Wang Chen and Pang Zitong hastily put away their stools and sunflower seeds, then sat upright with solemn expressions, their eyes fixed straight ahead.
Before the discourse contest began.
The arena, which held nearly two thousand cultivators, had been abuzz with noise.
Some of these Inner Sect Disciples from Sunset Peak were talking grandly, while others laughed and played.
There were even people hurling insults at one another!
Under such circumstances, the two men hiding in a corner and cracking sunflower seeds would not have drawn anyone's attention at all.
But now, a Purple Mansion Elder had just stepped onto the discourse platform.
A Purple Mansion cultivator's Divine Sense was immensely powerful; no movement at the scene could escape his perception.
So under this elder's watchful eye, it was best to behave honestly.
Otherwise, if they were dragged out to kill the chicken and frighten the monkeys, they would have no one to blame but themselves!
The entire arena swiftly fell silent.
Everyone sat properly on their meditation cushions, listening to the elder's speech with earnest expressions.
No one dared step out and be a thorn in the side at such a moment.
Just as the time it took an incense stick to burn had passed, a rumbling sound reached every disciple's ears.
The discourse platform shuddered violently as the slabs of rock comprising its main structure began shifting positions.
The noise came from stone grinding against stone.
In a matter of moments, the upper half of the platform slowly spread outward in all directions.
Its height decreased, while the area of its top platform continued to expand.
In the end, it formed an inverted pyramid, still standing firmly within the arena!
According to the rules of the peak lineage discourse contest, disciples wishing to contend for the top ten