The great sects of the Immortal Path inheritance had originally been the progenitors of all martial arts under heaven. The seats of these five factions had been arranged ten thousand years ago. Yet winds and clouds had weathered countless changes, and the world had transformed; leaving aside the branches of the other five factions, each had risen and fallen, and they had long since lost any closeness to the five great factions.
Even these five factions had changed greatly. The Incense-Passing Cult had long stayed out of the martial world; the Divine Blade Sect had long been destroyed and was now replaced by Shuiyunjian; the Misty Sect had only recently perished and was likewise replaced by the Righteous Path Alliance.
Now, within Huaiyu Palace, the five factions had taken their five seats. A new order had risen in the martial world once more!
Abbess Jingyi was the last to ascend the platform. She walked to the jade seat at its very center and sat down. The instant she did, five-colored radiance flashed across the platform, and a faint melody of strings and pipes arose. Though soft, it had already spread throughout the inside and outside of Huaiyu Palace.
Within Huaiyu Palace, envy flashed in the eyes of the more than two hundred sects and over a thousand people. Each silently calculated, wondering when their own sect might be able to ascend that platform of the Immortal Path.
"Very well, everyone, please have some tea and rest for a moment. Our Martial Arts Gathering will continue with what comes next!"
Abbess Jingyi lightly cupped her hands, her voice spreading throughout all of Huaiyu Palace.
Immediately, inner disciples of Yi Xiang Peak came forward carrying trays bearing the Incense-Passing Cult's specially prepared tea and fruit, delivering them to the tables of every