Clouds churned above Azure Sea Lake.
The pressure of five fruit statuses-Jiao Xiu, the Divine Silkworm Daoist, Venerable Blood Extremity, Yanli, and Yu Liuli-hung over the heavens.
It was still those same five fruit-status cultivators.
Beside Yanli, however, stood another female cultivator clad in radiant, cloud-colored robes. She was Xia Guang, whom the Vermilion Bird had just saved.
Her injuries had already healed. She stood to one side with her hands lowered, her expression respectful.
The five fruit-status holders already knew everything that had just happened inside the heavenly grotto.
Venerable Blood Extremity looked down at Azure Sea Lake and murmured, "Gu Xing of Azure Sea Lake. I will remember that name."
No one had expected that the one to emerge victorious from the Dragon Monarch's banquet would be the young Gu Xing, so much younger than Gu Changqing and Gu Changze.
Even Jiao Xiu was somewhat surprised. He had certainly known that his direct grandson possessed exceptional talent. His original purpose in coming to Azure Sea Lake had been to keep Gu Xing safe.
Once the dust settled on the Dragon Palace's strife, he had intended to take Gu Xing away and return to Blazing Sun Mountain.
In his heart, Jiao Xiu had long since chosen this grandson to inherit the authority of Blazing Sun Mountain's fruit status.
Yet who could have imagined that his grandson would strike down cultivators above his station and wrest victory from the chaos?
For a time, Jiao Xiu felt both astonished and worried.
He was astonished that Gu Xing's talent truly made him a monstrous prodigy of this world.
He was worried that, with things having come to this, he could no longer take the boy away from Azure Sea Lake.
On the lake below, the heavenly grotto of the Three Stars Water