The Myriad Monarch Sect's most elite talents were gathering at one location, with a few exceptions. They were all enthralled and excited, having made ample preparations to explore the unknown realm beyond the Gateway Door. Many of them weren't even aware of its existence, only finding out after the Grand Spirit Trials that they would be given a spot to adventure out.
Some paled, giving up their spots to others for resources or connextions. Others roared in excitement, ready to venture out into the unknown and test their mettle against whatever obstacle that comes. With the restriction set of three hundred years, this meant whatever came would be within their manageable limits. At least, this was the held belief of many elites.
Shockingly, their gathering place was not within the Myriad Monarch Sect, but outside the sect and on the planet. It was a public location called Everworth Lake. It was a pristine freshwater lake that expanded for three kilometers in all directions, and above those crystal clear waters was a floating pagoda.
This pagoda had similarities to the Wu Astral Tower on the Myriad Yore Continent and the Myriad Nascent Dao Pagoda, being sleek-black with faint starry light on its surface, but containing nine different floors. It lingered above the lake, floating beneath the clouds, and emanated an imposing and vast aura.
It housed the largest Void Gate on the planet, which was typically only used to send out troops of war. Furthermore, it was exceptionally powerful, capable of establishing a portal in terrifying areas. The Auric Sea, one of the most dangerous and mystical areas in the entire starfield, had its restrictions that caused normal Void Gates to be unable to establish a connection.
This led to the numerous elites venturing to this area, usually cordoned off at all times except war.
There were also various senior experts intermixed here, gathering in their own groups like the youngsters, having idle conversation. Amongst these experts were the former Grand Imperial Sage Yao Zhen, now the Prime Imperial Sags Yao Zhen. He stood off with a group of demons, including his son—Yao Wei, an almost smaller-sized exact version of himself.
Similarly, Qin Rui was present, within a group of elves alongside her own disciple, Bing Yin. She, shockingly, was not an elf. She was a human. She had long-flowing black hair that carried traces of an airy feeling, but her appearance wasn't anything too outstanding, wearing round-framed glasses upon her face. Her flat-chested, almost board-like, slim figure didn't contain much seductive charm. However, no one would ever underestimate her, especially as her aura revealed pulses of spiritual strength, an indication of her Soul Idol Phase Cultivation.
Ji Changkong stood with only one figure, his own disciple. Shudao was a hybrid demon, also different from his master who originated from the beastman race of the canine lineage. He had a pair of dark triangular eyes, waist-length white hair tied in a ponytail, pointy ears, and a slim frame that betrayed his elven side.
He was just as sharp as Ji Changkong, radiating Sword Intent that sliced the air. He, too, couldn't be underestimated as his cultivation base had now reached the Third Stage of the Astral Core Realm. It seemed his abrupt elimination in the Grand Spirit Trials hadn't dulled his edge nor stopped him from participating in this expedition.
With the three disciples or descendants of the former Grand Imperial Sages present, everyone felt pressured. They all radiated vast might and seemed intent on plundering the lionshare of whatever this expedition provided. But this invigorated some hot-blooded youths, becoming dead-set on derailing these grand aspirations.
Amongst the demon group, an unexpected tall and mighty beauty was garbed in armor, her golden irises radiating a heavy pressure to any that looked. Her curvaceous and ample-breasted tall figure couldn't be fully enjoyed because of that, and because of her status.
Quite a few were aware of her existence as the lover to one of the most prominent members of the entire starfield, Wei Wuyin. She could even obtain the faint smile from the ever-brooding Yao Zhen, and seemed to be friends with Yao Wei. Even the elders in the group paid her every change of expression an ungodly amount of attention and thought.
Da Shan was lavished with words of praise and caution, and while she was aware these wily old foxes were all trying to invest in her as a way to form a connection to Wei Wuyin, she didn't mind. In fact, she felt proud and loved this sensation. What woman disliked good attention?
While she could feel envy, from both men and women alike, this only caused her to stand even firmer amongst these elders of higher rank. If it wasn't for the faint demonic air lingering nearby, making everyone who approached uncomfortable, she might've formed a gathering.
There was another group that held a lot of attention. They were the talk of everyone, especially since their auras were more consolidated, purer, and seemingly of a higher quality than everyone else. There were only twelve individuals present here, being one of the smaller groups, and they consisted of all youths, but not one of them was lacking.
Just from those terrifying auras alone, the elders and those of keen spiritual senses could determine that the weakest were at the Soul Idol Phase. This terrified them. Especially the one at the lead, her aura revealed faint spatial ripples that accompanied her every movement, indicating the integration of spatial energies within her cultivation base. This was a quality only contained by Spatial Resonance Phase cultivators, those at the Fourth Stage of the Astral Core Realm.
