Central Island.
There had always been legends of the Dragon Lord here, yet even Inner Sect disciples of Linshui Prefecture had not seen the Dragon Lord's true form for thousands of years. Still, many believed that the Dragon Lord lived atop the Central Mountain Range on Central Island, and the low-ranking cultivators in particular believed it without the slightest doubt.
For this very reason, almost no large-scale unrest had occurred on Central Island over the past several thousand years. To low-ranking cultivators and common folk alike, the Dragon Lord was watching them at every moment. This also made the island the best place for many cultivators and Jianghu Guests to hide from their enemies.
Ever since the specific date of the Sect Grand Tournament had been announced, ports in every direction around Central Island had successively opened in full. From then on, fleets passing through the docks of every port had not stopped for a single day, especially after the calendar entered the year 120 of the New Era.
Those traveling to Central Island included not only representatives from the various cultivation sects, but merchants from all corners of the land. The merchants had been stockpiling goods since half a year ago, intending to seize this opportunity to earn the cultivators' money. There were also officials and nobles interested in the tournament, as well as Jianghu Guests who dreamed of cultivation.
Because there were simply too many visitors, by mid-January every inn in every town on Central Island was full, and temporary camps had even been erected on the outskirts of the various towns.
Rainbow Harbor in the south.
As Central Island's largest port, it had borne most of the island's shipping pressure over the past year.
By late January, a rainbow-colored passage had been constructed above the bustling harbor.