entrance with a quiet wave of spiritual Qi.
Inside, the room opened wide — all marble floors, floating lanterns, elegant black-wood walls glowing softly with golden ink. Shen Hao barely had time to take it in before they were already walking into a hallway lined with sliding doors.
One of them was already open — and inside, a round table was set. Two seats. One pot of steaming tea. Two cups.
Of course.
"You've got to be kidding me," Shen Hao whispered.
"He reserved a table," Lingfeng said. "You're having intergalactic tea with a man who just strolled through space like it was his backyard."
"I'm going to cry."
"Do not cry," Mo Han warned. "And for the sake of your entire galaxy—do not slurp."
The man gestured calmly toward the empty chair.
"Come. Sit," he said. "Let's talk."
Shen Hao hesitated for half a second, then gave a small but respectful fist-in-palm salute and stepped forward.
The chair was soft. Too soft. As soon as he sat down, it swallowed half his confidence. He tried to sit upright like Mo Han always told him, but everything about this room whispered luxury he didn't belong in.
The man across from him sat silently, pouring tea into both cups with calm, smooth movements. Every step felt practiced — not arrogant, just deeply comfortable with himself.
He lifted his cup, took a quiet sip, then finally looked across the table.
"I've walked across more than three hundred planets," he began, voice low and composed. "Explored collapsed sectors. Studied archives older than most stars. Mapped the ruins of systems lost to history."
He set the teacup down gently, fingertips resting against the porcelain.
"And in all that time…"
"…I have never once heard of a planet named Earth."
Shen Hao remained silent, unsure if that was good or bad.
"Master?" he thought.
"You're fine," Mo Han answered. "He's curious — not hostile. Just listen."
The man leaned forward slightly, still watching him.
"No record. No mention. Not even a whisper in galactic mapping systems. Yet here you are — calm, direct, and unshaken in a realm where most young cultivators lose their minds within days."
He paused.
"I must ask…"
"Is your planet beautiful?"
Shen Hao blinked. "Beautiful?"
"Yes," the man said, with no smile, but a softness in his tone. "I treasure beautiful worlds. I protect their nature when I can. A place doesn't need power or history to matter — it only needs to be… preserved."
Shen Hao gave a small nod.
"Yes," he said. "Earth is… very beautiful."
The man's expression shifted ever so slightly — something between interest and amusement. Then he leaned back, folding his hands gently.
"Then tell me more," he said.
His silver eyes glinted slightly.
"Tell me about Earth."