After another couple hours of what ended up being more like a spelunking stroll than the pitched series of battles I'd expected, we saw light ahead. Soon, we saw that the light came from a cave mouth large enough to admit a small flying treasure, as we emerged into a cavern well large enough to be a landing hangar for them. There was a lot of space—only a few dozen other cultivators had gotten this far so quickly. Of course, Dong Fangyi was among them.
The atmosphere was festive, and even downright friendly. Everyone here had made it deep into the event quickly enough to have time to celebrate, so that's exactly what most of them were doing. Nine of them were arranged in a circle, playing cards, and several smaller groups had other games going. I even spotted a Zodia set not far from where Dong Fangyi was. It was going unused, though.