While the group was multiracial, the leader was a female human. She had an elegant figure accompanied by a slim waist. Her auburn-colored hair was tied into a sleek ponytail that reached half-way down her back, giving her a faintly heroic disposition. Paired with those energetic eyes and red-lips of hers, she contained an electrifying presence.
She was the sword-wielding Hong Chunhua, who originally had jet-black hair. After swearing her sword to Wei Wuyin, she had cultivated a unique method that had changed her hair color and lengthened it, which accentuated her face even more.
As the First Commander of the Ascendants, quite a few gazes of reverence and fear emerged in these elites eyes. The Ascendants weren't just in development, but were actively participating in the Myriad Monarch Sect's struggles. They had claimed numerous territories from other Sky Nobles and Heavenly Kings in a fair and above-board manner, displaying their ferocity.
It seemed Wei Wuyin had kept his promise, allowing her to exceed every Heavenly King present, excluding himself, in six months. While that had long since passed, she was heralded as the top expert of the younger generation, with her cultivation at the Spatial Resonance Phase exceeding everyone. She, too, was a Heavenly King of the Extreme War Mountain, but she remained a part of Wei Wuyin's faction and continued to display exceptional loyalty.
She had similarly been present in the Grand Spirit Trials, but she was eliminated early. It wasn't due to another, but her own excitement. She had killed too many high-level beasts with the assumption that she would receive points and was unable to dig herself out of a negative value by the time she learned otherwise, eliminating her in the very first trial.
Hong Chunhua wasn't the only one who experienced this.
The other eleven were top-tier members of Ascendants under three hundred, each with their own specialty and astonishing cultivation base. Hong Chunhua couldn't help but recall Su Mei whenever she thought about this.
The Ascendants rarely saw Wei Wuyin, with him only coming to inspect them and give them some one-on-one time to size-up their cultivation needs a few times, allowing them to get to know their leader a little. But Su Mei was almost always present, delivering fresh, top-tier, high-grade alchemical products in vast quantities. Whatever they needed, she had.
She gave them assignments, orders, and guided their cultivation. Despite her cultivation base exceeding Su Mei, she wasn't her match whenever they sparred. Thinking of Su Mei, she felt a desire to compete. Unfortunately, she learned that Su Mei wouldn't be coming, so she felt a little dejected.
Besides members of Ascendants, she felt there was no competition amongst these so-called genius youths. Shudao? Bing Yin? Yao Wei? These former Grand Imperial Sage disciples and descendants were once top-talents that dominated beyond their cultivation stage, but now they paled.
She felt any member of the Ascendant could fight them to a stand-still at worst, and decimate them at best. While she sized up those present, her thoughts extremely arrogant and competitive, a winged shadow flitted through the sky and swept over them.
This prompted the rising of heads.
Qin Rui's beautiful brows furrowed as a complex light emitted from her eyes. She couldn't help but glance at Da Shan subconsciously, seeing her smile that effused heartfelt excitement. Her heart throbbed in an irregular fashion, causing her thoughts to become more complex.
The winged shadow circled the area a few times at a mind-blowing speed before swiftly landing on the lake's surface, sparks of lightning erupted as a powerful neigh twisted wind currents. Stepping on the lake as if a holy creature, with snakes of lightning twisting beneath its hooves, Xiao Bai proudly lifted its head towards the gathering at the lakeside.
It was clearly basking in the awe and shock of the crowd, especially as its powerful aura made experts even at the Fifth Stage of the Astral Core Realm change their expressions.
"I've never flown that fast!" A flustered voice sounded, prompting a particular figure in the gathering, a figure that should've been a leading figure that was quietly residing off to the side with a few others, to lift their eyes and reveal complex emotions even greater than Qin Rui.
The voice belonged to a maiden that was quite familiar to the crowd, having had a spectacular showing at the Grand Spirit Trials.
Wei Wuyin's hearty and unrestrained laughter resounded, "Where's the "I can handle it!" girl gone?" With a faint tease, the lightning and wind subsided to reveal two figures. The first caught everyone's attention, having a resounding reputation, but the second was just as gaze-stealing as her blushing beauty was an incredible sight to behold. The two seemed to be holding each other, or moreso, the gorgeous female was clinging to the robes of Wei Wuyin as if her life had flashed before her eyes, her eyes flickering with playful grievance.
That figure in the crowd softly murmured with rancor and vile, "Qing Qiumu…"
