Night fell.
Mount Tai's nights were never dark.
The warm lights of countless homes stretched from the foot of the mountain all the way to the summit across the Human Race's Holy City and the Tai'an Realm, where all races lived together. Spirit vessels moved between the buildings like a glowing river.
Lanterns hung outside the roadside shops, illuminating the entire street as brightly as day.
Viewed from the sky, the cities on either side resembled two brilliant rivers of stars converging at Mount Tai's main peak.
The streets teemed with people. Children carried lanterns, Cultivators rode Flying Swords, and little ones giggled atop Spiritual Beasts.
The cries of roadside vendors rose and fell, while the aroma of steaming Spirit Food filled the long street.
On the rooftop terrace of a restaurant, several Young Men raised their cups in a toast, their laughter drifting far away on the night wind.
Su Miao's white jade statue glowed with a smooth, lustrous sheen beneath the lights.
Flowers and Spirit Fruits covered the ground at the statue's feet. Several Cultivators sat cross-legged nearby, having set up a simple ward against disturbances as they meditated before it.
It was not because the statue possessed any spirit. They simply felt safe cultivating at the Saint Master's feet.
The farmland outside the Holy City was filled with Night Glow Rice. Its ears swayed gently in the night breeze, giving off a faint silver white glow.
Several farmers sat on the ridges between the fields, drinking tea and chatting about this year's harvest.
One young man loudly declared that once he had saved enough Contribution Points, he would sign up for the Inner Sect examination again. He refused to believe he still could not become an Inner Sect disciple.
The people beside him laughed at his wishful