At a quarter to nine, daylight shone bright.
At the Azure Cloud Sect's Headquarters, colorful banners fluttered over the vast Central Plaza, where a great crowd had gathered.
They were invited guests of towering renown from sects, aristocratic clans, and other powers across the Five Regions, as well as the Outlaw Martial World.
Around the perimeter stood disciples sent by the Azure Cloud Sect's various training institutes and vassal factions to observe the ceremony, along with guards responsible for the ceremonial procession and maintaining order.
Snowflakes drifted like willow catkins through the boundless heavens and earth.
Yet even the snow that had fallen continuously for months could not dispel the fire in people's hearts.
Guests and disciples gathered in groups of three or five, chatting within their assigned areas as they waited for the celebration's central figure to appear.
"It really is lively. The mighty figures from every faction have all come."
Lin Qiao glanced at the seats of honor ahead. Those rows of individual tables were reserved for Heaven-Tier Powerhouses and the strongest Earth Rank experts. The Earth Rank Spirit Tamers gathered around the larger tables behind them, while Human Rank Spirit Tamers like herself could only stand at the outermost edge.
Even so, everyone admitted to the Main Venue was still a proper guest.
Across the lands and towns outside, countless people wished to attend but could find no way in. Countless great aristocratic clans and powerful experts were also watching this event, yet had regretfully missed it for lack of connections.
An envoy qualified to represent a faction had to be an Earth Rank Spirit Tamer at the very least. Thus, wherever she looked, experts gathered like clouds, outnumbering all those she had ever seen before combined.
Even the Human Rank Spirit Tamers on the perimeter were