Li Hua left her room at dawn's first light as she and her brother had planned the night before. The sect grounds hummed with anticipation—today would determine the fate of many hopeful cultivators.
As she made her way through the morning mist, pavilions and courtyards seemed more alive than usual. Disciples of all ranks moved with purpose, many heading toward the grand ceremony grounds.
Unlike the previous days' observations, the Final Selection would take place in the sect's most impressive venue—an amphitheater carved directly into the mountainside behind the cultivation caves, its tiers decorated with ancient beast patterns that seemed to move in the early light. The massive structure had been strategically positioned to draw natural energy from the mountain's depths while remaining hidden from casual view by the network of cultivation caves that honeycombed the lower cliffs.
