The cultivators from both factions took their positions atop the mountain peaks to prepare and regulate their breathing. As it was still early, some took the opportunity to idle around and stretch their limbs, keenly aware that because their realms were not yet sufficiently advanced, the time they could spend in meditative breathing practice was limited. After a few days, they would reach their limit; indeed, many of the more restless characters couldn't even sit in meditation for a few hours.
Hou Niao felt somewhat awkward, for it seemed that among this group, he alone was on his own; naturally, he did not belong to the Anhe Daoist Sect or the Huncheng Sect, nor did he have the temerity to insinuate himself among the ladies. Even when mingling with people from the Quanzhen Sect, he looked like an outsider. Uncle Zheng certainly wouldn't bother with him, and those two Bridge Connection fellow disciples would of course take their cues from Uncle Zheng's likes and dislikes.
