An indescribable emotion surged within him, like standing before a vast sea and watching countless rivers converge from every direction, finally flowing into the same ocean.
The martial artists of the five domains, the elites of every sect, all those names that had once shone on the Hidden Dragon List now stood here, beneath the same sky, awaiting the same trial.
Only after all the sects had returned to their quarters did the young man who appeared to be in his twenties slowly descend from high above.
When he reached them, he said, "I am Xu Qichun, vice dean of the Heavenly Foothill Academy. Now, I hereby announce-the Heavenly Path Selection officially begins!"
Some asked in confusion, "Wasn't it supposed to be a few days from now?"
"What does the selection involve? Where will it take place?"
Those questions were like stones tossed into a lake, stirring ring after ring of ripples.
A faint stir spread through the crowd. Various expressions appeared on those youthful faces: confusion, nervousness, and eagerness.
Xu Qichun heard every question, the smile on his lips never diminishing in the slightest.
He raised his right hand and pressed down on the air. The clamor in the crowd swiftly quieted, as though smoothed away by an invisible hand.
"This Heavenly Path Selection will be held in the Central Domain. As for the location-"
He paused for a moment, swept his gaze across the crowd, then slowly spoke the name.
"Stilltide City."
When Meng Xinghe heard that name, it felt as though something had struck his head. He froze on the spot.
His pupils suddenly dilated, and all the color drained from his face in an instant.
Stilltide City.
The place where he had grown up, where his father had died in battle, where he had carried Li