Time passed. After noon, the gentle, slightly slanting Mid-Autumn sun shone over the western shore of West Lake. Its reflection rippled across the water, making the lake look as if it had been strewn with flecks of gold.
At this hour, anyone who went to the east side of West Lake's Broken Bridge might have witnessed the splendor of "Golden Light Through the Cave"—a sight no less beautiful than "Sunset over Leifeng Pagoda," "Dawn on Su Causeway," or "Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake."
Unfortunately, scenery meant very little to the martial artists gathered here!
What mattered was that banners fluttered and snapped in the breeze along West Lake's shore. Tens of thousands of righteous martial artists were excitedly shouting about something, with no time at all to admire the lake's scenery.
"Hahaha!"
On the high platform, the head of the Mount Song Sect and leader of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, Zuo Lengchan, continued to laugh heartily. He kept cupping his hands to various people, looking utterly pleased with himself.
"Fellow martial artists!"
"You flatter me, you flatter me!"
"To gather here with all of you on this festive occasion and discuss the affairs of the martial world is an honor for me, Zuo!"
"Everyone!"
"A flowing feast has been prepared. Shall we drink to our hearts' content tonight?"
"Hahahaha!"
Though he had already finished his speech, he showed no intention of leaving the platform. Nor did he have any intention of inviting the esteemed Shaolin or Wudang representatives to speak.
He remained on the high platform, basking in the praise and flattery of the martial artists and making sure everyone kept noticing him, as if today's Martial Arts Conference had become a one-man show run entirely by the Mount Song Sect.
And the worst part was...
He had