Discussing the Dao

Morning light was just beginning to break. Another day had arrived. On the eastern side of Immortal Gathering Island, before a massive stone platform carved against the mountain and shaped like a half-moon, the crowds had already packed in layer upon layer, their voices roaring like boiling water.

This was the Dao Discussion Platform.

The entire platform was built from gray-black boulders known as Mountain-Subduing Stone. Ancient and weighty, its surface stretched a hundred zhang in both directions, covered in scratches of varying depth and dark, mottled stains that silently spoke of countless fierce clashes from past gatherings.

Several tiers of viewing seats rose around the platform, now filled with cultivators from every direction. Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment cultivators sat intermingled, and the clamor far surpassed that of yesterday's Treasure Appraisal Pavilion.

The air was thick with restless anticipation. For most cultivators, the high-level trades at the treasure exchange were far beyond their reach; this public gathering of techniques and sparring matches was the grand event they could witness firsthand and talk about with relish.

When the Clear Sand River group arrived, they immediately felt countless burning gazes upon them.

Wang Zhenyue, Lin Moxuan, and Zhao Gan followed behind Xu Yuan. Feeling the stares converging from all sides, their emotions were complicated. They felt honored by the association, yet could not help being nervous as well. When had their Clear Sand River lineage ever become the center of attention at an occasion like this?

The group reached the designated Clear Sand River section and took their seats. Xu Yuan remained calm, his gaze sweeping over the noisy viewing stands before finally settling on the grim, weighty Dao Discussion Platform.

At precisely the Hour of the Dragon, the three hosts—Cloud Crane True Person, Leng Xinghan, and Jin Buhuan—appeared once more