Tunqi Pond was located at the southernmost tip of the Drifting Clouds World. The pond's water was clear and transparent, allowing one to see more than a thousand meters down.
Only upon her arrival did Zhao Chun realize that this Tunqi Pond must be a type of volcanic lake, with water collected at the mountain's peak, like a sapphire inlaid amidst the white snow of the summit. The surrounding mountain ranges and the valleys between them were all considered under the jurisdiction of the Perceptive Moon Sect.
A network of spiritual veins intertwined and knotted beneath the ground, the most concentrated in the Southern Region. Cultivators from other sects felt the spiritual qi scatter the moment they entered this place, as if they were in a celestial realm. In the cultivation world, places as abundant in spiritual qi as this were known as blessed grotto-heavens.
The Tunqi Dao Arena where the Perceptive Moon Sect was located, the Heavenly Banyan Spiritual Land of Glorious Clarity Mountain, and the True Spirit Sect's original Pine Mountain Vein were all renowned blessed grotto-heavens in the Southern Region.
It was a pity that after the battle with the Yang Water Sect, the True Spirit Sect had retreated to the Secluded Valley. The spiritual vitality of Pine Mountain was broken and scattered, and its spiritual veins were partially devoured by the Yang Water Sect and other minor sects.
Thus, one of the three great blessed lands of the Southern Region was lost. To accommodate the sects that had come for the assembly, the Perceptive Moon Sect had specially set up residences on the mountain where Tunqi Pond was located. From the peak to the foot of the mountain, there was an implicit judgment of the sects' strength.
The True Spirit Sect was situated at the head of the mountainside section; any higher would be the mountaintop. With the True Spirit Sect's strength of only a single Profound Division Stage cultivator, they should not have been placed here.
Several sects below them had two, or even three, Profound Division cultivators in their ranks, yet their positions were still beneath the True Spirit Sect's. However, this was the arrangement of the Perceptive Moon Sect. In Zhao Chun's view, it was likely out of lingering respect for this former leader of the Southern Region.
After the various sects settled in, Sun Youyi was whisked away by Shi Tong and did not come to disturb them again. There were still three days until the start of the assembly. Zhao Chun was happy for the peace and quiet, spending her time either in Tuna breathing cultivation or practicing her sword in the courtyard.
Three days later, the sky was cloudless for ten thousand miles, with the warm sun shining high above. The disciples of each sect were fully prepared, waiting for the time to depart. Zhao Chun and the other Qi Refining disciples followed alongside the elders.
After ascending the mountain peak, they began to take their seats. The high platform for this Martial Tournament was set up directly over Tunqi Pond. It was unknown what method the Perceptive Moon Sect had used to make the high platform float above the water.
However, only the disciples who were here for the first time were slightly surprised. Others who had witnessed it before did not find it particularly remarkable.
The Core Formation Stage great cultivators each had their own separate seats, while the Qi Refining Stage and Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators sat together, with the Qi Refining Stage in the front and the Foundation Establishment Stage in the back.
Therefore, Zhao Chun's position was in the very first row for viewing the battles, allowing her to clearly take in the combat situation. The various sects were seated around Tunqi Pond, not arranged in a higher or lower hierarchy like their residences. This time, it was a battle between sects.
Before setting out, the True Spirit Sect had its disciples wear uniform attire, changing into lake-blue outer robes for easy identification. After taking her seat, Zhao Chun looked around. It turned out that all the surrounding sects had fixed attire, which added a trace of solemnity and rigor to the grand assembly.
As the host, the Perceptive Moon Sect naturally had to come forward to preside over the grand assembly. A white-robed Daoist was seen soaring into the air and leaping onto the high platform. He did not look very old; on the contrary, he was extremely young.
However, a cultivator's age could not be judged by their appearance. Foundation Establishment was the first true step into immortal cultivation. Upon reaching this realm, a person's appearance would cease to change.
Only at the moment before their final passing would they age in an instant and step into death. For some cultivators who reached Foundation Establishment at a young age and did not wish to appear as a child, they would alter their appearance to make themselves look much more mature.
