As an elder of Wenjian Sect, she couldn't very well attend the ceremony with her head full of romantic entanglements.
Over the next two days, Fuyu City grew more and more lively.
Gu Chengming was busy too.
He spent the daytime cultivating in the Guest Courtyard, consolidating his Third Realm foundation, then met with Shen Qianqiu, Han Che, and the others at dusk to discuss Wenjian Sect's arrangements for the Sect Competition.
Meanwhile, Ji Yixi told Gu Chengming about the clue she had discovered: "a name." He pondered it for a long while without reaching an answer, so he simply set the matter aside for the time being.
The most important thing now was tomorrow's Sect Competition ceremony.
That night, after the Sect Competition, at midnight.
After nightfall, Fuyu City grew even quieter than it had been during the day.
The streets, usually ablaze with lights, had closed early. Even the bustling Cloud Viewing Pavilion had shut its doors ahead of schedule. The Guest Courtyard at Wenjian Sect's residence was so quiet that the only sound was the burbling of water through the Spiritual Spring channels.
Gu Chengming sat cross-legged on his bed, eyes half closed, circulating the final Greater Celestial Circuit of Hundred-Bone Chime for the night.
His Qi and Blood surged like a tide. The body-tempering power of Hundred-Bone Chime coursed through his meridians in a complete cycle, further solidifying the foundations of his Third Realm.
Gu Chengming slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and opened his eyes.
The sky outside was still pitch-black. Dawn was probably two or three hours away.
He didn't continue cultivating. Instead, he lay down to rest for a while, hoping to be well-rested for tomorrow.
The morning light shone through the window lattice, casting neat lines of shadow across the