He spoke tactfully, claiming it was for his own good, yet left no room for refusal.
Mulan Jin's breath caught slightly. How had His Majesty learned of something that had only just happened?
He first glanced at the man who had come to report earlier, then cupped his hands toward a certain direction. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Xuan Su walked past him and craned his neck to peer at the night sky outside the window. His fan fluttered merrily as he tutted. "The Artifact Refining World really has broken its own rules. Ah, I'd love to see what comes of this mess. What a pity-I'm only fated to run errands."
He straightened and turned, hiding a smile behind his fan. "I'm off."
Mulan Jin smiled and nodded. He neither offered to see him out nor moved, watching that effeminate figure disappear through the door. Then he told the man standing to one side, "Go about your business."
"Yes." The man who had come to report left at his command, his expression betraying nothing unusual.
Mulan Jin also returned to the window to gaze at the vortex gradually opening and taking shape in the sky. He had already produced a Pivot Star Token and handed it to a trusted subordinate beside him...
Once the vortex stabilized, a figure shot skyward from the summit of Artifact Cloud Valley, charging straight into it.
The man leading the charge was none other than the world's foremost artifact refiner, Situ Gu, an elder of the Heavenforging Sect.
The other Heavenforging Sect members immediately launched themselves into the air and followed.
Those reentering from the other sects refused to fall behind, rising and flying over one after another.
"Go!" Young Master Nan gritted his teeth, waved a hand, and shouted, leading his people toward the vortex