She did not begin immediately.
She looked at the Middle Domain around them in the way she looked at things that she had been inside for long enough that looking at them was different from how someone newer to them would look, the ancient awareness reading the space rather than observing it, finding information in qualities that did not present themselves to less practiced attention.
He waited.
"I have been in the Middle Domain since before you entered it," she said finally. "Not since you passed the Ninth Gate. Since before Tianyuan Star. I came ahead."
"Through a different entry point," he said.
"Yes. The sword spirit of the Celestial Emperor's blade does not require a mountain's gate." She paused. "I can move between realms through the blade's connection to what remains of the Celestial Realm above. The connection is damaged. It is functional enough for passage."
He thought about this. "The True Celestial Emperor Blade in the Pouch. You passed through it."
