As the hegemonic sect of the cultivator world, Jade Lake Sect stands above all.
Holding its grand Personal-Disciple Tournament, Jade Lake Sect had long announced the event across the surrounding star regions—no one dared cause trouble at this time. Its strict rules brooked not a hint of defiance, as if a majestic emperor surveying the blue sky and cosmos were patrolling this star domain.
The opening was imminent.
The entire venue buzzed with excitement, heated debates and lively discussions filling the air.
Some argued over which personal disciple was stronger; others quietly discussed how even Stellar Palace great cultivators here were merely ordinary elders of Jade Lake Sect. There were also those who discreetly expressed dissatisfaction...
Cultivators of every stripe gathered here, reflecting all the myriad facets of the world.
However—
At that very moment, everyone’s expression changed.
The previously fervent scene turned to utter silence, as if a colossal glacier had risen from the surging sea, eclipsing sun, moon, and cosmos—freezing Jade Lake Sect and all present in place, their pupils contracting at the seismic change, while only a blinding cyan brilliance shattered the air and dust inch by inch!
Space and light seemed to twist, spreading outward bit by bit!
A cyan figure stirred up ripples, sending shockwaves through the crowd!
It was like the ominous stillness before a magnificent meteor was about to strike the life-star!
The wind vanished, light trembled and warped, accentuating the chill that seeped into every heart.
Time itself seemed to slow a hundredfold, becoming a silent pantomime—panic and dread descended without warning, underscoring the earth-shattering shock.
Judgment was about to fall!
Jade Lake Sect’s fury was destined to descend!
"Outrageous!"
"Who is this? Who?"
"How dare you interfere with Jade Lake Sect’s Personal-Disciple Tournament!"
The keen-minded cultivators were all shaken. Even the slowest to react felt lightning bolts explode in their minds, piercing their bodies inside and out, leaving their hearts and spirits trembling uncontrollably.
Like clouds hanging from the heavens, cyan light drifted down, spreading across the earth like a curtain, supporting the vault of the sky and eclipsing all light and sound in the world.
In the silent, dazzling, hushed moment, all disturbances seemed to vanish—nothing interfered from outside... Bathed in boundless cyan brilliance, Andrew Han extended his left hand: "Child, you will become a cultivator."
His voice reached her ears.
His gentle smile appeared before her eyes.
The girl froze in place, feeling countless gazes converge upon her. Unconsciously, she bit down on her small white teeth.
"Is this real...?"
"W-where am I... really...?"
The girl dazedly lifted her head, then lowered it, repeating the motion two or three times before timidly placing her trembling little hand into his crystalline palm.
She trusted the gray statue.
On days when hope rose and fell, leaning on the gray statue gave her the strength to keep moving forward. Though she still couldn't understand how the statue had come to life, all those whispered secrets...
His five fingers closed, holding the little girl. For a moment, Andrew Han seemed to see his own younger sister Lucy.
He gently rubbed her small head.
What is Jade Lake Sect to me?
"Be good."
"Don't be afraid. Stand at my side." Andrew Han's gaze swept over a million cultivators, his expression calm and unhurried, quietly soothing the tide of angry shouts.
Some watched coldly, some were indignant, but none dared speak. A strange, oppressive silence blanketed the arena—one million cultivators fell silent as one.
This was true presence.
A Primeval of supreme status—even if restrained or reserved—always possessed an unmatched aura.
All was quiet.
From Stellar Palace great cultivators down to the most ordinary disciples, all waited for Jade Lake Sect’s thunderous wrath, for the inevitable, strict punishment, for the death that must follow this unknown cultivator’s defiance of Jade Lake Sect’s rules.