There were also those who were already old when they reached Foundation Establishment, who would take appearance-preserving items to keep their looks frozen at their most beautiful time. All these various choices depended on the cultivator's personal preference.
The white-robed Daoist before Zhao Chun looked to be no more than twenty or thirty years old to the naked eye, but his actual age was likely several hundred years. Moreover, when this Daoist flew onto the stage, his body was surrounded by a brilliant light, which was not something a Core Formation cultivator could achieve.
It should be the manifestation of a Profound Division Stage cultivator's true essence turning into light. In an ordinary sect, a rarely seen Profound Division cultivator was actually sent by the Perceptive Moon Sect to act as a host for this grand assembly.
"This person's name is Fang Dunián. He is a newly promoted Profound Division cultivator from the Perceptive Moon Sect in recent years. His seniority is the lowest among the sect's Profound Division cultivators, which is why he was asked to come," Second Senior Sister Liu Xuan said with a smile, having sat down next to her at some point.
Among the True Spirit disciples, she was the only one who had been abroad for many years, and she had broad knowledge of all sorts of matters. It just so happened that Zhao Chun was an eager learner, and the two had become familiar through their questions and answers.
The more familiar Zhao Chun became with her, the more surprised she was. It was not just that Liu Xuan knew everything about various rare treasures and pills with special functions.
What was stranger was her knowledge of the situations in various sects, such as which sect had a new Core Formation or Profound Division cultivator born, or which sect had discovered a genius. Little could escape her ears. The Perceptive Moon Sect and the True Spirit Sect were very far apart, yet she knew about their recent affairs.
Zhao Chun truly did not dare to look down on her. No matter where one was, intelligence was an extremely important resource. Her ability to gather these resources so quickly meant her methods were certainly not simple.
There was also the matter of an opening speech in the cultivation world. It was nothing more than welcoming the various sects, explaining the history of this Hundred Sects Assembly, and then stating that the cultivators of the Southern Region should unite and build the light of the righteous path together. The white-robed Daoist seemed to dislike these things.
His face showed little expression, and after hastily reading through it, he waved his hand and declared the start. Liu Xuan extended a jade-like finger forward and said with a smile, "Junior Sister, look. Those in front are the Perceptive Moon Sect, Glorious Clarity Mountain, and Windsea Tower."
Zhao Chun looked over. Three groups of disciples, each dressed in a different color, sat upright in their seats.
Among them, the Perceptive Moon Sect wore black robes with silver patterns, Glorious Clarity Mountain used a mix of green and white, and as for Windsea Tower, their robes were similar to the True Spirit Sect's, but in a sea-blue color with azure wave patterns.
Then she heard Liu Xuan explain in detail, "Among these three sects in the Southern Region, their sect strength should be in the top three. To the side, the ones in bright yellow robes are from the Alchemical Terrace Sect. This sect is very special.
Its disciples are proficient in the Dao of Alchemy. They should not be participating in the combat portion of this Hundred Sects Assembly." She herself was an advanced Alchemist, and when she mentioned a few of the head disciples of the Alchemical Terrace Sect, her tone was quite familiar, suggesting that she knew them.
Afterward, Liu Xuan pointed out several famous geniuses of the Southern Region to Zhao Chun. Song Yikun of the Perceptive Moon Sect was sitting at the head of the Perceptive Moon disciples, his expression cold and stern, his eyes closed. Zhao Chun could not scrutinize him in detail.
Core Formation cultivators were sensitive to external perception, and staring too intently would be considered offensive. There was another one, Xue Yun of Glorious Clarity Mountain. She also sat at the head of her sect's disciples, dressed in a green robe and white clothes.
She seemed to have cultivated some sensory secret technique, as she immediately knew the moment Zhao Chun looked over. However, there were not a few people curious about her today, so after glancing back in Zhao Chun's direction for just a moment, she retracted her gaze.
Apart from these two renowned figures, there were also many genius disciples among the other sects, but with such jade and pearls before them, it was difficult for others to notice them.
(End of Chapter)