Crimson Flame Sword Sect.
The recruitment ceremony.
Before the main peak of Wanyanshan, one fiery array rune after another crisscrossed the air. As the runes flowed, endless fire spirit energy was drawn in, forming a vast sea of crimson clouds.
Step after step, paved with red-gold volcanic rock, wound downward all the way to the ground, welcoming the many young geniuses who had come.
Above the sea of clouds, geniuses from every corner of the land had gathered.
Dozens of raised platforms stood around the square, with one at the center.
Elder Huo Lie stood upon it, his gaze sweeping over the crowd as he nodded now and then.
Clearly,
even from a fleeting glance, he had spotted a few promising talents who caught his eye.
Rumble!
Rumble!
Just then, a muffled sound suddenly came from the distant horizon, drawing the attention of many.
Everyone looked over and saw a carriage hurtling through the sky.
Four flaming lions drew the carriage. It was crimson from end to end, crafted from Chiyang Jade, and engraved with a scene of a hundred beasts paying homage to the phoenix.
As it rolled slowly forward, grand visions swirled around it:
At times, a Vermilion Bird beat its wings and swept across the sky; at others, a long sword rang out and shot into the heavens.
Truly, before its master arrived, its might had already come.
As the carriage descended upon the sea of clouds, most of the clamor there fell silent at once.
"That's the Ji family's carriage. Could it be that Ji Ziyao has arrived?"
Many of the young geniuses came from powerful clans and great families. Just seeing the carriage was enough for them to guess the identity of its passenger.
One by one, their gazes turned involuntarily toward it.
As the