The warm afternoon sunlight of Heaven Dou City spilled across the main street, while small groups of customers filled the roadside teahouses and restaurants.
Lan Tian found a restaurant facing the street and took a window seat on the second floor. He ordered a pot of warmed wine and several small dishes. Xiao Mei lay quietly coiled around his shoulders, her dark golden vertical pupils half-open, her tail resting along the edge of his collar and swaying gently.
She watched the pedestrians passing below and the carriages weaving through the street, her gaze far more composed than when they had first entered the city.
As Lan Tian drank, he casually listened to the chatter at the surrounding tables.
Most of the gossip in the marketplace was exaggerated rumor, but every so often, one could pick up a useful scrap of information.
He listened for a while. Most of it was idle talk among local merchants and trivial matters such as new goods arriving at certain shops, until two merchants in leather armor at the neighboring table lowered their voices and mentioned something.
"Have you heard? Something major happened up north."
"What happened? You're better informed than I am. Tell me."
"Seven days ago, a black gate appeared near the Far North. They said it emerged out of thin air. The aura coming from it was terrifyingly dense. They said even Soul Douluo-level experts couldn't withstand its pressure if they got too close."
Lan Tian's wine cup paused slightly at his lips.
"And then?"
"And then? The Heaven Dou Imperial Family, Spirit Hall, the Star Luo Empire, and every notable force among the Three Upper Sects—each sent at least one Title Douluo to lead a temporary alliance into it for investigation. But the news that came back yesterday said..."
The man