The torch in the Executioner's hand fell toward Tang San's feet.
Sparks caught the oilcloth, and tongues of flame climbed the Bronze Pillar.
[Tang San]: [You dare burn me? I am the Sea God! The Divine Realm won't let you get away with this!]
He writhed, making the chains clang against the Bronze Pillar. Scabs had already formed over the stumps of his arms, and muddy water clung to his legs. Nothing remained of the man who had once stood atop Jialing Pass, issuing orders.
[Executioner]: [You said the victors decide the rules.]
The Executioner pushed the torch another half foot forward.
[Executioner]: [Now the rules are in our hands.]
Flames licked the hem of Tang San's clothes.
The burning on the Execution Platform at Jialing Pass went no further.
The view within the Sky Screen suddenly pulled upward. The fire dwindled to a speck, and the continent ten years later filled the entire Light Screen.
In a mountain village, a dozen or so children lined up outside Spirit Hall.
A soul master held an Awakening Stone, testing their palms one by one.
[Village chief]: [In the past, an awakening master only came once a year. If the children missed the age limit, all they could do was go home and farm.]
[Awakening master]: [Starting this year, we'll come once a month. Anyone under twelve can register.]
He wrote the last name in his register, then took out a bronze token and handed it to the village chief.
[Awakening master]: [Take this to the junior academy in the city. Tuition, room and board, and martial soul cultivation materials will all be funded by the resource station.]
The village chief cradled the bronze token, rubbing his fingers over its surface again and again.
Before he could finish speaking, the children behind