Ashen arrived at the martial arts field by dawn, veins humming with excitement and anticipation.
Today, the atmosphere was completely different from any ordinary day. The entire sect had been set abuzz by Ethan's shocking performance; the legend of a "dark horse" transcending odds and tradition had spread like wildfire.
Disciples from every peak and generation squeezed together for a vantage point. Even the normally empty cliffs and high branches lining the arena's edges overflowed with eager cultivators, all forbidden from using flying swords or bodily flight out of respect for the gathered peak masters and elders.
Ashen swept his gaze over the sea of faces.
The intensity of focus directed toward the arena left no doubt—Ethan had jolted the Azure Origin Dao Sect to its core. The hype, the hope, the jealousy—every eye reflected the hunger to witness the strength of a pure physical cultivator who emerged from the Serene Mirror Lake and toppled a favored prodigy in one move.
