Chapter 75

Chapter 75: A Gathering of Heroes

The Tun Qi Pool lay at the southernmost edge of the world of Heng Yun. Its water was so clear you could see more than a thousand meters straight down.

Only when Zhao Chun arrived did she realize it was likely a volcanic lake, perched high on the mountain’s crown—like a sapphire set into snow-white peaks.

Range after range, and every valley between, belonged to the Zhi Yue Sect. Beneath the ground, spiritual veins crisscrossed and coiled into the richest network in the Southern Domain. The instant outside cultivators stepped into the region, they felt spiritual qi spilling freely through the air, as if they had wandered into a celestial realm.

In the cultivation world, places like this were called grotto-heavens and blessed lands.

The Tun Qi Dao Field of the Zhi Yue Sect, the Tian Rong Law Domain of Rong Qing Mountain, and the earth-veins of Song Mountain that the Ling Zhen Sect once possessed were all famed blessed lands in the Southern Domain.

What a pity that, after the war with the Ren Yang Sect, the Ling Zhen Sect fled to Secluded Valley in defeat. Song Mountain’s spiritual pulse collapsed, and its veins were partly swallowed by the Ren Yang Sect and other minor sects. The Southern Domain’s three great blessed lands were reduced by one.

To accommodate the sects arriving for the assembly, the Zhi Yue Sect arranged lodgings on the mountain that held the Tun Qi Pool. From summit to foothills, the placement quietly reflected each sect’s strength.

By rights, the Ling Zhen Sect—with only one Profound Division Stage expert—should not have been placed so high. Several sects below them had two, some even three, Profound Division Stage experts, yet they ranked beneath the Ling Zhen Sect.

But the arrangement came from the Zhi Yue Sect. In Zhao Chun’s eyes, it was likely a lingering gesture of respect toward the Southern Domain’s former leader.

Once everyone settled in, Sun You Yi was hauled off by Shi Tong and never came to disturb them again.

There were still three days before the assembly began. Zhao Chun welcomed the quiet; she spent her time either circulating qi in cultivation or practicing sword techniques in the courtyard.

Three days later, the sky was a flawless blue and the sunlight warm.

Disciples from every sect gathered and prepared to move. Zhao Chun and the Qi Refining Stage disciples followed close behind the elders. When they reached the summit, they took their seats.

The platform for the martial tournament floated directly above the Tun Qi Pool. Zhao Chun had no idea what method the Zhi Yue Sect used, but the entire structure hovered over the water as if it weighed nothing at all.

Only the first-timers showed a flicker of surprise. Those who had seen it before did not spare it a second glance.

Essence Condensation Stage great cultivators had their own section. Qi Refining Stage and Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators sat together—Qi Refining Stage in front, Foundation Establishment Stage behind.

That put Zhao Chun in the very first row. From here, every exchange on the platform would be plain to her eyes.

The sects ringed the Tun Qi Pool without the clear hierarchy of the lodgings. This was a contest between sects; before it began, the Ling Zhen Sect had ordered its disciples into uniform, lake-blue outer robes that stood out at a glance.

After sitting down, Zhao Chun looked around and realized every sect had its own distinctive garments. At a gathering like this, the uniforms lent everything a solemn, disciplined air.

As the host, the Zhi Yue Sect naturally stepped forward to preside.

A white-robed Daoist rose into the air and landed on the platform. He did not look old at all—if anything, he looked strikingly young.

But a cultivator’s age could never be judged by appearance.

The Foundation Establishment Stage was the first real step onto the immortal path. Once you reached it, your appearance could be fixed at that age—then, at the moment of death, all those years would catch up in an instant.

Some cultivators reached Foundation Establishment Stage while still young and refused to wear a child’s face, reshaping their features to look more mature. Others entered the stage at an advanced age and took youth-preserving treasures, fixing their appearance at their best years.

It all came down to personal preference.

The white-robed Daoist before Zhao Chun looked no older than his twenties or thirties, yet his true age was likely several hundred.

As he moved, radiant light flared around him. That was not something an Essence Condensation Stage cultivator could accomplish. It was the mark of a Profound Division Stage cultivator—true essence manifesting as visible brilliance.

In an ordinary sect, a Profound Division Stage cultivator was a rare sight. Yet at this grand gathering, the Zhi Yue Sect had sent one simply to serve as host.

“His name is Fang Du Nian,” a voice said at her side, amused. “He’s a recently advanced Profound Division Stage cultivator of the Zhi Yue Sect. Among their Profound Division Stage seniors, his standing is the lowest—so it falls to him to handle this.”

Second Senior Sister Liu Xuan had somehow appeared beside her.

Among the Ling Zhen Sect’s disciples, only Liu Xuan had spent years roaming outside. She had seen too much and knew too much, and Zhao Chun was eager to learn. The two had grown close through constant questions and answers.

The more Zhao Chun learned, the more startled she became. Liu Xuan not only knew rare treasures and pills with unusual effects—she knew them in detail.

More unsettling still was how well she grasped the state of other sects: which ones had produced Essence Condensation Stage or Profound Division Stage experts, which ones had discovered a rising genius. Very little escaped her attention.

The Zhi Yue Sect was far from the Ling Zhen Sect, yet Liu Xuan spoke of recent events there as if she had witnessed them firsthand.

Zhao Chun did not dare underestimate her. In any world, intelligence was a resource. To gather it so quickly required methods that could not be simple.

As with any grand occasion, there was an opening address—welcoming the sects, recounting the history of the Hundred Sects Assembly, and praising the need for Southern Domain cultivators to unite and uphold the righteous path.

Fang Du Nian clearly disliked speeches. His expression barely changed as he rattled through the formalities. Then, with a wave of his sleeve, he declared the start.

Liu Xuan pointed forward, smiling. “Junior Sister, look. Those are the Zhi Yue Sect, Rong Qing Mountain, and Windsea Tower.”

Zhao Chun followed her gesture. Three groups of disciples sat upright, each dressed in distinct colors. The Zhi Yue Sect wore black robes traced with silver patterns. Rong Qing Mountain mixed green and white. Windsea Tower resembled the Ling Zhen Sect in style, but their robes were sea-blue, embroidered with rippling wave designs.

“In the Southern Domain, those three should be the strongest,” Liu Xuan continued. “Over there in bright yellow—that’s the Dan Cheng Sect. They’re special. Their disciples focus on alchemy. At this Hundred Sects Assembly, they likely won’t participate in combat.”

Liu Xuan herself was a ranked alchemist. When she mentioned a few Dan Cheng Sect disciples among the seats, her tone turned familiar—she clearly knew them.

Then she pointed out the best-known prodigies of the Southern Domain. Song Yi Kun of the Zhi Yue Sect sat at the head of his sect’s disciples, eyes closed, his expression cold and severe.

Zhao Chun did not dare stare. Essence Condensation Stage cultivators were keenly aware of hostile attention; lingering looks could be taken as deliberate provocation.

Another name followed—Xue Yun of Rong Qing Mountain.

She sat first among her sect’s disciples, green robes over white. She seemed to have cultivated some perception technique; the moment Zhao Chun looked her way, Xue Yun noticed.

But Zhao Chun was hardly the only one watching. Xue Yun’s gaze swept toward Zhao Chun’s side for a heartbeat, then withdrew.

Beyond those two, every sect had its own talented disciples. But with such dazzling pearls in front, it was hard for anyone else to draw the eye.