Profound Truth Sect, Duck Mountain Island, Lingxi Peak.
Leaving Lingxi Hall, Yang Jing gathered in the awe and anticipation the supreme scripture had stirred within him, then descended the quiet, winding Blue-Stone Mountain Path toward his Azure No. 4 Courtyard halfway up the peak.
Along the way, life had already returned to Lingxi Peak. It was no longer as deserted and desolate as it had been during the tournament.
On either side of the mountain path, along stone steps and covered walkways, on cultivation platforms and among shaded pavilions, Lingxi Peak disciples could be seen coming and going everywhere, traveling in twos and threes.
Whenever disciples along the way spotted Yang Jing descending the mountain, their footsteps halted at once. Intense fervor, reverence, and admiration surged across their faces as they hurriedly stopped, straightened themselves, and greeted him respectfully in unison.
"Greetings, Senior Brother!"
"We pay our respects, Senior Brother!"
"Greetings, Senior Brother!"
Gaze after gaze gathered upon him, filled with heartfelt adoration.
The spectacle of this Jintai Grand Tournament had been utterly different from previous years.
When previous tournaments began, most disciples throughout the Profound Truth Sect had been dispirited.
The sect had languished at the bottom of the Five Great Sects for years. Time and again, they had set out for the grand event full of hope, only to return in humiliation.
Over time, many disciples had grown timid and ashamed of themselves. Some had even been unwilling to travel to Moonwatch Mountain to watch, unwilling to witness their own sect suffer humiliation yet again.
Thus, when this tournament first began, quite a few disciples on Lingxi Peak and throughout the Profound Truth Sect had still chosen to remain behind rather than go to Moonwatch Mountain, wanting only to stay within the sect and avoid the embarrassment.
But