The ten-day deadline arrived in the blink of an eye.
Atop Star-Magnetic Peak, a brand-new seven-story pavilion rose from the ground. Built primarily from starwood and azure bluestone, it featured sweeping eaves, interlocking brackets, carved beams, and painted rafters. Grandeur shone through its simplicity, while hidden mysteries lingered beneath its ancient elegance. A huge plaque hung above the main entrance, bearing the words "Dao Inquiry Pavilion" in bold strokes like silver hooks and iron slashes. The powerful brushwork carried a faint, flowing sword intent. Han Li himself had written it.
The pavilion stood upon the spiritual vein node with the richest spiritual energy at the Headquarters Altar, surrounded by a high-grade spirit gathering array and a protective formation. An expansive square stretched before it, now packed with cultivators who had come upon hearing the news-a dark sea of no fewer than several thousand people. Among them were Nascent Soul elders and Core Formation stewards, but most were elite Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining Stage disciples, carefully selected by their respective sects and filled with longing for the Great Dao. Every face bore anticipation, excitement, and even a trace of nervousness.
For the Dao Inquiry Pavilion's inaugural lecture, Alliance Leader Han Li would personally teach the essentials of the Sword Dao! Word had already spread throughout the Righteous Path Alliance, even drawing the attention of other neutral powers in Heavenly South. Who would not want to witness the bearing of this legendary alliance leader, who had recently reached the Nascent Soul late stage, driven back Venerable Bone Nether, and united the Righteous Path Alliance? Who would not want to hear what lofty insights he possessed to justify the name "Dao Inquiry"?
Three quarters into Chen Hour, a bell rang nine times, its sound rolling across the surrounding lands and silencing every