As they were parting, Lu Che suddenly let his carefree smile fade. For once, he turned serious and cupped his hands toward Gu Chengming.
"Junior Brother, you'll represent Wenjian Sect in this Sect Competition. I, Lu, wish you a triumphant victory."
His words were perfectly proper, and he even had something of the air one expected from a Sword Cultivator of Guizang Gate.
Gu Chengming returned the salute with a smile. "I'll take your good wishes, Senior Brother."
Time flew, and the day of the Sect Competition finally arrived.
Early morning.
Dozens of Magic Swords, each engraved with the insignia of a different sect, hovered in neat rows above the main peak plaza of Wenjian Sect, bathed in the morning light.
Sect Master Shen Qianqiu and a group of elders, dressed in formal sect robes, took their places in the center of the plaza.
The departing disciples lined up on either side according to their respective branches, their faces betraying both nervousness and anticipation.
Gu Chengming stood at the very front of the group. Beside him were Su Qingmeng, calm as ever, and several Inner Sect Disciples from different branches.
This year's Sect Competition was being held in an extremely unusual place southeast of Da Gan—Fuyu City.
Fuyu City was no ordinary city.
It had once been an ancient secret realm. According to legend, it had originally been an unclaimed spiritual domain floating above the East Sea, rich in Spiritual Energy but treacherous in terrain. Rogue Cultivators had flocked there in search of adventure.
More than a thousand years ago, the Great Gan Royal Family joined forces with several of the era's top sects, investing enormous amounts of manpower and resources to completely transform the secret realm.
They drove out the ferocious beasts, leveled the treacherous shoals, laid down