SWOOSH!

 

Ji Wuye materialized into the tower, his blurred vision gradually sharpening to reveal crimson eyes gazing at the countless floating clouds surrounding him.

 

Gusts of wind caressed his skin like a gentle swarm of flying ants, unveiling a breathtaking vista of thousands of towering cliffs. Their majestic peaks pierced the sky, clearly visible to the naked eye, while their bases remained shrouded in a blanket of clouds.

 

As Ji Wuye shifted his attention to the foothold upon which he stood, he found himself on an expansive floating land with a marble floor, reminiscent of the central courtyard of his sect.

 

The arena stretched for several zhang in length and breadth, devoid of staircases. Each step across its surface spanned the length of a chi, evoking a sense of walking through the halls of ancient emperors, where every footfall resonated with the weight of history and destiny.

 

The edges lacked fences, and a single misstep would lead to a plummet into the countless shrouded clouds below. It was a magical sight, a flying land and an arena that defied gravity, sustaining themselves in midair.

 

Yet, for Ji Wuye, the scene stirred a sense of nostalgia, awakening memories of witnessing this spectacle before, especially the sight of countless cubes, from which people were now materializing.

 

"Woah... what a magnificent view!" exclaimed a middle-aged man with a single hand protruding from the long gray coat hanfu he wore. His long ponytailed hair swung left to right as he excitedly took in the panorama.

 

"Heaven... I thank the heavens!" shouted an elderly man, his trembling body kneeling and kowtowing multiple times in a gesture of gratitude.

 

"In all my years, I've never seen anything quite like this. It's as if the very essence of magic is alive in this place," remarked another, their voice laced with awe.

 

Most of them wore shabby clothes, while some donned decent, fancy hanfu adorned with embroidered logos on the edges, clearly marking them as either merchants or wealthy individuals.

 

Under Ji Wuye's crimson eyes, he noticed that some carried jians on their waists, while most concealed hidden weapons within their long sleeves, the sharp tips protruding outward.

 

'Ten men and five women, huh...' he murmured inwardly.

 

As his crimson eyes scanned the assembled group, his keen senses picked up on subtle details that hinted at their formidable cultivation bases.

 

The burly man with a thick beard and twin jians exuded a ferocious aura, his eyes betraying a battle-hardened spirit.

 

The willowy woman in the black hanfu projected an eerie calm, like the stillness before a typhoon's arrival.

 

Ji Wuye's gaze lingered on a portly elder stroking his long goatee, the faint trace of sword qi around his rotund form evidence of his veteran status.

 

'At least two...no, three here have crossed into the 4th realm,' he mused. The rest likely ranged from the initial stages of the 3rd realm up to the peak of the 3rd realm, making this an exceptionally skilled group to have ascended this far.

 

His eyes narrowed slightly as they passed over the bamboo-hatted figure towering over the others. 'They are all the same as in the past...'

 

Then his attention shifted to a particular woman, the only one who covered her face with a bamboo hat and wore a long black hanfu. Her figure was slender, yet her height was ridiculously tall, about 6.33 chi, towering even over Elder Qiao and Qiu Xia.

 

'Well, it's about time,' Ji Wuye thought inwardly after scanning the rest of the people. And just as he pondered, a transparent screen flashed before him.

 

 

Like Ji Wuye, the rest of the fourteen individuals froze in reaction, their gazes fixed upon the transparent screen before them.

 

"Huh? What is this mission? Where is the enemy?" one of them questioned, his voice laced with confusion. He was a young man with a corpulent figure, his chin adorned with a beard that concealed his nape.

 

However, his fierce eyes and the pair of jians secured at his waist clearly indicated that he was no ordinary person.

 

Ji Wuye spared him a fleeting glance before his attention abruptly shifted toward the middle-aged man with a single arm.

 

The one-armed middle-aged man suddenly began to walk, his movements dispelling the surprise and confusion that had arisen regarding the nature of the enemy for this challenge. He strode forward, his gaze fixed unwavering, locked onto Ji Wuye's figure.

 

The people around him parted, allowing the one-armed man to continue his advance until he eventually halted right before Ji Wuye. A slight bow of his head, he spoke, "Greetings, Hero of Kunlun."

 

As his words echoed, the attention of the rest of the individuals immediately turned toward Ji Wuye, who stood clad in a white flowing martial robe with aqua stripes.

 

"Greetings, Warrior of Kunlun..."

 

"Greetings, Master..."

 

One by one, they followed the one-armed middle-aged man's lead, their words differing as each of them held a distinct view toward Kunlun, the most prestigious righteous sect. Even the bearded, corpulent youth hurriedly bowed his head, and the bamboo-hatted lady lowered hers.

 

In response, Ji Wuye remained calm, scanning these people while cupping his hands in a reciprocal gesture. "This humble servant of Kunlun is honored to be greeted by the Heroes of Jianghu."