The morning air of the Mugang Martial Pavilion felt heavy—not with humidity, but with tension, excitement, and anticipation that saturated every inch of space around the Grand Arena. Perched atop a sweeping plateau east of the Pavilion, the vast martial coliseum overlooked the sprawling buildings below like a slumbering beast of stone and steel. From the break of dawn, the streets leading to it flooded with thousands of spectators—merchants, martial artists, wandering cultivators, noble clans, and the ever-present disciples of the Five Great Mountain Sects.
This was no ordinary gathering.
