A clear, bright sun rose and shone upon the sword cultivators of Everblade City. Today was the day of the Convocation of Swords. Three nights of festivities had passed and it was now time for all the sword cultivators of the subcontinent to show off their abilities to earn the right to enter the Forest of Swords.
The start of convocation was held in a large stone-tiled plaza to the north of the city. It was a wide square arena with terraced seating on three sides. Members of the Eastern Sword Alliance took their seats to the south along with honored guests. Other sects and participants found themselves to the east or west.
The north side was open and led directly into a thick forest with ancient trees that cast deep shadows. This was the only entrance to the Forest of Swords. Trying to enter senior Dugu's trial ground from any other direction was futile. Many sword cultivators had tried in the past only to get hopelessly lost in the wild forest and dangerous mountains.
This plaza and this entire city were constructed for the Forest of Swords. There was no other purpose.
"Swordsmen and Swordswomen of the subcontinent!" A bright voice echoed across the plaza, signaling the start of the competition.
Everyone's attention turned to the immortal who had taken the raised stage at the center of the southern side. To Chen Wentian, it was a familiar face.
"My name is Immortal Green Destiny Yang Kaitian. On behalf of the Eastern Sword Alliance, I will act as the host of this event, the fifty-third Convocation of Swords! Welcome, everyone!"
A roar of approval erupted from the gathered cultivators. Mortal disciples were eager to prove their strength against their peers. Immortal masters were eager to see their disciples succeed. Everyone wanted something out of the event. All of their desires combined into a storm of spiritual energy that swept through the center of the plaza.
"Hahaha! Welcome, welcome! Friends from near and far. Some of you, I haven't seen your faces for five years, since the last convocation. I'm eager to see how your disciples have progressed!" Yang Kaitian smiled broadly and a hand towards the east, "I see we have a broad contingent of immortal sects from the subcontinent who are not members of the alliance. There are many old names and a few brand-new ones. I shall give a short introduction of all that are participating. First up, Myriad Castle led by Immortal Formless Sage Lan Mei."
A large contingent on the eastern side stood up to be acknowledged. They wore colorful robes with no specific style. Even their spiritual auras varied greatly. True to their name, it was a sect that specialized in many different cultivation arts, of which a large portion utilized all kinds of swords.
After Myriad Castle was the New Horizon Sect. This was a bunch of uptight sword cultivators who all wore the same light blue uniforms and carried the same slender swords on their backs.
Next came the House of the Northern Blade followed by the House of the Southern Sword. They were an interesting pair of sects, bitter rivals that resided on opposite sides of a large river. Their conflict with each other spanned multiple generations. Everywhere the two sects met, blood would always be spilled.
Compared to these two, the next two sects were the complete opposite. They were known as the Red Peak School and the Cloud Peak Sect. They used to be bloody rivals but something interesting happened recently that resolved their issues completely. The sect masters of the two sects suddenly decided to get married, finally putting an end to a hundred years of strife. Their two sects were still separate due to logistical issues but it was common knowledge that a new sect named Red Cloud Manor would soon rise from this union.
After these noteworthy sects was another one named the Virtuous Sword Villa. This was a group of nuns with swords. Thankfully, they were not bald and merely wore simple cloth caps that covered their heads. They all carried a sword in one hand and prayer beads in the other. Along with their utterly boring sand-colored robes, they were certainly a unique sight among the participants.
Chen Wentian snorted with amusement and nudged Zhou Ziyun who was sitting to his left. "Hey look, looks like your senior sisters are here!"
Zhou Ziyun shot him a displeased look and pursed her lips.
Lin Qingcheng, who was on his other side, laughed, "Master is so mean. Sister, ignore him. He can ogle the nuns all he wants but he will never be able to sleep with one."
"Hey!" He protested.
Meanwhile, the introduction of sects continued. Some sects were small and Chen Wentian had not heard of them before. Other sects were quite famous throughout the continent and even performed well during the recent Immortal Sect Competition.
There were a few familiar names including Skycloud Temple, Xiao Immortal Clan, and even the Legendary Fighter League.
Chen Wentian perked up once again at that name. That sect's master, Immortal Phoenix Legend Shi Shi had left a good impression on him. She was earnest and well-meaning. She had an intelligent aura and the type of effortless charm that came from a woman who aged gracefully.
He craned his neck to try and a glimpse of her but there were too many people.
"Master, looking for one of your secret sweethearts?" Zhou Ziyun prodded, guessing his thoughts.
"Secret sweetheart?" Chen Wentian spluttered, "When do I have the time to find secret sweethearts? Ridiculous… see if I don't spank you tonight."
Xu Lanyi burst out laughing, "Secret sweetheart? Hahaha, I think senior sister worries too much. It's impossible for him to have secret sweethearts."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He retorted, "I could have secret sweethearts if I wanted to."
"Uh huh, sure." She replied, not believing him at all.
"Hey!"
The introduction of the various unaffiliated sects eventually finished and Yang Kaitian went on to introduce the members of the Eastern Sword Alliance. There were the Four Greats; the Mount Yun Sect, the Mount Xiong Sect, the Mount Huang Sect, and the Mount Tai Sect. There was the Tower of Swords. There were also several minor sects that held little influence and were simply glad to be a part of the alliance.
"And finally!" Yang Kaitian shouted, his voice strong and clear as ever, "We have some esteemed guests here to observe the best of sword cultivation that the subcontinent has to offer. Here, we have someone who needs no introduction, Immortal Tempest Badger Qiu Chuyi from the Beast God Sanctum. Welcome, senior Qiu!"
A middle-aged man with an average build stood up and cupped his fists, "Many thanks to Brother Yang for his hospitality."
"Next to senior Qiu, we have a powerful swordswoman from the capital, Immortal Ardent Duchess Su Tan, a member of the famous Huang Family."
A tall, heroic woman in golden battle armor stood up briefly, nodded, and then sat back down.
Zhou Ziyun scoffed and muttered under her breath, "Another secret sweetheart."
"Finally, a special surprise to everyone, we have an unexpected guest from the Martial Brilliance Continent. It is my great honor to introduce Immortal Yellow River Yang Maoda. He is a member of the Yang Clan of Great Waves, one of the great powers of the continent!"
The gathered immortals and mortals all exploded with applause and amazement. A guest from the Beast God Sanctum and the Immortal Association was expected but the continent? They had never had a guest from the Martial Brilliance Continent, it was history in the making.
Amidst all the excitement, the short figure of Immortal Yellow River Yang Maoda stood up. His ugly square face turned towards the eastern side of the plaza. His eyes locked with a certain immortal's and his lips curled up in a smirk.
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