The sulfurous air of the Fire & Steel Region gradually gave way to a milder, more complex atmosphere. The spiritual pressure of the world shifted from the harsh dominance of Fire and Metal to a swirling, vibrant tapestry of countless laws. They had reached the borderlands of the Central Continent.
After two more weeks of travel, the caravan crested a final hill, and the destination lay before them.
Nexus Peak.
It was not a single mountain, but a colossal, floating landmass suspended at the heart of a convergence of shimmering energy veins that rose from the earth like rivers of light. The peak itself was wreathed in ethereal clouds, and the base was connected to the ground by a dozen massive, shimmering bridges of solidified light, each thrumming with a different elemental law. The air buzzed with a potency that made the Verdant Mountain's energy vein feel like a stagnant pond.
At the foot of the floating mountain sprawled a city so vast it defied comprehension. The Convergence. It was a chaotic, beautiful metropolis where architecture from all five continents collided. Pagodas of blue jade from the South stood beside brutalist fortresses of black basalt from the North. Towers of woven, living wood from the East spiraled next to crystalline structures from the West. And at the very center, where the light-bridges met the earth, was a district of impossible, shifting geometry—the domain of the Primordial Convergence Sect itself.
"By the ancestors..." Liu Mei whispered, her eyes wide with awe. The scale of it, the concentration of power, was overwhelming.
Even Jian, usually so composed, had a glint of intense focus in his eyes. This was the heart of the cultivation world. This was where legends were tested.
Li Yao simply observed. His void-sharpened senses were nearly overloaded. It wasn't the sheer power that struck him, but the incredible noise. Thousands of cultivators, each with their own unique aura, their own law resonance, created a spiritual cacophony that was almost physical in its intensity. It was like standing in the middle of a symphony where every instrument was playing a different song at maximum volume. For the first time, he felt a strain on his Warding Emptiness. The constant, aggressive pressure of so much active energy required a slight, continuous effort to nullify.
Bor let out a satisfied grunt. "The Convergence. Makes a man feel small, doesn't it? Your journey with us ends here. The tournament grounds are at the base of the Celestial Bridge." He pointed to one of the massive light-bridges, this one glowing with a pure, silvery radiance. "Good luck to you both. You'll need it."
They thanked him and disembarked, their small group now consisting of Li Yao, Liu Mei, and the taciturn Jian, who had apparently decided to stick with them for the time being.
The city was a sensory assault. The streets teemed with cultivators in every conceivable style of robe. Hawkers sold everything from steaming spirit-beast dumplings to glowing talismans and dubious-looking pills. The air was thick with the smells of exotic foods, rare incenses, and the ozone tang of active formations.
They followed the flow of the crowd towards the Celestial Bridge. The closer they got, the more powerful the cultivators became. They passed groups whose auras felt like roaring infernos, their mere presence making the air waver—disciples of the Azure Flame Sect. They saw others moving with the grace of flowing water, their passage leaving a sense of calm in their wake—the Celestial River Sect. There were cultivators from the Sky Whisper Sect whose feet barely seemed to touch the ground, and hulking disciples from the Verdant Mountain Sect who looked like walking fortresses.
It was a gathering of geniuses, and the three of them, a Mist-Talent, an independent blade cultivator, and a supposed Dust-Talent, were drops in this mighty ocean.
They reached a vast plaza at the base of the Celestial Bridge. It was here that the tournament registration was taking place. Lines of disciples from hundreds of sects and clans snaked before pavilions manned by stern-looking cultivators from the Primordial Convergence Sect.
As they joined the line for independent and minor sect registrants, a familiar, grating voice cut through the din.
"Well, well. Look what the caravan dragged in."
Zhang Fan stood there, flanked by two other Verdant Mountain disciples Li Yao recognized. He had apparently used his family's influence to secure a late entry after his suspension. His eyes burned with resentment as he looked at Li Yao and Liu Mei. "I see you managed to cling to your spot, Liu Mei. And you... they actually let you come. The sect's shame, on display for the whole world."
Liu Mei's face tightened, but she said nothing.
Jian simply watched, his hand resting on his sword hilt, assessing Zhang Fan as a potential threat and seemingly finding him lacking.
Li Yao smiled his usual calm smile. "Brother Zhang. I'm glad your journey was safe. The world outside the sect is quite educational, isn't it? It teaches one the value of... perspective."
Zhang Fan's aura flared, a clumsy, aggressive wave of Earth and Fire energy. "You won't be smiling when you're exposed as the fraud you are in the first round! I'll make sure of it!"
The spiritual pressure from his outburst drew the attention of a nearby overseer, a cultivator from the Primordial Convergence Sect whose aura was so dense it felt like a physical weight.
"Silence," the overseer said, his voice not loud, but it cut through Zhang Fan's bluster instantly. "This is a place of law and order. Save your conflicts for the tournament grounds. Another outburst, and you will be disqualified."
Zhang Fan paled and bowed hastily, shooting a final, venomous glare at Li Yao before scurrying away.
The overseer's eyes swept over their group, lingering for a moment on Jian's sharp aura, then on Liu Mei's stable one, and finally on Li Yao. His brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of the same confusion Jian had shown. He saw a disciple in Verdant Mountain robes who registered as... nothing. A blank space.
"Names and sects," he said, his tone neutral.
"Liu Mei, Verdant Mountain Sect."
"Jian, no sect."
"Li Yao, Verdant Mountain Sect."
The overseer recorded them and handed each a simple, jade token. "These are your identity tokens. They will record your victories and defeats. The preliminary rounds begin at dawn tomorrow at the designated arenas. The token will guide you. Dismissed."
As they moved away from the registration area, the reality of their situation set in. They were here. They were registered. Tomorrow, they would be thrown into the crucible.
Liu Mei looked determined. Jian looked eager.
Li Yao looked around at the towering geniuses, the thrumming energy of the city, and the colossal, floating mountain above them. He felt the chaotic symphony of ten thousand laws pressing in on the quiet space he carried within.
It was, he decided, the most interesting noise he had ever heard. He couldn't wait to introduce it to the silence.