The jade gates of the Whispering Winds stood open like the jaws of some ancient beast, swallowing streams of young cultivators from every direction.
Jiang Chen walked through the grand entrance with an expression as calm as a frozen pond.
Soft light spilled from within, illuminating a scene of refined extravagance that seemed constructed from a dream rather than made by human hands. The grounds stretched wide with paths of white marble, layered with terraces that curved like the coils of a resting dragon. In the center lay several jade lakes, their surfaces clear as liquid emerald, reflecting the glow of twin-colored spirit lanterns that hovered above like fallen stars. Thin streams of mist drifted across the water, carrying with them the faint fragrance of spirit lotus and night-blooming herbs.
