The elderly man was surrounded by an aura of purple mist, surely no ordinary immortal. Despite the long and tedious speech, his uniqueness made it captivating. Though each word and phrase was of little importance, no listener dared to slacken or miss a word.
Since the Venerables' seats were hidden behind carved screens, Lin Suqing held his breath and focused, his senses fixed on the only statue that had not manifested, hoping to perceive Emperor Qi's arrival the moment it happened. It was only by chance that, when he glanced up, he found the speaking elder looking right at him.
Just as Lin Suqing was about to speculate about that glance, he saw the elder gracefully step back. After respectfully seeing the elder to his seat, a servant with a long vocal draw proclaimed solemnly at the side of the Martial Arts Platform, "Please, the Institute Masters from the three institutes, deliver your messages to this year's students."
