The moment He Shoufeng bowed with his hands clasped, all of Mount Lu shook with a thunderous rumble.
Seated cross-legged at the very center of the Five-Colored Platform, Fang Shu seemed to sense something and raised his head toward the sky.
The other cultivators below the platform were all bewildered, looking this way and that and muttering among themselves.
"What's going on? Is the earth dragon about to turn over?"
Some also looked at Fang Shu in surprise and suspicion, wondering whether he was demonstrating a Daoist art.
But very soon, something appeared that filled these cultivators with excitement.
A gateway abruptly materialized above their heads. It shone in five brilliant colors, with terraces, towers, and pavilions faintly visible within, layer upon layer, radiating an ancient, timeworn charm.
Some cultivators present still remembered it from years ago and blurted out, "Is that the Mount Lu Secret Realm?"
Many sprang to their feet, their faces lit with delighted surprise. "Who would have thought attending today's ceremony would bring such a wonderful opportunity?"
The Qi Refining cultivators below the rank of Foundation Establishment Earth Immortal were especially overjoyed.
According to the old accounts, only cultivators below Foundation Establishment could enter this secret realm within Mount Lu.
And of the disciples who had emerged from the secret realm alive back then, over half had earned a chance to attempt Foundation Establishment.
A buzzing filled the air.
In an instant, the previously solemn ceremony became as noisy as a marketplace.
Amid the surging crowd, Fang Shu slowly lowered his gaze from overhead and looked toward He Shoufeng.
He Shoufeng was looking back at him, an ambiguous smile on his face.
By this point, neither man needed to hold back much any longer.
He Shoufeng transmitted his voice. "To think your lecture today would even