Lán sat in the crystal clear lake inside his mind, deep in meditation. He felt as the calm lake shook around him as he focused. He was training the skill he had developed during the attack a month ago. It was not mentioned in the Tome of The Azure Palace, so he called it the Azure Eye. He could only keep the effect of slowed time for about five seconds before his head rang with pain.

His focus shook for a second and he lost concentration, the lake trembled for a second before returning to its usual calm demeanor. 

“At least this month of training has paid off” he thought to himself, as he stared at the newly built third floor of the Azure Palace, its doors waiting in anticipation.

Lán sighed as he looked out of his carriage's window at the long line ahead of him. The entrance to Huayin was extremely crowded as another dozen carriages flooded the gates to the city. Mount Hua could be seen in the distance, a white eagle circling the sky around it.

He peered into the city, it was bustling with activity, all sorts of people with all kinds of shapes and sizes came and went, Lán could instantly tell apart the Martial Artists from the commonfolk, they wore swords, maces, lances and all sorts of weaponry as they spoke loudly and told stories of their heroism.

Many traveled in groups, hoping to bring fame to their sect, clan or school. Even If one didn’t make it to the end of the Rising Dragon Tournament, success as a group could bring fame to all of them.

Lán's eyes glossed over as he waited anxiously, he was still nervous about leaving Húchéng, even though he left it in the capable hands of Saman Pa and Su Youlan, he couldn't help but worry. What if he wasn't there when it mattered? What if something happened and he couldn't help, again?

He pushed the thoughts out of his mind as the carriage passed the main gate. He filled the necessary paperwork and the carriage trundled forward through the busy streets, Shú had told him to meet her in an inn called The Lake Of Seven Immortals.

Once he got there he understood why Shú had suggested the place. A gigantic, brownish-red horse stood in the stables outside, alongside many other fancy and well kept horses. Servants ran in and out of the inn fetching all kinds of belongings, from weapons to fancy robes.

The Lake Of Seven Immortals was the inn where the most promising youths that would participate in the Rising Dragon tournament resided. All of them were of great renown, and as such many lords and ladies flocked to the inn hoping to recruit them. It had cost Lán a considerable sum of money to rent a room here, thankfully the Lúse Family would have no more money troubles for the considerable future.

Lán struggled to get out of the carriage and into his wheelchair, the pain in his shoulder was still fresh and he couldn't put too much weight on it. He had considered traveling with guards but decided that traveling in anonymity was better, he would not put more people in danger until he had the power to defend them.

Lán was suddenly lifted from behind and placed gently into his chair.

“Here let me help you with that” a man behind him said.

Lán looked back embarrassed but thankful for the help, a solid slab of muscle stared back at him, the man was wearing a long white deel, a traditional mongolian garment that was somewhat uncommon around these parts.

“Thank you” Lán replied as he straightened himself in his seat “I am called Lán, what may I call you”

“I’m Batu. Are you staying here for the Rising Dragon Tournament?” he asked.

“I am, I assume so are you. If you are staying here you must be a warrior of great renown. Please tell me, what brought you this far from Mongolia?” Lán asked.

Batu looked surprised, he carried his mongolian heritage with pride, but Chinese people rarely knew where he came from, they usually just assumed he was some foreigner.

“You honor me friend, I am but a humble wanderer of the Jianhu” Batu replied “My mother was Chinese and implored me to visit her homeland some years ago, I have stayed here ever since”

They both went into the inn and sat at a table together. The Lake Of Seven Immortals was a rowdy place, with this many martial artists gathered together, they could not help but show off their skills.

Lán and Batu spoke while they waited for their food. Batu was anything but humble, proudly recalling his adventures, he even managed to gather a small crowd around him before Lán felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Hey, it’s been a while” Shú said

Lán turned to hug his friend as he felt a sense of nervousness leave his body. It had been agonising to know Shú was in an unfamiliar city.

Lán and Shú left the table as Batu continued telling tales of his bravery and heroism. They went up to Lán’s private room to talk.

Shú told Lán about the weird beggar and all the other information she had gathered.

“I think the staff holds some sort of message, but I can't quite seem to figure it out. Could you give it a try?” Shú asked.

Lán nodded as he inspected the bamboo quarterstaff closely. He entered his mind and went into the Hall of Mirrors where he made an exact copy of the staff. 

It took him a few hours to decipher the contents of the staff, but once he realized what it was he shook with excitement. 

Lán giddily ran up the stairs to the new third floor of the Azure Palace, The Hall of Stones.

An empty room with a Go board in the middle, Lán sat on one end as the staff appeared on the other. As the stones began to fall on the board the secrets of the bamboo quarterstaff revealed themselves.

A simulation of a martial art began to pan out inside the Hall of Stones. The Nameless Beggar, whoever he was, had managed to transcribe the entirety of a martial art into the staff, with scratches and marks representing strikes and bumps and decoloration representing blocks and maneuvers.

It was an exquisite art, focusing on striking at an opponent's joints to immobilize them without risking their life, many of the maneuvers were deceitful, feints that led into escapes and feigned retreats became sudden attacks.

It was the perfect martial art for someone like Shú who needed to get information and launch a quick getaway if necessary.

He used the Hall of Stones to its full potential, simulating the moves on the staff against the many other martial arts he had learned and seen. The Hall of Stones allowed him to simulate thousands of encounters in quick succession and he could see in real time how fights would end up.

“Whoever made this art must be at least a Master Martial Artist” Lán thought. The style flowed so flawlessly and its intent was clear with every technique.

Lán ran a few more simulations before heading back to the real world. He shook his head, handing the staff back to a disappointed Shú. Even though Lán knew the staff’s secrets, he understood that the Namless Begar had intended for Shú to master this style on her own. 

They discussed information for a while longer, looking at potential candidates for recruitment until one name stood out.

“We need someone like him” Lán said.

“Are you sure? I mean it's possible to recruit him, but we probably won't see him until the day of the tournament” Shu replied.

They were about to discuss their recruitment strategy until a loud crash from downstairs interrupted their conversation.